Finally, a Really Nice DB2 Tool - IBM Data Studio

This week, I had the opportunity to work with DB2.  Now, I don't often have to dive deeply into DB2, so my knowledge was based on the DB2 Control Center that shipped with earlier releases of the product.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that db2cc had been deprecated; some of you may have heard the groan that escaped my lips at the thought of learning yet another administration tool.

Well, color me impressed.

IBM Data Studio is a multi-platform Eclipse client, and I have to say that it's REALLY nice.  The UI is intuitive, and the introductory page had all the tools I needed for my "get in, make a quick tweak, and get out" troubleshooting.  I was able to finish the job (paring down a few database tables and correcting a few erroneous entries) in under 10 minutes, and it was the very first time I'd ever used the product.  After returning home, I installed it on my utility box--a ThinkPad T60 running Ubuntu Linux 12.04--and am now using it to explore DB2 in more detail.

If you're a 'casual' DB2 user--say, you're running a Sametime 8.5.x deployment--it's well worth your time to download IBM Data Studio and become familiar with it.  Granted, you should rarely have to dive into those databases, but this tool will make your life MUCH easier if you do. (It also offers features to support Informix, Oracle and Sybase, but I don't have the resources to test those...)

I've linked to the free download of the latest version below, and a free "Getting Started" PDF as well.  If you don't have a DB2 install to play around with, I've also thrown in a link to the free DB2 Express-C product.  Have fun.

Download : IBM Data Studio V3.1.1

Getting Started with IBM Data Studio V3.1 for DB2 (PDF)

IBM DB2 Express-C