02
Sat, Nov
2 New Articles
  1. You are here:  
  2. Home
  3. Programming
  4. Programming - Other
  5. Development Tools
  6. TechTip: Cleaning Up WebSphere Commerce Databases

TechTip: Cleaning Up WebSphere Commerce Databases

Development Tools
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

In the IBM Rochester lab, the Business Solutions Test (BST) team has implemented IBM's WebSphere Commerce in several of its customer-like scenarios. While doing so, the BST team discovered the importance of the Clean WCS Database (CLNWCSDB) command. Here, I'll explain how to use the command for both WebSphere Commerce Suite Version 5.1 (WCS V5.1) and WebSphere Commerce Version V5.4.

Cleaning up unnecessary data in a WebSphere Commerce site can improve performance, decrease the amount of storage needed to host the WebSphere Commerce site, and decrease the amount of time required to do future upgrades and migrations. A number of different tables can be cleaned up, and this cleanup can be done on an individual basis, depending on the needs of the site. If rows need to be deleted from a WebSphere Commerce database, it is important to use the CLNWCSDB command in order to properly handle constraints.

CLNWCSDB works in conjunction with the WebSphere Commerce CLEANCONF table, and this table should be referenced when using the command to ensure proper results. Each entry in the CLEANCONF table refers to a specific table in the WebSphere Commerce database and the criteria in which to clean up that table.

CLNWCSDB has slightly different parameter names between WCS V5.1 and WebSphere Commerce V5.4:

  • DATABASE: The name of the relational database on which the WCS V5.1 data exists (commonly the iSeries system name)
  • COLLNAME (WCS V5.1) or SCHEMA (WebSphere Commerce V5.4): The name of the schema (which is normally the same name as the instance name)
  • PASSWD: The password to the schema
  • DBTABLE (WCS V5.1) or OBJECT (WebSphere Commerce V5.4): The name of the table to clean up. The name must be in single quotes and should be typed in the same case as the column TABNAME in the CLEANCONF table (typically lowercase).
  • TYPE: The type of object that needs to be deleted. Object types can be found in the CLEANCONF table under the column TYPE. The name must be in single quotes and should be typed in the same case as the column TYPE in the CLEANCONF table (typically lowercase).
  • STATUS: The order status of the record that needs to be deleted, in single quotes. The STATUS parameter is only valid if DBTABLE = orders.
  • LOGLEVEL: The level of logging that takes place during the deletion process. A 0 indicates no logging. Level 1 records delete statements for the specified table. Level 2 records delete statements for the specified table and any child tables as well.
  • NAME: The name of the organization to be deleted, in single quotes. A value for NAME is required if MEMBER was indicated for the DBTABLE/OBJECT keyword and ORGANIZATION was indicated for the TYPE keyword.
  • FORCE: The deletion force option. *YES indicates child tables to be cleaned first; *NO allows constraints to cascade delete from child tables.
  • CHECKONLY: The check only option. *YES will check child tables and delete restricts only. *NO will perform the cleanup.
  • DAYS: The minimum age (in days) of the database entry to be deleted. The DAYS parameter is valid only if the DAYSARG column in the CLEANCONF table is set to yes.
  • LOG: The default location for the log file is /QIBM/UserData/CommerceSuite5/instances/DBCLEAN_
    instance_name_YYYY.MM.DD_HH.MM.SS.ZZZ.LOG,     where instance_name is the name of the WCS instance. If the log produced should have a different name and location, you can specify it here.


For example, to clean up all obsolete addresses over six months (180 days) old, run CLNWCSDB with these parameters:

For WCS V5.1: CLNWCSDB DATABASE(relational database name) COLLNAME(schema name) PASSWD(schema password) DBTABLE('address') TYPE('obsolete') DAYS(180)

For WebSphere Commerce V5.4: CLNWCSDB DATABASE(relational database name) SCHEMA(schema name) PASSWD(schema password) OBJECT('address') TYPE('obsolete') DAYS(180)

The CLEANCONF table contains information necessary to run the CLNWCSDB command. Each row in the CLEANCONF table contains the following information:

  • TABNAME (WCS V5.1) or OBJECTNAME (WebSphere Commerce V5.4): The name of the table where entries should be deleted
  • TYPE: The identifier of the type of entry to delete
  • CONDITION (WCS V5.1) or STATEMENT (WebSphere Commerce V5.4): The condition under which all qualifying entries will be deleted
  • NAMEARG: Yes indicates a name parameter in CONDITION, and no indicates no such parameter.
  • DAYSARG: Yes indicates a days parameter in CONDITION, and no indicates no such parameter.
  • SEQUENCE (WebSphere Commerce V5.4 only): Sequence number if more than one SQL statement is required to clean the WebSphere Commerce object.


The CLEANCONF table comes with many default entries for database cleanup. However, you can create your own entries in the CLEANCONF table to define new criteria for data to clean up. To define new types of data, enter rows in the CLEANCONF table that follow the previous guidelines.

These examples illustrate how you can create entries in the CLEANCONF table to specify data to delete. These two examples clean up pending orders and payment initiated orders, respectively.

Example 1: Delete pending orders that have not been updated within a specified time period
TABNAME (WCS V5.1) or OBJECTNAME (WebSphere Commerce V5.4) = orders
TYPE = pending_order
CONDITION (WCS V5.1) or STATEMENT (WebSphere Commerce V5.4) = where status = 'P' and (days(CURRENT TIMESTAMP) - days(lastupdate)) >= ?
NAMEARG = no
DAYSARG = yes
STATEMENT = null

Example 2: Delete all orders where payment has been initiated and authorization is pending
TABNAME (WCS V5.1) or OBJECTNAME (WebSphere Commerce V5.4) = orders
TYPE = payment_init
CONDITION (In WCS V5.1) or STATEMENT (In WebSphere Commerce V5.4) = where status = 'M'
NAMEARG = no
DAYSARG = no
STATEMENT = null

In the first example, the column STATUS in the ORDERS table is used to specify the criteria to delete entries. Also, the second clause of the condition, (days(CURRENT TIMESTAMP) - days(lastupdate)) >= ?, indicates that the age of the entry in days needs to be specified to delete the entry. Because of this, the DAYSARG is set to yes so a number of days can be specified in the CLNWCSDB command.

In the second example, again the column STATUS in the ORDERS table is used to specify the condition to delete entries. If compared to example 1, notice the days part of the condition is removed, and DAYSARG is set to no. This indicates that all entries in the orders tables where STATUS = 'M' will be removed, and the days parameter is not used in the CLNWCSDB command.

This is how to use CLNWCSDB with these two examples:

Example 1
WCS V5.1: CLNWCSDB DATABASE(relational database name) COLLNAME(schema name) PASSWD(schema password) DBTABLE('orders') TYPE('pending_order') DAYS(30)

WebSphere Commerce V5.4: CLNWCSDB DATABASE(relational database name) SCHEMA(schema name) PASSWD(schema password) OBJECT('orders') TYPE('pending_order') DAYS(30)

Example 2
WCS V5.1: CLNWCSDB DATABASE(relational database name) COLLNAME(schema name) PASSWD(schema password) DBTABLE('orders') TYPE('payment_init')

WebSphere Commerce V5.4: CLNWCSDB DATABASE(relational database name) SCHEMA(schema name) PASSWD(schema password) OBJECT('orders') TYPE('payment_init')

Michelle Meyer is a Software Engineer on the Business Solution Test team located at the Rochester, Minnesota, laboratory. She has almost two years of experience in the software testing field. Her areas of expertise include WebSphere Commerce, WebSphere MQ, and WebSphere Application Server. She can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Michelle Schlicht is a Staff Software Engineer on the System i SW Final System Test team located at the Rochester, Minnesota, laboratory. She has been in the software testing field since 2001. Her areas of expertise include WebSphere Application Server, DB2, Journaling, and Secure Perspective. Michelle has a bachelors degree in Computer Science from Luther College.  She can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: