New insert time clustering tables

Insert time clustering (ITC) tables provide an effective way of maintaining data clustering and easier management of space utilization.

ITC tables have similar characteristics to MDC tables. For example, these table types use block based allocation and block indexes. ITC and MDC tables differ in how data is clustered. ITC tables cluster data by using a virtual column which clusters rows, that are inserted at a similar time, together. Clustering dimensions on MDC tables are specified by the creator.

ITC tables are created with the CREATE TABLE command by specifying the ORGANIZE BY INSERT TIME clause.

A convenient, online way to convert existing tables to ITC tables is the ADMIN_MOVE_TABLE procedure. Another method to convert existing tables to ITC tables is export/import or a load from table. Existing tables cannot be altered to become ITC tables.