IIDR CDC : Remote Db2 z source, microseconds precision to DM_TIMESTAMP

IIDRCDC for Remote Db2 Source is relatively new IBM product that replicates data from Db2 z/os but some part of CDC engine can be remote from z/OS. In this particular scenario, source is Db2 z/OS using remote Db2 IIDR and target is flat file using IIDR CDC Datastage product.

IIDRCDC generates source commit timestamp from Db2 logs in the IIDR metadata variable "DM_TIMESTAMP" . IIDRCDC usually gets it from Db2 logs. Currently IIDRCDC for Remote Db2 z Source can get this timestamp only up to millisecond precisions instead of microsecond precision. Below is example of both values.

IIDRCDC remote Db2 z source : current Support.

milliseconds precision for DM_TIMESTAMP => 2020-08-31 10:10:42.466

Traditionally IIDRCDC for DB2 z Source (non-remote engine) provides six digit precision for this like below.

microsecond precision for DM_TIMESTAMP=> 2020-08-31 10:10:42.466137

This request is to provide same level of microsecond precision for Db2 remote z Sources.

Per IBM support, this is due to CDC for Db2 Remote z Engine is written in Java and there is a Java engine limitation for JCF &TIMSTAMP up-to millisecond only. This functionality is supported for CDC z source (non-remote), where Engine is written in C programming language.

This is very useful timestamp to identify CDC patterns and exact transactions order in the source database and very useful in fraud detections and analytics. If source database has more than one DML transactions within few microseconds apart, IIDRCDC output would not able to differentiate it. As Most of OLTP or batch workload in the source databases are usually fractions of microseconds, this is very crucial functionality for IIDRCDC to have.