IBM Automates DB2
After a nearly two-year hiatus, IBM has updated its DB2 database software with capabilities borrowed from its autonomic computing portfolio. DB2 Universal Database (DB2 8.2), formerly code-named Stinger, automatically self manages and self tunes data without human intervention.
IBM defines autonomic computing as self-configuring, healing, optimizing and protecting. According to IBM, more than 415 features in 50 distinct IBM products have these capabilities.
Due to the inclusion of autonomic features into DB2, Big Blue claims that customers can complete jobs up to seven times faster with a 65 percent reduction in the time needed to complete administrative tasks.
These claims are substantiated by a recent report issued by META Group that concluded autonomic computing technologies can reduce tasks by up to 80 percent and reduces the necessity for manpower. An IBM spokesperson says that the increased productivity offered by its software frees up database administrators from mundane daily tasks to work on other projects.
Some of DB2's new features in the DBA autonomic functional area include IBM Learning Optimizer (LEO), and DB2 Design Advisor; other technologies such as Automated Maintenance are failsafes.
The LEO search tool teaches "learns" from past experience to accelerate searches by finding the fastest route to business information, and continually updates query statistics about database performance and how they are being used. IBM claims that search requests that once took days can be fulfilled in seconds.
Competing databases require manual fine tuning to optimize queries.
"LEO is definitely ahead of Oracle," Gartner analyst and VP Donald Feinberg told BetaNews. Feinberg continued, "Oracle has Grid management which Sybase will have in R15 and IBM will have someday. Oracle in 10g has OEM. Both vendors (IBM and ORACLE) stay in step. They both add new functionality."
A new tool called DB2 Design Advisor automatically designs and optimizes databases; the backbone of IBM's claim of "enabling DBA's to complete query jobs nearly seven times faster than if done manually."
Administrative and maintenance functions such as table maintenance and data back-ups are performed automatically.
In addition, Stinger enables .NET developers to use either Microsoft's Visual Studio .NET programming tool or Rational XDE Developer to design databases and applications so that developers can write stored procedures with .NET programming languages.
IBM acquired Rational Software -- a maker of J2EE and .NET programming tools -- in February of 2003.
Other significant changes include better support for "location" and "time-and-space" three-dimensional geospatial data, as well as extended support for Linux clustering. According to IBM, DB2 will automatically partition and optimize databases that are spread across multiple servers "in minutes" for customers running Linux.
Despite having received an autonomic shot in the arm it should be noted that DB2 8.2 is a dot release and does not introduce any major functionality changes.
DB2 8.2 is expected to hit the shelves September 17, and will run in the Linux, Windows and Unix operating environments. Pricing is expected to start at $500 USD per processor for the DB2 Express version and $25,000 USD per processor for DB2 Enterprise edition.