“Extremely pureXML in DB2 10 for z/OS”, that’s the title of a brand-new IBM Redbook that got released just a couple of weeks ago. This book describes the pureXML features in DB2 9 for z/OS and DB2 10 for z/OS based on an application scenario that runs through all chapters of the book. The application scenario is about receiving and processing bank-to-customer statements that follow the UNIFI (ISO20022) standard XML format.

The book shows how to obtain such UNIFI messages from a Websphere MQ message queue and how to persist and manipulate them with SQL/XML stored procedures or through Java or COBOL applications. Detailed code samples in Java and COBOL illustrate how you can query and process the XML messages and exploit the pureXML capabilities in DB2 for z/OS.

Additionally, database administrators will find chapters 9 and 10 useful, which provide coverage of XML-related admin task and describe how DB2 z/OS utilities work with XML data.

The outline of the book is as follows:

Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. XML and DB2 for z/OS
Chapter 3. Application scenario
Chapter 4. Creating and adding XML data
Chapter 5. Validating XML data
Chapter 6. DB2 SQL/XML programming
Chapter 7. Using XML with Java
Chapter 8. Using XML with COBOL
Chapter 9. Utilities with XML
Chapter 10. XML-related tasks for the DBA
Chapter 11. Performance considerations
Appendix A. Application scenario documents
Appendix B. Additional material

You also find coverage of some of the new XML features in DB2 10 for z/OS, such as binary XML data flow for JDBC applications, node-level XML Updates, and XML manipulation in user-defined functions and stored procedures.

Although the book provides brief introductions to XML, XPath, XQuery, SQL/XML, etc., the book is less focused on providing comprehensive tutorials for these core technologies and much more focused on illustrating their integration with each other in the context of DB2 for z/OS applications and databases. The book also touches on several advanced topics, such as handling incoming XML messages through Change Data Capture (CDC) and multi-version concurrency control for XML.

The Redbook “Extremely pureXML in DB2 10 for z/OS” is available for online reading and as a PDF at http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces/abstracts/sg247915.html?Open.

Other material on XML DB2 for z/OS that you may find useful include:

• Guogen Zhang’s presentation on new XML features in DB2 10 for z/OS
  https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/download/attachments/97321405/IOD_2010_1825_ZHANG.pdf

• The DB2 pureXML for z/OS Wiki page
  http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/db2xml/DB2+for+zOS+pureXML

• The DB2 pureXML Cookbook for DB2 9.x LUW and DB2 9 for z/OS
  https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/wikis/display/db2xml/DB2+pureXML+Cookbook

Happy reading !