RE: No DBAs needed on AS400

We have DB2 running on an AS400 and have a DB2 DBA. She does those unimportant things like backup/restore, source control, duhveloper control, database reorgs and all sorts of other junk. She is busy all the time.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2002 10:44 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

I never worked on AS400, but this aligns with what I recall. I believe that the System/38 was the first IBM system that had an embedded database. (System 36 did not -- it used older technology.) And that was used as the basis for the AS400. If I recall correctly, the OS used the database to store pretty much everything including all the system parameters and data. I believe this pre-dates DB2 and was very likely not a true relational database -- though I could be wrong on that. I suspect that SQL query capabilities were added on afterwards, similar to what was done with Ingres and Informix. (Informix was just indexed files and you could bypass SQL and do indexed file reads for performance reasons. Ingres had its own query language before SQL (QUEL?).)

You didn't need a DBA, because the OS controlled everything and I don't think there was any ability to tune the system. The AS400 was designed to be pretty much a hands-off system. Just plug it in and let it run.

Marc Perkowitz
Senior Consultant
TWJ Consulting, LLP

• Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L" <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2002 9:33 AM

> It's been a while since I actually worked on a AS400
> but from my understanding, DB2 is integrated into
> OS400, the operating system for the AS400.
>
> In the System/36 and System/38 worlds, you used RPG
> and a bunch of other utilities to create your programs
> and files. The files were flat files and I think when
> AS400 came out, this concept was still in place except
> now the files were stored in a database - DB2.
>
> I have seen one application on an AS400. There was no
> RI, no procs or triggers. The application had its
> roots in a System/36 system and had been re-written
> for the AS400. All the logic was in the app and DB2
> just stored the data.
>
> Yes, you can run a utility (strsql I think) that
> brings up a screen and you can query the tables stored
> in the database using plain SQL. You can also bypass
> the app and directly insert/update/delete data aswell.
>
> hth
>
> mkb
>
>
> --- Jay Hostetter <jhostetter_at_decommunications.com>
> wrote:
> > We are going through a merger, and management is
> > looking to eliminate positions. Here is a brief
> > summary of my discussion with the new director of
> > IT:
> >
> > Director: "Back when I we were using an AS400, we
> > didn't need a DBA."
> > Me: "Then you probably were just using files."
> > Director: "No, it was a database."
> > Me: "Could you issue SQL commands?"
> > Director: "Yes. But we didn't need a DBA. I guess
> > it was just one of those mysteries of life."
> >
> >
> > My thoughts are that he is using the term "database"
> > in the generic sense of the word (our "files" are
> > our database), or he was using some proprietary
> > database that doesn't even begin to compare to
> > Oracle.
> >
> > For those of you who know AS400s, I would appreciate
> > some insight that would demonstrate why he needs to
> > keep me as a DBA.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Jay
> >
> >
> > --
> > Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ:
> > http://www.orafaq.com
> > --
> > Author: Jay Hostetter
> > INET: jhostetter_at_decommunications.com
> >
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-- 
Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
-- 
Author: Marc Perkowitz
  INET: mperkowitz_at_twjconsulting.com

Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051
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Author: Farnsworth, Dave
  INET: DFarnsworth_at_Ashleyfurniture.com

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