Glossary

Db2 for i

The relational database management system built into every IBM i operating system, tightly integrated with IBM i rather than a separately installed database product.

What it isIBM i's built-in relational database
Installed separatelyNo, it ships inside the operating system
Job in an AI planThe production data source
Runs the modelNot by itself

What Db2 for i is

Db2 for i is the database that comes with IBM i. You do not install it. You do not license it on the side. It is part of the operating system, the way a kitchen is part of a house rather than a shed you build later.

What Db2 for i means for an AI plan

In a Power AI plan, Db2 for i is usually the production data source. That is a different job from running the model. Holding the data does not prove the model runs in the IBM i partition. Most supported inference runtimes sit in a Linux partition or an outside service and reach into Db2 for i for the data.

Four things to measure between Db2 for i and the model

The boundary to measure before a pilot

  1. Secure connectionHow the runtime reaches Db2 for i and who can see what.
  2. Data-transfer volumeHow much data crosses that line and how often.
  3. LatencyHow long a round trip takes when the model needs an answer.
  4. Recovery boundaryWhat happens to the AI runtime when the IBM i partition fails over or restores.

The database being on the box is not the same as the AI being on the box. Plan the connection as its own piece of work.

Related Terms

IBM i

IBM's operating system for Power servers running traditional AS/400-lineage business applications, with Db2 for i built directly into the OS.

AS/400

IBM's original 1988 midrange business computer platform; the term is still used informally to refer to IBM i systems and shops even though IBM has rebranded the hardware and OS multiple times since.
Back to Glossary