/ 
DBD-DB2-1.93
/ README.md

perl_DBD-DB2

CPAN Version Perl Version License GitHub Build Status

Perl database interface for IBM DB2 for z/OS, DB2 for Linux/Unix/Windows (LUW), and DB2 for i (AS/400).

DBD::DB2 enables Perl applications to connect to, query, and interact with IBM DB2 databases. This repository provides both source code and pre-compiled Windows binaries (DLLs for ActivePerl and Strawberry Perl) to simplify installation and avoid compilation issues with the DB2 CLI Driver.

Quick Start

Windows Users (Easiest): Use pre-compiled binaries from the Windows_Binary folder
CPAN Users: Run cpanm install DBD::DB2
Developers: Build from source (see Installation section)

Prerequisite

Perl version 5.8 or later (tested up to 5.40) Confirm by typing in command prompt:

perl -v

DBI Module version 1.21 or later (Perl Database Interface) Install with:

cpanm install DBI

IBM DB2 Application Development Client version 7.2 or later

Installation

Windows - Using Pre-Compiled Binaries (Recommended for Beginners)

Pre-compiled DBD::DB2 DLLs are provided in the Windows_Binary folder to avoid compilation issues with the CLI Driver.

Steps:

  1. Locate your Perl installation:

    perl -v

  2. Download the appropriate binary from Windows_Binary folder:

    • Choose folder matching your Perl distribution (ActivePerl or Strawberry Perl)
    • Select version matching your Perl version

  3. Copy files to Perl library directory:

    copy DB2.dll "C:\Perl\site\lib\auto\DBD\DB2\"
copy DB2.pm  "C:\Perl\site\lib\DBD\"

    (Adjust path based on your Perl installation)

  4. Verify installation:

    perl -e "use DBD::DB2; print qq{Success\n};"

Windows - Building from Source

Prerequisites: MSVC or MinGW C++ Compiler must be installed

  1. Navigate to the repository directory:

    cd path\to\perl_DBD-DB2

  2. Run build commands:

    perl Makefile.PL
nmake
nmake test
nmake install

Linux/Unix

  1. Set environment variables:

    export DB2_HOME=<path-to-DB2-CLI-driver>/clidriver
export PERL5LIB=~/lib/perl5:$DB2_HOME/perl:$HOME/DBD-DB2-<version>/tests:$HOME/DBD-DB2-<version>/Constants

  2. Build and install:

    perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

For Non-Root Installation (Recommended):

perl Makefile.PL PREFIX=~/lib/perl5
make
make test
make install

AIX

Prerequisites: Perl 5.8+, DB2 CLI v10.5+, xlccmp 13.1.3+

  1. Extract required files to /tmp/perl:

    mkdir -p /tmp/perl
cd /tmp/perl
# Extract: v10.5fp11_aix64_odbc_cli_32.tar, DBI-1.643.tar, DBD-DB2-<version>.tar

  2. Install DBI module:

    cd DBI-1.643
perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

  3. Install DBD::DB2:

    cd ../DBD-DB2-<version>
export DB2_HOME=/tmp/perl/odbc_cli_32/clidriver
export PERL5LIB=/usr/opt/perl5/lib/site_perl/5.28.1/aix-thread-multi:$DB2_HOME/perl:$(pwd)/tests:$(pwd)/Constants

perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

Testing Your Installation

Set DB2_USER and DB2_PASSWD as environment variables. Configuration can also be provided in tests/connection.pl.

With Connection Configuration:

  1. Edit tests/connection.pl:

    $USERID="your_db2_username";
$PASSWORD="your_db2_password";
$PORT=50000;
$HOSTNAME="your_db_server";
$DATABASE="your_database_name";
$PROTOCOL="TCPIP";

  2. Run test suite:

    perl run-tests.pl

Quick Manual Test:

Create test_db2.pl:

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use DBI;

my $dbh = DBI->connect('dbi:DB2:database=SAMPLE', 'userid', 'password')
    or die "Connection failed: $DBI::errstr";

print "Connected successfully!\n";

my $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT * FROM SYSCAT.TABLES FETCH FIRST 5 ROWS ONLY");
$sth->execute() or die "Query failed: $DBI::errstr";

while (my $row = $sth->fetchrow_hashref()) {
    print "Table: ", $row->{TABNAME}, "\n";
}

$sth->finish();
$dbh->disconnect();

Run with:

perl test_db2.pl

Troubleshooting

| Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | "Can't find module DBD::DB2" | Ensure DBI is installed first: cpanm install DBI | | "DB2_HOME not set" | Set environment variable pointing to DB2 CLI driver installation | | Compilation errors with sqlext.h | Use pre-compiled Windows binaries instead of building from source | | Permission denied during install | Run with sudo or use PREFIX=~/lib/perl5 for user-level installation | | Test connection fails | Verify credentials in tests/connection.pl and ensure DB2 server is running |

For More Information:

Support & Resources

IBM Support

Community - DBI Mailing Lists

| List | Purpose | |------|---------| | dbi-announce@perl.org | Announcements | | dbi-dev@perl.org | Developer discussions | | dbi-users@perl.org | User help & questions |

Subscribe: Send email to <listname>-subscribe@perl.org or visit lists.perl.org

GitHub Repository

Documentation

| File | Content | |------|---------| | CAVEATS | Important platform-specific information and workarounds | | DB2.pod | Example Perl scripts for using DBD::DB2 |

License

DBD::DB2 is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Third-party components retain their respective licenses, and Db2 client libraries are subject to their own license terms.

Last Updated: February 2026

For latest information, visit: GitHub Repository