Source Environment : DB2 UDB V8.2 on AIX platform.
Target Environemtn : DB2 UDB V8.2 on AIX platform.

Data for few tables need to be migrated from source machine to target machine for reporting purposes.The standard way to do this task is EXPORT ,FTP and LOAD/IMPORT.Is anyone familiar with DB2's replication mechanisms(i.e SQL Replication or Q replication).If so,can you please provide the advantages and disadvantages of each mechanism.

Thanks in advance.

SQL Replication is included for free, and Q Replication is an extra cost. However, version 8.2 is no longer marketed or supported, so you would have upgrade to at least 9.1 (or 9.5 or 9.7).

With version 9.7 fixpack 1 you use HADR (which replicates the entire database including DDL on a standby database and is much easier to set up and administer than other replications) and set up the standby as a read-only copy (isolation level is UR).

sql replication has a overload of transaction logs and Q replication don,t requires transaction logs
regds
Paul

What are the challenges in setting up and administring SQL and Q replications.Please advise.Thanks

what are the tables you going to replicat if there is huge amt of update delete insert happening then there would be huge amt of logs need to do a proper house keeping of logs, Q replication have advantage in log part but need to know how MQ works, sorry have not idea abt how Q replication works i know few thing like u need to create Message Q on both the server and all changes between the db is send thru this message queue, Sql replication can be done just follow the sql replication guide
regds
Paul

If the schema changes on the source system, you have to manually change it on the target system and coordinate the change. You also have to change the replication set up when schema changes (both SQL and Q).

Thanks Marcus and Paul for your suggestions.