Having participated in many board meeting debates over the years about the best place to hold meetings of the Baltimore/Washington Db2 Users Group, it’s a bit sad to learn that the 2021 IDUG North America Conference is already being planned as a virtual event, with the possibility of an in-person component.  Let’s hope we can all get together sometime in 2021!

In the meantime, it’s certainly worth noting that with so many people working remotely, many conferences and users groups have actually been quite successful adopting a virtual format.  Some changes resulting from the transition from in-person to virtual events are welcome improvements.  One of these is the more flexible session scheduling IDUG is offering.  I think it’s great, as one-size-fits-all is difficult to accommodate with technical topics.

To the many people I’ve spoken to who have said they have a topic but aren’t sure they have enough (or maybe have too much) material, IDUG 2021 may be a great option as, new this year, IDUG is offering three different presentation timeslots—30, 60, and 120 minutes. You can choose what length works best for you. You can also opt out of the live session and instead pre-record your presentation. To help inspire you, here are some of the most popular session categories:

New Db2 releases: migrating and effective usage
Analytics & Business Intelligence
New technologies: mobile applications, cloud, XaaS, etc.
Application development and data modelling
Db2 and packaged applications (ERP, etc.)
Performance, availability, & security
User experiences and best practices: what did you achieve with Db2?
Db2 and non-standard data types (JSON, etc.)

This is your chance to share your technical expertise and connect with the global community of Db2 users. If you’ve never presented at an IDUG event, this is a great opportunity. First-time speakers are always welcome, as is material geared toward beginner, intermediate, or advanced users.

To submit an abstract, visit IDUG at:  https://www.idug.org/p/cm/ld/fid=2495

I hope to “see” you at IDUG 2021!

Announcing the new Mid-Atlantic Db2 for z/OS Users Group!

With COVID-19 forcing Regional Users Groups (RUGs) to transition from in-person to virtual meetings, and with the support of the International Db2 Users Group and hearing about their regional affiliates’ success with virtual meetings, Frank and I decided to give a new virtual group a try.  We look forward to supporting the Db2 community with technical content that enables our System Z colleagues to remain active and valued contributors to the use of technology within their organizations.

Please join us for our first meeting! Register here.

September 17, 2020, from 10:00am-2:00pm EDT, will be the first virtual meeting of the System Z-focused Mid-Atlantic Db2 Users Group. The new group hopes to bring interesting, educational, and current technical presenters and sessions to mainframe users located in the Mid-Atlantic region. With a virtual format the meeting location, venue, commute time and lunch selection challenges disappear, so everyone from everywhere is welcome!

For this first meeting we will have three technical presentations and one brief interactive, bring-your-own-ideas session. The three technical sessions all focus on IBM’s efforts to use tools and technologies to support mainframe modernization. No, this is not another session on a magic code converter; these are proven tools and technologies available today that speed deployments and leverage the mainframe’s powerful resources to drive better and faster data access and new application development.

Presentations will be delivered by IBM’s Elton de Souza, Clark Hale and Andrew Austin of Red Hat, and Frank Fillmore of The Fillmore Group. The agenda, abstracts and speaker bio’s are below.

Agenda: Thursday, September 17, 2020

10:00 – 10:10 Welcome and Introductions
10:10 – 11:15 Containers, Cloud Paks, OpenShift – What Mainframers Should Know
11:15 – 11:20 Break
11:20 – 11:35 The New Replication Monitoring Tool Interactive Session – BYOI (Bring Your Own Ideas)
11:35 – 12:40 Red Hat OpenShift on System Z
12:40 – 12:45 Break
12:45 – 01:50 Mainframe Modernization – Field Notes
01:50 – 02:00 Q&A and Wrap Up

Sessions
Containers, Cloud Paks, OpenShift – What Mainframers Should Know, Elton de Souza, IBM
In this presentation IBM Chief Architect and Wizard Elton de Souza will cover the value proposition of OpenShift on IBM Z from a technical and business standpoint. Elton will also cover integration points between OpenShift and zOS services and data sources.

Red Hat OpenShift, Clark Hale & Andrew Austin, Red Hat
Red Hat OpenShift is the industry’s most secure and comprehensive enterprise-grade container platform. This presentation will explain what OpenShift is, what value it can provide to your organization, and a brief demo of its operation. Special focus will be given to the System Z release of OpenShift.

Mainframe Modernization – Field Notes, Frank Fillmore, The Fillmore Group
Frank recently served as the System Z specialist for a mainframe modernization project led by a team from Red Hat. The goal was to develop a modernization template to be shared with other mainframe customers to accelerate the effort by incorporating the best tools and technologies available today. The customer struggles with a familiar list of challenges: legacy applications developed over decades, data in VSAM and Db2, and incomplete data, the result of a recent merger. Several approach and solution options were explored. Join Frank while he discusses how IBM’s acquisition of Red Hat is transforming how mainframe modernization is being approached – and realized.

Speaker Bio’s

Elton de Souza, IBM
Elton de Souza is the Chief Architect for Cloud Native Client Success focusing on IBM Z and LinuxONE. Since OpenShift GA’d on IBM Z in Feb 2020, Elton has helped several clients across various sectors and geographies implement RHOCP on IBM Z and LinuxONE. He’s spent almost his entire career on IBM Z starting from the Java compiler for Linux and zOS to working on Open Source Solutions (MongoDB, node.js, Spark, Docker, Kubernetes, etc.) to IBM Cloud Private and now Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Z.

Clark Hale, Red Hat
Clark Hale is a Senior Consulting Architect at Red Hat. With a focus on OpenShift and “cloud native” technologies, he specializes in assisting companies adopt modern technology and development practices. Before joining Red Hat, he was a multi-language developer (COBOL, C, Java) at Lowes Companies and an OpenSource Advocate at SUN Microsystems.

Andrew Austin, Red Hat
Andrew Austin is a Senior Architect with Red Hat Consulting’s Cloud Infrastructure Practice. His focus is on delivering solutions based on Red Hat OpenShift on the IBM Z platform as well as distributed systems.

Frank Fillmore, The Fillmore Group
Frank is founder and president of The Fillmore Group, an IBM Business Partner specializing in IBM database solution sales and services. Frank is an IBM System Z Gold Consultant and IBM Champion, as well as an IBM authorized instructor and frequent presenter at users group meetings and conferences. Frank leads a team of expert consultants delivering IBM solution implementation and enablement support services.

This Thursday, April 30th, join Frank Fillmore for a fast, information-packed webinar, loaded with IBM replication solution information for both non-IBM and IBM replication customers.  Come join us and learn!  Details and the registration link are in the post below.

Please join us for a webinar Thursday, April 30th, on IBM replication:

45 Minutes to Understand IBM Replication – Sources & Targets, Lower Latency, Costs  

The webinar is intended for technical teams currently not using IBM replication solutions, although the webinar content will provide an excellent overview of IBM’s current offerings – an excellent refresher and update for IBM replication customers.  Hey, it’s a webinar – anyone can attend!!

Abstract:  Technical organizations rely on replication to deliver accurate data when its needed. IBM replication supports an extensive list of sources and targets – including legacy mainframe data repositories – as well as best of breed deployment models and specialty replication solutions.

If your organization is considering a new replication deployment or looking to replace your existing replication to extend functionality – or reduce cost – please join IBM Gold Consultant Frank C. Fillmore, Jr., for a webinar overview of IBM’s replication offerings.

The webinar will cover:

1. The sources and targets supported by IBM replication.
2. Each solution available today, and their costs.
3. Latency, deployment and administrative considerations.

Date:          Thursday, 4/30/2020

Time:          11:00am – 12:00pm EDT

Register HERE 

Presenter:  Frank Fillmore

Frank C. Fillmore, Jr. is the Founder and President of The Fillmore Group, Inc., an IBM Business Partner specializing in replication solutions in the IBM Data and Analytics portfolio. Frank has been a Db2 Gold Consultant since 1998 and is currently an IBM Champion for both Analytics and System z. Frank frequently presents on cutting-edge topics at regional and international user group meetings and is an IBM authorized instructor for delivery of replication courses including Q Replication, ICDC and pureScale.  Frank leads a team of expert consultants delivering presales, implementation and enablement support to IBM replication customers.

Want to learn more about the Gold Consultants?  Visit the IBM Gold webpage HERE.

Yesterday was one of those, “Where were you when you heard the news?” days – I was at the gym (yes, I do go once in a very long while), watching the financial news and saw the headline announcing Arvind Krishna as IBM’s New CEO, effective April 6th.  I was so excited I ran out to my car, grabbed my phone and started calling Db2 people.

Arvind has been a great supporter of the Db2 community, is the executive sponsor of the Gold program, and the rare sort of leader who can hand you a challenge and make you feel honored to be asked.  I am so excited for IBM, their customers, and Business Partners to have Arvind in charge.

The photo below is from an IBM dinner I was invited to attend a few years back with two of the best IBM’ers I know – Arvind and Db2 and replication superstar Christian Zentgraf.  I am looking forward to an exciting 2020 for the Db2 community!!

With 2020 off to a positive start for Db2 12 there are two current events I hope are on your radar.

First, IDUG is supporting an effort to create a new Db2 12 certification, led by IBM Gold Consultant and Champion Dan Luksetich, who also manages the Db2-L listserv.  A survey was created to gather responses to the specific technical issues the community considers important.  If you have time to complete the survey and contribute, it is much appreciated by the IBM community.  Take the survey here.  And of course, if you aren’t already monitoring (or better yet, contributing to!) Db2-L, sign-up.  It’s easy and free – Db2-L.

Second, IBM is offering a week-long Db2 Master Class for advanced Db2 for z/OS system and database administrators clients, led by Distinguished Engineer, John Campbell.  John will be joined by Adrian Burke and Michael Dewert. The US-based session will be held at IBM Silicon Valley Laboratory (SVL), Monday, September 28 (8 am) to Friday, October 2, 2020 (2:30 pm), in San Jose, California.  The complete outline is attached.

Participants will meet the Db2 for z/OS development team – visit the incredible people whose work is known worldwide!

If you are interested in attending this class, fill in and submit the application form.  Class is a client-only course, participation is BY INVITATION only, and seating is very limited.  Applications will be reviewed and acceptance notices will be emailed.  Apply HERE.

A registration link with payment instructions will be included in the invitation. If you have any questions, please contact Dorothy Lin (dclin@us.ibm.com)

There are pre-requisites, and attendees must have at least 1 of the following certifications (or the equivalent experience level):
– IBM Certified System Administrator – Db2 for z/OS
– IBM Certified Database Administrator – Db2 for z/OS

Cost
$2,500 USD per client participant
Client participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging, and meal expenses
A registration link with payment instructions will be included in the invitation.

Db2 for z 2020 Master Class Summary and Outline

Congratulations and many thanks to the IBM Data and AI Expert Labs team for their willingness to collaborate with the IBM Gold Consultants.

Frank Fillmore and I met in February with Ritika Gunnar, who had just been appointed the new VP leading the IBM Data and AI Expert Labs team.  Frank explained that he is an IBM Gold Consultant and we discussed our frustrations with the IBM’s low utilization of skilled contract talent like the Golds, and Ritika said she would do some research and try to help.

Frank was selected as a Gold Consultant in 1998 and considers it one of (if not THE) highest achievement of his career.  There are approximately 40 Gold Consultants worldwide, all of whom are independent consultants.   Each was selected by IBM and their Gold Consultant peers to participate in the program.  Information on the Golds and their skills is on the IBM website Gold Consultant page.

After our meeting with Ritika we soon met Business Partner Liaison Karla Rooney, who initiated a series of calls to discuss pipeline, pending needs and utilization.  Karla introduced services sellers, Resource Deployment Managers and other colleagues in the Data and AI Expert Labs organization.  Through these discussions we were able to introduce the unique experiences of the Gold Consultants and identify a few pending engagements where the Golds skills were needed – and the momentum began to build.

In August a group of Gold Consultants delivered a webinar to hundreds of Db2 for z/OS customers planning migrations to V12.  Or, to be more exact, Db2 customers NOT at V12.  The migration to V12 has been hyped as the last major migration planned for Db2 for z/OS, not because the database is going away, but due to the continuous delivery model.  However, customers need to get to V12 to take advantage of continuous delivery, and unfortunately many have not begun the work.  The IBM teams overseeing System z are concerned there will be a last minute rush to migrate to V12 and not enough consultants available to help.

Enter the Golds, who delivered an excellent webinar on the V12, and who have been asked to support migration efforts contracted with IBM’s Data and AI Expert Labs.  The webinar was recorded and is available here.

The net of all this is:  thanks to Karla and Ritika and their teams, customers are now able to access the best independent Db2 talent on the planet through Data and AI Expert Labs.  I hope your organization – and everyone in the Db2 community – has the opportunity to benefit from the value of this collaboration.

Thanks Karla and Ritika!!

The Time is NOW!
Upgrade to Db2 12 for z/OS!

Date:           Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Time:          11:00am EDT
Register:     HERE

You are invited to join a live webcast hosted by IBM Gold Consultants to learn why this is the right time to upgrade to Db2 12.

Gold Consultants are an independent voice, delivering Db2 consulting and support to  customers worldwide. Learn more about the Golds and how they can help your organization by visiting the IBM Gold Consultant webpage.

During this webcast expert Golds will discuss:

• The benefits of upgrading to Db2 12
• Continuous availability and potential cost savings
• In-memory Features
• Pre-planning tasks and their importance
• Costs and risks associated with failing to migrate by September 30, 2020

The session will close with a live Q&A session with several of the Golds who contributed recommendations and content to the presentation.

The session was developed and will be delivered by the following IBM Gold Consultants.  Bio’s for each presenter are below.

Julian Stuhler
Triton Consulting

Julian has over 30 years of Db2 experience in application programming, database administration, technical architecture, performance tuning and systems programming, working within the insurance, telecommunications, banking, financial services and manufacturing sectors. He is an IBM Redbook and White Paper author and IDUG Best Speaker, and has lectured widely on DB2 subjects in the UK, Europe and US. In 1999 Julian was invited to join the IBM Gold Consultants program, and in May 2008, Julian was recognized as one of IBM’s inaugural Data Champions. Julian served on the IDUG Board of directors from 2003 to 2010, and is an IDUG Past President.

Frank Fillmore, Jr.
The Fillmore Group, Inc.

Frank is the Founder and President of The Fillmore Group, Inc., a Premier IBM Business Partner.  Frank is an IBM Gold Consultant and IBM Champion for both Analytics and System z.  The Fillmore Group’s areas of expertise include data interoperability, replication and high availability, InfoSphere, Db2 Server for VSE&VM, competitive migrations and technical Project Management. Frank oversees a staff of talented employees and contractors, and manages projects ranging from new database implementations to health checks.  In addition to consulting Frank and his team deliver IBM Authorized Training and are IBM software resellers.

Isaac Yassin
DBX-Consulting

Isaac is an IBM Gold Consultant and Champion with over 40 years of experience consulting on IT and security at cross-industry customers covering areas of global system tuning including Sysplex and Parallel Sysplex, Security (RACF, Top-Secret, Guardium) and large-scale projects involving Data Warehouse / Big Data and Machine Learning as well as data analysis in heterogeneous environments.

Isaac has vast knowledge in DB2 (both Z & LUW), IMS and other major DBMSs and has installed and migrated every release of Db2 starting with V1.2 and up to V12, including “skip & jump” migrations and worked on a variety of migrations to and from other vendor databases.  Isaac’s Db2 technical work includes wide-scale problem analysis, performance, troubleshooting, education/training, security problems and audits and BCP/DRP scenarios.  Isaac is an active IDUG contributor and frequent presenter.

Gerald Hodge
HLS Technologies

Gerry began working with Db2 V2 in 1985 while a First Vice President at Security Pacific National Bank. While there he headed the Capacity Planning and Performance Planning for 11 of the bank’s data centers. In 1990 he moved to BMC Software’s International Sales as their SME for their Db2 products, and was the primary on sight support for sales and Db2 Products in both Europe and Asia.

In 1995 Mr. Hodge started HLS Technologies, Inc. His company developed the following DB2 products: Avoid Bind, DBRM Check, Path Check, and Express Hints. He was invited to join IBM’s Gold Consultants the year the program was formed. He has been an active member every year since.  HLS Technologies has provided detailed planning and support for Db2 migrations since V5 and is currently supporting a large V12 migration project.

Dan Luksetich
DanL Database Consulting

Dan is a Db2 DBA consultant, an IBM Gold Consultant and IBM Analytics Champion. He works as a DBA, application architect, presenter, author, and teacher. Dan has been in IT for over 34 years, and has worked with Db2 for over 29 years. He has been an application programmer, Db2 system programmer, Db2 DBA, and DB2 application architect. His experience includes major implementations on z/OS, AIX, i Series, Windows, and Linux environments. His industry experience includes retail, banking, fraud detection, analytics, government, and utility. He specializes in highly available, high-volume transaction processing against very large database systems.

Dan’s experience includes, but is not limited to:

· Application design and architecture
· Business analytics
· SQL consulting and education
· SQL coding and application programming
· Database administration
· Complex SQL
· SQL tuning
· DB2 performance audits
· Replication
· Disaster recovery
· Stored procedures, user-defined functions, and triggers

Several people who registered for The Fillmore Group’s Columbus IDAA class in July were unable to attend, so we’ve decided to borrow the “Db2 Night Show” format, with Frank hosting the “IDAA Afternoon Show” Wednesday, August 28^th from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EDT.

Frank will deliver a fast-paced, content-rich 90-minute webinar covering:

1. A review of capabilities included in recent IDAA v7.1.x code drops
2. The return of the High Performance Storage Saver (HPSS)
3. Integrated Synchronization
4. The closer-to-real Hybrid Transaction Analytic Processing (HTAP) capability
5. Disaster Recovery and High Availability considerations

And as an added bonus we will step all registered attendees through The Fillmore Group’s exclusive IDAA form-factor Buying Guide to compare:

• IBM Integrated Analytics Systems (IIAS)
• Docker container running on System z
• Docker container running on LinuxONE

We’ll do this via webinar, so come-one-come-all.  We’ll upload the materials we used in the Columbus class so anyone who did not register for class but attends the webinar can access them.

I hope you will join us if your schedule allows, and invite any colleagues who may be interested in the material.

Registration is required.  Please register HERE.

Join us for this new and improved for 2019 class to be delivered by IBM Gold Consultant Frank Fillmore. Contents include IDAA v7 early experiences, best practices, and v5 to v7 migration tips. Attendees will learn how an IDAA v7 (aka “Sailfish”) can extend System z’s processing capabilities to enable Hybrid Transaction/Analytic Processing (HTAP).  For IBM System z customers considering an IDAA purchase, this class provides an overview of the architecture, use cases delivering value, and insight into the administration of the accelerator.

Class is free to IBM System z customers considering an IDAA purchase.  The Fillmore Group will provide breakfast and lunch each day; attendees are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses.

Registration is required – Register HERE

Dates (2 days):            Thursday and Friday, July 18 and 19, 2019

Location:                      IBM, 6060 Britton Parkway, Building 1, Dublin, Ohio, 43016

Time:                           9:00am – 4:00pm EDT

Cost:                            Class is *free* to pre-registered attendees

Instructor:                    Frank Fillmore

Topics:

• An introduction to the V7.1 architecture and Integrated Analytics System (IAS).
• The heterogeneous accelerator environment: what works well today.
• Assessment tools to support acquisition: Workload Assessment, Client Value Engagement, PoC.
• Positioning IDAA within your organization with the most valuable use case.
• Migrating from the Netezza-based IDAA to v7.1.

Lab 1: Basic IDAA Activities

• Data Studio / IBM Db2 Analytics Accelerator Studio GUI
• Table acceleration
• Query processing and analysis

Enhancing Value to the IDAA with the IBM Tools Ecosystem

• Assessment: What is the workload that would benefit from being accelerated?
• Optimization: How do I monitor and optimize a workload to take advantage of the Accelerator?
• Administration: Can I manage the Accelerator more effectively?

Lab 2: Advanced IDAA Exploitation

• Incremental Update: keeping accelerated data in sync with DB2 for z/OS OLTP
• Accelerator-only Tables (AoTs): intermediate tables and ETL processing