Book Description
Announcing an all-new MCTS Training Kit designed to help maximize your performance on Exam 70-431, a core exam for the new Microsoft IT Professional certifications. This kit packs the tools and features wanted mostincluding in-depth, self-paced training based on final exam content; rigorous, objective-by-objective review; exam tips from expert, exam-certified authors; and a robust testing suite. It also provides real-world scenarios, case study examples, and troubleshooting labs for skills and expertise that you can apply to the job. Focusing on SQL Server 2005, this official study guide covers topics such as installing and configuring SQL Server, implementing database mirroring, managing database snapshots, working with XML and flat files, managing replication, backing up and restoring a database, and more.
Book Description
Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture
"This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA."
—Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation
"A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future."
—Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions
"This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike."
—Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning
"Too often, SOA has been perceived as 'all about the technology'-standards, technology stacks, operational monitoring, and the like. In this book, Marks and Bell expand beyond the technology to provide a refreshing business-driven perspective to SOA, connecting the dots between business requirements, architecture, and development and operations, and overlaying these perspectives with tried-and-true governance techniques to keep SOA initiatives on track. A must-read for those leading the charge to adopt SOA within their enterprise."
—Brent Carlson, Chief Technology Officer, LogicLibrary and coauthor of San Francisco Design Patterns: Blueprints for Business Software
"Marks and Bell have captured a wealth of practical experience and lessons learned in what has become the hottest topic in software development. In this book, they explain in detail what works and what does not, from procedural issues to technical challenges. This book is an invaluable reference for organizations seeking the benefits of SOAs."
—Dr. Jeffrey S. Poulin, System Architect, Lockheed Martin and author of Measuring Software Reuse: Principles, Practices, and Economic Models
"One of the last things companies often consider when implementing a business solution such as SOA is the impact on people. Marks and Bell provide an in-depth look at 'what has to change' from a process standpoint to make any SOA implementation a success. A great read for those considering to embark on an enterprise SOA and looking for the right mix of people, process, and products."
—Alan Himler, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing, LogicLibrary
SOA is a complex topic and a complex organizational goal
Service-Oriented Architecture: A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology shows you how to plan, implement, and achieve SOA value through its prescriptive approach, joining the business and strategic perspective to the technical and architectural perspective.
Applicable to all industries, technology platforms, and operating environments, this innovative book provides you with the essential strategies to drive greater value from your SOA and realize your business goals.
Download Description
Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture ""This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA."" Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation ""A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future."" Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions ""This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike."" Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning
Customer Reviews:
AN EXCELLENT TECHNOLOGY BOOK .......2007-07-02
This book is an excellent SOA technological introduction that presents major architectural concerns that most architects, team leads, developers, and software modelers struggle with. It addresses fundamental service-oriented challenges and provides viable solutions that IT professionals can employ:
- A service lifecycle that identifies major modeling disciplines
- Introduction to service-oriented analysis, design, and realization
- Introduction to service-oriented technologies
- A service-oriented integration model that provide viable interoperable solutions
- Service reusability model that elaborates on various methods that can facilitate asset reuse in organizations
I'd recommend this book to IT personnel and SOA practitioners that would like to learn more about starting service-oriented projects and achieving effective results.
Business Focused SOA .......2007-06-26
This book is a must read for the Executive and Architect responsible for transforming their business processes and IT infrastructure from something resembling an anchor to an agile, flexible system that enables corporate progress. This book will show you a process that will help you get off step 0, define the right services, and ensure that your SOA efforts resolve your business and IT challenges. When implementing an SOA, the technology is the easy part, ensuring that services are created in a consistent manner, that they are designed with reuse in mind, that s/w creation, and hence new product development, gets less expensive and takes less time, over time, that's the hard part, that's where SOA Governance comes in, and this book will give you the SOA Governance basics you need to get your SOA transformation off to a good start. Get control of Governance and your 75% there. This book will not provide code snippets, developer advice, or describe technical specifications, if you want these things, get Thomas Url' or Greg Lomow' books. This book is about using a top-down business service analysis, bottom-up implementation considered, iterative SOA design model. Read it to develop or improve your SOA planning capabilities.
Not for a Developer.......2007-05-15
Note: My strong dislike of this book probably says more about me than the book...
As a developer I like books that bridge the technical and the business gap. I need to see, in concrete examples, how things might be implemented -- I want to see code, configuration documents, snippets of policy code etc. I also find it helpful when books build upon a sample application. I wanted to see examples of the technology that enables SOA, walk-thrus of standards such WSPL.
This book has none of that. To me it is a book of high-level lists of lists and every section I've read leaves me wondering what it said. I think they repeat themselves too much and the book seems poorly organized with material half way through a chapter which seemed to me to belong at the start. For all it being high-level, they make an assumption that the reader is familiar with a host of acronyms and/or the technology behind them.
SOA - Pragmatic Advice .......2007-03-05
Much has been written about the promise of SOA and, at the same time, the difficulty in realizing that promise to date. Most of us who work in this field know by now how to address the technical concepts, architecture and services in an SOA. Where this book stands apart from so many others is that it provides both conceptual and pragmatic advice in three critical areas which need attention for SOA to mature, to achieve business buy-in, and to attain the "SOA network effect" as the authors call it. These keys are: shifting focus to identification of candidate business services; SOA governance, organization, and behavior; and a framework for an SOA business case, ROI model and scorecard.
I enthusiastically recommend this book for the authors' lucid, insightful chapters on these three subjects alone. That they are woven nicely into a more complete system of processes and supporting structures to nurture along SOA through critical mass is an added bonus.
A Must Read !!!!.......2007-01-23
"Service Oriented Architecture is a hot topic and will be for times to come however it is often misunderstood topic in the Information Technology field today. Based on the SDN Network IT professionals see the potential of an SOA -- especially a web services-based SOA -- in dramatically speeding up the application development process They also see it as a way to build applications and systems that are more adaptable, and in doing so, they see IT becoming more agile in responding to changing business needs. Not only is SOA a hot topic, but it's clearly the wave of the future. Gartner reports that "By 2008, SOA will be a prevailing software engineering practice, ending the 40-year domination of monolithic software architecture" and that "Through 2008, SOA and web services will be implemented together in more than 75 percent of new SOA or web services projects." Bell articulately describes the concepts, specifications, technical nuisances and standards behind service orientation and Web Services. One primary objective of applying SOA in design is to provide business value to the solutions we build. Understanding the right approach to analyzing, designing, and developing service-oriented solutions is critical. This book is a must read!"
Average customer rating:
- It's realy good, although It's not the best
- Good but....
- I can honestly say that I learned nothing from this book
- Too much information, buddy, too much information
- Awesome book -- Great information
|
Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management, Seventh Edition
Peter Rob , and
Carlos Coronel
Manufacturer: Course Technology
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ASIN: 1418835935 |
Book Description
Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management, Seventh Edition is one of the most comprehensive database textbooks available. The proven success of database design treatment is sustained and further improved in this revision. The proven Parts organizations streamline the chapter coverage, so it is an ideal choice for your classroom. Each Part opens with a new business vignette, which provides real world examples to engage your students. The new edition includes updates in every chapter as well as added exercises and cases. There are new chapters such as Advanced Modeling Concepts, Database Performance Tuning and Query Optimization, and Database Connectivity and Web Development. In the seventh edition you will find examples of database usage, which highlights eBAY for compelling context. In our new Query Optimization chapter, we cover database performance tuning concepts, index selectivity and SQL coding practices. There is added EERD coverage such as clusters and subtype discriminator attributes. With the authors' strong writing style and outstanding balance of theory and practice, this is just a small sampling of the improvements we have made to the new edition of Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management by Peter Rob and Carlos Coronel.
Customer Reviews:
It's realy good, although It's not the best .......2007-10-06
If you want to start the Database Design, it's a very great book to help you to get to it.
Good but...........2007-08-17
This is a good book and gets the points across very well. The content is very good however the cost of the book doesn't seem right. If this book was cheaper i would have given it 4 stars...so if you can get it cheaper used then do that. Its a good book with great content and covers the material well. If you have to buy it..then BUY IT USED
I can honestly say that I learned nothing from this book.......2007-08-15
Completely abstract without concrete examples. Full of verbiage. Impossible to grasp.
I hated this book from day 1 and it was a waste of time. I wouldn't even know what to suggest for alternatives.
Too much information, buddy, too much information.......2007-02-25
Have you ever asked your geek buddy to explain to you how to do a maths problem and then he spent more than 3 hours to tell you the history of modern mathematic theories, how the heck did they discover the pi number? What are the properties of a circle?
If your answer is yes, then that's exactly what I felt after reading this book. I was shocked at how much time did I waste on all of the irrelevant information in this book. The ironic thing is as a college student, I came into this Database Management class hoping to learn something "real". What I found were a bunch of theories and introductions that I already forget while writing this review. And, no I still have the remotest idea of how to create a database in MS Access as well as Oracle. I really like my teacher; but I think I would have been better off reading a "How to do stuff with MS Access" textbook
Awesome book -- Great information.......2006-07-14
This being my first book about databases, I find that it explains the topic at hand very well, and concisely. While database design can be daunting of a task, the book guides the reader through it step by step, explaining exactly why something is like it is. The first chapters discuss the different models that were in use and what is becoming mainstream right now. Very easy to read, but some technological insight is suggested when starting this.
Book Description
Revised to reflect the needs of today’s users, this 10
th edition of Database Processing assures that you will learn marketable skills. By presenting SQL SELECT statements near the beginning of the book readers will know early on how to query data and obtain results–seeing firsthand some of the ways that database technology is useful in the marketplace. By utilizing free software downloads, you will be able to actively use a DBMS product by the end of the 2
nd chapter.
Each topic appears in the context of accomplishing practical tasks. Its spiral approach to database design (incorporating all 3 sources: from the integration of existing data, from new information, and the need to redesign an existing database) provides users with enhanced information not available in other database books on the market. Topics include: SQL, database design, implementation, processing, access standards, and business intelligence.
An excellent reference and handbook for information systems professionals such as database administrators, database designers, systems analysts, web-database developers, and programmers of database applications.
Customer Reviews:
Kroenke 30 years of DB Experience, 0 years writing an Errata.......2007-08-19
My first Amazon review.
I read the 7th Edition for my graduate student class in Databases. The 10ed is better organized and more applicable to current business applications, BUT, BUT, There are too many damn errors in the book that will Drive you crazy.
I have not done a DB, since I took the my grad class, 7 yrs ago. I'm studying the book for work with a deadline. I working the weekend to get this project done, BUT, I have stopped to write this Review. Heard of the movie a Bridge to Far, this is the An Errata to Many.
Save your money and Don't buy this book, until you see an Errata on
[...]
Tom
Very practical.......2007-05-07
This book has very practical and easy to read content. There was less theory than I expected, but that ended up being a good thing.
It's actually very good..........2007-03-21
I find it difficult to believe that there are too many errors strewn throughout the book. Most of the examples are in basic SQL, so some tailoring might be required for it to fit your individual DBMS. Of course, you can always go to the last chapters for practical applications using proprietary software.
This leads me to remind the buyer that the book is about concepts and design, not Oracle/MySQL/Java etc etc programming. It teaches you things you might have missed if taught informally, such as database normalization and the use of various keys.
For what it claims to be, it suits the job quite well, and is very detailed in how it describes database design and common pitfalls.
Again, this is not a dedicated programming book, and only teaches design concepts and standards.
Waste of money.......2005-07-02
Ridiculously overpriced, even for a textbook. There are actual mistakes littered throughout the book and the accompanying slides that were provided to the professor. The occasional error is understandable in a first edition, but by the 9th edition it's inexcusable.
Yes, I am talking about the 9th edition rather than the 10th. Somehow after all these editions I don't think they've gone through and cleaned it up with the latest one.
Maybe you think I'm just bitter because a new edition came out just in time for me to not be able to sell my 9th ed. back to the bookstore. Well, I won't deny that. But I will say that this is the first computer science textbook that I even tried to sell back.
Expensive, but better than its competitors.......2005-05-12
Price over $130? Whew! But Kroenke's text is comparable in price (when purchased new) with its major competitor, Hoffer, Prescott, and McFadden's 7th edition (HPM), with which I will compare Kroenke's text below. (HPM is by the same publisher; eventually all textbooks will be sold by only one publisher!) To help with the price, I will not ask my students to buy a supplementary text for the database we choose to use, but will provide a few on library reserve.
Kroenke's text is geared more to the computer science major than to the business information systems major. For example, Kroenke recognizes that mySQL is now industrial strength, and so includes a discussion of it. For example, HPM is 700 pages of fine print, busy diagrams, and wordy explanations some of which talk down to the student ("A 'term' is a word or phrase that has a specific meaning for the business"). Kroenke's is 675 open, clearly written, succinct pages. At my college there is a sequence of courses for databases, another sequence for software engineering, and a third sequence for system analysis. HPM tries to do some of all of three of these topics, thereby diffusing a database focus. Kroenke's text by contrast is focused. In fact, the apparently comparable length to HPM is misleading, because which end chapters you read in Kroenke depends on the database you choose.
As the publisher's blurb says, Kroenke made a wise decision to introduce (easy) SQL early. And I add that Kroenke continues to introduce hard SQL later, such as nested EXISTS for the computer science major. HPM introduces SQL later, and only the easy parts.
XML is becoming increasingly important to database users. Kroenke's treatment of XML is adequate; HPM's treatment is cursory.
The chief advantage of HPM over Kroenke is the consistent use of a really excellent Mountain View Community Hospital project from beginning to end, providing continuity and depth.
I have been using Kroenke since the first edition. (I missed only the second and ninth editions.) So this is a biased review, in which it is hard for me to shake my history of good experience with previous editions.
I am among those sad to see that Kroenke's Semantic Object model didn't catch on, but given that it didn't, I'm glad that he finally relegated it to an appendix.
I am glad that Kroenke's text can be purchased for only $8 more with a CD containing Oracle or SQL Server, although I will use mySQL.
In short, I'm still a member of the Kroenke fan club.
--Gene Chase
Book Description
Business Process Management: Practical Guidelines to Successful Implementations provides organizational leadership with an understanding of Business Process Management and its benefits to an organization. This book also gives Business Process Management practitioners a framework and a set of tools and techniques that provide a practical guide to successfully implementing Business Process Management projects and provides a holistic approach and the necessary details to deliver a Business Process Management project.
Business Process Management: Practical Guidelines to Successful Implementations delivers:
* a proven in-depth step-by-step framework for the Business Process Management practitioner.
* insights into how to embed Business Process Management within an organization to ensure a continuous business process involvement culture.
* practical tools, explanations and assistance in the successful implementation of a BPM project.
* more than 50 case studies to illustrate various steps and aspects of the framework.
* an overall view and understanding of Business Process Management and the move towards a process-centric organization.
* Encompasses best practices and an overview of the most important tools and methods
* An in -depth framework for the Business Process Management practitioner.
* Insights into how to embed Business Process Management within an organization to ensure a continuous business process improvement culture.
* Practical tools, explanations and assistance in the successful implementation of a BPM project.
* Includes in excess of 50 case studies to illustrate various points in the book.
Customer Reviews:
Useful Read.......2007-09-19
This is a valuable book for beginners and intermediates. Its detail as expected in any book is moderate. Learning the true methodologies of BPM requires experience and additional reading. This book however does serve as a useful tool in understanding BPM and its mehtodologies as well as standardising a roll out.
Practical Manual.......2007-02-22
Anyone who's interested in process improvement needs to invest in this book. Written in simple plain language, the book simplifies bpm and bpi.
Though I bought this book based on other people's reviews, I am proud to send mine. If you are new in business process management, redesign or even re-engineering, this is a good place to start. I have found this book as a great material with real-life examples. It is an excellent guide for implementing a process improvement or management project. I am currently working on a business process improvement project for one of my training programs and I have found the ideas expressed in this book handy.
As a six sigma specialist, I find myself reading similar books but this book stands out and I look forward to the next page as I read on.
Informative, Thorough, Interesting, Captivating.......2006-07-15
A must read publication. The author is consice and does not stray from the topic. It all comes down to how one manages processes in the business environment for maximizing efficiency. That is exactly what the book concentrates on.
The Author does a fantastic job of going into detail about important topics.
I am hoping for future publications from the author. I highly recommend this book.
Simply ... The Best.......2006-06-27
I am very blessed to have had the opportunity to come across the book after hearing from my friends that it was special. A topic so dull and drab made so interesting and simple is amazing and incredible.
Buy it !.......2006-06-06
This book is one of those typical exceptions that you come accross now and then. It is exceptionally good reading for both business and IT. It creates a common understanding of the typical challenges one meets when involved in an IT / BPM implementation project.
A book that you can actually use during all the phases of an implementation project. Buy it now! No really, do it.
Book Description
Most books on operating systems deal with theory while ignoring practice. While the usual principles are covered in detail, the book describes a small, but real UNIX-like operating system: MINIX. The book demonstrates how it works while illustrating the principles behind it.
Operating Systems: Design and Implementation Second Edition provides the MINIX source code. The relevant selections of the MINIX code are described in detail. When it first came out, MINIX caused something of a revolution. Within weeks, it had its own newsgroup on USENET, with 40,000 people. Most wanted to make MINIX bigger and fancier. Instead, Linux was created. That has become quite popular, very large, and complicated. MINIX, on the other hand, has remained small and suitable for instruction and example. The book has been revised to include updates in MINIX, which started out as a v 7 unix clone for a floppy-disk only 8088. It is now aimed at 386, 486, and pentium machines and is based on the international posix standard instead of on v7. There are now also versions of MINIX for the Macintosh and SPARC available.
Professional programmers will find this book to be a valuable resource and reference book.
Customer Reviews:
a road not taken.......2006-08-30
There is a whiff of "what-might-have-been" about this book, using the benefit of hindsight. Minix is thoroughly described as a small and impressively documented operating system. It is small enough that if you took the time, you could understand every nook and cranny. From a pedagogic standpoint, it is of great help in nailing down abstract design concepts. Amazingly, the kernel spans only 4000 lines. Nothing at all, compared to linux or other operating systems.
Tanenbaum criticises those, for a lack of modularity. With millions of lines of code put into one monolithic build running in kernel mode. But you might seriously wonder about this, especially where linux is concerned. In general, it is stable. Yes, with bugs that are inevitable with large code bases. But bugs that are severe enough to crash the OS are rare. Certainly rarer than Microsoft Windows. Anyhow, the book demonstrates the use of a microkernel. While linux uses a monolithic kernel.
But the "what-might-have-been" arises from how linux was inspired by minix. The marketplace has overwhelmingly preferred linux to minix. Industry giants like IBM and HP have now standardised on linux. No major company has done this for minix. It suggests a major design flaw in minix. Not a flaw in terms of not working. But a flaw at a higher level. Perhaps in extensibility or licensing. Tanenbaum must surely wonder that had he taken a different route with minix, it would have become what is linux today. Linus Torvalds is now far better known than him, and there is an entire industry of startups built using linux. Minix is something obscure, even amongst many computer programmers.
A great introduction to operating systems.......2006-03-31
This book is written by Tanenbaum, the main guy behind Minix, which is what Linux was based on. It provides good overviews for basic OS concepts like memory management, file systems, processes, etc. The concepts in this book book are intimately tied to examples of the Minix OS, which is a good thing.
To those who would rather see examples from Linux: Minix is a compact and modular OS, which is why it's a good choice for examples. The book contains the entire source code at the back for easy reference. Yes, the OS is that small. That's a good thing when you're trying to figure out how virtual memory works or what have you. You'd be lost trying to learn this stuff from Linux. Above everything else, the code is ***well-commented*** compared to Linux, a major plus. You won't find any "/* major hack */" comments, either. ;) Minix leaves out all the crap that Microsoft and Linux throw into the kernel that make it unstable in the first place. Learn about the bells and whistles later when you can do the basics.
I encountered two instances where the book wasn't updated to reflect changes in the OS, which were annoying to deal with. Also, I found a spelling or punctuation error about every ten pages, which was annoying for such a pricey book. Overall, however, the book is extremely usable and understandable. It's easy to pick up concepts from this text.
Not the best basis for Operating System design.......2006-02-28
While this book is good explaining theory and demonstrating it in the author's operating system, MINIX, MINIX is an insanely small OS. Now there's nothing wrong with that by default, just keep in mind that any OS you were to write in industry, etc would be way more complex.
Also, beware, of the 1000+ pages, at least a quarter of that is a print out, line by line, of the MINIX 3 source code. (Approximately 30,000 lines...)
Bottom line: Good for basic theory and understanding, but you would need to know much more to write a friendly OS.
An excellent text book, well written and informative.......2003-02-11
This was the text for an OS course that I took for my Masters. We had to implement 11 significant OS features for Minix (e.g. floppy disk cache, VGA driver, interprocess communication server,...) -- bugs were unacceptable (i.e. fail), as OSs must work. This class was 4 times more work that an other class I took for my Masters but I learned so much. I was already a very experienced Unix programmer when I took this, so I found it facinating to finally see what was under the hood (Minix/Unix is surprisingly small an compact -- very elegant). Tanenbaum is a real authority on the subject of operating systems and has a very engaging style. Probably the best computer science text book that I have read (I read this cover to cover, not just scanning but really reading). There is room for improvement though: the format could benefit from being updated, I had to use a lot of high-lighter. Clearer separation and indexing of key theories and sections would help. The OS basics are still relevant today (and could perhaps benefit from some expansion/clarification). I believe Tanenbaum has brought out new books since that go into some more contemporary / more advance areas.
Overrated.......2002-11-21
The authors of this text assume too much. This pretty much sums up the entirety of the work, which is too technical to make a good introductory text and too simple to make a good advanced discussion of operating systems.
First off, you need a very strong understanding of the C programming language to get anything out of this book. The length of the text is deceiving- almost half of it is actually printed source code of the MINIX operating system. What the other half of the book does is, essentially, wade through said source code. If you don't know C well, you're not going anywhere with this. I suggest buying 'The C Programming Language' (Prentice Hall: Kernighan, Ritchie) and 'Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment' (Addison Wesley: Stevens) if you don't already own them.
While the authors do go into some discussion about how the various parts of an operating system work, they don't go into any of the actual details. Why? Because MINIX simply doesn't DO a lot of these things (e.g. deadlock prevention, swapping or paging, advanced scheduling). If you're actually thinking of writing your own OS, you'll only get a general idea of what needs to be done, nothing more. The theory is covered quite well, but if you're looking for what this book advertises on the cover ('Design and Implementation') you will probably be disappointed.
There are some advantages to this text. I would have given it a higher rating, but I think the current one is deceptive. For one, if you're familiar with UNIX or Linux, MINIX is very similar. It's also a lot simpler and shorter code-wise, so it doesn't take a guru to modify the source. Also, like Linux, it isn't copyrighted. The system itself works well and is very educational. The book's resources are also well done, with an included CD that has all the source and comprehensive instructions on how to install it (be sure you backup first!). MINIX is also very well commented and, if you know C, is quite easy to understand.
Further, non-material problems with the text include a discussion that seems to jump from one place to another and doesn't make good use of diagrams. You'll often find a very useful diagram in the book... except that it's about three chapters ahead of where it really would have been enlightening. Key terms are in bold, but aren't summarized anywhere else in the book, oftentimes including the index! This can make it annoying to look up something you can't remember. Additionally, the numerous references to the MINIX source code simply refer to line numbers. Some might not mind this, but I personally found it frustrating to have to keep flipping back and forth between one half of the book and the other. It would have helped if the authors had just put the relevant source where it's discussed and left out the entire listing in the back. It's available on the CD and online anyway, if you need to look at all of it.
In summary, Operating Systems 2nd Ed. is very average in quality as a textbook, both for beginners and gurus. The MINIX operating system is well planned and designed, but the book itself offsets this quality with its flaws.
Book Description
This companion guide to the bestselling The Six Sigma Way focuses on the project improvement teams that do the real, in-the-trenches work of Six Sigma—measuring performance, improving quality and saving millions in the process.
The Six Sigma Way Team Fieldbook is a highly practical reference for team leaders and members, outlining both the methods that have made Six Sigma successful and the basic steps a team must follow in an improvement effort. Written by three veteran trainers of Six Sigma “Black Belts” and teams at GE, Sun Microsystems, and Sears, this hands-on guide helps teams obtain the skills they need to identify a product, service, or process that needs improvement or redesign; gather data on the process and the rate of defects; find ways to improve quality up to a Six Sigma level—just 3.4 defects per million; and much more.
* Includes dozens of data-gathering forms and Six Sigma tools and worksheets
* Describes key improvement methods in a concise “how-to” format with checklists and tips
Download Description
This companion guide to the bestselling The Six Sigma Way focuses on the project improvement teams that do the real, in-the-trenches work of Six Sigma-measuring performance, improving quality and saving millions in the process.
Customer Reviews:
Very Helpful resource!!!.......2007-10-05
This is a very helpful resource for me as a new blackbelt. The more I learn, the more this book makes sense!
Six Sigma Way Team Fieldbook.......2007-03-24
An excellent resource for new Black Belts. Describes the DMAIC phases in plain english. A definite must for anyone training in the DMAIC methodology.
A priceless guide full of hundreds of templates and examples.......2006-11-12
As a Transactional Six Sigma Black Belt, this has been one of the most useful six sigma books I own. It contains a wealth of illustrations and tools that are priceless in terms of teaching process improvement teams basic six sigma methods. Using this book, people in process improvement can learn to apply many of the basic six sigma concepts.
I cannot stress enough, the number of useful illustrations and examples that are in every chapter in this book. Where most six sigma books tell you what six sigma is and how to analyze and measure, this one gives you the communication tools that are essential for getting and keeping an improvement project on-track.
Although many six sigma people would disagree with me on this point, I am a firm believer that Process Improvement & Management is the program to achieve business change success and six sigma is a tool to help accomplish and control the improvements.
A must read and a bargain-priced book. I recommended it to every process improvement team I lead and the feedback is always a "Wow - what a book!"
Looking for Cost Reduction, Increased Productivity, and Loyal Costumers - This is the practical implementation guide .......2006-07-17
Six sigma is a quality system that has helped world class companies save millions and gain costumer. It was brought into fame by the legendary Jack Welch during his years at General Electric.
This book is a practical implementation guide and the companion for "The sis sigma way: How GE, Motorola, and other top companies are honing their performance". Buy this book if you are already involved in a sis sigma initiative in your organization, either as a black belt, green belt, or champion. If you are looking for an introduction to fundamentals an systems implementation, you may do better with "The sis sigma way: How GE, Motorola, and other top companies are honing their performance", which is a comprehensive self-help guide to adapting and using the six sigma system under various conditions. Half of the book focuses on implementation through a detailed and flexible five-step "road map", filled with practical directions.
Either if you are looking to solve an specific process problem, or want to implement six sigma company wide, both books will help you develop a method that fits the specific needs of your company or organization.
Classroom training for Six Sigma costs what!.......2005-11-05
I began my journey to learn about Six Sigma around a year ago. At that time I investigated classroom training on Six Sigma. The cost for Six Sigma training was far too expensive for my management team to seriously consider. My most viable option was to train myself. I bought seven, yes seven, books on the topic of Six Sigma. This book was the best of the seven resources I purchased. This book is an inexpensive resource for training. I would also recommend an introduction to Six Sigma to supplement this book. My recommendation would be, "What is Six Sigma?" (another book by Pande). I have several years of quality experience so not every newcomer can just read a book. For most business process improvement efforts this book can give you the education to be dangerous against company waste and inefficiencies.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book for Beginning Process Engineers.......2006-09-19
This is a very thorough book that leads you through the entire redesign process. I especially liked Chapter 10, "Document Processes", as it is a good place to start the book. This is a very good book for process redesign training - not too detailed to bore training participants, but thorough enough to provide the trainees with a solid process redesign foundation. Packed with useful information and very, very good illustrations - examples that bring the point home. After reading this book, a good follow up is "Business Process Improvement Workbook" by Harrington, Esseling and van Nimwegen ....
Good for process redesign team.......2004-10-06
The authors introduced comprehensively a lot of important topics in process redesign effort, such as core processes identification and performance measurement. These are good to any process redesign team.
The weakness is that there is no clear roadmap by the sequence of content in this book. Many chapaters show in-depth explanation, but looks lack of logic once put into practices. This confuses many process redesign teams.
The best entry level book on the subject.......2004-07-28
A few years back, I developed a jones over process improvement. I went to a few national book retailers and a large respected university bookstore and researched Amazon to examine different texts on the subject. When I came accross this text, I was immediately taken by its clear descriptions and practical advice. It supplements the specific topics with useful tables and workplans. There exists more thorough texts on most of the topics. For example, volumes have been written about reengineering or continuous improvement. However, the vast majority of people looking for guidance will find more than enough information here. Another nice thing is that the authors don't waste time trying to persuade the reader, as some other books do, that these topics are important. They simply and clearly describe the subject at hand and show how to implement. The brevity, clear descriptions, and inclusion of only the most relavent information make this book a must-have for anyone who is concerned with process improvement.
Satisfactory.......2003-01-10
I use this book to teach business process management for the MBA class. It does not have the depth or rigor of a textbook, but does a decent job of addressing the major issues.
Comprehensive and full of excellent info & ideas.......2001-05-27
I got this book based on a friend's recommendation because I was struggling with a process design application called iGrafx Process (also available from Amazon).
I learned that there is much more to process design than basic models based on entry, task, validation and exit criteria. For example, performance measurements and performance efficiency were two areas where this book strengthened my understanding of process design and implementation. They also and enabled me to effectively use iGrafx Process to its fullest.
Other chapters that taught me a lot addressed improvement planning, continuous improvement and process benchmarking. I was able to immediately incorporate the knowledge gained into processes that I was developing, and it made a significant difference in the quality of my work.
The best chapter, in my opinion, was in installing the improved processes. I gained a lot of knowledge and techniques for overcoming barriers and how to objectively measure the degree of improvement. This was reinforced by material that is provided in the appendices, including case studies and an excellent description of Six-Sigma analysis.
Overall, this is a valuable book to anyone who designs or implements new processes, or reengineers existing ones. Most of my work is new design and implementation, so that was the context in which I read the book. If I were assigned to a reengineering project this would be the first book to which I'd turn for guidance and information. It earns a solid five stars and a permanent place in my professional library.
Book Description
The credit derivatives market is booming and, for the first time, expanding into the banking sector which previously has had very little exposure to quantitative modeling. This phenomenon has forced a large number of professionals to confront this issue for the first time. Credit Derivatives Pricing Models provides an extremely comprehensive overview of the most current areas in credit risk modeling as applied to the pricing of credit derivatives. As one of the first books to uniquely focus on pricing, this title is also an excellent complement to other books on the application of credit derivatives. Based on proven techniques that have been tested time and again, this comprehensive resource provides readers with the knowledge and guidance to effectively use credit derivatives pricing models. Filled with relevant examples that are applied to real-world pricing problems, Credit Derivatives Pricing Models paves a clear path for a better understanding of this complex issue.
Dr. Philipp J. Schönbucher is a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, and has degrees in mathematics from Oxford University and a PhD in economics from Bonn University. He has taught various training courses organized by ICM and CIFT, and lectured at risk conferences for practitioners on credit derivatives pricing, credit risk modeling, and implementation.
Customer Reviews:
read this before going for it.......2007-04-25
The book covers the basics of credit risk modeling and derivative pricing (both structural and intensity type of models), explained in a clear style with enough detail to enable implementation (a rarity in financial literature!). Basics of the theory of stochastic processes and risk-neutral pricing are also covered. Calibration methods for the models are clearly explained. Due to the limited scope, some topics are given only cursory coverage (Copula function methods, role of interest-rates models etc.), but even then, enough references are provided. A very useful, concisely written tome!
Very bad presentation. I was bored to death before I finished the first 20 pages.......2007-04-16
The author should rewrite this book. The presentation and organisation are terrible. Often you will see formulas come out without an explanation.
Would definitely not recommend it.
Grab any papers wrote by the market-practitioners, you will find they are much easier for you to understand the concepts of various credit derivatives models than the book could.
BTW, I wrote a negative review in amazon.co.uk, but was deleted twice.
Great but Incomplete Tech for Quantitative Credit Traders / Analysts.......2006-12-06
Schonbucher's book has major strengths:
1) the bredth and un-biased approach to a broard range of methods for pricing and identifying (pseudo-)arbitrage opportunities including approaches based on reduced form / intensity models, structural/statistical/Merton-like models, and credit rating based approachs to modeling and trading credit.
2) The emphasis on implementation issues -- issues and problems bootstrapping and fitting credit curves, impact of product and market specific risk premium in credit spread than inflated market-implied default probabilities -- is very good and his chapters on modeling market-implied recovery assumptions and recovery modeling are also very good.
The major drawbacks are that is
1) It is sufficiently mathematical, but not strong enough in explaining the mathematics, such that anyone who can undedrstand the book probably already has a good handle on the space.
2) It spends a good deal of time on interesting but only marginally relevant modeling approachs (like the credit rating discussions and modeling counter-party risk) but misses key opportunities (like cash-cds convexity and basis trading) that many need for their day jobs.
3) Recent innovations like recovery products, loan and preferred CDS, and greater liquidity in basket and coorelation products either post-date the text or are not covered well enough to be of practical use.
That said, it is still one of the two four and five texts I have seen in the space (if you are considering the book also look at Geoff Chaplin's excellent text. Many people rave about Credit Derivatives by George C. Chacko et al. but I haven't yet read this, so don't have an opinion other than people I have high regard for like the book a lot.)
excellent book but hard to understand.......2006-11-11
The book is written by a Professor in a insightful way.
The reader needs to be well prepared in knowledge, and be ready for frustration.
Excellent intermediate book.......2005-10-20
The book is a look at credit risk through the glasses of mathematics, and is not a beginner's book. It is a bit dry in the beginning, yet after that I discovered lots of valuable intuitive explanations. While it does require a certain level of probability knowledge, the author walks you through most necessary steps for the presented models. The book covers almost everything needed for an intermediate course on credit modelling. The lack of numerical implementation menthods took the last star.
Book Description
A guide to successful deployment of the Cisco IP Telephony solution
- Real-world case studies from the Cisco design consulting engineers who developed the PDIOO process provide practical advice on all stages of successful IPT deployment
- Concise understanding of the PDIOO phases enables architects and engineers to successfully deploy the Cisco IPT solution
- Division of the process into PDIOO phases provides a logical and defined guide for network engineers and architects as they proceed through each of the phases in deploying the Cisco IPT solution
- Includes detailed questionnaires for each phase of deployment in the PDIOO cycleâa great aid in understanding customer networks and requirements
- Network infrastructure design, call processing infrastructure design and applications, and voice-mail system design are covered in depth
Cisco® IP Telephony (IPT) solutions are being deployed at an accelerated rate, and network architects and engineers need to understand the various phases involved in successful deployment: planning, design, implementation, operation, and optimization (PDIOO). On the road to that understanding, those involved need to collect information for each phase of deployment, and then follow through with the best architecture, deployment model, and implementation based on the data collected.
Cisco IP Telephony: Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation, and Optimization is a guide for network architects and engineers as they deploy the Cisco IPT solution. With this book, you will master the PDIOO phases of the IPT solution, beginning with the requirements necessary for effective planning of a large-scale IPT network. From there, you’ll follow a step-by-step approach to choose the right architecture and deployment model. Real-world examples and explanations with technical details, design tips, network illustrations, and sample configurations illustrate each step in the process of planning, designing, implementing, operating, and optimizing a chosen architecture based on information you have collected.
In-depth instruction on each PDIOO phase provides specific details about the tasks involved and best practices for successful implementation of the IPT solution. This book also contains predesigned questionnaires and PDIOO assistance tools that help you determine the requirements of each phase of the PDIOO cycle.
Authors Ramesh Kaza and Salman Asadullah have been involved with Cisco IPT solutions from the beginning and have planned, designed, and implemented major IPT networks using the guidelines found here. Cisco IP Telephony: Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation, and Optimization provides the step-by-step explanations, details, and best practices acquired by the authors while working with the top Cisco IPT customers.
This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press®, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.
Customer Reviews:
A good process book with enough technology.......2007-09-19
Cisco IP Telephony: Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation, and Optimization is an average book with useful information. Please be aware of the subtitle - "Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation, and Optimization". This book is less of a technology book and more of a process and best practices book. It uses examples and best practices on how to deploy technologies and focuses less on technology. It would be a good book for technically strong IPT engineers who want to expand their knowledge on IPT design.
I did like Chapter 2 - Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation, and Optimization Overview. This chapter could be used for any large scale IT deployment. The process described is relevant to different technologies, not just IPT.
Also, Chapter 6 - Design of Call-Processing Infrastructure and Applications - is a long, but detailed read on dial plans, which are the core of any telephony system. The authors did a good job of going through all the aspects of a dial plan including, but not limited to, gateways, numbering plans, route patterns and calling search space.
Practical Advice for Converting to IP Telephony.......2005-11-10
Switching to IP Telephony is one of those decisions that the CEO finds easy to make. Costs decline quite a lot and quality of performance is promised to be acceptable.
Then the problem of implementation is turned over to those who will need to plan, design, implement, operate and troubleshoot the system. That lucky engineer will find that the Cisco solution is still a fairly limited one technically that requires you to make the right decisions . . . or you can end up with a system that doesn't live up to the promise that was made to the CEO. And you can guess who will get the blame for that.
I read a fair number of the Cisco networking books, and I found this one to be more candid, detailed and helpful than anyone one I have seen.
The authors wrote this book to explain what their clients had been having trouble with in implementing the first Cisco IP telephony solutions. That perspective allows you to avoid mistakes others have made.
Those mistakes can come in two areas: the system working or not; and the system's solution fitting the company's needs well or not.
I'm not an engineer, but I found the book to be easy to understand and interesting to read. For an engineer, much of the technical parts of this book will seem like old hat, I'm sure. But the tables are sure to save lots of time and mistakes by simply summarizing what needs to be done in elegant detail. For example, table 6-42 on page 233 tells you which restrictions you should place on calling (from highly restricted for lobby phones to unrestricted for the executive phones). While that's not strictly engineering (more like administration), it's something the engineers need to do properly. If not done correctly, you end up with a situation where employees waste lots of time calling their friends and family in far away countries.
People are much more sensitive to their telephone system than to their computer network. So all the details of satisfying users will be new to many engineers. For example, customizing your solution to account for the right voice-mail service is very important. Do that wrong, and you have everyone in the company angry with you. Chapter 7 is a great help in designing the right solution for your company.
No one will ever get fired for buying and using this book to put in a Cisco IP telephone system. In fact, this book may even help you earn a promotion.
Here is a list of the chapter titles to give you a sense of the book's coverage in its 648 pages:
Chapter 1 Cisco IP Telephony Solution Overview (explains the limits of Cisco technology well)
Chapter 2 Planning, Implementation, Operation and Optimization Overview (a process to get you from here to there)
Chapter 3 Large-Scale Enterprise Requirements for IP Telephony (helps you anticipate problems in the beginning)
Chapter 4 Planning Phase (marrying your IT networks to a telecom application)
Chapter 5 Design Phase (network infrastructure design)
Chapter 6 Design of Call-Processing Infrastructure and Applications (lots of details on choices)
Chapter 7 Voice-Mail System Design
Chapter 8 Implementation (a step-by-step process description)
Chapter 9 Operations and Optimization (software and hardware upgrades, CallManager operation and monitoring tools, optimization tips from time synchronization to IPT network management tools)
Good luck with your system!
This will separate the successful from the failures!.......2005-10-05
Many of us have decided to put away our legacy PBX systems and install a VoIP based communication platform, and with all of the benefits clearly visible, we often jump into action without fully realizing the scope of what we are about to undertake. In a VoIP deployment, so many factors must be considered in the design, that often things are left out. In the deployments where QoS, switching infrastructure, and overall network design are ignored, you see problems with reliability and an overall bad taste left in the mouth of the end user. With proper planning, the problems experienced by these design flaws (or often lack of design) can be overcome, and the true glory of the VoIP system will be seen. Cisco has designed an awesome assortment of VoIP enabling technologies, that when used together can, and will, change the way we do business for the better, but only if you have a solid foundation of planning.
The authors of this title, Cisco IP Telephony: Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation, and Optimization , have taken the steps to building a solid VoIP system and set them up in an organized structure, that if followed, will provide a solid and stable installation and deployment. This isn't just another guide to walk you through the CallManager platform, but addresses design constraints of the entire VoIP system including infrastructure analysis, call processing, voice mail, QoS considerations, call flow planning, information on deployment of a pilot system, and acceptance testing processes. Once the platform is deployed, this guide will give you the insight needed to properly tune and maintain you system for many years to come. The many example forms in the back of the book will even walk you through the carrier circuit ordering process, voice mail system design, and even implementation readiness evaluation questionnaires.
I would highly recommend this title to anybody who has decided to install a VoIP system, even if you think you already have your bases covered. You can never be too-organized or have too much planning when undertaking a project of this scope. If you follow the guidelines in this book, you will have a much greater understanding of what's necessary for a successful deployment, and you won't be one of those customers wishing they would have planned things better (as they fix their installation). If asked to rate the book on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, I would rate this a 5, and essential to the library of any VoIP engineer.
A very good book for design engineers........2005-08-01
If you design networks or just want to get a better understanding of Cisco IP Telephony technology pick up this book. Its a great reference and a daily problem solver for your job.
sweet spot between technical details and broad overview.......2005-07-28
This book was exactly was I was looking for. I'm a CCSP, CCNA, CCDA, CWLSS/LDS integrating Cisco voice into a Cisco WAN/LAN environment. I needed a great overview of technology but with enough technical data to drill down into where desired. Kudos to Cisco Press and Kaza for doing this perfectly. My other IPT references were starting to age, so I wanted a newer resource. This one, published in 05, covers all the changes, standards, and advancements in the last couple years. It starts with 50 pages of protocols, specs, technologies and equipment. So you learn the basics of how a Call Manager based system works and some good Telco and signaling fundamentals. The authors then embark on a design-phase analysis of different scenarios. It's a little slanted towards clean slate installs and a consultants perspective, but I was able to glean plenty of info. Lots of default values, guidelines, and RFCs sprinkled throughout. Not much in the way of IOS/configs. Good and copious templates for planning and designing. Hope Cisco continues these types of guides.
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