Bob Knows Db2 for i

 This week marks the GA of the IBM Bob Premium Package for i. This tailored package extends IBM Bob’s AI coding assistant capabilities to support IBM i application development. The IBM Bob Premium Package for i includes both an IBM i Developer mode and an IBM i Database mode. With Bob’s focus on enabling programmers to more efficiently traverse the entire application development lifecycle, this customized package delivering an IBM i Developer mode is not a surprise. The IBM i Database mode which provides Bob with a deeper knowledge of Db2 for i is a surprising and welcome addition.

 IBM Bob’s ability to provide both an IBM i Developer and IBM i Database perspective to end users reminds me a little bit of the Bo Knows marketing campaign. Nike launched this campaign in 1989 to highlight Bo Jackson’s success in multiple United States professional sports leagues – baseball and American football. The excellence that he was able to demonstrate in two professional sports with different skills was unprecedented in recent US sports history. 

 

The IBM i Database mode has enriched IBM Bob with tools and skills. These tools and  skills  are automatically used by Bob as you request his assistance with your Db2 for i databases. These requests may require Bob to run SQL queries on your server, retrieve the SQL source for your Db2 object, or share information on database security best practices. 

 

The IBM i Database mode includes slash commands which are pre-defined prompts to enable you to direct Bob to perform a specific database-related task. For more repetitive tasks, these commands can be a time saver because they allow you to get Bob working right away on a database task as opposed to multiple interactions with Bob before he understands exactly what operation you want him to perform.

 

One example is the /erd command.  This command instructs Bob to generate a Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) for a set of related database tables on the IBM i server that your session is connected to.  The following figure shows a portion of an ERD generated by Bob for the Db2 for i sample database.

The IBM Database for i mode also includes an SQL Index Strategy Advisor workflow. Workflows are complex, multi-step processes that use agentic and/or non-agentic steps to accomplish a particular task. For many releases, Db2 for i has provided multiple SQL performance tools and services to capture performance data which you can analyze to come up with index recommendations to improve SQL performance. This index strategy workflow makes that process more efficient by guiding you through each step of the process and interacting with the Db2 tools and services without you remembering which command to run or Db2 performance data object to access. 

If it  is a new SQL statement that you’ve created, then the workflow will automatically capture a new  set of database monitor data which is needed to perform its indexing strategy review. For existing SQL statements run by your application, the workflow can find the required performance data to review in a plan cache snapshot instead of wasting time re-collecting performance data. 

 

I’ve highlighted just some of the Db2 capabilities available in the IBM Bob Premium Package for i and these capabilities will grow over time. With these limited highlights, I’m hoping you’re excited to kick the tires yourself on Bob’s IBM i Database mode.  The free trial support is available to anyone on the IBM Bob website and includes access to the IBM i premium package. Enterprise customers can work with their business partner or IBM sales representative to arrange a free trial.