A quick tour of setting up a geodatabase in DB2

This topic applies to ArcGIS for Desktop Standard and ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced only.

Use the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool or a Python script to create geodatabases in an IBM DB2 database management system (DBMS).

You can use the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool if you have access to ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced). If you need to create a geodatabase from a computer where ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Geodatabase Update extension or ArcGIS for Server (Standard or Advanced) are installed, run a Python script.

Before you can create a geodatabase in DB2, you must first install the DB2 software, configure the DBMS, create a database, register it with the Spatial Extender module, and create an operating system user named sde.

Configuring the DBMS involves setting up storage spaces for tables, indexes, and files that are stored in the database instance and adequately allocating memory. You should give consideration to the names, types, and locations of tables, indexes, and storage spaces you create; how large to make your backup log files; and what size to make the temporary space. As the database administrator, you know the naming conventions used at your site as well as what type of configuration your site requires.

You must also decide in what language your data will be stored. If you want to set up your database to use languages other than the default language of the DBMS, you must configure your DBMS for that.

Check the system requirements on the Resource Center before you set up a geodatabase to be sure the database, ArcGIS, and hardware combinations you want to use are supported.

The following are summaries of the steps you take to set up a geodatabase in DB2 on different operating systems:

Setting up a geodatabase in DB2 on Linux, UNIX, or Windows

Setup in this scenario involves the following basic steps:

1. Install DB2 and the Spatial Extender module.

   Protocol at your site will determine if the administrator or another staff member, such as an information systems technician, will do this. See your DB2 documentation for instructions.

2. Create an sde login on the DB2 server and add it to a group with SYSMON authority.
3. Create a database and spatially enable it.
4. Grant DBADM on the database to the sde user.
5. Configure the database and DB2 instance, including creating table spaces, setting heap sizes, and setting up transaction logs. See your DB2 documentation for information on configuring the database. See DB2 initialization parameters for recommendations specific to storing a geodatabase in DB2.
6. Install and configure the DB2 client application on the ArcGIS client computers.

   This must be done before the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase wizard, geoprocessing tool, or a Python script can be run. If you are installing the DB2 client to run with a 32-bit ArcGIS client, install the 32-bit DB2 client. If you are installing the DB2 client to run with ArcGIS for Server, install the 64-bit DB2 client. See the DB2 documentation for instructions to install and configure the client.

7. Create a geodatabase by doing one of the following:
   • Connect to the DB2 database from ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced) and run the Enable Geodatabase command. See Enabling geodatabase functionality in a DB2 database for more information.
   • Connect to the DB2 database from ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced) and run the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
   • Run a Python script from a computer running ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced), ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Geodatabase Update extension, or ArcGIS for Server Enterprise (Standard or Advanced). See Scripting geodatabase creation in DB2 for samples that you can alter and run at your site.

Setting up a geodatabase in DB2 on z\OS

When DB2 is installed on a z operating system (z/OS), you connect to the database from a remote Windows server to create a geodatabase. From this and all other connecting client machines, you make a direct connection to the database subsystem on z/OS.

The basic setup steps are as follows:

1. Install and configure the DB2 DBMS on z/OS.
2. Install and configure the DB2 client application on the ArcGIS client computers.
3. Create a local sde login on the client from which you will create a geodatabase.
4. Configure the ZPARMs on DB2 and refresh DB2 with the setting. See Configuring ZPARMs to use ArcSDE with DB2 on z/OS.
5. Use the Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) to create a user, sde, in z/OS for ArcSDE administration and enable secondary authorization IDs (RACF groups). See Creating an sde user on IBM z/OS.
6. Grant privileges to the sde user and ArcGIS user group on DB2. See Granting permissions and privileges to sde and the ArcGIS user group in DB2 on z/OS.
7. Transfer z/OS specific files to the target multiple virtual storage (MVS) system. See Transferring files to z/OS for geodatabase setup.
8. Submit the JCL script, ESRIUDFI, to create the storage groups, databases, and user-defined functions (UDFs) for ArcSDE. See Creating databases in DB2 on z/OS.
9. Spatially enable the database subsystem. See the DB2 z/OS documentation for details.
10. Alter the parameters in the dbtune.sde file. See Customizing the dbtune.sde file before creating a geodatabase in DB2 on z/OS.
11. Create a connection from ArcGIS to the new database.
12. Create a geodatabase by doing one of the following:
    • Connect to the DB2 database from ArcGIS for Desktop and run the Enable Geodatabase command. See Creating a geodatabase in DB2 on z/OS for more information.
    • Connect to the DB2 database from ArcGIS for Desktop and run the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
    • Run a Python script from a computer running ArcGIS for Desktop Standard or Advanced, ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Geodatabase Update extension, or ArcGIS for Server Standard or Advanced. See Scripting geodatabase creation in DB2 for samples that you can alter and run at your site.
13. Verify the installation. See Verifying the geodatabase was created in DB2 on z/OS.

Optional additional setup

There are some scenarios that require you to use additional tools to complete your geodatabase set up, such as when you want to use an ArcSDE service for connections or multiple geodatabases are needed in the same DB2 instance. For multiple geodatabases on the same instance, see Multiple geodatabases in DB2.

To use an ArcSDE service, you must install and configure the ArcSDE application server. See the installation guide provided with the ArcSDE application server for instructions for this scenario. The ArcSDE application server installation can be downloaded from the Esri Customer Care portal.