Projects

Delivering data-driven automation projects that streamline DBA workflows, enhance performance, and reduce manual effort.

1.Authoring Guide for IBM Db2 v12.1 Administrator – Professional (Exam C1000-198)
Jul 2025

Authoring a comprehensive certification preparation guide for the IBM Db2 v12.1 Administrator – Professional (Exam C1000-198), designed to help database professionals master core Db2 administration concepts and pass the exam with confidence.

Key Highlights:

Developing 450–500 pages of in-depth content, including real-world examples, best practices, and scenario-based exam questions.

Covering all exam domains, including Db2 architecture, HADR, backup/recovery, security, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.

Designing practice questions and mock tests aligned with the official IBM certification blueprint.

Combining hands-on lab exercises and step-by-step guides to enhance practical skills for Db2 administrators.

Writing in a clear, concise, and exam-focused style, modeled after successful IBM Db2 study guides.

Skills Used:
Db2 LUW v12.1 | Certification Exam Development | Technical Writing | Performance Tuning | Backup & Recovery | Security & HADR | SQL and Administration

2. Host – Db2Night Show

Serving as the host of Db2Night Show, a leading webcast series dedicated to IBM Db2 technology, where I collaborate with industry experts, IBM engineers, and community leaders to deliver insights, technical sessions, and live demos for Db2 professionals worldwide.

Key Highlights:

Hosting monthly episodes focused on Db2 LUW, performance tuning, and emerging database technologies.

Engaging with IBM product managers, developers, and community experts to bring cutting-edge topics to the Db2 ecosystem.

Moderating live Q&A sessions and panel discussions to address real-world challenges faced by database administrators and developers.

Promoting knowledge sharing by curating technical content, best practices, and case studies from enterprise customers.

Strengthening the global Db2 community presence by reaching hundreds of attendees per session.

Db2Night Show Replay URL: https://www.dbisoftware.com/db2nightshow

Skills Used:
Public Speaking | Technical Hosting | Community Engagement | Event Moderation | Performance Tuning | Database Administration

3.Building “Exam C1000-198 IBM Db2 v12.1 Administrator – Professional”

 – 

Description:
Contributed as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to the design and development of the IBM Db2 v12.1 Administrator – Professional (Exam C1000-198) certification exam. Involved in defining the exam blueprint, creating and validating technical questions, and ensuring alignment with the latest Db2 administrative features and best practices.

Key Highlights:

Collaborated with IBM certification team to design the exam blueprint covering core Db2 v12.1 administrative topics, including HADR, security, performance tuning, backup/recovery, and replication.

Authored, reviewed, and validated high-quality exam questions to assess real-world Db2 administration skills.

Conducted technical accuracy reviews and participated in cut-score analysis to ensure fairness and reliability.

Ensured alignment of exam objectives with current IBM Db2 product capabilities and industry standards.

Contributed to beta testing and item analysis to finalize the exam question pool.

Skills Used:
Db2 LUW v12.1 | Exam Content Development | Performance Tuning | Security & HADR | Cloud & On-Prem Db2 Administration | SME Collaboration | Question Design & Validation

4.Cross-Platform Db2 Replication – pureScale to z/OS

 – 

Designed and implemented a real-time replication solution to synchronize enterprise data between Db2 pureScale and Db2 z/OS environments using IBM Q Replication and SQL Replication. This project ensured seamless data availability across heterogeneous Db2 platforms for high-volume transactional systems.

Key Highlights:

Architected a multi-node Q Replication topology to achieve low-latency replication with zero data loss and high fault tolerance.

Configured SQL Replication staging tables for batch workloads requiring transformation and filtering.

Integrated replication with high-availability pureScale clusters, ensuring consistent performance during peak loads.

Automated monitoring and failover strategies to reduce operational overhead and improve SLA adherence.

Delivered performance optimization by tuning log readers, spill queues, and commit intervals to handle billions of rows efficiently.

Skills Used:
Db2 pureScale | Db2 z/OS | IBM Q Replication | SQL Replication | High Availability | Data Synchronization | Performance Tuning | Queue Management | Enterprise Integration

5.Cross-Platform Db2 Replication – pureScale to z/OS

 – 

Designed and implemented a real-time replication solution to synchronize enterprise data between Db2 pureScale and Db2 z/OS environments using IBM Q Replication and SQL Replication. This project ensured seamless data availability across heterogeneous Db2 platforms for high-volume transactional systems.

Key Highlights:

Architected a multi-node Q Replication topology to achieve low-latency replication with zero data loss and high fault tolerance.

Configured SQL Replication staging tables for batch workloads requiring transformation and filtering.

Integrated replication with high-availability pureScale clusters, ensuring consistent performance during peak loads.

Automated monitoring and failover strategies to reduce operational overhead and improve SLA adherence.

Delivered performance optimization by tuning log readers, spill queues, and commit intervals to handle billions of rows efficiently.

Skills Used:
Db2 pureScale | Db2 z/OS | IBM Q Replication | SQL Replication | High Availability | Data Synchronization | Performance Tuning | Queue Management | Enterprise Integration

6.Db2 RDS Migration Strategy and Performance Results

 – 

Led a Proof of Concept (POC) to evaluate the feasibility and performance of migrating Db2 workloads from Amazon EC2 to Amazon RDS for Db2. Designed and implemented a secure, highly available cloud-native architecture, including Multi-AZ deployments, AWS Secrets Manager integration, and S3-integration.

Key Highlights:

Conducted discovery and assessment of source Db2 workloads, identifying dependencies, baselines, and security requirements.
Architected and provisioned RDS for Db2 instances with optimized configurations.
Implemented migration strategy using online backup/restore with roll-forward, enabling near-zero downtime cutover.
Validated performance metrics and data integrity for a 15 TB database and other critical production systems.
Achieved 100% object and record count validation between EC2 and RDS environments.
Leveraged AWS DMS, S3 integration, IAM roles, and CloudWatch for monitoring and automation.
Delivered a comprehensive performance and cost comparison between EC2 and RDS environments, highlighting benefits of automation, failover, and enhanced IOPS.

Skills Used:
Db2 LUW | Amazon RDS | AWS S3 | AWS DMS | Cloud Architecture | Database Migration | High Availability (Multi-AZ) | Performance Tuning | Backup & Restore Strategy | Security & IAM

7.Db2 RDS Migration Strategy and Performance Results

 – 

Transportation systems are mission-critical, so included high availability and disaster recovery using Replication: implemented master-replica replication to ensure availability in case of a failure. Redis Sentinel: Use Sentinel to monitor Redis instances and automate failover. Cluster: For larger datasets, use Redis Cluster for data sharding and horizontal scaling.
• Responsible for managing, maintaining, and optimizing Redis database environments to ensure high availability, performance, and scalability.
• Installation, Configuration, and Setup – Install and configure Redis servers (both standalone and clustered setups). Set up Redis in various environments (development, staging, production) based on application needs. Configure high-availability (HA) and persistence mechanisms (AOF, RDB backups). Manage and configure Redis on cloud services like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Database Monitoring and Performance Tuning – Monitor database performance metrics like latency, memory usage, and throughput using Redis monitoring tools (Redis Insight, Prometheus, Grafana). Identify performance bottlenecks and optimize Redis performance by tuning memory settings, key eviction policies, and other configurations. Monitor and manage Redis clusters or sentinel setups for availability and performance.
• Backup and Disaster Recovery – Set up and maintain automated backup strategies for Redis databases. Ensure proper disaster recovery (DR) procedures by configuring persistence, failover, and data replication. Test and validate data restoration processes regularly.
• High Availability and Clustering – Configure and manage Redis Sentinel for failover and HA. Set up Redis clustering, ensuring proper sharding and data replication across nodes.
• Manage node failover and recovery processes in clustered environments.
• Security and Access Control – Implement Redis security best practices, such as configuring authentication (Redis AUTH), SSL/TLS encryption, and access control lists.

8.Azure High Availability Implementation

 – 

Description:
Designed and implemented a high-availability (HA) solution for IBM Db2 on Microsoft Azure using Pacemaker and Corosync, addressing complex challenges for unsupported databases and enterprise data platforms. Delivered a robust HA-DR framework that ensured near-zero downtime, replication monitoring, and failover automation for critical workloads.

Key Highlights:

Custom HADR Framework: Built a custom High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR) architecture for unsupported Db2 databases, ensuring enterprise-grade resiliency.

SQL Replication Latency Monitoring: Developed a custom heartbeat table and replication subscription mechanism to monitor SQL Replication latency in real-time.

Custom Load Balancer and Probe Resources: Engineered custom load balancing and health probes for unsupported databases to ensure transparent failover and minimal service disruption.

HA for Informatica: Designed and automated custom HA and DR solutions for Informatica workflows, integrating with the Db2 environment for seamless recovery.

Split Brain Protection: Configured an additional quorum/voting device to mitigate split-brain scenarios and improve cluster stability.

Custom DR for Unsupported Databases: Developed disaster recovery strategies tailored for unsupported database workloads, ensuring data consistency and quick recovery across Azure regions.

Skills Used:
Db2 LUW | Pacemaker & Corosync | High Availability (HA) | SQL Replication | Microsoft Azure | Load Balancing & Failover | Informatica Automation | DR Strategy | Cluster Design

9.Db2 11.5.8 HADR Integrated solution using Pacemaker

 – 

Architected and implemented a high-availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) solution for IBM Db2 on Microsoft Azure using Pacemaker, Corosync, and Azure Load Balancer, ensuring automated failover and failback within and across data centers without manual intervention.

Key Highlights:

Multi-DC Pacemaker Setup: Designed a 4-node cluster with 2 nodes in the primary DC and 2 nodes in the secondary DC, leveraging Azure Load Balancer for intelligent traffic routing.

Failover & Failback Codification: Developed custom scripts and workflows to prototype, test, and codify automated failover and failback between nodes and across data centers.

Secure Automation: Eliminated the need for passwordless SSH for ROOT access by utilizing the db2locssh binary, enhancing security while maintaining full cluster automation.

TSA vs. Pacemaker Documentation: Authored detailed documentation comparing Tivoli System Automation (TSA) and Pacemaker, highlighting configuration differences, operational behavior, and performance tuning insights.

Resilient HA Framework: Implemented a highly available Db2 solution that meets stringent RTO/RPO requirements with minimal downtime and seamless service continuity.

Skills Used:
Db2 LUW | Pacemaker & Corosync | Azure Load Balancer | High Availability (HA) | Disaster Recovery (DR) | Cluster Automation | TSA vs. Pacemaker Migration | Shell Scripting | Python Network Programming

10.Db2 Database Backup Optimizations

Oct 2022 – Nov 2022

We’ve been working on enhancing Db2 recovery strategies to better meet customer requirements, with a focus on advanced recovery techniques and faster turnaround times. Our recent initiatives include:

Db2 Recovery Log Management – Streamlining log handling for optimal recovery performance.
Dropped Table Recovery – Leveraging both native methods and Db2 Recovery Expert for reliable table restoration.
Database Rebuild Support – Tailored solutions for larger databases requiring efficient rebuild processes.
Tablespace Recovery for Non-Recoverable LOAD Operations – Addressing complex recovery scenarios.
Database and Tablespace Relocation Techniques – Simplifying data movement and disaster recovery strategies.
Db2 Split Mirror Support for Faster Recovery – Reducing downtime with innovative mirror-based recovery options.

These efforts aim to empower businesses with robust, efficient, and intelligent recovery solutions for their mission-critical Db2 workloads.

11.High Availability and Disaster Recovery Implementation in Azure

 – 

Designed and implemented a High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) solution for IBM Db2 across primary and disaster recovery sites in Azure, ensuring seamless failover, optimized performance, and high transaction throughput without using ExpressRoute. The architecture leveraged Azure Blob Storage, Corosync/Pacemaker, and Azure Load Balancer to achieve enterprise-grade availability.

Key Highlights:

Database Performance Benchmarking: Measured and analyzed the current workload, sustaining 500–600 transactions/sec during normal hours and 800–1200 transactions/sec during peak loads to define HA and DR capacity requirements.

HADR Architecture: Configured Db2 HADR between primary and disaster recovery sites using Corosync/Pacemaker clusters, integrated with Azure Load Balancer for intelligent failover and traffic management.

Recoverable Load Operations: Enabled copy and synchronization of load operation files across data centers using Azure Blob Storage for high throughput and security.

SQL Replication: Implemented SQL Replication between OLTP and EDW for real-time reporting and analytics.

Performance Optimization: Tuned Db2 HADR parameters (log shipping, buffer sizes, TCP configurations) to achieve optimal replication performance without ExpressRoute.

HADR Test Cases: Executed and documented rigorous test cases, including:

(a) Failover and failback simulations

(b) LOAD tests and file transfer benchmarks

(c) SQL Replication restart and recovery procedures

End-to-End Documentation: Authored a comprehensive implementation guide detailing architecture, configurations, test results, and operational best practices.

Skills Used:
Db2 HADR | Corosync & Pacemaker | Azure Load Balancer | Azure Blob Storage | High Availability & Disaster Recovery | Performance Benchmarking | SQL Replication | Load Testing | OLTP-EDW Integration | HA Architecture Design

11.IBM Db2ReadLog () API Interface with Kafka

 – 

Developed a low-level transaction log analysis and reconstruction framework for Db2, capable of interpreting raw log data, rebuilding transactions in-memory, and ensuring consistency in both pureScale and non-pureScale environments.

Key Highlights:

Byte Array Parsing of Db2 Data Types: Reverse-engineered Db2 transaction logs to decode the byte array representation of various Db2 data types (e.g., INT, SMALLINT, BIGINT, DECIMAL, CHAR, VARCHAR, VARBINARY, LOB, FLOAT, DATE, TIME, TIMESTAMP with/without NULLs).

In-Memory Transaction Reconstruction: Implemented an in-memory transaction rebuild engine that reconstructs log entries for commit operations and discards memory buffers during ROLLBACK events.

Transaction Ordering: Designed a log sequencing mechanism using Log File Sequence (LFS) and Log Sequence Numbers (LSN) to ensure precise transaction ordering in Db2 pureScale and non-pureScale deployments.

Advanced Log Analysis: Created a foundation for near real-time transaction monitoring, supporting debugging, recovery, and replication troubleshooting scenarios.

Skills Used:
Db2 Internals | Transaction Log Analysis | C/C++ & Low-Level Memory Management | pureScale Architecture | Database Recovery | Replication Debugging

12.Db2 High Availability and Disaster Recovery Solution Design and Implementation in Azure Cloud

 – 

Designed and implemented a comprehensive HA/DR strategy for the entire Db2 LUW landscape, aligning infrastructure, RPO/RTO objectives, and workload characteristics to ensure seamless failover and disaster recovery with full automation.

Key Highlights:

Requirements Analysis: Assessed HA and DR requirements, including infrastructure readiness, workload profiles, RPO, and RTO targets.

Solution Design: Architected a Db2 LUW HA/DR solution leveraging HADR with TSA and Corosync/Pacemaker (Db2 11.5.7.0) for maximum resilience and availability.

Implementation: Deployed Db2 native HADR with automated failover and robust cluster configurations for mission-critical systems.

Automation: Developed Shell and Python scripts to automate DR invocation, ensuring rapid, consistent, and error-free recovery during failovers.

Documentation: Authored detailed HA/DR invocation procedures and runbooks to streamline operational readiness and testing.

Skills Used:
Db2 LUW 11.5.7.0 | HADR | TSA | Corosync/Pacemaker | Shell Scripting | Python Automation | HA/DR Architecture | RPO/RTO Optimization

13.Oracle 10g, 11g, 12c and 19c Migration from On-Premise to Azure Cloud (AIX to Linux)

 – 

This project was to migrate business critical databases from on-prem to Azure and convert data from Big Endian to Little Endian (AIX to RHEL).

1. Discover the inventory
2. Database to Application Mapping
3. Database Object Validations
4. Understanding the workload
5. Propose an efficient method of migration
– Used XTTS for 11g, 12c and 19c databases which were able to afford an outage of 60 minutes.
– Used GoldenGate for near zero downtime required databases
6. Prepared migration plan checklist and executed the migration with zero defect

13.Oracle 10g, 11g, 12c and 19c Migration from On-Premise to Azure Cloud (AIX to Linux)

 – 

This project was to migrate business critical databases from on-prem to Azure and convert data from Big Endian to Little Endian (AIX to RHEL).

1. Discover the inventory
2. Database to Application Mapping
3. Database Object Validations
4. Understanding the workload
5. Propose an efficient method of migration
– Used XTTS for 11g, 12c and 19c databases which were able to afford an outage of 60 minutes.
– Used GoldenGate for near zero downtime required databases
6. Prepared migration plan checklist and executed the migration with zero defect

14.Db2 Q Replication Performance Optimization

 – 

Led a Q Replication performance tuning initiative to address latency spikes in a high-volume environment handling 144M+ transactions/day. Identified bottlenecks in Db2ReadLog() and MQ channels, and implemented advanced tuning strategies to achieve near-real-time replication with scalable performance.

Key Highlights:

Problem Statement: Q Replication latency increased from 1 second to multiple hours due to workload growth and system-level bottlenecks.

Bottleneck Analysis: Conducted end-to-end performance analysis of source and target systems, capturing MQ and Db2ReadLog() traces (11–240 ms per call) to isolate latency factors.

MQ Configuration Tuning: Optimized MQ channel parameters to improve message throughput and reduce replication delays.

Parallel Send Queues: Designed and implemented parallel send queue architecture, delivering a 4x improvement in replication throughput.

Result: Achieved 3.8x performance improvement, reducing latency back to 1 second (limited only by network F5 latency and 12 ms Q latency), while scaling the replication solution to 280M transactions/day (2x future workload capacity).

Skills Used:
Db2 Q Replication | IBM MQ | Performance Tuning | High-Volume Transaction Systems | Latency Optimization | Queue Management | Log Analysis | Parallel Processing

15.DevOps for Db2 Databases

 – 

Designed and implemented DevOps practices for Db2 environments to automate maintenance tasks, streamline upgrades, and improve observability for both 4-node HADR and single-node deployments, including cross-data center replication monitoring.

Key Highlights:

Automated Fix Pack & Mod Pack Updates: Built scripts and pipelines to automate Db2 Fix Pack and Mod Pack upgrades across 4-node HADR clusters and single-node databases, reducing downtime and manual effort.

Version Upgrade Automation: Developed end-to-end automation for Db2 version upgrades with validation routines to ensure seamless transitions in both HA and standalone environments.

Performance Triage via RunDeck: Integrated Db2 performance triage scripts into RunDeck, enabling on-demand execution and faster troubleshooting.

ServiceNow Integration: Linked ServiceNow Incident Management with RunDeck workflows to trigger automated responses to Db2 incidents, improving MTTR (Mean Time to Resolution).

Q Replication Monitoring: Designed end-to-end Q Replication monitoring for 4-node HADR across data centers and multi-instance Q Managers, providing proactive alerts and real-time performance insights.

Skills Used:
Db2 LUW | DevOps Automation | HADR | Q Replication | RunDeck | ServiceNow Integration | Performance Monitoring | HA/DR | Version Upgrade Automation

16.Db2 (LUW) Advanced Support

 – 

Providing end-to-end advanced support for enterprise Db2 environments, delivering high-impact solutions to ensure business continuity, data integrity, and peak performance across transactional and analytical systems.

Key Highlights:

Data Recovery Expertise: Delivered data recovery solutions using Db2 Advanced Recovery Options to resolve complex data loss scenarios.

High Availability & Disaster Recovery (HA/DR): Architected and implemented HA and DR solutions, including TSA, HADR, and Pacemaker/Corosync-based architectures.

Defect Resolution: Partnered with IBM to troubleshoot and fix Db2 product defects, ensuring system stability and customer satisfaction.

TSA Problem Solving: Diagnosed and resolved Tivoli System Automation (TSA) cluster-related issues to maintain database availability.

Performance Optimization: Optimized performance for OLTP systems and Db2 BLU Acceleration analytics workloads, achieving significant gains in query response and throughput.

Data Replication Fixes: Resolved data replication issues (SQL Replication, Q Replication, and CDC) to ensure near real-time data synchronization.

Database Page Corruption Recovery: Applied page-level repair techniques to restore database integrity without data loss.

Disaster Recovery for Data Center Outages: Managed database recovery during data center outages, ensuring minimal downtime and full transactional consistency.

Skills Used:
Db2 Advanced Recovery | TSA | HADR | Pacemaker & Corosync | Q Replication | SQL Replication | Db2 BLU Acceleration | Performance Tuning | Disaster Recovery | Data Corruption Repair

17.Advisory for Db2 Data Management Console and Intelligent Center UX for IBM

 – 

Collaborated with the IBM UX Design Team to enhance the user interface and user experience of Db2 Data Management Console (DMC), focusing on intuitive monitoring and replication visualization for database administrators.

Key Highlights:

Monitoring Console Design: Provided insights and feedback to design a streamlined monitoring interface for Db2 DMC, enabling better visualization of system health, workload metrics, and alerts.

Q Replication Monitoring Console: Contributed to designing a dedicated console for Q Replication monitoring, allowing real-time tracking of latency, queue status, and replication performance.

User-Centric Design Improvements: Participated in UX reviews, wireframe evaluations, and usability testing to ensure the console meets the needs of both novice and advanced Db2 administrators.

Feature Optimization: Suggested workflow simplifications and key performance indicators (KPIs) to improve operational efficiency and reduce troubleshooting time.

18.PostgreSQL 13.1 and 14.1 RDS – Data Purge Automation Framework

 – 

Collaborated with the IBM UX Design Team to enhance the user interface and user experience of Db2 Data Management Console (DMC), focusing on intuitive monitoring and replication visualization for database administrators.

Key Highlights:

Monitoring Console Design: Provided insights and feedback to design a streamlined monitoring interface for Db2 DMC, enabling better visualization of system health, workload metrics, and alerts.

Q Replication Monitoring Console: Contributed to designing a dedicated console for Q Replication monitoring, allowing real-time tracking of latency, queue status, and replication performance.

User-Centric Design Improvements: Participated in UX reviews, wireframe evaluations, and usability testing to ensure the console meets the needs of both novice and advanced Db2 administrators.

Feature Optimization: Suggested workflow simplifications and key performance indicators (KPIs) to improve operational efficiency and reduce troubleshooting time.

19.FiveTran (HVR) Data Replication for Db2

 – 

Implemented a near-real-time replication pipeline to synchronize data from Db2 11.5.0.6 to Snowflake, creating an Operational Data Store (ODS) to support real-time analytics and reporting.

Key Highlights:

FiveTran Integration: Configured FiveTran connectors for seamless extraction of Db2 data and loading into Snowflake with minimal latency.

Near-Real-Time ODS: Designed and deployed a high-performance ODS for operational reporting, ensuring up-to-date information for business intelligence tools.

Schema & Data Mapping: Handled schema mapping, transformation, and data type alignment between Db2 and Snowflake.

Performance Tuning: Optimized replication schedules, batch sizes, and connector parameters to achieve low-latency streaming of millions of rows daily.

Monitoring & Error Handling: Established proactive monitoring and alerting mechanisms to ensure replication reliability and quick error resolution.

Skills Used:
Db2 11.5 | Snowflake | FiveTran | ETL/ELT Pipelines | ODS Design | Schema Mapping | Real-Time Data Replication | Performance Tuning

20.FiveTran (HVR) Data Replication for Db2

 – 

Implemented a near-real-time replication pipeline to synchronize data from Db2 11.5.0.6 to Snowflake, creating an Operational Data Store (ODS) to support real-time analytics and reporting.

Key Highlights:

FiveTran Integration: Configured FiveTran connectors for seamless extraction of Db2 data and loading into Snowflake with minimal latency.

Near-Real-Time ODS: Designed and deployed a high-performance ODS for operational reporting, ensuring up-to-date information for business intelligence tools.

Schema & Data Mapping: Handled schema mapping, transformation, and data type alignment between Db2 and Snowflake.

Performance Tuning: Optimized replication schedules, batch sizes, and connector parameters to achieve low-latency streaming of millions of rows daily.

Monitoring & Error Handling: Established proactive monitoring and alerting mechanisms to ensure replication reliability and quick error resolution.

Skills Used:
Db2 11.5 | Snowflake | FiveTran | ETL/ELT Pipelines | ODS Design | Schema Mapping | Real-Time Data Replication | Performance Tuning

21.DB Discover – A Complete Monitoring Solutions for SQL Server

 – 

Developed a centralized platform to monitor database health and manage database portfolios, providing self-service access for application teams while significantly reducing the operational overhead for DBAs.

Key Highlights:

Application Team Benefits:

Enabled teams to directly access basic database information such as availability (online/offline), data/log file details, file sizes, job status (schedule and last run), and data space utilization.

Provided real-time visibility into current log file sizes and system metrics.

DBA Benefits:

Introduced a “one-stop shop” for daily health checks including connectivity, job status, and alert monitoring.

Centralized all database-related information, eliminating the need for repeated DBA queries for basic information.

Reduced manual intervention by automating health check reports and status dashboards.

Overall Business Impact:

Cut daily DBA monitoring time drastically, enabling focus on optimization and improvement projects.

Reduced dependency on DBA teams for routine information, allowing application teams 24/7 access to critical database data via a dedicated web interface.

Skills Used:
Database Monitoring | Automation | Web Portal Development | SQL & Job Scheduling | Health Check Automation | Portfolio Management | Operational Efficiency

22. IBM FTM Upgrade from FTM 3.0.6.10 to FTM 3.2.5 (Zelle)

 – 

Led a large-scale Db2 migration, performance tuning, and HA/DR automation project, ensuring minimal downtime, improved system efficiency, and streamlined replication processes across critical financial applications like FTM Zelle, PEP+, and ACH.

Key Highlights:

Db2 Migration: Successfully migrated a 8 TB Db2 database from Db2 10.1 (AIX) to Db2 11.1 (Linux) using Q Replication, ensuring zero data loss and minimal cutover downtime.

FTM Zelle Upgrade: Upgraded the FTM Zelle application from 3.0.6.10 to 3.2.5, meeting latest compliance and mandate requirements.

Performance Tuning: Optimized PEP+ and ACH processes and improved SQL performance, resulting in a 60% reduction in CPU utilization.

HA/DR Implementation: Designed and deployed HADR and TSA across multiple data centers, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery readiness.

Q Replication Setup: Configured Q Replication between a 4-node HADR FTM cluster and a 4-node HADR ODS, enabling near real-time data synchronization.

Automation: Automated Q Replication and MQ monitoring processes, as well as failover procedures for HADR and Q Replication across multi-node environments.

23. Db2 Q Replication Implementation

 – 

Architected and implemented a highly available enterprise replication solution for Db2 environments, selecting the optimal method (SQL Replication, Q Replication, or CDC) based on data volume, latency requirements, and transformation needs. Designed and deployed Q Replication with multi-instance IBM MQ, integrated with HADR, and automated end-to-end failover and monitoring.

Key Highlights:

Replication Method Analysis: Conducted detailed workload and data volume analysis to determine the best replication solution (SQL Replication vs Q Replication vs CDC).

Q Replication Architecture: Designed Q Capture and Q Apply components, with filtering, transformation, and conflict detection logic to meet business rules.

Multi-Instance IBM MQ Setup: Installed and configured IBM MQ v9.1 multi-instance Q Managers, ensuring fault tolerance and high availability.

Control Tables & Naming Standards: Created replication control tables and defined naming conventions for queues, Q managers, listeners, channels, subscriptions, and Q maps.

HADR Integration: Integrated Q Replication with HADR primary, principal standby, and auxiliary standby nodes across data centers, ensuring seamless data sync during failover events.

Automated Failover: Implemented automatic failover and failback of Q Capture, Q Apply, and MQ processes, orchestrated by HADR primary node state.

Monitoring Dashboard: Built a Q Replication monitoring dashboard and alerting scripts, integrated with Remedy and ServiceNow for proactive incident management.

Skills Used:
Db2 Q Replication | SQL Replication | IBM MQ v9.1 | CDC | HADR | Multi-Instance Q Manager | Monitoring & Alerting | ServiceNow/Remedy Integration | Replication Conflict Management

24.Db2 11.5 pureScale Implementation and Support

Jul 2020 – Nov 2020

Designed, implemented, and optimized a Db2 11.5 pureScale Linux cluster with 7 members and 2 Cluster Caching Facilities (CFs), achieving high availability, scalability, and optimized transaction throughput for mission-critical workloads.

Key Highlights:

Cluster Implementation: Deployed and configured a Db2 11.5 pureScale cluster (7 members and 2 CFs) with TSA and Spectrum Scale file system integration.

Verification & Issue Resolution: Completed extensive cluster verification tests and collaborated with IBM Toronto Lab to resolve identified issues.

Performance Tuning: Optimized system performance for a high-volume workload (30,000 TPS) by tuning Local Lock Manager (LLM), Global Lock Manager (GLM), and cluster-level locking mechanisms.

Explicit Hierarchical Locking (EHL): Implemented EHL to resolve data-sharing performance bottlenecks and improve concurrency.

Resource Estimation: Accurately estimated CF CPU and memory resources required for running multiple databases in a shared cluster.

Configuration Optimization: Tuned DBM parameters, database configs, and Db2 registry variables to match resource availability and workload requirements.

HADR Implementation: Configured HADR replication to synchronize data from the production cluster to a DR cluster (5 members and 2 CFs) for business continuity.

Monitoring Solutions: Developed and integrated monitoring solutions to track performance, cluster health, and failover events.

Skills Used:
Db2 11.5 pureScale | TSA | Spectrum Scale | LLM & GLM Optimization | Explicit Hierarchical Locking (EHL) | HADR | Performance Tuning | High Availability | Monitoring Solutions

25.Implementing SAP HANA XS Advanced and Smart Data Access (SDA)

 – 

Led the implementation of cutting-edge SAP HANA features to enhance the application development lifecycle, focusing on real-time data access, modernized workflows, and seamless integration with heterogeneous databases like Db2.

Key Highlights:

Installation & Configuration: Installed and configured SAP HANA XS Advanced (XSA) for enterprise-scale application development.

XSA Organizations & Spaces: Designed organizational structures and spaces to streamline development team workflows.

Development Tool Provisioning: Set up SAP Web IDE, SAP Explorer, and Advanced Cockpit to enable efficient full-stack application development.

Multi-Target Application Workflow: Implemented end-to-end development workflows for multi-target applications (MTA) using HDI containers.

Data Model Design & Deployment: Designed advanced data models and executed HDI-based deployment pipelines for consistent delivery.

Smart Data Access (SDA): Built SDA objects between SAP HANA and Db2 LUW, enabling real-time, federated data access across heterogeneous databases.

Skills Used:
SAP HANA XS Advanced | Web IDE | HDI Containers | Smart Data Access (SDA) | Db2 LUW Integration | Data Modeling | Multi-Target Applications | Advanced Cockpit

25.SAP HANA Migration from HANA 1.0 to 2.0

 – 

This project focused on evaluating the current application workload, sizing the new appliance for upcoming deployments, and migrating the database from SAP HANA 1.0 SPS 12 to HANA 2.0 SPS 3 with high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) configurations.

Key Responsibilities & Achievements:

SAP HANA Sizing: Performed capacity planning and sizing for ECC and BW workloads to ensure optimal performance in the N and N+1 landscape.

Appliance Selection: Evaluated and selected the most suitable appliance to meet performance and scalability requirements.

Installation: Deployed SAP HANA 2.0, creating databases for both ECC and BW environments.

HA & Clustering: Installed and configured SAP HANA System Replication (SR) and HAWK Cluster using SLES 12 with Pacemaker and Corosync.

HA/DR Implementation: Set up SYNCMEM and ASYNC replication modes for high availability and disaster recovery.

Failover Optimization: Tuned failover and failback times for minimal downtime during critical operations.

Active-Active Setup: Implemented Active-Active configurations and optimized read-only workload routing to the secondary node using a virtual IP instead of a HINT-based reroute mechanism (RESULT_LAG(‘hana_sr’)).

Deployment Planning: Built a comprehensive deployment and cutover strategy.

Minimal Downtime Migration: Executed application cutover from HANA 1.0 to HANA 2.0 with less than 10 minutes of outage, including ABAP application reconfiguration.

Security: Implemented SAP HANA encryption at rest and in-flight to enhance data security and compliance.

26.Operational Data Store (ODS) Migration

 – 

Led the migration of a 4.8 TB Operational Data Store (ODS) database from Db2 9.7 to Db2 10.5 Enterprise Edition, implementing a TSA-enabled HADR architecture on a new high-capacity server, while ensuring minimal downtime (<60 minutes).

Key Highlights:

Challenge: No replication technology toolkit was available to pre-replicate data, requiring a custom-built replication strategy to minimize cutover downtime.

Solution:

Developed home-grown replication scripts to perform full and delta data copies from the legacy Db2 9.7 server.

Designed a mechanism to identify and replay deleted data on the new Db2 10.5 environment.

Result: Successfully migrated 4.8 TB of data within the 60-minute downtime window, ensuring full data integrity and operational continuity.

HADR Implementation: Configured and verified TSA-enabled HADR for disaster recovery and high availability post-migration.

Project Members:
Robert Kent Collins, Charles Ulary, Angela Jones, Janel Randall, Mohankumar Saraswatipura

Skills Used:
Db2 9.7 & 10.5 | TSA & HADR | Large Data Migration | Custom Replication Scripting | Performance Optimization | Minimal Downtime Strategies | Data Integrity Validation

27.PostgreSQL and Pgpool Upgrade

 – 

Designed and implemented multi-database solutions leveraging PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Pgpool load balancing, while migrating legacy Db2 workloads to PostgreSQL for the Digital Safe Application, and deploying monitoring solutions for operational efficiency.

Key Highlights:

PostgreSQL Implementation: Deployed and configured PostgreSQL 11.1 and 12.6 environments for enterprise applications with optimized performance and scalability.

Pgpool Load Balancer: Implemented Pgpool 4.1 in an active-active configuration to balance workloads between primary and secondary PostgreSQL servers.

Db2 to PostgreSQL Migration: Migrated Db2 databases to PostgreSQL for the Digital Safe Application, ensuring data integrity and minimal downtime.

MySQL Primary-Replica Setup: Configured MySQL database clusters with primary-replica architecture for Non-SMTP applications to support high availability.

Monitoring Solutions: Implemented comprehensive monitoring solutions for PostgreSQL and MySQL to proactively manage performance and system health.

Skills Used:
PostgreSQL 11.1 & 12.6 | Pgpool 4.1 | Db2-to-PostgreSQL Migration | MySQL Primary-Replica Setup | Load Balancing | Monitoring & Performance Tuning

27.PostgreSQL and Pgpool Upgrade

 – 

Designed and implemented multi-database solutions leveraging PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Pgpool load balancing, while migrating legacy Db2 workloads to PostgreSQL for the Digital Safe Application, and deploying monitoring solutions for operational efficiency.

Key Highlights:

PostgreSQL Implementation: Deployed and configured PostgreSQL 11.1 and 12.6 environments for enterprise applications with optimized performance and scalability.

Pgpool Load Balancer: Implemented Pgpool 4.1 in an active-active configuration to balance workloads between primary and secondary PostgreSQL servers.

Db2 to PostgreSQL Migration: Migrated Db2 databases to PostgreSQL for the Digital Safe Application, ensuring data integrity and minimal downtime.

MySQL Primary-Replica Setup: Configured MySQL database clusters with primary-replica architecture for Non-SMTP applications to support high availability.

Monitoring Solutions: Implemented comprehensive monitoring solutions for PostgreSQL and MySQL to proactively manage performance and system health.

Skills Used:
PostgreSQL 11.1 & 12.6 | Pgpool 4.1 | Db2-to-PostgreSQL Migration | MySQL Primary-Replica Setup | Load Balancing | Monitoring & Performance Tuning

28.SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Cluster Migration

 – 

Led the migration of 322 databases from a legacy SQL Server 2005 cluster to a SQL Server 2012 cluster, ensuring application compatibility, high availability, and performance optimization while delivering significant cost savings.

Key Highlights:

Migration Planning & Analysis: Collaborated with the project manager (Mark Cashen) to create a detailed migration plan, leveraging DMVs to identify unused databases and ensuring application compatibility with SQL Server 2012.

Compatibility & Pre-Testing: Performed application compatibility checks in a test environment using SQL Server Migration Assistant v5.3 and SQL Server Upgrade Advisor, recommending required application code changes.

Cluster & Listener Design: Designed the multi-subnet (multi-site) cluster, with proper configuration of RegisterAllProvidersIP and HostRecordTTL to optimize listener connections.

HA/DR Setup: Configured Availability Groups and Listeners, resolving connection timeout issues by using MultiSubnetFailover parameters and DNS optimization techniques.

Performance Optimization: Implemented SQL Server 2012 data and index compression, improving performance and reducing storage requirements.

End-to-End Migration: Migrated all 322 databases successfully, liaising with application teams for connection string updates, testing, and issue resolution.

HA/DR Testing: Conducted high availability and disaster recovery tests to validate the robustness of the new cluster.

Cost Savings: Delivered the project on time and within budget, saving approximately £100K by efficiently utilizing available resources.

Skills Used:
SQL Server 2005 & 2012 | Cluster Design | Multi-Subnet Failover | SQL Server Migration Assistant | Upgrade Advisor | Availability Groups | Data & Index Compression | HA/DR Testing | DMV Scripting

29.SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Cluster Migration

 – 

Led the migration of 322 databases from a legacy SQL Server 2005 cluster to a SQL Server 2012 cluster, ensuring application compatibility, high availability, and performance optimization while delivering significant cost savings.

Key Highlights:

Migration Planning & Analysis: Collaborated with the project manager (Mark Cashen) to create a detailed migration plan, leveraging DMVs to identify unused databases and ensuring application compatibility with SQL Server 2012.

Compatibility & Pre-Testing: Performed application compatibility checks in a test environment using SQL Server Migration Assistant v5.3 and SQL Server Upgrade Advisor, recommending required application code changes.

Cluster & Listener Design: Designed the multi-subnet (multi-site) cluster, with proper configuration of RegisterAllProvidersIP and HostRecordTTL to optimize listener connections.

HA/DR Setup: Configured Availability Groups and Listeners, resolving connection timeout issues by using MultiSubnetFailover parameters and DNS optimization techniques.

Performance Optimization: Implemented SQL Server 2012 data and index compression, improving performance and reducing storage requirements.

End-to-End Migration: Migrated all 322 databases successfully, liaising with application teams for connection string updates, testing, and issue resolution.

HA/DR Testing: Conducted high availability and disaster recovery tests to validate the robustness of the new cluster.

Cost Savings: Delivered the project on time and within budget, saving approximately £100K by efficiently utilizing available resources.

Skills Used:
SQL Server 2005 & 2012 | Cluster Design | Multi-Subnet Failover | SQL Server Migration Assistant | Upgrade Advisor | Availability Groups | Data & Index Compression | HA/DR Testing | DMV Scripting

30.EDW Disaster Recovery Implementation and Test

 – 

Delivered a cost-effective DR solution for a complex Db2 9.7 FP7 DPF environment with 65 logical partitions on the primary system and 33 logical partitions on the DR site. Ensured minimal ETL downtime, rapid recovery (RTO/RPO), and full DR readiness while maintaining production performance baselines.

Key Highlights:

DR Design: Developed strategies to map 65 database partitions to 33 partitions on SLES, optimizing cost while maintaining performance.

Enterprise Stage & ETL Continuity: Designed the DR invocation process with minimal ETL downtime, ensuring smooth failover.

Cognos Reporting: Configured Cognos 10.1 reporting to run seamlessly on the DR environment.

Automation via Shell Scripts: Created shell scripts to handle APT configuration mapping in IBM Information Server for DR readiness.

Database Recovery: Completed all partition restores in 2 parallel threads within 3 hours, followed by roll-forward recovery of 650+ transaction logs to bring the DR system online.

Performance Baseline: Established and published performance baselines for the DR environment, managing stakeholder expectations.

RTO & RPO Achievement: Achieved best-in-class RTO and RPO metrics for this multi-partition Db2 environment.

Skills Used:
Db2 9.7 FP7 DPF | Disaster Recovery (DR) | SLES | Cognos 10.1 | IBM Information Server | ETL Continuity | Roll-Forward Recovery | Shell Scripting | Performance Benchmarking

31.Rapid Incident Miner (RIM) – An easy way to get to hold of a recurring problem

 – 

Implemented RIM (Primary Prevention Focus Areas) to streamline incident management by categorizing tickets automatically into key focus areas, improving resolution speed, resource allocation, and operational efficiency across multiple business verticals.

Key Highlights:

Pain Point Identification: Analyzed incident trends across verticals to identify areas generating the highest ticket volumes.

Automated Categorization: Developed a ticket categorization framework to automatically map incidents to their Primary Prevention Focus Areas (PPFA).

Enhanced Speed & Analysis: Enabled faster incident resolution and post-incident analysis by providing clear visibility into recurring issues.

Training & Knowledge Transfer: Created structured focus area documentation, simplifying onboarding and training for new support resources.

Resource Planning: Leveraged PPFA data to forecast workload trends and optimize support resource allocation.

Overall Business Benefits:

Improved Efficiency: Reduced time-to-resolution for critical tickets, minimizing business impact.

Proactive Problem Management: Enabled root cause identification and prevention strategies for recurring issues.

Optimized Resource Planning: Improved staffing and training based on focus area trends, enhancing team readiness.

Skills Used:
Incident Management | Ticket Categorization | Data Analysis | Automation | Resource Planning | Root Cause Analysis | Knowledge Management

32.DB Doctor – An Innovative Way of Solving Space Issues

 – 

Developed a visual analytics tool to track and analyze database file growth patterns across SQL Servers, helping identify peak growth hours and proactively prevent job failures and disk space issues.

Key Highlights:

Growth Pattern Monitoring: Implemented real-time visualization of database file growth, enabling teams to detect abnormal growth trends.

Peak Hour Analysis: Identified peak growth periods to correlate with job failures or heavy workloads, improving root cause analysis.

Proactive Space Management: Enabled teams to take preventive actions on disk usage, avoiding space-related incidents.

Ticket Reduction: Significantly reduced the number of disk space-related tickets over time by automating early detection.

Business Benefits:

Improved system uptime and job success rates by proactively resolving space constraints.

Reduced manual monitoring efforts and ticket volume related to storage issues.

Enabled better planning for capacity and maintenance windows.

Skills Used:
SQL Server | Database Monitoring | Data Visualization | Root Cause Analysis | Disk Space Optimization | Proactive Monitoring