DB2 Version 9.7 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows

Migrating from XML Extender to pureXML

Migrate your database applications that use XML Extender to use the pureXML® feature so that they can run in DB2® Version 9.7. XML Extender is discontinued in DB2 Version 9.7.

DB2 Version 9.7 supports native XML data storage. This support includes a new XML type, XQuery, XML indexes, and a series of SQL/XML functions.

Before you begin

A pre-Version 9.7 DB2 server where XML Extender is installed.

Procedure

To migrate your applications from the XML Extender to the new native XML storage support:

Upgrade your DB2 server where XML Extender is installed to DB2 Version 9.7.
Optional: Convert your databases to Unicode databases. Although XML type support is provided for non-Unicode databases in DB2 Version 9.7, using a Unicode database eliminates the overhead of character conversion from the database code page to the Unicode code page and preserves the data integrity because there is no character conversion.
Add XML type columns to your tables. Use the ALTER TABLE statement:
```
   db2 ALTER TABLE table_name
      ADD column_name XML [NOT NULL] 
```
You only need to perform this step if you stored entire XML documents in its native format in a column of data type CLOB, VARCHAR, XMLCLOB, XMLVARCHAR, or XMLFILE.
Register your XML schemas in the XML Schema repository (XSR).
Import XML documents into the table with the new XML data type column.
Convert your application to use annotated XML schema decomposition to store content from XML documents in table columns, and the new SQL/XML functions to construct or publish XML using the new XML data type.

What to do next

Details on all these migration steps and examples of application migration are available in the XML application migration series at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/views/db2/libraryview.jsp?search_by=viper+migration+series.