One of the frequent questions during bootcamps is about what tools are available for performing tests, especially driving workloads against a DB2 database. In an older article I pointed you to the Workload Multiuser Driver (WMD) and to the TPoX-included workload driver, both free, open source, and from IBM-initiated projects. Today, I wanted to point you to a tool that is a spin-off of InfoSphere Guardium, the so-called InfoSphere Optim Query Capture and Replay (OQCR).
What the tool does is simple to describe. It captures (or logs) the workload or traffic to one database and is then able to replay it to a different system, i.e., to send the queries it grabbed to a database. That way it is possible to test out systems under realistic "stress" before putting them into production. Optim Query Capture and Replay is able to manage workloads. With that statements or transactions can be removed from a workload or they can be copied into others. Users and schemas can be mapped, the speed of how quickly workloads or queries are replayed can be changed and much more.
The best way to learn more about Optim Query Capture and Replay is to either start with the OQCR Information Center or by glimpsing over the documents available at the so-called information roadmap. The tool can also be used together with the Optim Test Data Management solution which allows cloning of production databases for tests, including applying or handling data privacy rules (masking data).