IBM Db2 Database Reviews

My main use of Db2 is as an additional data source for integration or a source for integration adapters.

The most valuable features are the simplicity of the database and the access to Db2 and Db2 information.

I've been working with this solution for twenty years.

Db2 is stable and reliable.

IBM's technical support is good, it's an excellent reason to purchase Db2.

The initial setup was quick and easy.

IBM's products tend to be quite costly, especially given the availability of free, open-source alternatives.

I would rate Db2 eight out of ten.

Private Cloud

Our primary use case for this solution was as a data lake, in an on-premises deployment.

We stopped using this solution almost a year ago. 

The most valuable feature of this solution is the integration with other IBM products.

This solution has good storage capabilities.

I would like to see better support for advanced analytics.

I had been using this solution for nine years.

This is definitely a stable solution. I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

I would say this solution is scalable, in terms of memory.

There are approximately one thousand users.

Technical support for this solution is good.

Prior to using this solution I was using Oracle, although it was not for exactly the same purpose.

The initial setup of this solution is straightforward.

There are between ten and fifteen staff that maintain this solution.

Licensing fees are on a yearly basis.

We have changed to a new platform, so I am no longer using IBM DB2.

If somebody is looking for stability then I recommend this platform, although it depends on whether they want a Data Lake or are looking for analytics.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

I have benefitted from many features including:

1. Product is built on RDBMS principles and principles of Normalization. Have benefitted by the normalization capabilities built into the product;
2. SQL Query capabilities, Tools such as SPUFI, QMF, BMC Catalog Manager,DB2 File-Aid make it easy to query the data,
3. Programming capabilities (such as host variables, cursors ) provided by languages such as COBOL to invoke DB2 DML statements to query, modify the DB2 Tables;
4. Ability of DB2 rows to be presented to CICS screens, Batch Jobs, Web Programs;
5. Entire 4 GL Tools such as Cool:Gen, Advantage Gen Encyclopedias implemented as DB2 tables;
6. Entire Advantage Gen / Cool:Gen / IEF components viz. programs, program components are modeled as DB2 tables. Thousands of programs, program components built, accessed by thousands of programmers are stored as DB2 table entries. These are easily queried, extracted, modified, loaded to other regions by customized programs. Entire models can be created by copying DB2 tables. These are done reliably, consistently, and scalability is provided. This speaks about the power and capability of DB2;
7. Entire Cool:Gen components / DB2 entries can be queried by IBM Websphere with ODBC connection and the results can be web enabled. This means DB2 is programmable for the web as well;
8. DB2 entries can be extracted, modified and loaded to other regions and datawarehouses. IBM DB2 Unload, Load Utilities, products such as IBM Optim, IBM Websphere Datastage, IBM Websphere all enhance the capabilities and features of IBM DB2.

The product has improved our organization in many ways. IBM DB2 has been used in many client projects. These projects are used for a number of years (more than 20-30). Entire Enterprise Applications in the IBM Mainframes have been built with the capability of IBM DB2. Many applications have thousands of DB2 tables and millions of rows. These are accessed for Batch Programming via COBOL, for online / CICS programming via COBOL. Some entries can be accessed by IBM Websphere for Web Programming. This has provided the organization the ability to implement millions of business functions through online / batch / web programs.

It should be easier for web enablement. It is currently easy, but the more web products use the tool, the better it is.

I have been using IBM DB2 (Mainframe Version) for more than ten years.

No. Occasional bind problems would occur, but were resolved through proper configuration management tools, such as ENDEAVOR or CHANGEMAN.

No

No

Customer Service: We didn't have to contact customer service. Our DBAs would contact customer service if and when needed. However, the near-100% availability of DB2 and Advantage Gen Encyclopedia that was housed in IBM DB2 speaks of the reliability of the product and its customer service.Technical Support: Very Good. When I contacted my DBAs, they were able to resolve the binding errors, authorizations etc. quickly and efficiently.

We switched from VSAM to DB2. DB2 is much more sophisticated and advanced than VSAM and provides a number of features which make it easier to access the data and present it, as well as use it.

It was straightforward and easy. Many of the utilities provided by the vendor functioned very well. We were able to upgrade the Gen Encyclopedia easily.

Through an in-house expertise.

It is enormous. We were able to implement many business projects on an ongoing basis without any issues.

I was not involved in the pricing negotiations. I would say it was cost effective based on the number of successful projects.

No, IBM DB2 has been used by the clients for a number of years; in some cases more than 20-30 years.

I would say that IBM DB2 is one of the topmost Database products. It has very high availability and scalability just like the other products from IBM, such as IBM Websphere server, IBM Websphere MQ Server, and IBM Websphere Datastage. IBM is the king of servers and infrastructure. You will do well going with IBM products such as DB2, Websphere. I would say that these are very stable and scalable and available products and provide much needed reliability for businesses.

Internet & Mobile banking database

E-Payroll & E-Statement solutions

Website database

A) The command set is almost the same in Windows and AIX operating systems, which greatly minimize the administration efforts to manage DB2 in both environments. Needless to say that working with the banking sector (which is my default playground) I need the ability to deal with many operating systems.

B) The ability to understand and interpret PL/SQL queries, with ease switching from Oracle to DB2.

C) Stability, scalability and security with high performance.

Our software products have to be PCI-DSS compliant, so encryption of customers' credit card numbers is a must-have feature. Using DB2 AWSE v11 enables us to do out-of-the-box encryption with ease.

Backing up databases from Windows and restoring them on AIX and vise-versa.

Support for migrating DB2 v9.7 to 11 in a single process with no intermediate versions jumping

More than five years.

No.

No.

IBM Knowledge Base is more than enough, I never asked them for support.

I used Oracle DB and am still using it with some of my customers, but Oracle administration is a nightmare compared to DB2.

The initial setup is straightforward, but securing your environment is a bit more complex.

Use DB2 Express for your development environment, but consider using Workgroup Server Edition if you need to federate two databases together or need to server a huge amount of data. If you plan to be PCI-DSS compliant, use AWSE.

MS SQL Server 2014 and Oracle 12g.

I recommend it to medium-to-large enterprise applications

Scalability, the IBM i Logical views, journaling.

DB2 was always there, so I can't answer that. Know that I've used MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server extensively as well, and always missed DB2 for i.

Not sure.

Since before it was called DB2, back on the System/38, so twenty years or so.

Hah! You kidding. DB2 for i? No. Never.

Hah! You kidding. DB2 for i? No. Never. Would you like a description of the IBM i Single-level Store. Add a new drive and you are good to go.

Good to excellent. It can get expensive but third party is very good.

I did not use a different solution prior to IBM DB2.

It was integrated with the IBM i OS.

If you want horizontal scaling and reliability, DB2 for i is absolutely the way to go.

No, I did not evaluate other options before choosing this product.

If you don't know IBM i OS, just use it for DB2 for i, and scalability, reliability, and security. Then consider using partitions for Linux for your business logic.

The tool is not easy to use. It needs to improve scale computing so that the tool can be scaled vertically. The product needs to enhance pre-engine optimization and it needs to be more efficient in completing queries. The documentation should be updated to include different scenarios of deployment. 

I have been working with the product since 2015. 

The solution is stable. 

The tool doesn't work as a distributed database based on customer needs. 

The tool's support team is hard to reach. 

Positive

I have also worked with Microsoft SQL server. This product is easy to use. It is also smarter in optimizing the queries. Microsoft SQL serves is also easy to maintain on the operations side when compared to IBM Db2. 

The tool's time length for deployment depends on the design and can take around two days to three weeks to complete. 

I recommend the product to medium enterprises. I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

Db2 is mainly used for Core Banking Systems, credit card systems, and production systems for CBS collecting.

Db2's best features are that it's self-maintaining and self-monitoring, which means I have to view and monitor the database far less often.

There are some issues with Db2's database file system not being readable. The storage could also be increased, and the monitoring could be improved.

I've been using IMB Db2 Database for nine years.

There were a few hiccups directly after installation, but Db2 has been very stable since then.

Db2's scalability is very good, especially when used in the IBM power system.

The initial setup was very straightforward.

I would rate Db2 Database eight out of ten.

On-premises

We primarily use the solution for different banking systems.

The solution is very stable, in both hardware and database.

IBM just came out with new hardware in September, so they are getting ready for the cloud. If they can push through with all those features they're talking about, I think they have a good product lined up. Right now, the solution needs to have end-to-end encryption, to be cloud-ready, to have native support for Linux, and built-in data scientist workbenches. These are promised to us in the new release, and I hope that happens.

End-to-end encryption specifically is something the solution needs to have in the next release.

I've been using the solution since 1998.

The solution is very stable.

The solution is very scalable. We don't plan on increasing usage any time soon, however.

Technical support is good. they are pretty responsive.

We also use SAP HANA. These are two different applications, however, and they have different use cases. HANA runs on memory. Db2 is a much more mature, older technology with its own platform. HANA is not that new but it's not that old either. It's much faster for sure. The difference is one is in-memory computing, while the other is a traditional database on hardware on the IBM platform.

The setup is quite complex. The solution and the hardware build are two different events. The deployment itself doesn't take more than two weeks, followed by the setup which can take, depending on the organization and its processes, a few months to a year. It varies from client to client.

IBM assisted us with the deployment. 

They're quite good at what they do. They never deliver on time or on budget. However, they know what they're doing, as it's their product.

The solution is pretty expensive and IBM isn't very transparent in their pricing plans. You need to be aware of what your company specifically needs before purchasing anything.

I'd rate the solution a six out of ten.