IBM Bolsters Db2 for i With Tech Refreshes
October 23, 2024 Alex Woodie
IBM is delivering a handful of new database capabilities with the latest batch of Technology Refreshes for IBM i 7.5 and 7.4, including new function to create Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs), new capabilities for the security data mart, and various enhancements to SQL-based IBM i Services.
A UUID is a random 36-character, 128-bit alphanumeric string that can be used to identify something, such as a row or table in a database, with near certainty that the identifier is unique, has never been used before, and will never be used again.
The UUID system was first implemented by the Open Software Foundation in 2005, and today there are eight versions. With version 4 of the UUID standard, which the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) defined in May 2024, there are 5.3 x 10 to the 36th power possible UUIDs, which makes it virtually impossible for any two computer systems to generate the same label.
IBM is supporting the generation of UUIDs with IBM i 7.5 TR5 and 7.4 TR11. Specifically, IBM is delivering two scalar functions, GENERATE_UUID and GENERATE_UUID_BINARY, that generate a formatted string representation and a binary string representation using the UUID version 4 algorithm. Many other databases support the generation of UUIDs, and now Db2 for i can claim to be one of them.
The new TRs introduce nine new IBM i Services, which are SQL-based methods used to accomplish various administrative and programming tasks on the server and which can often replace (or at least complement) CL commands and APIs that do the same thing. Over the years, IBM has created hundreds of IBM i Services, which can be called on using the Access Client Solutions (ACS) interface.
The QSYS2 library gains one new IBM i Service: a new view that returns configuration information about the service tools server. It returns similar information that an admin could get through the Start System Service Tools (STRSST) interface.
SYSTOOLS sees eight new IBM i Services. They include:
* Three scalar functions to add, change, and remove an entry in a specified validation list;
* A group of table functions that provides detailed information for audit journal entries, such as password failures;
* A view that returns information about the configuration description, similar to the Retrieve Configuration Status (RTVCFGSTS) CL command;
* An END_JOBS procedure that ends a set of active jobs according to a set of filters;
* An IFS_ACCESS scalar function that determines whether a file can be accessed in a particular manner, using the real user ID (UID) and group ID (GID);
* And the POWER_SCHEDULE view, which returns information about whether there is a power on or power off event scheduled for any particular day of the year.
IBM also is releasing 11 enhancements to existing IBM i Services, starting with:
* The Audit Journal Data Mart in QSYS2, which it launched in the spring. IBM has made two enhancements here, including the addition of a new procedure dubbed MANAGE_AUDIT_JOURNAL_DATA_MART that “offers enhanced user-based filtering options for security auditors to capture, analyze, and manage audit journal data efficiently, reducing storage requirements,” IBM says. IBM also is giving users the new view, dubbed AUDIT_JOURNAL_DATA_MART_INFO, that “provides visibility into user-based filtering applied to audit journal data marts” created using the command above.
* The ACTIVE_JOB_INFO table function, which works similarly to the Work with Active Jobs (WRKACTJOB) command and the List Job (QUSLJOB) API. IBM says it added a SQL Query Engine (SQE) QRO hash and unique plan identifier, which will “aid database engineers in performance analysis of active SQL queries,” it says.
* The COMPARE_IFS tool in QSYS2, which is a table function used to identify the differences between objects in the IFS. With this release, IBM has expanded the tool to compare additional IFS object attributes.
* The SYSTEM_STATUS table function in QSYS2, which gives the admin information about the current partition, similar to the Work with System Status (WRKSYSSTS) and the Work with System Activity (WRKSYSACT) commands. IBM has added more information about pool processors.
* The FIRMWARE_CURRENCY view in SYSTOOLS, which gives the admin a live comparison of the firmware fix level installed on the partition against the level available through a feed from the Fix Level Recommendation Tool (FLRT).
* The LPRINTF procedure in SYSTOOLS, which writes an informational message to the joblog.
Finally, IBM has made some enhancements to what it calls its Database Engineer (DBE) Services. In this case, it has enhanced the existing MTI_INFO table function in QSYS2, which returns information about active SQE Maintained Temporary Indexes (MTIs). The function now returns the table’s partition or member name and a list of QRO hashes and plan identifiers that have used the MTI.
As always, you can view more information about specific releases in the IBM support pages. Click here for information on enhancements to IBM i 7.5 and click here for more information on what’s new in IBM i 7.4.
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Small typo… LPARINTF should be LPRINTF