Chapter 17: Further Reading

IBM Official Documentation

z/OS

  • DB2 for z/OS Utility Guide and Reference — The definitive reference for all z/OS utility syntax, parameters, and behavior. Covers REORG, RUNSTATS, COPY, RECOVER, LOAD, UNLOAD, and every other z/OS utility in exhaustive detail. Available on IBM Documentation (search for the specific DB2 version, e.g., "DB2 13 for z/OS Utility Guide").
  • DB2 for z/OS Administration Guide — Chapters on database maintenance, backup and recovery strategy, and utility management. Provides architectural context for why and when to use each utility.
  • DB2 for z/OS Performance Monitoring and Tuning Guide — Coverage of how utility execution affects performance, buffer pool tuning during maintenance, and monitoring utility progress.

LUW

  • DB2 LUW Data Movement Utilities Guide and Reference — Covers LOAD, EXPORT, IMPORT, db2move, and related data movement commands with full syntax and examples.
  • DB2 LUW Database Administration Guide — Comprehensive coverage of REORG, RUNSTATS, BACKUP, RESTORE, ROLLFORWARD, and maintenance planning for LUW environments.
  • DB2 LUW Command Reference — Syntax details for all CLP commands including BACKUP DATABASE, RESTORE DATABASE, ROLLFORWARD DATABASE, and REORG.

IBM Redbooks

  • DB2 for z/OS: Utilities (SG24-series) — Practical Redbook with real-world examples of utility execution, performance tuning for utilities, and maintenance strategy design. Includes sample JCL and step-by-step walkthroughs.
  • DB2 10 for z/OS: Database Administration — Covers the DBA lifecycle including utility management, backup strategy, and recovery procedures with hands-on examples.
  • Optimizing DB2 Queries with IBM Data Studio — While focused on query tuning, includes detailed coverage of how RUNSTATS options (KEYCARD, FREQVAL, HISTOGRAM) affect optimizer decisions.
  • DB2 LUW Performance Tuning and Monitoring — Practical guidance on using REORG and RUNSTATS to maintain optimal query performance on LUW platforms.

Books

  • DB2 Developer's Guide by Craig S. Mullins — Long-standing reference covering DB2 utilities across versions. Strong on z/OS utility JCL patterns and operational procedures. Excellent for DBAs transitioning from development roles.
  • Understanding DB2: Learning Visually with Examples by Raul F. Chong et al. — Accessible treatment of DB2 LUW utilities including LOAD, EXPORT, IMPORT, BACKUP, and RESTORE with clear examples and diagrams.
  • DB2 for z/OS and OS/390: Ready for Java by Dirk Wollscheid — While Java-focused, includes practical chapters on maintaining DB2 z/OS systems that serve Java applications, including utility scheduling.
  • Advanced DBA Certification Guide and Reference for DB2 — Covers utility topics at the certification exam depth, useful for both learning and exam preparation.

IBM Technical Articles and Technotes

  • Best Practices: DB2 for z/OS REORG — IBM Support technote covering SHRLEVEL selection, FASTSWITCH configuration, mapping table sizing, and common REORG problems.
  • Best Practices: DB2 for z/OS RUNSTATS — Guidance on when to collect KEYCARD, FREQVAL, HISTOGRAM, and column group statistics, with decision trees for choosing the right options.
  • Best Practices: DB2 Image Copy and Recovery — Covers backup strategy design, copy frequency recommendations, and recovery procedures with worked examples.
  • DB2 LUW LOAD Performance Tips — Tuning guidance for maximizing LOAD throughput including buffer sizing, parallelism, and logging options.
  • Chapter 14 (Physical Storage) — Tablespace design directly affects utility behavior and performance. Revisit extent sizing, free space percentages, and buffer pool allocation in the context of REORG efficiency.
  • Chapter 15 (Indexing Strategies) — Index design and clustering choices determine how quickly data fragments and how much REORG improves performance. Understanding index leaf page splits informs REORG INDEX scheduling.
  • Chapter 18 (Monitoring and Performance) — The next chapter builds on utility concepts by introducing the monitoring tools and diagnostic techniques that identify which tablespaces need maintenance attention.
  • Chapter 22 (Disaster Recovery) — Later in Part IV, we will expand the backup and recovery concepts from this chapter into full disaster recovery planning, including site failover, log shipping, and HADR.

Online Resources

  • IBM Data Community Forums — Active forums where DB2 DBAs discuss utility strategies, troubleshoot problems, and share maintenance scripts. Search for utility-specific topics for real-world solutions.
  • IDUG (International DB2 Users Group) — Technical conferences and online content library with presentations on utility best practices from experienced DB2 practitioners. IDUG sessions on maintenance automation and utility chaining are particularly relevant.
  • DB2Night Show Archives — Recorded webcasts featuring DB2 experts discussing utility performance tuning, backup strategies, and real-world maintenance scenarios.

Certification Relevance

The topics in this chapter are heavily tested on the following IBM certifications: - IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 for z/OS — Utility execution, backup/recovery strategy, and maintenance planning are core exam topics. - IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 LUW — REORG, RUNSTATS, BACKUP, RESTORE, ROLLFORWARD, LOAD, and EXPORT are all covered in the exam objectives. - IBM Certified Advanced Database Administrator — Advanced utility topics including SHRLEVEL CHANGE mechanics, FlashCopy integration, utility chaining with LISTDEF/TEMPLATE, and recovery from complex failure scenarios.