• Compliance Leads Small Shops To Online Backup

  August 10, 2015 Dan Burger

  Small IBM i shops often wrestle with the same demons and dragons as enterprise-class businesses. The rules are the same and size does not matter when the opponent is regulatory compliance and privacy laws. There’s no leniency when it comes to data security. Because of this, many small shops are examining their tape backup policies, often devised with no thought toward security, and taking a look at online backup options. Data protection comes down to getting the data encrypted and then stored at an off-site, secure location. Without a mandate to protect the personal information collected, data handling would not

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• An Introduction To Processing XML With RPG, Part 1: The Basics

  August 4, 2015 Jon Paris

  Note: The code accompanying this article is available for download here. RPG IV’s built-in XML support has been available for some time now, having been originally introduced with V5R4 back in 2006. Due to deficiencies in that release, many RPG’ers chose not to use RPG to process XML. Fortunately, IBM has corrected those deficiencies, and RPG provides a smart way to read XML. Here’s how it’s done. In that first release, the most powerful of the op codes, XML-INTO, had some gaps in its support that sometimes made it difficult to use without pre-processing the XML. In addition, the

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• Where Do Library Lists Reside?

  August 4, 2015 Ted Holt

  I often sit and ponder the mysteries of life. For example, why do some people use C to write business applications? Why does the text of message SQL6789 end in a period instead of a question mark? And, recently, why do people circumvent powerful features of the robust IBM i operating system? Let me show you what I mean. The circumvented feature that is on my mind at present is the library list. In case you’re new to the IBM i world, the library list is a list of libraries that the system searches when looking for an object. It’s

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• Know Your PTF Group Level Currency In 30 Seconds Or Less!

  August 4, 2015 Larry Bolhuis

  The IBM i is one of the easiest to maintain operating systems going. A big part of that is because IBM provides the hardware, operating system, and updates. Clearly the number of permutations are reduced dramatically. In addition, some problematic areas, such as video drivers, simply don’t exist in IBM i. So that’s it then, no need to update because we live in Utopia, right? Well, not so fast! Just because IBM provides all the pieces doesn’t mean they are either perfect or complete. Besides, there are many components and these are constantly being updated. Two examples are node.js and

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• IBM i Strategist Sets Priorities, Balances Resources

  July 27, 2015 Dan Burger

  IBM is a company with a boatload of resources. How those resources are applied to its large and prosperous IBM i market segment is a topic that we like to discuss from the perspective of you can’t do enough for IBM i and, by the way, we think you are doing too little. Chief architect for IBM i, Steve Will, bristles at the accusation. IBM i strategy is his domain. Resource allocation is his tight rope to walk. One of those resources is of the human variety. People and teams that take the ideas and turn them into innovations that

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• Keeping Up With Security Threats To IBM i

  July 27, 2015 Alex Woodie

  When it comes to security, the IBM i server is a different beast, as you well know. It’s not subject to the same sorts of malware attacks that afflict Windows, Linux, and Unix systems. But thanks to its unique architecture, it has its own peccadillos when it comes to security, and understanding those strengths and weaknesses is critical for keeping up with security on the platform. A new tool from Skyview Partners should ease the work. In most organizations, the IBM i server runs the application of record, and as such stores the organization’s most vital data. This fact, in

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• Strong Dollar Hurts Power Systems Sales In Q2

  July 27, 2015 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  It is a story that every big multinational public organization is telling as they reveal their financial results for the second quarter of the year. Economic uncertainty in parts of Europe, South America, and Asia have pushed up the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the other currencies, which is great if you are an American traveling. But if you are an American corporation bringing a big chunk of your overseas sales back home for financial reporting, it is not so much fun. Such is the case with IBM‘s Power Systems line during the quarter ended in June,

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• Mad Dog 21/21: If It Ducks Like A Quack, Part 2

  July 27, 2015 Hesh Wiener

  A century ago, Thomas J. Watson’s IBM prohibited employees from drinking alcohol, even in off hours. Yet IBM was hardly alone in its penchant for probity. In 1920, America amended its Constitution to usher in Prohibition. But there was an unintended consequence: organized crime, fueled by the booze biz, metathesized. Times have changed dramatically, and now it is easier to buy dope in Denver than insulin in Ithaca. And IBM, yclept Dr. Watson, an Aesculapian bean-counter enlightened by AI, is injecting itself into medicine. As the temperance folk asked after banishing demon rum, “What could go wrong?”

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• Legacy ERP Conversion Under Way At Dietz & Watson

  July 27, 2015 Dan Burger

  Legacy ERP Conversion Under Way At Dietz & Watson When an ERP system becomes a drag on business efficiency, it’s time to make a change. Inefficiencies increase costs and get in the way of expanding production and customer bases. An ERP system, particularly those that are 20-something years old and of the home-grown variety, are seldom equipped for modern business demands. What’s the strategy for companies facing this dilemma? Keeping a lid on costs and disruption are priorities and understanding what works for your company cannot be sacrificed for a one-size-fits-all solution. Dietz & Watson has taken that step. The

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• Object Dependency Tracking In DB2 For i

  July 21, 2015 Michael Sansoterra

  The DB2 for i catalog tables and views present a plethora of valuable information about the various SQL objects defined on your system and their relationship to one another. In this tip, I discuss the dependency tracking views. If you ever wanted to make changes to one of your application’s primary SQL objects (such as a table, view or procedure) but feared the unknown (what related objects are affected?), then it’s time to investigate these special catalog views. What Are The Dependency Catalog Views? The “dependency” catalog views under consideration are: SYSROUTINEDEP–Records the objects used by stored procedures and

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