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October 18, 1999

IBM DB2:
DB2 Upgrade Disappoints
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This update also includes other improvements to index handling that most sites will benefit from. These improvements include the ability to create indexes that improve reverse scans of tables, online index reorganization to reduce excess space consumed by deleted or updated index values, and support for longer index keys and larger data page sizes. Combining these with other internal improvements, IBM is claiming a 15% performance improvement for most workloads with this release.

In addition to the new indexing tools, DB2 has improved administration features--although in many ways, IBM failed to go far enough in providing administrative help. For users looking to monitor and optimize the performance of the DB2 server, this release expands the performance information available to the NT Performance Monitor. While I appreciate the ability to monitor more metrics, I still found the display too busy for my liking. Additionally, the very idea of using the Performance Monitor to determine how to better tune the DB2 configuration is archaic; modern high-end database engines should be smart enough to self-tune their variables instead of requiring the database administrator to learn the black magic involved with server variable tuning.

More useful is the new Response File Generator utility, which lets you duplicate a DB2 installation on another computer. In any site with multiple DB2 servers, this feature makes it easy to standardize installations, a key requirement for creating distributed databases. The core administration tool, Control Center, now provides a way of viewing and recording the SQL code used to create a DB2 database or perform administrative actions. As with the Response File Generator, this helps ensure that processes are well documented and can be easily replicated.

IBM implemented the Control Center in Java. Like most Java applications, however, the Control Center runs sluggishly and consumes far too much memory. I appreciate the benefits of Java--particularly on an application that must run on a multitude of platforms--but when the core administrative interface isn't responsive, simple chores become a drag.

Among the other noteworthy improvements in this release that will help certain types of applications are support for larger SQL strings and support for data "extenders" that aid in managing certain types of data, such as audio, images, and geographic information. Multinational companies will be pleased to find Unicode support for international character sets and sites that rely on Lightweight Directory Access Protocol systems for managing their enterprises will now find much information about their DB2 servers exposed through LDAP.

In addition, IBM has changed the packaging of its DB2 product line. In this review, I focused on the core server product, DB2 Universal Database Enterprise Edition. In addition to versions for Windows NT, OS/2, AIX, Solaris, HP-UX, AS/400, OS/390, and VSE, IBM now sells ports for Linux. An enhanced version of DB2, Enterprise Extended Edition allows AIX, NT, and Solaris servers to partition data across multiple servers--important to high-availability applications. For smaller installations, Workgroup Edition supports smaller workgroups (from one to four CPUs)--and it costs less.

DB2 Personal Edition, which runs on all 32-bit Windows desktops, allows users to run a standalone version of DB2, particularly useful to developers. DB2 Satellite Edition, which could prove to be an important competitive advantage to disconnected users such as a mobile sales and support staff, proved to be a disappointment. Lastly, DB2 Everywhere lets handheld Windows CE and PalmOS devices access DB2.

Along with the repackaging, IBM has dramatically changed its pricing structure. Pricing for version 5.2 of Enterprise Edition was priced based on the "performance tier" in which a server resides, plus an additional charge for each connected user. This release has a very simple linear pricing scheme, based on the exact number of CPUs in your server and the total number of connected users--a welcome improvement.

The new features are useful and certainly help fill holes in DB2. Overall, though, I don't think this product provides a big enough boost over the previous release, version 5.2. For new users, the object extender features, product-line scalability, and high-availability are important features, and, for them, it would make perfect sense to choose this version over 5.2. But for users considering an upgrade from version 5.2, unless you're running into a specific problem solved by this release, the upgrade costs may outweigh the benefits.

Andy Feibus is president of CustomBytes, an application development consulting firm in Atlanta. Reach him at amf@mindspring.com.

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