IDUG EMEA 2026

This 4 hours workshop - knowledge transfer session will be conducted by following presenters: Toine Michielse, Michal Bialecki, Julia Carter, Emil Kotrc, Denis Tronin
In the world of Db2 for z/OS, "set it and forget it" is a recipe for performance degradation and wasted storage. As data volumes explode and batch windows shrink, traditional housekeeping—REORG, RUNSTATS, and IMAGE COPY—must evolve from manual chores into a streamlined, automated strategy.
This deep-dive workshop provides a comprehensive blueprint for modern Db2 maintenance. We will move past the basics to explore how to balance object availability with optimal performance. Attendees will learn how to leverage the latest utility enhancements to reduce CPU consumption, manage multi-terabyte objects, and ensure that the optimizer always has the "ground truth" through intelligent statistics collection.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how database administrators manage and optimize enterprise data platforms. By integrating AI capabilities directly into Db2 for z/OS, organizations can streamline operations, gain faster insights, and reduce the time required to diagnose and resolve complex database issues.
Experience the enhanced and smarter solution built on top of IBM Db2 AI for z/OS. It provides a unified intelligent workspace that acts as a force multiplier for every DBA, enabling intelligent and automated database administration and accelerating troubleshooting. This helps application and AI initiatives move faster.
With these enhanced capabilities, you will learn how to perform core DBA tasks such as catalog navigation, SQL tuning, and troubleshooting issues like deadlocks, timeouts, and lock escalations. You will also explore object management, Db2 health checks, and the AI agent that translates complex issues into simple, understandable explanations.
Please bring your la

4 hours Hands-on-lab workshop (BYOD - Bring Your Own Device)
Transition from legacy "green screen" interfaces to a modern, high-performance environment using Visual Studio Code. This workshop provides a deep dive into Zowe Explorer and the Code4z extension pack, streamlining both system and database management. You will learn to handle z/OS core tasks - including dataset and USS file operations, job submission, and CLI terminal commands - alongside essential Db2 DBA tasks like schema management and SQL execution. We will also cover best practices for managing VS Code setups and profiles to ensure your workflow is optimized for daily enterprise use. Master these modern tools to simplify and accelerate your Db2 operations.

Join us for an exciting workshop to learn how you can benefit from the latest capabilities to boost your Db2 for z/OS user experience. During this workshop, we will present the overall architecture and showcase the recent features designed to transform the experience of database administrators and application developers.
The workshop attendees will have opportunity to interact with the presenters to simulate their daily tasks and test drive the solution. For example:

Db2 administrator personas, will experience a very intuitive way to tuning queries, catalog navigation, capture SQLs from different sources, stabilize and free SQLs, etc…
Db2 application developer personas, will experience how they can meet the fast-paced demands of today’s businesses by developing, testing and deploying applications, including stored procedures, via the most popular development tool integrated with Db2 for z/OS.

As cyber threats against critical infrastructure grow in sophistication and frequency, organizations running mission-critical workloads on IBM Z require more than perimeter defences — they need proven, platform-native strategies to detect, contain, and recover from successful attacks with minimal business disruption.


The IBM Z Cyber Vault workshop brings together IBM technical specialists, product experts, and early adopter customers to explore the full spectrum of cyber resilience on the IBM Z platform. This focused session series covers architecture, tooling, and real-world experience across four core topics:


In this workshop, we’ll provide a comprehensive introduction to the IBM Z Cyber Vault architecture. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how an isolated recovery environment (IRE) is constructed, how data is protected through air-gap principles and immutable copies, and how Cyber Vault serves as the cornerstone of a mainframe cyber resilience strategy. We will exami