The International Db2 Users Group (IDUG), an independent, not-for-profit organization providing education, services, and conferences for the IBM® Db2® database, recently concluded its 2023 EMEA Db2 Tech Conference, held in Prague October 15–19. BMC was pleased to be a gold sponsor for the event, with several BMC team members participating in the event and leading multiple insightful presentations.
Reflecting on the conference, Ron Coleman, an advisory IDUG board member and director of BMC AMI Data product management (LinkedIn; BMC Community), summarized, “We had an outstanding experience at the conference in Prague. The conversations that began there about best practices and solutions for automating and optimizing the Db2 database for peak performance were genuinely energizing, and we look forward to carrying these on well after the conclusion of this conference.”
BMC’s Presentations
For those who might have missed the sessions, they were recorded and are now available via the IDUG site (registration required). Many of BMC’s IDUG presentations have also been made available on demand. Here’s a look back at some of the key presentations:
- The Basics of SQL Queries: From Fetches to getpages and I/Os
In this foundational session, attendees dove into the intricacies of Db2 SQL queries within a typical Db2 for the IBM® z/OS® environment. Saurabh Pandey, Lead BMC Product Manager for Db2, explored various forms of queries, what could take place during a query, and the fundamental controls available. Session link - Back to Basics: Real-Time Statistics: What are They and How Are They Used?
Louise Comeaux, Lead Product Developer at BMC, took participants on an insightful journey into the world of real-time statistics (RTS), emphasizing their vital impact on database management and how they can be used to drive Db2 utility execution results and find the most efficient access path for processing objects to improve performance and CPU utilization. Session link - Tackle Your Most Challenging Problems with the Newest Capabilities in BMC AMI Utilities for Db2
Jim Kurtz, Advisory Software Consultant, highlighted the recent advancements in BMC AMI Utilities for Db2, focusing on how these solutions enable customers to address their most pressing operational challenges. Session link - PSP—Let’s See Db2!—Observability with BMC AMI Data—Turning All That Noise Into Action!
Amid today’s data-driven landscape, navigating through a barrage of statistics and metrics can be overwhelming. This session, presented by Saurabh and Frank Rhodes, R&D Solutions Architect, explained how BMC AMI Data transforms this overflow of data into meaningful, actionable insights. They walked through detailed examples of application analytics and the database DevOps pipeline, showing how to turn the daily metrics overload into actionable strategies. Session link - Db2 13 for the ”Production” DBA
Phill Baker, Senior Software Consultant], offered valuable insights for the busy production or development database administrator (DBA). Because it’s tough to explore new Db2 features before they’re needed in a project, Phil gave an overview of partition-by-growth (PBG) to partition-by-range (PBR) conversion and using DSN_PROFILE_TABLE for DDL break-ins. Instead of a how-to guide, his session provided a “how not to” perspective of the pitfalls and mistakes one can quickly encounter. Session link - Back to Basics: DB2 Bufferpools
Jim provided a comprehensive look into the basics of Db2 buffer pools, shedding light on every pertinent question. Session link - PSP—From Recovery to Database Change Management—Shift-Left DBA and Developer Collaboration for Data-Driven DevOps Efficiencies
In a current landscape fraught with ransomware, a resilient recovery strategy is essential. Chris Duellman, BMC Principal Solution Engineer, and Nilufer Osken, BMC Senior Solution Engineer, illuminated the importance of shifting recovery processes and database change management left. They highlighted the benefits of DBA and developer collaboration, promoting consistent solutions across development and production environments, and paving the way for maximized DevOps efficiencies. Session link - The Art of War Against Bad SQL
Ramon Menendez, Principal Solution Engineer at BMC, drew parallels between the ancient military tactics outlined in “The Art of War” and Db2 SQL performance strategies. Session link - Tips and Hints for Application Developers and DBAs to Reduce Cost
Marcus Davage, Lead Product Developer for BMC, shared valuable insights on optimizing cost-effectiveness within mainframe environments. Session link
The conference served as a platform for experts to share their knowledge and for attendees to enhance their understanding of the Db2 environment.
As we look forward to the next IDUG conference, the takeaways from the EMEA Db2 Tech Conference in Prague will continue to guide the BMC AMI Data set of solutions.
We hope that you find these sessions helpful and informative. If you have any questions about the topics covered or about our BMC AMI Data solutions, please visit the BMC AMI Data page on our website or reach out to us.
