DB2 Magazine E-Newsletter

March 20, 2002

DB2 MAGAZINE EMAIL NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3
http://www.db2mag.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Skills and Education: Arranging to certify; Promoting DB2 Scholars
2. Asked and Answered: Setting policies for ad-hoc reporting
3. Reality IE: Insider reveals Fortune 500 retailer's secrets
4. Now Playing at the DB2 Developer Domain
5: At the Bookstore: InfiniBand Architecture: Development and Deployment

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SKILLS AND EDUCATION
Arranging to Certify
A recent (unscientific) poll asked DB2mag.com visitors if they'd ever taken a DB2 certification exam. The results revealed that 73 percent of respondents (or 165 out of 226 total) had never attempted to certify. Several readers wrote in after the debut of Howard Fosdick's Certification Strategies column ( http://www.db2mag.com/db_area/archives/2002/q1/certification.shtml ) to ask how to arrange to take the certification test if you're not planning to attend a conference where the test is offered. If arranging to take the test is a perceived barrier to certification, it shouldn't be. Most likely, there's a testing center quite near you. You can arrange for the exam by calling any IBM Learning Center or a VUE ( http://www.vue.com/ ) or Sylvan Prometric testing center near you. Sylvan Prometric offers locations around the world. For a complete list, go to http://www.prometric.com/ . Or, if you're in North America, call 1-800-959-EXAM; in Australia, call 1-800-806-944; in Germany, call 49 0130-839708; in Hong Kong, call: 800-8444; and in the United Kingdom, call 0800-592873. For more information about certification, go to http://www-3.ibm.com/software/data/db2/skills/ .

Promoting DB2 Scholars
Many people starting out on a data management career choose to certify to boost their database credentials. But IBM is also working with colleges and universities to make sure students can start their DB2 careers with a head start. The IBM Scholars Program gives higher education institutions access to IBM data management software for use in teaching and research. By registering for the program at http://www-3.ibm.com/software/info/university/scholarsprogram/ , schools receive free data management software, learning materials, email technical support, and a free book.

*********************SPONSORED BY IBM**************************
DB2 Version 7.2 is the first multimedia, Web-ready relational database management system delivering enhanced Business Intelligence Solutions along with a new DB2 Connect Web Starter Kit. The IBM DB2 Migration Toolkit helps you migrate from Sybase and Microsoft SQL Server (Versions 6 and 7) databases to DB2 Version 7.2 on any supported DB2 workstation platform.
Free download. http://www.ibm.com/software/info/2002/db2/na/email/4
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ASKED AND ANSWERED
What are your recommendations for setting policies governing ad hoc reporting using QMF, Crystal Reports, and so on? I'm developing guidelines covering appropriate use and resource limits. Read Robert Catterall's response online at http://www.db2mag.com/qanda/020318.shtml

REALITY IE: INSIDE A FORTUNE 500 RETAILER
On March 10, IntelligentEnterprise.com (also published by CMP Media) launched an exclusive Web series that promises an inside look at a major retailer's IT strategies. Over the next six weeks, Executive Insider will reveal how company executives worked to align the business and technical objectives of the company, improving profitability, reducing expenses, and serving customers better along the way. In episode one (available online at http://www.intelligententerprise.com/executive_insider/it-businessalign/020312_1.shtml ), the new CIO vows to start running the IT shop as (gasp) as business - and anoints our faithful diarist with the weighty title of Director of Business Alignment and Planning.

NOW PLAYING AT THE DB2 DEVELOPER DOMAIN
IBM Federated Database Technology
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/dmdd/ library/techarticle/ 0203haas/0203haas.html

XPERANTO: Bridging Relational Technologies and XML
http://www.dsi-enews.net/e-bin/enews.asp?id=8922310

Advanced SQL Procedural Scripting in DB2 v7.2
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/dmdd/ library/techarticle/ 0203yip/0203yip.html

A Report on DB2 for OS/390 Catalog Migration Performance
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/dmdd/ library/techarticle/ 0203shibamiya/0203shibamiya.html

Writing a Web Application that Manipulates DB2 Data (Part 2 of 3)
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/dmdd/ library/techarticle/ 0203vangennip/0203vangennip2.html

Yet Another Way to Map XML Data to DB2
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/dmdd /library/techarticle/ 0203lima/0203lima.html

An Overview of DB2 and Java Database Connectivity
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/dmdd /library/techarticle/ 0203zikopoulos/0203zikopoulos.html

Allocating for High-Velocity Inserts on DB2 UDB for iSeries
http://www7b.software.ibm.com/dmdd /library/techarticle/ 0203milligan/0203milligan.html

Special Delivery: Bulk e-mailing with DB2, Java, JDBC, and the JavaMail API
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/ ibm/library/i-email/ .

AT THE BOOKSTORE
InfiniBand Architecture: Development and Deployment--A Strategic Guide to Server I/O Solutions, by William T. Futral

This book, by an Intel architect involved in InfiniBand's development, interprets the InfiniBand specification as it applies to high- performance, intersystem I/O and provides insight into developing solutions for system I/O and interprocess communication. The author guides you through the architecture, illustrating ways that you can implement and deploy InfiniBand-based products to relieve I/O bottlenecks. InfiniBand Architecture Development and Deployment is written for developers of software applications and server peripheral hardware and senior IT managers responsible for data center management or planning for projects and capital equipment. For more information, go to http://www.db2mag.com/bookstore/ .