INFORMIX-SQL book - Tony Lacy-Thompson

Dear music lovers, There was a spate of emails last month with regard to books on Informix, and mine was mentioned. However, there were requests for any reviews of the book, which did not seem to be forthcoming. So it falls to the author to blow his own trumpet. Here are two reviews published recently in the UK, the first by Jeff Turner in Unix Business, and the second by Jon Vogler in Computer Contractor. How do you buy the book? Simple: Title: INFORMIX-SQL, a tutorial and reference Author: Tony Lacy-Thompson Publisher: Prentice Hall ISBN: 0-13-465121-9 Price: UKP 19.95, US$ 28.80 Phone: US: 201-592-2000, UK/Europe: (0)442-231555, 2000 people (since January 1991) can't be wrong! Tony Lacy-Thompson DB Product Manager, Informix UK MAIL: tonylt@informix.co.uk FAX: +44 784 249600 PS Jim Gordon, I hate to see a grown man cry, so I'm posting you a freebie! Review #1 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Writing in Unix Business magazine, July 1991, Jeff Turner had this to say: "Based on INFORMIX-SQL version 2.10, with additional references to the new features of Version 4, this book provides both novice and exprienced users with an excellent reference guide. With practical examples, based on a property database system, a fully functional system is built from the design stage through to report output." "Database design, including the obligatory section on "Normalisation Theory" is presented in an easy-to-understand manner. Each module of INFORMIX-SQL: PERFORM, ACE, SQL-editor, User-Menus and Schema Editor are covered in detail." "I was particularly impressed with the variety offered when showing examples of SQL commands. On a number of occasions, the author would show two or three alternative arrangements of SQL commands to carry out the same task. The merits and demerits of each would then be discussed. Such diversity allows the reader to understand the techniques of managing and interrogating an INFORMIX-SQL database with greater clarity and better reasoning." "Throughout the book, reference is made to the property database system. Schema details, sample data listings and example ACE and PERFORM texts are contained in an appendix. Even the answers to questions raised in the tutorials are provided (yes, you can cheat if you want to!). Clear explanations, good use of diagrams and simple step-by-step exercises help to make this book a winner. Strongly recommended for anyone using INFORMIX-SQL." "This highly informative book represents a good buy." Review #2 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Jon Vogler in Computer Contractor, 16 October 1991, writes: "...Tony Lacy-Thompson is more productive of clever tricks with INFORMIX-SQL: he not only explains how 4.0 differs from earlier versions but reveals undocumented features, such as using graphics characters within a form to draw lines and boxes. I liked his explanations of how to combine Informix reports with Unix shell scripts, for example to switch printers at runtime... ..Lacy-Thompson explains as much in half as many pages by knowing, intuitively, which words to omit without losing clarity... Which of these books will find a permanent place on my shelf? ..Lacy-Thompson for helping me to do things with INFORMIX-SQL I could not do before." --------------------------------------------------------------------------