What is it?
IBM's
DB2 is a
relational
database management system (RDBMS), widely used in enterprises.
In recent years, IBM has been working to widen the range of
platforms its flagship relational database runs on, and also to
deepen its capabilities. Recent additions to DB2 9.5 included
substantial enhancements to DB2 Data Warehouse Edition (DB2 DWE).
Combined with IBM's recent purchase of Cognos, the surge of
activity in data warehousing signals a new focus on
business intelligence.
With
DB2 9.1, IBM introduced pureXML, turning DB2 into a hybrid
relational/XML database. IBM has also been increasing support for
other suppliers' implementations of SQL to meet the competition
from both traditional suppliers such as Oracle and Microsoft, and
open source databases such as
MySQL.
IBM is progressively introducing automation, such as
"autonomic"
tuning, to assist with the administration of DB2, but the company
has certainly not yet deskilled the job of the database
administrator: DB2 DBA certification is widely regarded as among
the most challenging that IBM offers.
Where did it originate?
DB2 was arguably the first commercially available database to
build on Ted
Codd's relational model, which was developed at IBM in the
1970s.
Oracle, first shipped in 1979 with basic SQL functionality, is
sometimes claimed to be the first commercial RDBMS. DB2 was first
made available on MVS
mainframes in 1983. In 1996, DB2 was transformed into the
object-relational DB2 Universal Database, and support for Windows,
Solaris and
HP-UX was added, followed by
Linux.
What's it for?
XML data can be queried using either
SQL or
XQuery, and
applications can access and store XML and relational data. DB2 has
application programming
interfaces for old and new languages:
RRexx, PL/I,
Cobol, RPG,
Fortran, C and C++,
Java,
Python,
Perl, PHP and
Ruby, with support for Microsoft's .net Common Language
infrastructure.
DB2 9.5 increases support for Perl, PHP and the Ruby on Rails
framework: for example, the DB2 Perl driver now supports pureXML.
There is a new IBM Data Studio to replace the DB2 Developer
Workbench, as well as integration with the IBM-backed Eclipse
integrated development environment, and Microsoft's Visual
Studio and other .net IDEs.
What makes it special?
Version 9.5 introduced the IBM Data Server Driver for ODBC, CLI,
and .net to simplify mass application deployment on Windows.
How difficult is it to master?
Basic DB2 certification will take five days of training for
those already familiar with SQL databases, and up to 20 days for
beginners. There are various routes in for developers with C, Java
and other languages.
DB2 9.5 brought in more autonomic functionality to simplify
administration. There is a GUI for administrators that uses lots of
wizards, but old hands use the far more flexible and scriptable
command-line interface.
What systems does it run on?
As well as the Linux, Unix, Windows (LUW) version, DB2 is
available for IBM's mainframe operating system z/OS, with some
features exclusive to the mission-critical mainframe environment.
DB2 LUW comes in a full-feature Enterprise Edition and
reduced-feature editions for workgroups and developers (DB2
Express, which is available as a further reduced free download, DB2
Express-C, for Linux or Windows.
Rates of Pay
Database administrators earn £30,000 to £40,000. A premium is
paid for DB2 data warehousing skills.
Training
IBM's own range of classroom and online training can be found on
its UK site. The big generalist
training companies provide DB2 courses, as do many small
specialists. For experienced database specialists, more in-depth
information on installation, administration, troubleshooting and
application development can be found on IBM's
developer site, and also on IBM's developerworks.