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  • Options Abound for IBM i Data Replication

    October 14, 2014 Alex Woodie

    As an IBM i system administrator, it’s your job to ensure that data in DB2 for i is available where it’s needed. No server is an island these days, not even the IBM i-based Power Systems servers, and so that means replicating data to external databases is a requirement. But what’s the best way to power data integration? Should you build it yourself or buy off the shelf? We’ll try to provide you some answers.

    At many organizations, the IBM i server might house the core ERP application and be the system of record, but there are plenty of other databases and programs that need data from the central record keeper. For example, Oracle-based business intelligence systems or SQL Server-based reporting systems are commonly fed from production IBM i systems.

    Keeping the systems in-synch and up-to-date is not always easy, and the difficulty level goes up as your latency requirements go down. It doesn’t take a tech genius to use FTP to initiate batch dumps from a source database to a target on an ad-hoc basis. Managed file transfer (MFT) tools have taken some of the risk out of using barebones FTP.

    If you’re looking to maintain a separate warehouse on a semi-regular basis, there are also extract, transform, and load (ETL) tools that will pull data from DB2 for i, translate it into the correct format, and move it into a target system, such as a data warehouse. Coglin Mill, developer of the RPG-based RODIN tool, probably has the highest functioning ETL tool on the IBM i market. Informatica also has some native capabilities, and Talend has been known to play in the IBM i arena. If you like to roll your own, you could develop a DB2 for i SQL stored procedure that allows an external database to pull data on demand via ODBC or JDBC.

    The complexity level and the risks go up a notch if you’re looking to do real-time integration. If you’re handy with DB2 for i and feel comfortable using triggers and journaling, you could develop your own system that monitors the journal receiver for changes to files. If you want something with more bells and whistles–not to mention professional technical support to call when something goes wrong–then you’re probably in the market for change data capture (CDC) software.

    IBM offers CDC capabilities with its InfoSphere product that was formerly based on DataMirror Transformation Server. Because high availability and data replication are so closely related, other HA software vendors, such as Vision Solutions, also support database replication among multiple, non-similar databases, such as DB2 for i, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Sybase, and the others.

    There are also dedicated CDC products from Oracle, HiT Software, and Attunity. Oracle added DB2 for i support to its GoldenGate offering just a couple of years ago. Pricing for GoldenGate is not cheap, however.

    You will probably get a better deal for CDC software from HiT or Attunity than Oracle or IBM. HiT Software (which is now owned by BackOffice Associates) has a good thing going with DBMoto, a Windows-based CDC engine that can move data in real time among more than 20 different databases, including relational databases like DB2 and Oracle, but also the databases powering massively parallel column-oriented data warehouse offerings, such as those from Actian, as well as Amazon Web Services‘ RedShift cloud-based warehouse.

    Attunity can also keep IBM i-resident data moving in real time among a variety of different systems with Replicate, its log-based CDC offering. In addition to providing a trickle-feed of updates from source databases, the product can replicate entire database schemas and supports a “snapshot” extract-and-load option that gives customers the capability to replicate entire databases to their target systems. Like HiT, Attunity has been moving to support “big data” analytics platforms recently, such as Teradata, IBM Netezza, and EMC Greenplum MPP databases.

    Coglin Mill, by the way, also offers CDC functionality as part of its “real-time ETL” functionality in RODIN. Coglin Mill was recently bought by HelpSystems, which has several business intelligence tools in its stable now, with ShowCase and SEQUEL Software. If you’re looking to do data warehousing and BI on the IBM i platform, this combination of tools offers some advantages.

    Data is the lifeblood of business these days, but moving it still requires time and effort. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for data integration and replication. You may pick one solution over another depending on your speed, latency, and budget requirements. Carefully analyzing all the factors is the only way to help you make the right decision.

    RELATED STORIES

    New HiT Software Moves Data To Google App Engine

    Oracle Completes DB2/400 Support in Data Replication Tool

    Coglin Mill’s ETL Makes Data Warehousing on IBM i More Attractive

    Vision Updates Database Replication Solution



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    Sponsored by
    Krengeltech

    When it comes to consuming web APIs on your IBM i, your options often boil down to one of two things:

    First, you end up having to rely on a variety of open source and non-RPG solutions. This adds developer complexity, taking away time that could have been better spent invested in other projects. Of course, open source software is free, but generally comes at the cost of no professional support, which adds an element of risk in your production environment. RXS is completely professionally supported, and is complemented by a staff of trained IBM i developers who can address your nuanced development challenges, head on.

    Second, if you choose not to pursue an open-source solution, you’re often left having to shake up your current program architecture with proprietary software, external dependencies, and partial RPG implementations – many of which are sub-par compared to RPG-XML Suite’s wide range of features. RXS aims to simplify the efforts of developers with tools like code generators, useful commands, and subprocedures written in 100% RPG – no Java. Because they are entirely RPG, the RXS subprocedures are easy to add to new or existing ILE programs and architecture, helping to cut your development time. RPG-XML Suite offers powerful capabilities in an accessible, easy-to-implement format.

    With RPG-XML Suite, you can accomplish a variety of complex tasks, such as:

    • Calling REST and SOAP web services from your IBM i
    • Offering APIs from your IBM i
    • Creating JSON & XML
    • Parsing JSON & XML
    • Text manipulation, Base64 encoding/decoding, CCSID handling, hashing and encryption functions, and more.

    To try RXS for yourself, we recommend a free proof of concept, which not only gives you access to all of RPG-XML Suite’s subprocedures and utilities but also includes a tailor-made software demonstration that can be used as a starting point for your future API implementations.

    For a free proof of concept, contact us at sales@krengeltech.com, or visit our website for more information.

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Volume 14, Number 19 -- October 14, 2014
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

Enforcive
New Generation Software
HiT Software
Computer Keyes
MiNET Communications, Inc.

Table of Contents

  • IBM Gives RDi 9.1.1 ‘Push to Client’ Feature
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  • IBM Navigator for i Increases Web and Mobile Effort
  • City Touts PowerHA Install
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  • Golden Nugget Taps Agilysys to Supply Software for New Casino
  • Dropbox and IBM i: Love It Or Leave It?
  • IntelliChief Delivers Deeper ERP Integration
  • Options Abound for IBM i Data Replication
  • IBM i Performance Concerns? Supermon to the Rescue!

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