Db2 database product editions and Db2 offerings

There are multiple Db2 database product editions – each with a unique combination of functionality and add-on offerings. For details of entitlement, rights, and obligations, refer to the license agreement for your product or offering.

For details of the functionality that are included in each Db2 database product edition, see Functionality in Db2 product editions and Db2 offerings.

Common code base

In Db2, all editions share the same code base. The only technical differences among editions are resource limitations and advanced features or tool sets. This common core design is intentional. In this way, applications that are written for any Db2 edition can easily be moved to any other Db2 edition on any operating system platform that is supported by Db2. This flexibility also applies to the database administrator (DBA). A DBA with skills on one edition will immediately be productive on any other Db2 edition.

Db2 Workgroup Server Edition

Db2 Workgroup Server Edition is ideal for departmental, workgroup, or medium-sized business environments. It includes all of the functionality that is needed to efficiently process transactional workloads. This edition places limits on processor and memory that makes it ideal for medium sized workloads such as would be found in a department. This edition includes Data Server Manager Base, which requires a separate installation.

It is available on either a Processor Value Unit, per Authorized User Single Install or per Virtual Server pricing model. You must acquire a separate user license for each Authorized User of this product with a minimum purchase of 5 users per server in which a copy of it is installed. If the Processor Value Unit pricing model is used, you must purchase the total number of Processor Value Units that are associated with the server or virtualization session where the it is installed.

It can be deployed in Linux®, UNIX, and Windows server environments and uses up to 16 cores and 128 GB of memory. Db2 Workgroup Server Edition is restricted to a stand-alone physical server with a specified maximum number of Processor Value Units that are based on the total number and type of processor cores, as determined in accordance with the IBM® Express® Middleware™ Licensing Guide available at ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/smb/pdfs/LicensingGuide.pdf.

The IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering can be added to the Db2 Workgroup Server Edition. It can be activated by registering the associated license certificate file (in addition to registering the license certificate file). For more information about add-on offerings, see Performance Management Offering.

Db2 Enterprise Server Edition

Db2 Enterprise Server Edition is suitable for transactional and mixed workloads. This edition has no processor, memory, or database size limits, which makes it ideal for any size of workload. This edition includes all functions that are found in Db2 Workgroup Server Edition plus materialized query tables. This edition includes Data Server Manager Base which requires a separate installation.

Db2 Enterprise Server Edition is available on either a Processor Value Unit or per Authorized User Single Install pricing model. You must acquire a separate user license for each Authorized User of this product with a minimum purchase of 25 users per 100 Processor Value Units. If the Processor Value Unit pricing model is used, you must purchase the total number of Processor Value Units that are associated with the server or virtualization session where the Db2 Enterprise Server Edition is installed.

The IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering can be added to the Db2 Enterprise Server Edition.

It can be activated by registering the associated license certificate file (in addition to registering the Db2 Enterprise Server Edition license certificate file). For more information about add-on offerings, see Performance management offering.

Db2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition

Db2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition is similar to the Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition, except that it places limits on processor and memory. This edition is the data server of choice for deployment in a departmental, workgroup, or medium-sized business environment.

Db2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition is available on either a Processor Value Unit, a per Authorized User Single Install or a Terabyte pricing model. You must acquire a separate user license for each Authorized User of this product with a minimum purchase of 20 users per socket available to the server. If the Processor Value Unit pricing model is used, you must purchase the total number of Processor Value Units that are associated with the server or virtualization session where the Db2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition is installed. Db2 Advanced Workgroup Server Edition can be deployed in Linux, UNIX, and Windows server environments and uses up to 16 cores and 128 GB of memory.

Under the Terabyte pricing model, you must acquire sufficient Terabyte entitlements to cover the Terabytes of user data used (rounded up to the nearest terabyte). In addition, the number of required entitlements must be calculated separately for each database. This pricing model is intended for use with predominantly warehouse workloads. For that reason, you are required to use either database partitioning with a minimum of two active database partitions, or maintain at least 75 percent of your user data in column-organized tables. In the latter case, the pricing model expects that the majority of your workloads access those tables. Db2 pureScale® is not available with the Terabyte pricing model, but HADR capabilities are available. Server environments under this pricing model are bound to a 4 socket limit.

The functionality that is provided by the IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering is included by default with the Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition. The output for db2licm -l command will still show the “IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering” as “Not licensed”. This output is for DSMs use, in order to allow certain features on their end. The embedded features for IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering in Advanced Workgroup Server Edition are available to you.

Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition

Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition is suitable for transactional, warehouse, and mixed workloads. This edition has no processor, memory, or database size limits, which makes it ideal for any size of workload. This edition includes all functions that are found in the Db2 Enterprise Server Edition plus column organized tables, in-memory database, data compression, workload management, replication, and distributed partitioning capability. This edition also comes with a full complement of warehouse tools, and Data Server Manager Enterprise. This option installs only the Db2 server. The included tools must be installed separately.

Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition is available on either a Processor Value Unit, a per Authorized User Single Install or a Terabyte pricing model. You must acquire a separate user license for each Authorized User of this product with a minimum purchase of 25 users per 100 Processor Value Units. If the Processor Value Unit pricing model is used, you must purchase the total number of Processor Value Units that are associated with the server or virtualization session where the Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition is installed.

Under the Terabyte pricing model, you must acquire sufficient Terabyte entitlements to cover the Terabytes of user data used (rounded up to the nearest terabyte). In addition, the number of required entitlements must be calculated separately for each database. This pricing model is intended for use with predominantly warehouse workloads. For that reason, you are required to use either database partitioning with a minimum of two active database partitions, or maintain at least 75 percent of your user data in column-organized tables. In the latter case, the pricing model expects that the majority of your workloads access those tables. Db2 pureScale is not available with the Terabyte pricing model, but HADR capabilities are available.

The functionality that is provided by the IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering is included by default with the Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition. The output for db2licm -l command will still show the “IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering” as “Not licensed”. This output is for DSMs use, in order to allow certain features on their end. The embedded features for IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering in Advanced Enterprise Server Edition are available to you.

Db2 Direct Advanced Edition

Db2 Direct Advanced Edition provides a comprehensive database solution for the enterprise with a licensing metric to facilitate hybrid cloud deployment. Similar to Db2 Advanced Enterprise Server Edition, this solution offers data warehousing, transactional and analytics capabilities in one package. It provides advanced features for storage optimization, in-memory computing, reliable system availability, and workload management tools. The solution also helps ensure high performance, actionable insight, continuous availability and reliability, at lower cost. This version introduces a simplified license metric, the Virtual Processor Core (VPC), which is sold as a monthly licensing charge. It provides flexible deployment options for either on-premises or on cloud. Db2 Direct Advanced Edition offers these features and benefits:

• Improves application performance and analytics for faster decisions.
• Delivers high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.
• Provides a secure, flexible environment.
• Interfaces with a variety of data more efficiently.
• Improves productivity and reduces administration efforts.

Db2 Direct Advanced Edition can be deployed on Linux, UNIX, or Windows servers of any size, from one processor to hundreds of processors, and on both physical and virtual servers. Program charges: Db2 Direct Advanced Edition is available on per Virtual Processor Core (VPC) charge metric as a monthly license charge.

Db2 Direct Standard Edition

IBM Db2 Direct Standard Edition is a high-performance database for small or mid-size businesses, with licensing options for hybrid cloud deployments. It includes all Db2 Workgroup Server Edition features to provide robust data management, high availability, autonomic functions and security features. The solution helps ensure greater runtime performance, reliability and lower total cost of ownership. This version introduces a simplified license metric, the Virtual Processor Core (VPC), which is sold as a monthly licensing charge. It provides flexible deployment options for either on-premises or on cloud. Db2 Direct Standard Edition offers these features and benefits:

• Improves application performance and analytics for faster decisions.
• Delivers high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.
• Provides a secure, flexible environment.
• Interfaces with a variety of data more efficiently.
• Improves productivity and reduces administration efforts.

Program charges: Db2 Direct Standard Edition is available on a Virtual CPU charge metric. You are restricted to 16 virtual processor cores and 128 GB of instance memory. These restrictions are per physical or virtual server except in a pureScale or DPF cluster where the restrictions apply to the entire cluster.

Db2 Developer Edition

This edition offers a package for a single application developer to design, build, and prototype applications for deployment on any of the IBM Information Management client or server platforms. This comprehensive developer offering includes all the Db2 server editions, Db2 Connect Enterprise Edition, allowing you to build solutions that use the latest data server technologies.

Program charges: The software in this package cannot be used for production systems. You must acquire a separate user license for each Authorized User of this product.

The functionality provided by the IBM Db2 Performance Management Offering is included by default with the Db2 Developer Edition.

Db2 Developer-C Edition

This edition offers all the latest Db2 capabilities to allow developers to design, build, and prototype applications for deployment on any of the IBM Information Management client or server platforms. It can be installed on physical or virtual systems with any amount of CPU and RAM, and is optimized to use up to a maximum of 4 cores, 16 GB of memory, and 100GB of storage. Db2 Developer-C provides fixes through the regular fix release cycles for Db2.

The software in this package can be used for production systems; however, technical support is not provided. However, there is a robust online community where you can post questions and learn from peers. Community support is available through the IBM Db2 Community site or with peers on social media.

Prior to version 11.1 Mod Pack 4 and Fix Pack 5, Db2 Developer-C Edition has the following table space limitations:

• User-defined SMS and DMS table spaces are not supported.
• When creating an auto-resize table space without specifying MAXSIZE, the maximum table space size is implicitly set to the remaining capacity of the defined storage limit.
• Altering a table space that is larger than the defined storage limit is not allowed.