The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 9; XML and DB2From Orlando, Florida for the IDUG NA 2013 Technical Conference! I'm joined by famed DB2 consultant, and my brother from another, Kurt Struyf. Kurt and I have been doing a lot of research on DB2 and XML, as well as working with our customers on XML implementations in DB2. We collaborated on a stellar SQL and XML technical session at IDUG NA 2013, and thought we should take some of our experience to a podcast. We talk about all things XML and cover storage, XPATH expressions, indexing, SQL/XML, and more! We're drinking Yuengling and listening to Robbin the Liquor Store by The Scabs, Are you Alright by Lucinda Williams, and Carry On by Fun. It's been too long since I had a podcast with Kurt!

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 8; DB2 for LUW PerformanceFrom Berlin, Germany. From the IDUG EMEA Technical Conference 2012 I speak with Melanie Stopfer of IBM and independent consultant Joe Geller about DB2 for LUW Performance. This critical discussion is a rare meeting of some of the best minds in the world of DB2 for LUW. We discuss a number of important features in versions 9.7 and 10.1, and how to take advantage of these advanced features for performance. I don't remember what we were drinking, but there's a good chance there was some Rodenbach involved! The song beds include Black Horse and the Cheery Tree by KT Tunstall, a song by the Baltimore band Telesma that unfortunately I don't remember but is way cool, and Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing by Chris Isaak.

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 7; DB2 DB2 for z/OS Data SharingFrom Las Vegas, NV. In this third of three podcasts from the IBM Information on Demand Conference I speak with Mark Rader of IBM about DB2 for z/OS Data Sharing. This is a must-listen for anyone who suspects that they might not have a proper data sharing configuration as we discuss how to configure data sharing properly for what you want to use it for; performance, distribution of workload, high availability. We are drinking home made beer and Rodenbach.The song beds include The Midnight Rider by the Allman Brothers, Trouble Maker by Weezer, and Rebel Girl by Survivor!

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 6; DB2 Application Performance Analysis2From Las Vegas, NV. In this second of three podcasts from the IBM Information on Demand Conference I speak with Florence Dubois and John Campbell of IBM about how we go about collecting performance metrics and analyzing the information we get from accounting traces. Flo is drinking my home made (Wayward Brewing Company) Altbier, and I'm having a Rodenbach (John's got a water, but provides the popping sound effect when we try to click our plastic cups of beer). The song beds include The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti and Spearheads, Time by The Alan Parsons Project, and January Wedding by the Avett Brothers. An increadible highpoint in the history of the Cocktail Hour!

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 5; DBA 2012From Las Vegas, NV. In the first of three podcasts from the IBM Information on Demand Conference I speak with Craig Mullins about the evolution of the role of database administrator in the year 2012. We discuss the challenges that DBAs face today and then offer suggestions as to how they can make their lives a little easier while preserving their jobs. We both drinking my home made (Wayward Brewing Company) Abbey Dubbel beer. The song beds include Wild Mountain Honey by Steve Miller, Dream Baby by Roy Orbison, and Repo Man by Ray LaMontagne. Listen as I miss the post on the opening song, but in the next two podcasts I get better!

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 4; Advanced SQLFrom Philadelphia, PA. David Simpson of Themis and myself decided to pow wow on the concept of advanced SQL before hitting the town for some BBQ and beer. We discuss the how and why of advanced SQL as well as the coding and performance advantages. We are drinking Yard's Philly Pale Ale and I pick up the guitar to add the music beds of Bridle on a Bull by Chris Knight, Harvest Moon by Neil young, and Freebird by Lynard Skynard. Enjoy!

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 3; The New Data Studio 3.1.1From IDUG NA in Denver, Colorado. We've got the best of the best when it comes to Data Studio; Saghi Amirsoleymani of IBM and Tony Andrews of Themis. We discuss the history of the visual explain tools and the evolution that landed us at Data Studio 3.1.1. Then we discuss the improvements that have been made to the tool, including the easier navigation and more powerful features. Tuning queries with Data Studio is discussed in some detail along with the use of the Statistics Advisor, all of which is available at no charge from IBM. Go to the links page for a direct link to the Data Studio download. The song beds include I'd Love to Change the World by Ten Years After, Live Forever by Joe Ely, and Better Days by Bruce Springsteen. Saghi is drinking my own Wayward Brewing Company Wild Cider and Tony is having a Wayward Brewing Company Kolsch-Style, While I'm having some ______ Brazilian beer courtesy of my good friend Steen Rasmussen.

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 2; Taking Advantage of New SQL In DB2 9 and 10From IDUG NA in Denver, Colorado. I meet up with one of my favorite special guests and good friend Chris Crone. I saw Chris' presentation at IDUG on the newer SQL features in DB2 9 and 10 and it really struck a chord. Many shops have installed this software but few are exploiting these new SQL features. So, we thought we would give a rundown of some of the features we thought were important and worth exploring, especially from a performance perspective. The song beds include Bridle on a Bull by Chris Knight, Jambalaya by Eddy Raven and Jo-El Sonnier, and Blue by The Jayhawks. Chris is drinking some of my Wayward Brewing Company Abbey Dubbel beer, and I'm having some ______ Brazilian beer courtesy of my good friend Steen Rasmussen.

The DB2 Cocktail Hour Podcast 1; DB2 Indexing Optionsnotes by Dan...Lincoln, Nebraska. In this podcast my special guest, Joe Eller of the State of Nebraksa, and I drop back to basics and discuss the many indexing options available with DB2 for z/OS. A lot of time we see an abuse of indexing, with a lot of people creating too many indexes, the wrong indexes, or improperly applying an certain index type. So, we discuss the different indexing options available, what they do, when they should be used, and the performance implecations of various indexing options. We are drinking Michelobe Amber Bock and listening toRing of Fire by Johnny Cash, For the Summer by Ray LaMontagne, and All in My Head by Shawn Mullins. Cheers!