IDUG NA 2026: Full Schedule

A look at new SQL Extensions delivered in releases leading up to 12.1 along with what is new in 12.1 itself. We will take a dive into how Db2 is being extended with AI capabilities including ability to access external AI models through SQL. Learn how Db2 is being extended with vector store capabilities and integrating with both open data formats and open table formats through data lake table extensions.

Speakers

Mike Springgay

STSM Db2 Architect, IBM

Tuesday October 27, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am EDT
Magnificent 1

Track B, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject LUW
Area AI GenAI and Machine Learning, Modernization in Development

10:20am EDT

C6 | Mining db2mon

Tuesday October 27, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am EDT

Magnificent 4

The folks at the Db2 Lab provide us with a great tool to monitor Db2. It's free and already installed with Db2. This session will show you how db2mon works and how to use it. Then, we'll discuss how to run it in different ways for different use cases. Next, we'll present a way to run db2mon for historical data gathering and trend analysis. Finally, we'll show examples of the data db2mon provides and what to look for in various performance scenarios.

Speakers

Ken Shaffer

Db2 Consultant, Aerodata, Inc.

Ken has been a Db2 Consultant for over 20 years, specializing in LUW systems. He has worked on a variety of large databases for large corporate and government clients. Most of these projects have involved deploying and supporting mission-critical applications where constant availability... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am EDT
Magnificent 4

Track C, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject LUW
Area Best Practices, Performance and Monitoring, User Stories, Utilities

10:20am EDT

E6 | Is It the End of DBAs for Db2 for z/OS?

Tuesday October 27, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am EDT

Magnificent 6

For decades, Db2 for z/OS DBAs have served as the platform’s human control plane, balancing availability, performance, recoverability, security, and change at enterprise scale. Today, automation, smarter tooling, and AI-driven recommendations are reshaping that role by reducing repetitive work and accelerating insight. But does that mean the DBA is disappearing?This session examines the past, present, and future of Db2 for z/OS administration to distinguish what can be automated from what still requires human expertise. It explores how autonomics, integrated monitoring, and operational AI are moving DBAs from manual execution toward policy, architecture, governance, and decision-making.Attendees will gain a practical view of where AI adds value, where it can mislead, and why deep Db2 expertise remains essential for interpreting signals in context, managing trade-offs, and responding when the unexpected happens.

Speakers

Chad Reiber

Software Engineer, BMC Software

With a career spanning decades in IT and databases, Chad Reiber serves as a Sr. Principal Software Engineer at BMC Software. Starting as a developer at AT&T in 1983, he quickly transitioned into the database administration field, gaining extensive experience with IMS, IDMS, and Db2... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am EDT
Magnificent 6

Track E, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject z/OS
Area Best Practices

11:30am EDT

B7 | Db2 LUW Back to Basics - Backup and recovery

Tuesday October 27, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

Magnificent 1

In this presentation we will examine in detail the backup and recovery options available to DBAs for their Db2 environments. How to tune these utilities will be discussed and results will be reviewed from numerous tests. We will see what is the “art of the possible” from using local files, COS, Storage based copies, etc. … We will take a close look at the new version enhancements and how they can improve your backup and recovery experience.

Speakers

Dale McInnis

STSM, Db2 Client Adoption Engineering, IBM

Dale McInnis is an STSM in Db2 development from the IBM Toronto Canada Lab. He has a B.Sc.(CS) from the University of New Brunswick and a Masters of Engineering(M.Eng) from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing his PhD in computer science. Dale joined IBM in 1988 and... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Magnificent 1

Track B, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject LUW
Area Back to Basics, Best Practices, Database Resiliency, Latest and Features LUW, Modernization in Operations

11:30am EDT

E7 | Modernizing Db2 HADR Automation: Migrating from TSA to Pacemaker with Ansible DevOps

Tuesday October 27, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

Magnificent 6

Many Db2 environments rely on Tivoli System Automation (TSA) to manage High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR) clusters. While TSA has long provided reliable automation for Db2 failover, modern Linux clustering standards and DevOps practices are increasingly shifting organizations toward Pacemaker-based cluster management and infrastructure automation.
This session presents a real-world migration approach for transitioning Db2 HADR environments from TSA to Pacemaker, while leveraging Ansible automation to standardize cluster deployment, configuration, and operational management.
Attendees will learn how to design a repeatable DevOps-driven framework that automates the provisioning of Pacemaker clusters, integrates Db2 HADR resources, and validates failover behavior across environments. The presentation will demonstrate how Ansible playbooks can be used to automate cluster setup, resource configuration, fencing policies, and operational testing, enabling consistent and scalable deployments.
The session will also highlight common challenges encountered during TSA-to-Pacemaker migrations, including cluster configuration pitfalls, resource dependencies, and operational considerations for maintaining availability during the transition.
By the end of the session, participants will gain practical guidance, automation patterns, and lessons learned for modernizing Db2 high-availability environments using Pacemaker and DevOps practices.

Speakers

Mohan Saraswatipura

Senior Consultant, DBA Automation

Mohankumar Saraswatipura is an IBM Gold Consultant specializing in database solutions. His background demonstrates versatile expertise in database architecture and administration, particularly with Db2 environments.

Tuesday October 27, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Magnificent 6

Track E, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject LUW
Area Database Resiliency, Modernization in Operations

12:30pm EDT

Lunch

Tuesday October 27, 2026 12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT

Triumph C/D

Tuesday October 27, 2026 12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Triumph C/D

IDUG, Lunch

Audience All

2:00pm EDT

A8 | Db2 for z/OS Modernization Update & Strategy

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Magnificent 3

Db2 for z/OS continues to advance with new capabilities that simplify development, automation, and operations across the enterprise.
Join this session to explore the latest modernization updates including Db2 auto-discovery of configuration parameters, future exploitation around Configuration as Code, new APIs to support continuous integration and continuous deployment of database schema changes, and IBM Db2 Agents.

Speakers

Sueli Almeida

IBM Certified Thought Leader, IBM Silicon Valley Lab

Sueli Almeida is an IBM Certified Thought Leader and member of Db2 for z/OS development located at the IBM Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose, California. She has extensive experience with DB2, including database administration and systems programming. She has worked on DB2 for z/OS advanced... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Magnificent 3

Track A, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject z/OS
Area Automation, Best Practices, Database Resiliency, Modernization in Development, Modernization in Operations

2:00pm EDT

C8 | Db2 as Containerized Deployment

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Magnificent 4

Db2 containerization makes Db2 more flexible, scalable, and cloud-native by running it in containers managed by Kubernetes. As Kubernetes is constantly evolving, so does Db2U, our Db2 Universal Container. Come and learn the great deal of innovative work coming your way, in terms of the next-gen capabilities of Db2U.

Speakers

Mohammed Shafiur Rahman

Advisory Software Engineer, IBM

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Magnificent 4

Track C, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject LUW
Area Automation, Latest and Features LUW, Modernization in Operations

2:00pm EDT

D8 | Making Better Connections - A Db2 Client Primer

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Magnificent 5

Db2 can be accessed from a wide variety of client platforms and languages. But information on the best way to achieve this access is often hard to find. This presentation will examine what Db2 clients are available and then look at the best way to configure connections from these clients. As well as the basic Db2 clients it will look at language and framework specific adapters as well.

Speakers

Philip Nelson

Senior Database Software Engineer, Lloyds Banking Group / ScotDB Limited

Philip Nelson has worked with Db2 since 1989. He likes to explore new functionality and is always exploring new techniques for enhancing Db2 usage. He is a frequent presenter at IDUG and has also supported IDUG in many other ways, including the IDUG EMEA CPC and the Content Commi... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Magnificent 5

Track D, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject Cross Platform
Area AppDev, Best Practices

2:00pm EDT

E8 | Real-World Db2 Performance Insights: Native ISPF Panels and SQL on z/OS

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Magnificent 6

This presentation will demonstrate how ISPF panels and SQL are used to enhance IBM Db2 tools such as Omegamon PDB and CQM history tables. The Db2 V13 Utility history tables and In-house written Db2 health checks will also be presented. These solutions have been implemented at Navy Federal Credit Union with Db2 V12 and V13 mission critical applications.

Speakers

Steven Loesch

Principle Data Engineer V, Navy Federal Credit Union

Db2 Database Administration and Programming since 1988. Every Version of Db2. Navy Federal Credit Union, 2019-Present Db2 DBA, Database Design and Performance Management, Db2 V12-V13.Anixter Inc., 2010-2019 Db2 DBA, Database Design and Performance Management, Migrated Db2 V9-V12.Db2... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Magnificent 6

Track E, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject z/OS

2:00pm EDT

F8 | The Db2 Fantastic Four: How Optimization, Performance, Cost, and AI Come Together in the Modern Database Experience

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Magnificent 7

The panel frames this discussion around the aspects most critical to enterprise database operations—the “Fantastic Four”: system capacity, performance optimization, cost management, and AI-driven analysis. Panelists will share real-world experiences and practical insights on applying AI to analyze database telemetry, anticipate workload changes, optimize resource utilization, and support data-driven decision-making at scale.By bringing together perspectives from multiple organizations, this session highlights how AI-enhanced database management is evolving from reactive monitoring to intelligent, predictive operations, helping enterprises improve reliability, efficiency, and business outcomes while managing growing data demands.

Speakers

Jyotsna Chatradhi

Sr. Manager Engineering, Broadcom

Jyotsna Chatradhi is a Senior Engineering Manager on the MSD UXUI team. She has been with Broadcom for nearly a decade, with over 20+ years of engineering experience across diverse industries. Jyotsna is an inventor with five published patents in her field and actively contributes... Read More →

Chris Crone

Distinguished Engineer, Broadcom

Chris is a Distinguished Engineer for Database Technology and a lead architectfor the Data Management portfolio within the Mainframe Division of BroadcomSoftware Group. He oversees strategy and architecture decisions for theBroadcom database products IDMS and Datacom, as well as for... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Magnificent 7

Track F, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject Cross Platform
Area Best Practices

2:00pm EDT

IDUG Badging

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

Magnificent 2B

Sponsors

IDUG

Tuesday October 27, 2026 2:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Magnificent 2B

Badging, Certification & Badging

Audience All
Subject LUW

3:00pm EDT

Coffee Break

Tuesday October 27, 2026 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT

Triumph C/D

Tuesday October 27, 2026 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Triumph C/D

IDUG, Break

Audience All

4:30pm EDT

A9 | DB2 z/OS ZPARMs: Overview, Best Practices, and Recommendations

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Magnificent 3

With over 300 Db2 for z/OS subsystem parameters (zParms) constantly shifting, keeping your mainframe optimized can feel like chasing a moving target. Defaults change, deprecated parameters vanish, and critical new tuning options quietly debut - leaving many organizations running on legacy configurations that secretly drain performance and inflate costs. When was the last time you truly audited yours? Join this session to demystify the modern zParm landscape, uncover hidden configuration traps, and walk away with a battle-tested blueprint of industry best practices to supercharge your Db2 environment.

Speakers

Michal Bialecki

Db2 technical consultant, Broadcom

Michal Bialecki is a Db2 Technical Consultant at Broadcom, bringing over 20 years of experience to the role. Prior to joining Broadcom in 2025, he spent two decades working remotely for IBM Silicon Valley Lab, where he served as a member of Db2 z/OS Development SWAT team with John... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Magnificent 3

Track A, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject z/OS
Area Best Practices

4:30pm EDT

B9 | Db2: Explain EXPLAIN

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Magnificent 1

Technical details to Db2 LUW usage and optimization of queries
There are many sessions about the EXPLAIN facility in Db2 LUW, but they all lack the concise statements to find the right SQL queries, set everything up, do the EXPLAIN and draw the right conclusions by examples and working statements to copy-and-paste.This is a back-to-basics session, enhanced with experiences from real situations and best practices.This session was presented at IDUG NA 2025 in Atlanta. It was in the Top10 of the user sessions. I will update the material to version 12.1 and preferrably include details regaring AI optimizer

Speakers

Roland Schock

Principal, tasdevil Consulting

Roland is installing, using and tuning Db2 on distributed since 1993 or Version 2.1 for OS/2. After working for 25+ years for ARS Computer und Consulting GmbH as a Db2 expert he is now an independent consultant.His expertise and engagement for the community allowed him to be IBM Champion... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Magnificent 1

Track B, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject LUW
Area Back to Basics, Best Practices, User Stories, Working with SQL

4:30pm EDT

C9 | All you need to know about Pacemaker and Db2 HADR for any Cloud Deplyoment

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Magnificent 4

Db2 databases support the High Availability needs of many customers today. Db2 v11.5.5.0 saw the general availability of High Availability with Pacemaker on the Linux platform, providing a newer, Cloud-ready alternative to the TSA implementation. Newer releases have added support for AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud environments.This workshop will give you hands-on experience for managing a Db2 HADR with Pacemaker Cluster on AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or IBM Cloud. The session will cover the Cloud-specific implementation of Fencing mechanisms and Virtual IP (VIP) addresses across different cloud platforms. Key topics include: Implementation of Route 53 for DNS-based VIP management, Setup of Disk Fencing, Qdevice (Quorum Device) for enhanced split-brain prevention.

Speakers

Thomas Rech

Architect Db2 SAP Dev. & Client Adoption Engineering, IBM

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Magnificent 4

Track C, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject LUW

4:30pm EDT

D9 | Db2 DDF and DBATs and Connections re-explained from a user perspective

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Magnificent 5

Distributed client applications (from a server) are the most important and common of new workload using Db2 Z.
There are many concepts and terms thrown around which we often too often gloss over without a complete understanding.
This presentation will re-explain basic terms from my user perspective plus share some experiences learned (the hard way?) over recent years.
This presentation covers THREADS and DBATS and CONNECTION. What they mean and how they work and what our Db2 can tell us about their usage and importance.

Speakers

Brian Laube

Db2 DBA, Manulife Financial

Brian Laube is an application DBA for Db2 Z working for Manulife Financial in Canada. Brian has experience with performance monitoring, SQL, application developement, security and everything else in the mainframe world.
Brian has been an IBM Champion since 2017. Brian is one of the directors of the Central Canada Db2 User Group which still holds an annual TWO day in-person user-group event! Brian Laube has presented at many IDUG conferences since 2015 in both NA and EMA. Brian is a volunteer with... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Magnificent 5

Track D, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject z/OS
Area AppDev, Back to Basics, Performance and Monitoring, User Stories

4:30pm EDT

E9 | Basic Automation, Or, How To Make The Database Do Your Job For You

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Magnificent 6

In today’s busy environment, there is a lot of pressure to automate as much as possible. To that end, and lacking AI tools to do my job, I have come up with a few shortcuts that allow me to automate some normally onerous tasks. In this presentation, I will describe and document some tasks I have automated in my shop. Hopefully some of this will prove useful.

Speakers

Mark McNary

DBA, umb bank n.a.uu

I have been working with DB2 since 1989 in a variety of positions, from heads-down development, to systems design to database design and DBA work. . I love to talk about databases in general, and especially DB2. I also have extensive experience with Oracle, SQL Server, and Sybase... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Magnificent 6

Track E, Technical Session

Audience All
Subject z/OS
Area Automation, Back to Basics, User Stories

5:30pm EDT

Evening Reception

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:30pm - 7:00pm EDT

Triumph C/D

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:30pm - 7:00pm EDT
Triumph C/D

IDUG, Reception

Audience All

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