IDUG EMEA 2026

IDUG EMEA 2026

9:00am BST

B201 Hands-on Lab: Project Aura - Infusing Db2 for z/OS with AI

Sunday September 27, 2026 9:00am - 1:00pm BST

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

Speakers

Jae Lee

Db2 for z/OS Development, IBM

Jae Lee is a Senior Software Engineer at the IBM Silicon Valley Lab, specializing in the development of Db2 AI for z/OS, SQL Data Insights, and the Db2 RDS component.

Brian Tsao

System Architekt, IBM

Architect of IBM Z Database Assistant and Technical Lead for IBM Db2 for z/OS Agent. Experienced in enterprise mainframe systems, modern cloud-native tooling, and emerging agentic workflows. Passionate about bridging Z systems with modernization, driving innovation that brings legacy... Read More →

Sunday September 27, 2026 9:00am - 1:00pm BST
Porto

Track B, Hands-On Lab

Topic AI GenAI and Machine Learning, Latest and Features z/OS, Modernization in Operations, Performance and Monitoring
Audience Beginner
Platform z/OS

2:00pm BST

B202 Next Chapter for Db2 for z/OS Administration and Development - Workshop

Sunday September 27, 2026 2:00pm - 6:00pm BST

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.

Speakers

Sueli Almeida

IBM Certified Thought Leader, IBM Silicon Valley Lab

Sueli Almeida is an IBM Certified Thought Leader and member of Db2 for z/OS development located at the IBM Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose, California. She has extensive experience with DB2, including database administration and systems programming. She has worked on DB2 for z/OS advanced... Read More →

Brian Tsao

System Architekt, IBM

Architect of IBM Z Database Assistant and Technical Lead for IBM Db2 for z/OS Agent. Experienced in enterprise mainframe systems, modern cloud-native tooling, and emerging agentic workflows. Passionate about bridging Z systems with modernization, driving innovation that brings legacy... Read More →

Sunday September 27, 2026 2:00pm - 6:00pm BST
Porto

Track B, Workshop

Topic Modernization in Development, Modernization in Operations, Performance and Monitoring, Working with SQL
Audience All
Platform z/OS

11:30am BST

C2 Latest From the Lab

Monday September 28, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST

Learn about the latest developments in Db2 ecosystem coming out of the Labs. A refresher on whats been delivered already. A deep dive into the most recently released mod packs. And catch a sneak peak at our future plans.

Speakers

Mike Springgay

STSM Db2 Architect, IBM

Mike Springgay is the Db2 Architect. Prior to that he was responsible for architecting extensions to Db2’s Warehouse capabilities, SQL compatibility features, routine infrastructure and client server connectivity.

Monday September 28, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Audience All
Platform LUW

2:00pm BST

C3 Cloud Update: The latest on Db2 Fully Managed Services

Monday September 28, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST

Join us for a deep dive into the latest innovations shaping the continued evolution of Db2 Cloud Services across leading cloud platforms. This session explores recent advancements in Db2 SaaS including Db2 Serverless, AWS Amazon RDS for Db2, and Db2 as a Service on Microsoft Azure as well as Google Cloud. You’ll learn how these offerings enable flexible deployment choices while meeting demanding enterprise requirements. Whether your focus is efficient application development, optimization, regulatory compliance, cloud strategy, availability, or feature adoption, this session will demonstrate how Db2 Cloud Services are designed to adapt to your needs—providing enterprise-grade reliability, scalability, and flexibility.

Speakers

Venkatesh Gopal

STSM, Warehouse SaaS Offerings, IBM

Venkatesh is an STSM at IBM focused on the Cloud offerings and HDM strategy for their offerings in these Hypersclaer platforms. He designs and architects how Db2 will be delivered on Cloud platforms as a first class SaaS offering and how they integrate with the Hyperscaler ecosys... Read More →

Monday September 28, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Db2 Cloud and Warehouse, Latest and Features LUW
Audience All
Platform LUW

3:20pm BST

C4 Performance monitoring made simple

Monday September 28, 2026 3:20pm - 4:20pm BST

This presention will give the attendee a deep understanding of real life performance problem determination.
Drawing on success and the custom tools and techiques developed tuning an OTLP database that sustains in excess of 100,000 SQL statement per second throughput, the focus will be on how to identify bottlenecks in the system before they start. Custom tools and targeted application of the right tool for the job will be the focus. Scripts for custom tools will be shared with attendees.

Speakers

Leo Pedron

DBA, ASM Research, LLC

Senior Database Architect and Performance Engineering Specialist with over 22 years of experience designing, optimizing, and supporting mission-critical database systems using IBM Db2 LUW and PostgreSQL. Proven expertise operating large-scale transactional systems processing over... Read More →

Monday September 28, 2026 3:20pm - 4:20pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Performance and Monitoring
Audience All
Platform LUW

4:30pm BST

C5 400 TB of LOBs witin a single Table - Challenges during growth over 25 Years

Monday September 28, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm BST

This presentation will show how Volkswagen handles a Db2 database with one very large 2 column table (timestamp &BLOB) , which was growing from some GB to 400TB. It will explain what challenges we had with hardware changes, software limits and working errors and how we solved them. Also making backups is not so easy for such a large system. This system is managed with a minimum amount of hardware resources inside a single Db2 LUW instance.

Speakers

Norbert Menzel

Db2 for zos DBA expert, Volkswagen AG

Norbert Menzel works with Db2 on different platforms (z/OS, OS/2, AIX) for about 40 years. Since 2005 he works for Volkswagen and manages Db2 LUW on AIX.

Monday September 28, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Best Practices, Database Resiliency, User Stories
Audience All
Platform LUW

10:20am BST

C6 Zero Downtime Dreams: A Newcomer’s Guide to Db2 Resilience

Tuesday September 29, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST

High availability and disaster recovery capabilities are essential for safeguarding mission-critical Db2 environments. Yet for many beginners, the variety of available technologies including backup and recovery strategies, clustering solutions, replication tools, and multi-cloud architecture can feel overwhelming. This session provides a clear, approachable introduction to the full Db2 High availability and disaster recovery landscape, based on real-world experiences. We will walk through the fundamentals of Db2 backup and recovery, explain how Db2 HADR works and when it’s the right choice, and demystify clustering frameworks such as Pacemaker and PowerHA. You will also learn where pureScale fits into HA planning, how Q Replication and CDC support active-active or near real-time availability, and how modern cloud and multi-cloud deployment models are reshaping resiliency design. Whether you’re new to Db2 or looking to strengthen your foundational knowledge, this session will give you t

Speakers

Iqbal Goralwalla

Principal Sales Engineer, Triton Consulting Ltd

An IBM Gold Consultant and an IBM Champion for Data Management, Iqbal Goralwalla has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of relational databases on the LUW platform. Iqbal is also a member of IBM’s Technical Advisory Board. Iqbal is a highly experienced Data Management specialist... Read More →

Damir Wilder

Db2 SME and Data Architect, Triton Consulting Ltd

I am a Senior Consultant at Triton Consulting, a UK based company that specializes in Hybrid Data Management, Digital Transformation and DB2 database and Information Management services for the z/OS and Midrange.
My area of expertise is the Midrange platform (predominantly Linux and AIX, both on-prem and Cloud).I have started working as a DB2 DBA in year 2000 on the DB2 version 5.0 and have working experience from that version up to the latest v12.1.I am a certified DB2 v10/v11.1/v11.5 LUW... Read More →

Tuesday September 29, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Automation, Back to Basics, Database Resiliency
Audience Beginner
Platform LUW

11:30am BST

C7 Db2 AI Query Optimizer: Smarter Plans, Less Tuning

Tuesday September 29, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST

Since Db2 12.1, the Db2 AI Query Optimizer has been improving the quality of your query access plans through improved cardinality estimates. This was super-charged in 12.1 mod3 when it was enhanced to support pair-wise join cardinality estimates. Participants will learn how this technology reduces tuning efforts so you can confidently use it in production. You may also get a glimpse into what's in store for the future.

Speakers

Liam Finnie

Senior Software Developer, IBM

Liam joined IBM in 1999 as a software developer, and since then has been designing and implementing various features in Db2 LUW. Most recently, Liam has been leading the Machine Learning Infrastructure area for the Db2 AI Query Optimizer.

Tuesday September 29, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic AI GenAI and Machine Learning, Latest and Features LUW, Modernization in Development
Audience Intermediate
Platform LUW

2:00pm BST

C8 Db2 Meets Generative AI: Agentic AI, Vector Search, and Beyond.

Tuesday September 29, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST

This session will bring you up to speed on exciting enhancements and capabilities we are bringing to Db2 for the Generative AI era. We’ll talk about our overall AI strategy for Db2 and how we are both leveraging Generative AI as well as supporting the emerging frontier of Generative AI applications. We’ll then dive into specifics including our AI Vector Search capabilities, AI integrated LLM capabilities, and our Agentic AI powered tooling including the new Genius Hub.

Speakers

Jillian Quiller

Senior Software Engineer, Db2 Development, IBM

Growth Product Manager focused on accelerating adoption and impact across IBM’s Db2 portfolio. I combine analytics, design thinking, and experimentation to help enterprise customers unlock value faster — turning insights into measurable, scalable growth.

Mike Springgay

STSM Db2 Architect, IBM

Mike Springgay is the Db2 Architect. Prior to that he was responsible for architecting extensions to Db2’s Warehouse capabilities, SQL compatibility features, routine infrastructure and client server connectivity.

Tuesday September 29, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic AI GenAI and Machine Learning, Latest and Features LUW, Modernization in Development, Modernization in Operations, Performance and Monitoring
Audience All
Platform LUW

3:20pm BST

C101 Infusing Db2 with Agentic AI, Cloud Scale, and Quantum Resilience

Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:20pm - 4:20pm BST

Sponsors

I

IBM

Tuesday September 29, 2026 3:20pm - 4:20pm BST
Porto

Topic PSP
Company IBM

4:30pm BST

C9 Mining db2mon

Tuesday September 29, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm BST

The folks at the Db2 Lab provide us with a great tool to monitor Db2. it's free and already installed with Db2. This session will show you how db2mon works and how to use it. Then, we'll discuss how to run it in different ways for different use cases. Next, we'll present a way to run db2mon for historical data gathering and trend analysis. Finally, we'll show examples of the data db2mon provides and what to look for in various performance scenarios.

Speakers

Ken Shaffer

Db2 Consultant, Aerodata, Inc.

Ken has been a Db2 Consultant for over 20 years, specializing in LUW systems. He has worked on a variety of large databases for large corporate and government clients. Most of these projects have involved deploying and supporting mission-critical applications where constant availability... Read More →

Tuesday September 29, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Best Practices, Performance and Monitoring, User Stories, Utilities
Audience All
Platform LUW

10:20am BST

C1 Db2 Spotlight Session / Latest News

Wednesday September 30, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST

Hear from the lab leadership on the latest shipped + announced Db2 content, and our perspective and vision for the future. We'll cover key enhancements in the latest modpacks (12.1.4 / 12.1.5) and give you a sneak peak at what's coming in 12.1.6 and beyond.

Speakers

David Kalmuk

Distinguished Engineer, Databases, IBM

David is a distinguished engineer at IBM, working on IBM's analytic database products.

Wednesday September 30, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Latest and Features LUW
Audience All
Platform LUW

10:20am BST

C10 Experiences with the AI Query Optimiser

Wednesday September 30, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST

Switching on the AI Query Optimiser in Db2 v12 is straightforward, but what do you do after you have switched it on? How do you confirm that it is doing what you want? How do you limit its execution to focus on just the tables you need and want? How do you confirm that it is having a positive effect? How do you manage the resources that it uses?
This presentation recounts some of the tricks, pitfalls and gotchas encountered in actual customer implementations of the AI Query Optimiser.

Speakers

Mark Gillis

Principal Consultant, Triton Consulting

I am a Principal Consultant with Triton Consulting, based in the UK. I have been working in IT for over 40 years, and as a DB2 DBA for 35. I have worked on DB2 installations ranging from single user local Windows based systems to 100+ TB DB2 Warehouses.

I have also been involved in Business Intelligence solutions; designing and implementing systems using various RDMS data sources. I have worked for a large range of customers, mostly Blue-Chip household names, in roles including design, development, implementation and support. I... Read More →

Wednesday September 30, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Data Movement and Analytics, Latest and Features LUW, Performance and Monitoring, User Stories, Working with SQL
Audience All
Platform LUW

11:30am BST

C11 DB2 Backup and Recovery - back to the basics

Wednesday September 30, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST

In this presentation we will examine in detail the backup and recovery options available to DBAs for their Db2 environments. How to tune these utilities will be discussed and results will be reviewed from numerous tests. We will see what is the “art of the possible” from using local files, COS, Storage based copies, etc. … We will take a close look at the new version enhancements and how they can improve your backup and recovery experience.

Speakers

Dale McInnis

STSM, Db2 Client Adoption Engineering, IBM

Dale McInnis is an STSM in Db2 development from the IBM Toronto Canada Lab. He has a B.Sc.(CS) from the University of New Brunswick and a Masters ofEngineering(M.Eng) from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing his PhD in computer science. Dale joined IBM in 1988 and... Read More →

Wednesday September 30, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Back to Basics, Best Practices, Utilities
Audience All
Platform LUW

2:00pm BST

C12 Advanced Performance Diagnostics for SQL

Wednesday September 30, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST

The Db2 family of products including Db2, Db2 Warehouse, and Db2 PureScale provide a number of important features for diagnosing and solving your SQL problems. Through a series of practical examples, this session will bring you up speed on the latest capabilities available for SQL diagnostics and show you how you can leverage them to solve query problems in your own environment. You will learn how to identify your most expensive SQL statements using the package cache table functions, and how to use Db2's "time spent" metrics to analyze where your problem queries are spending their time. You will also learn some new tips for monitoring sort memory metrics and query memory consumption in order to tune your analytic workloads. Finally you will learn how to use the runtime explain capabilities in conjunction with the activity event monitor to capture actual query plan cardinalities as well the per object metrics.

Speakers

David Kalmuk

Distinguished Engineer, Databases, IBM

David is a distinguished engineer at IBM, working on IBM's analytic database products.

Wednesday September 30, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Best Practices, Performance and Monitoring, Working with SQL
Audience Intermediate
Platform LUW

3:20pm BST

C102 Smart Db2 Administration (z/LUW)

Wednesday September 30, 2026 3:20pm - 4:20pm BST

Sponsors

I

IBM

Wednesday September 30, 2026 3:20pm - 4:20pm BST
Porto

Topic PSP
Platform Cross Platform
Company IBM

4:30pm BST

C13 A brief history of a query: from the PreparedStatement to the ResultSet - how queries gets executed in Db2 database?

Wednesday September 30, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm BST

To the average application, a database is often treated as a "black box": SQL goes in, and data comes out. But for those tasked with maintaining high-performance systems, "it just works" isn't enough. When a query hangs or a system spikes in CPU, understanding the mechanics "under the hood" is the difference between a quick fix and hours of guesswork.

This presentation takes you on a chronological journey of a query’s lifecycle. We will trace the path of a single PreparedStatement from the moment it leaves a remote application, through the DRDA protocol, and deep into the Db2 engine layers. We will explore:
- The Handshake: How client-server interactions and the SQLDA manage data exchange.
- The Brain: Inside the Query Compiler and Optimizer—how your SQL is transformed into an executable "Plan."
- The Engine Room: How the Runtime components interact with the Buffer Pools, Prefetchers, and Logger to retrieve your data.
- The Return: The mechanics of the ResultSet and how data is effic

Speakers

Kamil Kuduk

Solution Consultant, IBM Poland

Working for IBM Db2 in support role for over 10 years. Last few years in the Advanced Problem Determination team, specializing in performance problems and operating system troubleshooting.

Wednesday September 30, 2026 4:30pm - 5:30pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Back to Basics, Best Practices, Database Resiliency, Data Movement and Analytics, Performance and Monitoring
Audience Intermediate
Platform LUW

5:40pm BST

C14 Db2 for LUW Expert Panel

Wednesday September 30, 2026 5:40pm - 6:40pm BST

Wednesday September 30, 2026 5:40pm - 6:40pm BST
Porto

Expert Panel, Expert Panel

Topic Expert
Audience All
Platform LUW

9:00am BST

C15 A Modern Approach to Db2 Backup & Recovery: Snapshot Technology with Cloud Integration

Thursday October 1, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am BST

This session presents a comprehensive approach to database backup and recovery using Snapshot Backup technology integrated with Cloud infrastructure. The solution leverages the Db2 ACS Scripted interface to automate backup operations on Linux systems, enabling efficient data protection strategies for enterprise databases.
The implementation utilizes Linux LVM (Logical Volume Manager) to create consistent point-in-time snapshots of database volumes, ensuring data integrity during backup operations.
By combining snapshot-based backup techniques with cloud object storage capabilities, this approach delivers a robust disaster recovery solution that minimizes backup windows, reduces storage costs, and enhances data availability. The scripted automation through Db2 ACS interface ensures consistent, repeatable backup procedures while maintaining operational efficiency in Linux environments.
This methodology addresses critical requirements for modern database management, including rapid recov

Speakers

Thomas Rech

Architect Db2 SAP Dev. & Client Adoption Engineering, IBM

Thomas has been working in the Db2 area since 1996. Starting as a Db2 course instructor, he soon moved to the SAP on Db2 environment in 1997. He joined the SAP/IBM Db2 Development Team, followed by a role as technical sales consultant. He led several lighthouse projects like the first... Read More →

Thursday October 1, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Automation, Back to Basics, Best Practices, Db2 Cloud and Warehouse, Modernization in Operations, Utilities
Audience Intermediate
Platform LUW

10:20am BST

C16 Fine-Tuning Db2 Datalake Tables Performance

Thursday October 1, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST

Db2 Datalake tables allow defining and managing vendor-agnostic Hive and Iceberg tables atop open data formats used in data analytics environments. However, Datalake tables are configured and maintained differently from traditional Db2 tables. Participants will learn valuable skills such as creating workload-optimized Datalake tables, and monitoring and tuning them to preserve their performance as the table grows.

Speakers

Olivier Bernin

IBM Gold Consultant for Data & AI, IBM

Thursday October 1, 2026 10:20am - 11:20am BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic Data Movement and Analytics, Db2 Cloud and Warehouse, Performance and Monitoring
Audience Intermediate
Platform LUW

11:30am BST

C17 Accelerating AI Workloads in Db2 v12.1.5.0: Introducing High‑Performance Vector Indexes

Thursday October 1, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST

Discover how Db2’s new DiskANN‑powered vector index delivers fast, scalable similarity search while integrating seamlessly into existing database workflows.
We’ll walk through expected performance gains using AWS benchmark results and share practical tuning strategies to help you get the most out of vector search in Db2.

Speakers

Christian Garcia-Arellano

STSM, Db2 Senior Architect and Master Inventor, IBM

Christian Garcia-Arellano is STSM and Db2 OLTP Architect at the IBM Toronto Lab, and has a MSc in Computer Science from the University of Toronto. Christian has been working in various DB2 Kernel development areas since 2001. Initially Christian worked on the development of the self... Read More →

Thursday October 1, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm BST
Porto

Track C, Technical Session

Topic AI GenAI and Machine Learning, AppDev, Latest and Features LUW, Modernization in Development
Audience Intermediate
Platform AppDev