The DB2 production subsystem (DSNP) on the South system will be upgraded on Sunday, March 28, 1999. The NIH data warehouse subsystem (DSNW) will be upgraded a week later (Sunday, April 4, 1999). Please note: each system will be unavailable during the upgrade on its respective upgrade date.

The DB2 development subsystem (DSND) was upgraded on February 7, 1999. Existing applications should not be affected by the upgrade.

DB2 version 5 offers many enhancements including new performance, capacity, availability, and user productivity features. For more details on this version, visit the Web site http://silk.nih.gov/dbtech. Under DB2 Facilities, choose "Documentation" and then "DB2 Version 5 Upgrade."

Minor Changes in Version 5

• Plan_Table Has More Columns
  Three additional columns have been added to the PLAN_TABLE that is used to hold the results of the "EXPLAIN PLAN" statement. A model plan table—DB2.PLAN_TABLE—will be available to copy.

• "CASE" is an SQL Reserved Word
  If you create any columns named CASE in a table, you should enclose them in double quotes as in, "CASE." Better yet—since it is advisable to avoid using reserved words as column names—choose another name. For a complete list of DB2 reserved words, see the DB2 SQL reference manual.

Other Facilities Upgraded

The following upgrades have already been installed in preparation for DB2 version 5:

You may order manuals for QMF 3.3, Loadplus 4.2 and Catalog Manager 5.4—as well as for DB2 5—via the Web from http://www.cit.nih.gov.

These publications (and other documentation) can also be viewed online using Book Manager.

Interface 209 - March 15, 1999