Given the heavy dynamic SQL requirements that many applications generate, it is imperative to be able to Explain a problematic SQL statement quickly and navigate to the Db2 PLAN_TABLE information.
Explain provides you with the ability to:
View the most important information (such as access path data) quickly
Display only the Explain data that you are interested in at a given time
Compare access paths from different types of Explains
Show the number of indexes in order by index access
Highlight the indexes that are used in an Explain operation
Highlight the key columns that are matched in an Explain operation
Show the tables in the order that they were accessed
Identify mismatches in data type or length during Explain processing
Toggle between various levels of detail and related information while still displaying this data on a single panel
Exclude information that you do not need by customizing the report layout for the Explain results
Compare the current plan and all saved plans for the Explain package statement.