Improving INSERT performance

Many-a-times, we have requirements for a bulk load of data. DB2 provides different utilities for loading data, such as import, load, and so on. Each of these utilities have their own advantages and disadvantages. Import is preferred for a low volume of data, whereas load is commonly used for a high volume of data. But, load makes the database non-recoverable, as it does not log anything. Because of this, many application designs do not prefer load, and hence the only option available is to use import or regular inserts. In such cases, we can use some techniques to improve INSERT performance. This recipe will focus on these techniques.

Getting Ready

Before we discuss the INSERT performance, we should know the basics of DB2 storage. The lowest storage unit in DB2 is a page. A page is a block of physical memory located in a tablespace container. A table can have data in multiple pages, but one page can have rows from only one table. As and when the data comes...