This tutorial explores the DB2 data server Row Compression feature and the automatic compression enhancement introduced in version 9.5. Index compression feature added in DB2 version 9.7 is also demonstrated in this tutorial.
Row compression can be enabled when a table is created. The data server automatically samples new data and automatically creates a compression dictionary. When enough new data has been sampled (typically 1 - 2 MB), a compression dictionary is created. Any new incoming data is compressed automatically. You don't have to run REORG or INSPECT to explicitly create the compression dictionary.
In this tutorial, you will complete the following steps to highlight the differences between manual and automatic compression: