The CASE operation is common to several programming languages on the IBM i. This includes SQL in DB2 for i, where it is available as the CASE statement for use in conjunction with a SELECT statement, or CASE expression for use in conjunction with the DB2 for i SQL Procedure Language.

If you aren’t familiar with CASE from an SQL perspective, it’s a really effective mechanism to easily handle one or more forms of simple or complex conditional processing within the same SQL statement.

The Two Forms of CASE

There are two forms of CASE: Simple WHEN clause and searched

If every machine attached to the Internet were running a robust operating system like the IBM i, I doubt the malware problem would be nearly as severe as it is. Having said that, I wonder once again, as I do from time to time, why those who use IBM i neglect so many of its wonderful features. Today my thoughts turn to job descriptions.

Before talking about job descriptions, let’s consider for a moment what a job is. Early in my career I acquired the bad habit of referring to a program or group of related programs as a job.

A checklist is a great foundation for performing a complex job. Properly constructed, checklists allow you to quickly perform all necessary tasks to accomplish a goal. This week, I’ll present a skeleton checklist for performing Power i upgrades, listing off universal tasks that must be completed for a successful hardware or software upgrade. Use this checklist as a starting point for your own upgrades, adding specific tasks as needed.

The Skeleton Checklist

The skeleton checklist was created to ensure that whenever my shop undertook a hardware upgrade–whether it was a small upgrade or a complete system replacement–that we didn’t forget