I was writing up some exciting stuff on the new IBM i 7.3 features when I realized I never finished reporting about other recent DB2 features! Below are highlights of some newer features offered starting in DB2 for i 7.2 TR3 and 7.1 TR11.

Assign A System Name To A Global Variable

Recall that when you create a global variable, behind the scenes SQL Server implements the variable’s logic and value retrieval logic as a service program. The following variable definition with a long name (>10 characters):

CREATE OR REPLACE VARIABLE DEV.AVENGERS_TOWER VARCHAR(32)
DEFAULT (SELECT ADDRESS FROM DEV.HERO WHERE 

Converting physical files to tables is a good thing to do, but if you work in the sorts of shops where I’ve worked, you already have more than you can do and you don’t have time to fix what isn’t broken. However, if I could make it easy for you, maybe you’d find the time to convert physical files where doing so is to most advantageous. Let me show you how easy it can be.

First, you need a place to put the SQL DDL (data definition language) source.

crtpf  mylib/sqlsrc

Second, you need an SQL client. I have used

I wrote a tip way back in 2007 about how easy it is to start a debug session using Service Entry Points (SEPs). Back then, the tool was still called WDSC, and at that time I mentioned that there were some occasions when SEPs wouldn’t work. So what can you do if you’re in one of those situations?

You can’t set an SEP on a program whose member type doesn’t end in LE. For example, with RPG or CLP programs. That’s not to say that you can’t debug non-LE programs when using SEPs–you simply can’t use one of those program