Quick Beginnings

Chapter 1. About DB2 Connect

IBM's DB2 for OS/390, DB2 for AS/400, and DB2 for VSE & VM databases continue to be the systems of choice for managing most critical data for the world's largest organizations. While these host and AS/400 databases manage the data, there is a great demand to integrate the data managed by these systems with applications running on PCs, UNIX workstations, and Apple Macintosh workstations.

The DB2 Connect Enterprise Edition product (formerly known as DDCS Multi-User Gateway), provides a managed gateway for remote client applications to access databases stored on the following systems:

• DRDA server: DB2 for MVS/ESA, DB2 for AS/400, DB2 for OS/390, DB2 for VSE & VM systems
• DB2 Universal Database servers running on OS/2, Windows NT, and several UNIX systems.

DB2 Connect provides access to those databases in a cost-effective way by implementing a standard architecture for managing distributed data, known as Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA). Use of DRDA allows your applications to establish a fast connection to host and AS/400 databases without expensive host components or proprietary gateways. DB2 Connect products implement a DRDA Application Requester that can access DRDA Application Servers running on MVS, AS/400, OS/390, VM, and VSE systems.

DB2 Connect products provide a run-time environment for database applications written in C, C++, Java, COBOL, FORTRAN, SmallTalk, REXX, and other programming languages. Programmers can use the latest tools, such as IBM VisualAge, Microsoft Visual Studio, Borland Delphi, and many others, to develop database applications using the following Application Programming Interfaces (APIs):

• Microsoft ODBC
• DB2 Embedded SQL (both static and dynamic)
• DB2 Call Level Interface
• Java Database Connectivity

This allows you to use a wide range of off-the-shelf or custom-developed database applications, and provides application programmers with a broad selection of tools and functions. For example, you can use DB2 Connect products with:

• Spreadsheets, such as Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel, to analyze real-time data without the cost and complexity of data extract and import procedures.

• Decision support tools, such as Business Objects, Intersolv Q+E Database Editor, and Crystal Reports, to provide real-time information.

• Database products, such as Lotus Approach and Microsoft Access.

• Development tools, such as IBM VisualAge, PowerSoft PowerBuilder, Microsoft VisualBasic, and Borland Delphi, to create client/server solutions.

In addition, you get the DB2 Client Pack CD-ROM, which contains all the latest DB2 Client Application Enablers. With DB2 Client Application Enabler, clients from a variety of platforms can connect to host databases through the DB2 Connect Enterprise Edition workstation.

DB2 Connect Enterprise Edition is a member of the DB2 family of products, which includes relational database systems, middleware, and application development tools. The following is a list of other DB2 family products that are available separately:

• DB2 Universal Database Workgroup Edition is a relational database management system that enables local and remote clients and applications to create, update, control, and manage relational databases using Structured Query Language (SQL), ODBC, or CLI.

  In addition, you get the DB2 Client Pack CD-ROM, which contains all the latest DB2 Client Application Enablers. With DB2 Client Application Enabler, clients from a variety of platforms can connect to DB2 databases.

• DB2 Universal Database Enterprise Edition includes all the functions of the DB2 Universal Database Workgroup Edition plus includes the DB2 Connect support that allows access to databases on host systems.

• DB2 Application Developer's Kit (AD Kit) contains a collection of DB2 Universal Database products, clients, DB2 Connect products, DB2 Software Developer's Kits, and application development tools for all supported platforms. The AD Kit gives you all the tools you need to create multimedia database applications that can run on a variety of platforms and can connect to any DB2 server, including mainframe and AS/400 databases.

• DB2 Universal Database Personal Edition allows you to create and use local databases and to access remote databases if they are available. This product is available for the OS/2, Windows NT, and Windows 95 operating systems.

• DB2 Connect Personal Edition (formerly known as DDCS Single-User) provides access from a single workstation to DB2 databases residing on host systems such as MVS/ESA, OS/390, OS/400, VM, and VSE, as well as access to DB2 Universal Databases. This product is available for the OS/2, Windows 3.1x, Windows NT, and Windows 95 operating systems.

• DB2 Universal Database Extended Enterprise Edition (formerly known as DB2 Parallel Edition) provides the ability for a database to be partitioned across multiple independent computers of a common platform. To the end-user and application developer, it still appears as a single database on a single computer. This fully scalable database system enables an application to use a database that is simply too large for a single computer to handle efficiently. SQL operations and utilities can operate in parallel on the individual database partitions, thereby speeding up the execution time of a single query or utility.

Figure 1. DB2 Connect Enterprise Edition

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