Before you start
This game was developed to help you use the skills built with the "SQL and XQuery tutorial for IBM DB2" tutorial series.
The questions, topics, and prerequisites for each stage of the game are listed in this tutorial to serve as a reference. If you have difficulties with a particular stage in the game, you may find it helpful to review the related chapters in the tutorial series.
You can try and play the game without completing the tutorial series. If you find it difficult, this can help you determine where you may need to build up your database query skills.
To play this game, you should have IBM DB2 9 installed and the DB2Game database loaded. If you have worked through the "SQL and XQuery tutorial for IBM DB2" tutorial series, you should already have DB2 9 installed on your computer, and you can skip down to "Installing the DB2 business game database."
- Download DB2 9 from the product download Web page.
- Choose the appropriate image, depending on your workstation platform.
- Click on Download, and sign in with your IBM ID. If you do not have an IBM ID, you can register one for free.
- View your personal information and the product license. Click I confirm.
- Select a download method ("Download Director" or "HTTP"), and click Download now.
- Once the download is complete, navigate to the folder containing the downloaded file.
- Unzip the file.
- Find setup.exe in the unzipped folder, and double-click on it. The DB2 Setup Launchpad will appear.
- Within the DB2 Setup Launchpad, click on Install a Product from the panel on the left.
- Click on Install New under DB2 Express.
- In the installer, click Next to view the "License Agreement." You will need to Accept the agreement to continue, and click Next.
- Choose a Typical installation, and click Next.
- Confirm that you plan to "Install DB2 Universal Database Express Edition on this computer and save my settings in a response file," then click Next.
- Verify the installation directory, and click Next.
- In the "User Information" screen, set the Domain to None -- use local user account, using the pull-down menu. Use db2admin as the user name, and set a password.
(Optionally, you can select the LocalSystem account, but there are limitations introduced if this option is used -- press the Help button to learn more.) - Make sure the checkbox "Use the Same User Name and Password for the remaining DB2 Services" is checked, and click Next.
- In the "Configure DB2 instances" screen, click Next.
- Click Finish to start the DB2 product installation when you reach the "Start copying files and create response file" screen.
- When the installation is complete, a window with the message "Setup is complete" appears. Click Finish to complete the installation procedure.
- A window entitled "DB2 First Steps" now appears. Click Create profile. Your Web browser will open a page called "DB2 First Steps." This page contains many useful links to information on DB2, but it will not be used during this tutorial.
Install the DB2 business game database
- Ensure DB2 Express-C 9 is installed.
- Download the DB2 business game database file from the Downloads section of this tutorial.
- Create a directory called db2game in drive C.
- Unzip the db2game.zip file to that directory.
- From the Windows Start menu, choose All Programs > IBM DB2 > General Administration Tools > Control Center.
- From the menu at the top of the interface, select Tools > Command Editor. A command editor window will pop up and allow you to enter SQL statements.
- From the menu, select Selected > Open. From the Look in drop-down menu, select C:\, and navigate to the db2game directory. From the file list, choose db2game.txt, and click OK.
- Click on the Execute icon (the icon looks like a "Play" button).
In order to run the db2game.jar file, it has to be set up to open with Java Virtual Machine (JVM) software (javaw.exe, for example). To set this up:
- Right-click on the db2game.jar file.
- Select Properties.
- Select the General tab.
- Specify "Type of file" to be "Executable Jar File."
- "Opens with" should reflect a JVM that you have locally installed on your machine. If this is not the case, click Change....
- From the "Open With" pop-up window, locate and select your JVM software (javaw.exe, for example).
- Click OK.
- Click Apply.
- Click OK.
You can now launch the db2game.jar file: Double-click on the icon, or you can create a shortcut to the file for easier access.
Create a shortcut to the DB2 business game
To create a shortcut to the db2game.jar file on your desktop:
- Right-click anywhere on the desktop.
- Select New > Shortcut.
- In the field called Type the location of the item:, type
C:\db2game\db2game.jar. - Click Next.
- In the field called Type a name for this shortcut:, type
db2game(it should already appear by default). - Click Finish.
You are now ready to play the game!


