Overview of Data Server Manager

IBM® Data Server Manager (DSM) is an integrated database management tools platform for Db2® databases and Db2 for z/OS® subsystems. It is simple to set up, easy to use, and enterprise ready with the ability to manage hundreds of databases.

With Data Server Manager, a DBA or a team of DBAs can monitor performance, track configuration changes, administer databases, and proactively or reactively optimize the database environment in one integrated end-to-end tool. Data Server Manager provides:
  • An easy up and running experience with a simple setup, intuitive first experience, ability to auto-discover databases by instance, and predefined, customizable performance thresholds and alerts.
  • A customizable enterprise dashboard that can scale to show metrics for hundreds of databases.
  • Real-time and historical performance metrics with database at-a-glance metrics as well as detailed metrics for statements, locking, applications, workload, memory, I/O, and storage.
  • Smart alert detection for scenarios like poorly performing queries, missing indexes, and buffer pool hit ratios.
  • Configuration comparisons and change tracking for database objects and configuration settings.
  • Administrative features for working with database objects and utilities and building and running SQL statements and commands.
  • Advisors and access plan graphs that provide a wealth of recommendations and analysis for tuning poorly performing statements or workloads, including recommendations for indexes, statistics, and BLU optimization
  • Analysis of storage access patterns and storage savings opportunities.

Problem determination and analysis

DBAs can quickly find and address problems from the Data Server Manager Home page. The Home page provides an overview of all monitored databases.

Each tile on the Home page represents one database and shows some key metrics for that database.

DBAs can drill down into a database to quickly identify and analyze database problems by reviewing real-time and historical performance metrics. The Database Overview page shows a time breakdown for the database and some key metrics. DBAs can then open additional pages to investigate detailed metrics for the following potential performance issues:
  • Statements
  • Locking
  • Applications
  • Workload
  • Memory
  • I/O
  • Storage

For example, a DBA might start with the Overview page, and then open the Statements page to identify a high-cost SQL statement. From that page, the DBA can cancel a statement if needed. Next, the DBA can specify a historical time frame, select the same statement and view details to see how the statement performed in the past.

Alerts

The built-in alerting, notification, and action features enable management by exception so that you know when your database system is not performing as expected. DBAs can see alert counts on the database tiles on the Home page and click to investigate the types of alerts and details. To find out more, the DBA can click again to see the specific alert, relevant contexts and analysis, and suggested actions.

A DBA can also define custom alerts and specify a corresponding action.

Real-time and historical monitoring

Data Server Manager can be configured to collect both real-time and historical metrics for a database. DBAs can use historical information to discover trends or investigate deviations from behavior that was observed in the past.

A time slider is provided, along with easy-to-select time frames to choose from. DBAs can pick a time frame and then use the time slider to move, widen, or narrow the time frame that they want to see.

Storage optimization

Storage costs are a concern for any enterprise with a large or growing amount of data. To effectively manage storage consumption, enterprises must analyze how storage is accessed over time, reclaim trapped storage in tables, apply compression to tables, and drop seldom used tables.

With Data Server Manager, DBAs can review storage accesses over time and identify how often instances, schemas, tables, indexes, and table spaces are accessed or modified. When utilized, a heat map displays real-time storage and access status for database tables and schemas.

DBAs can also view details for historical accesses and take suggested actions such as configuring adaptive or static compression to realize potential storage savings.

Statement and workload tuning

With Data Server Manager, DBAs and application developers can format SQL statements so that they are easier to read, generate visual representations of access plans, and get recommendations for collecting statistics or improving indexes.

Access plan graphs show where statements are using the most time and show where tables are being scanned. Tuning advisors are also available to provide expert recommendations about statistics, indexes, and performance improvement.

Database administration

DBAs can use Data Server Manager for database management and maintenance tasks, including object, change, and authorization management, scripting, and job scheduling to automate changes to a database.

Configuration management

With the configuration tracking and comparison features of Data Server Manager, DBAs can manage and monitor system configurations both reactively and proactively. DBAs can track configuration changes for monitored databases, compare configurations between two databases, or clone configurations from one database to another.

Tracking changes
Administrators can set the monitoring profile for any database to track configuration changes. DBAs can easily access the list of changes from the tool, filter the time frame for the changes, and drill down into specific database and database objects to see what changed. In addition, alerts can be set to trigger when configurations change.
Comparing configurations
DBAs can compare the current configuration of a database or client to a previous configuration, or they can compare between different databases or clients. Data Server Manager can display differences between database, instance, and client configuration parameters.
Cloning configurations
DBAs can use a Data Server Manager utility to clone the database configuration parameters of one database to one or more databases. The cloning feature is particularly useful when a configuration is considered the standard for best practices. The cloning feature can also be used to quickly reset the configurations of a database that was incorrectly changed.

Client management

Data Server Manager can help DBAs manage and control the client applications that connect to the enterprise databases. In addition to tracking and comparing configurations, DBAs can control clients and monitor end-to-end transaction response time.

Controlling clients with rules
With client rules, DBAs can control the drivers, data sources, and transactions of user applications and the connections to databases. DBAs can use rules to perform important tasks from the tool, such as:
  • Throttling database connections by reducing the maximum number of simultaneous connections to a database.
  • Optimizing workload balancing at the driver level.
  • Redirecting applications to new or upgraded Db2 servers.
Monitoring end-to-end transaction response time
DBAs can easily turn on client data collection when needed to review and analyze client metrics. For each client IP, data can be tracked for the transaction response time components across the entire database application system, which includes clients, application servers, data servers, and the network.

Autonomic management for Db2 for z/OS subsystems

IBM Data Server Manager (DSM), when integrated with the autonomic capabilities of certain Db2 for z/OS Tools products, consolidates information from Db2 for z/OS systems in a single interface that is accessible from most standard web browsers.

Data Server Manager simplifies the presentation of system health data across the enterprise, including autonomic symptoms and recommended actions. You can use Data Server Manager for the following activities for the management of Db2 for z/OS: subsystems:

  • View and manage the overall health of Db2 for z/OS systems across the enterprise.
  • Navigate and drill down from the enterprise or system level to individual objects. You can view, understand, and access identified Db2 for z/OS symptoms and recommended actions.
  • View resource dashboards that consolidate information from various sources and tools with data sharing groups and individual table space and index space partitions.
  • Discover resources with the highest severity symptoms and actions, and navigate directly to those resources
  • Reduce the learning curve and get new system programmers and database administrators up and running faster.

You can define a connection between Data Server Manager and Db2 for z/OS so that Data Server Manager can obtain, or discover, information about your Db2 for z/OS resources. After the discovery is complete, you can navigate to information about your Db2 for z/OS resources in Data Server Manager by searching or browsing.

You can view properties for the following types of Db2 for z/OS resources:

  • Subsystems
  • Data sharing groups
  • Databases
  • Table spaces
  • Table space partitions
  • Indexes spaces
  • Index space partitions

You can also view graphical charts of real-time statistics for the following types of Db2 for z/OS resources:

  • Table spaces. If a table space is partitioned, charts are available only for the table space partitions.
  • Index spaces. If an index space is partitioned, charts are available only for the index space partitions.

The integrated help system includes relevant Db2 for z/OS reference information. DBAs who are less familiar with Db2 for z/OS can use this information to shorten their learning curve.

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