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DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade Certification Study Guide
By Roger E. Sanders MC Press
Copyright © 2007 Roger Sanders
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-58347-078-7
CHAPTER 1
IBM DB2 9 Certification
Recognized throughout the world, the Professional Certification Program from IBM offers a range of certification options for IT professionals. This program consists of several distinct certification roles that are designed to guide you in your professional development; you begin the certification process by selecting the role that's right for you, and familiarizing yourself with the certification requirements for that role. Once you have chosen the certification role you wish to pursue and have familiarized yourself with the requirements for that particular role, the next step is to prepare for and take the appropriate certification exam or exams.
This chapter is designed to introduce you to an accelerated path you can take to obtain the IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows certification from IBM.
IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows
The IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows certification is intended for experienced DB2 9 users who possess the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the day-to-day administration of DB2 9 instances and databases residing on Linux, UNIX, or Windows platforms. In addition to being knowledgeable about the concepts of DB2 9 database administration, individuals seeking this certification should have significant hands-on experience as a DB2 9 Database Administrator (DBA).
Candidates who have either taken and passed the DB2 V8.1 Family Fundamentals exam (Exam 700) or acquired the IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 V8.1 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows certification (by taking and passing Exams 700 and 701) must take and pass the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration exam (Exam 731) to acquire the IBM Certified Database Administrator — DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows certification. All other candidates must take and pass both the DB2 9 Family Fundamentals exam (Exam 730) and the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration exam (Exam 731). The roadmap for acquiring the IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows certification can be seen in Figure 1–1.
Candidates who already hold the IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 V8.1 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows certification may opt to take the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736) to acquire the IBM Certified Database Administrator - DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows certification. This exam, which is half the length and half the cost of the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration exam (Exam 731), is designed to test a candidate's knowledge of the new features and functions that are available in DB2 9. Essentially, the upgrade exam provides certified DB2 Version 8.1 DBAs an accelerated approach for acquiring an equivalent Version 9 certification. This accelerated approach is outlined in Figure 1–2.
DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736) Objectives
The DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736) consists of 38 multiple-choice questions, and candidates have 60 minutes to complete the exam. A score of 55% or higher is required to pass.
The primary objectives that the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736) is designed to cover are as follows (the percentages after each section title reflect the approximate distribution of the total question set across the sections):
Section 1 - Server Management (29%)
• Understand the functionality of the AUTOCONFIGURE command
• Ability to manually configure communications (emphasis on IPv6)
• Ability to enable automatic maintenance
• Ability to enable the Self-Tuning Memory Manager
• Ability to enable Utility Throttling
Section 2 - Data Placement (21%)
• Knowledge of the new default behavior of the CREATE DATABASE command
• Ability to create and manage Automatic Storage table spaces
• Knowledge of Table Partitioning
• Knowledge of Data Row Compression
Section 3 - XML Concepts (13%)
• Ability to use XML data types
• Ability to create and manage XML indexes
• Ability to use basic XML functions (for example, XMLPARSE, XMLSERIALIZE, XMLVALIDATE, and XMLQUERY)
• Knowledge of basic XQuery fundamentals
• Ability to use DB2 utilities with XML data
Section 4 - Analyzing DB2 Activity (16%)
• Ability to use DB2's troubleshooting utilities (db2bfd, db2mtrk,and db2pd)
• Ability to monitor deadlocks
• Ability to use Administrative Routines and SNAPSHOT functions
Section 5 - High Availability (10.5%)
• Ability to use the RECOVER DATABASE command
• Knowledge of High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR)
Section 6 - Security (10.5%)
• Knowledge of DB2 9's new authentication types
• Understanding of Label Based Access Control (LBAC)
Taking the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736)
When you are confident that you are ready to take the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736), your next step is to contact an IBM-authorized testing vendor. The DB2 9 certification exams are administered by Pearson VUE, by Thompson Prometric, and, in rare, cases by IBM (for example, IBM administers the DB2 9 certifications free of charge at some of the larger database conferences, such as the International DB2 User's Group North American conference). However, before you contact either testing vendor, you should visit their Web site (www.vue.com/ibm and www.2test.com, respectively) and use the navigation tools provided there to locate a testing center that is convenient for you. Once you have located a testing center, you can then contact the vendor and make arrangements to take the certification exam. (Contact information for the testing vendors can also be found on their respective Web sites; in some cases, you can schedule an exam online.)
You must make arrangements to take a certification exam at least 24 hours in advance, and when you contact the testing vendor, you should be ready to provide the following information:
• Your name (as you want it to appear on your certification certificate).
• An identification number (if you have taken an IBM certification exam before, this is the number assigned to you at that time; if not, the testing vendor will supply one)
• A telephone number where you can be reached
• A fax number
• The mailing address to which you want all certification correspondence, including your certification welcome package, to be sent
• Your billing address, if it is different from your mailing address
• Your email address
• The number that identifies the exam you wish to take (for example, Exam 736)
• The method of payment (credit card or check) you wish to use, along with any relevant payment information (such as credit card number and expiration date)
• Your company's name (if applicable)
• The testing center where you would like to take the certification exam
• The date when you would like to take the certification exam
Before you make arrangements to take a certification exam, you should have paper and pencil or pen handy so that you can write down the test applicant identification number the testing center will assign you. You will need this information when you arrive at the testing center to take the certification exam. (If time permits, you will be sent a letter of confirmation containing the number of the certification exam you have been scheduled to take, along with corresponding date, time, and location information; if you register within 48 hours of the scheduled testing date, you will not receive a letter.)
The DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736) costs $75 (in the United States). Scheduling procedures vary according to how you choose to pay for the exam. If you decide to pay by credit card, you can make arrangements to take the exam immediately after providing the testing vendor with the appropriate information. However, if you elect to pay by check, you will be required to wait until the check has been received and payment has been confirmed before you will be allowed to make arrangements to take the exam. (Thompson Prometric recommends that if you pay by check, you write your registration ID on the front and contact them seven business days after the check is mailed. At that time, they should have received and confirmed your payment, and you should be able to make arrangements to take the exam for which you have paid.) If, for some reason, you need to reschedule or cancel your testing appointment after it is made, you must do so at least 24 hours before your scheduled test time. Otherwise, you will still be charged the price of the exam.
On the day you are scheduled to take a certification exam, you should arrive at the testing center at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, to sign in. As part of the sign-in process, you will be asked to provide the applicant identification number you were assigned when you made arrangements to take the exam and two forms of identification. One form of identification must feature a recent photograph, and the other must show your signature. Examples of valid forms of identification include a driver's license (photograph) and a credit card (signature).
Once you are signed in, the exam administrator will instruct you to enter the testing area and select an available workstation. The exam administrator will then enter your name and identification number into the workstation you have chosen, provide you with a pencil and some paper, and instruct you to begin the exam when you are ready.
As soon as you complete the exam and submit it for grading, the IBM Certification Exam testing software will evaluate your answers and produce a score report that indicates whether you passed the exam. Each certification exam is broken into sections, and regardless of whether you pass or fail, you should take a few moments to review the score you received for each section. This information can help you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses; if you failed to pass the exam, it can help you identify the areas you should spend some time reviewing before you take the exam again.
Shortly after you take a certification exam (usually within five working days), the testing vendor sends your results, along with your demographic data (e.g., name, address, phone number) to the IBM Certification Group for processing. If you passed the exam, you will receive credit toward the certification role the exam was designed for, and if the exam you took completes the requirements that have been outlined for a particular certification role, you will receive an email (at the email address you provided during registration) containing a copy of the IBM Certification Agreement and a welcome package that includes a certificate suitable for framing (in the form of a PDF file), camera-ready artwork of the IBM certification logo, and guidelines for using the "IBM Certified" mark. (If this email cannot be delivered, the welcome package will be sent to you via regular mail.) You can also receive a printed certificate, along with a wallet-sized certificate, via regular mail by going to the Web site referenced in the email you receive and requesting it — you will be asked to provide your Fulfillment ID and Validation Number (also provided in the email) as verification that you have met the requirements for certification.
Upon receipt of the welcome package, you are officially certified, and can begin using the IBM Professional Certification title and trademark. (You should receive the IBM Certification Agreement and welcome package within four to six weeks after IBM processes the exam results.) However, if you failed to pass the exam and you still wish to become certified, you must make arrangements to take it again (including paying the testing fee again). There are no restrictions on the number of times you can take a particular certification exam; however, you cannot take the same certification exam more than two times within a 30-day period.
CHAPTER 2
Server Management
Twenty nine percent (29%) of the DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade exam (Exam 736) is designed to test your knowledge about basic DB2 server management. The questions that make up this portion of the exam are intended to evaluate the following:
• Your understanding of the AUTOCONFIGURE command
• Your ability to manually configure client/server connectivity
• Your ability to use Automatic Maintenance
• Your ability to throttle utilities
• Your ability to use DB2's Self-Tuning Memory Manager (STMM)
This chapter is designed to introduce you to the various concepts you need to be familiar with in order to manage a DB2 9 server. This chapter will also provide you with information about some of the tools that are available for server management.
Instance and Database Configurations
DB2 sees the world as a hierarchy of objects. Workstations (or servers) on which DB2 has been installed occupy the highest level of this hierarchy. When any edition of DB2 is installed on a workstation, program files for a background process known as the DB2 Database Manager are physically copied to a specific location on that workstation, and in most cases, an instance of the DB2 Database Manager is created. Instances occupy the second level in the hierarchy and are responsible for managing system resources and databases that fall under their control. Databases make up the third level in the hierarchy and are responsible for managing the storage, modification, and retrieval of data.
During normal operation, the behavior of the DB2 Database Manager is controlled, in part, by a collection of values that define the DB2 operating environment. Some of these values are operating system environment variables, and others are special DB2-specific system-level values known as environment or registry variables. Along with this comprehensive set of registry variables DB2 uses an extensive array of configuration parameters to control how system resources are allocated and utilized on behalf of an instance and a database. Unfortunately, the default values provided for many of these configuration parameters were produced with very simple systems in mind. (The goal was for DB2 to run out of the box, on virtually any platform, not for DB2 to run optimally on the platform on which it is installed.) Thus, even though the default values provided for these configuration parameters are sufficient to meet most database needs, you can usually greatly improve overall system and application performance simply by changing the values of one or more configuration parameters.
Whenever an instance is created, a corresponding DB2 Database Manager configuration file is also created and initialized as part of the instance creation process. Each DB2 Database Manager configuration file is made up of approximately 85 different parameter values, and most control the amount of system resources that are allocated to a single DB2 Database Manager instance. Likewise, each time a new database is created a corresponding database configuration file is created and initialized. Each database configuration file is made up of approximately 105 different parameters, and just as most DB2 Database Manager instance configuration parameters control the amount of system resources that will be allocated to a single DB2 Database Manager instance, many of the database configuration file parameters control the amount of system resources that will be allocated to a database during normal operation.
The Configuration Advisor
With such a broad range of configuration parameters to choose from, deciding where to start and what changes to make can be difficult. Fortunately, DB2 comes packaged with a tool to help you get started; that tool is the Configuration Advisor. The Configuration Advisor is designed to capture specific information about your database environment and recommend or make changes to configuration parameters based on the information provided.
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Excerpted from DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Upgrade Certification Study Guide by Roger E. Sanders. Copyright © 2007 Roger Sanders. Excerpted by permission of MC Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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