His work focuses on all aspects of XML in DB2, including XQuery, SQL/XML, XML storage, indexing, and performance. Matthias also works closely with customers and business partners, assisting them in the design, implementation, and optimization of XML solutions. Matthias has published more than a dozen articles on various XML topics (see www.matthiasnicola.de) and is a frequent speaker at DB2 conferences. Prior to joining IBM, Matthias worked on data warehousing performance for Informix Software. He received his doctorate in computer science from the Technical University of Aachen, Germany.