100% of our studio audience indicated they learned something! Our special guest was Iqbal Goralwalla, Principal Consultant, Triton Consulting, and IBM Information Management Champion. Iqbal shared with us his top tips for using DB2DART to achieve storage reclamation, address index corruption, extract data, and remove backup pending status. Watch and learn...

[ more .. ]

96% of our studio audience indicated they learned something! Our special guest was Martin Hubel, Owner MHC, an IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant, and IBM Information Management Champion. Martin claims to have put THREE children through college by fixing index designs. In Episode #59, you can learn Martin's secrets and advice, and score some very helpful SQL commands to aid your own analysis! Watch and learn...

[ more .. ]

100% of our studio audience indicated they learned something! Show host Scott Hayes wore two hats today - both host and guest speaker. Topics covered included DB2 access paths, index design, using IBM OPM, monitoring IBM OPM, and even tuning techniques to help OPM run more efficiently. For many, the show was a real eye opener. Watch the replay...

[ more .. ]

94% of our studio audience indicated they learned something! (6% of our audience was IBM people! ha! ) Our special guest, John Hornibrook, STSM, Manager Query Optimization Development, IBM Canada, shared with us a wealth of great information about DB2 LUW statistics including tips, how-to's, and his suggested best practices. Our audience asked several great questions at the end. Watch the replay and learn more...

[ more .. ]

94% of our studio audience indicated they learned something! (6% of our audience was IBM people! ha! ) Kate Kurtz, Gregor Meyer, and Haider Rizvi from the IBM Best Practices Teams shared with us their tips and insights on how to optimize the performance of Data Warehouse databases. What did you miss? Watch the replay...

[ more .. ]

100% of our studio audience indicated they learned something! Kate Kurtz, Jim Seeger, and "Max" Petrenko from the IBM Best Practices Teams shared with us their tips and insights on how to smartly manage data of varying "temperatures". What did you miss? Watch the replay...

[ more .. ]

Our special guest, Burt Vialpando, IBM, never disappoints us! 100% of our studio audience indicated that they learned something from today's show! Burt covered several ways to move data in DB2 LUW (for example, db2move, db2relocatedb, export, import, load, and others) and then compared these to Oracle data movement. What did you miss?!?!?! Watch the replay and find out!

[ more .. ]

96% of our studio audience indicated they learned something! How awesome is that?!!? Our special guest was John Hornibrook, STSM, Manager, Query Optimization Development, from the IBM Canada Lab. John shared with us more advice on how to optimize SQL queries, important ways to collect statistics, and how to "use a bigger hammer" to influence the DB2 optimizer. Learn about DB2 Optimization Profiles (DB2 "hints") and much more. Watch the replay and take advantage of all John's wisdom!!!

[ more .. ]

Brilliant! Very Helpful! Outstanding! Participants in the studio audience of Episode #52 gave this show EXCEPTIONAL ratings! Our special guest was John Hornibrook, STSM, Manager, Query Optimization Development, from the IBM Canada Lab. John offered a buffet of outstanding advice on how to get your SQL to run faster and more efficiently! And, John should know the secrets - he IS the mastermind behind the DB2 LUW Optimizer! Watch the replay and take advantage of all John's advice!!!

[ more .. ]

It's another KNOCK OUT! Special guests from Triton Consulting and IBM Canada presented findings from their DB2 LUW versus Oracle Usability study. While you might expect some bias, the methods deployed for the study are quite scientific and objective. Julian Stuhler, Triton, focused today's talk on comparing automatic memory tuning, security administration, and auditing. Which database is "easier"? Watch and learn...

[ more .. ]

It's a KNOCK OUT! Special guests from Triton Consulting and IBM Canada presented findings from their DB2 LUW versus Oracle Usability study. While you might expect some bias, the methods deployed for the study seem rather objective and mathematically quantified. Host Scott Hayes got a little crazy with the boxing sound effects and startled Julian Stuhler out of his chair, but Jules recovered. Which database is "easier"? Watch and learn...

[ more .. ]

IBM Developer Keith McDonald, aka "The K Guy", shared with us a fantastic presentation covering the DB2 LUW Workload Manager (WLM). He explained how it works, when and why to use it, and offered several tips, best practices, and helpful references. Watch and learn...

[ more .. ]

The DB2Night Show sets new records with TOP DB2 LUW Support Issues

Episode #39 set a new record for studio audience attendee registrations. Attendees also rated this show very highly with comments like "all db2nightshows are great... and today's one was no exception. thank you very much Scott&DBI" Our special guest was Julian Stuhler, Director Triton Consulting and an IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant. Julian, or "Jules" as most people call him, shared with our audience an assortment of DB2 Support issues that he and the Triton team have conquered. Several excellent tips were offered to help people avoid big mistakes...

[ more .. ]

DB2 LUW MDC Tables in the Real World

In episode #38, special guests Susan Gausden and Terry Mason, both IBM DB2 GOLD Consultants, gave us a deep dive on what they've learned about using MDC tables with their clients. SQL commands were offered to help with analysis, as well as many tips, tricks, and recommendations. Watch the replay and learn...

[ more .. ]

The Inside Scoop on DB2 LUW MDC Tables

IBM Guests Paul Z and Pate Bates Reveal How MDC Works, Best Practices, and Success Stories

In episode #37, special IBM guests Paul Zikopoulos and Pat Bates talked about how MDC tables work, some design best practices, and shared some impressive customer success stories. If you have a Data Warehouse database, this show is a "Must See". If you have an OLTP database, there are situations where MDC can make you a performance rock star. Watch this replay and learn!

On 21 January 2011, The DB2Night Show™ will take another look at MDC tables with "MDC Tables in The Real World". Our guests include IBM DB2 GOLD Consultants from the UK.

[ more .. ]

Special guest Klaas Brant, IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant

Which solution is best? DB2 pureScale, Oracle RAC, or SQL Server Clusters?

In episode #36, special guest Klaas Brant, IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant and owner KBCE b.v., shared with us his expertise on database high availability solutions. High Availability was defined and discussed, then Klaas took us on a deep dive into DB2 9.8 pureScale, Oracle RAC, and SQL Server Clusters. His animated slides did a brilliant job of illustrating how these technologies work. In the end, Klaas convinced me of pureScale's superiority and exposed the scalability flaws of RAC.

Watch the replay of Episode #36 to see for yourself how these database high availability solutions work and learn which may be ideal for your circumstances...

[ more .. ]

Special guest Pierce Wetter, PACE Anti-Piracy

Cost savings in the DB2 Cloud? Performance?

In episode #35, special guest Pierce Wetter, Director Web Services with PACE Anti-Piracy, shared with us his company's experiences with DB2 in the Cloud. Pierce did a brilliant job of discussing PACE's motivations, considerations, and experiences. The cost information he shared was very interesting, and so, too, were the performance results of his Cyber Monday testing on Amazon.

Watch the replay of Episode #35 to learn from the experiences of one company that is blazing a trail in the DB2 Cloud...

[ more .. ]

Special guest George Baklarz, IBM, Receives RAVE Reviews

FREE TOOLS??? Did someone say FREE TOOLS???

In episode #34, special guest George Baklarz, IBM Toronto Lab, shared with us a demonstration of some very cool (and free) tools that can be used to estimate DB2 compression results, simulate DB2 pureScale operation, and learn about the plethora of DB2 features and capabilities. He also shared a few tips and used his crystal ball to gaze into the future of DB2. Not only are we making the REPLAY available, but you can also DOWNLOAD and RUN the FREE DB2 TOOLS!!!

So, watch, learn, download, play, test, evaluate, and learn some more here...

[ more .. ]

Useful SQL Snapshots and Catalog Queries

Learn how DBAs in Croatia, France, and USA use SQL Snaps

In episode #33, Scott Hayes hosted The DB2Night Show's 2nd Annual SQL Snapshot Potluck Party. Members of the DB2 LUW community were invited to share their favorite SQL Snapshot commands that help them do their jobs well. Contributors will be receiving electronic copies of all SQL Snapshot commands submitted. Watch this episode and learn how your DB2 LUW peers:

• "find log hogs and PIDs"
• "monitor space utilization"
• "learn intimate details about tables"
• "monitor and resolve locks"
• "avoid running reorgchk"
• "find indexes that are harmful to ETL performance, cause lock problems, and burn up excessive CPU"

Also be sure to check out future scheduled episodes at www.DB2NightShow.com!

[ more .. ]

Tuning DB2 LUW for SAP and Lessons Learned

IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant Martin Hubel shares Lessons Learned and Tips...

In episode #32, special guest Martin Hubel, IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant and Owner MHC Inc., talked about a successful SAP implementation on DB2 LUW at The Wasserstrom Company. Martin shared valuable tips and lessons learned, and some of the tips apply to any OLTP application database. Watch and learn...

[ more .. ]

DB2 LUW Challenges, Solutions, and Tips

DB2 Reality TV - Interviews with DB2 LUW Experts...

In this Special Edition of The DB2Night Show, DBI "interviewed" three top candidates for an open Software Consultant Engineer position and asked each professional to describe a DB2 challenge they faced, how they conquered it, and to offer a quick DB2 LUW tip to our audience. Some of the lessons learned covered SQL performance analysis, speeding up data warehouse loads to meet SLAs, and monitoring HADR. Tips covered DB2 optimization levels, DB2 security, and more.

Our studio audience "voted" on the candidates, and there was a clear front runner. However, in this recorded replay, we edited the video to remove the voting results. We suggest you watch this replay yourself, learn from the experiences of your peers, and draw your own conclusions. Watch the replay and learn from real DB2 LUW users...

In consideration of their participation, each of our expert candidates will be receiving $100 Amazon.com gift certificates. And, to thank everyone in our studio audience for their time and their valuable opinions (via the poll voting and exit survey), everyone in our studio audience that voted will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate. Yes, we know, we had promised $5 certificates, but at DBI we try real hard to exceed expectations.

We'd also like to bring to your attention our upcoming shows:

• OCT 8 - The DB2Night Show goes "Cross Platform" with special guest Sheryl Larsen. Sheryl will share SQL performance lessons learned from recent consulting engagements and offer tips for both DB2 z/OS and LUW!
• OCT 15 - DB2 LUW Performance Tuning Lessons Learned with special guest Martin Hubel, IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant. Really - you don't want to miss this - even if you don't have SAP!
• NOV 5 - The SQL Snapshot Potluck Party is BACK! Share your favorite SQL Snapshot command and receive the source code for the entire collection!
• NOV 19 - What's new and COOL with DB2 LUW with guest George Baklarz, IBM

For show details, free registrations, and replays, kindly visit www.DB2NightShow.com

Finally, also on October 8th at 2pm Central, DBI is offering a free Webinar "TEN SQL Snapshot commands you MUST run TODAY!" - this is a derivative work of Scott Hayes' IDUG Regional technical session. Attendees will receive the SOURCE CODE for these invaluable commands. DETAILS and REGISTRATION.

[ more .. ]

DB2 LUW Security Tips and Best Practices

Beat the odds with these simple steps...

In episode #30, special guest Rebecca Bond, CISSP, published author, and independent DB2 Security consultant shared with us some simple steps, sample SQL commands, tips, and best practices for securing your organization's DB2 LUW data assets. Watch the replay to learn from her wisdom...

We'd also like to bring to your attention our upcoming shows:

• OCT 8 - The DB2Night Show goes "Cross Platform" with special guest Sheryl Larsen. Sheryl will share SQL performance lessons learned from recent consulting engagements and offer tips for both DB2 z/OS and LUW!
• OCT 15 - DB2 LUW Performance Tuning Lessons Learned with special guest Martin Hubel, IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant. Really - you don't want to miss this - even if you don't have SAP!
• NOV 5 - The SQL Snapshot Potluck Party is BACK! Share your favorite SQL Snapshot command and receive the source code for the entire collection!
• NOV 19 - What's new and COOL with DB2 LUW with guest George Baklarz, IBM

For show details, free registrations, and replays, kindly visit www.DB2NightShow.com

Finally, also on October 8th at 2pm Central, DBI is offering a free Webinar "TEN SQL Snapshot commands you MUST run TODAY!" - this is a derivative work of Scott Hayes' IDUG Regional technical session. Attendees will receive the SOURCE CODE for these invaluable commands. DETAILS and REGISTRATION.

[ more .. ]

DB2 LUW High Availability and Recovery Planning

Failure to plan is planning to fail...

In episode #29, special IBM guests Kate Kurtz and Dale McInnis shared with us information on high availability and recovery planning; their focus was on data warehouse databases, InfoSphere, DPF, and the like. They offered several valuable tips and best practices. Watch the replay to learn from their wisdom...

We'd also like to bring to your attention our upcoming shows:

• OCT 1 - The Las Vegas Approach to DB2 LUW Security with guest Rebecca Bond, CISSP, and author of Understanding DB2 9 Security!
• OCT 8 - The DB2Night Show goes "Cross Platform" with special guest Sheryl Larsen. Sheryl will share SQL performance lessons learned from recent consulting engagements and offer tips for both DB2 z/OS and LUW!
• OCT 15 - DB2 LUW Performance Tuning Lessons Learned with special guest Martin Hubel, IBM DB2 GOLD Consultant. Really - you don't want to miss this - even if you don't have SAP!
• NOV 5 - The SQL Snapshot Potluck Party is BACK! Share your favorite SQL Snapshot command and receive the source code for the entire collection!
• NOV 19 - What's new and COOL with DB2 LUW with guest George Baklarz, IBM

For show details, free registrations, and replays, kindly visit www.DB2NightShow.com

Finally, also on October 8th at 2pm Central, DBI is offering a free Webinar "TEN SQL Snapshot commands you MUST run TODAY!" - this is a derivative work of Scott Hayes' IDUG Regional technical session. Attendees will receive the SOURCE CODE for these invaluable commands. DETAILS and REGISTRATION.

[ more .. ]

DB2 LUW Range Partitioning Tables - The Important Stuff

Emphasis on DB2 9.7 Updates

In episode #28, special guest Mike Winer, IBM STSM & DB2 Kernel Architect, shared with us the latest news and enhancements for Range Partitioned Tables in DB2 9.7. Mike specifically discussed Partitioned Indexes and their many benefits, impacts on DB2 logging, high availability during DETACH, and REORG implications and improvements. Watch this replay and see what you missed, or watch it again for review...

[ more .. ]

DB2 LUW in the Cloud - Technical Details - Part 2

Your DB2 is in the Cloud, but where?

In episode #27, special IBM guest Mark Wilding, STSM & DB2 Cloud Architect, covered many technical details and considerations for running DB2 in the Cloud. This show was Part 2 of a 2 part series. In part 2, Mark shared with us performance and security considerations, storage configurations and models, and other tips to optimize success with DB2 in your Cloud. As with Part 1, studio audience members rated this episode very highly. Watch this replay and see what you missed, or watch it again for review...

[ more .. ]

DB2 LUW in the Cloud - Technical Details - Part 1

Your DB2 is in the Cloud, but where?

In episode #26, special IBM guest Mark Wilding, STSM & DB2 Cloud Architect, gave an an outstanding technical overview of DB2 in the Cloud. This show was Part 1 of a 2 part series. In part 1, Mark shared with us different "tiers" or "levels" of participating in an IT cloud and many of the motivating factors driving advancement through levels in clouds. Studio Audience participants rated this episode extremely high, and a few people commented "this was the best show ever!". Watch this replay and see what you missed, or watch it again for review...

[ more .. ]

Comparing DB2 LUW and Oracle Autonomics

Seems like comparing a Porche and a bicycle to me

In episode #25, special IBM guest Burt Vialpando gave an an outstanding technical overview comparing DB2 LUW and Oracle autonomics. He covered automatic memory tuning, automatic configration, automatic storage management, automated utilities, and much more. When you look at the autonomic capabilities of these databases side by side, I think you will vividly see DB2 LUW's leadership position. And, in addition to the database comparison, you will also find some good tips and best practices in this show...

[ more .. ]

Season #2 Kickoff!

DB2 LUW aims for WORLD DATABASE DOMINATION!

In episode #24, special IBM guests Serge Rielau and Dwaine Snow brought us up to speed on the latest news regarding Oracle and Sybase enablements for DB2 LUW. Find out what is new in DB2 9.7 fixpack 2, fixpack 3, and even get some hints into the future! Watch this episode and learn about FREE tools, hear success stories, and get some great tips...

[ more .. ]

In our 23rd show, we were joined by special guests Berni Schiefer and Robin Grosman from the IBM Toronto Lab. Berni and Robin shared several tips, techniques, and best I/O practices during this show including the use of Solid State Disk (SSD), registry variables, and much more.

This show was also our Season 1 Finale and we offered an extra large Home Depot Gift Certificate prize to some lucky winner who completed the survey afterward - who won? Keep reading...

[ more .. ]

In our 22nd show, we were joined by special guest Burt Vialpando, IBM, from the Software Migration Project Office. You might think that a DB2 LUW and Oracle comparison by an IBM presenter would be a "hard sell" by IBM, but, to the contrary, Burt did an outstanding and "fair" job of looking at architecture and administration of these industry leading databases. True, Burt highlighted some "DB2 advantages", but 95% of his talk was a simple and straight forward side-by-side comparison. Studio Audience members rated this show very highly - watch the replay and find out why!

Also, today was a lucky day for EVERYONE in our Studio Audience. For participants that arrived on time, early in our show we provided special instructions to type "AMAZON.COM" in one of the survey response boxes. Everyone who followed the instructions correctly is winning a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate! DB2 LUW and The DB2Night Show are both rewarding! Punctuality is also a virtue!

[ more .. ]