This book is designed to allow the reader to get the maximum performance from Sybase SQL Server. It is specifically aimed at System 11, but has several sections that discuss the characteristics of 4.9 and System 10. As such, it will support not only the latest release, but most versions in common use.
The best overview of the book is the table of contents:
Tuning for Performance
Hardware and System Software
Sybase Product and Feature Overview
SQL Server--Form and Structure
SQL Server--Methods and Features
Physical Database Design
Application Development
Monitoring SQL Server
Instrumenting SQL Code
Transaction Processing Performance
Query Processing Performance
Batch Processing Performance
Advanced Topics
The introduction (chapters 1 and 2) covers such high-level material, and such a variety of products, that it probably should have been omitted. Either readers already will understand the content, and thus it is wasted, or they do not, and all it will do is confuse them.
Chapters 3 through 6 are written by people who understand Sybase well (they are members of SQL Server’s Performance Team). They give a good explanation of the capabilities and inner workings of the product. They also include much guidance on how to place the product on various classes of servers. This material should be invaluable to anyone using the product.
Unfortunately, chapters 7 through 13 again get into very broad subjects, making it difficult to translate the ideas (which sound good) into concrete actions applicable to one’s own situation. This problem is hard to address, and I am not certain I could do any better, but it may cause difficulties.
However, the material in chapters 3 through 6 is valuable enough that I strongly recommend the book to everyone who uses Sybase and wants to understand its inner workings.
