The DB2 Family

• The DB2 family of products
• DB2 communications options

Getting started with DB2 (INSTANCES)

• The DB2 hierarchy of objects
• TCP/IP Connectivity for DB2
• Instance creation and configuration
• CLP (command line processor) coding options
• The DB2 Administration Server

DB2 and GUI

• Administration (GUI) tools
• Configuring a DB2 Client to access remote instances and databases
• using the Command Editor to run queries or commands
• Using the Control Center to create a database object

Creating databases and tablespaces

• Know how to create a database
• Create SMS and DMS tablespaces
• List tablespace and container information for a database
• Get tablespace snapshots
• Alter a tablespace and change container sizes
• List and change the database and instance configuration files
• Introduce Automatic storage

Creating Tables and other objects

• Creating tables and indexes
• Using data types and nullity attributes for columns
• Defining Referential and table Check constraints
• Creating views and nested table expressions
• introduce row compression
• identify concepts of range partitioning

TRIGGERS, UDT and UDF

• when and how to use DB2 triggers
• create and code triggers
• when and how to use UDTs
• Define sourced and external UDF
• Define table functions

DB2 LOCKING

• How DB2 controls concurrency and integrity for multiple users
• Know the factors effecting data locking
• Use commands to effect the behavior of DB2 locking
• Use monitors to analyze user locking activity
• Review and alter database configuration parameters that effect locking

DB2 Security

• How to GRANT privileges
• Know of administration Authorities in DB2
• How to create tables and other objects for use of groups

DB2 Data Management

• Identify logging techniques that DB2 uses
• basic features of some DB2 Utilities, that help manage data
• When to use these utilities

IMPORT/EXPORT/LOAD Utilities

• When and how to use IMPORT, EXPORT and LOAD
• Choose options to improve performance
• the effects of using LOAD and how to bring a table to normal status
• Compare LOAD and IMPORT

Basic Database Recovery

• when and how to use BACKUP and RECOVERY operations.
• Choose a database configuration for full recovery after failure.
• ROLLFORWARD through the transaction logs to reapply changes to data.
• Check the status of a tablespace.
• Accomplish point-in-time recovery of a tablespace

Disaster Recovery for tables and tablespaces

• Complete a redirected restore, to replace lost or changed containers for tablespaces.
• Recover from dropped table

Incremental backup and recovery techniques

• Why and how to choose an incremental backup activity.
• Determine options for database and tablespace recovery, when incremental backup has been used.
• Setup for a database for incremental backup activity

Data Access Techniques

• Understand strategies that might be used by the DB2 optimizer
• Know what happens at execute time for specific strategies.
• Use the EXPLAIN tools to analyse access strategy.

The DB2 Optimizer

• Know the impact of optimizer options on performance
• Review multi-table access
• Create indexes with varying options to improve performance
• Create automatic summary tables
• Consider the ways RAID technology may be used
• use lab activities to analyze and influence SQL performance

DB2 Operational Model

• Review the architectural concepts for DB2
• look at the behavior of DB2, with respect to I/O operations
• identify important cache and monitoring elements
• Lab activities involve extensive performance and tuning of the database to improve overall performance. Analysis of DB2 snapshots will prompt changes in database configuration. This pattern of analysis and change (tuning), will be repeated until performance is optimized.

DB2 Configuration Parameters

• review important configuration parameters for the a database and the database manager
• Introduce auto-configuration
• identify the DB2 Design Advisor