COMMON NAViGATE: Full Schedule

8:00am EDT

In-Person Attendee Breakfast

Attendees in Columbus, come eat breakfast before opening session!

Monday May 24, 2021 8:00am - 8:30am EDT
Breakout 0 / Battelle Ballroom

8:30am EDT

President's Kickoff

Welcome to the conference, and the COMMON President's kickoff message.

Speakers

Gordon Leary

“My key stakeholders want me to expose functionality on IBM i as APIs to cope with rapid business change and disruption and they want results yesterday.” Does this sound like you? In this presentation, we’ll define a strategy that leverages (digital-worker automation/screen-based APIs) to deliver the immediate results your stakeholders are asking for. This strategy will enable you to incrementally transform and renew the underlying implementation in order to get faster results and foster innovation—at your own pace.

Speakers

Managing Director, Remain Software

Monday May 24, 2021 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Application Development

9:30am EDT

Updating the PHP Landscape

PHP continues to be an important and widely used language on IBM i. There have been many significant changes in the PHP landscape over the last year including new offerings and new language versions. In this session we will provide an overview of the different ways to get PHP on the platform and provide a comparison of each. We will also touch upon features of the latest release of the language, version 8.

Speakers

Mark Irish

Software Engineer, IBM

I am a software engineer at IBM working on open-source software enablement for the IBM i. I am particularly knowledgeable about Node.js and Machine Learning software libraries. Feel free to talk to me about your open-source questions and tell me what open-source software you'd like... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Application Development

9:30am EDT

Calculating Sub-Totals and Totals with SQL

By using the GROUP BY clause in a SQL Statement data can be accumulated, and totals, averages and much more accumulated. By specifying CUBE, ROLLUP and GROUPING SETS in the GROUP BY clause GROUP BY Clause, all kinds of sub-totals and totals can be included.

Speakers

Birgitta Hauser

Database and Software Architect, IBM Champion, Independent Consultant

Monday May 24, 2021 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Database

9:30am EDT

Ansible for IBM i

Overview of the Ansible strategy for IBM i. This session is an introduction to what Ansible can do for IBM i customers.

Speakers

Yun Wang

STSM, IBM i Business Architect, IBM

Jim Diephuis

Senior Managing consultant, IBM

Jim has been with IBM since 1978, starting with the 'System 3 to System 38 batch conversion utility'. He then worked in the database area of the S/38 and AS/400 for many years before moving to what is currently Lab Services. In Lab Services, Jim focuses on helping IBM i clients move... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 10:00am - 10:20am EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Application Development

10:00am EDT

Managing multi-platform development from your IBMi

As we all progress into a development environment with multiple languages deployed to multi platforms, managing inter-dependencies and deployment gets ever more difficult. Here we will show you some simple tools and techniques to make life a little easier using X-Ref for interdependencies and TD/OMS and Jenkins for deployment.

Speakers

Karl Haggart

Managing Director, Remain Software

Monday May 24, 2021 10:00am - 10:20am EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Application Development

10:00am EDT

OpenAPI (Swagger) and How Development Shops Interact with IBM i as an Open-Platform Appliance

OpenAPI is widely considered the solution for documenting and conveying APIs (specifically RESTful endpoints) within your enterprise. Swagger is a user-experience built on the OpenAPI specification to significantly improve the interaction between your API (IBM i) developers and the UI/UX architects of front-end solutions. Let's explore how we leverage the OpenAPI specification across various RESTful service techniques, and understand the power of Swagger as a development and separation of duties toolset.

Speakers

Brad Bentley

Senior Managing Consultant, IBM

Brad Bentley is a Senior Managing Consultant with IBM Systems Lab Services in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He has held a wide variety of positions in IBM from development on Db2 for i, to platform testing, to assisting numerous customers of all sizes across many different fields... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 10:00am - 10:20am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

10:00am EDT

Php chat server in 20 minutes (ReactPHP)

ReactPHP is a set of php packages that has a fast growth in popularity. It allows is to write fast PHP-solutions with a minimal amount of code and files. In this session I will use these packages to write a chat-server and host this on the IBM i in the shortest way possble.

Speakers

IBM i Certified Administrator, iTech Solutions

Aaron Magid

VP, Open Source Technologies, Open Source Technologies

Before I came to the IBM i, I led the JavaScript web application development for an IoT company. Now I'm working to bring the IBM i together with the world of open source technology. I'm always happy to chat about web technology, IoT, IBM i in the cloud, modern devops, or just about... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 10:30am - 10:50am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

10:30am EDT

Understanding PHP Framewoks

Frameworks can be a great tool for making your applications easier to develop and maintain, and provide powerful capabilities you shouldn't need to develop on your own. This session will take a look at core framework capabilities, with a special emphasis on the Laminas Project, an open source PHP framework under the Linux Foundation. In the session, you will learn both why frameworks exist, as well as see frameworks in action. If you need to develop a web application or API, come to this session to see why PHP is the tool for the job, and frameworks will let you get the code done faster.

Speakers

Matthew Weier O'Phinney

Product Manager and Principal Engineer, Zend by Perforce

I am an original contributor to Zend Framework, an enterprise PHP framework, and took over as Project Lead in 2009. Starting in 2019, I helped transition the project to an open governance model to the Linux Foundation as the Laminas Project. In addition to developing PHP frameworks... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 10:30am - 10:50am EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Application Development

10:30am EDT

Use Microservices to Eat the Legacy Elephant One Bite at a Time!

Today a very large portion of the world’s business critical systems are considered to be "legacy". Sounds familiar ? There have been thousands of failed attempts to modernise or replace these legacy systems. In most cases the ‘eating the elephant’ in one go approach didn’t work. Microservices can save you from a world of pain when attempting to rebuild or improve your old application. It can be done on IBM i ! Learn how to ‘eat the elephant one piece at the time’ by using microservices, but most importantly ‘without getting indigestion’.

Speakers

Koen Decorte

Owner and CEO, IBM Champion, CD-Invest

Koen Decorte is owner of CD Invest, an international IBM business partner with offices in Belgium andSpain. CD-Invest is specialized in innovating and modernizing IBM i applications.Koen studied philology and computer linguistics.His focus is mainly on integrating and using open source... Read More →

microservices with rpg projects txt

Monday May 24, 2021 10:30am - 10:50am EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Application Development

10:30am EDT

Convert spool file data into Excel with the "easy button"

Practical example of how to reverse engineer the data stored in a spool file to get it into Excel (or PDF or any of the other formats supported by Db2 Web Query). The technique is very simple using an IBM i Service and Systools to query for the spool file of interest then pushing the magic button to dump the data into various Excel formats.

Speakers

Doug Mack

Consultant LAB Services, IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 10:30am - 10:50am EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Database

10:30am EDT

Troubleshoot IBM i Networking

Every IBM i is connected to a network in some way, with an Ethernet TCP/IP connection being the de-facto standard. When there are problem with the network communication it can be very disruptive to operations and sometimes difficult to get a handle on. In this session we will cover some of the basic network troubleshooting tools and approaches on the IBM i OS.

Speakers

Wayne Bowers

Software Engineer, IBM

Stuart Milligan

Architect, Midrange Dynamics

Stuart Milligan is a Midrange Dynamics solutions architect and the product manager for MDRest4i. After selling X-Analysis to Fresche Solutions in 2013, Stuart founded the new IBM i technology Rest4i, before merging it with Midrange Dynamics in 2019. Co-author of two IBM Redbook... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

11:00am EDT

Help, my printed reports could use a facelift !

As our businesses move to modern report presentations such as Excel spreadsheets, fancy PDF documents, etc. we face the challenge of taking our existing stock of printer files and programs and converting them to produce modern output. Learn how to build modern reports by using RPG and open source. Use true type fonts, include images, print by using PCL and PS languages, build excelfiles, ... Your wildest dreams are possible, just use the tools available on your IBM i.

Speakers

Koen Decorte

Owner and CEO, IBM Champion, CD-Invest

help my printed reports could use a facelift pdf

IBM i Application Development Tools Lead, IBM

Edmund Reinhardt has been working on application development tools for IBM i for over 25 years. Starting with the green screen tools in 1989 through each technology iteration from OS/2 to Java. As the architect for Rational Developer for i, he is passionate about engaging and delighting... Read More →

commonNav2021Final sql

ACS Content Assist Capabilities pdf

COMMON21 How to write SQL without knowing SQL pdf

Monday May 24, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Database

11:00am EDT

Create Your First Administration Runtime Expert Template

The Administration Runtime Expert (ARE) is a powerful feature of IBM i that can be used to verify system configuration and application attributes are as expected. You can use ARE to verify one partition or many partitions. Once you have your ARE template created, you can schedule verifications and be notified automatically if unexpected issues are reported. This session will demonstrate how to create an ARE template and use it to verify the selected attributes.

Speakers

Dawn May

Owner, Dawn May Consulting, LLC

Dawn has been involved with COMMON for over 20 years and has been a consistent volunteer since 2008. She's been a member of the strategic education team, a subject matter expert, and a speaker. Now, as President of COMMON, she's focused on leading COMMON as the industry leader of... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Systems Management & Security

11:00am EDT

Hidden Gems of IBM i

The IBM i team has been delivering new function two times per year since 2010. New releases and technology refreshes deliver a broad range of function and sometimes the smallest line items can be easily missed. Alison, and the IBM i team have reviewed the past releases/refreshes and have assembled some of their favourite hidden gems; things that you might have missed but should know.

Speakers

Alison Butterill

WW Product Manager for IBM i, IBM

Alison Butterill is the offering manager for IBM i. She owns the responsibility for the IBM i business, including defining and guiding future directions and strategies. She works with the IBM i sales, marketing, and development teams as well as clients and partners to ensure that... Read More →

Tim Rowe

Business Architect Application Development & Systems Management for IBM i, IBM

Tim Rowe is the Business Architect responsible for Application Development and Systems Management for the IBM i operating system. His responsibilities include helping to make sure that the IBM i has what is needed to be successful both today and into the future. He sends much of his... Read More →

Sarah Mackenzie

IBM

Sarah has worked at IBM since 2013 and is a key developer working on the IBM i Development team in Rochester. She is specifically focused on Db2 for i and is responsible for helping to implementing many of the recent enhancements to Db2 for i, including RCAC and Temporal Tables. Sarah... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Systems Management & Security

11:00am EDT

Multi-factor Authentication for IBM i

Brief overview and demo of multi-factor authentication (MFA). Presentation includes architecture, deployment, and usage of MFA for IBM i.

Speakers

Charles Thiel

Tim Hill

Build a Dazzling Web or Mobile App on IBM in Minutes — No Coding Required!

The Valence Framework for IBM i, available for free download, includes a browser-based low-code development utility called Nitro App Builder (NAB), through which anyone with a solid understanding of their IBM i database can create slick-looking web or mobile apps, including dashboards and data grids with download-to-Excel functionality, all in a matter of minutes! Running entirely on IBM i, the NAB tool can also be used to create intricate file maintenance apps through which users can adjust content in one or more physical files — you control which fields they can see or edit.

All of this can be achieved with no coding, though IBM i developers can easily extend the app's functionality with RPG or SQL code to handle business logic as needed. Advanced programmers comfortable with HTML5 and JavaScript code can take things even further, creating super elaborate data-entry apps that work hand-in-hand with server-side RPG logic through the Valence Portal.

The bottom line: With Valence, whether you're a developer or a super user, you can crank out highly functional web and mobile apps on IBM i in no time — no prior experience in web or mobile development required. Come to this quick demo session to see the latest release of the Valence framework, and how easy it is to build and deploy such an app on your system.

Speakers

Robert Swanson

Senior Partner, CNX Corporation

Rob has worked as an in-the-trenches IBM i developer since 1992, with the past 15 years focused on developing modernization efforts for legacy systems written in RPG. Currently serving as Senior Partner for CNX Corporation in Chicago, Rob is a strong advocate of introducing highly... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

2:00pm EDT

Choosing the Right PHP for IBM i

PHP continues to be an important and widely used language on IBM i. And, with new offerings that make it easy to work with PHP on IBM i, it’s clear that PHP and IBM i will be a winning combination for years to come. But PHP, as a language used in delivering fast, web-enabled mobile services, requires an ongoing commitment to security, performance, and support to ensure a sterling customer experience.

In this presentation, our expert gives a high-level overview of two Zend solutions for IBM i, Zend Server and ZendPHP, and discusses how they can improve infrastructure support, security, and performance.

Attend this session to learn:

How Zend Server can increase ROI on IBM i.
The benefits of fully-supported PHP with ZendPHP.
How Zend Server and ZendPHP integrate with IBM i.
And more!

Speakers

Matthew Weier O'Phinney

Product Manager and Principal Engineer, Zend by Perforce

Monday May 24, 2021 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Application Development

2:00pm EDT

Open API on IBMi

Unlock your IBM I data easily, quickly, and safely by building fully functional REST APIs that automatically generate RPG-Free routines to allow you to re-use your existing IBMi resources. We will show you how to make a REST API with Remain OpenAPI Studio based on an existing database definition and generate a ready-to-run RPG back-end. The resulting API is fully compatible with the OAS3 standard to allow easy and controlled access to your back-end data and resources.

Speakers

Monday May 24, 2021 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

3:00pm EDT

Evaluating RDi debugging features

RDi debugging has been improved in the last year and we’ll show these new features using a live demonstration.

Speakers

Charles Guarino

CEO & IBM Champion, Central Park Data Systems

Monday May 24, 2021 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

3:00pm EDT

IBM i just makes dollars and cents: The business value of IBM i

In this session we will look at the business value of IBM i. We will look at the financial side of running IBM i. Why the foundational building blocks of this operating system allow it to run with extreme reliability, scalability, and integrity with a fraction of the support staff. How IBM i uses all of this to provide competitive advantage over the competition.

Speakers

Richie Palma

Infrastructure Sales Consultant - IBM, Service Express

A Tech Solutions Consultant for Service Express (Previously iTech Solutions Group), IBM Champion for Power, IBM Fresh Face, founder of the “Midrange Meetup” in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the steering committee for YIP’s (Young i Professionals), and on the board for SEMIUG (South... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Business or Personal Development

3:00pm EDT

SQL Routines Performance Checkup

The SQL language makes it easy to create your business logic in stored procedures, triggers, and user-defined functions. Each of these routines have options that performance, but most programmers usually take the default option values without giving any thought to their impact. Learn about these overlooked performance options and how to run reports to quickly identify routines using suboptimal options.

Speakers

Product Management Director – Security Solutions, Precisely

Monday May 24, 2021 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Systems Management & Security

3:00pm EDT

SECURE IT: Secure Telnet

Your compliance officer has asked you to secure all telnet. What impact will this have on your IBM and exactly how do you do it?

Speakers

Jeffrey Carey

Sr. System Administrator, Ensono

Monday May 24, 2021 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Breakout 7 / Franklin A-B

Systems Management & Security

3:30pm EDT

Install Rational Developer for i at the latest level for many developers

With larger groups of IBM i developers using Rational Developer for i (RDi), it is more important to ensure that they are using the same level of RDi and that they upgrade to newer fixpacks together. Otherwise, developers might still be encountering bugs that have already been fixed or behaviour might vary causing confusion amongst developers. With RDi, there are multiple methods of installation available. This session will explain the 6 methods that can be used for installing RDi at the latest level on multiple developer machines.

Speakers

Eric Simpson

IBM i Application Development Tools, IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 3:30pm - 3:50pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

3:30pm EDT

Top 10 UI Web Design Tips for IBM i Developers

Many green screen programmers using RPG, COBOL and the like often struggle to leverage their skills in the Web and Mobile world due to the paradigm shift from green to GUI then for UI to UX. User experience is a very large subject and we cannot make you experts in a single session; our goal is to start you off in the right direction. After the session, attendees will have a good understanding how to build and leverage these skills to modernize legacy applications and build new ones. This session will show you how to: 1. Translate those green paradigms to GUI to leverage skills you already have 2. Design the look of your applications by examining the features of familiar applications 3. Use color in interface design

Speakers

Nick Hampson

Director of Design, Fresche Solutions

Nick has extensive experience in design, UX, product management, innovation and pre-sales. Focused on bringing the business value of design and UX to IBM i customers and the community at large, Nick is recognized as a UX expert on IBM i. He also describes himself as a geek and a bookworm... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 3:30pm - 3:50pm EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

3:30pm EDT

Google Search Tips for IBM i professionals

In this session you will learn how to google search the topic you’ve been stumped on or just need more information on. You will learn tips such as using quotations in the correct place, how to use modifiers, search operators, wild cards, exact match, etc. This session will give you another tool in your toolbelt when your favorite colleague or mentor isn’t available to answer your question.

Speakers

Richie Palma

Infrastructure Sales Consultant - IBM, Service Express

Nicole Wilmoth

Wolff Brothers Supply, Inc

Nicole Wilmoth is a web developer at Wolff Brothers Supply, Inc. She's been involved with the IBM i since 2015 and is experienced in HTML, CSS, SQL, and JavaScript. When she's not behind a computer screen, she's running long distances, drinking too much coffee, or reading a good... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 3:30pm - 3:50pm EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Business or Personal Development

3:30pm EDT

Enhance SQL Statement Reuse with Extended Indicators

Ever feel like your embedded SQL programs contain many variations of the same basic UPDATE or OPEN statement to account for all the different combinations of host variables? If so, then you'll want to come learn how to use SQL Extended Indicators to code a single statement that can be reused. In addition, you'll see how the SQL procedural language has been enhanced to allow the usage of Extended Indicators.

Speakers

Kent Milligan

Senior Db2 for i Consultant, IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 3:30pm - 3:50pm EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Database

3:30pm EDT

Encrypting DB2 Data for Compliance and Peace of Mind

In this whirlwind tour of DB2 encryption, learn how to leverage encryption to protect data in DB2. No matter if you are seeking to protect personally identifiable information, sensitive financial information, or the secret recipes of your IBM i-based pizza-making business juggernaut, come here to learn how Db2 for i encryption differs from other RDBMS's, how easy it can be to implement transparent data encryption, and how encryption can help you to comply with national and international data protection regimes. Yes, things like RCAC and field procedures will be mentioned, too, but don’t worry. If you enjoy maximum content and minimal boredom AND manage an IBM i, this is for you.

Speakers

Kurt Thomas

Senior System Engineer, HelpSystems

Kurt Thomas works with HelpSystems customers all over the world to help them get the most out of their IBM i systems and applications. He has a degree in business informatics, and his IT interests range from cybersecurity, data privacy, performance monitoring and operating systems... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 3:30pm - 3:50pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Systems Management & Security

3:30pm EDT

The Black Hole of the Integrated File System

So, you know file systems exist, and you think (or know) there's a lot of 'stuff' in it. But what is really in your file systems? How old are all the objects you have in your file systems? This session will give you some methods on how to figure it out.

Speakers

Margaret Fenlon

Software Engineer, IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 3:30pm - 3:50pm EDT
Breakout 7 / Franklin A-B

Systems Management & Security

3:30pm EDT

Using Digital Certificates

In this session, Steve Pitcher will discuss encryption, ciphers, protocols, certificates, and how it all comes together.

Speakers

Steve Pitcher

IBM i Administration, iTech Solutions

Steve Pitcher is a Solutions Expert on Systems Administration and Security with iTech Solutions Group and an Industry Analyst at MC Press Online. He’s been a specialist in IBM i solutions since 2000 with an emphasis on modernization, security and collaboration products. Steve has... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 3:30pm - 3:50pm EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

3:30pm EDT

Using IBM Db2 Mirror for i Application Evaluation to gain insight

Ever wonder if Db2 Mirror is right for you? Find out how the Application Evaluation feature can assist with preparing to use IBM Db2 Mirror for i. Be introduced to how it helps provide a different perspective into the types of IBM i objects being used and how those objects fit in a Db2 Mirror environment.

Setting up ODBC on IBM i

If you want to use open-source software on IBM i, you are going to need to set up ODBC, the database API the underlies connections for most OSS on the system. This session will show you exactly how to set up ODBC on your systems, including installation, creation of "data sources", and understanding some of the core connection string keywords. This is a one-time set up, so after this short session you'll be ready to go!

Speakers

Cloud and Datacenter Engineer, IBM Champion, Service Express Inc.

Larry has grown up with computers since his father became a CE in 1967. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Calvin College in 1982 and soon after began working on IBM midrange equipment with the S/34 and S/36. Larry began working on the As/400 at its introduction In 1988.After spending many years as a developer Larry began working on communications, networking, and systems management tasks. Years of... Read More →

Steve Pitcher

IBM i Administration, iTech Solutions

Monday May 24, 2021 4:00pm - 4:20pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Systems Management & Security

4:30pm EDT

Hidden Gems of Application Development

Hidden Gems has been a popular session over the past few years. In this 20 min shorted version, several key members of the IBM team will share how their favorite hidden gems might just be what you are looking for to help you on your application development journey.

Speakers

Tim Rowe

Business Architect Application Development & Systems Management for IBM i, IBM

Sarah Mackenzie

IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

4:30pm EDT

Wireframing: A Strong Start to IBM i Web / Mobile Development

In this session, Scott Gingerysty will cover wireframing and prototyping fundamentals and best practices. He’ll discuss: • What wireframes and prototypes are • The differences between wireframes and prototypes • The advantages of wireframing and prototyping • Use cases and examples on IBM i

Speakers

Scott Gingerysty

Team Lead, Web Application Services, Fresche Solutions

I am a Senior Web Developer/Team Lead and Application Modernization expert at Fresche. I am passionate about IBM i application modernization. Since 2013, I have added new life into business-critical RPG applications using web technology. Whether it is a new development, augmenting... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

4:30pm EDT

Want Them to Want You...and Continue to Want You in a Covid World

In today's hyper-competitive culture we're all striving to be the best employees we can be. Especially in a pandemic focused world, we need to prove our value. But how? What if I told you that the secrets to being the ideal employee aren't secrets after all? That you've known them for a very long time... since kindergarten! Remember when you learned to always be kind, play fair, and say thank you? Those life lessons still apply today! Come to this fun and lively session to learn how to apply these and many other timeless bits of wisdom you learned as a child, to make you the ultimate employee!

Speakers

Steve Wolk

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Pete Massiello

IBM i Advisor, Massiello Holding Corp.

Pete Massiello has been working with the AS/400, iSeries, IBM i since 1989, focusing on systems management and technical support. He has held numerous technical positions through out his career. He is the President of iTech Solutions Group, an IBM Premier Business Partner delivering... Read More →

Monday May 24, 2021 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Systems Management & Security

4:30pm EDT

Tips and Techniques to Managing Expiring Certificates

This presentation will describe the issues with using expired certificates and how to avoid getting into these situations. You will discover methods to retrieve and view your certificate expiration details and learn about APIs that can be used to automate certificate renewal and assigning the renewed certificate to your application definitions.

Speakers

Thom Haze

Software Engineer, IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

4:30pm EDT

Work Management Subsystems

In this session we will walk through the overall components of the popular work management feature called Subsystems. You will how to create subsystems, how they start, how they allocate memory pools and how the various work activity like batch, interactive, and server jobs get into these memory pools.

Speakers

Tom Huntington

EVP of Technical Solutions, Fortra

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Richie Palma

Infrastructure Sales Consultant - IBM, Service Express

Monday May 24, 2021 5:00pm - 5:20pm EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Business or Personal Development

5:00pm EDT

Office Hours: Database Performance with Kent Milligan

Attend this session to ask your questions about database performance with Kent Milligan, IBM.

Speakers

Kent Milligan

Senior Db2 for i Consultant, IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 5:00pm - 5:20pm EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Database

5:00pm EDT

Office Hours: All About Encrypting Data with Robin Tatam

Attend this session to ask your questions about data security and encryption, with Robin Tatam, Director of Security Technologies, HelpSystems.

Speakers

Robin Tatam

Director of Security Technologies, Helpsystems

Software Engineer, IBM

Monday May 24, 2021 5:00pm - 5:20pm EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

5:30pm EDT

Reception in the Expo

Monday May 24, 2021 5:30pm - 7:30pm EDT
Breakout 0 / Battelle Ballroom

8:30am EDT

Using open source to help modernize ibm i

Learn from real life customer examples how open source tools can help you modernize your applications. Get new ideas of the possibilities of IBM i.

Speakers

Koen Decorte

Owner and CEO, IBM Champion, CD-Invest

Tuesday May 25, 2021 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

8:30am EDT

The Secrets to Making the Most of Online Meetings

Now that virtual meetings have become the new normal for so many of us, it's vital that we learn to make the most of this approach to getting things done. Whether you use Zoom, Teams, Webex, or another product, come to this session to learn the secrets to supercharging your online meeting productivity and getting results!

Speakers

President, Mobigogo LLC

Richard has over 30 years of software development, system integration, document management and process automation experience on all system platforms including IBM i, Windows, Linux and Mac. Richard started RJS Software Systems in 1990 and served as President and CTO until the company... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Breakout 7 / Franklin A-B

Systems Management & Security

8:30am EDT

Proactive Performance Preparation for IBM i Partitions

No one plans to have a performance problem. When it next happens to you, will you have automatically collected the information necessary to identify the root cause of the problem? This session will show you how to be prepared in the event of an unplanned performance problem.

Speakers

Eric Barsness

Executive Consultant, IBM

Tuesday May 25, 2021 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

9:00am EDT

How to Get Real with Open Source

If you want to get off the starting line and be an Open Source on IBM i answer person, there's a minimum program you should follow, no excuses. It only takes 20 minutes to lay out the path to success for assimilating personally and interiorizing in your practice the new and business-critical model of leveraging open source on IBM i. What you need to know, how you learn it, and how to get help from the experts and from the all-seeing Internet.

Speakers

Jack Woehr

Senior Engineer, Absolute Performance, Inc.

Erwin Earley

Customer Success Manager - Architect, IBM

With over 25 years working in the IBM i community with IBM (with a brief stint with the Zend by Perforce team) I have worked with a number of technologies on the POWER platform including cloud (PowerVC) Dev/Ops solutions (Docker, Chef), Open Source technologies (Linux, MySQL/MariaDB... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Middleware

9:00am EDT

Activate IBM i Event Auditing

Event auditing is mandated by all regulatory mandates and should be a base configuration required by any shop using IBM i. Unfortunately, almost 20% of servers powered by IBM i have zero visibility to events that could be flagging the onset of a serious problem. The other 80% are often not configured correctly! This session revels in what IBM i can log all by itself for FREE, discloses what cannot be logged without additional help, and instructs you how to benefit from the results.

Speakers

Robin Tatam

Director of Security Technologies, Helpsystems

Tuesday May 25, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Systems Management & Security

9:00am EDT

Deploying PowerHA with Geographic Mirroring

See how to configure and deploy PowerHA with Geographic Mirroring, including how you can set up Geographic Mirroring alongside an existing HA solution.

Speakers

Brian Nordland

Associate Director of Development, Fortra

In addition to his role as Associate Director of Development for Power Development at Fortra, Brian Nordland serves as the technical product manager for PowerHA and Robot HA. Brian has spoken at events, webinars, and user groups—including COMMON—since 2014. He is a co-inventor... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Systems Management & Security

9:00am EDT

Leveraging IBM i (SQL) Services for Performance Management

For system administrators figuring out how to call system management or performance related APIs on IBM i can be a challenge. Luckily for you, many of those APIs have equivalent IBM i Services that can easily be invoked using simple SQL statements. Learn how to take advantage of these services for everyday performance management tasks.

Speakers

Eric Barsness

Executive Consultant, IBM

Tuesday May 25, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

9:00am EDT

Modern Password Policy Theory

Many companies are using password policies developed in the 1980's on their IBM i systems. Come learn about the NIST guidelines for passwords, IBM's take on them, and how to apply them to your IBM i system.

Speakers

Robert Andrews

Principal Security Consultant, IBM

Robert Andrews is a Principal Security Consultant, Senior Technical Staff Member (STSM), and the Team Lead for the IBM i Security and Authentication Technology Expert Labs team in Rochester, MN. He is an IBM certified Thought Leader and The Open Group certified Distinguished Technical... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 7 / Franklin A-B

Systems Management & Security

9:30am EDT

Exploring Open Source Management Tools

As more open source solutions become available on the platform, both simple and complex, it becomes important to understand the tools that are available to manage applications running in the Open Source Environment. In this session we will explore tools such as Systems Commander (SC) for being able to control the state of applications and their dependencies; cron - for being able to schedule jobs, both one-time and recurring; and others.

Speakers

Advisory Software Engineer, IBM

Alan Seiden

Principal, IBM Champion, Seiden Group

How to modernize and create something new while leveraging your valuable business logic.APIs, IBM i, open source, web, PHP, Node.js, Python, RPG, ERPs

Tuesday May 25, 2021 10:00am - 10:20am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

10:00am EDT

IBM i Explained

Are you new to the platform or maybe just work with some part of it such as developing applications or just manage it. I'll quickly go through the whole "concept" in 20 minutes for you to get a better over all picture

Speakers

Torbjorn Appehl

Vice President, Common Europe

Richard Dolewski

Yvonne Enselman

Senior Project Manager, iTech Solutions a Service Express Company

Yvonne Enselman is the Director of Professional Services at iTech Solutions and she is based in Chicago, IL. She started working with the IBM i Platform (AS/400, iSeries) in 1996 holding positions including programmer/analyst, B2B coordination, and instructor. Since 2005 she has focused... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Business or Personal Development

11:00am EDT

Using IBM i Services to analyze your journals and journal entries

In the past, the only way to convert journal entries into a readable format was through the DSPJRN and CPYAUDJRNE commands or the Retrieve Journal Entries API. Now, however, you can use the IBM i service, DISPLAY_JOURNAL, to easily query your journal entries including audit journal entries. You can also take advantage of the DISPLAY_JOURNAL Sylog support. Need to know what objects are journaled to your journals? There is a service for that too! Tune into this session to learn how to use IBM i Services to analyze your journals and journal entries using the power of SQL.

Speakers

Sarah Mackenzie

IBM

Tuesday May 25, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Database

11:00am EDT

Benefits of Upgrading and Installing Domino 10 and 11

Domino 10 and 11 offer an extensive set of new features and functions. In this session, Steve Pitcher and Kim Greene will discuss some Domino history, features of HCL Domino 10, features of HCL Domino 11, Traveler, and how to upgrade.

Office Hours: All About Open Source with Alan Seiden

Attend this session to ask your questions about using Open Source languages and solutions in your production environment. With Alan Seiden, Seiden Group.

Speakers

Alan Seiden

Principal, IBM Champion, Seiden Group

How to modernize and create something new while leveraging your valuable business logic.APIs, IBM i, open source, web, PHP, Node.js, Python, RPG, ERPs

Tuesday May 25, 2021 11:30am - 11:50am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

11:30am EDT

Office Hours: The IBM i Community with Brandon Pederson

IBM i Advisor, Massiello Holding Corp.

Tuesday May 25, 2021 11:30am - 11:50am EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Eradani

Eradani extends modernization by transforming the people, tooling, and development languages used in IBM i businesses. Eradani "Connect" serves as a Enterprise Integration Hub for IBM i organizations, providing developers and operators exception volume, performance, and security when... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Application Development

2:00pm EDT

Master the Basics of Sales Tax

If you feel confused and overwhelmed by the mere mention of sales tax and all that it involves — you’re not alone. Even though most U.S. businesses are required to collect and remit sales tax, few understand all the rules or how to comply with them in an efficient manner.
In this presentation, Avalara will address the most important aspects of sales tax compliance for businesses today, including:

What is economic nexus and how does it impact your tax obligations across state lines
How to scale the tax returns process as your business grows
When you must collect exemption certificates

Speakers

Evan Owens

Sr. Strategic Alliance Manager, Avalara

Avalara helps businesses of all sizes get tax compliance right. In partnership with leading ERP, accounting, ecommerce, and other financial management system providers, Avalara delivers automated, cloud-based compliance solutions for transaction tax, including sales and use, VAT... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Business or Personal Development

2:00pm EDT

How to Get More Out of Your IBM i

If your IBM i is crucial to keeping your business running, are you ensuring you are maximizing your investment? In this session, Pete Massiello & Steve Pitcher will detail how to keep your IBM i current, ensure staff coverage, how to make sure your system is secure and compliant, and best practices for managing your IT infrastructure.

Speakers

Pete Massiello

IBM i Advisor, Massiello Holding Corp.

Steve Pitcher

IBM i Administration, iTech Solutions

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

2:00pm EDT

Lowering TCO for Recovery in 2021

Join this session if you want to lower the total cost of ownership and improve your IBM i DR environment!
This session reviews the cost reductions and technical advantages of switching to Maxava HA software. It also covers unique Monitoring and “on the fly” roll back software (Maxava CPR) that is included in the Maxava Enterprise Bundle.
With 20 years’ experience in developing and supporting IBM i solutions Maxava has the software, support, and experience to guarantee a better outcome for your business at lower cost!
Join us to find out what Maxava can do for you and what we have already done for those top IBM i users that have switched to Maxava across the US and globally.
Key takeaways:

Lower your annual DR costs immediately and without compromise.
Learn about rapid Maxava HA implementation and our commitment to support excellence.
Hear about blue chip US companies already reaping the benefits of switching to Maxava
See the unique file recovery and monitoring solutions included in the Maxava Enterprise Bundle
Learn about Maxava's fair pricing policy

Speakers

John Dominic

Executive Vice President VP, Maxava

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Systems Management & Security

2:30pm EDT

5 things I wish I Knew about IBM i Back Then

This sessions highlights the 5 top things we have learned in development over the last few years that we wish we new that was possible on the IBMi in the beginning. Things like developing open source, Unit testing, rending webpages from the same RPG code that use to run green screen reports and so much more.

Speakers

Marina Schwenk

Senior Programmer Analyst, Everbrite

Shelly Petty

Application Support, Everbrite LLC

I am a Junior Full Stack Developer at Everbrite LLC. We run our production applications on the IBMi Power Server. Primary languages are CL, RPG, DB2 SQL and Java, and the UI: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Drupple, React, and Sencha.My position is a fast paced job and it includes Help Desk... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Application Development

2:30pm EDT

Agile Concepts and integration for IBM i Environments

Agile (or Iterative) approaches to application management are a powerful and productive development model which is popular in many organizations. This session will explore the concepts including methods, lifecycle, pair programming, root-cause analysis, collaboration, collective ownership, planning, test-driven development, spike solutions, and exploratory testing. We will also cover the combination of agile development and traditional environment support. We will pay attention to this critical area of concern in many IBM i environment.

Speakers

Yvonne Enselman

Senior Project Manager, iTech Solutions a Service Express Company

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Application Development

2:30pm EDT

Business Use Cases for The Internet of Things

Speakers

Charles Guarino

CEO & IBM Champion, Central Park Data Systems

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 7 / Franklin A-B

Application Development

2:30pm EDT

Double down on JavaScript (Node.js)

One of the best ways to simplify any project is to reduce the number of moving pieces. In application development, this translates into using less programming languages, not more. JavaScript enables this because it is the only language capable of handling all your client-side and server-side needs. This session explores the business benefits of choosing JavaScript (known as Node.js on the backend) as your primary application development language.

Speakers

Alex Roytman

CEO, Profound Logic

Alex is the founder and CEO of Profound Logic. He is a Futurization, Node.js and RPG educator who shares his knowledge at user groups and events around the world. His decades of experience and passion in the field of Web and Mobile development have led his company to create many popular... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Application Development

2:30pm EDT

Managing RPG Applications with Git

In this session, we will use real world examples to show you how you can manage your RPG, COBOL, CL, & DDS/DDL code using Git and other free, open source tools. We'll include tips and techniques for getting started and we will demonstrate some of the cool functions you can use.

Speakers

Aaron Magid

VP, Open Source Technologies, Open Source Technologies

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

2:30pm EDT

Test Driven Development with Python

User Acceptance Testing should not be the only testing tool in your arsenal. Building a solid Python application is easy if you automate the boring testing process. In this session we’ll explore how easy testing can be in Python and how to get it done with several examples.

Speakers

Mike Pavlak

Solution Architect, Perforce Software

Mike Pavlak has been working with IBM midrange solutions since 1992 and IBM Mainframes before that. After years of developing applications using RPG, CL and PHP he managed IT development and IT for power protection manufacturer Tripp Lite. Later Mike was instrumental in developing... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

2:30pm EDT

IBM i in an AI/ML Analytics World

This quick hitter session will discuss available approaches to leverage AI/ML models for data analytics. This is NOT a "how to build an ML Model in Python or R" session, but rather, what facilities are available to you to integrate data to simplify or automate the ability go gain additional insights into your Db2 for i data.

Speakers

Doug Mack

Consultant LAB Services, IBM

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Database

2:30pm EDT

Managing NetServer from a Command Line Interface

In this 20 minute session, Marc Vadeboncoeur will describe the two facilities available for managing NetServer on IBM i, discuss the benefits of a command line interface for managing NetServer, and show you how to install the command line interface for NetServer.

Speakers

Marc Vadeboncoeur

iTech Solutions

Marc has been in the IBM midrange world since 1984 when he started fresh out of college working on the IBM i’s grandfather, the System/38, as a software developer and systems analyst. He has progressed through his career with a dual focus on both business systems software design/development... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 2:30pm - 2:50pm EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

3:00pm EDT

A modern way to query Db2 using Python and SQLAlchemy

In this session, we will introduce the sqlalchemy-ibmi adapter, describe the architecture that allows you to connect to your data in Db2, and go through tutorials showing off the features available. The adapter for IBM i enables efficient and high performing Db2 database access in the python environment. By using the Object Relational Mapper (ORM), SQLAlchemy provides an object-oriented approach to data that will allow for more robust web application development. This tutorial will provide you with the skills to connect to your Db2 instance, create an object mapping to a table, add/update objects, create relationships, delete data, and commit/rollback.

Speakers

Naveen Ram

Software Developer, IBM

Tuesday May 25, 2021 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

3:00pm EDT

CICD for Web Applications Best Practice on IBM i

CICD is playing more and more of an important role in modernization to improve the efficiency and simplify the process of building and deploying WebApplications. The IBM i operating system integrates a lightweight application server called, Integrated Application Server(IAS). This provides the runtime and infrastructure host dynamic java based web application the IBM i can even host multiple instances on a single system. This topic will demonstrate how to create a CICD pipeline for Web application development based on IAS on IBM i to leveraging Git, Jenkins, to build and deploy on IBM i for a one-click solution.

Speakers

Chang Qing Zheng

Software Engineer, IBM

I am working on IBM i Web Integration area, covering several products on IBM i, like Web Admin, HTTP server, Db2 Mirror, Java toolbox, node.js and open source technologies.

Tuesday May 25, 2021 3:00pm - 3:20pm EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

3:00pm EDT

From OPNQRYF to SQL with RPG Open Access

Alex will demonstrate how he is using RPG Open Access magic to seamlessly transition from OPNQRYF based file processing to SQL cursor. Challenge: A few hundred CL/RPG programs utilizing OPNQRYF need to be converted to using embedded SQL with a cursor. Objectives of the session: • Getting to see a technical challenge that, at the first glance, requires a traditional “piecemeal” approach. • Seeing how RPGOA will help deliver a virtually programming free solution. • Having a closer look at implementation details. • Dealing with a few curveballs.

Speakers

Alex Krashevsky

IBM i Consultant, Infoview Systems

Scott Klement

Development & Solutions Architect, Midrange Dynamics

Lilac Schoenbeck

VP, GTM Strategy, Rocket Software

Lilac Schoenbeck is the Vice President of Go-To-Market Strategy in the Power Systems Division at Rocket Software. With two decades of experience in enterprise software, data center technology and cloud, she focuses on the IBM i and IBM Power and how Rocket can best meet the unique... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:00pm - 4:20pm EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

4:00pm EDT

Python and Flask

Flask is a Python micro Framework that is used for small to enterprise size applications. Learn how to get a webpage or API up and running fast with Python and Flask.

Speakers

Stephanie Rabbani

Consultant, Seiden Group

A senior consultant for Seiden Group, Stephanie Rabbani has been developing web applications on the IBM i for over 15 years. She previously worked for BCD Software Professional Services.In her IBM i career, she has developed a large range of applications such as APIs, shopping carts... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:00pm - 4:20pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

4:00pm EDT

What the heck is binder source, and why do I care?

Learn what binder source is and what it does, and why you definitely want to use it with your service programs.

Speakers

Patrick Behr

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:00pm - 4:20pm EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Application Development

4:00pm EDT

The Magic of Time Management - Mastering your own Productivity!

Our lives and our careers are busier than ever. Feel like you're barely keeping your head above water? You're not alone. We struggle to keep up with the demands of our careers while retaining some semblance of balance between work and personal time. For many of us, working from home has made finding this balance even harder. Come to this fast paced session to learn the life hacks you need to master your own productivity!

Speakers

Steve Wolk

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:00pm - 4:20pm EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Business or Personal Development

4:00pm EDT

A few quick things you can use SQL to check for

Using SQL allows you to keep tabs on the following: - Do I need to RGZPFM? Number of deleted records in files. What happens if I want to exclude some libraries or files? - Old spool files - Abandoned files in IFS - Check for errors on this partition & others all on one screen - WRKSYSSTS equivalent snapshot to email or log file Also creating SQL Views over data areas & for giving CL information it can only get from APIs.

Speakers

Simon Hutchinson

Author, RPGPGM.COM

Simon Hutchinson has been writing his highly acclaimed IBM i blog, RPGPGM.COM, for eleven years sharing his knowledge, experience, and giving many detailed examples of the latest RPG, SQL, and CL. His work has led him to be recognized by IBM as an IBM Champion for Power and IBM i Community Advocate. He is a subject matter expert for COMMON North America and... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:00pm - 4:20pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Database

4:00pm EDT

Dealing with APIs and JSON via SQL

This session covers preparing json, extracting data from json, and calling APIs through SQL. Since JSON is widely used for passing/receiving data via APIs, we can use these methodologies to speed up applications as well as development.

Speakers

Mike Zaringhalam

Developer, PC Richard & Son

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:00pm - 4:20pm EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Database

4:00pm EDT

IBMi modernization with Raspberry Pi and Mulesoft

In this session we will demonstrate how existing IBMi systems can be easily integrated with Rasberry Pi computers to collect valuable data and process the data natively, a possible use for this integration would be Industrial Automation. Without replacing the existing IBMi systems, we can easily integrate with IoT systems for Industrial Automation. The demo will showcase data collection featuring Raspberry Pi based sensors, collecting reading for Temperature, Motion, Analog, Air pressures etc., the collected data will be passed to the IBMi with MuleSoft REST APIs triggering applications on IBMi kicking off native processing of the data. We will also showcase the Realtime Alert, Notification capability of the Mulesoft Anypoint platforms.

Speakers

Satya Sekhar Das Mandal

CTO, Infoview Systems

Susan Romano

Technical Lead Db2 for i Development Team, IBM

Sue Romano is a technical leader on the Db2 for i development team and has worked on the SQL parser for almost 30 years. She is involved in designing and implementing SQL enhancements and defines new SQL services. Sue represents Db2 for i on IBM’s SQL Language Council, which ensures... Read More →

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Database

4:30pm EDT

Managing Open Source

This session will explore how to manage open source on IBM i. We will start by looking at how to enable the open source environment and quickly delve into package management including definition of repositories as well as installation, update, and removal of packages. We will also show how to search for packages using a variety of methods including looking for packages that provide a specific command. If you are going to use open source you need to know how to manage it.

Speakers

Erwin Earley

Customer Success Manager - Architect, IBM

Tuesday May 25, 2021 4:30pm - 4:50pm EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Systems Management & Security

4:30pm EDT

There's a Robot in the Box

Automation of business tasks is more important than ever. One of today's key technologies that make that happen is Robotic Process Automation or RPA. This session introduces the concept of RPA and outlines a number of use cases where this rapid deployment technology can return immediate results.

Speakers

Modernize Your Application for Less Than $2 Million

Application modernization is not a new topic in the IBM i community. For years, clients have been encouraged to update end-user interfaces on the front end and transition away from RPG and COBOL on the back end. But executive leadership often lacks the funding (and patience) to see these projects to completion. Meanwhile, as staffing shrinks and competitive pressures rise, the need to modernize becomes more urgent. In this session, we'll provide modernization techniques that leverage cost-effective tools and strategies to make your application environment more manageable and future-proof.

Speakers

Amy Anderson

Wednesday May 26, 2021 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Application Development

8:30am EDT

Whipping Up an RPGLE After Image Capture Trigger Program for Changes on Web

Ease your worries with changes being made to your Db2 for i database by an external source, including those made on the web. We'll cover a largely soft-coded RPGLE program that captures after images for a database file. This program is in production on a DB file being maintained in a website that uses commitment control and is running on a web server on a separate machine. Almost everything is soft-coded except the file name.

Speakers

Rex Smith

Sr. Developer (ERP & Web), Tegratecs Development Corp.

Wednesday May 26, 2021 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

8:30am EDT

How to Earn an IBM i Badge

Digital badges are the new certification tests. These badges help professionals show their skills to their network, employers and business partners. IBM i has a badge program as well. In this session, Brandon Pederson, IBM i and Power Systems Scale-Out Product Marketing Manager, will cover the IBM i Community Badge Program and how to get started. You’ll learn the different levels of badges, how to earn them and best practices for showing your skills in the market.

Wednesday May 26, 2021 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Business or Personal Development

8:30am EDT

LISTAGG and SPLIT - Meet these SQL cousins

Db2 for i includes many powerful built-in functions. In this session you will learn how to use LISTAGG and SPLIT to build or decompose a list of values. In 20 minutes, you will learn how to use these built-in functions to replace or avoid complex programming logic.

Speakers

Susan Romano

Technical Lead Db2 for i Development Team, IBM

Wednesday May 26, 2021 8:30am - 8:50am EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Database

8:30am EDT

What? I can create a private cloud with IBM Power Systems servers?

Back in 2019 IBM introduced Power Enterprise Pools 2.0 on the POWER9 model E980, offering customers the flexibility to tailor system configurations with a mix of purchased and pay-for-use consumption of processors and software. This was expanded in 2020 to the IBM Power Systems S924 and S922 systems which are frequently used by IBM i customers. If you are interested in dynamic, flexible consumption or cloud-like economics with on-prem servers, attend this session.

Speakers

Daniel Sundt

IBM i Product Manager, IBM

Robert Arce

IT Solutions Strategy - IBM i SME, Fresche Solutions

Robert Arce works in Corporate Strategy for Fresche Solutions. He is a subject matter expert in the IBM i system, assisting companies all over the world with their modernization projects.His expertise is using IBMi Application Analysis and Management Suite X-Analysis.Mr. Arce has... Read More →

Wednesday May 26, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 2 / Delaware C-D

Application Development

9:00am EDT

The Differences between Tracing and Logging, and Why You Should Care

Historically IBM i shops have leaned exclusively on job logs to monitor and provide historical messaging. Let's explore the difference between logging and tracing, the reasons we want to supplement job logs with additional "real-time/variable level" logging/tracing techniques, and how we can easily listen for events to improve our DevOps experience with tools like Ansible and Splunk. As we continue to shift from categorizing executions as "jobs" into "transactions", a core understanding of terms and technologies opens many doors.

Speakers

Brad Bentley

Senior Managing Consultant, IBM

Wednesday May 26, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Application Development

9:00am EDT

Dashboards: The Case for KPI's and Business Users

In this session, technical users are exposed to the WHY of graphical user interface based dashboards. The objective is to bridge the technical programmer's point of view with the various business needs of management in a company. Examples of appropriate templates in an organization will be shown as examples.

Speakers

Doug Artis

Silveredge Consulting

Our corporate mission is to be the partner of choice for our clients’ information consulting services, while being both a responsible and responsive employer.We expect to become a trusted advisor in your Information Technology needs. While we may not be able to actually provide... Read More →

Wednesday May 26, 2021 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Business or Personal Development

9:00am EDT

Detect and Respond to Problem Queries Using Db2 for i Tools

How to Create a Modern Web Application on IBM i

Web applications continue to grow in popularity and are replacing old desktop applications and even green screens. Today, they are becoming even more easy to deploy, access and update and not bound to a single device. At the same time, prompt response, excellent user experience, security, etc has been more and more important for the success of a modern Web applications. Even the traditional request/response architected Web application is no longer meeting the requirements of a 'modern' application. In this session we will look at an SPA architecture using secure IBM I connections. We will demo an application that is using Angular, Web sockets, IBM I services, and Java toolbox .

Speakers

Chang Qing Zheng

Software Engineer, IBM

I am working on IBM i Web Integration area, covering several products on IBM i, like Web Admin, HTTP server, Db2 Mirror, Java toolbox, node.js and open source technologies.

Wednesday May 26, 2021 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Breakout 3 / Union B-C

Application Development

9:30am EDT

Simulate a Non-Relational Database in Db2 by Storing JSON

While we all know and love Db2 for i, you may have heard about some new databases out there that can provide greater application flexibility. Sure, IBM i now has support for some of these new flexible databases, but what if you just love Db2 and want to keep your data in one place? Come learn how a "Non-Relational" database might provide you with tons of flexibility and speed, and learn a cool trick to use JSON to simulate that within Db2 itself!

Speakers

John Robinson

Software Developer, P.C. Richard and Son

John Robinson is a software developer on the rise at P.C. Richard & Son, a family-owned and operated chain of 66 appliance and electronics superstores located throughout NY, NJ, CT, and PA. With a hand in business analytics, John is quick to jump on promising technologies to create... Read More →

Wednesday May 26, 2021 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

9:30am EDT

What if the Penguin was Dead - A Look at a World without Open Source

Imagine a world without Open Source! This session takes a fun and insightful look at the wide-ranging benefits of Open source by postulating a world in which Open Source and community-driven projects don't (and never did) exist. At the end of this session you will have both a smile on your face but more importantly a deeper appreciation of the benefits that open source has brought not just to our development and IT efforts but in reality to every-day life.

Speakers

Erwin Earley

Customer Success Manager - Architect, IBM

Wednesday May 26, 2021 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Business or Personal Development

9:30am EDT

Make RUNSQLSTM even better using CL commands

The RUNSQLSTM command lets you run multiple SQL statements in a single call, like a script. You can do even more now by calling CL commands directly. See how this can expand your options.

Speakers

Vern Hamberg

Senior Software Engineer, Ecolab, Pest Elimination

Vern has worked on IBM midrange systems for over 30 years, beginning with the System/38 and AS/400. At present he is a senior software engineer for the Pest Elimination division at Ecolab. He also serves on the COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) and SET and is one of the SMEs... Read More →

Wednesday May 26, 2021 9:30am - 9:50am EDT
Breakout 5 / Morrow

Database

9:30am EDT

What to Know When Switching from Physical Tape to VTL

In this session, Nathan Williams will go over the differences between physical tape and VTL, as well as considerations, storage needs, data retention, archival and old media, and more.

Speakers

Nathan Williams

Nadir Amra

Software Engineer, IBM

Matt Seeberger

Power i Engineer, CMA Technology Solutions

Wednesday May 26, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B

Application Development

11:00am EDT

Why Leaving the Platform is a Bad Idea..

We all have heard about companies planning to replace the IBM i with something "modern". Well in this presentation I will show why this is a bad idea and what should be done instead..

Speakers

Torbjorn Appehl

Vice President, Common Europe

Wednesday May 26, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 8 / Franklin C-D

Business or Personal Development

11:00am EDT

A New Engine inside your IBM i: the POWER10 Microprocessor

In this session, the chief architect of the upcoming POWER10 Microprocessor provides a brief overview of the underlying technology, covering improvements from the previous generation and implications for the IBM i platform.

Speakers

Bill Starke

Power Processor Chief Architect, IBM

William Starke is an IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Architect for Power microprocessors. Since graduating from Michigan Tech University, Bill has been employed by IBM for over 30 years in several roles, spanning mainframe and Power systems performance analysis, logic design... Read More →

Wednesday May 26, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 7 / Franklin A-B

Hardware

11:00am EDT

IBM i Open Source Package Management Basics

Deploying and leveraging Open Source technologies on IBM i is a growth area for the platform and whether the Open Source technology is used to enable a software solution or for software development understanding how to deploy these packages is important. This Session will cover the basics of the usage and infrastructure of deploying these Open Source packages on IBM i.

Speakers

Wayne Bowers

Software Engineer, IBM

Wednesday May 26, 2021 11:00am - 11:20am EDT
Breakout 4 / Union D-E

Middleware

11:00am EDT

How to Monitor Complex IBM i Environments

Bring simplicity to your Power Systems infrastructure with a single monitoring tool

Your IBM i is central to keeping business running smoothly, but other components and servers play a critical role in your enterprise environment. If left unchecked, any one of them is a risk that could lead to downtime for your business—and heartburn for you!

You need a way to proactively identify and mitigate the risk before an outage occurs!

In this session, you’ll see how Robot Monitor software captures critical information about VIOS, IBM MQ, BRMS, MIMIX, PowerHA, IBM i, AIX, Linux on Power, and more for multiple partitions and displays it in a single interface. You’ll learn how to:

Customize your monitoring environment
Create proactive, granular notification
Consolidate data into a single dashboard or slideshow
Report on past performance

We’ll share a live software demonstration of Robot Monitor showing its real-time monitoring and reporting capabilities, as well as its ability to notify you, so you can mitigate the risk BEFORE causing an outage.

Speakers

Chuck Losinski

Scott Forstie

Db2 for i Architect, IBM

Wednesday May 26, 2021 11:30am - 11:50am EDT
Breakout 6 / Fairfield

Systems Management & Security

12:00pm EDT

Meeting of the Members

This is the annual meeting of the members for your user group. Attend for an update on COMMON business.

Wednesday May 26, 2021 12:00pm - 12:30pm EDT
Breakout 1 / Delaware A-B