IBMDatabaseMagazine.com Blogs

Stop by InformationWeek.com to read the tale of DB2's rags-to-riches journey from RDBMS newcomer to its current spot as a market leader.

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Celebrate DB2, U2, IMS, and IDS anniversaries by helping write their histories

During this week 25 years ago (June 7, specifically) DB2 made its debut (check out the original press release for a trip down memory lane) on the mainframe. As storied as its long history is, DB2 isn't the only IBM database technology celebrating a milestone this year. It's joined by UniData and IMS (20 and 40 years, respectively). Of course, although they're not celebrating anniversaries that end in 5 or 0 this year, Informix (27 years) and UniVerse (23 years), certainly have eventful histories.

Now that the IBM Database Magazine wiki is back from a brief cloud-induced hiatus (so long, StikiPad), you're invited to help document the achievements of your favorite IBM database technologies in its pages.

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A Web 2.0 Expo debate: creativity vs. control in the enterprise

Forrester Research is projecting that companies will spend nearly $5 billion on Web 2.0 technologies like mashups, wikis, widgets, and so on in the next five years. That explains the tremendous energy around the Web 2.0 Expo underway in San Francisco this week.

Tomorrow Anant Jhingran, CTO of Information Management, and RedMonk analyst Stephen O'Grady face off over the challenges of bringing Web 2.0 technologies into the enterprise in a session called "Creativity vs. Control: The Debate Continues—Can Enterprises Have Both?"

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Will declaring things dead ever die?

Earlier this week, I saw this New York Times article about the surprising (to some) longevity of the mainframe, a technology declared dead in the early 90s yet which continues to have a healthy and robust life. Some have said the very declaration was a plant on the part of PC makers and champions. I made light of the mainframe’s undead status last year (and readers played along by declaring it their favorite undead technology.

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DB2 DBA asks: Is database administrator the right title for the job?

In his new DB2 DBA column in Issue 1 of IBM Database Magazine, Robert Catterall asks whether the title “database administrator” really describes the work that DBAs do. And, does it reflect the work that’s truly valuable to a business? Here’s how he sums up the question:

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DB2 Magazine is now IBM Database Magazine

Later today, you'll notice that DB2mag.com is redirecting to ibmdatabasemag.com, and print subscribers will soon get IBM Database Magazine in the mail. What's going on?

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Most read 2007 articles: DB2 and Informix

As we finish out one year and ramp up for another, I took a peek through the Web stats to see what was on visitors' minds when they stopped by the DB2mag site. I found a few surprises. Some of the most-read articles are from years ago. Two focus on Informix (evidence of that our expanded coverage there is finding an audience). Check out the top ten.

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The Great Undead, Part 2: The mainframe and the PC

If you read my previous post, you know I'm celebrating those technologies that, despite having been pronounced dead or dying, continue to live long and prosper. Reader Dave Nance accurately predicted my next entry, which I'm sure would appear on many of your lists, too. Of course, Dave and I are thinking of …

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The Great Undead, Part 1: Web 2.0, relational database management systems, and more

Every so often, a blogger, a reporter, an editor, a marketing exec, an analyst, or some attention seeker declares a popular technology dead. Controversy follows, generating, page views, publicity, blogosphere buzz, and the like. Don't you find it all little silly after a while? I know I do, especially after so many of these predictions have been so very wrong. Blame it on last week's spooky holiday, but I'm feeling inspired to celebrate a few fine specimens of the walking (and working) undead. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments -- you might just extend my list.

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DB2 9 Fundamentals: Sample certification questions

Try your hand at the next batch of questions from DB2 9 Fundamentals Certfication Study Guide, reprinted with permission of MC Press.

Question 7

A table named DEPARTMENT has the following columns:

DEPT_ID
DEPT_NAME
MANAGER
AVG_SALARY

Which of the following is the best way to prevent most users from viewing AVG_SALARY data?

A. Encrypt the table’s data
B. Create a view that does not contain the AVG_SALARY column
C. Revoke SELECT access for the AVG_SALARY column from users who should not see AVG_SALARY data
D. Store AVG_SALARY data in a separate table and grant SELECT privilege for that table to the appropriate users

Question 8
In which of the following scenarios would a stored procedure be beneficial?

A. An application running on a remote client needs to be able to convert degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit and vice versa
B. An application running on a remote client needs to collect three input values, perform a calculation using the values provided, and store the input data, along with the results of the calculation in two different base tables
C. An application running on a remote client needs to track every modification made to a table that contains sensitive data
D. An application running on a remote client needs to ensure that every new employee that joins the company is assigned a unique, sequential employee number

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DB2 for i5/OS: An install base ignored?

Earlier this month, I received an impassioned plea for coverage of DB2 for i5/OS. Here's an excerpt of the reader's note:

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