Krengel Goes GA with New DB2/400 Integration Tool

Published: June 8, 2010

by Alex Woodie

Krengel Technology last month announced the general availability (GA) of DB2 Web Services Enabler (DB2WSE), a new product that makes it easier to integrate DB2/400 data with applications written in Java, PHP, or .NET. The product, which utilizes XML and SQL technology, is basically a replacement for JDBC and ODBC, the vendor says.

Madison Lake, Minnesota-based Krengel Tech first unveiled DB2WSE back in October 2009 as a way to simplify access to DB2/400 data from Java, PHP, and .NET programs running on Windows, Unix, and Linux operating systems. Testing for the software apparently took a little longer than expected, and it only became available in mid-May.

The new DB2WSE product is composed of an RPG service program that runs on the System i server, and a client component that installs next to the open systems program on the Windows, Unix, or Linux server. At runtime, the DB2WSE client component submits a Web service request for a SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE, or INSERT transaction, the RPG component executes the request against DB2/400, and the data is returned as XML. While XML and Web service technology is used, it exists "under the covers" and is nearly invisible to the users.

Instead of programming on the System i server, DB2WSE customers do their programming on the client side using the APIs that Krengel provides. This eliminates the need for RPG expertise to get to DB2/400 data, and maintains security on the System i.

This approach also reduces the likelihood that open system programmers or administrators devise other ways to get at the critical DB2/400 data, such as replicating the entire database to an X64-based database. Because once that happens, it's a short leap to eliminating the i/OS layer completely.

Krengel envisions a number of practical uses for DB2WSE, such as generating purchase orders and invoices; handling product or warranty data; managing accounts receivable or accounts payable data; or even handling credit card data.

DB2WSE can also be used as a database-focused companion to RPG-XML Suite, a collection of tools for developing XML-based Web services in RPG. While DB2WSE functions as a replacement for ODBC or JDBC and eliminates the need for RPG expertise, RPG-XML provides a direct approach to help System i shops create Web services using their existing RPG business logic.

Pricing for DB2WSE is tier- and LPAR-based, and ranges from $2,995 to $5,995. For more information, see the company's Web site at www.krengeltech.com.

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