The advantages of pairing a database like Db2 with IBM Cloud Pak for Data.

Most organizations in today’s environment are adopting hybrid cloud models for their workloads. Microservices-based container architectures enable enterprises to create portable, lightweight, agile, and scalable applications that can be deployed quickly on any cloud environment.

In the customers’ journey to cloud, a container orchestration platform becomes essential so that containers can be handled in aggregation and managed seamlessly and securely. According to an Ovum report, containerized deployment of applications and choosing the right container orchestration platform can help the customers reduce significant operational overhead.

Data is also a key asset in today’s enterprise environment. To experience the true value of data, it needs to be analyzed quickly and effectively so that the enterprises can derive insights and make data-driven, intelligent decisions. Data is diverse and doesn’t only reside in relational databases anymore—it also comes from various other data sources like text, NoSQL, and object-oriented databases. This necessitates an integrated, high-performance, and scalable data platform where customers can not only collect their data, but also consolidate the data coming from a variety of data sources, analyze it and drive insights.

An example is IBM Cloud Pak for Data, a fully-integrated data and AI platform that modernizes how businesses collect, organize, and analyze data to infuse AI throughout their organizations. Pairing a database like Db2 with IBM Cloud Pak for Data creates significant advantages.

IBM Db2 enriches the IBM Cloud Pak for Data ecosystem

IBM Db2 on Cloud Pak for Data is both built for and powered by artificial intelligence (AI)—delivering advanced data management and analytics capabilities to the workloads. The following are a few of Db2’s AI capabilities that are catalysts in accelerating the fourney to AI:

• Machine learning query optimization
• Support for popular languages, including Python, Go, and Jupyter Notebooks
• A collaborative development environment
• Access to the whole suite of available IBM Watson AI products

Db2 on IBM Cloud Pak for Data is based on the same native IBM Db2 core engine that customers are familiar with and comes with all core functionalities of IBM Db2. At the same time, there are several enhancements specific to the containerized version of Db2 created for IBM Cloud Pak for Data, making it highly secure, available, and scalable without any performance compromises.

One example of the enhancements available with Db2 on IBM Cloud Pak for Data is data virtualization. It reduces the need for extract, transform, load (ETL) requests, saving time and infrastructure associated with staging tables. Due to this, as noted in this study, data virtualization can lead to major cost savings.

IBM Db2 is available in the Cloud Pak for Data marketplace

Customers can install IBM Db2 from the IBM Cloud Pak for Data User Interface (UI), manage it with the integrated IBM Db2 Data Management Console, and get automated fixpack updates.

IBM Cloud Pak for Data provides a unified experience across the various IBM Db2 form factors. Customers can deploy Db2 and get it up and running in a short amount of time.

Cloud native database

Db2 on IBM Cloud Pak for Data is designed with hybrid cloud environments in mind. Db2 is now deployed as a set of microservices running in a container environment. This results in a fully integrated, plug-and-play Db2 environment in IBM Cloud Pack for Data that works seamlessly with the data governance and AI foundational services also available in IBM Cloud Pak for Data.

Cloud ready deployment

IBM Db2 can be deployed as standalone on Red Hat OpenShift or in IBM Cloud Pak for Data as an extended service from the marketplace.

IBM Cloud Pak for Data provides a simpler UI, faster deployment, and a rich ecosystem of AI foundational services, along with several optional extended services. Customers are up and running within minutes with rapid deployment, auto provisioning, and configuration of the IBM Db2 database.

Upcoming key features

IBM Cloud Pak for Data extended Db2 service 11.5.4 runs on the RedHat OpenShift 4.3 container platform, which provides enterprise grade, secure, and simplified Kubernetes management. Customers benefit from lower IT infrastructure and development costs with Red Hat OpenShift as a consistent application development platform for hybrid cloud development. A more detailed report on the return on investments with Red Hat OpenShift can be found here.

IBM Db2 containerized deployment can also be leveraged standalone on RedHat OpenShift 4.3 without IBM Cloud Pak for Data as a part of the 11.5.4 release.

Several enhancements that focus on security, high availability, usability, and cost-efficient storage have also been made.

Security

• Security certifications required by all products included in IBM Cloud Pak for Data
• Red Hat image certification
• SELinux enforcing mode on OpenShift
• Helm Charts certified by Cloud Pak for Data
• UDB RedHat base image designed for OpenShift Containers
• All IBM Db2 containers run as non-root users

Usability

• Integration with the IBM Db2 Data Management Console
• An option to the command line for administration and monitoring tasks
• Optional support for the IBM Db2 REST Service API container (IBM Db2 REST Service is only available with IBM Db2 11.5.4 standalone deployment on RedHat OpenShift at present)
• Customers can build their own applications to manage and monitor IBM Db2

High availability

• Standby on various topologies, such as:
  • Primary and Standby on the same OpenShift/Kubernetes cluster (same or different namespaces)
  • Primary and Standby on different OpenShift/Kubernetes clusters
• Automated HADR Failover to an IBM Db2 container deployed as a standby node

Storage

• Support for all traditional storage
  • Storage Area Network (SAN) for performance
  • Network File System (NFS)—IBM Cloud File Storage with OpenShift provisioner for IBM Cloud.
  • Cluster File System, such as GPFS
  • Local disks
• Support for container-defined storage solutions, providing significant cost benefits
  • OpenShift Container Storage 4.3
  • Portworx 2.5.1 and above
  • More Input/Output operations per second in a fraction of rack space with OpenShift Container Storage

Test Db2 on IBM Cloud Pak for Data for yourself

With thejourney to AI steadily increasing in importance in order to meet the already critical nature of data-driven insight, it’s the right time to select a database that’s part of a containerized, cloud native data and AI platform. The containerization, data virtualization, and integration will boost the natural performance, usability, and enterprise readiness of top-tier databases like Db2.

To learn more, view our product tour or hands-on lab. In addition, you can schedule a free one-on-one consultation with our experienced data professionals and distinguished engineers who have helped thousands of clients build winning data management strategies.