News
Abstract
The current release of IBM® Db2® on Cloud offers the following new features and functions. Any changed or deprecated functions that require changes on the client side are also noted here.
Content
18 Jun 2024
08 Apr 2024
21 Feb 2024
12 Oct 2023
2 Aug 2023
10 Apr 2023
27 Oct 2022
- Support for scaling storage up to 24 TB (Enterprise plan only)
- Auto-scaling. With this feature, an administrator can allow a formation to auto-scale storage when a specified storage threshold is met (for example, when 90% of the allocated storage is in use).
- Support for HyperProtect Key Services
- You can now specify a retention period for your backup images. Any Cloud Object Storage usage above the quantity included in your base plan will incur additional charges.
- The console supports a new SQL editor with database object tree view. When a user writes a query, the SQL editor helps to quickly find a target table, view, and other table-like objects. It can also generate DDL or get column details to help the user complete the query.
- Support for buffer pools and table spaces with the UI. Users can now view buffer pools and table spaces under Storage Object. Users can also create, alter, and delete buffer pools and table spaces in the console by using an SQL template.
19 Oct 2022
- Enhanced set integrity performance
- Data server clients and drivers enhancements
- New abbreviated syntax for Federation server
- New MON_GET_CONNECTION(_DETAILS) metrics CONNECT_SEC_TYPE, CONNECT_CIPHER_SPEC, SSL_SRV_CERT_LABEL and SSL_SRV_CERT_FINGERPRINT
17 Oct 2022
22 Aug 2022
19 July 2022
2 May 2022
24 Feb 2022
- An update of the Db2 level to 11.5.7.0.
- An upgrade of Sao Paulo and Toronto from Single Zone Region (SZR) to Multi Zone Region (MZR)
- Regional backups have been enabled for Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney, Dallas, Washington, Toronto, Sao Paulo, London and Frankfurt
- BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) encryption has been enabled for regional backups
- Regional backup support has been added to the IBM Cloud CLI
- Additional fixes and enhancements, including security updates, and a fix to password change functionality
14 Dec 2021
29 Sept 2021
8 Sept 2021
- An update of the Db2 level to 11.5.6.0. For more information about this Db2 fix pack, see here.
9 Aug 2021
15 Mar 2021
- An update of the Db2 level to 11.5.5.0. For more information about this Db2 fix pack, see here.
- Geo-Replicated Disaster Recovery (DR) -- for high availability plans only. This optional feature leverages the Db2 HADR technology and gives you the ability to add a DR node, on demand, in an off-site data center of your choice. In the unlikely event that the primary region is affected by unforeseen circumstances such a natural disaster, you can fail over to your Geo-Replicated Disaster Recovery node with a few clicks. You can also fail back to your primary region as easily. The feature will be made available for non-high-availability plans at a later date. For more information, see here.
- Fixes in the console interface.
17 Nov 2020
- Self-serve updates, which give you the ability to apply system updates to your instances at a time of your choosing. For more information, see here.
- The copy feature. Note that this feature has changed behavior since the version of the feature that was available with legacy plans. For more information, see here.
- You can now take on-demand backups of your data. These backups are in addition to the scheduled backups taken as part of the service.
- A fix to a defect that prevented data loads of files greater than 1 MB.
10 Sep 2020
19 Aug 2020
29 July 2020
24 June 2020
IBM Db2 on Cloud has never been more ready to take on your toughest, mission critical workloads. To support enterprises both large and small, we are releasing new service plans that support robust HADR capabilities and built-in machine learning. Starting June 24, 2020, you can purchase the Enterprise plan, featuring these exciting new capabilities:
- Dedicated compute and storage running the latest release of Db2, Version 11.5
- Independent scaling of compute and storage with slider-bar UI and REST API
- Three high-availability nodes plan spanning multiple availability zones
- Self-service managed backup with point-in-time restore
- 1 TB of free backup storage for up to 14 days of backups
- Private endpoint connectivity
14 May 2020
25 Feb 2020
30 Sept 2019
- Copy database. This feature allows you to create a full database copy of a source database using a few clicks in the UI or an API. For example, you can copy a database and use it as a template to create new databases. Or, you can schedule a job that takes a fresh copy of your production database every morning to use as a development and test machine.
- IBM Key Protect. This feature allows you to control your own encryption keys. For more information, see here.
- Point-in-time restore. This feature allows you to restore to an exact point in time from your backups. It was previously available on request, but is now available by default on all systems. For more information, see here.
- Resource Controller is now live in all regions. All new Db2 on Cloud service instances you create will be created in a resource group. See the Resource Controller subsection of the 8 August 2019 update below for important information about migrating your service instances from their current Cloud Foundry org and space to a resource group. Note that migrating your existing service instances is an essential step if you want to use the new copy database feature or Key Protect.
20 Sept 2019
8 August 2019
- The full stack, including the Db2 engine and console interface, will be updated.
- For a list of new and changed functionality in the Db2 engine, see the Mod Pack 4 and Fix Pack 4 section here. One key enhancement is a new set of built-in JSON SQL functions that better support SQL interaction with JSON data.
- For a list of the new and changed functionality in the console, see below.
- Db2 on Cloud will then be migrated to Resource Controller. No maintenance window will be required for this non-disruptive, back-end update. For more information about what this means to you, including some recommended migration steps, see below.
- The landing page has been redesigned and now includes a monitoring overview. The previous landing page contained three panels -- "Quick stats", "Connect" and "Load history". These panels have been moved. "Quick stats" is now available as hover help for the Storage item in the top menu bar; "Connect" has been moved to "Connection Information > Connect"; and "Load history" has been moved to "Load > Load history".
- New pages have been added under the Explore menu item and the Monitor menu item. These provide you with a deeper view of your database structure and objects, and more information about your system performance. Admin users are given more new options than non-admin users.
- The "Explore - Tables" page has been redesigned, with new functionality added.
- The "RUN SQL" page has been redesigned.
- The console now supports Load from COS (Cloud Object Storage).
- New APIs have been added to allow you to query monitoring and metrics information, and to allow you to query information on schemas and SQL jobs.
- The Help page for REST APIs has been redesigned to include examples of correct usage.
- Requirements for passwords have been strengthened. The minimum password length is now 15 characters (up from 12), and passwords must contain at least one of each of the following types of character: uppercase letter, lowercase letter, digit, and special character. When a user's legacy password does not meet the new requirements, the user will be prompted to change their password when they log in to the console.
- What is a resource?
- Best practices for organizing resources in a resource group (includes several use case examples)
- Creating and managing resource groups
- Migrating Cloud Foundry service instances and apps to a resource group
- Managing connections (includes creating a service credential, and binding the resource to an app in the same or a different IBM Cloud region)
- General CLI (ibmcloud) commands
- Creating, deleting, and binding Cloud Foundry services (lists IBM Cloud API replacement commands for older Cloud Foundry commands)
25 July 2019
14 June 2019
Db2 on Cloud now supports IBM Service Endpoint in the London and Tokyo data centers.
8 May 2019
14 November 2018
Db2 on Cloud now supports IBM Cloud Object Store as a cloud object storage location from which to load data using Db2 utilities. Both regional and cross-regional endpoints are supported.
2 October 2018
Db2 on Cloud now supports Identity and Access Management (IAM). This feature enables you to securely authenticate users for platform services and control access to resources consistently across the IBM Cloud platform. For more information, refer to the Knowledge Center.
13 August 2018
Db2 on Cloud Lite tier is now available in the London data center.
24 July 2018
IBM Hybrid Data Management Platform is now available for Db2 on Cloud. This plan allows you to purchase IBM FlexPoints and allocate them toward multiple resources with a single subscription. For more information, see here.
7 July 2018
Disaster recovery (DR) is now available on Db2 on Cloud. For more information, see here.
20 June 2018
Db2 on Cloud introduces a new console user interface. After your service is updated with the new console, follow the steps here to clear your web browser cache.
The new console includes the following new and changed functionality:
MONITOR
- On the CONNECTIONS page, you can view applications that connect to the current Db2 on Cloud. When an application might impact the performance of the database, you can use the Force Application button to disconnect the application. You can also filter the applications using different metrics, and export the application status to a spreadsheet file.
- On the STORAGE page, you can view the storage status in a list or a heat map, either by schema or by table. You can also filter the storage status using different metrics, and export the storage status to a spreadsheet file.
- On the IN-FLIGHT EXECUTIONS page, you can view the SQL statements that are currently running on the database. You can also filter the SQL statements using different rules, and export the SQL statements to a spreadsheet file.
- Both administrator and normal users can use the monitoring features. For a normal user, only the data of the current user can be monitored and displayed.
RUN SQL
- When you type SQL statements within the SQL editor, the syntax can be validated in real time and recommended fixes for the SQL statement are displayed as annotations in the SQL editor.
- You can save the SQL statements in the SQL editor either to the server, or to a .sql file in order to share the script with other users.
- By adding a FAVORITES tag to the saved SQL statements, you can load the SQL statements into the SQL editor with one click on the drop-down menu of the Favorites button.
- You can export the result of one or more queries to a spreadsheet file, such as an .xlsx file or a .CSV file.
- When you access the console from different browsers, the history of SQL statements executed within the SQL editor is also displayed.
- You can also choose to run a subset of a group of SQL statements from the SQL editor.
- The SQL statements that you are working on are automatically saved and will be restored if you lose your connection to the console.
Security Enhancement
- Forgot password support: For non-entry plans, you can use your user ID and email address to reset the password if you forget your password. You can also use the /auth/reset REST API to reset the password. The reset instruction is sent to your email address and is valid for 24 hours. Note that you can only reset your password once within 24 hours.
- Password policy GUI support: Administrators can update or delete the existing password policy, create new password policies, and assign a specific password policy to a user on the Manage Users page, or using REST API endpoints. The principles in a password policy are enforced as follows for different user roles.
Administrator
|
User
|
|
Password expiration date |
X
|
X
|
Password minimum length |
X
|
X
|
Failed login attempts |
X
|
X
|
Account lockout duration |
X
|
X
|
Password history |
X
|
Support for Internet Explorer
- You can use Internet Explorer (IE) 11 to access the Db2 on Cloud console.
Load
- You can load the data from a local .csv file that is larger than 2GB. However, you need to enable the High-speed loads powered by Aspera button for a file that is larger than 10GB.
6 June 2018
Federation capability is now available for Db2-based sources over non-SSL connections. You can use federation capability to access data that is located on a data source that is different from the one to which you submitted a query. Supported data sources include IBM Db2 on Cloud, IBM Db2, IBM Db2 Warehouse on Cloud, IBM Db2 Warehouse, IBM Big SQL, and IBM Integrated Analytics System (IIAS). Federation is not supported on the Lite Plan.
23 March 2018
Db2 on Cloud free Lite plan
Db2 on Cloud now includes a free Lite plan. You can sign up for free, without needing to enter a credit card. To get started, click here.
Db2 on Cloud geo-replicated disaster recovery (DR) is in closed beta
Currently, IBM offers HA for Db2 on Cloud within the same data center. With this new beta program, Db2 on Cloud now includes off-site high-availability disaster recovery (HADR) between 2 geographically separated data centers. To apply for the beta program, contact your IBM representative. Watch this page to learn when this functionality is made generally available.
18 July 2017
New offering names
The following table summarizes the new offering names:
Previous name | New name | Effective date |
IBM dashDB for Analytics | IBM Db2 Warehouse on Cloud | July 18, 2017 |
IBM dashDB Local | IBM Db2 Warehouse | July 18, 2017 |
IBM dashDB for Transactions | IBM Db2 on Cloud | June 20, 2017 |
20 June 2017
dashDB for Transactions has a new name and includes a new plan
Effective June 20th, IBM dashDB for Transactions was renamed IBM Db2 on Cloud. For more information, see the following blog post. In the coming weeks, you'll notice the new name when you open the console and in the product documentation.
The new Flex plan allows you to scale CPU/RAM and storage independently, on demand. Scaling is easy... just use the slider-bars in the console. For more information, click here.
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Modified date:
18 June 2024
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ibm10739537