Which type of compression in DB2 reduces the size of data by eliminating redundant information?

  • Adaptive Compression
  • Column Compression
  • Dictionary Compression
  • Row Compression
Dictionary Compression is a compression technique in DB2 that reduces the size of data by eliminating redundant information using a dictionary. It identifies repeating patterns within data and replaces them with shorter tokens or references, thereby reducing the overall storage space required. This compression technique is particularly effective for datasets with repetitive data patterns, leading to significant storage savings and improved query performance. 

Scenario: A DBA is analyzing the performance of a complex SQL query in DB2. How can Visual Explain assist in this analysis?

  • Highlights potential bottlenecks in the query execution
  • Offers recommendations for optimizing the query
  • Provides detailed statistics on CPU and memory usage
  • Provides graphical representation of query execution plan
Visual Explain in DB2 generates a graphical representation of the query execution plan, making it easier for the DBA to visualize how DB2 processes the query. This visualization helps identify areas where the query may be inefficient or encountering performance bottlenecks. By analyzing the execution plan, the DBA can pinpoint specific steps in the query execution process that may require optimization or tuning, ultimately improving the overall performance of the complex SQL query. 

What role does DB2 play in supporting high availability environments?

  • Enhances data encryption capabilities
  • Minimizes network latency
  • Optimizes data storage efficiency
  • Provides features like automatic failover and disaster recovery
DB2 plays a crucial role in supporting high availability environments by providing features like automatic failover and disaster recovery. This means that in the event of hardware failure or system downtime, DB2 can automatically switch to a standby server or backup data center to ensure continuous availability of critical services. Additionally, DB2 offers features like database replication and clustering to further enhance resilience and fault tolerance. These capabilities are essential for mission-critical applications where downtime can result in significant financial losses or reputational damage. 

Scenario: A database administrator is designing a new database schema for an e-commerce platform. What normalization techniques would you recommend to ensure data integrity and minimize redundancy?

  • Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
  • Fifth Normal Form (5NF)
  • Fourth Normal Form (4NF)
  • Third Normal Form (3NF)
Normalization is crucial in database design to ensure data integrity and minimize redundancy. Third Normal Form (3NF) is widely used, as it reduces data redundancy by removing transitive dependencies. Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF) is stricter than 3NF, eliminating all non-trivial functional dependencies and ensuring each determinant is a candidate key. Fourth Normal Form (4NF) deals with multi-valued dependencies, and Fifth Normal Form (5NF) addresses join dependencies, further enhancing data integrity and minimizing redundancy. 

Scenario: An application running on DB2 is experiencing slow query execution. What strategies can be employed to improve its performance?

  • Rewrite SQL queries
  • Increase buffer pool size
  • Implement proper indexing
  • Partition large tables
Option 3, implementing proper indexing, involves identifying and creating appropriate indexes on tables to speed up query execution by enabling the database engine to retrieve data more efficiently. This can significantly improve performance for slow-running queries by reducing the need for full table scans or excessive data sorting. Other options, such as rewriting SQL queries (option 1) to optimize their structure, increasing buffer pool size (option 2) to enhance memory management, and partitioning large tables (option 4) to distribute data across multiple physical storage units, are also valid strategies for improving performance. However, proper indexing is typically the most direct and effective approach for addressing slow query execution issues. 

Scenario: A DBA needs to optimize database performance in a high-transaction environment. What features of DB2 should they focus on to achieve this goal?

  • DB2 does not offer any performance optimization features, making it unsuitable for high-transaction environments.
  • DB2's performance optimization features are complex and require extensive training to use effectively.
  • DB2's performance optimization features are limited and may not be effective in high-transaction environments.
  • DB2's performance optimization features include buffer pool tuning, query optimization, index optimization, and workload management capabilities.
In a high-transaction environment, optimizing database performance is crucial to ensure efficient operations and timely response to user requests. DB2 provides several features that DBAs can leverage to achieve this goal. Buffer pool tuning allows DBAs to allocate memory efficiently, ensuring that frequently accessed data is readily available in memory, reducing disk I/O operations and improving performance. Query optimization techniques, such as query rewrite, access path analysis, and statistics collection, help optimize SQL queries for better performance. Index optimization involves creating and maintaining appropriate indexes to speed up data retrieval operations. Workload management capabilities enable DBAs to prioritize and allocate resources based on the workload characteristics, ensuring that critical transactions receive adequate resources for optimal performance. By focusing on these features, DBAs can effectively optimize database performance in high-transaction environments using DB2. 

What is the purpose of a failover mechanism in high availability setups?

  • To enhance performance
  • To ensure continuous operation
  • To improve security
  • To minimize downtime
In high availability setups, the purpose of a failover mechanism is to minimize downtime by automatically redirecting operations to a standby server in the event of a primary server failure. 

What are the considerations for choosing between XML and JSON in DB2?

  • JSON is preferred for lightweight data interchange.
  • JSON is preferred for simplicity and ease of use.
  • XML is preferred for complex data structures with deep nesting.
  • XML is preferred for hierarchical data structures.
Considerations for choosing between XML and JSON in DB2 include the nature of the data structure needed (hierarchical vs. flat), the level of complexity, and the requirements for data interchange. JSON is favored for its simplicity and ease of use, whereas XML is better suited for complex hierarchical data. 

What is the significance of the WITH CHECK OPTION clause when creating views in DB2?

  • It specifies that any updates made through the view must satisfy the view's selection criteria
  • It specifies that updates made through the view must adhere to the conditions specified in the WHERE clause of the view
  • It specifies that updates made through the view must be reversible
  • It specifies that updates made through the view must not violate any constraints defined on the underlying tables
The WITH CHECK OPTION clause ensures that any data modifications made through the view will not violate the view's selection criteria. This prevents invalid data from being inserted or updated through the view, maintaining data integrity. 

Scenario: A database designer is creating an ERD for a banking system. They encounter a scenario where a customer may have multiple accounts, but an account can only belong to one customer. What type of relationship does this represent in the ERD?

  • Many-to-Many
  • None of the above
  • One-to-Many
  • One-to-One
This scenario represents a One-to-Many relationship in the ERD. In a One-to-Many relationship, one entity instance can be associated with multiple instances of another entity, but each instance of the second entity can only be associated with one instance of the first entity. In this case, one customer can have multiple accounts, but each account can only belong to one customer.