They say that “good things come in threes” and this thread covers three recent Db2 for i enhancements. Take a moment to explore these enhancements and look for another database update coming from Scott soon.
1) Achieve improved performance with SYSTOOLS. REMOVE_INDEXES – IBM i supplied tools that can be used to automate an index strategy. On IBM i 6.1 and 7.1, you can use Db2 for IBM i examples and tools shipped in the SYSTOOLS schema to implement an automated index strategy.
2) Enjoy improved administration with remote three-part names – On IBM i 7.1, you can use explicit three-part names and implicitly remote names via an alias on Db2 for IBM i to implement DB server transparency.
3) Understand the enhancements are delivered in DB2 for i PTF groups – PTF groups not only deliver corrective service-oriented PTFs but also product enhancements. A reasonable question I often hear customers ask was: “How do I understand what’s being delivered in one of these PTF Groups?”. The IBM i Technology Updates include an enhancement breakdown by Db2 for i PTF Group level.
Figures 1 and 2 below illustrate my point. This was our 2011 activity for 7.1.
Note: The images below are from the old developerWorks site that has been deprecated. The IBM i Technology Updates link above is the replacement and IBM has continued to provide Db2 Group PTF Schedule information as well as documentation on the various enhancements. Most of the older IBM i 7.1 documentation is now gone, but you can find information on the supported releases.
This blog post was originally published on IBMSystemsMag.com and is reproduced here by permission of IBM Systems Media.
This week’s blog was written by Scott Forstie. Scott is a senior software engineer at IBM and is the DB2 for i Business Architect, SQL development leader, and IBM i developerWorks content manager.