Welcome to the world of DB2 programming! This is a client/server environment that provides a rich set of features to develop applications that access DB2 databases and that perform administrative functions.
DB2 provides several different ways to access DB2 databases. You can use embedded SQL, the DB2 Call Level Interface (DB2 CLI), Java, or Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) end-user tools. To perform administrative functions, you can use the DB2 application programming interfaces (APIs).
DB2 also provides many features to build advanced applications: triggers, constraints, stored procedures, user-defined functions, user-defined data types, and support for large objects (such as audio, video, and image) to build multimedia applications.
This book is your road map through these topics. It introduces you to the fundamental programming methods you should understand, describes DB2 features, and points to detailed sources of information.
This book is divided into the following chapters. We suggest you read each
one before going to the detailed programming information:
| Chapter 1. "About the DB2 Programming Environment" | Describes the DB2 client/server environment, various development kits, and the sample programs and database. |
| Chapter 2. "Accessing DB2 Databases" | Describes different ways your applications can access DB2 databases, and their respective merits and limitations. |
| Chapter 3. "Using DB2 Features" | Lists DB2 features you can use to extend or supplement your applications. |
| Chapter 4. "Using Application Development Tools" | Lists various tools you can use to develop your applications. |
This book also contains a couple of appendixes that provide general
information about DB2:
| Appendix A. "About DB2 Universal Database" | Lists the products that make up DB2 Universal Database. |
| Appendix B. "How the DB2 Library Is Structured" | Describes the online help, SmartGuides, and books that make up the DB2 library. |