• PHP and the Zend Framework

  July 9, 2008 Erwin Earley

  In a previous series of articles in IT Jungle, I introduced you to the enablement of the PHP language, via Zend Core, on i5/OS and the capabilities that PHP provides for the development and deployment of Web applications integrated with i5/OS objects and DB2 data. (See Related Stories below.) The customer interest in PHP has been high and I receive numerous questions at customer events on its usage of PHP on IBM i. Many people also ask about Zend Framework. What is Zend Framework? Can I use it on i5/OS? How can I integrate the advanced functionality that Zend Framework

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• A Handy SQL Timestamp Function

  July 9, 2008 Hey, Ted

  I have found a great tool for working with timestamp data. I have used it for performance tracking and analyzing data intervals. It’s SQL’s Timestampdiff function, and I think you should tell readers of Four Hundred Guru about it. Timestampdiff returns the difference between two timestamps in the interval of your choice. The first parameter for the timestampdiff function is the interval to use. Valid values for this parameter are:

  In recent articles, I discussed some techniques for preventing your subsystems from restarting after a full system backup; turning off your iSeries, System i, and Power i attention lights; and preparing to add disk drives to your system. After publishing these tips, several readers wrote in with corrections, additions, and stories that flesh out the techniques even further. This week, let’s look at what you had to say and see what additional information we can pick up from them. More On Stopping Your System i From Starting Up After printing a tip on stopping your controlling subsystem from restarting after

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• Vision Solutions Continues HA Evolution with ORION 6.0

  July 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

  Vision Solutions‘ developers have learned a thing or two over the years following the acquisitions of rivals iTera and Lakeview, and that knowledge is on display with ORION 6.0, the newest release of Vision’s enterprise-strength high availability software for IBM i. Now available, ORION 6.0 introduces a new “one button” role swap feature that promises to simplify role swaps, changes to the graphical and 5250 interfaces, as well as performance enhancements that should benefit SAP ERP users. When Vision Solutions acquired iTera and Lakeview Technology in 2006 and 2007, respectively–or more accurately, when Vision’s parent company Thoma Cressey Equity

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• CCSS Addresses MQSeries Monitoring Pain on i OS

  July 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

  Monitoring and managing MQSeries running on the IBM i OS (formerly OS/400) server can be a painful experience. Paul Ratchford, a product manager with i OS systems management software specialist CCSS, has yet to see a third-party MQ Series monitoring tool that runs well on IBM i systems. This is why CCSS’ customers requested the company write an MQSeries solution that doesn’t kill the i server’s performance, which the company did and released this month with QSystem Monitor version 12 release 9. MQSeries (officially known as WebSphereMQ since 2002, but still referred to by its original IBM name by

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• NGS Launches Another BI Product for i OS

  July 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

  New Generation Software recently introduced Decision Assist–Financial Performance, a new business intelligence (BI) product for IBM i (formerly i5/OS). The new product is geared toward helping i OS shops build dashboard interfaces that give decision makers quick access to actionable intelligence harnessed from their general ledger systems. Like NGS’ other Decision Assist offerings, the new Financial Performance variant includes several pre-defined dashboards for frequently accessed reports, including analysis of income, cash flows, and budgets. Decision Assist is a prepackaged collection of BI components from NGS that includes the flagship i5/OS-based NGS-IQ server, a pre-built data mart, Windows-based development tools, browser-based

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• AMB Hooks Data Quality Tool into IBM DataStage

  July 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

  AMB, a developer of data quality tools for i OS and other platforms, recently announced that its InfoPublish data quality tool now supports IBM‘s DataStage and Information Server extract, transformation, and load (ETL) tools. Thanks to AMB’s integration, InfoPublish users can load DB2/400 and DB2 z/OS files directly into IBM’s ETL tools, a process that delivers an extra layer of data cleanliness, the company says. IBM’s DataStage software, which it obtained years ago with its acquisition of Ascential Software, is an enterprise-strength ETL tool often used for building data warehouses, or other activities that require moving and massaging

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• Varsity’s i OS Shipping Software Certified by UPS

  July 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

  Companies that rely on the IBM i operating system and UPS shipping services to move their products have another reason to select Varsity Logistics as their shipping software provider: certification of Varsity as a UPS Select Provider. Varsity Logistics, which was acquired by Constellation Software of Toronto, Ontario, last fall, develops a collection of shipping applications that run only on the IBM i OS. The company’s ShipSoft and transportation management system (TMS) suites automate shipping tasks, such as picking the best carrier, finding the best rate, printing the required documents, and tracking the package to arrival. The software works with

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• DAPREX Taps First Option for Online Paycheck Solution

  July 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

  System i shops that use payroll software from DAPREX now have the option to move paychecks online, thereby eliminating paper-based checks and pay stubs. The solution was developed by DAPREX’s partner, System i outsourcer First Option, and is available now. The new application was written in Java and enables DAPREX payroll users to eliminate the costs associated with paper checks for their employees. The Web-based software allows employees to log on to a secure Web site to view their pay stub information and print pay stubs, as well as to view month-to-date and year-to-date information. DAPREX President Laura Hallick

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• Coming to Grips with Your Digital Landfill

  July 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

  Chances are good that you’re living in a “digital landfill,” with no rhyme or reason in the way you classify and store electronic information. According to a survey conducted by the Association for Information and Image Management, (AIIM) most organizations are failing to live up to the responsibilities of collecting information electronically, nor are they taking advantage of solutions that could help them. AIIM shared some surprising statistics during a recent presentation, titled “What’s In Your Digital Landfill?” According to the Maryland organization, more than 40 percent of organizations have no policy for classifying electronic information as business records,

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