IBM DB2 Monitoring Tools: 7 Best Picks for 2023

IBM is known for developing outstanding software, database, and cloud products like IBM cloud, IBM z/OS connect, IBM MQ, etc.,

Does your organization use IBM Db2 to manage sales data or financial information? And Do you worry about the health and performance of your IBM Db2 database? We’re here with a list of the best Db2 performance monitoring tools to simplify health checks and spot performance issues.

In case IBM Db2 is unfamiliar to you, it’s a database platform like any other database such as Oracle, SQL Server, or MySQL that stores and manages structured data.

Best DB2 Monitoring Tools

1. Site24x7 – Best SAAS solution for Db2 performance monitoring

• Operating System: Windows and Linux
• Pricing: 30-day free trial
• Developer: ManageEngine

Site24x7 is a SaaS tool specialized in monitoring IT infrastructure deployed on the cloud and comes with a Db2 plugin that uses the “ibm_db” module for Db2 database performance monitoring.

Out-of-box metrics like the number of buffer pools, hit-ratio percentage, total logical reads, and physical reads, are tracked and displayed on the dashboard as graphs and visuals to help you get a better picture of your Db2 performance.

You can view all the performance stats under the plugins tab of the Site24x7 web client.

If you wish to extend the array of metrics to monitor, you can do this by adding additional metrics to the plugin’s source code.

Pros:

• Supports various out-box-metrics analyses.
• You can monitor via any device through a web browser.
• Receive alerts if the chosen metrics are moving in the wrong direction.
• You can add custom metrics for monitoring.
• The tool can create dependency maps to quickly identify root causes for performance issues.

Cons:

• It’s a SaaS package with no on-premise deployment option.

Download Site24x7

2. ManageEngine Applications Manager – Best All-In-One Monitoring Tool Capable of Watching Db2 Servers

• Operating System: Windows and Linux
• Pricing: Free, professional, and Enterprise editions for individuals, mid-sized, and large organizations
• Developer: ManageEngine

Since Site24x7 and Applications Manager are actually produced by the same company, you may find them similar. However, Site24x7 is a saas tool, while Applications Manager can be deployed both on-premise and cloud.

This agentless Db2 monitoring tool can help your database administrators monitor performance statistics to ensure high availability and performance of your Db2 servers. Some of them include connection statistics, transaction statistics, cache performance, and buffer statistics.

Moreover, the tool allows you to monitor SQL queries in an IBM Db2 database using its database query monitoring extension, ultimately enhancing the performance of your entire database system.

The tool automatically detects active applications and creates a dependency map that notes what applications access the Db2 server, at what time they accessed, and actions performed on Db2 instances by these applications, to accurately spot the culprit behind performance problems.

Pros:

• Provides real-time and historical stats regarding several metrics.
• You can set metric thresholds and get notified when they are crossed.
• Offers on-premise and cloud deployment options.
• Automatically detects databases, servers, and applications.
• In-depth root cause analysis with dependency maps.

Cons:

• It takes time to explore all of its capabilities.

Download Applications Manager

3. SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer – Best Solution to find Root Cause of Performance issues and Provides Optimization Guidance.

• Operating System: Windows and Linux
• Pricing: Free trial for 14 days
• Developer: SolarWinds

With SolarWinds DPA, get in-depth visibility into key performance indicators of your IBM Db2 instances. The tool uses machine learning to figure out the ideal ranges for each performance metric and alerts you when the real-time metrics stats deviate from these ranges.

Gone are the days when analyzing and tuning Db2 queries were difficult, with SolarWinds DPA. It has a Db2 performance tuning tool that displays response time analysis, query analysis, and resource usage, to enlighten you with tuning tips for performance improvements.

Database blocking is another serious concern for many performance issues. So, the Db2 performance tuning tool in DPA also provides insights into the causes of database deadlocks.

Notably, you have a Db2 optimization tool in SolarWinds DPA that enables you quickly identify why exactly the performance is slow.

Pros:

• Clear documentation to leverage the tool to its fullest potential.
• Response-time metrics to detect underperforming SQL queries.
• Automatic anomaly detection using machine learning.
• Monitors Db2 instances deployed on the cloud and on-premise.
• Built-in query analysis to improve overall database performance.

Cons:

• Just 14 days to explore the tool for free.

Download SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer

4. Nagios – Best Db2 Monitoring Tool Well-Suited for Mid-Sized Businesses

• Operating System: Linux
• Pricing: Nagios Core – Free, Nagios XI – 30-day free trial
• Developer: Nagios Enterprises, LLC

Nagios XI is an industry-standard infrastructure monitoring tool, it comes in both standard and enterprise editions with capabilities to watch your Db2 servers.

This Db2 monitoring tool does a great job of tracking key metrics like availability, database and table sizes, cache ratios, and much more, allowing you to enjoy the peak performance of your Db2 servers.

While Nagios Core is a free edition for anyone to access, you should pay if you want to leverage Nagios XI.

The software employs several plugins to extend its database monitoring capabilities. For instance, it uses the “check_db2” plugin for checking the buffer pool, tablespace, and transaction log, and the “check_db2_health” plugin is used to watch the most common metrics.

Pros:

• Several plugins to expand Db2 monitoring capabilities.
• Available in both free and paid versions.
• Quick Db2 outage and failure detection.
• Seamless integration options with other tools.
• Role-based multi-user access to the Nagios XI web interface to protect privacy.

Cons:

• Expects technical knowledge to add custom plug-ins or scripts.
• Not a cloud-based solution

Download Nagios

5. IDERA’s Precise – Get Detailed Stats on Db2 Applications with low Overhead

• Operating System: Linux and Windows
• Pricing: 30-day free trial period
• Developer: IDERA

IDERA has unique specialized solutions to monitor each database platform. For instance, it has SQL diagnostic manager to monitor MySQL, in the same way, it employs the Precise platform for Db2 performance monitoring.

The tool proactively monitors your Db2 instances 24×7 and provides insights into resource consumption, response time for end-users, applications that accessed Db2 servers, and actions performed on Db2 instances. This information lets you identify the causes of any bottlenecks and act accordingly.

Managing indexes, tuning SQL queries, and analyzing applications that interacted with your database servers are a few other reward-winning functionalities that IDERA precise offers for your Db2 performance monitoring.

Pros:

• The collected stats can be filtered by statement, by user, by time, or by resource consumption
• Quickly identifies deadlocks
• Configurable alerts and thresholds
• Locates queries to be optimized and manages indexes

Cons:

• Reporting can more detailed for advanced analytics and trends.

Download Precise for Db2

6. AppDynamics – Great Cloud-based Monitoring Tool for Large Enterprises

• Operating System: Linux and Windows
• Pricing: 15-day trial period
• Developer: AppDynamics

Moving on to the next item on the list, we have the AppDynamics db2 monitoring tool from Cisco. It has a module for deep visibility into the IBM Db2 database.

Moreover, transaction activities, cache hit ratios, memory usage, and other key counters are tracked to help you quickly find the root cause.

If you expand the view category in the dashboard of AppDynamics db2, you can see sections to track clients, databases, programs, sessions, and SQL.

Pros:

• Historical performance data analysis for insights to optimize resource efficiency.
• Execution plans for slow SQL queries to spot the exact issue.
• Comprehensive visualization reports.
• Can monitor Db2 instances running on multiple OS including Linux, Unix, and Windows.
• Pretty good dashboard with an overview of the entire database like tables, running jobs, queries, and sessions.

Cons:

• Could have deeper visibility into infrastructure monitoring.
• You just have 15 days to try the tool.

Download AppDynamics

7. Dynatrace – Best Tool to Remotely Monitor Db2 Databases

• Operating System: Linux, Unix, and Windows
• Pricing: 15-day trial period
• Developer: Dynatrace LLC

ActiveGate extension in Dynatrace actively monitors the system status, transactions, locks, and buffer pool and provides you with frequent updates on the overall performance of your Db2 database.

The setup is so straightforward, requiring you to just configure the endpoint details in the extension. Once done, it starts acting upon your Db2 servers.

This extension works for your Db2 versions developed for Linux, Unix, or Windows.

Pros:

• Remotely monitor your Db2 instances.
• Enable metrics of your choice to collect data about.
• Dynatrace literally offers a variety of metrics to track, including Applications connected currently,  Total CPU time, Total wait time, Rows returned, and more.
• Easy installation and setup.
• You can Configure each Db2 instance you want to monitor uniquely.

Cons:

• Db2 extension doesn’t support SSL connection.

Download Dynatrace

What is Db2 Query Monitor?

Db2 Query Monitor is simply a software tool developed for the real-time monitoring of Db2 servers’ performance, availability, and resource consumption in storing and managing huge, structured, and real-time data.

In addition, a qualified monitor also watches SQL Query performance and other applications’ interaction with Db2 servers.

How to Monitor Performance in Db2?

Monitoring Db2 performance includes tracking key performance indicators such as response time, throughput, resource usage, disk I/O performance, query analysis, and much more.

For organizations using Db2, IBM has got their back with some tools and Db2 monitoring commands to track and monitor their Db2 servers. Moreover, there are some really good software tools to record Db2 server stats and monitor overall performance which we have already listed above.

How to Monitor Load in Db2?

You should know what the INSERT command does to the database if you have used SQL before. It basically adds or inserts data into the database. However, if you’re dealing with a large amount of data, a load operation can do the same thing but at lightning speed.

There are various standard commands to monitor load operations in Db2. For instance, you can use LIST UTILITIES command to monitor the performance of load operations on a database.

Final Words

When it comes to IBM Db2 monitoring, there are several factors to consider including performance, availability, throughput, health, and many more.

Though each tool mentioned in this article possesses all basic Db2 monitoring functionalities, they have their unique specializations and capabilities which we also covered. Hence, this article should help you make a wise choice for monitoring your Db2 instances.

Comment down your go-to tool for IBM DB2 monitoring.