Today's Modern Mainframe

IBM mainframes process two thirds of the world’s business information every day, and have
been doing so for decades, because of the many strengths provided by the mainframe, such
as high availability, good redundancy, high performance I/O capabilities, and much more.

But have you ever been challenged by an anti-mainframer by a statement like "Oh, aren't mainframes dead?" - or - "Why would anyone still use a mainframe?" Have you wanted a ready response that is easily digestible and not overly techie? Well, IBM has a new Redguide book titled The IBM Mainframe Today: System z Strengths and Values that might be of help.

This publication describes the business drivers, their impact on IT, and how the System z platform can be a major player for the business solution by providing flexibility, responsiveness to customers and market needs, as well as cost effectiveness. It also discusses the mainframe hardware, software, and environment, with an emphasis on the features and capabilities that make the System z mainframe a good choice for businesses.

Also, you may have noticed the new term: Redguide. Similar to an IBM Redbook, an IBM Redguide is not quite as technical as a Redbook, but more in-depth than a brochure or other pieces of "sales" collateral.

So, if you are a mainframer like me, you'll want to download and read The IBM Mainframe Today: System z Strengths and Value. After all, the price is right (free). And you'll want to keep an eye out for additional Redguides from IBM. Susan Visser recently blogged about the first 15 Redguides here.

New Data Sharing RedPaper

Just a quick FYI today to let you know about a new RedPaper offering information about exploiting client load balancing and fail over capabilities across a DB2 data sharing group (or a subset of the group members).

A RedPaper is sort of like a tip, only longer... and sort of like a RedBook, only shorter... Anyway, if you are interested in the topic, the RedPaper can be donwloaded for free by following this link:

DB2 9 for z/OS Data Sharing: Distributed Load Balancing and Fault Tolerant Configuration

New IBM RedBook on Dimensional Modeling

Just a quick post today (Memorial Day in the USA) to inform you about a new IBM RedBook on dimensional modeling. If you are working with data warehousing applications, writing analytical queries, or in any way dealing with databases and dimensional models, this free RedBook is well worth downloading and reading.

It is titled Dimensional Modeling: In a Business Intelligence Environment. The book is not intended to be an academic treatise, but a practical guide for implementing dimensional models oriented specifically to business intelligence systems.

Particularly interesting are the case studies in Chapters 7 and 8 that walk you through BI implementations.

Download it today... and enjoy it at your leisure.

Updated Stored Procedure RedBook for DB2 V9

If you are a stored procedure developer, or a DBA who manages a system with stored procedures - - and you are running DB2 9 for z/OS - - there is an updated RedBook you should download immediately. It is titled DB2 9 for z/OS Stored Procedures: Through the CALL and Beyond. You may have the previous edition, DB2 for z/OS Stored Procedures: Through the CALL and Beyond (SG24-7083)...

This new edition of an all-time favorite RedBook is newly updated to show the changes that have happened to DB2 stored procedures and related tools from V8 to V9. It offers examples and guidelines for developing stored procedures in several languages. You will also find many useful recommendations for setting up and tuning your environment for stored procedures in this free-to-download manual.

And if you are looking for some "stuff" on using Data Studio with stored procedures, this is the place to go... so, it is time to update by downloading this new edition today!