The IBM Certified Database Administrator is the lead database administrator (DBA) for

the DB2 UDB Version 8.1 product for the z/OS operating system. This individual has
significant experience as a DBA and extensive knowledge of the DB2 Universal
Database, specifically the new features and functionality related to Version 8.1. This
specialist is capable of performing the intermediate to advanced tasks related to database
design and implementation, operation and recovery, security and auditing, performance,
and installation and migration specific to the z/OS operating system.

Section 1 - Database Design and Implementation (26%)

a. Design tables and views (columns, data type considerations for large objects,
column sequences, user-defined data types, temp tables, MQTs, etc.)
b. Explain the different performance implications of identity column, row ID, and
sequence column definitions (applications, utilities)
c. Design indexes (key structures, type of index, index page structure, index column
order, index space, clustering)
d. Create objects (create and alter database objects), design table spaces (choose a
DB2 page size, clustering), and determine space attributes (automatic space)
e. Perform partitioning (table partitioning, index partitioning)
f. Normalize data (E-R model, process model) and translate data model into
physical model (denormalize tables) . +Implement user-defined integrity rules
(referential integrity, user-defined functions, check constraints, triggers)

Section 2 - Operation and Recovery (28%)

a. Issue database-oriented commands for normal operational conditions (START,

STOP, DISPLAY)
b. Issue database-oriented commands and utility control statements for use in
abnormal conditions (RECOVER, RESTART)
c. Identify and perform actions that are needed to protect databases from planned
and unplanned outages (BACKUP, RESTORE, monitoring) and ensure that
timely image copies are taken periodically
d. Load data into the created tables
e. Reorganize objects when necessary
f. Monitor the object by collecting statistics
g. Monitor threads (utilities, distributed, local, indoubt, new special registers)
h. Identify and respond to restrictive statuses on objects
i. Establish timely checkpoints (checkpoint frequencies, system quiesce points)
j. Perform problem determination (run traces [DB2, DRDA, ODBC, JDBC], SQL
queries, dumps, GET DIAGNOSTICS)
k. Perform health checks (maintenance, check utilities, offline utilities, queries)
l. Develop backup scenarios (tables spaces; indexes; full pack; hardware; Flash
copies; full, incremental, reference update; copy-to-copy, non-data objects;
catalog) and recovery scenarios (table spaces, indexes, roll forward, roll back,
current point in time, prior point in time, system point in time copy and restore,
catalog and directory)
 m. Describe the special considerations for recovery in a data sharing environment
n. Implement disaster recovery
1. Plan for disaster recovery
2. Perform disaster recovery (offsite, local)

Section 3 - Security and Auditing (10%)

a. Protect DB2 objects

1. Establish security profile (define authorization roles)
2. Identify the appropriate DB2 privileges required for access to DB2
resources
3. Define and implement authorization and privileges on user and system
database objects (revokes, grants)

b. Protect connection to DB2. Describe access to the DB2 subsystem (local request,
remote request). Coordinate the effort between DB2 and RACF team (groupings,
secondary authorization identifiers, stored procedures). Identify conditions when
external security mechanisms (such as RACF) should be used in place of DB2
internal security mechanisms.
c. Audit DB2 activity and resources and identify primary audit techniques
d. Identify and respond appropriately to symptoms from trace output or error
messages that signify security problems

Section 4 - Performance (31%)

a. Plan for performance monitoring by setting up and running monitoring procedures

(continuous, detailed, periodic, exception)
b. Analyze the create and alter process for DB2 objects (table, index, table space
definition)
c. Analyze performance (manage and tune CPU requirements, memory, I/O, locks,
response time)
d. Analyze and respond to RUNSTATS statistics analysis (real-time, batch, catalog
queries, reports)
e. Determine when and how to run the REORG utility
f. Design and alter index structures (data-partitioned secondary indexes [DPSI],
VARCHAR column index implications, backward index scan, sparse indexes)
g. Analyze cache (buffer pool tuning, pool sizes, threshold, page set positioning, sort
pool, RID pool, EDM pool) and recommend buffer pool changes
h. Calculate cache requirements for new applications (DBD sizes, plan and package,
average and maximum sizes, number of data sets)
i. Evaluate and set appropriately the performance parameters for different utilities
j. Describe the performance concerns for the distributed environment (DDF, DBAT
threads, pool threads, connection pooling)
 k. Describe DB2 interaction with WLM (distributed, stored procedures, user-defined
functions)
l. Interpret traces (statistics, accounting, performance) and explain the performance
impact of different DB2 traces
m. Identify and respond to critical performance thresholds (excessive I/O wait times,
lock-latch waits and CPU waits; deadlocks, timeouts)
n. Review and tune SQL
1. Interpret EXPLAIN output (HINTs)
2. Analyze access paths (query parallelism; indexable, stage 1, and stage 2
predicate types; join methods; block fetching

o. Explain the performance impact of multi-row functionality in Version 8 (multi-

row insert scenario, multi-row fetch)

Section 5 - Installation and Migration (5%)

a. Identify and explain the application of run-time considerations and parameters

b. Run catalog healthchecks using queries and utilities
c. Identify the critical ZPARMs (database-, object- and application-oriented)