• Series 2 - Behind the Bar with the DB2 Cocktail Hour
• Series 1 - The DB2 Cocktail Hour
• Series 3 - On the Bar Stool with the DB2 Cocktail Hour
• Disclaimer and Copyright
• The podcast technology

Series 2 - Behind the Bar with The DB2 Cocktail Hour featuring Susan Lawson and Dan Luksetich

This is our second series of podcasts. We have been doing the first series of podcasts, The DB2 Cocktail Hour, for many years. It evolved into an extremely popular show with thousands of downloads per month, and we thank you for that! However, we must move on. In this series, we will still pretty much have the same format as the original DB2 Cocktail Hour. However, we don't want to stagnate into the realm of DB2 consultants who gloss over features without substance. We're still hands on working every day on DB2 databases, and want to share that wealth of experience! So, we're actually going into topics in detail. Each podcast of this series will dig deeply into a specific feature of DB2, or database design idea. In addition, each podcast will be accompanied by some sort of download that you can use as a reference to what we are describing.

01/21/2009 - Series 2 Podcast 12 Ten Shots of DB2 Performance (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...uh oh. For this last podcast of the series we decided to do something we've been joking about doing for some time, giving ten tips and doing a shot with every one. Do NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Just sit back and listen to us try to get through this while getting some good performance tips. The music beds include Hit me with Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar, Shot in the Dark by Ozzie Osbourne, and Hey Man Nice Shot by Filter. Get it?

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• Common clustering
• No SP I/O modules
• CLOSE NO
• Workfile database
• Sequence objects
• Code tables
• Small tables
• DPSI and parallelism
• EXPLAIN and benchmarks
• Checkpoints

• Three extra tips; download

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_212_ten.mp3

10/28/2008 - Series 2 Podcast 11 Data Studio Live from IOD 2008! (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...live from IBM IOD 2008 in Las Vegas! How did we manage to get IBM to spring for a room? How did we get them to spring for food and drinks? How the heck did we get Curt Cotner to agree to a live, unrehersed podcast in front of a live audience? Well, if you've ever run into Curt at one of these conferences you'll quickly realize that he's not only one of the brightest people around, but one of the friendliest as well. Susan and I have had plenty of great hallway conversations with Curt in the past, and we finally convinced him to record one of them. Here we talk about the huge effort by IBM that is Data Studio, the one-stop development, administration, and management software hub for all things database related. We explore not only the tool, but the technologies around the tool and how they solve a lot of the most common problems facing developers and administrators today. Sue and I are having Coronas, and Curt is having a Gordon Biersch Marzen. The song beds include Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World, More Time by Needtobreathe, and Psycho by Puddle of Mudd. Special thanks to all the wonderful people who showed up for the party, and to IBM for hosting the event.

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• What is Data Studio
• PureQuery
• PureXML
• Builing stored procedures
• Importing JDBC applications
• Compatability with various frameworks, technologies, and databases
• Turning dynamic SQL to static
• Downloading Data Studio
• Licensing issues

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_211_data.mp3

10/14/2008 - Series 2 Podcast 10 Table Controlled Partitioning (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...live from IDUG Europe 2008! We got some special guests together, went to my room, and busted out a podcast. Our featured guest was our favorite podcast bitch Kurt Struyf with his extensive knowledge and testing of table controlled partitioning. Our other guests include Den Jenson from IBM, Gerald Pfeiffer from Trilog, and Claude Birtz from Centre Informatique de l'Etat in Luxembourg who brought us a very fine wine from his homeland. The music beds are No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses, Lost by Cold Play, and Trouble Maker by Weezer.

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• no longer need a partitioning index
• DPSI's
• more than one paritioned index
• add/rotate/rebalance
• clustering options
• might get it without knowing it
• DDL impacts
• high limit keys enforced
• recovery issues
• positioning for the future

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_210_tcp.mp3

06/04/2008 - Series 2 Podcast 9 BIND, REORG, and RUNSTATS (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...one night in downtown Oslo, Norway we got into a fight at a bar about when and how exactly people do the three R's (RUNSTATS, REORG, REBIND). We decided to take the discussion to the airwaves! We're drinking some rose' wine of unknown origin in a small hotel in Oslo. Song beds include I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett, Fat Bottom Girls by Queen, and Pretty Flowers by Pinheads (my former punk rock project).

Disclaimer and Copyright

This is a pretty free form discussion so no bullet points or downloads with this one!

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_29_rrr.mp3

04/17/2008 - Series 2 Podcast 8 Optimistic Locking (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...Locking helps assure that the database objects will be updated with consistency and integrity, and this is a very good thing. However, locking can reduce concurrency, and the higher the volume of transactions we pump through, a greater the level of concurrency is required. How can we possibly increase our concurrency by eliminating locks without losing the consistency and integrity? Enter optimistic locking. This podcast explains optimistic locking in detail, and how you can use it in DB2 for z/OS version 8 and 9. We are once again in Baltimore, and once again drinking Axios. This time, however, we're listening to Japanese noise band Melt Banana. I forgot to take pictures that night so I'm including some recent pictures from a local Grand Opening party where we were invited guest bartenders and got to practice our skills at making mojitos. We did a traditional, raspberry, stawberry, and orange. Cheers!

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• Locking issues in DB2
• The cost of locks in DB2
• Coding for Concurrency
• How to do Optimistic Locking
• DB2 Support for Optimistic Locking

• Optimistic locking presentation slides; download

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_28_olock.mp3

02/13/2008 - Series 2 Podcast 7 Explain (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...In this podcast from Baltimore we attempt to give people a good detailed strong introduction to DB2 EXPLAIN. The EXPLAIN facility allows you to externalize DB2 access path information. We cover how to do an EXPLAIN, the way to view EXPLAIN information, the critical EXPLAIN tables, and important EXPLAIN columns. We point you to where you can get all of the important information to get you going with EXPLAIN and start using it to tune your queries! We are drinking Axios wine. The music beds are Light Up by Styx, Sushi Girl by The Tubes, and 27 Jennifers by Mike Doughty. I can't stop laughing hysterically at my dramatic introduction. Light up and listen in, and also check out all the associated downloads and links below!

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• How to invoke EXPLAIN
• IBM Visual Explain
• IBM Optimization Service Center
• The critical EXPLAIN tables
• The EXPLAIN table columns we typically use

• Useful Plan Table Query; download, info
• Useful EXPLAIN Query for DB2 V8 and DB2 9; download, info
• DB2 for z/OS V8 EXPLAIN tables; download, info
• DB2 9 for z/OS EXPLAIN tables; download, info
• DB2 9 for z/OS EXPLAIN Poster; download
• DB2 9 for z/OS Performance Guide Part 1; download
• DB2 9 for z/OS Performance Guide Part 2; download
• DB2 9 for z/OS Performance Guide Part 3; download
• Visual Explain site
• Optimization Service Center site

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_27_expl.mp3

11/14/2007 - Series 2 Pegcast 6 Stored Procedures (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...This podcast finds us in San Jose, California with special Guest Peggy Zagelow of IBM. We talk about some very interesting issues surrounding stored proceudres. We are drinking many bottles of wine at Peggy's house. I was drunk and did not record the podcast on the first try, and so this is actually the second attempt at recording that night. I forgot to take pictures so I scraped a picture from Peggy's MySpace page, and also took a picture of Susan and Annie bowling in Baltimore. The song beds include You've Got Another Thing Coming by Judas Priest, Bad Habit by The Offspring, and Dread and the Fugitive Mind by Megadeath.

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• why use stored procedures
• proper stored procedure construction
• security issues
• native SQL procedures
• what not to do with stored procedures
• Java stored procedures

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_26_sp.mp3

8/22/2007 - Series 2 Podcast 5 Data Sharing (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...What is DB2 data sharing, and why should we care? This podcast attempts to dive into the specifics of data sharing, but only the things that you really need to care about to get your job done, and make sure performance is optimal. Why set up a data sharing group? What are the components of data sharing? We also talk about how to share objects properly among applications and machines. We also talk about a few surprises we have come across in data sharing environments! We are in Schwaibisch Hall, Germany on the balcony of my hotel drinking a fine French Rose. Song beds include Destroy All by Static-X, One Thing by Finger Eleven, and Walken by Wilco.

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• performance and availability
• read-write interest
• locking issues
• partitioning
• Common points of failure

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_25_ds.mp3

7/17/2007 - Series 2 Podcast 4 Sorts (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...OK, sorting can be expensive, or it can be free? You see, DB2 has the ability to avoid a sort. When does it avoid a sort, and how can you take advantage of this? If DB2 does have to sort then how can you configure your DB2 subsystem resources to make that sort as cheap as possible. This podcast covers it all in very fine detail. We are again in our long time home-away-from-home, Batimore yet again! We are drinking beer and wine, again (sorry, don't remember what...again), followed by an awesome traditional dinner of steamed crab at Captain James' Landing. The music includes Jesus Built my Hotrod by Ministry, Kow Kow Calculator by Steve Miller Band, and Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes by Elvis Costello (what diversity!!!).

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• sort mechanisms
• sort buffers and datasets
• avoiding sorts within DB2
• Alternatives to sorting in DB2

• List of things that use the workfile database; download
• Link to Wikipedia for bubble sort algorithms; bubble sort
• Link to Wikipedia for quicksort algorithms; quicksort
• Link to Wikipedia for shell sort algorithms; shell sort

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_24_sorts.mp3

5/16/2007 - Series 2 Podcast 3 Logical Recovery (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...Once again in Baltimore, we explore a specific application design, incorporated into DB2, called logical recovery. One of the most common data recovery problems has to do with data corruption. That is, an application or user erroneously changes data in the database, and that erroneous data needs to be backed out. Traditionally, applications are left on their own to run processes to cleanse the data, or a DBA runs a RECOVER utility to return to a prior point in time. But what about a situation in which the data has to be continuously available and the recovery requirement has to be instantaneous? Enter logical recovery! In this podcast we explore a situation in which we invented an automated process that collects changes to data in real time, and can eliminate those changes immediately while the application remains completely available! We are drinking beer and wine (sorry, don't remember what), followed by dinner at the Dog Pub (formally the Thirsty Dog). The music includes Steady as She Goes by The Raconteurs, Ain't Waisting Time No More by The Allman Brothers, and Is She REally Going Out with Him by Joe Jackson.

Disclaimer and Copyright

In this podcast we talk about:

• What is a logical recovery
• Data replication, triggers versus log analysis
• Audit tables
• DB2 Triggers
• The logical recovery table
• The logical recovery query
• UNION in View issues

• Presentation of triggers, audit tables and as-of imaging; download
• Trigger example to prevent a non-update; download

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_23_logr.mp3

3/16/2007 - Series 2 Podcast 2 DB2 9 for z/OS (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...well we just had to interrupt our regularly scheduled podcast to talk about the release of version 9. We've been studying version 9 for quite some time, and there are several things we talk about in this podcast that we find exciting for application performance. So, we present our top application and SQL performance features of version 9 while guzzlying beer in Munich, Germany with our friend Chris Duellmann. We've been working quite a lot in Germany lately, and you can certainly tell by how well we drink the beer, er I mean speak the language! We are all drinking Franziskaner Weissbeer Dunkel, and yes it's real! The song beds include Party at Ground Zero by Fishbone, Upside Down by Jack Johnson, and Pretty Fly by The Offspring.

Disclaimer and Copyright

The features we discuss: In this podcast we talk about:

• SELECT from UPDATE and DELETE
• APPEND
• NOT LOGGED
• TRUNCATE
• MERGE
• Histogram Statistics
• Partition Elimination for joined columns
• Optimistic locking support
• Index on Expression
• ORDER BY and FETCH FIRST in a subselect
• Native SQL procedures

• Histogram Statistics and Optimistic Locking Examples; download
• Link to the V9 manuals; V9 manuals
• Link to the Optimization Service Center; link

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_22_V9.mp3

1/31/2007 - Series 2 Podcast 1 Multi-Row Fetch (back to series 2), (back to top)

notes by Dan...Our first detailed podcast finds us in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. What a beautiful place!!! This behind the bar podcast is all about multi-row fetch. We talk about what it is, how to program for it, when it works, and the performance implications. We discuss programming techniques for batch and for online, and the implications of using the GET DIAGNOSTICS statement versus analyzing the SQLCA. We also talk about the strange behavior of DB2 when you mix rowset fetching with single fetching in one cursor. Check out the complimentary download below. Susan and I are drinking Haller Löwenbräu Mohrenköpfle Hefeweizen bier, which is very much my favorite beer of the area. The song beds include Don't Ask Me Why I Drink by Mojo Nixon, Red Red Wine by UB40, and One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer by George Thoroughgood. Prost!

Disclaimer and Copyright

Downloads that accompany this podcast:

• YLA IDUG Multi-Row Fetch Usage Article; download
• Podcast Multi-Row Fetch Presentation; download
• Multi1 Single Row Fetch Example; download
• Multi2 Multi-Row Fetch Example; download

Right click on the file name, and do a save as. Then you can listen on your PC, or download into your portable device to listen to anywhere! db2_Cocktail_Hour_21_mrf.mp3

We're using Dan's PC, a Fujitsu Lifebook U801, and the following sweet stuff:

• CAD Equitek E100 supercardiod large diaphram side address condenser microphone (presumed stolen by Hertz employees)
• Behringer MIC100 tube ultragain preamp (presumed stolen by Hertz employees)
• Pinnacle table top mic stand (confiscated by airport security after going through 6 times!)
• QuikLok A188 Desktop Tripod Microphone Stand (presumed stolen by Hertz employees)
• CAD Equitek E100**2 supercardiod large diaphragm side address condenser microphone
• QuikLok A188 Desktop Tripod Microphone Stand
• Behringer MIC200 tube ultragain preamp
• Mixcast Live podcasting software
• Dell Inspiron 8100 (retired after series 1, podcast 8)
• HP Pavilion dv1010us (retired after series 2, podcast 9)