Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great book for beginners!
Comment: I had to write this review when I read one of the others, sitting on the shelf indeed; Mine is too but it's dog eared from the several times I've read it through.This book is a MUST read. If you are new to Informix read this cover to cover. Then you can get a book like Joe Lumbley's and use it as a reference book. This book is more of an introduction to concepts, it's not a book for an experienced Informix DBA. Speaking of which, you aren't an experienced DBA if you are whining about information on onarchive. If you are using it, you have either been forced to do so or don't know any better. Admittedly the book is a bit dated now, I'm hoping that Mr. Doe will write another edition. Most of the concepts in it still stand however, and if you have to administer an Informix system and want to get up to speed quick it's invaluable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent book - Author is clear and concice
Comment: I've been an Oracle DBA for the last 4 years and was apprehensive about learning a new DBMS, but this book made all the difference. It has just enough information to understand how the Informix engine works and the parameters that are most important. It also covers some basic Administration. The author is excellent, I even learned about RAID and had a better understanding than any other book I've read. Since I didn't have a Solaris system to test my new skills I bought his second book "Administering Informix Dynamic Server on Windows NT" so I could get the Informix CD. I was able to install it and test out the commands in the book. Thank you Carlton, EXCELLENT job.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not the best DBA Resource
Comment: Very hard to understand. No tips or tricks are mentioned. I feel there are better resources out there on this subject.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very readable one-volume interpretation of Informix DSA
Comment: Carlton does a good job of explaining the ins and outs of Informix's database engine. His phrasing and examples are easy to read, avoiding the dry and stilted manner we've come to associate with product documentation. I recommend this book to people who need to read the whole 50-something-volume set of Informix docs but who won't take the time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This one stays on the shelf
Comment: I usually write reviews only when I love a book, but I'll make an exception this time. There aren't a whole lot of third-party Informix books, and my employer was paying, so I pretty much bought all the obvious ones. Joe Lumbley's "Informix DBA Survival Guide" is always on my desk, Glenn Miller's "Informix Basics" is handy if I have a basic question, and Elizabeth Suto's "Informix Performance Tuning" is invaluable (it's actually not a bad one to read first because the explanations of the architecture and key concepts are so concise and clear). But this one lives on the shelf. It's way shorter than it looks (big type font), and whatever I need to know about is usually not in the index.I hate to criticize authors because I are one, and I know how much effort goes into a book, but this one just doesn't do it for me.
