Navigating more than 500 technical sessions over the course of five days can be quite a difficult endeavor. As a DB2 professional, your time at SHARE San Jose may be best navigated through the lens of three guiding principles: Capacity, performance and cost.
This is useful advice, shared by Dan Ruehl, SHARE Database Project Manager, who helped outline many of the technical sessions for DB2 professionals at this year’s event. But, as he admits, even these guiding principles can be a bit too generic for how you may wish to apply your time.
“Most of our program revolves around capacity, performance and cost — but that is typical for IT in general,” says Ruehl. “What is great about a SHARE event is the time you get to spend really focusing on practical improvements and how that affects your organization in particular.”
More specifically, Ruehl breaks it down as such:
Capacity: Scalability of your DB2 applications in order to improve your service levels. For example, sessions that help you address challenges associated with SQL programming language leads to more efficient coding, which subsequently plays a role in improving scalability.
For example, DB2 for z/OS Data Sharing: Technical Deep Dive, will provide various configurations, discuss common issues, and explore the Coupling Facility structures which DB2 uses: the Lock Structure, the SCA, and Group Buffer Pools. Relying on DB2 Data Sharing for production systems to provide continuous availability, flexible scalability, and workload balancing remains critical applications, and having such a deep technical dive can prove valuable in how you address the ways in which your infrastructure changes as your workload grows, and what options are available to facilitate these changes.
Performance: Understanding your migration to the next release of DB2, version 12, and what features are best suited for your environment; and ultimately how you can improve the reliability of DB2 systems.
For example, the session DB2 12 for z/OS Overview will highlight all of the great new features and functions available for the newest version of the best DBMS in the industry. This session in particular will be offered as a SHARE Live! session.
Cost: Naturally, this all has a direct impact on the cost. But more specifically, Ruehl points out the fact that SHARE San Jose will feature the option for one-on-one time that can help you better address real costs in your organization.
He says, “There is something very valuable about that consultative one-on-one time with developers. You have the opportunity to talk with them about your specific challenges; about your practical performance improvements and how it ultimately affects your strategy.”
Another valuable aspect, according to Ruehl, are the user presentations. For example, a presentation by Wells Fargo and their experience with DB2 z/OS Buffer Pool Simulation provides a real-world narrative with tips that could apply to your specific challenges.
In all, there is a wealth of great information — both technical and high level — to satisfy all challenges that the typical DB2 professional faces. Looking for a more focused plan of attack? Download the DB2 Roadmap to ensure you make the most use of your time in San Jose!