Database Column contributor: Don Haderle

Mr. Haderle, also known as "The Father of DB2", joined IBM in 1968 as a software developer and retired in 2005 as the software executive operating as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Information Management segment which constitutes a $3-4B portfolio of products covering Database Management and Content Management.

Mr. Haderle is most well known as the founding architect for DB2 in the 1970s, which is IBM's premier relational database management system. Mr. Haderle led and drove the architecture, design, and technical development for DB2 from the 1970s until the early 1990s. He was appointed IBM Fellow in 1989, which is IBM's top position for technologists.

In 1991, Mr. Haderle was appointed Director and then Vice President, holding the position of CTO for the Information Management segment, responsible for establishing the technology strategy and creation (prototypes, acquisitions). During this period Mr. Haderle led technology for databases on open systems, a federated information infrastructure, content management, spatial systems, and other advances in the IBM portfolio.

In 2000 Mr. Haderle was appointed ACM Fellow in recognition of his impact on database technology. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Board of ANTs software, the CIO Advisory Board of newScale, and the Industry Advisory Board of Interlace Systems. He is also an advisor for Vertica Systems.

Mr. Haderle is a graduate of UC Berkeley, with a BA in Economics 1967. Don and his wife Gail were wed in 1966 and have one child and 2 grandchildren. He is an avid golfer, hiker, backpacker, skier, and fisherman. He and his wife are active dancers and travelers.