IBM zEnterprise System®: DB2 10 for z/OS Large Objects with SAP® Insurance Solutions

Summary

Database applications need to store items such as large text documents, audio, video, drawings and images. To support this need, IBM’s DB2 for z/OS introduced Large Object (LOB) support in Version 6. This initial support was “outline”. That is, LOB data is not physically stored in the base table space with non-LOB columns. Rather, LOB data is stored in auxiliary LOB table spaces. DB2 for z/OS 10 introduced “inline” LOBs, where at least some of the LOB data can be stored in the base table space. Coincident with this, SAP increased its use of LOBs in products over the last several years. The purpose of this paper is to describe experiences converting from outline to inline LOBs and especially to recount inline LOB space efficiencies. Inline LOBs were introduced for DB2 10, but the topic of converting to inline LOBs is also pertinent to DB2 11.This paper is a demonstration of the DB2 inline LOB feature, with significant space savings over a set of outline LOB choices, in a real world application, like the SAP Insurance Financial Service Policy Management (FS-PM), policy update function. It describes tests IBM performed with System z, DB2 for z/OS and the SAP for Insurance FS-PM policy update function which exploits DB2 DBCLOBs(double-byte character LOBs).These tests were not performance measurements nor were they formal benchmarks. Our goal was to understand benefits of using DB2 inline LOBs with an application that makes use of them. Benefits may vary based on LOB characteristics and use, but DB2 inline LOBs can offer significant space saving possibilities for SAP Insurance and applications that use LOBs.