As its title suggests, this book is not intended for beginners. It adds significantly to the topics covered in part 1 [1], beginning with a discussion of advanced DB2 concepts and a very lengthy presentation of locking. Three major sections follow: advanced programming techniques, including Dynamic SQL, distributed data, and stored procedures; DB2 in CICS programs; and database administration

The book covers both DB2 version 4.1 and version 5, which normally would be a strong advantage. However, IBM is making significant changes to DB2 between versions 4 and 6 (with version 5 a compromise), so the extra discussion makes the material more difficult to read. It will help those currently using 4.1 to understand what to expect when they switch to 5 and then to 6. For those at version 5, it is a distinct distraction.

For developers working in mainframe DB2, this an excellent book. The title does not state that it is not for all DB2s, but most Cobol development would be on the mainframe, so I do not expect many people to be confused.