CREATE DATABASE SAMPLEDB;

This will create a new database called sampledb.

CONNECT TO SAMPLEDB;

From the command line (db2clp, terminal, db2cmd) you can write:

db2 CONNECT TO SAMPLEDB

The following statement will create a new table called employee:

CREATE TABLE EMPLOYEE (
       EMPNO      CHAR(6)        NOT NULL,
       FIRSTNME   VARCHAR(12)    NOT NULL,
       LASTNAME   VARCHAR(15)    NOT NULL,
       SALARY     DECIMAL(9,2)           ,
       PRIMARY KEY (EMPNO)      
       )

This will create a new table called employee. The table will have a primary key on EMPNO column. The first three columns cannot have a null value and they are text. The fourth one can have nulls and it is a number.

You can create this table from db2clp (Linux, UNIX, MacOS) like this (by surrounding the statement into quotes):

db2 "CREATE TABLE EMPLOYEE (
       EMPNO      CHAR(6)        NOT NULL,
       FIRSTNME   VARCHAR(12)    NOT NULL,
       LASTNAME   VARCHAR(15)    NOT NULL,
       SALARY     DECIMAL(9,2)           ,
       PRIMARY KEY (EMPNO)      
       )"

In Linux/UNIX, you can also escape the special characters with back-slash, but this could be more difficult to write:

db2    CREATE TABLE EMPLOYEE \( \
       EMPNO      CHAR\(6\)        NOT NULL, \
       FIRSTNME   VARCHAR\(12\)    NOT NULL, \
       LASTNAME   VARCHAR\(15\)    NOT NULL, \
       SALARY     DECIMAL\(9,2\)           , \
       PRIMARY KEY \(EMPNO\)                 \
       \)

Let's suppose we are going to insert rows in the previously created table.

We can explicitly name the columns we are going to out values is and its order:

INSERT INTO EMPLOYEE (EMPNO, FIRSTNME, LASTNAME, SALARY)
  VALUES ( '123456', 'Ali', 'Veli', 100000);

If we know the order and we are going to put values for all columns we can write:

INSERT INTO EMPLOYEE
  VALUES ( '123456', 'Ali', 'Veli', 100000);

When using the db2clp, we need to put quotes because of the parenthesis (without semicolon at the end):

db2 "INSERT INTO EMPLOYEE (EMPNO, FIRSTNME, LASTNAME, SALARY)
  VALUES ( '123456', 'Ali', 'Veli', 100000)"

SELECT 'HELLO WORLD' FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1;    

1          
-----------
Hello World

  1 record(s) selected.

"The SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1 table contains one row. The table is used for SQL statements in which a table reference is required, but the contents of the table are not important"

this table has only one column. Column Name is IBMREQD. Default value is Y.

SELECT * FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1;
IBMREQD
-------
Y      

  1 record(s) selected.