Part 2 – Creating Databases & Data Placement

Database architecture design, storage management models, table spaces, storage groups, and configuration best practices for production Db2 environments.

Database Creation Fundamentals

CREATE DATABASE syntax and options
Automatic Storage vs DMS vs SMS
Database path vs storage paths
Code set, territory, collations
Default system table spaces created automatically

Table Spaces & Storage Concepts

Table space, container, extent, page relationships
Page size impact on performance and limits
Regular vs Large table spaces
Round-robin extent allocation
High Water Mark (HWM) monitoring

Storage Groups & Multi-Tier Design

CREATE STOGROUP and ALTER STOGROUP
Hot / Warm / Cold storage strategy
Rebalancing table spaces
Monitoring storage usage (MON_GET_TABLESPACE)
ADMIN_GET_STORAGE_PATHS insights

Buffer Pools & Memory Strategy

IBMDEFAULTBP creation at database build
CREATE / ALTER BUFFERPOOL
Matching page size with table space
Isolation of workloads using multiple pools
Impact on I/O reduction and throughput

Key DBA Takeaways

Design storage before production rollout
Prefer Automatic Storage for modern environments
Use storage groups for workload tiering
Monitor table space growth proactively
Align buffer pool sizing with workload patterns