IDUG Db2 Tech Conference 2025 Highlights

I had the good fortune to attend the North American IDUG Db2 Tech Conference in Atlanta, Georgia the week of June 8 through June 12, 2025, and as usual, the conference was phenomenal. If you are a Db2 developer, DBA, consultant, or user of any type there was a ton of content being shared. And there were many opportunities to mingle with peers to discuss and share your Db2 tips, tricks, and experiences. And that is probably the most beneficial part of the whole IDUG experience.

I’ve been going to IDUG conferences for a long time now. I’ve been to them all except the very first one. And yes, IDUG has changed a lot over the years, but it is still the preeminent user experience for Db2 professionals… that is, it is not to be missed!

So there I was on Monday morning, one of the many attendees filing into the opening session expectantly...

I took a seat among the crowd... and the first key takeaway from the event for me is that there are more new attendees going to IDUG than ever before. It was stated at the opening session that about 10 percent of attendees were first-timers. That is great news because the more new people exposed to IDUG the better! Even better, it was announced that there are over 16,000 IDUG members now.

The first keynote session, on Monday, was sponsored by IBM and it was titled Leveraging your Db2 Data for Enterprise AI. The keynote featured Minaz Merali, Vice President, IBM Z Data & AI and Priya Srinivasan, Vice President, IBM Core Software Products, Software Support & SRE. And yes, this session was heavy into IBM’s AI strategy, which is appropriate as AI is the driving force of IT these days. Indeed, it was said that IBM is branding itself as the hybrid cloud and AI company!

Another interesting tidbit from the keynote is that "Today only 1% of enterprise data is currently being leveraged by GenAI." So, we've still go a long way to go! Also, 90% of enterprise data is unstructured, which requires a completely different way of processing and analyzing than traditional, structured data. 

The speakers also identified four primary ways to scale AI with Db2 across the enterprise: application building, human productivity, performance, and integration. 

And it sure felt good to hear IBMers promoting Db2 loudly for all to hear. It sometimes feels like Db2 is a forgotten jewel that IBM doesn't promote as much as they should. But it does not feel that way at IDUG. The keynote speakers hammered home the point that IBM Db2 powers the modern economy! 

The top ten largest banks, insurance, and auto companies all rely on Db2! And 70 percent of the world's transactions run on the IBM Z mainframe.

But perhaps my favorite comment of the IBM keynote session was made by a user, Chris Muncan (Sr. Mainframe Db2 DBA at Sun Life), who was participating as part of a user panel. He called “legacy” systems “legendary” instead! I think I'm going to use that.

As an aside, I started feeling old as I listened to people talking about 15 or 20 years of experience and realizing that is still post-2000! I sometimes still think of 20 years ago as being in the 1980s!

I also delivered two presentations myself at IDUG. The first one was Monday, right after lunch, titled "Index Modernization in Db2 for z/OS." The general thrust of the presentation is that technology is evolving, and Db2 has changed a lot. As such, the same indexing strategies that worked well 10 or 20 or more years ago are no longer optimal. The presentation started with a brief review of the critical role of indexes and their history in Db2 for z/OS. Then I covered the many innovations IBM has applied to indexes in Db2 for z/OS over the past few releases including things like index compression, Fast Traverse Blocks (FTBs), and index features like include columns and indexing on expressions. Here I am talking about one of the newer index features, FTBs:

I also reviewed some of the many other changes that could impact indexing strategy including changing data patterns, analytics and IDAA, data growth, and the surge in dynamic SQL. Then I took at look at ways to examine your current index deployment and looking for ways to modernize and improve indexing at your shop.

Well, the topic must have struck a chord with attendees because I was ranked as the best user speaker at the conference for this presenation. 

Thank you to all of the attendees who ranked my topic so highly, I am truly appreciative!

Later in the day the vendor expo hall opened and all the attendees were able to talk to the vendors about their products. I always take advantage of this great opportunity to chat up the knowledgeable folks at the vendor booths. Indeed, last year I was able to talk to the Rocket Software team to add a crucial feature to the Db2 Admin Tool for a client of mine!

This year, I also spent some time with the InfoTel team at their booth to help them promote their DB/IQ solutions for Db2 for z/OS. 

And two lucky winners walked away with a copy of my book, A Guide to Db2 Performance for Application Developers.

Day two opened with a keynote session from Greg Lotko of Broadcom - a fun session tying local "treaures" of Atlanta to Broadcom's Db2 solutions. 

Tuesday was also the day I delivered my second presentation, an updated version of My Db2 Top Ten Lists, which I first presented over 20 years ago at IDUG. Of course, this version was almost entirely new, but also contained some gems from past iterations of the lists. The lists run the spectrum of Db2 topic areas and provides me the opportunity to discuss a wide array of different Db2-related “things.” 

Of course, there were many more great sessions at IDUG from the likes of Thomas Bauman, Chris Muncan, Roy Boxwell, and many more. I cannot list every great speaker from the event or this post would run on forever, and it is already quite long. A few things that I do want to mention are:

• The great Women in Technology keynote session from day three "Harnessing the Power of Adaptability, Innovation, and Resilience" delivered by Jennifer Pharr Davis. 
• The Db2 for z/OS Spotlight session where Haakon Roberts illuminated everybody on highlights of how to prepare for the future of Db2 for z/OS.
• And the Db2 for z/OS Experts Panel - which is always a highlight of the event for me - where a body of IBM and industry luminaries take questions about Db2 for z/OS from the attendees.

Finally, there were nightly events hosted by the vendoes but the only one I attended this year was the IBM outing held at the Georgia Aquarium. The aquarium is one of the largest in the world and it contains some very large aquatic beasties including whale sharks, beluga whales, manta rays, and more. Here are some photos:

All in all it was a great week... if you are an IT professional who works with Db2 in any fashion, be sure to plan your trip to the next IDUG event in your area! 

 

Good Resources for Db2 for z/OS Information

Just a short blog post today to provide a nice chart of useful Db2 for z/OS sites on the web for you to bookmark and use!

Site	Type	Strengths
IBM Db2 for z/OS Page	Official Information	Latest features, product positioning, modernization guidance
IBM Redbooks	Supplementary / Use Cases	In-depth scenarios, practical implementation advice and details
Db2 for z/OS Doc	Documentation / Manuals	Comprehensive details, for each version, regularly updated
IDUG	Community site	User experiences, best practices, conference information
Craig Mullins website	Consultant site	Articles, Links, and Presentations

Highlights of the 2024 NA IDUG Db2 Tech Conference

Just a quick blog post today to let my readers know that I have written an overview of the 2024 IDUG Db2 Tech Conference in Chartlotte, NC this past June. 

The overview was written for the SHARE'd Intelligence blog, which is the official publication of SHARE. It offers news and education on enterprise solutions, and you would be wise to bookmark the site to keep up with the content shared there. 

The post I wrote is titled Riding the Waves of Knowledge at the IDUG Db2 Tech Conference. I hope you'll check it out, read my perspective, and share your thoughts on it here... and make plans to attend next year's IDUG event in Atlanta!

Who's Going to Charlotte for IDUG 2024?

Spring is in the air and as a Db2 professional you know that can mean only one thing: the North American IDUG Db2 Tech Conference will soon be upon us! 

This year IDUG is back in Charlotte (like it was back in 2019). Ahhh, the pre-CovID days! Nevertheless, I am looking forward to an exciting week of learning more about my favorite DBMS and mingling with others Db2 users and fans!

This year, the event runs from Sunday June 23rd thru Thursday June 27th and it will be held at Le Meridien Hotel. But what can you expect if you attend? Well, there will be a tremendous number of educational opportunities at the IDUG Db2 Tech Conference. IBMers, vendor experts, users, IBM Champions, and IBM Gold consultants from all over the world converge in one location and share their experiences. So you know there will be numerous informative technical sessions on all the latest and greatest Db2 technologies, features, and related products. And you can view the grid with all of this year's presentations here.

Additionally, you can earn Db2 for z/OS and Db2 for LUW certification and badges at no additional cost. Every attendee can take one exam at no addtional cost! Not to mention the Expo Hall with all your favorite Db2 product vendors, pre- and post- conference workshops, Special Interest Groups, expert panels, evening receptions, and fun evening events sponsored by Broadcom and IBM.

If you’ve ever attended an IDUG conference in the past then you know why I’m excited. If you haven't attended before, I'm sure you'll find a lot to occupy your interest!

And be sure to seek me out and say "Howdy!" I'll be giving two presentations this year.

First up, on Monday June 24th I'll be delivering a presentation based on some of the things that I've encountered as an independent consultant. Titled Oh, The Things I've Seen: Db2 Stories and Best Practices, I'll talk about things like RUNSTATS, RID failures, and more in a Dr. Seuss-like way. You won't want to miss that, will you? 

Later I will be co-presenting a vendor-sponsored presentation with InfoTel on the topic of Data Governance for DBAs. In it, we will address the difference between governance and administration, as well as some of the biggest issues facing data governance these days. And, of course, how these things impact DBAs. InfoTel will also show how their technology can aid the process!

I will also be spending some time in the InfoTel booth so you can always stop by there to say hello or ask me a question!

So I hope to see you in Charlotte for a great week of education and camaraderie at this year's premier event for Db2 professionals, the IDUG Db2 Tech Conference. 

See You In Scotland for IDUG?

Just a quick post to let folks know that I will be presenting at the IDUG EMEA Db2 Tech Conference the last week of October 2022. The conference will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK at the Edinburgh International Conference Center (EICC), and even though the event runs from Saturday to Wednesday (instead of the customary Sunday through Thursday), you can still find a full slate of educational opportunities delivered by IBMers, vendors, users, and consultants from all over the world. In other worlds, there will be an impressive array of shared Db2 knowledge to consume.

So, where can you find me there?

First of all, on Monday, October 24th at 15:40 (for those of you who struggle with military time that is 3:40 PM) I will be presenting with Insoft-InfoTel on the topic "Intelligent Automation of Db2 Administration and Management." 

This session will discuss the importance of automation, particularly as it is applied to managing your Db2 for z/OS databases. I'll look at trends in automation and things you should consider automating. We'll also take a look at the various ways that traditional database management tasks are undertaken and the risks and cost associated with those tactics. And then InfoTel will share their iDBA-Online solution for automating your Db2 for z/OS management tasks and how it can mitigate risks and cost.

I will also be spending some time at the InfoTel booth in the exhibit hall on Monday evening, so be sure to stop by and discuss any Db2 topics with me!

I hope to see you at this year's IDUG EMEA conference the last week of October 2022. And if you are going to be there, be sure to attend my presentation and/or seek me out to say "Hello!"

My Speaking Schedule at IDUG Db2 Tech Conference in Boston (2022)

 Just a quick note to let everybody who is coming to Boston in July for IDUG know what I will be speaking about and when my presentations are scheduled!

First of all, my regular IDUG session this year is titled "Things Your DBAs Hear... and how to stop making them crazy!" This session is based on my decades of experience as a DBA and as a consultant. This session walks you through interactions between developers and DBAs, in a light-hearted way. All of them are real-life examples of actual conversations I've been in (or observed).  Attend this session to learn what frustrates DBAs and how improving your communication can improve your relationship with your DBAs... and therefore improve your development  efforts!  This is session E11, and it will be delivered on Wednesday, July 13 at 11:30 AM.

I will also be presenting at two different VSP sessions, one on Tuesday and another on Wednesday (this is the 10:15 AM time slot on both days).

On Tuesday, I will be presenting with InfoTel on the topic "To Protect and Preserve: Treat Your Data Properly or Pay the Consquences." This session will discuss vital data management issues such as data archiving and data protection (my portion), as well as some products that can help you manager your data better (the InfoTel portion). 

On Wednesday, I will be presenting "How to Accelerate Db2 SQL Workloads... Without Db2!" for Log-On Software. This session takes a look at in-memory trends and issues, and shines a light on how QuickSelect can improve the performance of SQL queries.

I hope to see you at this year's IDUG North American conference the week of July 11, 2022. If you are there, come see one (or all) of my sessions... and be sure to say "Howdy!"

On The Road Again… IDUG North American Db2 Tech Conference 2022

Well, it looks like this year IDUG will be a live, in-person event again after a couple years of living virtually. The COVID pandemic took its toll on IT events and conferences, but I, for one, am looking forward to getting back out there and mingling – safely – with my Db2 colleagues. And the North American IDUG conference Boston this July is just the place to do it!

Yes, I know that July is still 3 months away, but it is definitely time to start making your plans now to attend this year's IDUG... because let’s face it, you probably haven’t traveled in a while so you’ll be rusty and need all the time you can get to plan effectively!  Starting now means that there’s still time to get your manager’s approval, make your travel plans, find all those suitcases you'll need that have been collecting dust, familiarize yourself with your airline's travel requirements, buy a new box of KN-95 masks, and be where all the cool Db2 folks will be this July 11-14, 2022.

If you’ve ever attended an IDUG conference before then you know why I’m excited. IDUG offers a world of phenomenal educational opportunities delivered by IBM developers, vendor experts, users, and consultants from all over the world. There will be a slew of informative technical sessions on all of the latest and greatest Db2 technologies and features. 

At this point, the agenda has not been set yet, but c’mon, you know it is going to be a great event. Especially with Db2 Vnext looming on the horizon, right?

So get on it and start planning to be in Boston this July. And if you need any help justifying your attendance at this year’s IDUG event, IDUG offers a handy template for creating a justification letter for your boss. You’ll need to make some changes for the 2022 event, but it is a nice starting point.

The Bottom Line

The IDUG Db2 Tech Conference is the place to be to learn all about Db2 from IBMers, gold consultants, IBM champions, end-users, ISVs, and more. With all of this great stuff going on this year in Boston, why wouldn't you want to be there!?!?

IDUG 2020 EMEA Db2 Tech Conference Goes Virtual

For those of you who have attended an IDUG conference before you know why I am always excited when IDUG-time rolls around again. And the EMEA event is right around the corner!

Participating at an IDUG conference always delivers a boatload of useful information on how to better use, tune, and develop applications for Db2 – both for z/OS and LUW. IDUG offers phenomenal educational opportunities delivered by IBM developers, vendor experts, users, and consultants from all over the world.

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person events are not happening this year... and maybe not for some time to come, either. But IDUG has gone virtual, and it is the next best thing to being there! The IDUG EMEA 2020 virtual event will take place November 16–19, 2020. So you have ample time to plan for, register, and attend this year.

If you attended any of the IDUG North American virtual conference earlier this year you know that you can still get great Db2 information online at an IDUG event. And there are a ton of great presentations at the EMEA virtual IDUG conference – just check out the great agenda for the event.

Of course, a virtual event does not offer the face-to-face camaraderie of an in-person event, but it still boasts a bevy of educational opportunities. And the cost is significantly less than a traditional IDUG conference: both in terms of the up-front cost (which is significantly less) and also because there are no travel costs... 

For just $199, you get full access to the virtual conference, as well as a year-long premium IDUG membership and a complimentary certification or proctored badging voucher. If you're already a premium member, you can add the EMEA 2020 Conference access to your membership for just $99.

You can register here https://www.idug.org/p/cm/ld/fid=2149

The Bottom Line

So whether you are a DBA, a developer, a programmer, an analyst, a data scientist, or anybody else who relies on and uses Db2, the IDUG EMEA Db2 Tech Conference will be the place to be this November 2020. 

With all of this great stuff available online from this IDUG virtual event, why wouldn’t you want to participate?

The Virtual North American IDUG Db2 Tech Conference 2020

The IDUG North America Virtual Conference is happening now... and it runs through the end of next week (August 14, 2020), so there is still time to register, attend, and hear about some great Db2 "stuff!"

Originally, the event was planned as a weeklong conference to be held early in June in Dallas, Texas. But with the pandemic, IDUG changed its plans and turned this year's North American IDUG into a virtual event. The conference has actually been running since July 20, 2020, when the event kicked off, with new content (labs, workshops, and sessions) being released every week since.

What this means to you is that there is still time to take advantage of all the great, online Db2 content that IDUG has made available virtually! The IDUG Virtual Db2 Tech Conference is not free; there is a nominal cost of $199 to participate and attend. But this is a bargain considering the regular cost of attending an IDUG event (not just the event cost, but also travel and lodging).

I've been participating in the event for the past couple weeks and I have to say, there is great content available. It may be a bit more difficult to stay focused on the event as you participate from your home office, though. At least, I found it to be. There are interruptions and distractions that are not there when you participate live, on-site. Furthermore, the camaraderie of an in-person event is lost when it is just you and your computer. 

But these are minor quibbles. Overall, there is a lot of great stuff on offer from this virtual IDUG event that make it well worth the nominal fee being charged. The event includes 60+ sessions, live Q&A with industry experts and leaders, opportunities for engagement with your favorite vendors and each other, and most importantly, cutting-edge technical education streaming straight to your home or office. Your registration also includes a complimentary premium membership so you can access exclusive IDUG content all year long.  

One final thing to share with you is that my pre-recorded session, The Plight of the Modern DBA, will be available starting Monday, August 9, 2020 at 8:00 AM Easter time. I hope you'll take the time to give it a listen and share your thoughts with me. I’ll be participating in a Q&A session on Friday, August 14, 2020, at 2:15 PM Eastern time, so you can stop by and ask anything you'd like!

More information on the 2020 IDUG virtual Db2 Tech Conference can be found here.

IDUG NA 2020 Conference Cancelled

I just received an e-mail notifying me that the 2020 IDUG Db2 Tech Conference scheduled for the week of June 7th in Dallas, TX has been canceled. This is the first time that IDUG has had to cancel a conference, but I have to congratulate the Conference Planning Committee and Board of Directors for making this difficult, but absolutely correct decision.

The email went on to say that IDUG is exploring all of its options for rescheduling the conference for a future date. And they assured all speakers that their sessions are still being held on the grid... so if you want to speak if and when the conference gets re-scheduled, you can!

The global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of our daily lives and for the Db2 community, this is just one more reminder of how pervasive this impact has been.

Let's all keep the faith and do our part (stay home, wash your hands) to shorten the duration of this global pandemic...

And Long Live Db2!!!

Have You Considered Speaking at the IDUG Db2 Technical Conference? You should!

The 2020 North American Db2 Technical Conference is being held in Dallas, TX the week of June 7th. And the call for papers is still open and IDUG is looking for Db2 folks who want to share their experiences with Db2. You can talk about a project you worked on, an experience you had tuning or optimizing your Db2 databases and applications, your experience implementing a new version or funtion level, how your team uses any Db2 feature or capability, or really, anything related to your experience with Db2.

Speaking at a user group is a good way to expand your contacts and develop additional personal interaction skills. And I have also found it to be a good way to increase my technical knowledge and skills. Sure, as the presenter you are sharing your knowledge with the audience, but it always seems like I expand my knowledge and way of thinking about things when I deliver a presentation. Either because of questions I receive, or because putting the presentation together made me stop and think about things in different ways.

And if you are accepted to speak your attendance at the conference is complimentary!

Putting together an abstract is not that difficult at all. You just need to complete a bit of biographical information about yourself, select a category for your presentation, provide an overview of your topic, and offer up a bulleted list of 5 objectives. The site guides you through submitting all of these things at this link.

Speaking at a conference can be a very rewarding experience... and once you start doing it, you'll want to do it again and again. So go ahead. Click here and submit your abstract and I hope I'll see you in Dallas in June 2020!

See You in Rotterdam... at the IDUG Db2 Tech Conference

Next week the 2019 IDUG EMEA Db2 Tech Conference is coming to Rotterdam and I am looking forward to being there. This year’s event is being held the week of October 20-24, 2019. I hope you’ve already made your plans to be there, but if you haven’t there’s still time to get your manager’s approval, make travel plans, and be where all the Db2 folks will be the end of October.

If you’ve ever attended an IDUG conference before then you know how much useful information you can learn at the event. IDUG offers phenomenal educational opportunities delivered by IBM developers, vendor experts, users, and consultants from all over the world. There will be a slew of informative technical sessions on all of the latest and greatest Db2 technologies and features. 

And let's not forget the exhibit hall (aka Solutions Center) where vendors present and demo their products that can help you manage Db2 more effectively. It is a good place to learn about new technology solutions for Db2, but also to hang out and meet with IBMers, consultants, and your peers.

If you have any doubts whether there will be something worthwhile for you there just take a look at this packed agenda! One of the conference highlights is always the great keynote session. This year's will be delivered by Al Martin, IBM VP of Development for Db2 Z and Warson Tool. He will talk about business and strategy for data and AI, highlighting how data is the foundation for AI. Should be informative and entertaining!

What Am I Up to at IDUG?

As usual, I will be busy at the conference. I will be arriving early into Rotterdam so I can get over the jet lag and then participate in some pre-conference meetings on Sunday. 

There are a couple of opportunities for you to stop by and say "Howdy!" to me, and I hope you will take advantage of them. On Tuesday, at 3:20 PM, I will be delivering a vendor-sponsored presentation (or VSP) for Infotel. This presentation, titled Improving Db2 Application Quality for Optimizing Performance and Controlling Costs. My portion of the presentation focuses on the impact of DevOps on database; it will be followed up by Colin Oakhill of Infotel-Insoft, who will talk about how their SQL quality assurance solutions can aid the DevOps process for Db2 development.

Additionally, Tueday evening I'll be spending some time in the booth with Infotel. So if you have any questions we didn’t answer in the VSP, you can ask us at the Infotel booth. Be sure to stop by and say hello, take a look at Infotel’s SQL quality assurance solutions for Db2 for z/OS, and register to win one of 2 of my Db2 application performance  books that will be raffled off. If you win, be sure to get me to sign your copy!

A Guide to Db2 Performance for Application Developers

Just Look at All That IDUG Has to Offer!

You can go to free complimentary workshops and hands-on labs being held throughout the duration of the conference. These half-day and full-day sessions are packed full of useful information that you can take home and apply to your Db2 environment. And this year there are sessions on Db2 migration, Db2 and the cloud, problem determination, machine learning, Zowe, and more. So be sure to track down the workshops that you want to attend and register for them before they fill up!

If you are looking for Db2 certification then IDUG is the place to be! All IDUG attendees can recive two complimentary certification coupons to take any IBM certification exams (to be completed at your leisure, as long as they are used before June 30, 2020).

And don't miss the Expert Panels where IBMers and other subject matter experts answer your questions. There are three separate panels this year covering Db2 for z/OS, Db2 for LUW and Application Development.

Finally, be sure that you download the mobile app for the conference to help you navigate all the opportunities available to you! Armed with the mobile app you’ll get daily intel on what’s happening at the conference.

Justifying Your Attendance

Finally, if you need any help justifying your attendance at this year’s IDUG event, just use this justification letter as your template to create an iron-clad rationale for your boss.

The Bottom Line

The IDUG Db2 Tech Conference is the place to be to learn all about Db2 from IBMers, gold consultants, IBM champions, end users, ISVs, and more. With all of this great stuff going on this year in Rotterdam, why would you want to be any place else!?!?

Time for the IDUG North American Db2 Tech Conference 2019

It is hard to believe that May is almost over already and that means that the 2019 IDUG North American Db2 Tech Conference is right round the courner! This year’s event is being held in beautiful Charlotte, NC the week of June 2-6, 2019. That is a little bit later than normal, but I think that is a good thing as it should be nice and warm in North Carolina in June!

I hope you’ve already made your plans to be there, but if you haven’t there’s still time to get your manager’s approval, make you travel plans, and be where all the Db2 folks will be the first week of June.

If you’ve ever attended an IDUG conference before then you know why I’m excited. IDUG offers a world of phenomenal educational opportunities delivered by IBM developers, vendor experts, users, and consultants from all over the world. There will be a slew of informative technical sessions on all of the latest and greatest Db2 technologies and features. The 2019 event offers more educational opportunities and training than ever before, including:

·                     Five days of educational sessions

·                     Half and full-day workshops

·                     Over 100 one-hour technical sessions

·                     Two expert panels on z/OS and LUW

If you have any doubts whether there will be something worthwhile for you there just take a look at this packed agenda! For me, one of the highlights of the conference is always the Db2 for z/OS Spotlight session. It will be delivered right after the keynote on day one by Jeff Josten, Maureen Townsend, and John Campbell. I always learn something new about what is going on with my favorite DBMS at this spotlight session.

What Am I Up to at IDUG?

As usual, I will be busy at this year’s IDUG. I will be arriving in Charlotte the Saturday before the conference to participate in some pre-conference meetings. On Saturday I’ll be meeting up with the other IBM Gold Consultants to hear from IBM and, of course, to catch up with my consultant friends. Then on Sunday I’ll be participating in Db2 customer meetings that IBM conducts to share upcoming “things” and to get feedback.

The first time you will probably get a chance to see me this year will be at the opening keynote, where I’ll be chatting on a panel about DevOps, impact on database administration and operations, and its importance moving forward.

I also will be delivering two sessions this year. My conference session is on Tuesday, June 4, at 8:00 AM (Session E05) titled Coding Db2 for Performance: By the Book. This session is based on my latest book and it is aimed at application developers. The general idea is to give an overview of the things that you can do as you design and code your Db2 programs (for z/OS or LUW) with performance in mind. All too often performance is an afterthought – and that can be quite expensive. Nail down the basics by attending this session!

I’m also delivering a vendor-sponsored presentation (or VSP) for Infotel, also on June 4^th but later, at 10:40 AM. This presentation, titled Improving Db2 Application Quality for Optimizing Performance and Controlling Costs. My portion of the presentation focuses on the impact of DevOps on database; it will be followed up by Carlos Almeida of Infotel, who will talk about how their SQL quality assurance solutions can aid the DevOps process for Db2 development.

And let's not forget the exhibit hall (aka Solutions Center) where vendors present and demo their products that can help you manage Db2 more effectively. It is a good place to learn about new technology solutions for Db2, but also to hang out and meet with IBMers, consultants, and your peers.

Additionally, this year I'll be spending some time in the booth with some of my favorite Db2 vendors.

	On the first day of the Solutions Center, Monday, I'll be at the BMC Software booth supporting a new DevOps-related Db2 for z/OS offering they are delivering. Be sure to stop by the BMC booth to hear about it and ask me what I think about it… and, of course, talk with BMC folks about your favorite Db2 products and see what’s new with BMC and Db2!

On the second day of the exhibition hall, Tuesday, I'll be at the Infotel booth, but only for an hour at lunchtime. So if you have any questions we didn’t answer in the VSP, you can ask us at the Infotel booth. Be sure to stop by and say hello, take a look at Infotel’s SQL quality assurance solutions for Db2 for z/OS, and register to win one of 2 of my Db2 application performance  books that will be raffled off. If you win, be sure to get me to sign your copy!

That is a lot for one week, but there is more.

Just Look at All That IDUG Has to Offer!

You can go to full-day education sessions on Sunday June 2^nd (at an additional cost – but only $250). These sessions are typically chockful of useful information that you can take home and apply to your Db2 environment. And this year there are sessions teaching how to get certified as a DBA for either z/OS or LUW or as a SYSADMIN, SQL PL best practices, and Db2 for beginners.

You can also attend one or more of the 8 different Hands-On Labs (with hands-on training led by IBM). There are hands on labs focused on diagnosing performance problems, Machine Learning for z/OS, DevOps, Mobile, Cloud and more.

There are also two different half-day workshops on June 6^th – you can choose either Db2 12 for z/OS Migration Planning Workshop or Hands-on Machine Learning Bootcamp.

And don’t forget to attend one of the Special Interest Groups where you can discuss the latest industry trends and topics with other interested technicians. This year’s SIGs span the spectrum from big data to cloud to continuous delivery to IDAA and even AI.

Be sure to download the mobile app for the conference to help you navigate all the opportunities available to you! Armed with the mobile app you’ll get daily intel on what’s happening at the conference.

Justifying Your Attendance

Finally, if you need any help justifying your attendance at this year’s IDUG event, just use this justification letter as your template to create an iron-clad rationale for your boss.

The Bottom Line

The IDUG Db2 Tech Conference is the place to be to learn all about Db2 from IBMers, gold consultants, IBM champions, end users, ISVs, and more. With all of this great stuff going on this year in Charlotte, why wouldn't you want to be there!?!?

Submit an Abstract to Speak at the IDUG Db2 Tech Conference 2019

Hey Db2 people, have you done something interesting with Db2? Have you worked on a cool application or figured out a nifty way of managing your databases? Do you want to share your experiences, know-how, and best practices with other Db2ers? Have you ever wanted to put together a presentation and deliver it to a bunch of like-minded Db2 folks? 

Well, there is still time to submit a proposal to speak at next year's IDUG Db2 Tech Conference in Charlotte, NC. The Call for Speakers is open until October 19th, so if you are interested in presenting, time is running short!

You will have to put together your thoughts and an outline of what you want to present. Start with the category of your presentation. According to IDUG, some of the most popular are:

• New Db2 releases: migrating and effective usage
• Analytics & Business Intelligence
• New Technologies: Mobile Applications, Cloud, xAAS …
• Performance, Availability & Security
• Application Development and Data Modelling
• Db2 and Packaged Applications (ERP, ...)
• User Experiences and Best-Practices: what did you achieve with Db2?
• Db2 and non-standard data types (JSON etc..)
• DevOps, Automation, Efficiency, Tuning stories

But feel free to submit an abstract on any relevant, technical topic. Oh, and you'll need to put together a short bio, too.

As somebody who has spoken at many IDUG conferences in North America, Europe and Australia, I can tell you that the experience is well worth it. Putting your thoughts together to build a presentation makes you reason things out and perhaps think about them in different ways. And speaking at an event is a great experience. Although you will be educating others as you speak, usually the speaker learns a lot, too. 

If your abstract is selected, you get to attend the conference for free (the conference fee is waived, you or your company only have to pay the hotel and travel expenses). And that means you get all the benefits of attending IDUG including the ability to attend all five days of educational sessions, expert panels, and special interest groups. You also get free reign to visit all the vendors at the Expo hall, where there are usually a lot of goodies and snacks.

So go ahead, submit an abstract... or submit multiple abstracts, there is no limit to how many you can submit. 

And hopefully, I'll see you next year, June 2 thru 6, 2019, in Charlotte at the IDUG Db2 Tech Conference.