Highlights of Db2 version 11.1

IBM® Db2 version 11.1 offers database efficiency, simplicity, and reliability in the form of new features and enhancements that address a wide variety of business requirements. Comprehensive enterprise security, simplified installation and deployment, better usability and adoption, a streamlined upgrade process, enhancements to large databases, and vast improvements to BLU Acceleration are the key benefits that this technology delivers.

Column-organized table support for Partitioned database environments

Db2 version 11.1 extends compressed column-organized tables to Partitioned Db2 database environments, allowing you to leverage BLU Acceleration, a combination of innovations from IBM Research and the development labs that simplifies and speeds up reporting and analytics, at massive scale through Db2’s MPP architecture. Streamlined adoption of BLU also means that existing MPP data warehouses can easily leverage the in-memory optimized columnar technology

The following specific enhancements pertain to column-organized tables in a partitioned environment:
  • MPP aware query planning and optimization for the column vector processing engine
  • An optimized vector format for columnar data exchange between partitions
  • A common table dictionary allowing data to remain compressed across the network
  • An optimized communications infrastructure that is designed for multi-core parallelism

Advances to column-organized tables

Db2 version 11.1 introduces significant enhancements to the BLU Acceleration core technology. These enhancements include Nested Loop Join (NLJN) support, advanced de-correlation methods, faster SQL MERGE, enhancements to memory management, further SIMD advances, industry leading parallel sort, and increased SQL parallelism. The industry-leading parallel sort algorithm leverages the latest innovations from the IBM TJ Watson™ Research division. This parallel sort features a fast radix sort with superior parallelism that is able to sort compressed and encoded data. Together, these enhancements can increase BLU Acceleration performance by as much as two times.

BLU Acceleration has also added SQL advances with richer function and compatibility including SQL compatibility with IBM PureData® System for Analytics. This enables native columnar online analytical processing for deep in-database analytics, the analytic capabilities of PureData System for Analytics, wide rows, new data types, logical character support, improved PostgreSQL compatibility, and a wide variety of additional SQL functions being incorporated in Db2 version 11.1.

Other enhancements include BLU Acceleration support for IDENTITY and EXPRESSION generated columns, European Language support, and NOT LOGGED INITIALLY support for column-organized tables.

Enterprise encryption key management

Db2 version 11.1 extends native encryption from the local key store to the enterprise level, with the use of Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) 1.1, the industry standard for key management. Support for external key managers is available with this Db2 product, allowing users to manage key stores using external (and approved) managers. Also supported is Hardware Security Module (HSM) through Enterprise Key Management has been integrated with Db2 version 11.1 to provide users with various HSM options.

IBM Db2 pureScale Feature enhancements

The Db2 pureScale® Feature in version 11.1 provides a simplified installation and deployment process. Users are up and running within hours of starting the installation process, which gives users a tremendous advantage over other cluster databases. With Db2 version 11.1, many of the Db2 pureScale Feature installation processes have been simplified, with smarter defaults, intuitive options, and parallel and quick pre-deployment validation across hosts. Additional improvements to installation and deployment include the reduced step-by-step process of installing GPFS replication to Db2 servers, and increased resiliency for aborted, or partial installations, with support for a clean rollback for a clean restart.

In Db2 version 11.1, the documentation of the Db2 pureScale Feature has been improved for easier reading, an enhanced pre-checking of storage eliminates the need for manual verification of firmware libraries, and improvements to the user interface such as, much more intuitive and user-friendly error and warning messages, makes problem determination easier.

In Db2 version 11.1, Db2 pureScale Feature has been enhanced to provide synchronous (SYNC) and near-synchronous (NEARSYNC) HADR support for a zero data loss disaster recovery solution, Power® Linux® Little-Endian (LE) support, Linux virtualization support for RDMA (x86). Text Search is supported in a Db2 pureScale environment, improved performance monitoring and problem determination, and enhanced cluster health check.

For more information, see Db2 pureScale Feature enhancements

Manageability and Performance enhancements for extreme scale environments

Db2 version 11.1 adds enhancements aimed at environments with very large database (VLDB) sizes and extreme user populations. Some of the VLDB enhancements available include concurrency and scalability for recent and commonly referenced pages, features for higher transaction throughput, and the ability to perform online table reorgs at the data partition level.

Upgrade enhancements

Db2 version 11.1 enables users to easily upgrade to the latest Db2 database product. For example, users can now upgrade directly from Version 9.7 instead of having to go through another version, such as Version 10.1 or Version 10.5.

In addition, Db2 version 11.1 introduces the ability to roll-forward through database version upgrades for single-partition Db2 Enterprise Server Edition and Db2 pureScale users upgrading from Db2 version 10.5 Fix Pack 7, or later. For such configurations, users are no longer required to perform an offline backup of existing databases before or after they upgrade, as a recovery procedure involving roll-forward through database upgrade now exists.

For single-partition Db2 Enterprise Server Edition users upgrading from Db2 version 10.5 Fix Pack 7, or later, high availability disaster recovery (HADR) environments can now be upgraded without the need to re-initialize the standby database after performing an upgrade on the primary database.

For Db2 pureScale users upgrading from Db2 Version 10.5 Fix Pack 9 or later, high availability disaster recovery (HADR) environments can now be upgraded without the need to reinitialize the standby database after performing an upgrade on the primary database.

Federation enhancements

Db2 version 11.1 features an enhanced Federated system that offers increased connectivity and integration. Integrated support for homogeneous replication has been introduced, with a single install replacing any prior separate federation install, and support for upgrading from either a Db2 database product or Infosphere Federation Server.

Further enhancements include additional wrappers, which provide better connectivity across various products including Db2, next-generation PureData System for Analytics (PDA), Db2 Warehouse, BigSQL, and other Big Data sources.

More enhancements for a Federated system include:

IBM Direct Standard and Advanced editions

Db2 version 11.1 introduces the IBM Direct Standard and IBM Direct Advanced editions, which enable hybrid cloud deployments. Both editions support a new subscription model for maximum licensing flexibility. This model is based on the number of Virtual Processor Cores (VPCs) your program uses.

For more information about IBM Direct Standard and Advanced editions subscription and pricing, see: Determining the number of Virtual Processor Cores (VPC) to license for IBM Direct Standard and Advanced Editions