Optimisation of DB2 unloading with InfoUnload

A company in the financial sector uses a Db2 for z/OS database to manage large volumes of customer transactions. Analysis of historical data is essential for fraud detection and optimisation of commercial offers.

However, conventional unloading/unload processes have a significant impact on production:

• High CPU time, generating an IBM cost overload/overcharge (billing based on MSU consumption).
• High I/O demand, slowing down the overall performance of the system.
• Risk of unavailability of the production repository.

The company is looking for a solution that will enable/allow it to unload large volumes of data quickly without compromising production performance./The company is seeking a solution that allows for fast data unloading without impacting production performance.

Our solution: InfoUnload

InfoUnload is an ultra-fast unloading/unload solution for Db2 tables, designed to optimise performance while maintaining high system availability.

Optimised architecture:

• Unloading via native VSAM access, reducing CPU time and I/O by up to 10 times
• Parallel processing, allowing several simultaneous/multiple simultaneous  unloads on separate partitions
• Supports data conversion in several formats: sequential, VSAM, XML, CSV, JSON

Minimisation of the impact on production:

• Unloading from a Full Image Copy, avoiding any overload on the active repository
• Read-only or read/write access, to avoid conflicts with ongoing processing
• Advanced filtering of rows and columns to handle only essential data

Optimisation of costs/Costs optimisation:

• Compatibility with zIIP, offloading a large part of the CPU processing to specialised processors, thus reducing MSU consumption and IBM costs
• More than 70% reduction in CPU time compared to conventional utilities

Observed results

Before InfoUnload:

• Unloading a table of 2 million lines with a conventional utility →/ lead to  high CPU time and heavy demand on the system.
• Direct impact on the performance of production applications/applications production.

With InfoUnload:

• Drastic reduction in CPU time and elapsed time thanks to optimisation of VSAM access.
• Unloading possible/remains possible without impacting production, even for very large volumes of data.
• Reduction in operating costs, particularly thanks to the use of zIIP and the reduction in MSU consumption.

Why choose InfoUnload?/ What makes InfoUnload the right choice?

• The fastest Db2 unloading tool on the market.
• Performance and continuity of service: fast/rapid extraction with no impact on production.
• Cost reduction: optimisation of CPU time and use of zIIPs to minimise MSU consumption.
• Flexibility/Versatility: support for numerous formats and compatibility with various DB2 utilities.

By adopting/implementing InfoUnload, the company was able to modernise its mainframe environment, optimise its performance and considerably/significantly reduce its operating costs.