The Howdy Glossary

IBM DB2 is a database technology. The system was first introduced by IBM in the 1970s and has evolved into a family of data management products. It's designed to store, analyze, and retrieve large volumes of structured data efficiently. DB2 supports both SQL and NoSQL workloads through its different editions, allowing for platform flexibility across Linux, UNIX, Windows, and mainframe systems (z/OS). The technology offers features like PureXML for handling XML data natively within the database engine and Blue Acceleration to speed up complex queries utilizing hardware acceleration. Its integrated tools provide database administrators with everything they need to manage their systems effectively from performance tuning to security enhancement modules that help protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or modification while ensuring compliance with industry standards like HIPAA or Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements for financial reporting databases.