 | Level: Introductory Paul Zikopoulos (paulz_ibm@msn.com), Senior Specialist, IBM Competitive Team, IBM
09 Jan 2003
Updated 15 May 2008 In a side-by-side comparison table, author Paul Zikopoulos makes it simple to understand the basic licensing rules, functions, and feature differences between the members of the distributed IBM® DB2® 9.5 (DB2 9.5) data server family.
Please read the Notices section before reading this article.
Introduction
"DB2 is DB2 is DB2." This mantra holds true for the distributed platforms that DB2 9 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 DB2 will work with DB2 data servers running on any distributed platform that DB2 supports (Windows, HP-UX, Sun Solaris, Linux (running on POWER [formerly known as System i and System p), System x, and System z servers), 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]) portable applications with a common SQL API.
In addition to this, the DB2 9.5 release introduces a whole new tool set called IBM Data Studio. The absence of the DB2 moniker is not accidental; IBM Data Studio is a tooling platform that spans the entire spectrum of the application lifecycle (Design, Develop, Deploy, Manage, and Govern) for all IBM relational data servers. So 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 applications written for DB2 for Windows can be easily ported to or from DB2 for z/OS™; it also means that your skills investment can be dynamically moved from problem area to problem area. To further enhance the DB2 family value proposition, products like WebSphere Federation Server or WebSphere Information Server can be used to solve information integration problems by extending the DB2 SQL API with transparent access to non-IBM relational databases (such as Oracle or SQL Server) and materialize non-relational data sources (like XML streams, 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.
DB2 also comes in different editions and packages, including the highly acclaimed DB2 Express-C with the 12 Months License and Subscription option, commonly known as the Fixed Term License (FTL): DB2 Express-C FTL. (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, availability, and ease of use. In addition, if you write an application for the free DB2 Express-C engine, it will run on DB2 Personal Edition (DB2 Personal), DB2 Express Edition (DB2 Express), DB2 Workgroup Edition (DB2 Workgroup), and DB2 Enterprise Edition (DB2 Enterprise).
Quite often clients (and IBMers for that matter) need a quick location to find comparisons between licensing rules, features, and functions that are included in the distributed DB2 data server family. In this article I use a simple table to compare and contrast the different DB2 server editions and packages as of 2Q 2008 with respect to the most common questions I get from clients as to "what's in what", and so on. You should also be aware that this article doesn't take into consideration specialized packages such as the InfoSphere Warehouse editions.
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 in the others, except for the features I'll cover here. DB2 Express-C and DB2 Express-C FTL adds complexity to this rule of thumb since a number of features are not included in these packages, some of free but chargeable in other editions, and so on (I will specifically cover this stuff in this article). Quite simply, for the most part, this article does not cover the features that are common and licensed the same across all the editions and packages. For example, self tuning memory manager (STMM) is included with any distributed DB2 data server edition or package and therefore is not covered in the table below.
 |
Easy comparison table
The side-by-side comparison in Table 1 is designed to make it easier for you to
determine which of the DB2 9.5 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 is right for you?" by Paul Zikopoulos.
Table 1. Side-by-side comparison of DB2 Express-C, DB2 Express-C FTL, DB2 Express, DB2 Workgroup, and DB2 Enterprise Version 9.5
|
Function, feature, and benefit
|
DB2 Express-C 9
|
DB2 Express-C FTL 9 (Subscription)
|
DB2 Express 9
|
DB2 Workgroup 9
|
DB2 Enterprise 9
|
|---|
|
Platform Support?
(Most up to date supported hardware and software platforms are here.)
|
Windows, Linux (POWER and System x) servers, and Solaris x64 (as of May 2008).
|
Windows, Linux (POWER and System x) servers, and Solaris x64 (as of May 2008).
|
Windows, Solaris x64 (as of DB2 9.5 FixPack 1), and Linux (POWER and System x) servers.
|
Windows, Linux (POWER and System x), AIX, Solaris (SPARC and x64), and HP-UX (IA-64 only as of
DB2 9.5) servers.
|
Windows, Linux (POWER, System z, and System x), AIX, Solaris (SPARC and x64), and HP-UX (IA-64 only as of DB2 9.5) servers.
| |
Eligibility for Processor Value Unit (PVU) - also known as processor- or authorized user licensing?
|
Not applicable.
DB2 Express-C is a free package of DB2 with some restrictions.
As of DB2 9.5, you should be aware that DB2 Express-C is optimized for 2 processing cores and 2 GB of memory; subsequently, DB2 Express-C will throttle down its resource consumption to these optimized levels. You can install DB2 Express-C on any sized server on any supported processors.
|
Not applicable. Uses a per server licensing metric.
When you buy DB2 Express-C FTL you are effectively buying a yearly support contract for your DB2 Express-C server. Since the DB2 component of this package is free, you simply pay for the fixed support term for the year. It's easy to license DB2 Express-C FTL. You don't have to concern yourself with the number of users, value unit 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.
DB2 Express-C FTL is optimized in the same manner as DB2 Express-C; however it will throttle itself such that the data server won't consume more than 4 cores of the 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-C FTL on any sized server on any supported processors.
|
Yes.
DB2 Express can be licensed with an authorized user license or per processor based on the underlying server's PVU rating.
For authorized users, you pay a price 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 data servers, that one person needs two authorized user licenses. In addition, you need to minimally license 5 authorized users when using an authorized user license with this edition.
A DB2 Express processor license is also available and this license removes the requirement to count users. DB2 processor licenses are licensed via the PVU rating of the server.
|
Yes.
DB2 Workgroup can be licensed with an authorized user license or per processor based on the underlying server's PVU rating.
For authorized users, you pay a price for each user that wants to connect to a specific DB2 Workgroup server. If the same user wants to connect to two different DB2 Workgroup data servers, that one person needs two authorized user licenses. In addition, you need to minimally license 5 authorized users when using an authorized user license with this edition.
A DB2 Workgroup processor license is also available and this license removes the requirement to count users. DB2 processor licenses are licensed via the PVU rating of the server.
|
Yes.
DB2 Enterprise can be licensed with an authorized user license or per processor based on the underlying server's PVU rating.
For authorized users, you pay a price for each user that wants to connect to a specific DB2 Enterprise server. If the same user wants to connect to two different DB2 Enterprise data servers, that one person needs two authorized user licenses. In addition, you need to minimally license 25 authorized users for every 100 PVUs for the server upon which this edition is installed when using an authorized user license.
For example, if you installed DB2 Enterprise on a server rated for 400 PVUs, you would need to buy at least 100 authorized user licenses. Even if you only had 25 users in your environment, you would still need to buy 100 authorized user licenses since you have to minimally license DB2 Enterprise with 25 authorized user licenses per 100 PVUs when you use this license. If your environment had 125 users, in this example you would need to procure 125 authorized user licenses since it is greater than the 25 per 100 PVUs minimum.
A DB2 Enterprise processor license is also available and this license removes the requirement to count users. DB2 processor licenses are licensed via the PVU rating of the server.
| |
Value Unit limits?
|
Not applicable
DB2 Express-C is optimized and throttled to consume 2 cores of processing power on a server from an unlimited number of cores per socket, processors, and so on.
|
Not applicable
DB2 Express-C FTL is optimized and throttled to consume 4 cores of processing power on a server from an unlimited number of cores per socket, processors, and so on.
|
200
DB2 Express can be installed on a server with a maximum value unit rating of 200 PVUs.
|
400
DB2 Workgroup can be installed on a server with a maximum value unit rating of 480 PVUs.
The 480 PVU limit was changed from the former 400 PVU limit to accommodate the PVU rating of POWER6 core((120 PVUs) such that DB2 Workgroup was still an eligible edition on a standard 4 core POWER server.
|
Unlimited
| |
Officially eligible for sub-capacity licensing (LPAR, DLPAR, VMWare, and so on)?
|
Yes, via virtual machine technologies.
You can deploy DB2 Express-C servers in a virtualized environment using virtualization software such as VMWare. If you have an 8-way server, you might install DB2 Express-C in 4 different virtualization sessions, but each session will not use more than 2 cores of available processing power on the server. The same is true for static LPARs. You can install DB2 Express-C in as many static LPARs as you want on a server, but no installation will consume more than 2 cores of processing power and 2 GB of memory. |
Yes, via virtual machine technologies.
You can deploy DB2 Express-C FTL servers in a virtualized environment using virtualization software such as VMWare. If you have an 8-way server, you might install DB2 Express-C FTL in 4 different virtualization sessions, but each session will not consume more than 4 cores of the available processing power on the server. The same is true for static LPARs. You can install DB2 Express-C FTL in as many static LPARs you want on a server, but no installation will consume more than 4 cores of processing power and 4 GB of memory.
When you buy DB2 Express-C FTL and you use virtualization technologies to host a number of them on the same server, you need to buy the support package for each copy on the server. For example, if you have 10 copies of DB2 Express-C FTL in 10 VMWare sessions running on an 8-way server, you need to purchase 10 DB2 Express-C FTL licenses.
|
No.
|
No.
|
Yes.
| |
Memory limitations on the server where the DB2 software is installed?
|
Yes, 2 GB.
This limit is the maximum amount of memory a DB2 Express-C
data server is allowed to be configured to use on any server. For example, you could install DB2 Express-C on a server with 16 GB of RAM, but the software would only use 2 GB.
As of DB2 9.5, this limit is automatically enforced by the DB2 software.
|
Yes, 4 GB.
This limit is the maximum amount of memory a DB2 Express-C FTL data server is allowed to be configured to use on any server. For example, you could install DB2 Express-C FTL on a server with 16 GB of RAM, but the software would only use 4 GB.
As of DB2 9.5, this limit is automatically enforced by the DB2 software.
|
Yes, 4 GB.
This limit is the maximum amount of memory a DB2 Express data server is allowed to be configured to use on any server. For example, you could install DB2 Express on a server with 16 GB of RAM, but the software would only use 4 GB.
As of DB2 9.5, this limit is automatically enforced by the DB2 software.
|
Yes, 16 GB.
This limit is the maximum amount of memory a DB2 Workgroup data server is allowed to be configured to use on any server. For example, you could install DB2 Workgroup on a server with 32 GB of RAM, but the software would only use 16 GB. Before DB2 9.5, the RAM limit for DB2 Workgroup was for the entire server; however in DB2 9.5 it's been changed such that it follows the same logic as DB2 Express, only with the 16 GB limit instead of 4 GB.
As of DB2 9.5, this limit is automatically enforced by the DB2 software.
|
No, unlimited.
| |
IBM's legendary 24x7 direct-to-engineer support model with set maintenance streams for bug fixes and additional features?
|
No.
DB2 Express-C doesn't have a set maintenance stream (FixPacks) 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 data server 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, once DB2 Express-C 9.5 was released, the previously available version was removed from the download site. Although no formal support is available for DB2 Express-C, you can leverage the support forum that's voluntarily monitored by some of the world's top DB2 engineers. |
Yes.
Since DB2 Express-C FTL comes with support, it has the same direct-to-engineer support and maintenance schedules as any other supported DB2 data server.
Support, high availability, CPU, memory limits, and replication are the main differentiators between DB2 Express-C and DB2 Express-C FTL.
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
Yes
| |
Installable with DB2 Connect™
|
Yes.
If you want to connect to DB2 for i and DB2 for z/OS data servers, you need to buy an edition of DB2 Connect. The edition of DB2 Connect you buy must be a server edition; in other words, you cannot buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a server. The DB2 Connect edition you select will be based on a number of factors, including number of users, growth of MIPS, growth of application servers, federation requirements, and more. |
Yes.
If you want to connect to DB2 for i and DB2 for z/OS data servers, you need to buy an edition of DB2 Connect. The edition of DB2 Connect you buy must be a server edition; in other words, you cannot buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a server. The DB2 Connect edition you select will be based on a number of factors, including number of users, growth of MIPS, growth of application servers, federation requirements, and more. |
Yes.
If you want to connect to DB2 for i and DB2 for z/OS data servers, you need to buy an edition of DB2 Connect. The edition of DB2 Connect you buy must be a server edition; in other words, you cannot buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a server. The DB2 Connect edition you select will be based on a number of factors, including number of users, growth of MIPS, growth of application servers, federation requirements, and more. |
Yes.
If you want to connect to DB2 for i and DB2 for z/OS data servers, you need to buy an edition of DB2 Connect. The edition of DB2 Connect you buy must be a server edition; in other words, you cannot buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a server. The DB2 Connect edition you select will be based on a number of factors, including number of users, growth of MIPS, growth of application servers, federation requirements, and more. |
Yes.
If you want to connect to DB2 for i and DB2 for z/OS data servers, you need to buy an edition of DB2 Connect. The edition of DB2 Connect you buy must be a server edition; in other words, you cannot buy DB2 Connect Personal Edition and put it on a server. The DB2 Connect edition you select will be based on a number of factors, including number of users, growth of MIPS, growth of application servers, federation requirements, and more.
Also note that DB2 Enterprise does not come with any DB2 Connect entitlements as was the case in DB2 8. |
Supports High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR)?
DB2 HADR is a feature that provides turnkey high availability and disaster recovery support for non-partitioned DB2 data servers.
|
No.
DB2 Express-C does not support HADR. In fact, DB2 Express-C isn't authorized for use in any high availability environment using any clustering software. |
Yes. Included.
DB2 Express-C FTL includes licensed use of HADR as part of the support component. If you configure DB2 Express-C FTL for HADR, you have to purchase a DB2 Express-C FTL license for both servers. |
Add on.
You can use HADR with a DB2 Express data server so long as you buy the corresponding High Availability Feature Pack.
This feature pack must be licensed for all the value units on the primary server. As of DB2 9.5, you no longer need to license the High Availability Feature Pack on the standby machine unless you are using that machine as a hot standby within an HADR twin cluster: simply license the warm standby HADR server for 100 PVUs no matter what processor architecture it's running on. This is a change from the previous licensing rules in DB2 9.5. |
Yes. Included.
As of DB2 9.5, HADR technology is included with all DB2 Workgroup data servers and requires no further licensing beyond the regular DB2 data server high availability licensing rules. Before DB2 9.5, you had to purchase this technology through the High Availability Feature Pack. |
Yes. Included.
HADR functionality is included free of charge as part of a DB2 Enterprise installation and requires no further licensing beyond the regular DB2 data server high availability licensing charges. | |
Eligible for high availability licensing?
|
No.
You cannot use clustering software of any kind to cluster DB2 Express-C data servers for high availability. For example, clustering through Microsoft Clustering Services, SteeleEye, or even the built-in HA clustering facilities in DB2 9.5 are not allowed with DB2 Express-C. |
Yes.
A DB2 Express-C FTL license includes the ability to cluster these data servers for high availability. DB2 Express-C FTL also gives you access to HADR technology as well as the built-in clustering software that's embedded in DB2 9.5 for HA configurations.
When you cluster two DB2 Express-C FTL data servers in a HA cluster, you must purchase an FTL contract for
each server in the cluster no matter what function they perform in the cluster.
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
|
Yes.
| |
64-bit instance support?
|
Included
|
Included.
|
Included.
|
Included.
|
Included.
| |
Label Based Access Control (LBAC)?
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Add-on.
To implement label-based security in DB2 9 you must be using DB2 Enterprise and additionally purchase the Advanced Access Control Feature Pack. | |
Supports
Connection Concentration?
|
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C environment. |
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C FTL environment. |
No.
The Workload Management Feature Pack, which this feature is a part of, was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Express data servers as of DB2 9.5; subsequently, this capability is not available for this edition. |
No.
The Workload Management Feature Pack, which this feature is a part of, was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Workgroup data servers as of DB2 9.5; subsequently, this capability is not available for this edition. |
Included.
| |
DB2 Governor?
|
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C environment. |
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C FTL environment. |
No.
The Workload Management Feature Pack, which this feature is a part of, was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Express data servers as of DB2 9.5; subsequently, this capability is not available for this edition. |
No.
The Workload Management Feature Pack, which this feature is a part of, was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Workgroup data servers as of DB2 9.5; subsequently, this capability is not available for this edition. |
Included.
| |
Materialized Query Tables (a.k.a Cache Tables)?
|
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C environment. |
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C FTL environment. |
No.
The Performance Optimization Feature Pack (now known as the Query Optimization Feature Pack in DB2 9.5) was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Express data servers as of DB2 9.5; subsequently, this capability is not available for this edition. |
Add-on.
You can create MQTs so long as you buy the corresponding Query Optimization Feature Pack (formerly known as the Performance Optimization Feature Pack in DB2 9). This feature pack, when purchased for DB2 Workgroup, also includes licensed use of multidimensional clustering tables and query parallelism.
If you are using DB2 Workgroup for BI-related workloads, you should seriously consider this feature pack, or better yet, one of the InfoSphere Warehouse editions. |
Included.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse editions include this feature. | |
Multidimensional Clustering Tables (MDCs)?
|
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C environment. |
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C FTL environment. |
No.
The Performance Optimization Feature Pack (now known as the Query Optimization Feature Pack in DB2 9.5) was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Express data servers as of DB2 9.5; subsequently, this capability is not available for this edition. |
Add-on.
You can create MDC tables so long as you buy the corresponding Query Optimization Feature Pack. This feature pack, when purchased for DB2 Workgroup, also includes licensed use of MQTs and query parallelism.
If you are using DB2 Workgroup for BI-related workloads, you should seriously consider this feature pack, or better yet, one of the InfoSphere Warehouse editions. |
Included.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse editions include this feature.
| |
Query Parallelism?
|
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C environment. |
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C FTL environment. |
No.
The Performance Optimization Feature Pack (now known as the Query Optimization Feature Pack in DB2 9.5) was removed as an eligible add-on for DB2 Express data servers as of DB2 9.5; subsequently, this capability is not available for this edition. |
Add-on.
You can leverage query parallelism in DB2 Workgroup so long as you buy the corresponding Query Optimization Feature Pack (formerly known as the Performance Optimization Feature Pack in DB2 9). This feature pack, when purchased for DB2 Workgroup, also includes licensed use of MQTs and MDCs.
If you are using DB2 Workgroup for BI-related workloads, you should seriously consider this feature pack, or better yet, one of the InfoSphere Warehouse editions. |
Included.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse editions include this feature.
| |
Deep Data Row Compression?
|
Not available.
You can however use System default and NULL value compression to optimize space usage for the representation of data and the storage structures used internally by DB2. This built-in DB2 feature will in no way provide anything close to the compression available with the Deep Data Row Compression approach and has limited suitability for specific schemas. |
Not available.
You can however use System default and NULL value compression to optimize space usage for the representation of data and the storage structures used internally by DB2. This built-in DB2 feature will in no way provide anything close to the compression available with the Deep Data Row Compression approach and has limited suitability for specific schemas. |
Not available.
You can however use System default and NULL value compression to optimize space usage for the representation of data and the storage structures used internally by DB2. This built-in DB2 feature will in no way provide anything close to the compression available with the Deep Data Row Compression approach and has limited suitability for specific schemas. |
Not available.
You can however use System default and NULL value compression to optimize space usage for the representation of data and the storage structures used internally by DB2. This built-in DB2 feature will in no way provide anything close to the compression available with the Deep Data Row Compression approach and has limited suitability for specific schemas. |
Add-on.
To take advantage of the deep data row compression available in DB2 you need to purchase the Storage Optimization Feature Pack.
This feature pack is only available for DB2 Enterprise data servers and can only be purchased via PVUs (there is no per user option). Deep Row Compression is included for free in InfoSphere Warehouse Enterprise and through the SAP OEM contract that includes DB2. This feature pack also includes backup compression. | |
Backup Compression?
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Add-on.
To take advantage of the backup compression available in DB2 you need to purchase the Storage Optimization Feature pack.
This feature pack is only available for DB2 Enterprise data servers and can only be purchased via PVUs (there is no per user option). Backup compression is included for free in InfoSphere Warehouse Enterprise and through the SAP OEM contract that includes DB2. This feature pack also includes deep row compression. | |
Federation across IBM relational data servers (DB2 and Informix)?
|
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C environment. |
No.
This feature is not available in a DB2 Express-C FTL environment. |
Add-on.
You can federate queries from a DB2 Express data server to other DB2 or Informix data servers so long as you purchase the Homogeneous Federation Feature Pack.
If you want to federate to non-IBM data sources, you should investigate WebSphere products such as IBM Information Server, and so on.
Also note that DB2 Connect Unlimited Edition includes IBM data server family federation.
|
Add-on.
You can federate queries from a DB2 Workgroup data server to other DB2 or Informix data servers so long as you purchase the Homogeneous Federation Feature Pack.
If you want to federate to non-IBM data sources, you should investigate WebSphere products such as IBM Information Server, and so on.
Also note that DB2 Connect Unlimited Edition includes IBM data server family federation.
|
Add-on.
You can federate queries from a DB2 Enterprise data server to other DB2 or Informix data servers so long as you purchase the Homogeneous Federation Feature Pack.
If you want to federate to non-IBM data sources, you should investigate WebSphere products such as IBM Information Server, and so on.
Also note that DB2 Connect Unlimited Edition includes IBM data server family federation.
| |
SQL replication?
|
No.
|
Included.
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. |
Included.
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. |
Included.
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. |
Included.
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?
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Included.
Note that all InfoSphere Warehouse editions include this feature.
| |
Database Partitioning (scale-out)?
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
As of DB2 9.5, you can only get the Database Partitioning Feature to create a partitioned database environment by buying an edition of InfoSphere Warehouse. This feature allows you to spread a single database image across multiple physical servers and is available as part of any InfoSphere Warehouse edition.
| |
pureXML?
|
Included.
|
Included.
|
Add-on.
To take advantage of the pureXML column storage services in DB2 Express, you must purchase the pureXML Feature Pack. |
Add-on.
To take advantage of the pureXML column storage services in DB2 Workgroup, you must purchase the pureXML Feature Pack. |
Add-on.
To take advantage of the pureXML column storage services in DB2 Enterprise, you must purchase the pureXML Feature Pack. | |
Extreme Workload Management?
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Add-on.
Part of the Performance Optimization Feature Pack for DB2 Enterprise. This feature pack also includes DB2 Performance Expert and Extreme Workload Management (DB2 Query is also included although it's no longer the strategic DB2 workload management solution). This feature pack is included in InfoSphere Warehouse Enterprise. | |
DB2 Net Search Extender?
|
Available free of charge via a download. However, it 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
|
Available free of charge via a download
| |
Spatial Extender?
|
Available free of charge via download. However, it is still unsupported as is any code delivered with this program.
|
Available free of charge via download.
|
Available free of charge via download.
|
Available free of charge via download.
|
Available free of charge via download.
| |
Geodetic Extender?
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Not available.
|
Add-on.
If you are developing spatial applications that cannot 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. | |
DB2 Everyplace
(sometimes referred to as Mobility on Demand)? |
Not available.
|
Not available.
You can optionally purchase a DB2 Everyplace product to add mobile functionality to your DB2 Express-C FTL data server. |
Not available.
You can optionally purchase a DB2 Everyplace product to add mobile functionality to your DB2 Express data server. |
Not available.
You can optionally purchase a DB2 Everyplace product to add mobile functionality to your DB2 Workgroup data server. |
Add-on.
You can optionally purchase the Mobility on Demand Feature Pack as opposed to directly purchasing the DB2 Everyplace product as is the case with other DB2 data server editions. This feature pack provides a more cost effective way to expand your enterprise data servers for occasionally connected clients.
The Mobility on Demand Feature Pack provides the same function, features, and benefits as the DB2 Everyplace Enterprise product. While it is more cost effective to implement mobile solutions using this feature pack, you must install the DB2 Synchronization Server on the DB2 Enterprise data server for which this feature pack was purchased, which can limit its flexibility depending on your environment. Also note that this feature pack is included with DB2 Connect Unlimited Edition. |
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That's all for now...
Different businesses have different needs - but all businesses need cost-effective, robust, and scalable solutions. The different DB2 editions, packages, and feature packs allows clients to pick the features of DB2 that is 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 differences between the different DB2 data server editions, as well as the DB2 Express-C and DB2 Express-C FTL offerings, with respect to the most common questions I get from clients and at speaking engagements. If you have other criteria that you would like to see included in this table, or need more clarification, e-mail me.
Notices
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 not liable for any incorrect information in this article.
Resources Learn
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"Which distributed edition of DB2 9.5 is right for you?" (developerWorks, Feb 2008): Get the details on what makes each edition of DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows unique.
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"Which DB2 9.5 client connectivity option is right for you?" (developerWorks, Apr 2008): Learn the details of all the various client connectivity options.
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"Licensing distributed DB2 9.5 data servers in a high availability environment" (developerWorks, Nov 2007): 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.
Get products and technologies
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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.
Discuss
About the author | 
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Paul C. Zikopoulos, BA, MBA, is an IDUG keynote and award-winning speaker with the IBM Database Competitive team. He has more than nine years of experience with DB2 and has written numerous magazine articles and books about it. Paul has written articles on DB2 for many magazines and has co-authored the books: DB2 - The Complete Reference, DB2 Fundamentals Certification for Dummies, DB2 For Dummies, DB2 Version 8: The Official Guide, and A DBA's Guide to Databases on Linux. Paul is a DB2 Certified Advanced Technical Expert (DRDA and Cluster/EEE) and a DB2 Certified Solutions Expert (Business Intelligence and Database Administration). You can reach him at paulz_ibm@msn.com. |
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