Upgrade from IDS 9.4.FC6X3 to 11.10.FC2

John,

A couple of questions:
· How much space is available on the new server? Could you do a restore and then an in-place reorg (move a table from current dbspaces in to a new large dbspace. Repeat this for most (if not all) tables one at a time (could be a script so that it is automated)
· Using the current method, did you remove the index definitions on the new database and then recreate them once the load is complete? This speeds loading up a lot
· Do you have transaction logging on, on the new database server? If “yes” the issue a “lock table” command just before the load command and a “unlock table” after the load.
The only other method I have used before on a large database like this was to use FIFO queue and transferring over the network in parallel. This does require an extremely fast communications network (Gigabit preferred). I don’t know if it will help you or if it will give better results in your case, but let me know if you want to try it. The reasoning behind this is that a standard “load” or “dbimport” takes place in serial. If the machine still have lots of resources available while the import is running, you can double up the effort (and half the time) by running 2 jobs simultaneously. I have found on the previous run I did, that the systems could handle 4 jobs simultaneously with the best results. Perhaps you can split your “load” job in 4 as well and kick off the 4 jobs at the same time to load the data? If you need to discuss this with me, please give me a call.

Regards,JV
IBM Information Management Lab Services - Service Excellence Award Winner - 2006
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Hello all. I am on-site and we have been attempting to upgrade the client from IDS 9.4.FC6X3 to 11.10.FC2. The reasoning for 11.10 was that when we started this project over a year ago, that was the most stable of the 11.x series and that was what was tested with the client's apps. I realize now that 11.5x is the latest and probably the version to go to. With that aside, let me explain how we are doing things and see if anyone has any suggestions for improving the process.

We have set up an HDR server for the 9.4 instance called the swing server. The purpose for this is to be able to create replicates for the large tables, suspend HDR, start and suspend the replicate, unload the the table from the HDR server, resume HDR, load the table in to the 11.10 instance, resume the replicate and perform a level 0 backup on the 11 instance. This allows us to get a majority of the large tables (by large, I am talking several tables over 100 million rows with some going to over 500 million rows) migrated before the actual weekend of complete migration. Even with this pre-migration work being done, it is still taking 40 hours to complete the migration because of several issues which include:

Some tables are not keeping synched up so they need to be re-done or are held off until migration weekend.
HPL issues with 9.4.FC6 that were unknown were causing data to be unloaded in the wrong columns.
Some of the tables take several hours to unload, copy flat files to the new server, reload and create indexes. (one large table has 44 indexes!!!)
The lack of horsepower on the old server does not allow us to do too many HPL jobs at once.


The reasoning for our method is that the old instance now has over 650 chunks spread out over many disks with some tables having over 100 extents. We dont want snap this configuration to the new server and do an inplace upgrade as that will defeat our purpose of the stabilization of the database. This db is nearly 2TB in size.

I have come up with a couple of alternate methods but have not put them down on paper yet. I am asking this group if there is any other way they could think of to do this re-org. One of the methods I was considering is to do an in place upgrade to 10.x on the current box, install 11.5x on the new box and set up the replicates with the synching mechanism that the two newer engines provide. They may not go for this because their acceptance testing policies are very strict. They are basically asking me to come up with any other way that will not require over 40 hours of downtime.

For the record, our third attempt at this was succesful, but around 18 hours into the new box being in production, the engine crashed due to an unpublished bug that is associated with DD_HASHSIZE and DD_HASHMAX being set at the defaults. This caused unrecoverable table and dbsapce corruption that would have required more downtime to fix than the customer would have allowed requriing us to roll back yet again.

Thanks in advance to any time and thought you can put into this.

JOHN

Indiana Area Informix User Group Forming

I am working with the IIUG to begin the development of an "Indiana-area Informix User Group" currently. We have quite a few Informix users in Indiana, and many more in Ohio and Kentucky that could benefit from an active group in Indiana. Xtivia has two full-time Informix staff based in Indiana now (myself in Muncie, and John Catmull in Indianapolis), so we should have plenty of great technical topics in hand. 

Stay tuned for the announcement of the Indiana group. If you would like to be notified when the group is formed, please email me at mark.scranton@xtivia.com.

Thanks!

Mark

XTIVIA, INC. Expands Consulting Practice to Include the IBM Optim Solutions for Custom and Packaged Applications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
XTIVIA, Inc.
Phone: (888) 685-3101 option 2
info@xtivia.com
http://www.xtivia.com
http://www.virtual-dba.com

XTIVIA, INC. Expands Consulting Practice to Include the IBM Optim Solutions for Custom and Packaged Applications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – January 29th, 2009 – XTIVIA, Inc. announced today that it has expanded its consulting practice to include the IBM Optim solutions for custom and packaged applications. Eight senior database consultants have been certified in IBM Optim solutions. Their advanced training included classroom-led instruction and in-depth hands-on labs.

“The addition of Optim Solutions to the XTIVIA services arsenal increases our ability to assist our clients with the data growth, data privacy and data management issues facing so many organizations today,” said Tony Salerno, Director of Database Technologies of XTIVIA.

“Enterprise applications and their data are the backbone of our customers’ businesses. Optim solutions offer the tools we need to assist our clients in deployment across their applications, databases and operating systems to manage enterprise data,” said Dennis Robinson, CEO of XTIVIA.

IBM Optim provides the control to manage enterprise data through every stage of its lifecycle. Optim enables businesses to align application data management with business objectives, to optimize performance, control cost and reduce risks. Optim delivers proven archiving and test data management capabilities that scale to meet enterprise needs. Organizations can apply a consistent strategy across applications and platforms and quickly achieve measurable benefits. In addition, Optim allows businesses to apply a single, scalable enterprise data management solution across applications, databases (DB2, IMS, VSAM/SEQ, Adabas, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, XML), and platforms (Windows, Unix/Linux, z/OS) to meet the data privacy, data growth and test data management needs of the organization.

Optim makes it possible to segregate historical data from current activity and safely move it to a secure archive. Businesses meet performance targets consistently, which in turn drives revenue growth. Information is readily available, making it easy to respond quickly to client queries and legal requests. With Optim, the privacy and integrity of enterprise data is protected, making it easier to meet compliance initiatives. Optim is scalable optimizing business results from a single application to a global data center.


About XTIVIA:
XTIVIA is a leading information technology and Internet solutions firm that specializes in helping organizations manage critical business information and processes across all communication channels. XTIVIA has offices in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, and Texas and is a subsidiary of Matrix-IT Ltd., (www.Matrix-it.co.il) (TASE: MTRX) and a part of the Global technology group Formula Systems Ltd. (www.formulasystems.com) (NASDAQ: FORTY).

For more information visit our Web site at www.Xtivia.com or www.virtual-dba.com, by phone at 888-685-3101, option 2, or email info@xtivia.com.

Colorado DB2 & Informix User Group Meeting

We are very excited to invite you to the first combined IBM Data Users Group meeting! Please join us for a JOINT DB2 & INFORMIX Users Group meeting.

February 5th 2009 IBM Denver Tech Center office, 4700 S. Syracuse, 3rd Floor, Room 312, Denver Co 80237 4:00PM – 6:30PM We are please to present Matthew Emmerton, from the IBM DB2 OLTP Benchmark team. Matthew will discuss features in DB2 LUW v9.5 ("Viper2")and provide a view into the features coming in DB2 LUW v9.7 (“Cobra”) and have a question and answer session.

We are also delighted to have Jacques Roy, Technical Product Manager for Informix will present whats new in Informix 11.5, whats upcoming and a lively discussion of what is on the horizon.
Light refreshments will be provided.

We look forward to a more active group in 2009 and hope that you will take the time from your busy schedules to join us. Please feel free to invite others that may be interested.

Increased Customer Demand for XTIVIA’s Remote Database Administration Services Credited for Rapid Sales Growth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
XTIVIA, Inc.
Phone (888) 685-3101 x 2
info@xtivia.com
http://www.xtivia.com
http://www.virtual-dba.com

Increased Customer Demand for XTIVIA’s Remote Database Administration Services Credited for Rapid Sales Growth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – January 22nd, 2009 – XTIVIA, Inc. announced today that new customer demand for its award-winning Virtual-DBA remote database administration support and monitoring service grew rapidly in 2008. XTIVIA cited increased demand for outsourcing mission critical IT Database Support Functions as the reason.

During 2008, XTIVIA saw remarkable increase in demand for the Virtual-DBA remote database administration services which support Informix, DB2 UDB/LUW, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and Sybase. XTIVIA has responded to meet the customer need by expanding and re-launching its marketing web site www.Virtual-DBA.com. In the first quarter of 2009, a new Client web portal will launch. XTIVIA also plans to expand and reorganize its staff to meet the demands associated with this growing market.

“As IT managers are tasked to do more with less, IT outsourcing has become a growing market trend. Leading organizations throughout the U.S. and Europe are turning to our Virtual-DBA service. Our Virtual-DBA Service provides our customers with best of breed support and monitoring solutions with on-shore highly skilled Engineers at a fraction of the cost of traditional database support expenditures. I was amazed at the number of new customers we brought on in 2008 and we expect to see similar growth this year based on overall market conditions.” said Nir Gryn XTIVIA’s VP of Sales

“This increased demand for our Virtual-DBA solution is not surprising. The solution was tailor made, triggering companies bottom line and reducing their overall cost of database ownership. In difficult economic times, our Virtual DBA solution is the answer for CFOs and IT managers faced with a tight IT budget. When you add the rest of the Virtual-DBA benefits of reliability, 24/7 support and endless pool of DBA knowledge base, it becomes a no-brainer decision” said Ori Ben Zvi, CFO of XTIVIA.

The goal of Virtual-DBA is to provide a cost-effective solution for organizations seeking to optimize the availability and performance of their critical business information systems. We accomplish this through a comprehensive remote DBA service offering designed specifically to meet the Oracle, DB2, Informix, Sybase and SQL Server database administration, maintenance, management and consulting needs of our clients. XTIVIA’s Virtual-DBA service combines a sophisticated suite of monitoring and reporting tools with expert consulting services to deliver complete database performance management. Virtual-DBA provides proactive, remote database support and maintenance enabling subscribers to focus their resources and improve productivity while enhancing operational benefits.

About XTIVIA:
XTIVIA is a leading information technology and Internet solutions firm that specializes in helping organizations manage critical business information and processes across all communication channels. XTIVIA has offices in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, and Texas and is a subsidiary of Matrix-IT Ltd., (www.Matrix-it.co.il) (TASE: MTRX) and a part of the Global technology group Formula Systems Ltd. (www.formulasystems.com) (NASDAQ: FORTY).

For more information visit our Web site at www.Xtivia.com or www.virtual-dba.com, by phone at 888-685-3101, option 2, or email info@xtivia.com.

RSS Feeds for MS SQL Server and Sybase

I am looking to find RSS feeds that we can incorporate into the Blog for MS SQL Server and Sybase DB's News. Anyone have any suggestions?

IT spending in 09, Maintenance down!

Forrester predicts a 3 percent drop in global IT revenues,
Check out the article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10143302-16.html

Informix Error -243

The error -243 Could not position within a table (tracking.nhawb)

The database server cannot set the file position to a particular row within the file that represents a table. Check the accompanying ISAM error code for more information. A hardware error might have occurred, or the table or index might have been corrupted (truncated). Unless the ISAM error code or an operating-system message points to another cause, run the oncheck utility (secheck with IBM Informix SE or tbcheck with IBM Informix OnLine) to check and repair table and index.

Possibilities of the error.
1) Locking issue.
2) Corruption.
3) No space.

Comments:
1) Per our coversation, you folks use "LOCK MODE TO WAIT", in this case
if you don't specify the time, the lock will be held till the user
completes the session. This looks like the possibility of your problem,
because by now the problem should have gone away.

2) Corruption could be possible, I will give you the oncheck command to run during
off peak time, to check the table's consistency. If you have the copy
on development box we can run it on that box to find the time it takes
to complete the command.

3) You have enough space, so there is no issue with disk space.

Xtivia joins forces with IBM Cognos to deliver next generation of business intelligence and performance management solutions

CONTACT:
Xtivia, Inc.
Phone: 719-623-5870
Fax: 719-685-3400
info@xtivia.com
http://www.xtivia.com

Xtivia joins forces with IBM Cognos to deliver next generation of business intelligence and performance management solutions

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – January 14, 2009 – Xtivia, Inc. , a Certified Information on Demand IBM software reseller and a Premiere IBM business partner announced today that it has become a premier solution provider for the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence and Performance Management suite. With this partnership, Xtivia is now well poised to provide customers with total business intelligence and performance management solutions including industry-leading IBM Cognos software and the necessary services to implement the solutions.

“As a leader in providing state of the art Performance Management and Business Intelligence capabilities, Cognos is a natural addition to Xtivia’s core information management and custom application development skills. With this partnership, customers can leverage Xtivia’s expertise to implement industry leading turnkey solutions to convert their information into an asset” said Dennis Robinson, CEO of Xtivia.

“Businesses are realizing lower returns on automation projects because much of that work was completed in the last decade. The next opportunity for significant performance improvement and savings will come from better insight and management of the systems already in place,” said Mangesh Mharolkar, Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence Practice Director at Xtivia. “We look forward to helping our customers realize the savings such insights will bring.”

Xtivia’s unique set of core data, presentation and business intelligence knowledge makes the partnership with IBM Cognos ideal for both parties. “In good times and bad, business must have visibility into current operations and future performance in order to manage wisely. The IBM Information Management portfolio, including IBM Cognos, allows customers that insight,” said Dennis Robinson.

Xtivia has provided business intelligence solutions to its clients for more than 10 years with solutions ranging in size from small departmental reporting projects to complex, multi-year projects touching virtually all parts of the enterprise. Combined with over 20 years of information management expertise and consulting and a large portals and enterprise application development group, Xtivia is well positioned to help clients large and small realize the value that Cognos delivers.

Xtivia delivers a broad spectrum of solutions that spans customized information management solutions like the business critical yet infrastructure efficiency oriented solution – Virtual-DBA (www.virtual-dba.com) to fairly complex, enterprise wide solutions encompassing risk, feasibility & readiness assessments, management consulting and performance/maturity assessments.


About Xtivia:
Xtivia is a leading information technology and Internet solutions firm that specializes in helping organizations manage critical business information and processes across all communication channels. Xtivia has offices in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, and Texas and is a subsidiary of Matrix-IT Ltd., (www.Matrix-it.co.il) (TASE: MTRX) and a part of the Global technology group Formula Systems Ltd. (www.formulasystems.com) (NASDAQ: FORTY).

For more information visit our Web site at www.Xtivia.com or www.virtual-dba.com, call 888-685-3101, option 2, or email info@xtivia.com.

What is Virtual-DBA?

What is Virtual-DBA?
Virtual-DBA is a Remote Database Administration Service that was originally developed by XTIVIA, Inc. in 2002. The original support service was developed around the Informix DB Platform. After a couple of years and request from our customers it was expanded to provide support to all of the major database platforms. Virtual-DBA now supports Oracle, DB2 UDB, Informix, SQL Server and Sybase.

The service is designed to address the database system administration and database management needs of its subscribers. Through our Remote DBA service we collect operational statistics on a daily basis to ensure system availability, optimum performance and trouble-free operation, while also providing the availability of expert database administrators.

How does Virtual-DBA work?
Statistics about your systems are collected at regular intervals throughout the day and sent to Virtual-DBA service centers, where they are automatically filtered and centrally stored. A heartbeat process monitors the availability of your system and the communications channel to the Virtual-DBA service centers. A primary and backup Virtual-DBA database specialist is assigned to manage and monitor your systems and account.

• When the statistics arrive, if monitored indicators are out of tolerance, an alert is generated automatically and Virtual-DBA database specialists are notified. The Virtual-DBA specialist immediately notifies you of any critical issues and will work with you to a resolution. If non-critical issues are discovered, they will be documented and discussed with you during your regular status briefing, and then tracked to resolution.
• Your Virtual-DBA database specialist reviews past and present operational and performance data for operational trend analysis identification. These trends are important to system planning and in troubleshooting performance issues. Any trends will be documented and discussed with you during your regular status briefings and available reports.
• The statistical information collected about your system and a complete case tracking history of our database specialist’s actions are available in the My Database area of the web site for Virtual-DBA subscribers.
• You will have a dedicated Virtual-DBA available for database administration services and advice regarding any aspect of database design, troubleshooting, administration, or management. Therefore, when you have a problem or want some coaching, you can speak to someone who is already familiar with the key aspects of your system, installation, application, and requirements. These services are available by telephone or on-site consultation. The key feature is that expert help is available when it is needed, whether the need is for 30 minutes or several weeks.