Db2 is a story worth telling, even if IBM won't
Db2, IBM's longstanding relational database, faces uncertainty as IBM remains tight-lipped about its future. Recent AI enhancements and a move towards a cloud-first approach contrast with IBM's vague roadmap, sparking speculation.
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Db2, IBM's relational database, has a rich history dating back to the 1980s and has been a preferred choice for many applications, especially in the banking sector. Despite its reliability and engineering, IBM has been notably silent about its future plans for Db2. Recent developments include the introduction of AI-powered features like an optimizer for improved query performance. IBM also hinted at a "cloud-first" strategy for Db2, with the product now available on AWS RDS. However, IBM's lack of transparency about Db2's roadmap has left many speculating about its future in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Comparisons with other databases like PostgreSQL, which has seen significant growth and adoption, raise questions about IBM's strategy of letting others shape Db2's narrative. While Db2 remains a strong player in the market, IBM's reticence to share more about its plans for the database leaves room for uncertainty among users and industry observers.
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Db2 is a story worth telling, even if IBM won't
Db2, IBM's renowned database, with a history since the 1980s, faces uncertainty as IBM remains quiet about its future. Recent updates include AI features and cloud integration, but lack of communication raises concerns about its competitiveness against growing alternatives like PostgreSQL.
7 comments> Although I had listed the versions of IBM's 40-year-old database running on Linux or Unix or Windows (LUW) and its System Z mainframe, I neglected to mention the version running on the mid-range server once known as AS/400, now – after several intermediary name changes – called iSeries or IBM i.
Actually between this article and the previous article to which he refers - he doesn’t link to it but it is [0] - he’s still missing a DB2 variant, albeit arguably the least used, most obscure, and least supported (as in, still under support, but largely in maintenance mode) - DB2 Server for VSE and VM, [1] possibly better known under its original name of SQL/DS. It is actually IBM’s oldest official relational database product, it shipped first for VM/CMS, and then DB2 for MVS came out second. (There were earlier IBM relational databases that were research projects only, or provided to customers outside of IBM’s normal software support, but SQL/DS was the first to ship as a fully supported IBM software product.)
Originally, DB2 was just the name for the MVS relational database. The VM/CMS relational database was SQL/DS (later ported to DOS/VSE as well), and the OS/2 relational database was OS/2 Extended Edition Database Manager. And then IBM decided to adopt “DB2” as an overarching brand for all three, as well as for the relational database layer of the AS/400’s OS/400 operating system (DB2/400, now DB2 for IBM i). But they are actually four different code bases - the OS/2 database evolved into the current Linux/Unix/Windows DB2 - with incompatible feature sets, and independent (not in synch with each other) version numbering
[0] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/27/ibm_ai_optimization_d...
[1] https://www.ibm.com/mysupport/s/topic/0TO0z0000006v3rGAA/db2...
Does anyone use DB2 for Linux or Windows these days? If so, what are your thoughts on it?
Here are a couple of supporting quotations out of Frank G. Soltis's book Inside the AS/400 (both from page 120). Soltis was the chief architect of the AS/400:
IBM selected the name DB2 for OS/400 to reflect that it is part of the IBM DB2 family of relational database products. The family resemblance among these database products exists primarily in their external tools and their support for distributed database facilities. The underlying support is quite different in each case, and the AS/400 may well be the best in the group. The DB2 name does help alleviate the perception that the AS/400 does not have as robust a database as other systems.
...
I was opposed to naming the AS/400 database until | had a meeting with a large manufacturing customer who was moving from another system to the AS/400. In the meeting, the technical people asked me what database | would recommend for the AS/400. | blurted out, “DB2/400,” a name being circulated in internal discussions. Immediately, the people in the room began to nod and make comments like, “Oh, that’s a very good database.” Considering that these people worked for another division in IBM and they didn’t know the AS/400 had a database, it was obvious to me that we needed to name it.
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Db2 is a story worth telling, even if IBM won't
Db2, IBM's renowned database, with a history since the 1980s, faces uncertainty as IBM remains quiet about its future. Recent updates include AI features and cloud integration, but lack of communication raises concerns about its competitiveness against growing alternatives like PostgreSQL.