It's a multi-node logical database clustered in three physical nodes. We use a lot of services already provided in our private cloud environment. It's a multi-node architecture.
Multi-node architecture and it is good from a security point of view
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Multiple business departments rely on reports and predictive analysis to make decisions for future business based on their data warehouse and Db2 network analytics tool. It helps our business department make decisions.
From a security point of view, we are able to implement encryption at the database level and OS level. We have also integrated our introduced security certificate. So, it is good from a security point of view.
What is most valuable?
In our banking system, we choose only those services that are related to our business and can help our business environment.
What needs improvement?
In other environments like Oracle or Teradata, they provide their own solutions for troubleshooting issues. They provide built-in AI services or autonomous databases, which I don't see in the Db2 environment. Maybe our business environment did not purchase that specific tool, like predictive messages regarding databases. I'm not sure if this feature is available in the IBM public cloud environment.
I would like to see alerts generated based on table spaces, tables, or performance, like indexes. In the public cloud, most other vendors suggest indexes that can be implemented on certain tables that are frequently used by end users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. Most of the issues we faced during troubleshooting were due to specific bugs in the environment, and the only solution was to upgrade the database environment or services. But it is not easy to upgrade the database level when third-party applications are involved, as they are not always comfortable with upgrading.
There should be some cumulative solution provided by IBM for their customers, just like other vendors. Upgrading to a certain version doesn't always resolve the issue. It might get resolved at the database level, but what about the other applications integrated with that database that are only compatible with older versions?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product. I would rate it a nine out of ten. It is capable of expanding the number of users and devices.
There are more than a thousand end users using it for predicated information.
If we have high availability and disaster recovery (HADR) solutions implemented in our production environment, we can scale our environment as per requirement. But if there's only one instance, it's not easy to scale.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are okay.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Deployment model: It's Db2; they use their own database. It's a difference between public cloud services and private cloud services. It's their own cloud.
Maintenance: In such a big environment, the principal vendor supports their customers. We follow the same practice. If we face any trouble, we collaborate with the principal vendor, IBM, and they help us out with certain solutions. We see the product as a DLP of a principal product, so we are not allowed to change any environment. Before changing anything in the product, we consult with the principal vendor or their support engineers.
Deployment resources: The application side has its own team and vendor support events from IBM. But for the database level environment, currently, it's me and another senior individual working on the Db2 environment. If the application team needs to make changes or apply new features to tables, views, or jobs, they inform me, and I coordinate with IBM and the internal business department to proceed with further steps.
What was our ROI?
There is ROI. For data analytics, you need a professional database environment where you can predict analysis using current or past data of any business department. It helps a lot.
Before 2017, our banking sector did not use such tools to make decisions, and we were not able to compete with other competitors.
But after the deployment of this data analytics database, we have been part of the best data analytics banking sector in Pakistan for the last three years.
What other advice do I have?
Since I have worked with almost every product, including IBM, Teradata is far better than any other data warehouse product. It's a separate database with its own features, architecture, and working culture. It's totally different from IBM.
So, IBM Db2 is only an option if your company is not able to purchase Teradata.
Overall, I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
