In my previous article, I described how an RPG program as a before trigger, could be used to synchronize two columns in a table. There is an alternative. Instead of using an RPG trigger, we could have used an SQL trigger. An SQL trigger allows us to be more specific about when the trigger is activated and also has the advantage of portability to other database management systems.

The scenario was where a date, stored as a packed numeric column, was to be converted to a proper date field. This was accomplished by duplicating the packed numeric column (and

I love simple solutions to common problems, and boy, have I got a good one for you today! Clever and faithful reader Alan Urtubia recently told me how he turned a report into a CSV file and I was impressed. Alan kindly allowed me to pass this tip along to you.

Alan needed to create a CSV file from a report without modifying the RPG program. He found a method to do so without modifying or recompiling any of the original source code.

To illustrate his technique, let’s begin with a simple report. Here’s the DDS for printer file QAD001P:

Unlike a Windows server that can be rebooted several times a year, an IBM i machine is so reliable that it can run for a year or more without being IPLed. But infrequent IPLs can cause their own problems, as functions that should be restarted after an IPL may not necessarily actually restart after an IPL. That’s where it comes in handy to have an IPL startup kit available.

Why Create An IPL Startup Kit?

Since an IBM i box can go so long between restarts, your system startup routine may not include all the functions that were added to