An Introduction to IMS: Your Complete Guide to IBM's Information Management System

This book is exactly the good level to understand internals of IMS and therefore beginning to work with this product. I am an expert about this product, but I don't used to IMS every day. That 's why this book is interesting for me. I recommand this book about a large audience, beginners up to experts about this subject Best regards Jean Marc [email protected]

A "must have" for anyone serious about understanding IBM's Information Management System. Clear, concise information for those in the know too! Don't format your RAA without it!

I've been documenting IMS- and DB2-related products for almost 20 years. I had the pleasure of working with Dean Meltz on a long ago version of IMS, and knew then that his knowledge of the database was detailed and comprehensive. I'm so glad that he was able to put much of that knowledge into one, easy-to-understand IMS primer. While many IMS gurus are retiring, and replacements are hard to find, I think this book is a staple for any IMS shop. This is not an operator's reference. (IMS already has a good one of those.) But it does provide a good overview of database structure and design and explains key points well, with very good illustrations. This book is a much needed addition to IMS literature. I'm sure it will stand the test of decades, just as the database has done.

After giving a very brief history of IMS, the authors give us a guided tour of its extensive capabilities. You will learn that IMS has continually evolved from its roots as a hierarchical database to an industrial strength transaction manager that services both SNA and TCP/IP and supports Java, XML and SQL access via stored procedures. This book does not attempt to describe every nuance of all the IMS features. Instead, it touches upon each capability and discusses the most-used functions. If there is more to know, the reader is directed to the applicable IMS manuals (available on the web). You can sit down and read this book cover to cover, or you can reference individual chapters to find out what you need, when you need it. This reference will be close at hand on my bookshelf.

This is the most complete reference book for IMS I have ever seen.