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Duc Nguyen Thanh
Duc Nguyen Thanh

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COBOL Tutorial Series: DB2 vs SQL Server Architecture Comparison - Session 7

Hello,
I'm Duke and I come back.

SQL Server, surely everyone here has heard of, used or even mastered it, but DB2 seems to be rarely mentioned.

So, to quickly start learning DB2, I will list for you what is in DB2 and what corresponds to it in SQL server

Aspect DB2 SQL Server
Instance and Database - Supports multiple Instances, each instance is an independent environment with its own configuration and resources.
- An Instance can contain multiple databases that are logically and physically independent.
- Each instance has its own configuration files, allowing flexible resource allocation.
- Supports default instance and named instance.
- Each instance contains multiple databases, with tight integration between them.
- Often limited by system resources when running multiple instances.
Storage Management (Tablespaces/Filegroups) - Uses Tablespaces to organize physical data storage (can be DMS - Database Managed Space, or SMS - System Managed Space).
- Tablespaces are divided into containers to store tables and indexes, making it easy to manage and optimize space.
- Uses Filegroups to categorize and store data files.
- Supports partitioning large tables across multiple files, which can be configured for backup and recovery.
Buffer Pool and Memory Management - Buffer Pool stores temporary data pages accessed from disk, allowing separate buffer pools for each tablespace to enhance performance.
- Detailed configuration for memory components such as Lock list, Sort heap, and Package cache.
- Automatically manages memory with Buffer Cache for data pages and Plan Cache for query plans.
- Buffer cache memory automatically adjusts based on demand, reducing the need for manual configuration.
Transaction Logs - Transaction logs include Primary Logs and Secondary Logs (circular logging).
- Log size and quantity can be finely configured, supporting recovery and optimized storage.
- Each database has an independent Transaction Log, managed automatically with log truncation to save space.
- Supports recovery models like Simple, Full, and Bulk-Logged.
Concurrency Control - Supports row- or page-level locking with Isolation Levels such as Read Stability, Cursor Stability, and Repeatable Read.
- Detailed configuration options for locking policies in multi-user environments, optimizing performance.
- Isolation Levels include Read Committed, Repeatable Read, Snapshot Isolation, and Serializable.
- Uses Row Versioning to reduce locking conflicts in large transactions, especially with Snapshot Isolation.
Query Optimizer - Cost-Based Query Optimizer selects the best execution plan based on data statistics and indexes.
- Supports Materialized Query Tables to store intermediate query results, boosting complex query performance.
- Cost-based Query Optimizer and Query Store track, analyze, and optimize query plans over time.
- Adaptive Query Processing allows automatic plan adjustments when data changes.
Scalability - Supports Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) and Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) for enhanced scalability.
- DB2 PureScale for high-performance environments, offering automatic distribution and load balancing.
- SQL Server supports Partitioning for large tables and indexes, with scalability options on Azure SQL for cloud-based solutions.
- Horizontal scaling (Scale Out) is more limited compared to DB2 PureScale.
Backup and Recovery - Supports Online Backup and Incremental Backup for continuous operation environments.
- Log Archiving and Crash Recovery are supported for data recovery in case of system failure.
- SQL Server offers full, differential, and log backup options.
- Always On Availability Groups and Log Shipping provide real-time data backup and recovery in multi-server environments.
Platform Support - Multi-platform: Supports Windows, AIX, Linux, and Unix.
- Integrated closely with IBM systems like z/OS, AIX, and Power Systems.
- Primarily runs on Windows, but SQL Server 2017 and later support Linux.
- Integrates well with Microsoft ecosystems like Azure, Power BI, and other cloud services.
Integration Capabilities - DB2 integrates with many IBM tools and supports various standards such as JDBC, ODBC, and CLI.
- Easily integrates with IBM DataStage, Cognos, and WebSphere systems.
- SQL Server integrates deeply with Microsoft services like Azure SQL, Power BI, and SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services).
- Supports connection standards like ADO.NET, JDBC, ODBC, and TDS (Tabular Data Stream) for .NET applications.
Security - DB2 supports Row and Column Access Control (RCAC) to enforce row and column-based access control.
- Label-Based Access Control (LBAC) allows detailed security at label levels.
- SQL Server provides Row-Level Security (RLS), Dynamic Data Masking, and Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for multi-level data security.
- Integrates with Active Directory for enhanced security and permissions management.
High Availability (HA) - DB2 provides HADR (High Availability Disaster Recovery) for disaster recovery and high availability.
- DB2 PureScale supports automatic failover and dynamic load balancing for high-performance environments.
- Always On Availability Groups enable high availability configurations across multiple servers, ensuring reliability.
- Supports Failover Cluster Instances (FCI) for high availability environments.
Analytics Support - DB2 provides IBM Db2 Warehouse for big data analytics, supporting machine learning and big data workloads.
- Integrates with IBM Watson and supports OLAP for analytical processing.
- SQL Server offers SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) for OLAP and large data mining.
- Integrates with Power BI for data analytics and visualization and supports PolyBase for unstructured data.

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Duc Nguyen Thanh

Let's me know if you have any questions