• Every IBM i Shop Must Have An API Integration Strategy

  October 6, 2021 Daniel Magid

  I have had several very exciting conversations with IBM i users recently about new technology as they have reached out to Eradani for help in advancing their IBM i applications using APIs. More and more I hear how IBM i pros are learning new things and innovating to transform their IBM systems into examples of leading-edge computing. One of the cool things IBM i users are recognizing is that the value of APIs comes not just from making IBM i data available to other applications and outside users, but also from adding additional function to RPG applications by calling out …

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• Guru: Fall Brings New RPG Features (And So Did Spring!)

  October 4, 2021 Jon Paris

  When I first sat down to write this tip my focus was on introducing you to the new RPG features that were added alongside the latest September Technology Refresh (TR). However, when I tried to reference one of the enhancements from the spring enhancements, I quickly discovered that I had never written those up for the Guru column!

  Oooopppps! As a result, this “tip” will cover all the RPG enhancements added this year, both in the April and September announcements. It will be in two parts. This first part will cover the array-oriented features.

  RPG’s range of array-processing options has …

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• The IBM i And Its RPG Decade Of Crisis

  September 29, 2021 Roger Pence

  Your business desperately needs your IBM i RPG applications to deliver your unique business value to your customers and business partners. RPG programming is a disappearing skill; by 2030 the typical RPG programmer will be 80 years old. Your RPG-dependent business is at risk with the disappearance of RPG programming talent.

  The IBM i runs many businesses today and its RPG applications perform unique and mission-critical processes. These businesses can’t get along without them. Alas, the teams that built these applications are rapidly nearing retirement. There aren’t younger RPG programmers in the pipeline. RPG programming is a disappearing skill. Despite …

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• Fresche Takes On New RPG Development And Modernization With X-Elevate

  September 27, 2021 Timothy Prickett Morgan

  Over the years, Fresche Solutions, the IBM i conglomerate that is focused on development of new applications as well as modernization of existing applications, their interfaces, and their databases, has acquired and built tools that help programmers create Java and PHP programs, or convert RPG applications to Java and PHP. But by its own admission, Fresche did not focus on new RPG application development or the kind of incremental programming that a lot of IBM i shops are doing to gradually modernize their applications, usually through the shift from fixed format RPG to the free form RPG that is similar …

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• Guru: Alternate SQL Row-Selection Criteria Revisited Revisited

  September 27, 2021 Ted Holt

  I am not a “do as I say and not as I do” kind of person. After I wrote the article Guru: Alternate SQL Row-Selection Criteria Revisited, I got serious about using dynamic SQL in my RPG programs instead of enabling and disabling logical expressions in the WHERE clause. I’m reliving the days when OPNQRYF was my best friend, trying to make apostrophes play nice with string concatenation.

  Overall, I’m happy with the change. When I have converted the switch-laden version to dynamic SQL, I have seen a noticeable performance improvement in some cases, and at least a slight …

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• Transferring Low Code Benefits Into The IBM i

  September 22, 2021 Eugene King

  As with fashion, there are trends in the IT industry and history tends to repeat itself in several exciting ways.  Development languages come into fashion, run their course, and then become obsolete. Then, they may be revamped with the addition of new criteria and frameworks. IBM i development also follows these same trends.

  The low-code movement is not new but another iteration on traditional programming. Let’s do a brief history review.

  At first, computer programming involved specific machine code associated with a particular processor architecture.  Eventually, the language was slightly abstracted to facilitate second-generation assembler code, which was partially portable …

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• Guru: RDi 9.6, Part 11 – New Features for Experienced RDi Users

  September 20, 2021 Susan Gantner

  Just when you thought my multi-part series on V9.6 of RDi was surely finished, it’s back! It seems like the song that never ends. Happily, though, since more new features have been added to RDi, many of which are the direct result of RFEs (a.k.a. Requests for Enhancement) from RDi users like you and me.

  We’ve waited longer than usual for release 9.6.0.11, but it’s available now. I’ll cover the enhancements in this release in a couple of tips. This first tip will target mostly experienced RDi users. The next one will focus on some of the enhancements to ease …

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• The IBM i Job Environment, It’s a Changin’

  September 15, 2021 Alex Woodie

  The IBM i job market ain’t what it used to be. Change is a constant in this world, but the rate of professional change during the current pandemic is of particular interest at the moment. From new technologies and enlarging salary requirements to work-from-home and pending retirements, you could say we’re experiencing a period of punctuated equilibrium when it comes to working in the IBM i ecosystem.

  Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies across many industries have adopted work-from-home mandates. IBM i shops, like all others who can, have moved strongly in that direction. Many have still not …

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• Thoroughly Modern: Making The Case For Code And Database Transformation

  September 13, 2021 Robert Arce

  The last 18 months, we have seen many companies shift their IT plans and prioritize digital transformation around internal and external access to their systems. Some had started their modernization efforts which made the transition easier while many others who thought they had plenty of time had a rude awakening. So many ways of doing business have changed – and they have changed forever. In the face of such rapid changes, companies have realized that IBM i modernization is inevitable.

  

  Simply put, it is about figuring out:

  • How to enhance an application by applying best practices, creating resilient code and

  …

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• Modernize Your IBM i Using Other People’s Code

  September 8, 2021 Daniel Magid

  IBM i users are moving their applications to the leading edge quickly by connecting their RPG and COBOL code to the exploding number of publicly available APIs. In just the last few months here at Eradani, we have worked with customers who are providing the latest in shopping experiences by connecting their applications to Shopify, Wix, and Amazon. We have helped customers automate logistics and provide real time shipping information using APIs from UPS, USPS, Project44, Shipengine, and many others. Some of our finance industry companies are using APIs to get vehicle information and property information for loan documents and …

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