Data access problems for DB2 databases

This topic provides troubleshooting tips for accessing DB2® databases.

What kind of problem are you having accessing your DB2 database?

Kerberos login error occurs while connecting to the database

If you are using the following list of scenarios, a kerberos log-in error occurs while trying to connect to the database.
  1. The injection statements in an Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) 3.0 bean are at the attribute level.
  2. The persistence.xml file does not call out metadata information regarding the database to which you have a connected.
  3. The component managed alias on the data source is not valid.
  4. The database is set up to use a one-off security mechanism, for example, a mechanism other than the typical user ID and password mechanism, such as kerberos.

During the injection of an EJB 3.0 bean, the Java Persistence API (JPA) persistence.xml file attempts to connect to the database to lookup metadata. To make the connection, a Java™ 2 Connector (J2C) requests a Subject from the security context. In this scenario, the security collaboration API that is called to put information into the security context was not called and the subject is returned without containing GSSCredentials.

The call should have taken place in the EJB container, but the EJB container did not call the collaboration API because the security APIs require a fully constructed bean that did not exist. Also, the EJB 3.0 specification explicitly states that the bean construction should not be done in a defined security context. Because of the design of the security API and the direction of the EJB 3.0 specification, the EJB container did not call the security collaboration APIs, therefore, the security context did not know to set up the Subject and there were no GSSCredentials.

The absence of GSSCredentials causes the Relational Resource Adapter (RRA) implementation to use the wrong code path; instead of telling DB2 to connect using the GSSCredential, it uses the identity associated with the component managed alias. The result is that the component managed alias is configured to be an identity that is not known to kerberos, therefore, when the DB2 driver relayed this identity to the database, an error occurred.

The following code is an example of the error:
Caused by: javax.security.auth.login.FailedLoginException: Login error: com.ibm.security.krb5.KrbException, status code: 6
	message: Client not found in Kerberos database
	at com.ibm.security.jgss.i18n.I18NException.throwFailedLoginException(I18NException.java:25)
	at com.ibm.security.auth.module.Krb5LoginModule.b(Krb5LoginModule.java:733)
	at com.ibm.security.auth.module.Krb5LoginModule.c(Krb5LoginModule.java:610)
	at com.ibm.security.auth.module.Krb5LoginModule.login(Krb5LoginModule.java:433)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:45)
	at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:37)
	at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:599)
	at javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext.invoke(LoginContext.java:795)
	at javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext.access$000(LoginContext.java:209)
	at javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext$4.run(LoginContext.java:709)
	at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(AccessController.java:251)
	at javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext.invokePriv(LoginContext.java:706)
	at javax.security.auth.login.LoginContext.login(LoginContext.java:603)
	at com.ibm.db2.jcc.a.ud.a(ud.java:25)
To prevent this error, follow these recommendations:
  • Ensure that the injection statements are at class level.

    This prevents you from attempting to do injection when the bean is created. The persistence context items are still stored in the Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI), but they are not placed into local variables on the bean object. The bean method looks up these persistence context items from the JNDI and by that time, the bean should be running in the correct security context because the EJB container has called the security collaboration APIs.

  • Have the persistence.xml file call out the database metadata information.

    If the persistence.xml file calls out the needed database metadata information, there is not a need for the JPA to connect to the database to retrieve it. This means that a connection is not made until the bean method is accessed. By this step, the security context is correctly set up and the connection works.

  • Validate the component managed alias on the data source.

    When the JPA attempts to connect to the database for purposes of gathering metadata, the driver falls back to using the component managed alias that is set on the data source because the security context has not been configured. If you make sure to validate the component managed alias, the connection is successful.

  • Do not use a one-off security mechanism for database security.

    This is not an option if you want to use a one-off security mechanism, such as kerberos. If the database is not configured to accept the standard user ID and password authentication this problem does not occur. The problem only occurs if when your system requires special security configuration.

SQL0567N DB2ADMIN is not a valid authorization ID. SQLSTATE=42602

If you encounter this error when attempting to access a DB2 Universal Database (UDB):
  1. Verify that your user name and password in the data source properties page in the administrative console are correct.
  2. Ensure that the user ID and password do not contain blank characters prior to, between, or after.

SQL0805N Package package-name was not found

Possible reasons for these exceptions:
To correct the problem on a DB2 Universal Database (UDB), run this one-time procedure, using the db2cmd interface while connected to the database in question:
  1. DB2 bind @db2ubind.lst blocking all grant public
  2. DB2 bind @db2cli.lst blocking all grant public

The db2ubind.lst and db2cli.lst files are in the bnd directory of your DB2 installation root. Run the commands from that directory.

SQL0805N Package NULLID.SQLLC300 was not found. SQLSTATE=51002

This error can occur because:
  • The underlying database was dropped and recreated.
  • DB2 was ugpraded and its packages are not rebound correctly.

To resolve this problem, rebind the DB2 packages by running the db2cli.lst script found in the bnd directory. For example: db2>@db2cli.lst.

SQL30082N Attempt to establish connection failed with security reason 17 (UNSUPPORTED FUNCTION) SQLSTATE=08001

This error can occur when the security mechanism specified by the client is not valid for this server. Some typical examples:
  • The client sent a new password value to a server that does not support the change password function.
  • The client sent SERVER_ENCRYPT authentication information to a server that does not support password encryption.
  • The client sent a userid, but no password, to a server that does not support authentication by userid only.
  • The client has not specified an authentication type, and the server has not responded with a supported type. This can include the server returning multiple types from which the client is unable to choose.

To resolve this problem, ensure that your client and server use the same security mechanism. For example, if this is an error on your data source, verify that you have assigned a user id and password or authentication alias.

SQLException, with ErrorCode -99,999 and SQLState 58004, with Java

SQLException, with ErrorCode -99,999 and SQLState 58004, with Java™ StaleConnectionException: COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.DB2Exception: [IBM][CLI Driver] CLI0119E Unexpected system failure. SQLSTATE=58004, when using WAS40-type data source

An unexpected system failure usually occurs when running in XA mode (two-phase commit). Among the many possible causes are:
  • An invalid username or password was provided.
  • The database name is incorrect.
  • Some DB2 packages are corrupted.
To determine whether you have a user name or password problem, look in the db2diag.log file to view the actual error message and SQL code. A message like the following example, with an SQLCODE of -1403, indicates an invalid user ID or password: 
2002-07-26-14.19.32.762905   Instance:db2inst1   Node:000
PID:9086(java)   Appid:*LOCAL.db2inst1.020726191932
XA DTP Support  sqlxa_open   Probe:101
DIA4701E Database "POLICY2" could not be opened 
for distributed transaction processing.
String Title: XA Interface SQLCA  PID:9086 Node:000
SQLCODE = -1403
To resolve these problems:
  1. Correct your user name and password. If you specify your password on the GUI for the data source, ensure that the user name and password you specify on the bean are correct. The user name and password you specify on the bean overwrite whatever you specify when creating the data source.
  2. Use the correct database name.
  3. Rebind the packages (in the bnd directory) as follows: 
    db2connect to dbname
c:\SQLLIB\bnd>DB2 bind @db2ubind.lst blocking all grant public
c:\SQLLIB\bnd>DB2 bind @db2cli.lst blocking all grant public
  4. Ensure that the \WebSphere\AppServer\properties\wsj2cdpm.properties file has the right user ID and password.

Error message java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException: com.ibm.ws.exception.WsException: DSRA0023E

Error message java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException: com.ibm.ws.exception.WsException: DSRA0023E: The DataSource implementation class COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.DB2XADataSource could not be found. when trying to access a DB2 database

One possible reason for this exception is that a user is attempting to use a JDBC 2.0 DataSource, but DB2 is not JDBC 2.0-enabled. This situation frequently happens with new installations of DB2 because DB2 provides separate drivers for JDBC 1.X and 2.0, with the same physical file name. By default, the JDBC 1.X driver is on the class path.

To confirm this problem:
  • On Windows systems, look for the inuse file in the java12 directory in your DB2 installation root. If the file missing, you are using the JDBC 1.x driver.
  • On operating systems such as AIX® or Linux®, check the class path for your data source. If the class path does not point to the db2java.zip file in the java12 directory, you are using the JDBC 1.x driver.
To correct this problem:
  • On Windows systems, stop DB2. Run the usejdbc2.bat file from the java12 directory in your DB2 instalation root. Run this file from a command line to verify that it completes successfully.
  • On operating systems such as AIX or Linux, change the class path for your data source to point to the db2java.zip file in the java12 directory of your DB2 installation root.

CLI0119E System error

If you encounter this error when attempting to access a DB2 Universal Database (UDB) data source: 
CLI0119E System error.  SQLSTATE=58004 -  DSRA8100 : Unable to get a XAconnection or DSRA0011E: 
Exception: COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.DB2Exception: [IBM][CLI Driver] 
CLI0119E  Unexpected system failure. SQLSTATE=5800
  1. On the data source properties page in the administrative console, verify that the correct database name is specified on the data source.
  2. On the custom properties page, check your user name and password custom properties. Verify that they are correct.
  3. Ensure the user ID and password do not contain any blank characters, prior to, between, or after.
  4. Check that the WAS.policy file exists for the application, for example, D:\WebSphere\AppServer\installedApps\markSection.ear\META-INF\was.policy.
  5. View the entire exception listing for an underlying SQL error, and look it up using the DBM vendor message reference.

If you encounter this error while running DB2 on Red Hat Linux, the max queues system wide parameter is too low to support DB2 while it acquires the necessary resources to complete the transaction. When this problem exists, the exceptions J2CA0046E and DSRA0010E can precede the exception DSRA8100E.

To correct this problem, edit the /proc/sys/kernal/msgmni file to increase the value of the max queues system wide parameter to a value greater than 128.

COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.DB2Exception: [IBM][CLI Driver][DB2/NT] SQL0911N

This problem is probably an application-caused DB2 deadlock, particularly if you see an error similar to the following when accessing a DB2 data source: 
ERROR CODE: -911
COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.DB2Exception: [IBM][CLI Driver][DB2/NT] SQL0911N
The current transaction has been rolled back because of a deadlock or timeout.
Reason code "2".  SQLSTATE=40001
To diagnose the problem:
  1. Execute these DB2 commands:
    1. db2 update monitor switches using LOCK ON
    2. db2 get snapshot for LOCKS on dbName >
    The directory_name\lock_snapshot.log now has the DB2 lock information.
  2. Turn off the lock monitor by running: db2 update monitor switches using LOCK OFF
To verify that you have a deadlock:
  1. Look for an application handle that has a lock-wait status, and then look for the ID of the agent holding lock to verify the ID of the agent.
  2. Go to that handle to verify it has a lock-wait status, and the ID of the agent holding the lock for it. If it is the same agent ID as the previous one, then you know that you have a circular lock (deadlock).
To resolve the problem:
  1. Examine your application and use a less restrictive isolation level if no concurrency access is needed.
  2. Use caution when changing the accessIntent value to move to a lower isolation level. This change can result in data integrity problems.
  3. For DB2/UDB Version 7.2 and earlier releases, you can set the DB2_RR_TO_RS flag from the DB2 command line window to eliminate unnecessary deadlocks, such as when the accessIntent defined on the bean method is too restrictive, for example, PessimisticUpdate. The DB@_RR_TO_RS setting has two impacts:
    • If RR is your chosen isolation level, it is effectively downgraded to RS.
    • If you choose another isolation level, and the DB2_RR_TO_RS setting is on, a scan skips over rows that are deleted but not committed, even though the row might qualify for the scan. The skipping behavior affects the RR, Read Stability (RS), and Cursor Stability (CS) isolation levels.

    For example, consider the scenario where transaction A deletes the row with column1=10 and transaction B does a scan where column1>8 and column1<12. With DB2_RR_TO_RS off, transaction B waits for transaction A to commit or rollback. If transaction A rolls back, the row with column1=10 is included in the result set of the transaction B query. With DB2_RR_TO_RS on, transaction B does not wait for transaction A to commit or rollback. Transaction B immediately receives query results that do not include the deleted row. Setting DB2_RR_TO_RS effectively changes locking behavior, thus avoiding deadlocks.

COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.DB2ConnectionPoolDataSource could not be found for data source ([data-source-name])

This error is denoted by message DSRA8040I: Failed to connect to the DataSource.

This error usually occurs when the class path of the DB2 JDBC driver is set correctly to ${DB2_JDBC_DRIVER_PATH}/db2java.zip but the environment variable DB2_JDBC_DRIVER_PATH is not set.

This error can also occur if you are using DB2 Version 7.1 or 7.2 and you have not yet run usejdbc2. This might be the problem if your path is correct but you still receive this error.

To confirm this problem:
  1. Go to the Manage WebSphere Variables panel.
  2. Select Environment to verify that there is no entry for the variable DB2_JDBC_DRIVER_PATH.

To correct this problem: Add the variable DB2_JDBC_DRIVER_PATH with value equal to the directory path containing the db2java.zip file.

java.sql.SQLException: Failure in loading T2 native library db2jcct2 DSRA0010E: SQL State = null, Error Code = -99,999

The Failure in loading message indicates one of the following problems:
  • A machine was not rebooted after installing DB2. Reboot the machine getting the error and try it again.
  • A database operation was performed that uses a different scope than the configured data source. For example, the testConnection command runs at the node level for a data source that exists on the server level. Source the db2profile script on the machine and ensure that the environment contains pointers to the DB2 native libraries. The db2profile script exists in the root directory of the DB2 user ID. For more information on the testConnection command, see Test connection service.
  • The DB2 context is not getting set up correctly for the user running WebSphere Application Server. Source the db2profile script on the machine and ensure that the environment contains pointers to the DB2 native libraries.

Lock contention exception occurs in database when data source implementation type is XA

Note: Because a lock contention exception can be caused by many factors, consider the following explanation and recommended response as a strategy for eliminating the possible reasons for your lock contention problem.
Table 1. Lock contention error message description and resolution . You have one option to solve the problem.
Symptom Problem Description Recommended response
A lock contention exception occurs in a DB2 database that your application accesses through a data source of implementation type XA. Your application is trying to access database records that are locked by an XA transaction that is in ended (e) state, but cannot be prepared by the transaction manager.. An XA transaction to DB2 that ends, but cannot be prepared, is in ended (e) state. Because it is not considered to be in doubt, the transaction manager cannot recover this transaction. DB2 does not return it in the list of in doubt transactions.

DB2 also does not roll the transaction back immediately; it waits until all connections to the database are released. During this period of inaction, the transaction continues to hold locks on the database. If your application server does not disconnect all connections from the database to allow rollback, the ended transaction persists in locking the same database records. If your application attempts to access these locked records, a lock contention exception occurs in DB2.

 DB2 Version 8.2 is shipped with a sample application that connects to a defined DB2 server and uses the available DB2 APIs to obtain a list of these particular ended transactions. The application offers a configuration setting that enables you to designate an amount of time after which the application rolls these transactions back. Locate the sample application in the sqllib/samples/db2xamon.c directory of DB2 Version 8.2 and run it.

“DSRA8050W: Unable to find the DataStoreHelper class specified“ exception occurs when trying to use a DB2 Universal Datasource in a mixed release cell

This error usually occurs when you are using WebSphere Application Server Version 6.0 or later in conjunction with a previous version and attempt to create a DB2 Universal Datasource on the previous version.

This can happen because the DB2 Universal Datasource was not available on Version 5 and previous versions, but the Version 6 administrative console allows you to build one.

To correct this problem: create the datasource on Version 6.0 or later.

Error 'SYSTEM' is not a valid authorization ID when trying to access DB2 on a Windows machine where WebSphere Application Server is also installed

Error 'SYSTEM' is not a valid authorization IDmessage when trying to access DB2 on a Windows machine where WebSphere Application Server is also installed

Table 2. Error message description and resolution . You have two options to solve the problem.
Symptom Problem Description Recommended response
For a WebSphere Application Server on Windows installation that uses DB2 as the backend, you see the following exception in the JVM log:
java.sql.SQLException: [IBM][CLI 
Driver] SQL0567N "SYSTEM" is 
not a valid authorization ID.  
SQLSTATE=42602 DSRA0010E: 
SQL State = 42602, Error Code
= -567
  at COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.app.
SQLExceptionGenerator.
throw_SQLException
 (Unknown Source)
  at COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.app.
SQLExceptionGenerator.
check_return_code
 (Unknown Source)
  at COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.app.
DB2Connection.connect
 (Unknown Source)
  at COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.app.
DB2Connection.<init>
 (Unknown Source)
  at COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.app.
DB2ReusableConnection.<init>
 (Unknown Source)
  at COM.ibm.db2.jdbc.
DB2PooledConnection.
getConnection
 (Unknown Source)
  at com.ibm.ws.rsadapter.spi.
WSRdbDataSource.getConnection
(WSRdbDataSource.java:1035)
  at com.ibm.ws.rsadapter.spi.
WSManagedConnectionFactoryImpl.
createManagedConnection
(WSManagedConnectionFactoryImpl
.java:937)
  at com.ibm.ejs.j2c.
poolmanager.FreePool.
createManagedConnectionWithMC
Wrapper(FreePool.java:1502)
This exception occurs for configurations in which WebSphere Application Server is a client to the DB2 server. The underlying problem is an authorization conflict between WebSphere Application Server on Windows and DB2 that arises when an application attempts to connect to DB2 without providing a user ID and a password. When a DB2 client and the DB2 database run on the same machine, DB2 allows the client to connect without a user ID and password. The connection is made under the credentials of the user that owns the client process: in this case, the application server JVM. However, if WebSphere Application Server runs as a Windows service, and the Log on as option is set to Local System Account, the application server JVM is categorized as a subcomponent of a special Windows user called SYSTEM. This user is not allowed to connect to DB2, resulting in the previously shown exception. You have two options:
  • Modify the WebSphere Application Server service to use a Log on as option of This account, and provide an account with permission to connect to DB2. Or
  • Configure your application server to provide credentials on the DB2 connection by using container-managed or component-managed authentication.

XAException: XAER_NOTA on XA prepare call in DB2 Universal JDBC Driver type 4 after one phase transaction rollback

Symptom

For applications that use the DB2 Universal JDBC Driver type 4 XA available with DB2 v8.2, a connection might fail and trigger an XAER_NOTA XAException error. The following code block is an example of this exception:
J2CA0027E: An exception occurred while invoking prepare
on an XA Resource Adapter from dataSource jdbc/SDOSVT,
within transaction ID {XidImpl: formatId(57415344),
gtrid_length(36), bqual_length(54),
data(000000ff5191398200000001000000296cac5c42fe3c6838631cbaafc8b5a9253b846544
000000ff5191398200000001000000296cac5c42fe3c6838631cbaafc8b5a9253b8465440000000
10000000000000000000000000002)}:
javax.transaction.xa.XAException: XAER_NOTA
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.a.xb.a(xb.java:1682)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.a.xb.a(xb.java:841)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.a.xb.prepare(xb.java:812)
at com.ibm.ws.rsadapter.spi.WSRdbXaResourceImpl.prepare
(WSRdbXaResourceImpl.java:837)
...

Problem

If a DB2 Universal JDBC Driver type 4 XA connection is used in a single-phase transaction, such as a local transaction with autocommit set to false, and that single-phase transaction is rolled back, the next use of the connection in a two-phase transaction fails on the prepare call.

A problem in the DB2 Universal JDBC Driver type 4 XA support causes the XA prepare call to fail. This problem does not occur if the single-phase transaction is committed, and it does not occur when using the DB2 Universal JDBC Driver in type 2 mode.

Solution

Upgrade to DB2 Version 8.2 Fix Pack 1, which is equivalent to Version 8.1 Fix Pack 8. The Universal JDBC Driver XA that is available with these releases solves the previously described issue for type 4 mode.

java.rmi.MarshalException logged for application client due to incompatibility of JDBC driver file versions

Symptom

For an application that includes a application client, the following error message is displayed in the client log file of the application server:
java.rmi.MarshalException: CORBA MARSHAL
0x4942f89a No; nested exception is:
org.omg.CORBA.MARSHAL: Unable to read value from
underlying bridge : Mismatched serialization
UIDs : Source (Rep.
IDRMI:com.ibm.db2.jcc.c.SqlException:63EEE52211DCD763:82CE0C0DA2B0A000)
= 82CE0C0DA2B0A000 whereas Target (Rep. ID
RMI:com.ibm.db2.jcc.c.SqlException:63EEE52211DCD763:91C6171BC645E41B)
= 91C6171BC645E41B  vmcid: 0x4942f000  minor code:
2202  completed: No

Problem

The db2jcc.jar files on the application client machine and on your application server are from versions of DB2 that are not compatible with each other, or are not compatible with the version of DB2 that functions as the datastore.

Solution

Check the db2jcc.jar files on the application client machine, your application server, and your DB2 server. On the client machine and the application server, install files of the same version that is compatible with the DB2 server.

Database failure triggers problematic -99999 exception for applications that use DB2 Universal Driver type 4

Symptom

If you use the DB2 Universal Driver type 4 for access to DB2 Network Server, and your database fails, the database server issues a generic -99999 exception in response to every JDBC getConnection request. This exception, which is exemplified in the following code excerpt, can cause unexpected behavior in your applications.

java.sql.SQLException: IO Exception opening socket to 
	server bs8.rchland.ibm.com on port 1527.
The DB2 Server may be down.DSRA0010E: SQL State = null,
	Error Code = -99,999DSRA0010E: SQL State = null,
Error Code = -99,999
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.b.a.<init>(a.java:125)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.b.b.a(b.java:1011)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.c.l.<init>(l.java:197)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.b.b.<init>(b.java:258)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2PooledConnection.
	<init>(DB2PooledConnection.java:44)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2ConnectionPoolDataSource.getPooledConnectionX
	(DB2ConnectionPoolDataSource.java:80)
at com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2ConnectionPoolDataSource.getPooledConnection
	(DB2ConnectionPoolDataSource.java:45)
at com.ibm.ws.rsadapter.DSConfigurationHelper$1.run
	(DSConfigurationHelper.java:945)

Problem

When running in type 4 mode, some versions of the DB2 Universal Driver trigger a generic exception for database failure rather than a specific error code that WebSphere Application Server can map to a stale connection exception. This problem occurs with versions of the driver that are associated with DB2 8.1 Fix Pack 6 or Fix Pack 7, and DB2 8.2.

Solution

Upgrade to DB2 Version 8.2 Fix Pack 1, equivalent to Version 8.1 Fix Pack 8, which provides a valid error code in the previously described scenario. WebSphere Application Server maps this error code to a StaleConnectionException, as expected.

Cannot access DB2 on Linux when using the DB2 Universal JDBC Driver

Symptom

In the WebSphere Application Server on Linux environment, applications that use the DB2 Universal JDBC Driver to access DB2 on Linux might not connect with the database. The database server can issue the following exceptions to the application server error log: 
  • java.security.AccessControlException: Access denied 
(java.lang.RuntimePermission accessClassInPackage.sun.io)
  • If you run 64-bit Linux:
    com.ibm.db2.jcc.b.SqlException: Failure in loading T2 native library db2jcct2

Problem

The process for configuring DB2 on Linux to work with the Universal JDBC Driver is not complete.

Solution

  • Verify that the setup requirements for the Java™ SDK 1.4.2 for the Linux platform are complete.
  • Configure your development environment for building Java applications on Linux with DB2 JDBC support. See the application development topics for DB2 for more information.
  • If you run DB2 on the Linux/IA64 platform and are using DB2 v8.1 Fix Pack 7A, perform the additional step that is described in the technote on DB2 UDB Version 8 FixPak 7a for Linux on IA64 reporting a missing libdb.so.3 library. This step is necessary only for Fix Pack 7A. This step is not necessary for DB2 v8.1 Fix Pack 7 or earlier versions of DB2; this step is not necessary for DB2 v8.1 Fix Pack 8 or later versions of DB2.

Illegal conversion occurs on any VARCHAR FOR BIT DATA column in a container-managed persistent bean

When enterprise beans with container-managed persistent (CMP) types that have any VARCHAR FOR BIT DATA columns defined on a DB2 table are deployed in the DB2 universal JDBC type 4 driver to persist the data, an SQLException of illegal conversion is thrown at run time. This exception only occurs when you use the DB2 universal JDBC type 4 driver and with the deferPrepares property being set to true. When the deferPrepares property is set to true, the DB2 universal JDBC type 4 driver uses the standard JDBC data mapping.

Currently, the generated deployed code does not follow the standard JDBC specification mapping. The failure at execution time is because of a problem in the tool that prepared the enterprise beans for execution.

To avoid receiving this exception, choose one of the following options:
  • Set the deferPrepares property to false in the data source configuration.
  • Do not use the DB2 universal JDBC type 4 driver if your table has any VARCHAR FOR BIT DATA or LONG VARCHAR FOR BIT DATA columns. Refer to DB2 V8.1 readme for more details.