SoftBase tools were developed with the z/OS Db2 application programmer in mind. DBA’s and others can use the tool, but the mission is to put the tools in the hands of the application developer who can use them to build performance and reliability into their software in the beginning as well as to tune after the fact. Performance and reliability are much easier to achieve as the application is built as opposed to retro-fitting to attain them.
Many tools are only accessible by DBA’s and performance analysts who use them after applications are built. SoftBase wanted to build tools that have a low enough overhead that application developers can use them without impacting performance. Db2 Batch Analyzer is one example. Few applications developers have access to performance tools because the overhead of Db2 traces and other things is just too expensive. Db2 Batch Analyzer does not suffer from these kinds of overhead. TestBase Db2 Catalog guide is another example. Often not all programmers are given access to the catalog because of fear of lock contention or a copy of the catalog is used with outdated information. Db2 Catalog guide is 100% static SQL whose access is all UR (uncommitted read) making contention virtually impossible. Db2 Deadlock Advisor puts the information about lock contention in the job logs that are accessible to the application programmer. TestBase Db2 Subset may require a DBA who knows the database and its relationships to set it up (we do have developers who can do this as well), but once set up, application programmers can be in charge of getting and refreshing their own test data.
Using the SoftBase tools, the programmer can:
- Extract and refresh their own test data (with privatization rules applied) with little DBA involvement (TestBase Db2 Subset and TestBase Db2 Mask)
- Modify test data to meet special test requirements (TestBase Db2 Edit)
- Backup, re-load, purge, compare, individual test areas of the same database (TestBase Db2 Slice)
- Build complex query SQL quickly (TestBase Db2 Query Build)
- Test, debug, and see access paths of program SQL from within the program (TestBase Db2 SQL Debug)
- View available access paths, their statistics and object relationships in the Db2 Catalog (TestBase Db2 Catalog Guide). Available from the access path panels of TestBase Db2 SQL Debug.
- Build check point / restart logic into the program (Db2 Checkpoint / Restart)
- Connect to Db2 using call attach (Db2 Attach)
- Analyze batch jobs for performance (Db2 Batch Analyzer and Db2 Catalog Guide)
- See Db2 lock contention for both the holder of the resource and the user attempting to get the resource (Db2 DeadLock Advisor)
