IDUG NA 2026

This session should be considered because it addresses a high-value challenge for Db2 customers: performing a version upgrade with little to no application outage while preserving a reliable backout path. Based on real production experience, it covers failed upgrade scenarios, post-upgrade risk, and the operational realities of switching active workloads across versions and hardware. Rather than staying conceptual, it presents a practical, repeatable approach using Q Replication and Automatic Client Reroute (ACR), along with lessons learned on synchronization, clustered cutover behavior, and risk reduction. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas they can apply in their own environments.
This session presents a practical approach for performing a no-outage Db2 version upgrade using Q Replication and Automatic Client Reroute (ACR). It explains the drivers behind the solution, including online upgrade capabilities in competing platforms, prior failed upgrade attempts, and the need for a reliable backout strategy. The session then walks through replication setup, synchronization of an active source to the target, online cutover steps, and operational challenges in clustered environments. Attendees will learn how to move from an older Db2 version to a newer one with minimal disruption and lower upgrade risk.

IBM System Z and Db2 for z/OS applications are essential to the successful operations and business workflows for major companies. Join our discussion on OpenTelemetry and its powerful impact on observability across your entire business environment. Whether you're a System Reliability Engineer or an Application Developer, this session is for you!Here's what you'll learn:

An overview of the OpenTelemetry observability framework and how it helps generate, process, and distribute telemetry data.
How Db2 for z/OS supports OpenTelemetry and how you can leverage it for your applications.
How OpenTelemetry support aligns with the broader platform, i.e. IBM System Z and Db2 for z/OS, to enhance your operations.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your understanding and implementation of OpenTelemetry within Db2 for z/OS and its futures.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your understanding and implementation of OpenTelemetry within Db2 for z/OS and its futures.

This session explores a practical strategy for protecting mainframe data from ransomware by combining prevention, immutable backup design, and automated recovery. While strong identity controls and privileged-access protection remain the first line of defense, organizations also need resilient recovery options when logical corruption or credential-based attacks succeed. The presentation examines the strengths and limits of software-based and hardware-enabled immutable copies, including snapshots, safeguarded copies, and cyber vault architectures, and explains why backup frequency alone does not eliminate the risk of recovering corrupted data. It then addresses the critical recovery questions every enterprise must answer: when corruption began, which recovery point is trustworthy, and how to restore business-critical data without sacrificing post-backup transactions. The session concludes with an approach that pairs immutable storage for backups and transaction logs with automated forward recovery for Db2, IMS, and VSAM, helping organizations reduce data loss, strengthen cyber resilience, and align with growing regulatory expectations for isolated, restorable backups under frameworks such as DORA and industry guidance on resilient recovery.

In this presentation we will discuss the resiliency offerings for DB2 and how they can be combined to provide an Always On architecture.  What are the process changes required, how to I determine what needs to be done and what can I do today. The IBM Always On architecture allows you to run your client facings systems 24 by 7 by 365 with zero downtime.

This session explores the latest advancements in Db2 LUW designed to ensure continuous reliability, high availability, and disaster recovery for enterprise databases. Attendees will gain insight into new features introduced since Db2 v12.1, including integrated automated HA solutions with Pacemaker, online upgrades and maintenance with minimal disruption, and seamless backup and recovery enhancements. The presentation covers the architecture and operational principles of Db2 pureScale, demonstrating how it delivers near-linear scalability, robust transactional integrity, and rapid failover across cloud and on-prem environments. Real-world testing scenarios and enterprise-grade validation processes are highlighted to showcase how Db2 achieves platinum-level resiliency. Whether you manage mission-critical workloads or architect resilient database solutions, this session provides actionable strategies and technical guidance to maximize uptime, streamline maintenance, and future-proof your Db2 deployments

Even well‑written SQL can slow Db2 for z/OS when subtle mistakes slip through. In this hands‑on lab, attendees will work with preloaded queries that showcase common pitfalls—over‑indexing, missing or stale statistics, inefficient joins, unnecessary sorting, and predicate mismatches. You’ll identify the issues, apply targeted fixes, and validate improvements using metrics, access path analysis, and supporting tools.
Beyond immediate speedups, this lab reinforces a repeatable diagnostic approach that strengthens day‑to‑day tuning and sets the stage for AI‑assisted operations—where consistent, high‑quality data enables smarter automation and more reliable outcomes.

Are you ready to move beyond managing infrastructure and start innovating with your data? This hands-on workshop provides a deep dive into migrating and modernizing IBM Db2 workloads using Amazon RDS for Db2. Participants will gain practical experience in executing seamless migrations from platforms like Linux, AIX, or z/OS while ensuring high availability and optimized performance.Beyond the migration, you will explore how to unlock the value of your data by integrating AWS AI/ML services. You'll learn to build intelligent applications using Amazon Bedrock powered by your live RDS for Db2 data. By the end of this session, you will have a clear blueprint for transforming your legacy databases into a modern, AI-ready data foundation.