When Domino supports DB2 natively...

July 29 2003

OK, so this is so cool, I just have to share.
The customer I saw in Zurich last week was asking me, so, when Domino can optionally use DB2 as its data store, will migration tools be required?
The answer from Pete Janzen, the Lotus product manager in this area --
"There are no migration tools needed.  You either do File - Database - New Copy or File - Replication - New Replica with the target server running the Domino/DB2 configuration. "
Now that is amazing...really demonstrates the flexibility of the Notes/Domino architecture.  Can your collaboration server do this?

Ed Brill | Highland Park, IL USA Category:  Lotus  Add/View Comments [12]

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  1. 1  Heini http://www.domnotes.de | 7/29/2003 3:45:13 PM

    Well, my collaboration servers cannot do this (Domino 6.X) :o)

    Sorry, but could no resist.

    Cheers

    Heini

  1. 2  jonvon  | 7/29/2003 3:43:52 PM

    i maintain, that db2 session at lotusphere (that hardly anyone went to) was absolutely the most fascinating one i saw. i can't wait to see this technology.

  1. 3  Michael Bourak  | 7/29/2003 4:00:12 PM

    that if this feature provide the expected scalability enhancements and append a little touch of "relational" to domino, we should be prepared to re-tell the world that Domino is the "Jewel of the crown" of IBM ebiz strategy !

  1. 4  Tim Latta  | 7/29/2003 5:10:59 PM

    SQL in a view, DB2 'views', etc. It was definately one of the better sessions of L-sphere 03.

  1. 5  Mike Brown  | 7/29/2003 5:45:22 PM

    ... with the actual Comment text this time! That does sound cool, but I'm immediately wonderering what else carries over to the DB2 backend, particularly with development. Do we just use Designer, as before, and simply pick DB2 or NSF as the file type? And picking DB2, will all our NSF design elements have DB2 equivanlents? I'm thinking here of LotusScript, Readers & Authors fields, ACLs, roles, sections, Rich Text etc, etc, etc.

    And what exactly is created in that DB2 database? Is it a single table? Or a set of tables? Will each DB2 database - or do they call them instances, like Oracle? - contain tables belonging to different applications? How much DB2 are people like ourselves gonna need to learn?

    Wow, that's a lot of questions, I know! One of my big worries is explaining to my boss that we'll be installing DB2. We already have both Oracle and MS SQL Server on site (don't ask). I can already hear him saying "we don't need another damned RDBMS!"

  1. 6  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 7/29/2003 5:52:10 PM

    well, you know, it's all optional! So you don't have to know or understand any of this. As for your specific questions, I'm not the best person to answer the "hows" but someone will likely jump in...

  1. 7  Joe Canadian  | 7/29/2003 7:34:36 PM

    I honestly think the Domino/DB2 'project' is as important to the future of the platform as was the original Domino project that added the realtime Notes Document to HTTP conversion to the Notes server.

    I saw the 2 sessions at last year's Lotusphere that demo'd this stuff, and it was truely amazing. I can't wait to get our hands on this stuff.

  1. 8  Tim Latta  | 7/30/2003 2:26:39 PM

    I've been asked about the screenshots. You can find them over at the Gonzo Lotusphere forum in the L-sphere 2003 pictures area. Caveat: even a digital camera is challenged in taking a clear shot of a 20 ft. high projection screen.

  1. 9  jonvon http://jonvon.net/ | 7/31/2003 10:10:55 AM

    the way they explained it, you create a database in notes like you always did. press a button, it exports everything to db2. i'm sure there will be some tweaking, but basically that's it.

    they are doing lots of work to map everything over, i think including all the security stuff. we'll see...

    btw i have the presentation in pdf format. not sure about putting it on the web, but i could email it to someone if they wanted it. i guess i'll have to put up a contact page on my site... hehe. or just reply here for now, i'll be glad to mail it to anyone who wants it.

  1. 10  Michael Bourak  | 8/2/2003 4:25:49 AM

    Thx in advance !

  1. 11  Tim Latta  | 7/30/2003 11:59:50 AM

    I've been asked for the screenshot mentioned in my prior response. They can be found in the Gonzo Lotusphere forum, in the picture area for L-sphere 2003.

  1. 12  Rishi  | 8/24/2005 6:40:23 PM

    Hi, I want to know whether we need to store data in NSF as well as DB2 in case we are using Notes Form as the front end?

    Basically when I have a form and I sumit it, will R7 store it in the NSF and than Replicate it to DB2 or will it store it in DB2 directly?? The reason for asking is that I am porting a few notes applications over to R7 and I do not want the data to be stored in both the places.

    Thanks in advance.