New DB2 for iSeries Redbooks

I don't usually cover DB2 on the iSeries (you may still be calling it the DB2/400 or DB2 for the AS/400). But this week saw the release of two new redbooks on DB2 for iSeries, so I thought I'd mention them briefly here.

The first new redbook covers stored procedures, triggers, and user-defined functions, and it is called, appropriately enough, Stored Procedures, Triggers, and User-Defined Functions on DB2 Universal Database for iSeries. This redbook covers some of the announced features for stored procedures, triggers, and UDFs in V5R1, V5R2, V5R3, and V5R4. This redbook offers suggestions, guidelines, and practical examples on how to effectively develop DB2 for iSeries stored procedures, triggers, and UDFs.

The Ins and Outs of XML and DB2 for i5/OS is the second of the new DB2 for iSeries redbooks. As you might guess, this redbook focuses on XML. It covers the challenges of representing XML hierarchies in a relational DBMS, as well as provides an in-depth explanation of the most popular approaches to bridge the hierarchy / relational dilemma.

Also, if you are interested in XML and DB2 you might also want to check out the recently-published DB2 9 pureXML Guide, which covers pureXML in DB2 for LUW.

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IBM Second in Software Sales

The San Francisco Chronicle reported today that IBM is officially the second largest software provider, bypassing former number two Oracle, but still behind number one Microsoft:

In its most recent quarter, IBM software generated $4.4 billion in revenue, and it's the company's main profit generator, with an 85 percent profit margin. Thirty-seven percent of IBM's profit comes from software. In 2005, it sold $15.8 billion worth of software, topping the $14.4 billion that Oracle posted in fiscal 2006, which ended June 30.

I find this news interesting. Often times IBM is excluded from software company discussions because they also sell hardward and services, so they are not always viewed as an ISV (independent software vendor). But I always thought this was unfair to IBM. After all, Oracle sells services, too. And Microsoft sells hardware, too - I mean, what is an XBOX if not hardware?

So give IBM their due... they are number two!

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DB2 9 for z/OS Article

Just a short blog post here to point everyone to an article I wrote for DB2 Magazine offering a high-level overview of what is coming with DB2 9 for z/OS. Note that there is no "V" before the "9" - that is courtesy of IBM marketing...

Anyway, the article is titled DB2 9 for z/OS Roars to Life. Check it out for a short introductory article covering the highlights of the next version of DB2 for z/OS, including coverage of XML, online schema evolution advances, new query capabilities, security and performance improvements, and a discussion of what features will be removed from DB2 9.

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Check out New IBM Information Management Blog Site

IBM has launched a new blog site for Information Management. The site offers multiple blogs written by IBM product managers, technical architects, marketing managers and strategists. These folks will blog about issues and trends in information management... as well as IBM products that support information management.

Recent posts cover last week's IBM Information on Demand conference, Informix 4-GL, and the impact of unstructured information on business intelligence. I'm sure I'll be checking this site out regularly for tidbits of news on what IBM is up to in terms of managing data and information.

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DB2 9 pureXML Guide

Another new redbook that should be of interest to DB2 for z/OS users is the DB2 9 pureXML Guide. Although this redbook covers the pureXML feature from a DB2 LUW perspective, pureXML will also be a feature of DB2 9 for z/OS when it becomes generally available next year (2007).

The redbook discusses the pureXML data store, hybrid database design and administration. It also describes XML schema, industry standards, and how to manage XML schemas. Other features and examples covered include SQL/XML, XPath, and XQuery...

XQuery is the only one of these features that will not be included in DB2 9 for z/OS...

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DB2 for z/OS: Data Sharing in a Nutshell

Just a short blog entry this week to let everyone know about a new IBM redbook titled "DB2 for z/OS: Data Sharing in a Nutshell."

This redbook is an essential read for anyone who is interested in expanding their knowledge of DB2's usage of data sharing. According to the redbook website, "(t)his IBM Redbook is meant to facilitate your journey towards data sharing by providing a cookbook approach to the main tasks in enabling data sharing and workload balancing. It does not have all the answers, because it is a brief summary of a large field of knowledge, but it contains the key elements and it points you in the right direction to get more details. Throughout this document we assume that your sysplex environment is set up and a DB2 subsystem exists at a currently supported level."

This redbook offers 8 chapters highlighting how to implement and tune data sharing for optimum DB2 performance and availability. Download the manual (SG24-7322) for free from the web by clicking here.

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IDUG Europe 2006 Synopsis

For those folks who do not follow my other blogs, I just wanted to make sure that you saw the series of posts I ran summarizing the European IDUG conference last week in Vienna, Austria. Here are the links for the four posts:

• IDUG in Vienna
• IDUG Europe - Day One
• IDUG Europe - Day Two
• IDUG Europe - Day Three

If, after reading about the just-completed European IDUG, you want to attend an IDUG event yourself, here are links to IDUG's upcoming conferences:

• IDUG 2007 Australian Forum - March 29-30, 2007 in Melbourne
• IDUG 2007 North American Conference - May 6-10, 2007 in San Jose, CA
• IDUG 2007 European Conference - November 5-9, 2007 in Athens, Greece

Hopefully I'll see you at an IDUG conference next year!

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IBM Plans Initiative to Keep Mainframes Humming Along

Just read this story on Yahoo news about IBM's effort to simplify programming for mainframe computers. The story talks about IBM's on-going efforts to keep the mainframe relevant and useable. Even though it uses a lot of condescending terms like referring to mainframes as "warhorses" and "dinosaurs," the article is worth a quick read if you are a mainframe proponent.

The best news is that IBM plans to spend $100 million over the next five years to simplify mainframe operations and management. Now that is good news, indeed.

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