News from the Labs Archive

Prior newsletter issues:

Newsletter 2024

Newsletter 2023

Newsletter 2022

Newsletter 2021

Newsletter 2020

2020-12: Migration Mayhem – Special Happy Holiday Present Edition
2020-11: Recover Résumé
2020-10: Mapping Table Mystery
2020-09: Discovering hidden recovery problems in the SYSLGRNX (UPDATED)
2020-08: SYSLGRNX through the looking glass
2020-07: IDUG 2020 What I have learnt
2020-06: Let’s get Virtual with each other
2020-05: Things I Never Knew
2020-04: Four Flavors of Db2 Audit
2020-03: Db2 REORG: DRAIN delays are Despicable
2020-02: UPDATEs for nothing and CPU ain’t free!
2020-01: How RUNSTATS causes an error SQLCODE

Newsletter 2019

2019-12: Fun with Db2 12 PBR RPN
2019-11: Db2 Existence checks: SELECT for DUMMIES
2019:10: Db2 DECFLOAT examples: Fun with Numbers
2019-09: A DBA has got to know his limitations
2019-08: FTB (Fast Traversal Block): Just another TLA?
2019-06: A little quote from Terry Purcell: It just takes one
2019-05: Machine Learning for Db2 z/OS: Artificial Intelligence – Hype or Reality?
2019-04: ZOWE for Continuous Delivery – It’s worse than that – he’s tested Jim!
2019-03: EXPLAIN data review
2019-02: Db2 Global Temporary Confusion – CGTT & DGTT
2019-01: Regular Expressions in Db2 SQL – Regulate this!

Newsletter 2018

2018-12: Db2 Checklist – SQLCODEs as never seen before
2018-11: Db2 Numeric Primary Keys: Space, the final frontier?
2018-10: Db2 Bind Lock: The Scary Case of the Missing Package
2018-09: Db2 Console output: Message in a bottle
2018-08: SOUNDEX and other “cool” features – Part six All new for Db2 12
2018-07: SOUNDEX and other “cool” features – Part five All new for Db2 12
2018-06: DST Db2 timestamp problems: I really hate Daylight Saving Time
2018-05: GDPR Audit guide for Db2 z/OS
2018-04: Negative DBIDs: Something new, Something old
2018-03: RTS RUNSTATS
2018-02: Db2 Catalog Statistics revisited
2018-01: Db2 GETPAGES by Insert

Newsletter 2017

2017-11: APAR list: An APAR a day keeps the bugs at bay
2017-10: Log size: How big is your LOG?
2017-09: Db2 12 SQL Access path: Death by APAR
2017-08: Anomalies detected in MERGECOPY and MODIFY Recovery
2017-07: Let’s make IMAGE COPY great again!
2017-06: APPLCOMPAT in Db2 12: a little bit more agile?
2017-05: A little bit too agile?
2017-04: Small ZPARM – Big effect !
2017-03: Db2 11 RBA/LRSN Migration 6 to 10 bytes?
2017-02: Why SIZE still matters in Db2 12?
2017-01: Db2 12 technical overview: Roy’s first features Review

Newsletter 2016

2016-12: Db2 10, Db2 11 FREE BIF/ICI HealthCheck: Incompatibility report list
2016-11: Rotten Results from RUNSTATS Require
2016-10: Discovering hidden recovery problems in the SYSLGRNX
2016-09: Solving SEQUENCE or space problems in Db2
2016-08: Is it Safe? How to recover accidently dropped tables
2016-07: Migration Planning: Stuck in a BIND
2016-06: Can you guess how interesting the DSN_PREDICAT_TABLE really is?
2016-05: What’s in an Acronym? ICI
2016-04: Db2 SYSCOPY – Do you know what is in it? Redux
2016-03: Real Time Statistics (RTS) Revisited – Information missing (part 2)
2016-02: Real Time Statistics (RTS) Revisited – Information missing (part 1)
2016-01: Simply Synonyms in Db2 z/OS

Newsletter 2015

2015-12: FREE BIF HealthCheck for Db2 10 or Db2 11 (Built-in function)
2015-11: Db2 Quick Security Audit – part 2
2015-10: Db2 Quick Security Audit – part 1
2015-09: A real CLUSTER Buster
2015-08: Overloaded Logs
2015-07: Bad Data Day
2015-06: SOUNDEX and other “cool” features – Part 4 for Db2 10 & Db2 11
2015-05: Top 10 Things to Ignore for Db2 z/OS
2015-04: SQL Code of Interest
2015-03: Object Changes: Quiet Times for maintenance
2015-02: Db2 z/OS Audit – Boring Boring Boring
2015-01: BIFCIDS – Where’s the BIF?

Newsletter 2014

2014-10: QUERYNO – Query what?
2014-09: Detecting invisible SQL since Db2 10
2014-08: A Million ways to kill your DSC
2014-07: APREUSE(WARN) – like getting married?
2014-06: Metrics – Ripe for the Plucking
2014-05: Why SIZE matters for Db2
2014-04: Are you going to PIECEs?
2014-03: Complementing IBMs ACCESS PLAN Stability 3, DSC Protection
2014-02: Complementing IBMs ACCESS PLAN Stability 2, for Static SQL
2014-01: Complementing IBMs ACCESS PLAN Stability 1, for Dynamic SQL

Newsletter 2013

2013-11: FREE Db2 HealthCheck
2013-10: Db2 11 Expanded RBA/LRSN
2013-09: Roy’s first Db2 11 review
2013-08: Inline LOBs
2013-07: Death by Index Probe
2013-06: Do you have a space problem in Db2?
2013-05: Access Path Changes During a Db2 10 Skip-Level Migration
2013-04: DSC Hit Ratio – Overrated metric???
2013-03: Incredible out of the box data – DSC, “SSC”, RTS
2013-02: SYSCOPY – Do you know what is it in it?
2013-01: Finding the right SSD (solid state disk) candidates

Newsletter 2012

2012-12: APAR list reprint “Back by popular demand”
2012-11: EXPLAIN table maintenance and clean-up
2012-10: Existence check SQL – Through the ages
2012-09: Db2 Catalog Statistics – revisited
2012-08: DSC Control – ZPARMs and Aggregation
2012-07: Spatial Indexes – Do you know where your customers live?
2012-06: SOUNDEX and other “cool” features – part three for Db2 10 –
2012-05: SOUNDEX and other “cool” features – part two for Db2 V9 –
2012-04: SOUNDEX and other “cool” features – part one for Db2 V8 –
2012-03: INCLUDE Index Usage with Examples to find Redundant Indexes
2012-02: HASH Index – What is it good for?
2012-01: Native SQL procedures

Newsletter 2011

2011-12: SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Holiday present – Free Db2 HealthCheck Series
2011-11: Index Compression – Which ones are worth it?
2011-10: PLAN to PACKAGE Migration – Do you have any “bad guys”
2011-09: CRUD – How to find which program is doing what to which table
2011-08: Poor mans JCL generator – example use of a simple RUNSTATS JCL generator
2011-07: Recursive SQL – Examples (VIEW explode etc)
2011-06: Unused index analysis
2011-05: Virtual Indexes – General usage hints and tips
2011-04: RTS – data for DBA daily usage
2011-03: PBG – Recommended Usage and REORG Strategy
2011-02: XML Table Spaces – How they work and what you must take care of, or “LOBs the Next Generation”
2011-01: APARS for RTS, RUNSTATS, and SQL PERFORMANCE – Which and why?