While databases may not be the sexiest segment of IT history, they are inarguably the backbone of modern information systems. With that in mind, we’re devoting our trivia challenge this week to the enduring data management technology that is Db2.
This massively influential database system emerged from the need for a DBMS that moved beyond the hierarchical structure of IBM’s IMS database. The new (and, at the time, controversial) relational model of database management that emerged in the 1970s eventually became so embedded in the way we think of databases that it’s hard to imagine a time when this idea was revolutionary.
However, it took ten years for the initial theory to become a reality as the first version of Db2, and the early years were fraught with the usual suspicion and nay-saying of any emerging technology.
Db2’s long history is well worth exploring, as it largely maps the development of big (and not-so-big) business IT needs across the decades. This trivia challenge will help you brush up on your knowledge of its early history. Enjoy!
Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her at sonjasoderlund.com or LinkedIn.