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  • Like Your Data Access? ProData Gives A Reason To Like It Better

    February 15, 2017 Dan Burger

    It’s crunch time and the IBM i staff is feeling the pressure. It’s time to step up your information retrieval game. In your tool box is the DBU Database Utility. Is this the right tool for your job? It is if your goal is to access data without writing programs. DBU tracks changes (adds and deletes). It also tracks all the views of company data. And it can be accomplished via green-screen, RDi, or Web interfaces.

    The Web interface for DBU Database Utility is called DBU Web. The software, designed and marketed by ProData Computer Services, was introduced in 2010, but last week, a re-engineered version was released.

    The new DBU Web was spawned last fall when ProData delivered DBU RDi with its graphical interface for IBM i developers using Rational Developer for i. The ProData developers realized it would be a welcome upgrade to the 2010 version of DBU Web. And now it is.

    The majority of ProData customers prefer the green-screen interface and feel more comfortable in that environment. However, IBM i modernization projects are introducing more developers to the Rational tools and it’s reasonable to believe DBU RDi and DBU Web will gain some traction because of this.

    DBU Web allows editing, searching, and organizing data on IBM i as well as remotely stored data. With the latest release, it can be launched through Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or other modern browsers.

    It’s easy enough to get started with DBU Web. It can be downloaded from the ProData website and installed on the IBM i along with an additional component called DBU/Server, which can be run on IBM i or on a Microsoft Windows Server.

    DBU/Server is packaged with the core DBU engine, which can be installed via an executable or PTF update. After installing or updating DBU, DBU/Server is started by executing the DBUSVRRST command. In an ideal scenario, the entire process from installation to utilization can be completed in a matter of minutes. Then to access DBU Web, users point a browser to the IP address or domain name of the machine running DBU/Server.

    In the IBM i environment, the DBU/Server job runs under the default job queue on which the DBUSVRRST command is executed. This command starts DBU/Server, which handles all communication between the browser requests and DBU engine. In the Windows environment, DBU/Server is installed as a service on a network-connected Windows machine. This service is started automatically, but can be controlled manually as well. In either case, users point to the IP address or domain name of the machine running DBU/Server to access DBU Web.

    The DBU Web interface offers the functionality and features associated with the traditional DBU green-screen environment. That includes the basic capability to edit field contents, add or delete records, and the display of specific file characteristics. More advanced features–including reactivation of deleted records, a facility to allow complex search functions, and options to export data–are also available.

    There are two search methods: Classic Search and SQL Search. Both methods provide search capabilities similar to the green-screen version of DBU. Both methods allow the user to list and select the fields/columns within the file/table.

    The Classic Search allows users to key search criteria of a field name (or positions in a field) to a value using operations such as Contains, Does Not Contain, Equal To, Not Equal To, Greater Than, Greater Than or Equal To, Not Greater Than, Less Than, Less Than or Equal To, or Not Less Than. The criteria can contain multiple fields joined with AND and OR operators. There are additional options for matching the case, include deleted records, and displaying a subset of records matching the search criteria as well as the number of records to search.

    The SQL Search allows the records to be searched using the SQL WHERE clause syntax.

    There are three options for exporting data: HTML, XML. or CSV files. The choice depends on whether users want to generate a web page of the data, or an XML file to send to a supplier, or a CSV to be used as the base of an Excel spreadsheet.

    Prior to this release of DBU Web, remote database access was only available through the green-screen interface.

    In terms of security, DBU relies on user-profiles and provides audit trails that monitor file modifications.

    DBU Web requires a connection to an IBM i and user profile security on the IBM i is a requirement for defining that connection. User profile also allows system administrators to tailor access based on the needs of one group of users to update data in the files/tables and prevent another group of users from updating that data.

    DBU Audit, an add-on product, provides even more detail on DBU mods.

    Access from IBM i to remote data in MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server is part of the deal. This allows access to any data on any server within the network from the IBM i. This feature can be combined with DBU Audit to track modifications or additions to any database for compliance regulation. The performance and functionality of DBU Web provides quick and easy access to all information about and contained within any of the databases selected.

    DBU/Server is built on the Apache Tomcat Servlet, which gives users a robust foundation with a relatively small footprint, plus speedy startup and shutdown times. The advanced features available in DBU are not sold separately. DBU Web and DBU RDi are priced at $95 per seat on a yearlong subscription basis.

    RELATED STORIES

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    ProData Converts Spool Files to Emails with SPLF2EML

    SQL Protection: Grief Relief from ProData

    ProData Updates DBU and Deleted File Retriever

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    Tags: Tags: DB2, DBU, IBM i, ProData

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    UCG Technologies – Vault400

    Do the Math When Looking at IBM i Hosting for Cost Savings

    COVID-19 has accelerated certain business trends that were already gaining strength prior to the start of the pandemic. E-commerce, telehealth, and video conferencing are some of the most obvious examples. One example that may not be as obvious to the general public but has a profound impact on business is the shift in strategy of IBM i infrastructure from traditional, on-premises environments to some form of remote configuration. These remote configurations and all of their variations are broadly referred to in the community as IBM i hosting.

    “Hosting” in this context can mean different things to different people, and in general, hosting refers to one of two scenarios. In the first scenario, hosting can refer to a client owned machine that is housed in a co-location facility (commonly called a co-lo for short) where the data center provides traditional system administrator services, relieving the client of administrative and operational responsibilities. In the second scenario, hosting can refer to an MSP owned machine in which partition resources are provided to the client in an on-demand capacity. This scenario allows the client to completely outsource all aspects of Power Systems hardware and the IBM i operating system and database.

    The scenario that is best for each business depends on a number of factors and is largely up for debate. In most cases, pursuing hosting purely as a cost saving strategy is a dead end. Furthermore, when you consider all of the costs associated with maintaining and IBM i environment, it is typically not a cost-effective option for the small to midsize market. The most cost-effective approach for these organizations is often a combination of a client owned and maintained system (either on-prem or in a co-lo) with cloud backup and disaster-recovery-as-a-service. Only in some cases of larger enterprise companies can a hosting strategy start to become a potentially cost-effective option.

    However, cost savings is just one part of the story. As IBM i expertise becomes scarce and IT resources run tight, the only option for some firms may be to pursue hosting in some capacity. Whatever the driving force for pursing hosting may be, the key point is that it is not just simply an option for running your workload in a different location. There are many details to consider and it is to the best interest of the client to work with an experienced MSP in weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each option. As COVID-19 rolls on, time will tell if IBM i hosting strategies will follow the other strong business trends of the pandemic.

    When we say do the math in the title above, it literally means that you need to do the math for your particular scenario. It is not about us doing the math for you, making a case for either staying on premises or for moving to the cloud. There is not one answer, but just different levels of cost to be reckoned which yield different answers. Most IBM i shops have fairly static workloads, at least measured against the larger mix of stuff on the public clouds of the world. How do you measure the value of controlling your own IT fate? That will only be fully recognized at the moment when it is sorely missed the most.

    CONTINUE READING ARTICLE

    Please visit ucgtechnologies.com/IBM-POWER9-systems for more information.

    800.211.8798 | info@ucgtechnologies.com

    Article featured in IT Jungle on April 5, 2021

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    Shield Finds Success Through Simplicity With HA4i Why You Should Hire An IBM i Database Engineer

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TFH Volume: 27 Issue: 9

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Table of Contents

  • Why You Should Hire An IBM i Database Engineer
  • Like Your Data Access? ProData Gives A Reason To Like It Better
  • Shield Finds Success Through Simplicity With HA4i
  • Four Hundred Monitor, February 15
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 19, Number 6

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