Preface

Chapter 10, Tuning, might be the one with the biggest audience: Every-
ones interested in speed, speed, speed. This is also the chapter that should be
read last, because the first rule of optimization is Dont do it. If youre an
expert, Rule 2 also applies: Dont do it yet.
Chapter 10 starts by explaining the four big performance tuning tools that
SQL Anywhere provides: request-level logging, the Index Consultant, the Exe-
cution Profiler, and the Graphical Plan. It then moves on to more arcane topics
such as file, table, and index fragmentation, and table, index, and database reor-
ganization. Sections on the syntax of CREATE INDEX and database
performance counters are included, and the book ends with a performance tun-
ing Tips and Techniques section that lists 36 dos and donts that didnt find a
home as a tip somewhere earlier in the book.
This book includes working code examples of just about every single point
made in the text. Except for some references to SQL Anywheres own demon-
stration database, ASADEMO.DB, and a cute organization chart in Chapter 3
on the recursive UNION feature, there are no extended case studies or attempts
to mimic the detail and complexity of real-world applications. Instead, most of
the examples use simple tables with artificial names like t1 and t2. The
examples focus on the syntax and semantics of SQL Anywhere: Theyre short,
they stick to the current topic, and theres lots of them.
The companion CD includes the full BNF from the book in HTML format
for easy browsing. It also includes all of the examples from the book, plus a full
copy of SQL Anywhere Studio 9 Developer Edition for Windows.

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