System database directory

A system database directory file exists for each instance of the database manager, and contains one entry for each database that has been cataloged for this instance.

Databases are implicitly cataloged when the CREATE DATABASE command is issued and can also be explicitly cataloged with the CATALOG DATABASE command.

For each database created, an entry is added to the directory containing the following information:
  • The database name provided with the CREATE DATABASE command
  • The database alias name (which is the same as the database name, if an alias name is not specified)
  • The database comment provided with the CREATE DATABASE command
  • The location of the local database directory
  • An indicator that the database is indirect, which means that it resides on the current database manager instance
  • Other system information.

On Linux® and UNIX platforms and in a partitioned database environment, you must ensure that all database partitions always access the same system database directory file, sqldbdir, in the sqldbdir subdirectory of the home directory for the instance. Unpredictable errors can occur if either the system database directory or the system intention file sqldbins in the same sqldbdir subdirectory are symbolic links to another file that is on a shared file system.