DB2

: This article is about the IBM database software. For the Aston Martin sports car, please see Aston Martin DB2. DB2® is International Business Machines s family of information management software products. Most often though, when people say DB2, they are referring to IBM s flagship relational database management system, DB2 Universal Database (DB2 UDB).

= History =

DB2 has a long history and was what some consider to be the first database product to use SQL.

The name DB2 was first given to the Database Management System or DBMS in 1982 where IBM released SQL/DS and DB2 on its mainframe platform. Prior to this the product was named System R, or System R, which launched in 1978. DB2 has its roots back to the beginning of the seventies where Edgar F. Codd, working for IBM, described the theory of relational databases and in June of 1970 published the model for data manipulation. To apply the model Codd needed a relational database language which he named Alpha. IBM didn t believe in Codd s idea s potential, leaving its implementation to a group of programmers who weren t under Codd s supervision, violating several fundamentals of the relational model; the result was Structured English QUEry Language or SEQUEL. SEQUEL was already a trademarked name, so IBM renamed the acronym to SQL, short for Structured Query Language. The acronym SQL still stands to this day.

Historically, it is interesting to note that when Informix acquired Illustra and made their database engine an object-relational database by introducing their Universal Server, both Oracle and IBM followed suit by changing their database engines to be capable of object-relational extensions. Moreover, in 2001, IBM bought Informix and in the following years incorporated Informix technology into the DB2 product suite. Technically, today, DB2 can be considered to be an object-relational database.

For many years DB2 was exclusively available on IBM mainframes. Later IBM brought DB2 to other platforms, including UNIX and Microsoft Windows servers, then Linux (including Linux on zSeries) and Personal digital assistants. This process was mainly undertaken through the 1990s. DB2 s implementation details inspiration came in part from IBM DL/1 and IBM Information Management System, both initially hierarchical and then later network (or CODASYL) databases. DB2 is also embedded in the i5/OS operating system for IBM iSeries (formerly the AS/400), and versions are available for z/VSE and z/VM. An earlier version is available for OS/2.

= Editions =

DB2 is available in several editions, i.e. licensing arrangements. By opting for a reduced-feature edition, IBM allows customers to avoid paying for database features which they do not need. Sample editions include the Workgroup, Workgroup Unlimited, and Enterprise Server Edition. A high-end edition is called DB2 UDB Data Warehouse Enterprise Edition, or DWE for short. This edition is intended for mixed workload (OLTP and business intelligence) or business intelligence (BI) implementations. DWE includes several BI features such as ETL, data mining, OLAP acceleration, and in-line analytics.

DB2 UDB for z/OS is available under its own licensing terms. Starting with Version 8, IBM brought DB2 UDB for z/OS and for the other platforms into much closer alignment. (Previously there were significant differences in SQL vocabularies, for example.) DB2 UDB for z/OS has some exclusives, notably Multi-Level Security (MLS), owing to its special environment and the demanding needs of its customers. DB2 UDB for z/OS has always been known for its leading OLTP performance and capabilities, but the z/OS version is now starting to acquire BI features as well, such as materialized query tables (MQTs). Oracle s CEO Larry Ellison, in a widely reported October, 2003, quote, commented that DB2 UDB for z/OS is the one competitive database he respects and admires.

= Competition =

Currently, there is a dogfight going on between DB2 and Oracle database for the number 1 position in the market. On May 3, 2004, IBM s head of database development and sales, Janet Perna, claimed their main competitors were Oracle database in the context of advanced transaction handling and Teradata in the context of decision-making systems (e.g. data warehouse).

IBM and DB2 are frequently at or near the top of the TPC-C (OLTP) and TPC-H (data warehousing) industry benchmarks published on the transaction processing council s website.

= Technical Information =

DB2, like Oracle, can be administered from either the command-line or a GUI. The command-line interface requires more knowledge of the product but can be more easily scripted and automated. The GUI is a multi-platform Java client that contains a variety of wizards suitable for novice users.

DB2 has APIs for Microsoft .NET Common_Language_Infrastructure, Java programming language, Python programming language, Perl, PHP, C plus plus, C_programming_language, REXX, PL/I, COBOL, Fortran, and many other programming languages. DB2 also supports integration into the Eclipse (computing) and Visual Studio .NET integrated development environments.

= Leadership =

Janet Perna was General Manager of IBM Software Group s Information Management division until her retirement from IBM in July, 2005. She was replaced by Ambuj Goyal.

= External Links =

*[http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/db2/ DB2 product family home page] *[http://www-130.ibm.com/developerworks/db2 DB2 resources for developers] *[http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/database/technology An Expert s Guide to DB2] *[http://www.research.ibm.com/people/a/ambuj/ Ambuj Goyal s IBM Research home page]

=See also=

*List of relational database management systems *Comparison of relational database management systems