Db2 Tools New Features Summary - Fall 2021 Edition

[Cynthia Hamm]

Here's a summarized list of the enhancements we have made to Version 20.0 of the Database Management Solutions for Db2 for z/OS from July 2021 to September 2021:

Feature Highlights

DevOps: The DBM for Db2 Plug-in for Zowe CLI introduces new Zowe™ CLI commands that enable you to interact with Db2 using the Broadcom Database Management Solutions for Db2 for z/OS. You can use the pre-GA version of the plug-in to automate Db2 schema provisioning (generate DDL, verify DDL syntax, and deploy changes to a production environment). Note: The pre-GA version of the DBM for Db2 plug-in for Zowe CLI is now available from our validate site.

Mainframe Resource Intelligence - Db2 for z/OS Report Now Includes Trend Reporting. You can now enable trend reporting in the Db2 for z/OS Report for certain data points. Use this data to show the evolution of your Db2 environment over time. You also now have greater control over which Db2 subsystems are reported on. Previously, all subsystems were processed or only manually selected subsystems were scanned and reported on.

Smart/RESTART 20.0 is now GA. This new version builds on Smart Jobstream Series 12.1.2, acquired from Relational Architects International (RAI), and brings the Smart Jobstream Series into the Broadcom mainframe software family Continuous Delivery release model. The Continuous Delivery model enables us to deliver new features and fixes as they are completed. Review the new installation and maintenance process and plan your migration so that you can ensure your environment is prepared to receive future maintenance on the Smart/RESTART solution. This version also supports DDV Technologies Softdate and IBM CICS VSAM Transparency Tool.

New history-only data collector mode in SYSVIEW for Db2 lets you access and analyze long-term Db2 statistics with a data collector running in history-only mode. This mode can be an online alternative to batch reports. For more information about this feature, see New History-Only Data Collector Mode.

Do you have knowledge of using Log Analyzer for Db2 for z/OS, including DML/DDL REDO and UNDO reports, recovering Db2 dropped objects and strategy definition? We invite you to earn this badge and showcase your Log Analyzer for Db2 for z/OS skills!  Get your badge by visiting Log Analyzer for Db2 for z/OS.

Other Features

• Level Set PTF 20.0.01 is now available. Activate this Level Set to access the following features:
  • Collection of compare history records in Plan Analyzer. You can now collect and save comparison data. This data helps you identify statement access paths with performance degradation and access paths with improved performance that can benefit from a rebind.
  • Independent maintenance rollout. You can now roll out future maintenance to each Xmanager individually instead of to all Xmanagers at once. This feature lets you control when new features are activated and ensures that incompatible code changes are not introduced into your environment.
• Post-installation tailoring enhancement. A new validation check is now performed against the BUFFERPOOL values that you specify in the SETUP global parmlib member to ensure valid DDL is generated during compare processing. This validation prevents you from proceeding with invalid data.
• Recovery Estimator enhancements.
  • The Recovery Estimator can now detect whether required data sets have been migrated. The identification of migrated data sets gives you a clearer picture of where the necessary resources are located and how long a recovery would take.
  • The Recovery Estimator has a new DEBUG option that generates extra log messages during processing for troubleshooting purposes.
  • Sample JCL is now provided in member FRECOEST of hlq.CDBAJCL. This batch job analyzes the recoverability of a Db2 object or group of objects and estimates the time to recover them. Database Administrators can use this batch utility to verify that recovery service-level agreements (SLAs) are met.
• Database Analyzer now supports the use of LISTDEF to generate JCL to execute multiple utilities in the order that you specify. Each utility uses one or more steps in the generated action JCL to process the object lists. LISTDEF statements allow for increased concurrency during executions, greater flexibility, and time-savings.
• Detector now supports autonomous native stored procedures (ANSPs). The inclusion of ANSP data in your collection gives you more details about the SQL performance in your Db2 subsystems.
• Fast Load now supports online loads of LOB columns when you specify DATA-AVAILABLE CRITICAL. Previously, only DATA-AVAILABLE NORMAL and DATA-AVAILABLE HIGH were supported for LOB columns. Now, you can maintain availability in read/write (R/W) mode when you perform an online load of a LOB column.
• Fast Recover enhancements:
  • The SORTLOG NO option has been enhanced to support FlashCopies, which increases your options to recover data.
  • The IBM OPTIONS control statement is now supported in recovery simulations. Using OPTIONS to specify your simulation values once, at the beginning of the job, simplifies your syntax for greater convenience.
• Fast Unload has been enhanced to support pervasive encryption for SYSREC data sets. This enhancement can prevent ineffective block sizes and potentially improve space allocation. zIIP support has also been extended to now include any of the following options:
  • SQL-ACCESS ONLY or EXTENSION
  • Multiple SELECT statements
  • A literal with an INTO clause
  • A DECFLOAT column
• Log Analyzer enhancements:
  • Object filter options are now supported in the DDL Activity Report. You can use this report to filter by individual databases or tablespaces and their related objects cascaded to lower hierarchies that are registered in the Db2 catalog.
  • The DDL Activity REDO/UNDO report now formats ALTER TABLE and ALTER TABLESPACE statements as they are grouped when submitted.
  • Read Db2 Log for Compression Dictionaries. Compressed data can now be expanded seamlessly when the compression dictionary is changed by the REORG TABLESPACE or LOAD REPLACE utilities. The dictionary record can be obtained from the Db2 log, which makes it easier to read.
  • Grant and Revoke Privileges now Included. The DDL Activity Report has been enhanced to include more detailed GRANT and REVOKE privilege information for selected objects during a specified collection period. This report now provides object level detail that includes the ID of users who changed the privilege and who had their privilege changed.
• Plan Analyzer lets you choose which historical strategy version (hversion) of an explain strategy to compare against your SQL source version. Previously, you could only compare an SQL source version against the last hversion that had been created for that strategy.
• RC/Migrator, RC/Query, and RC/Update have been enhanced to support GRANT UNLOAD table authority.
• SYSVIEW for Db2 enhancements:
  • The new security profile, RESTAPI, lets you invoke SYSVIEW for Db2 to collect Db2 performance data through the DBM Data Service RESTful API endpoints only. You can then directly leverage that data with the Prometheus open-source monitoring solution and Grafana open-source dashboard solution. You can customize these dashboards to display the metrics that are most important to you.
  • Real-time reports now show accounting statistics that are aggregated by the connection type of a data sharing group (IFCID 369). The CSACCTS and CSACCTD reports now retrieve information from other members of a data sharing group. New reports have been added: CSACCTSG, CSACCTDG, and CSACCTSL. These reports let you identify what kind of workload consumes most of the resources.
  • The use of CPU for unsorted cross-system coupling facility (XCF) messages has been optimized.

For more information about these enhancements, see New Features in the Release Notes.

What's cooking in the lab?

Join the CA Db2 Tools 20.0 Validation Project, where the Broadcom labs reveal upcoming features and seek feedback. See what we are developing, as we develop it. Validation meetings are your best opportunity to influence the development of the Database Management Solutions for Db2 for z/OS products. Register today at https://validate.broadcom.com/key/db2tools200.

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