DB2 Version 9 RLF – Not Just For SAP

(Originally posted 2007-10-10.)

Namik Hrle, the IBM Distinguished Engineer for DB2 for SAP, presented yesterday to an internal audience. (It’s the first time I’d seen him present and he’s a very dynamic presenter.) His presentation prompted me to download the Enhancing SAP by Using DB2 9 for z/OS Red Book. One item I’d like to pull out is the enhancements in DB2 Version 9 to RLF. RLF will cancel SQL execution for an application that uses too much resource (and you can specify how much resource that is).

What’s new in Version 9 is in the area of additional work qualifiers. In Version 8 the granularity is at the plan, package, collection, Authid and LU Name level. For distributed applications (those using DDF), these three qualifiers usually aren’t enough. In Version 9 additional qualifiers are recognised: Client workstation name, Client application name, Client userid and TCP/IP address.

While this RLF enhancement was billed yesterday as one of the 42 line items in Version 9 for SAP (and there were a further 53 for SAP in Version 8) I don’t think this one’s value is unique to SAP. For example, that rogue in the Chief Executive’s office who runs a huge DB2 query driven from Excel can be stopped in their tracks – with much more focused targeting. 🙂

So if you’ve tried to use RLF in the past to curtail runaway DDF work, and you’re looking for yet another reason to go to Version 9, consider the enhancements to RLF.