IBM Certification IBM Db2 Database Administration 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary role of the IBM Db2 'buffer pool' in database performance?
- To store SQL execution plans permanently
- To cache frequently accessed data pages in memory, reducing disk I/O (Correct answer)
- To queue incoming database connections
- To log all DDL statements
Correct answer: To cache frequently accessed data pages in memory, reducing disk I/O
The Db2 buffer pool is a memory area that caches recently accessed data pages, minimizing expensive disk reads and improving query performance.
Question 2: In IBM Db2, what does the RUNSTATS utility do?
- Runs statistical reports for IBM billing
- Collects catalog statistics about table and index data distribution to help the optimizer choose efficient query plans (Correct answer)
- Monitors CPU and memory in real time
- Compresses tablespace data files
Correct answer: Collects catalog statistics about table and index data distribution to help the optimizer choose efficient query plans
RUNSTATS collects and stores statistical information about tables and indexes in the Db2 catalog, enabling the query optimizer to select the most efficient execution plans.
Question 3: What is the purpose of the IBM Db2 'REORG' utility?
- To reorganize employee org charts in HR systems
- To physically reorganize table or index data to eliminate fragmentation and reclaim space (Correct answer)
- To reorganize database backup files on disk
- To reorganize user permissions and roles
Correct answer: To physically reorganize table or index data to eliminate fragmentation and reclaim space
The REORG utility physically reorganizes table or index data, eliminating fragmentation caused by inserts, updates, and deletes to improve performance and reclaim space.
Question 4: Which Db2 component is responsible for writing committed transactions to disk to ensure durability?
- Buffer Pool Manager
- Log Manager (Correct answer)
- Catalog Manager
- Agent Pool
Correct answer: Log Manager
The Db2 Log Manager writes transaction log records to disk, ensuring committed transactions are durable and recoverable after a system failure.
Question 5: In IBM Db2, what is a 'tablespace'?
- A virtual namespace for stored procedures
- A logical storage structure that maps to one or more physical database container files (Correct answer)
- A schema for organizing user tables
- A temporary area used only for sorting
Correct answer: A logical storage structure that maps to one or more physical database container files
A Db2 tablespace is a logical storage object that defines where tables are physically stored, mapping to one or more container files or raw disk devices.
Question 6: What does IBM Db2 'High Availability Disaster Recovery' (HADR) provide?
- A backup compression algorithm
- Log shipping-based replication between a primary and standby database for failover (Correct answer)
- A high-speed network adapter for Db2
- An automated index rebuild feature
Correct answer: Log shipping-based replication between a primary and standby database for failover
Db2 HADR ships transaction logs from a primary database to one or more standby databases, enabling automatic failover to maintain availability during outages.
IBM Certification IBM Db2 Database Administration 1
What is the primary role of the IBM Db2 'buffer pool' in database performance?