watsonx.data
The open, hybrid data-lakehouse component of IBM's watsonx platform, generally available since July 2023, whose documented data sources include a native IBM Db2 for i connection for querying and cataloging IBM i data.
How watsonx.data works
It keeps compute, metadata and storage apart. That lets open query engines such as Presto and Spark work on shared data without copying it. It comes in several editions, including a self-contained Developer edition.
Connecting to Db2 for i
You set up the connection with five settings:
- Hostname
- Port
- Username
- Password
- An optional SSL toggle
Limits to know
- In the Data Manager screen, CREATE TABLE, DROP TABLE and DELETE are not available against a Db2 for i source.
- REAL column values can look rounded, because of how binary floating point stores them.
Why it stands out
It is the first watsonx product with a documented, direct Db2 for i connector. That is different from IBM Bob, which reaches Db2 for i through the IBM i MCP Server.
Related Terms
watsonx
IBM's platform for AI and data, spanning watsonx.ai (foundation models and generative AI), watsonx.data (data store), and watsonx.governance (AI governance), with watsonx Assistant and watsonx Orchestrate built on top.
watsonx.ai
The studio component of watsonx for building, tuning, and deploying foundation models and generative AI applications, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) against enterprise data.
Db2 for i
The relational database management system built into every IBM i operating system, tightly integrated with IBM i rather than a separately installed database product.
IBM i MCP Server
An open-source, IBM-published server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), letting AI agents and LLMs query Db2 for i data and take defined actions on IBM i using natural language. In beta since October 2025.