IBM Db2 data for Power BI through Azure
Connect IBM DB2 data
IBM Db2 almost always runs on-premises or behind a firewall. Yres therefore reads the database through a self-hosted integration runtime: a machine in your own network that can reach the Db2 server. You provide the host, port (50000 by default, or 50001 for SSL), database name and an account with read access. Yres reads the table structure, you pick the tables, and Azure Data Factory loads them into an Azure SQL database in your own tenant. Yres builds the history there and Power BI connects to it, not to Db2.
At a glance
- Connection
- Direct connection with user name and password: host, database name, port
- Default port
- 50000, or 50001 for an SSL connection
- Integration runtime
- Self-hosted is required. The cloud runtime only works when the Db2 server is publicly reachable, which is rarely the case
- Network requirement
- The machine running the self-hosted integration runtime must be able to reach the Db2 host and port (open the firewall or VPN)
- Incremental loading
- Yes, on one or two change columns of the same data type; the highest counts
- Load types
- FULL, DELTA, DELTAIMAGE, IMAGE, OVERWRITE, RELOAD and ADDITIONAL
- Credentials
- Stored as a single secret in the Azure Key Vault of your own environment; the Yres web app does not keep them
What you arrange yourself
- 1Set up a working self-hosted integration runtime on a machine in the network where Db2 lives.
- 2Open the route from that machine to the Db2 host and port in the firewall or VPN.
- 3Ask your database administrator for the host, port and database name, and for a service account with read-only access.
- 4Add the DB2 source in Yres, select the self-hosted integration runtime and enter the connection details.
When you need this — and when you don't
A standalone connector is enough if…
If the system on Db2 produces the overviews you need by itself and the data does not have to be combined with anything, an extra data warehouse is not needed.
Yres adds value if…
Yres earns its place when a core system on Db2 has been the source of truth for years and that data now has to reach Power BI, next to newer cloud sources. The data warehouse in Azure takes over the reporting queries, so the Db2 system is only read on schedule.
Frequently asked questions: DB2
Why do I need a self-hosted integration runtime for Db2?
Because Db2 almost always sits in a shielded network. The Azure Data Factory cloud runtime cannot reach such a server. A self-hosted integration runtime runs on a machine in your own network and connects to Db2 from there.
Which port does the Db2 connection use?
The port your Db2 database listens on. The default is 50000; for SSL, 50001 is the usual one. You enter the number yourself when creating the source.
What does network management have to arrange for the Db2 connection?
Network access from the machine running the self-hosted integration runtime to the Db2 host and port. In practice that is a firewall rule or a VPN route. In addition, a service account with read-only access to the database is needed.
Can I reload a Db2 table in full as a one-off?
Yes. The load type is fixed per table, but you can override it for a single run. Mind the difference: RELOAD closes the existing rows and keeps them as history, OVERWRITE empties the history table.
Full technical description in the knowledge base →·Last reviewed:
Data warehouse automation that runs in your own Azure
Built for organisations on Azure and Power BI. Yres connects your sources, keeps the history and promotes changes in a controlled way, without manual work.