Category Archives: IDUG

Win a Trip to the IDUG Conference of your Choice

Posted on by
Reply

DB2Night ShowThe International DB2 User Group (IDUG) is a user-run organization. If you want independent information about DB2, IDUG is the place to go. This year, IDUG are have conferences in the US (Denver), Germany (Berlin), and Australia (Sydney). The good news is that the DB2night Show is holding a contest, and the prize is an all expenses-paid trip to the IDUG conference of your choice. The contest aims to identify new users who can speak about their experiences with DB2. It’s a talent contest of sorts, where the talent is sharing your experiences. If you have ever considered speaking at a conference, this contest is the ideal way to see how you might do in a fun setting.

Highlights from the IDUG EMEA Conference

Posted on by
Reply

DB2Night ShowI’m still in the afterglow of the International DB2 User Group (IDUG) conference in Prague, Czech Republic. It was another great conference at a great facility in a great city. The conference organizers should be commended on a truly outstanding event. Its incredible to think that the conference organizers are user volunteers, and not professional conference planners! I’m already looking forward to the next IDUG EMEA conference in Berlin next year. If you are interested in a more in-depth discussion of the conference, including lessons learned from the technical sessions, Norberto Filho will be appearing on the DB2Night show on Friday 02 December 2011. Even if you were at the conference, there was so much happening there that you are sure to learn something new from Norberto’s experiences.

Top 10 Reasons to Attend IDUG EMEA in Prague this November

Posted on by
Reply

Here are my personal top 10 reasons to attend the upcoming International DB2 User Group (IDUG) conference in Prague, Czech Republic this November.

  1. 100+ of the best technical sessions about DB2, featuring IBM developers, industry experts, and users like you
  2. IBM keynote on the future of relational database software
  3. Official IBM certification tests at no additional cost
  4. Pre-conference seminars on preparing for DB2 certification tests at no additional cost
  5. Pre-conference workshop on preparing for DB2 10 for z/OS upgrades at no additional cost
  6. Conference exhibit hall with the world’s top DB2 tool vendors, consulting firms and solution providers
  7. Post-conference day-long educational seminars
  8. It’s a great way to meet and get to know fellow DB2 users
  9. It’s a great way to speak directly with the DB2 developers
  10. Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world

Registration is now open at http://bit.ly/IDUGEMEA. If you register before 17 October 2011, you can take advantage of the early bird discount and save 275 Euro + VAT.

Most Popular Presentation from IDUG DB2 Tech Conference 2011 in Anaheim

Posted on by
Reply

The International DB2 User Group (IDUG) is presenting a free webcast featuring the most popular presentation from the most recent IDUG DB2 Tech Conference, as voted by attendees at the conference. Suresh Sane will present his A DB2 10 Customer’s Experience presentation, which will describe his experiences with DB2 10 for z/OS, including:

  • How new SQL features help
  • How hash access speeds up queries against large tables
  • How access path determination is now smarter
  • How concurrency is improved without sacrificing integrity
  • How temporal tables simplify code

This webcast is a must-see for Database Administrators and Application Developers. It is filled with rich content, helpful hints and tips. As a special bonus, everyone who registers for the Webcast will receive a complimentary copy of the Business Value of DB2 10 – Smarter Database for a Smarter Planet report by Julian Stuhler, Triton Consulting. The Webcast will take place at 11am ET on Wednesday, 02 November 2011. To register for the Webcast, please go to DB2 10 Application Topics—A DB2 10 Customer’s Experience.

Call for Presentations – 2012 DB2 Tech Conference in Denver, Colorado

Posted on by
Reply

The deadline for submitting proposals for presentations at next year’s DB2 Tech Conference in Denver, Colorado is fast approaching. Make sure to get your proposals in by 14 October 2011. You can submit your proposals on the International DB2 User Group Web site at Call For Presentations. If you look at the Web site, you will see the list of potential topics, as well as guidelines for the presentations. Essentially, the organizers are looking for presentations on almost every aspect of working with DB2. If you have experiences to share, presenting at the conference is a great way to get a complimentary pass to the conference.

Introduction to Big Data Solutions

Posted on by
Reply

Here’s a short video that was recorded at the IDUG conference, where I talk about the characteristics of Big Data solutions, discuss some of the technologies involved, and describe some real world Big Data solutions that IBM has implemented. Its a high-level introduction, but if you’re not sure what this “Big Data” term refers to, you may find it useful.

In the video, I try to quantify what “big” means today, as well as describing some lessons we have learned while implementing Big Data solutions. Technologies introduced include Map/Reduce systems, systems for analyzing streaming data, Massive Parallel Processing data warehouse systems, and in-memory database systems.

Those of you that know me in person, will see that I was a little under-the-weather when the video was recorded. You can hear it in my voice, see it in my demeanor, and notice it in my cadence. I hope you can get past this, and find this video useful.

Win Complimentary IDUG Conference Pass

Posted on by
Reply

The International DB2 User Group (IDUG), the leading association of IBM DB2 database and technology professionals, is conducting a survey to better understand the changing “Information Management” needs and wants. This will enable IDUG to provide the right technical education and training for its community. When you choose to participate in this survey and submit your email address, you will enter into the drawing for one of three (3) complimentary IDUG Conference Passes ($1,995). Your email address will be used for results notification only, and all responses are strictly confidential. Please take a moment to contribute to this project – and help IDUG meet your technical training needs.

The survey should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. Please respond no later than May 20, 2011. Your feedback will provide valuable insight regarding your needs and provide a better understanding as to how IDUG can best address areas important to you.

Please note that your responses will be confidential and reported in aggregate. If you have any questions about the survey or have difficulty accessing the survey, please contact idug@idug.org.

Please Take The Survey Now

IDUG/DB2 Community Survey

Would you Make a Good Speaker at a Conference?

Posted on by
Reply

Scott Hayes of DB2Night Show fame is running a new contest called DB2′s Got Talent. If you think you would make a good speaker at a conference, this is your opportunity to test that in a friendly and fun setting. Because the goal is to unearth new speaking talent, to participate in the contest, you cannot have spoken at a recent IDUG or IOD conference. And the prizes are great. First prize is a free conference registration to an IDUG conference together with money for travel expenses. For more information, see the DB2Night Show.

Winning Entry in the "Do You DB2?" Contest

Posted on by
1

The Independent DB2 User Group (IDUG) recently ran a contest called Do You DB2? where DB2 users were encouraged to share their experiences. I’d like to congratulate Michael Krafick of Atlanta, GA who won the Grand Prize of a 55″ internet-ready HDTV for describing his organization’s experiences with IBM Smarter Systems. Here are some excerpts from his story:


…a database with multiple partitions over three nodes. Initially performing well, we soon discovered that predicted monthly growth for the database was grossly underestimated. Performance and trending were showing that we were going to run into a problem sooner rather than later.

Not to mention, this was a data mart supporting Business Intelligence in a financial market. We were heading into that special time of year where the planets align – where month end loads, quarter end loads, and year end loads were about to collide.

… This is where IBM’s Balanced Warehouse methodology comes in to save the day… We would extend our cluster out by one more BCU to give us some more horsepower… The result was incredible. Here is just a taste of what we saw:

  • Our CPU utilization saw a 50% drop. Where we had consistently ran at 95% utilized (spiking to 100%) we dropped to an average of 45% utilized.
  • We were able to increase our workload by 10% compared to the month before (2077 Report Views over 1935 Report Views).
  • Even with the additional increase in workload, we decreased our execution time by 50% (Original Execution Time- 357 Hours, New Execution Time – 210 Hours).

Essentially, our reports were flying and the client immediately came back “raving” over our speed. Our hard work had paid off and the DBA’s released a huge sigh of relief. There is a real feeling of accomplishment when you win one for the team.

Congratulations Michael!