IBM touts smarter mainframe database

IBM on Thursday released an upgraded mainframe database with built-in analysis software and more self-managing capabilities. The company said DB2 for z/OS Version 8, a mainframe-specific edition of IBM's database, is available and priced based on the processing power of the hardware.

The latest database is designed to simplify application development with Java and make writing database queries easier. The autonomic, or self-managing, features embedded in the database will cut down on downtime and allow administrators to update the database without turning off an existing application, IBM said. The update also includes tools to simplify the process of feeding mainframe data into analytical databases, the company said.