Please read the Notices section before reading this article.
"DB2 is DB2 is DB2." This mantra holds true for the distributed platforms that DB2 runs on, the editions that are available for purchase, and the freely available DB2 Express-C package.
Quite simply, this memorable phrase means no worries when you need to grow. It means any application you write for any edition of DB2 will work with any DB2 database running on any distributed platform that DB2 supports (Windows, HP-UX, Sun Solaris, Linux, Mac OS X, and AIX). In fact, there's even a cross-family SQL reference book that developers can use to write cross-family DB2 for z/OS and DB2 for i (formerly known as DB2 for i5/OS or DB2 for AS/400) portable applications with a common SQL API.
In addition to this, the DB2 9.7 builds on the free Data Studio tool (the defacto DB2 management tool that you can freely download) with a requirements to retirement Integrated Data Management (IDM) discipline and toolset under the Optim brand. The absence of the DB2 moniker is not accidental; the IBM Optim toolset spans the entire spectrum of the application lifecycle (Design, Develop, Deploy, Operate, Optimze, and Govern) for all IBM relational databases and non-IBM database servers too. Quite simply, not only do you have a portable SQL API, you also have a toolset that lets you instrument your business logic across the enterprise. This means that skill sets for DB2 for Windows can be easily ported to or from DB2 for z/OS; it also means that your personnel skills investment can be dynamically moved from problem area to problem area, breaking free of costly database skill stove pipes.
To further enhance the DB2 family value proposition, DB2 pacakaging includes federation across the entire IBM relational database portfolio. This allows you to write a single SQL statement that transparently joins data from DB2 on Windows, or DB2 for z/OS, or Informix - any supported combination you can think of. What's more, you can add WebSphere Information Server software to solve cross-vendor information integration problems by extending the DB2 SQL API with transparent access to non-IBM relational databases (such as Oracle, SQL Server, and so on) and materialize non-relational data sources (like XML streams, spreadsheets, message queues, VSAM, IMS, and so on) as relational tables: thereby truly creating a corporate-wide common data model. Truly, DB2 enables in-place access to data wherever it may reside. Now consider that DB2 9.7 provides native support for the most commonly used Oracle Database PL/SQL syntax, data types, and more. In fact, some organizations report that as much as 95%+ of their PL/SQL code runs on DB2 9.7 without changes and they have been able to move their aplications from the Oracle Database to DB2 in as little as 1 or 2 weeks. When you take all this into account, you can see how DB2 truly lets you break free of skyrocketing costs in an economic environment where cost containment is a top priority.
DB2 also comes in different editions and packages, including the highly acclaimed free DB2 Express-C package (the optional 12 Month License and Subscription option - commonly known as the Fixed Term License (FTL) - is no longer available for DB2 Express-C; however, it's available with DB2 Express as of DB2 9.7 which adds even more value to this offering when compared to its DB2 9.5 counterpart.) It's a small point, but DB2 Express-C is generally not referred to as a DB2 edition, rather a package. All DB2 editions and packages share the same code base; they're really just feature and licensing distinctions that try to allocate the appropriate features, functions, and benefits available within DB2 to the appropriate target market at the appropriate price. Again, the underlying technology is always DB2, so decisions about what edition to use has nothing to do with portability, ease of use, and so on. Quite simply, this means if you write an application for the free DB2 Express-C engine, it will run on a DB2 Express Edition (DB2 Express), DB2 Workgroup Edition (DB2 Workgroup), or DB2 Enterprise Edition (DB2 Enterprise) server.
Quite often clients (and IBMers for that matter) need a quick location to find up to date quick comparisons between licensing rules, features, and functions that are included in the distributed DB2 server offerings. In this article, I use a simple table to compare and contrast the different DB2 editions and packages as of that last time this article was updated respect to the most common questions I get from clients as to "what's in what", and so on. You should be aware that this article doesn't take into consideration specialized packages such as the InfoSphere Warehouse editions which all have DB2 as the core database engine.
By no means can this article, and the accompanying table below, be complete. Again, it attempts to answer 80% of the questions I get when talking to clients or in speaking engagements. (If I haven't covered a topic you have a question about, e-mail me and I'll add it to a future update.)
The distributed DB2 editions are very much a set of Russian dolls -- what's generally in one edition is generally in the higher editions. For example, the Self Tuning Memory Manager (STMM) is part of DB2 Express and is therefore part of every other DB2 edition.
Note: In the following table, the term server represents either the physical server where the DB2 software is running, or an IBM price-supported virtualization session (such as VMWare, LPAR, and so on) unless otherwise noted.
The side-by-side comparison in Table 1 is designed to make it easier for you to determine which of the DB2 editions and packages are right for you. If a feature is not listed in the table, you can assume (for the most part) that the feature exists in all editions included in the table. For more information on the different editions of DB2, read "Which distributed edition of DB2 9.7 is right for you?" by Paul Zikopoulos.
| Function, feature, and benefit | DB2 Express-C | DB2 Express | DB2 Workgroup | DB2 Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Platform Support?
The most up to date supported hardware and software platforms are here. |
Windows, Linux (POWER and x86 servers), Mac OS X, and Solaris x64.
DB2 Express-C is the only DB2 server that can run on the Mac OS X operating system. | Windows, Linux (POWER and x86 servers), and Solaris x64. | Windows, Linux (POWER and x86 servers), AIX, Solaris (SPARC and x64), and HP-UX (IA-64 only). | Windows, Linux (POWER, System z, and x86 servers), AIX, Solaris (SPARC and x64), and HP-UX (IA-64 only). |
|
Supported licensing options?
Different editions of DB2 support different kinds of licensing methods. For example, depending on the DB2 edition, you can license a DB2 server using the per server Fixed Term License (FTL), a per server perpetual license (SERVER), the number of sockets on the server (SOCKET), the Processor Value Unit (PVU) rating of the server, or the number of authorized users (AU). |
Not applicable.
DB2 Express-C is a free package of DB2. It is optimized for 2 processing cores and 2 GB of memory; subsequently, DB2 Express-C will throttle its resource consumption to these optimized levels. You can install DB2 Express-C on any sized server . |
License using the FTL, SERVER, PVU, or AU licensing model.
When you license DB2 Express with an FTL license (new in DB2 9.7), you are effectively buying a yearly support and feature contract for your DB2 Express server. It's easy to calculate the costs of an FTL license. You don't have to concern yourself with the number of users, PVU conversion of the server, cores, or anything: you just buy an FTL license for every server. If you have 5 servers, you need 5 licenses - it's that easy. A DB2 Express FTL license is optimized in the same manner as DB2 Express-C; however it will throttle itself such that its resource consumption won't exceed 4 cores of available processing power or more than 4 GB of the available memory on the server. Much like DB2 Express-C, you can install DB2 Express FTL on any sized server. The FTL license allows for an unlimited number of users to access the DB2 Express server. The DB2 Express SERVER license (new in DB2 9.7) is procured in the same manner as the FTL license - on a per server basis. The difference between the FTL license and the SERVER license is that the FTL license is a subscription (you are leasing the software) and the SERVER license is a perpetual license (you own the software). A DB2 Express SERVER license has the same optimizations as the FTL license and can be installed on any sized server. The SERVER license allows for an unlimited number of users to access the DB2 Express server. The DB2 Express AU license allows you to license DB2 Express on a per user basis. With this license, you have to buy an AU license for each user that wants to connect to a specific DB2 Express server. If the same user wants to connect to two different DB2 Express servers, that one person needs two AU licenses. In addition, you need to buy at least 5 AU licenses when licensing DB2 Express using this method. A DB2 Express server with an AU license can't be installed on a server with more than 200 PVUs. The DB2 Express PVU license allows an unlimited number of users to access a DB2 Express server. You have to buy the number of PVUs that match the PVU rating of the underlying server; however, this server cannot exceed 200 PVUs. I recommend investigating the DB2 Express FTL or SERVER licenses as they provide the most value. For example, beyond their economic savings, you can leverage HADR on a DB2 Express server without purchasing the High Availability Feature Pack using either of these two licenses. |
License using the SOCKET, PVU, or AU licensing model.
The DB2 Workgroup SOCKET license (new in DB2 9.7) is procured by paying a specified price for each socket on the underlying server. For example, if you had a 4 socket 4 core server rated at 800 PVUs, you would only have to buy 4 SOCKET licenses. A SOCKET license allows for an unlimited number of users to connect to a DB2 Workgroup server. When you run DB2 Workgroup with a SOCKET license, you cannot install it on a server with more than 4 sockets. Finally, no matter how many cores resides on a socket, DB2 will throttle usage to a maximum 16 cores based on the server's enumeration as defind in the BIOS. The DB2 Workgroup AU license allows you to license DB2 Workgroup on a per user basis and has the same minimum licensing requirments as the DB2 Express AU license. A DB2 Workgroup server with an AU license can't be installed on a server with more than 480 PVUs. The DB2 Workgroup PVU license allows an unlimited number of users to access a DB2 Workgroup server. It's licensed in the same manner as the DB2 Express PVU license only you are limited to a 480 PVU-rated server. I recommend investigating the DB2 Workgroup SOCKET license as it provides the most value compared to other licenses (in most cases). For example, with a PVU or AU license, you are limited to a 480 PVU-rated server. Using the new DB2 Workgroup SOCKET license, you could effectively install your DB2 Workgroup software on a 960 PVU-rated server! (Today's POWER 6 processor is rated at 120 PVUs/core; therefore, a 4 socket dual core POWER 6 server is rated at 960 PVUs. That's a lot of power - no pun intended!) |
License using the PVU or AU licensing model.
DB2 Enterprise AU users are licensed in the same manner as the AU licenses for other DB2 editions. The minimum number of AU licenses you need for a DB2 Enterprise server is different than DB2 Express or DB2 Workgroup. If you are licensing DB2 Enterprise using an AU license, you minimally need to license 25 AU licenses for every 100 PVUs for the server upon which this edition is installed. For example, if you installed DB2 Enterprise on a server rated for 400 PVUs, you would need to buy at least 100 AU licenses (400 PVUs/100 PVU = 4 * 25= 100). Even if you only had 25 users in your environment, you would still need to buy 100 AU licenses since you have to minimally license DB2 Enterprise with 25 AU licenses per 100 PVUs when you use this license. If your environment had 125 users, in this example, you would need to procure 125 AU licenses since it is greater than the minimum. A DB2 Enterprise server with an AU license can be installed on any size server - there are no limits. The DB2 Enterprise PVU license allows an unlimited number of users to access a DB2 Enterprise server. You have to buy the number of PVUs that match the PVU rating of the underlying server. You can install DB2 Enterprise on any size server - there are no limits. |
| Memory limitations on the server where the DB2 software is installed? |
2 GB.
This limit is automatically enforced by the DB2 software. For example, you could install DB2 Express-C on a server with 16 GB of RAM, but the software would only use 2 GB. |
4 GB.
This limit is automatically enforced by the DB2 software. For example, you could install DB2 Express on a server with 16 GB of RAM, but the software would only use 4 GB. |
16 GB.
This limit is automatically enforced by the DB2 software. For example, you could install DB2 Workgroup on a server with 32 GB of RAM, but the software would only use 16 GB. | No, unlimited. |
|
Eligible for virtualization (also known as sub-capacity) licensing; for example, LPAR, DLPAR, VMWare,
and so on?
Different platforms and virtualization technolgies have different pre-requisites which allow you to use a DB2 edition or package in a sub-capacity enviroment. Click here for details about the rules that govern these types of deployments. |
Yes.
You can deploy DB2 Express-C servers in a virtualized environment using supported virtualization software. If you have a 16 core server, you might install DB2 Express-C in 4 different virtualization sessions assigned 4 cores each; however, the software would not use more than the throttled CPU and RAM limits outlined earlier in this article. |
Yes.
If you are using one of the new FTL or SERVER licenses, you can deploy DB2 Express servers in a virtualized environment using supported virtualization software. If you have an 8 socket quad core server with 32 cores, you might install DB2 Express in 4 different virtualization sessions assigned 8 cores each; however, the software would not use more than the throttled CPU and RAM limits outlined earlier in this article. When you buy DB2 Express using an FTL or SERVER license, you need to buy an FTL or SERVER license for each copy on the server. For example, if you install 10 copies of DB2 Express in 10 VMWare sessions running on a 128 core server, you need to purchase 10 DB2 Express FTL or SERVER licenses. DB2 license and resource limitations in virtualized scenarios appy to each virtual session. For example, if you install DB2 Express in 4 VMWare sessions on the same server and licensed the software using a PVU license; each partition could not be assigned more than 200 PVUs. Alternatively, if you chose to license this same server using AU licenses, you would have to have a minimum of 5 AU licenses for each partition and if a single user needed to access the software in all four partitions, that single user would need 4 AU licenses. |
Yes.
If you are using the new SOCKET license, you can deploy DB2 Workgroup servers in a virtualized environment using supported virtualization software. If you have a 4 socket quad-core server with 16 cores, you might install DB2 Workgroup in 4 different virtualization sessions assigned 4 cores each. Alternatively, you may install DB2 Workgroup on this same server in 2 different virtualization sessions assigned 8 cores each; however, the software would not use more than the throttled CPU and RAM limits outlined earlier in this article. There is one caveat you should be aware of when licensing DB2 Workgroup using the SOCKET license in a virtualized environment: the server you 'carve' up cannot be bigger than 4 sockets. The examples outlined in this section are all valid since the server is 4 sockets; however, if the server was the 8 socket quad core server with 32 cores illustrated in the DB2 Express example, you couldn't install DB2 Workgroup on this server with a SOCKET license. You would have to either purchase DB2 Enterprise or use a DB2 Workgroup PVU or AU license. DB2 license and resource limitations in virtualized scenarios appy to each virtual session just like with DB2 Workgroup; the difference is that each partition could not be assigned more than 480 PVUs. If you licensed this same server using an AU license, the minimums are the same as with DB2 Express. |
Yes.
DB2 license and resource limitations in virtualized scenarios appy to each virtual session. Since DB2 Enterprise has no resource limits, this is a moot point. However, if you install DB2 Enterprise in a virtualized session using an AU license, you would have to at least purchase the minimum number of AU licenses per the 25 AU/100 PVU ratio outlined earlier in this article. If a single user needed to access the software in all four partitions, that single user would need 4 AU licenses. |
| IBM's legendary 24x7 direct-to-engineer support model with set maintenance streams for fixes and additional features? |
No.
DB2 Express-C doesn't have a set maintenance stream or direct-to-engineer phone support since it is an unsupported product. DB2 Express-C releases are loosely based on DB2 releases. For example, while a supported DB2 edition may have a predefined maintenance schedule, DB2 Express-C images may skip a FixPack. You should also be aware that only one version of DB2 Express-C is ever available. In other words, the moment a new version of DB2 Express-C is released, the previously available version is removed from the download site. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes |
| Installable with DB2 Connect? | Yes.
You can't buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a DB2 Express-C server. It must be a DB2 Connect server edition. |
Yes.
You can't buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a DB2 Express server. It must be a DB2 Connect server edition. |
Yes.
You can't buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a DB2 Workgroup server. It must be a DB2 Connect server edition. |
Yes.
You can't buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a DB2 Enterprise server. It must be a DB2 Connect server edition. |
| Supports easy migrations to DB2 with the new DB2 9.7 Oracle Database compatibility support feature set which includes PL/SQL, SQL*Plus, Oracle Database concurency and data types, and so on).
DB2 9.7 has several new features that makes it easy for Oracle DBAs and developers to work with and run their applications on DB2. For example, customers are reporting that up to 95% of their Oracle PL/SQL code runs natively in DB2 with this technology. There are other features that are part of the Oracle compatibility set too; the CLPPlus tool supports many of the functions supported by the Oracle SQL*Plus CLP, there's a new isolation level where readers don't block writers and writers don't block readers, and more. These features let you break free from the high database costs associated with the Oracle Database. | No. |
Yes. As of Fix Pack 1 - roughly available in December 2009:
Oracle compatibility support for DB2 Express is planned for DB2 9.7 Fix Pack 1. Stay tuned for more details as this is not an official IBM announcement about the timeframe of the Oracle compatibility availability in DB2 Express. | Yes. | Yes. |
| Eligible for high availability (HA) licensing?
For information on how to license DB2 9.7 servers in an HA environment, read "Licensing distributed DB2 Version 9.7 servers in a high availability configuration" by Paul Zikopoulos. |
No.
You cannot use HA clustering software of any kind to cluster DB2 Express-C servers for HA. For example, availability clustering through Microsoft Clustering Services, SteeleEye, or even the built-in DB2 HA clustering facilities are not allowed with DB2 Express-C. |
Yes.
DB2 Express supports HA clustering using standard off-the-shelf HA clustering software such as Microsoft Clustering Services, SteeleEye, and so on. If you licensed your DB2 Express server using an FTL or SERVER license, you have access to all the components in the High Availability Feature Pack at no extra charge. You can use these components to create an HA cluster. When you cluster two DB2 Express-C servers licensed with either the FTL or SERVER license in an HA cluster, you must purchase a full license for each server in the cluster no matter what function they perform in the cluster. If you licensed your DB2 Express server using the PVU or AU model, then the DB2 HA licensing rules that you are likely most accustomed to apply. In addition, if you want to use HADR or the integrated cluster manager in DB2 with a DB2 Exprss PVU or AU license, you have to additionally purchase the High Availability Feature Pack. Note, however, you are free to use your own clustering software (for example, SteelEye for Linux) to create an HA cluster using DB2 Workgroup. | Yes. | Yes. |
| Support for Advanced Copy Services (ACS)
DB2 ACS enables you to leverage the fast copying technology of certain storage devices to perform the data copying part of backup and restore operations (sometimes call a snapshot). Being able to use the storage device to perform the data copy phase makes backup and restore operations much faster. |
No.
|
Yes. Free with FTL and SERVER licenses. Required add-on for PVU and AU licenses.
DB2 ACS is included for free as part of a DB2 Express server that is licensed using an FTL or SERVER license. You can use DB2 ACS with a DB2 Express server licensed using the PVU or AU methodology so long as you buy the corresponding High Availability Feature Pack. This Feature Pack needs to be licensed for all the PVUs or AUs on the primary server. This feature pack also includes online table reorganization, HADR, and rights to the use the built-in clustering software that's part of DB2. |
Yes. Included.
|
Yes. Included.
|
| Usage rights for the built-in cluster manager software provided by IBM Tivoli System Automation for Multi-platforms (SA-MP) in DB2? |
No.
DB2 Express-C isn't elgible for HA clustering of any kind using any software. |
Yes. Free with FTL and SERVER licenses. Add-on for PVU and AU licenses.
The DB2 integrated cluster manager is included for free as part of a DB2 Express server that is licensed using an FTL or SERVER license. You can use the DB2 integrated cluster manager with a DB2 Express server licensed using the PVU or AU methodology so long as you buy the corresponding High Availability Feature Pack. This Feature Pack only needs to be licensed for all the PVUs or AUs on the primary server. This feature pack also includes online table REORG, HADR, and ACS. |
Yes. Included.
|
Yes. Included.
|
|
Supports High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR)?
DB2 HADR is a technology that provides turnkey high availability and disaster recovery support for DB2 databases operating in a non-DPF or non-pureScale environments DB2 9.7 Fix Pack will deliver Read on Standby (RoS) support for HADR clusters. Note, an HADR cluster with RoS enabled is considered an active/active configuration from a licensing perspective. Read Licensing distributed DB2 9.7 servers in a high availability environment" by Paul Zikopoulos for more information |
No.
DB2 Express-C isn't authorized for use in any HA environments using any clustering software. |
Yes. Free with FTL and SERVER licenses. Add-on for PVU and AU licenses.
HADR is included for free as part of a DB2 Express server that is licensed using an FTL or SERVER license. You can use HADR to cluster two DB2 Express servers licensed using the PVU or AU methodology so long as you buy the corresponding High Availability Feature Pack. This Feature Pack only needs to be licensed for all the PVUs or AUs on the primary server. This feature pack also includes online table REORG, the integrated cluster manager, and ACS. | Yes. Included. | Yes. Included. |
|
Online table reorganization (REORG)
Online (sometimes referred to as inplace) table reorganization allows a user to reorganize a table while permitting full access to that table. |
No.
|
Yes. Free with FTL and SERVER licenses. Add-on for PVU and AU licenses.
Online table REORG is included for free as part of a DB2 Express server that is licensed using an FTL or SERVER license. You can use online table REORG on a DB2 Express server licensed using the PVU or AU methodology so long as you buy the corresponding High Availability Feature Pack. This Feature Pack only needs to be licensed for all the PVUs or AUs on the primary server. This feature pack also includes HADR, the integrated cluster manager, and ACS. |
Yes. Included.
|
Yes. Included.
|
| 64-bit instance support? |
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
|
DB2 pureScale
DB2 pureScale allows you to transparently scale OLTP clusters without application change and maintain the highest availability levels available on distributed platforms. It's primarily used to create active/active scale-out OLTP clusters. |
No.
|
No.
|
No.
|
Yes. Add on.
This feature pack is available for DB2 Enterprise via a PVU or AU license. A DB2 pureScale cluster involves data processing members as well as PowerHA pureScale servers. Each member in a DB2 pureScale cluster requires a DB2 Enterprise license as well as the DB2 pureScale Feature Pack. The PowerHA pureScale servers do not need to be licensed with DB2 Enterprise or the DB2 pureScale Feature Pack. One important thing to note is the DB2 pureScale is only available with DB2 9.8. However, the only reason you would move to DB2 9.8 is to run DB2 pureScale itself. In fact, DB2 9.8 doesn’t temporarily support some of the features in DB2 9.7. So if you are running DB2 9.7 today, and don’t plan to purchase the DB2 pureScale Feature Pack, then you wouldn’t move to DB2 9.8. |
| Label Based Access Control (LBAC)? | Not available. | Not available. | Not available. |
Yes. Add-on.
To implement label-based security in DB2 you must be using DB2 Enterprise and additionally purchase the Advanced Access Control Feature Pack. |
| Scan Sharing
Scan sharing enables specific scanners to exploit the work done by another scanner to avoid repeated I/O cycles for the same pages. Examples of shared work that can share scans include disk page reads, disk seeks, buffer pool content reuse, decompression, and so on. | Not available. | Not available. | Not available. |
Yes.
Scan sharing is primarily a data warehousing feature. If you want to use DB2 for data warehousing, I strongly recommend you check out the InfoSphere Warehouse, InfoSphere Balanced Warehouse, or the IBM Smart Anlaytics System which all provide more data warehousing processing power since even the mid-market editions are based on DB2 Enterprise. |
| Supports Connection Concentration? or DB2 Governor? | No. |
No.
These features are not available in a DB2 Express environment. They used to be available by purchasing the Workload Management Feature Pack in DB2 9. This Feature Pack was removed as an offering when DB2 9.5 became generally available, thereby removing these capabilities from this edition. |
No.
These features are not available in a DB2 Workgroup environment. They used to be available by purchasing the Workload Management Feature Pack in DB2 9. This Feature Pack was removed as an offering when DB2 9.5 became generally available, thereby removing these capabilities from this edition. | Included. |
| Workload Management (WLM)? | Not available. | Not available. | Not available. |
Yes. Add-on.
Part of the Performance Optimization Feature Pack for DB2 Enterprise. This Feature Pack also includes Optim Performance Expert and DB2 Workload Manager. DB2 Query Patroller is also included in this Feature Pack although it's no longer the strategic DB2 workload management solution and is deprecated. This Feature Pack is part of any IBM product that includes InfoSphere Warehouse Enterprise and through the DB2 SAP OEM contract (the SAP OEM contract only include the Workload Manager component, not the Optim Performance Expert). |
| Supports Materialized Query Tables (MQTs), Query Parallelism, and Multidimensional Clustering (MDC) Tables? | No. |
No.
These features used to be part of the Query Optimization Feature Pack (formerly known as the Performance Optimization Feature Pack in DB2 9); however, it was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Express when DB2 9.5 became generally available. These features are primarily data warehousing features. If you want to use DB2 for data warehousing, I strongly recommend you check out the InfoSphere Warehouse, InfoSphere Balanced Warehouse, or the IBM Smart Anlaytics System which all provide more data warehousing processing power since even the mid-market editions are based on DB2 Enterprise. |
No.
These features used to be part of the Query Optimization Feature Pack (formerly known as the Performance Optimization Feature Pack in DB2 9); however, it was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Workgroup when DB2 9.5 became generally available. These features are primarily data warehousing features. If you want to use DB2 for data warehousing, I strongly recommend you check out the InfoSphere Warehouse, InfoSphere Balanced Warehouse, or the IBM Smart Anlaytics System which all provide more data warehousing processing power since even the mid-market editions are based on DB2 Enterprise. | Included. |
| Deep Compression Services (tables, indexes, temporary tables, XML XDA, and more)? | Not available. | Not available. | Not available. |
Add-on.
To take advantage of the deep compression capabilities available in DB2 Enterprise you need to additionally purchase the Storage Optimization Feature Pack. This feature pack is only available for DB2 Enterprise and can only be purchased using a PVU license (there is no AU license available for this feature pack). Deep compression is included for free in any IBM product that includes InfoSphere Warehouse Enterprise and through the DB2 SAP OEM contract. |
| Backup Compression? | No. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
| Federation across IBM relational databases (DB2 on all platforms and Informix)?
Homogeneous Federation allows you to perform distributed joins and updates across different IBM relational databases. For example, in a single SELECT statement, you could perform a three-way join of data from tables that reside in Informix for AIX, DB2 for z/OS, and DB2 for Windows databases. | No. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
| SQL Replication? | No. |
Yes.
Support is provided for SQL-based replication to the DB2 family. In addition, WebSphere products can add Queue-based replication. For example, WebSphere Replication Server. |
Yes.
Support is provided for SQL-based replication to the DB2 family. In addition, WebSphere products can add Queue-based replication. For example, WebSphere Replication Server. |
Yes.
Support is provided for SQL-based replication to the DB2 family. In addition, WebSphere products can add Queue-based replication. For example, WebSphere Replication Server. |
| Table Partitioning? | No. |
No.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse products and the IBM Smart Anlaytics System includes this feature. |
No.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse products and the IBM Smart Anlaytics System includes this feature. |
Included.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse products and the IBM Smart Anlaytics System includes this feature. |
|
Database Partitioning (DPF)?
Use for BI-based scalability clusters. DPF was once known as DB2 Extended Enterprise Edition (EEE). DPF allows you to spread a single database image across multiple logical or physical servers know as modules. Each module in this cluster has it's set of resources (memory, disk, CPU), locks, and so on as DPF is built on a shared-nothing architecture. | No. |
No.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse products and the IBM Smart Anlaytics System includes this feature. |
No.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse products and the IBM Smart Anlaytics System includes this feature. |
No.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse products and the IBM Smart Anlaytics System includes this feature. |
|
pureXML?
pureXML used to be a chargeable add-on feature, but was made freely available as of February 10th, 2009. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
| DB2 Net Search Extender?
The DB2 Net Search Extender offers users and application programmers a fast, versatile, and intelligent method of searching full-text documents stored in DB2 using SQL queries. |
Available free of charge via a download.
Note however, this feature is still unsupported as is any code delivered with this package. | Available free of charge via a download. | Available free of charge via a download. | Available free of charge via a download. |
|
DB2 Text Search
DB2 Text Search allows you to search text columns stored in a DB2 table. By enabling text search support, you can use the CONTAINS, SCORE, and xmlcolumn-contains functions, which are built into DB2 to search text-specific indexes built from search arguments that you specify. You can find a comparison between DB2 Text Search and the DB2 Net Search Extender here. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
| Spatial Extender? |
Available free of charge via a download.
Note however, this feature is still unsupported as is any code delivered with this program. | Available free of charge via a download. | Available free of charge via a download. | Available free of charge via a download. |
| Geodetic Extender? | No. | No. | No. |
Yes. Add-on.
If you are developing spatial applications that can't tolerate the distortions that can occur when applying projections to your data (as is the case with the DB2 Spatial Extender; for example, projecting the curvature of the earth), you can add advanced spatial modeling capabilities by purchasing this feature pack for DB2 Enterprise. In order to use this feature you need to install the DB2 Spatial Extender which is available free of charge. |
Different businesses have different needs - but all businesses need cost-effective, robust, and scalable solutions. The different DB2 editions and packages allows clients to pick the features of DB2 that's right for them - without sacrificing core strengths. Furthermore, since DB2 is DB2 is DB2, you can rest assure that whatever edition or package you choose, it will not limit future decisions if you need to scale or extend the power of DB2 - just upgrade the license key.
Packaging is an ever-changing landscape, so I suggest you refer back to this article often and ensure you take note of the publication or update dates.
In this article I tried to cover the most common questions I get about differences between the DB2 server editions as well as DB2 Express-C. If you have other criteria that you would like to see included in this table, or need more clarification, e-mail me at paulz_ibm@msn.com.
The information presented in this article is presented on a best effort basis from the author's personal knowledge and not intended to be an official communication from IBM. Neither the author nor IBM are liable for any incorrect information in this article.
Learn
-
"
Which distributed edition of DB2 9.7 is right for you?" (developerWorks, Sep 2009): Get the details on what
makes each edition of DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows unique.
-
"Which DB2 9.7 client
connectivity option is right for you?" (developerWorks, Sep 2009): Learn the details of all the various client
connectivity options.
-
"Licensing distributed DB2
9.7 data servers in a high availability environment" (developerWorks, Sep 2009): Ensure you're licensing
your DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows data servers correctly in a high availability environment.
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developerWorks Information Management
zone: Find more resources
for DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows developers and administrators.
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Stay current with developerWorks
technical events and webcasts.
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Learn about DB2 Express-C, the no-charge version of DB2 Express Edition for the community.
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IBM
trial software, available for download directly from developerWorks.
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Now you can use DB2 for free. Download DB2 Express-C, a no-charge version of DB2 Express Edition for the
community that offers the same core data features as DB2 Express Edition and provides a solid base to build and
deploy applications.
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Paul C. Zikopoulos, BA, MBA is the Program Director for the DB2 Evangelist team at IBM. He is an award-winning writer and speaker with more than 15 years of experience with DB2. Paul has written more than 300 magazine articles and 13 books on DB2 including, DB2 9.7: A Tour of Cost-Slashing New Features, Information on Demand: Introduction to DB2 9.5 New Features, DB2 9 Database Administration Certification Guide and Reference (6th Edition), DB2 9: New Features, Information on Demand: Introduction to DB2 9 New Features, Off to the Races with Apache Derby, DB2 Version 8: The Official Guide, DB2: The Complete Reference, DB2 Fundamentals Certification for Dummies, DB2 for Dummies, and A DBA's Guide to Databases on Linux. Paul is a DB2 Certified Advanced Technical Expert (DRDA and Clusters) and a DB2 Certified Solutions Expert (BI and DBA). In his spare time, he enjoys all sorts of sporting activities, including running with his dog Chachi, avoiding punches in his MMA training, and trying to figure out the world according to Chloë – his daughter. You can reach him at: paulz_ibm@msn.com.
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