I'm currently working with several versions of zOS DB2, and am having problems experimenting with problems that I'm having due to circumstances where I sometimes have limited or no connectivity to the mainframes for hours at a stretch.

Can someone suggest what IBM product/tool most closely matches Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition? It provides a SQL engine with all of the features of the Enterprise Edition, which has been scaled to run on a single workstation or laptop. It also provides a superset of the Enterprise Edition documentation that includes extra material targeted towards developers and DBAs. It has an MSRP of $49.45 USD, which makes it a phenominal bargin for a consultant that just needs a "sandbox to play in" while on the road.

I appreciate any suggestions you can offer!

-PatP

Will you also need a developer edition of zOS, along with a toy Parallel Sysplex?

There is a free product called DB2 Express-C for Linux or Windows, but I doubt it could serve as a sandbox for DB2 for zOS, as they are very different products, despite similar names.

I'd considered running one of the emulators, such as Hercules which would be more than adequate for what I need, but it isn't worth the time/disk/etc it would take to build a new system and since this is "on my dime" there's no way I could justify that cost.

All of the other database engines that I use offer some portable option. ZOS DB2 is the lone holdout that I can't take the engine with me so I that can validate ideas on the go.

-PatP

Even for mainframe DBA's, DB2 Express-C on Windows or Linux is better than nothing. And compared to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition, DB2 Express-C is a super phenominal bargin since it is free. There are a few Enterprise Edition features missing, but not many.

Just curious, what are the other mainframe database engines that offer portable options, apart from MS SQL Server?

I'll probably be able to use DB2 Express-C, it has most of the features that I really need. I'll just have to keep in mind the few feature differences, but that's not a major problem in my mind.

My need is really only a "sandbox" where I can take tiny data sets (a few megabytes) and test concepts and basic syntax. I'll need connectivity (or a Z10 with a Shark that will fit in my backpack ) to really give the ideas a workout.

-PatP

Universe, Progress, and a number of database engines that run on Linux.

-PatP

SQL Server is not a mainframe database (it only runs on Windows, which is definitely not a mainframe operating system)

Thanks, I will keep that in mind.

Micrsoft SQL Server runs only on Microsoft Operating Systems. Many of the high end symetric multiprocessor machines such as Cray's CX1 have computing power that puts them squarely in the supercomputer class. You could certainly configure a CX1 running Windows with only mainframe power, but why neuter it that way?

I work with Z Series, Windows machines (from desktops to multicore clusters), and Linux machines every day. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses.

The Z Series is a great platform with an amazing history, but it is not the only platform by a long shot. Just about any task can now be done on any of the platforms that I use regularly, the trick is picking the platform that does each job best.

-PatP