IDUG EMEA 2016 is taking place in Brussels, so travel options were a bit more flexible this year. Having decided not to spend most of the day in the queue for security in Stansted airport, we opted to go via Eurostar. Ironically, this meant that we got to spend an hour in a security queue at St Pancras station instead.
After a quiet evening – in part caused by the more rowdy members of the team arriving in the bar late – breakfast and some light plotting for the day ahead ensued.
I have always enjoyed John Campbell’s presentations. He manages to cram an enormous amount of information into the time he has available – in this case a double session on DB2 for z/OS V12 Technical Overview. There is so much useful information in this presentation, I would encourage anyone interested to download it from the IDUG website. Things that are still fresh in the mind:
- Index fast traversal blocks (FTBs)
- INSERT performance
- Dynamic plan stability
- RUNSTATS INVALIDATECACHE
- RESTful API now part of DRDA (PI66828 and PI70477)
- Online REORG mapping table format change (7 byte RIDs)
There is so much new functionality in DB2 V12, I suspect John could have talked for a whole day!
After a couple more sessions in the afternoon, we had to make our way over to the vendor exhibition hall – in a different hotel – to meet up with DBI. Every year we partner with them and hold the Monday night drinks reception. This year it was at the top (30th floor) of the Sheraton Hotel. The view was quite something, even in the dark and the rain. The quiz for the prize draw was slightly trickier this year, as knowledge was required from both DB2 for z/OS and DB2 LUW to complete it. But that did not stop 30+ people getting it right. A draw for the prizes gave Dragica Smintic from Zagreb a mobile phone controlled drone – although it wasn’t flown at the party.
Ad astra.