In the preface, Kipp asks, “Are you tired of wading through all those Informix manuals?” This book is not a manual, but it is big, combining 697 pages of text with a CD of examples. It aims to give a step-by-step explanation of how to design a database management system (DBMS) using Informix SQL or Informix 4GL. It assumes only a modest knowledge of Informix products, Unix and C, and relational database management. It also assumes that you are starting to build a DBMS from scratch and have no close colleagues with substantial Informix experience. Hence, although the focus of the text is on developing an Informix DBMS, the author includes a chapter on relational database design and normalization and one that covers the nitty-gritty details of the Unix environment needed to run Informix. These chapters appear early in the book, because the material is meant to be in the order needed to support the design, creation, and maintenance of an Informix database.
The database engines Informix SQL and Informix 4GL are compared and contrasted throughout the book. Several other versions of Informix--Informix-SE, Informix-OnLine, Informix-OnLine DSA, Informix-XPS, Informix-US, and Informix-WGS--are briefly discussed.
Each chapter includes code, tips, and notes and ends with a detailed summary. The CD contains most of the code used in the book. It also includes many utility routines that were contributed by Informix employees, consultants, and customers. The tips concern issues requiring judgment and experience, such as how to avoid database management problems when the database manager quits. The notes contain good advice, suggestions, and answers to questions that you would ask if you were smart and experienced. For example, one note explains why you should run the “update statistics” command nightly.
Much of the value of this book is in the tips and notes and in the organization of the material. Its layout and typographic conventions make it very readable. You could develop and manage a fairly complicated Informix database using this book.
