IDUG NA 2026

Fast copies of Db2 for z/OS tables are increasingly difficult as newer features add structural complexity. Table versioning, partition growth and rotation, XML and LOB data, temporal and archive relationships, and deferred VSAM creation can prevent direct dataset-level copies and force slower fallback methods. This webinar explains the key challenges and what they mean for copy speed and reliability.

In this session, we will introduce a z/OS middleware configuration tool (zconfig), which is an automation tool that in a very intuitive way, will help you to discover the configuration parameters of any of your Db2 subsystems. Additionally, you will be able to provision new Db2 subsystems with a configuration like the one just discovered.
Bringing configuration-as-code and automation to Db2 for z/OS environments modernize how to perform operational processes towards your Db2 subsystem management.
Join this session to learn practical approaches to modernizing your Db2 subsystem management.

I have a passion for all things mainframe especially Db2 for z/OS.
I like to tell non-technical folks what I do is make the mainframe & its databases a little easier to work with—and maybe a little less intimidating for the next generation of users.”
“honestly—when people hear ‘mainframe,’ they don’t always think modern, developer-friendly, and easy to integrate with.
But that’s exactly what we’re going to challenge today.”
“What I’m hoping to show you is that modernization isn’t about replacing the mainframe—it’s about unlocking more value from it, making it easier to use, and integrating it seamlessly into how we already build and deliver applications today.”
“So whether you’re deeply familiar with the platform, or just curious about how it fits into a modern development lifecycle—there should be something useful here for you.”

This updated workshop will give you the education and information you need to use existing and new features of Amazon RDS for Db2. Some of the topics covered during this workshop will include provisioning, scaling, backup, monitoring, migration and beyond. Each module will be introduced and presented and then participants will be provided an environment they can use and go through a series of instructor led exercises to practice what they have learned and explore. This will be a joint workship between the IBM and AWS RDS teams.

As AI capabilities expand on IBM Z, database operations are evolving from manual, expertise-driven practices to more automated, simpler, and faster management. This hands-on lab session provides experience with Database Assistant capabilities which transform Db2 administration through agent-assisted intelligence.
Experience how the solution combines AI-driven system insights, context-aware dashboards, and AI agents to enable:

Faster understanding of system behavior
Accelerated troubleshooting
Clearer assessments of operational impact
More confident decision-making

The benefit is reduced manual effort, improved consistency, faster issue resolution, and enhanced operational efficiency across complex enterprise environments.
Make sure to bring your laptop!