The following is a list of resources you should use if you decide to administer a Sybase database. You could probably get by with just using the Sybase documentation, but some of these web pages and books could provide you with resources that will save you lots of time.
comp.databases.sybase: this Internet newsgroup contains the posting of hundreds of Sybase database administrators throughout the world. The Sybase database product is very similar across platforms.
http://www.isug.com/: The International Sybase Users Group has annual meetings with very interesting technical presentations. If you become involved with Sybase, it is worth the trip.
http://sybooks.sybase.com/: All documentation for all Sybase products are on-line here—a very handy reference.
http://www.tiac.net/users/sqltech/: Sybase Shareware contains many free utilities to help you manage your servers. I highly recommend the Extended Stored Procedure Library.
System Administration Guide is a manual that comes with the Sybase Database Server when you purchase it. Unfortunately, a Linux version is not yet in print; however, one is available in the on-line documentation provided at http://sybooks.sybase.com/.
Sybase Database Administrator's Handbook, Brian Hitchcock, Prentice Hall: even though this book covers only Sybase version 10 (at least in my revision), it has many scripts you can use and a good deal of important background information.
Sybase SQL Server 11—An Administrator's Guide, John Kirkwood, Sybase Press: this book covers the features of Sybase version 11. There are chapters on DBCCs, backup and recovery and the query optimizer.
Sybase Architecture and Administration by John Kirkwood Ellis, Horwood: this book contains many tips and examples. It too is based on Sybase version 10, but is quite handy.
Database Tuning-A Principled Approach by Dennis E. Shasha, Prentice Hall: this book is heavy on theory and is not Sybase-specific, but is a good book about tuning your application for best performance.
An Introduction to Database Systems, 5th Edition by C. J. Date, Addison-Wesley: Mr. Date is a pioneer in the relational database field. This book covers the relational database model in great detail. It is extremely heavy on theory and a very good reference book.
The Practical SQL Handbook: Using Structured Query Language, Judith S. Bowman, Sandra L. Emerson and Marcy Darnovsky, Addison-Wesley: this is a great book for learning SQL. We use it to teach SQL to our employees.
