When using conventional methods like UNLOAD/LOAD or DSN1COPY to copy DB2 data you have the restriction to stop your source environment otherwise you will dare inconsistent data in your target environment which is not acceptable in most situations. Many shops must guarantee a continues availability of DB2 data and cannot afford to stop a production database.

This big problem can be solved by the cloning tool BCV6 for DB2 on z/OS. BCV6 is an additional component of the BCV5 product which allows you copy consistent data without stopping the source environment at all. All modifications that are made during the copy process of the data will be backed-out using the DB2 log by BCV6. As a result you get a consistent copy of your source database(s) that reflects the same state before the copy process began.