"One decade ago, the European Drug Utilization Research Group (EuroDURG) took the initiative to prepare a book entitled Drug Utilization Research: Methods and Applications. Rather than limiting this work to a handbook focusing only on the methodological issues of Drug Utilization Research (DUR), it was our intention to also offer a complete overview of the different applications of DUR, ranging from over DUR in specific areas and populations to DUR applications in the broader field of pharmacoepidemiology and strategies to improve the quality of prescribing. Since the field of DUR has experienced a major expansion during the last decade, the necessity for an update of the first edition was emerging. Additionally, the need for a comprehensive educational handbook gained interest in a broader field of academic researchers, civil service workers, health insurances and health authorities, since more researchers have the opportunity to work with available DU data that wait to be analyzed to support policy decisions. The preparation of this second edition of the DURbook started in 2020 with the distribution of a questionnaire offering more insight into who was using the book (83% were academic researchers), the reason for using the book (mainly as a reference work and for teaching material) and the need to publish the second edition in digital as well as printed format. Furthermore, we received the suggestion to add a new part focusing on the current state of drug utilization research at the global level. Using the contacts of the Special Interest Group of DUR (SIGDUR) of the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE), we were able to assemble testimonies of initiatives in DUR from across the world. This new edition consists of four overarching sections: introduction, methods, applications and the new fourth section on the globalization of DUR. New chapters were added handling, e.g., aggregate level analyses of DU data, artificial intelligence/machine learning, ethical aspects in DUR, and environmental pharmacoepidemiology. In the previous edition, the application section was mostly a collection of published research. The updated content focusses on specific challenges, and expands on how to deal with these, keeping in mind the educational purpose of the book. In contrast with the previous edition, we have been able to add 30 key references to each chapter, hosting this time only the additional references online. The making of this second edition followed a strict organizational pattern. The editorial board (EB) met virtually on a monthly basis. Two EB members were assigned to each section of the book. They were responsible for the communication with the authors of their chapters, discussing the content, keeping deadlines, and having a first critical reading of the delivered chapters. A further internal review of each chapter was mainly completed during hybrid DURbook weekends organized at the universities of Vilnius, Copenhagen, Uppsala, Bologna and Antwerp (see acknowledgement). After revision, based on the comments of section leaders and internal reviewers, an updated version of each chapter was sent for further comments to one or two external reviewers not involved in the development of the book (see list of external reviewers). Drug utilization research is passing through a remarkable period of conceptual development. Although we attempted to incorporate the most up-to-date knowledge in this field, we are aware about possible gaps in our descriptions, about incompleteness and imperfections. Nevertheless, we hope that this second edition of the DURbook will become a helpful tool and a source of inspiration for all researchers working with drug utilization data"--