iModernize - The Profound Logic Software Blog

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry. Let's start it off with some good news for all of us...

Power Systems Shows Growth Again For Big Blue
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

• "The good news is that the Power Systems division of IBM's Systems Group turned in its third consecutive quarter of revenue growth, something that the Power community of customers, resellers, and software developers most certainly want to see."
• "The bad news is that the rising U.S. dollar compared to other foreign currencies means that overseas sales translate into fewer greenbacks when sales are brought back to IBM's New York headquarters, masking that growth."

Source: http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh102615-story01.html

Academic Initiative Lives Up To Its Name
by Dan Burger

• "Skills replacement is something you have to plan for. Reacting to skills lost through retirement or other avenues is a too little, too late scenario."
• "You build a skills pipeline by bringing people into your organization and you move them along through the company. Aiding that effort is the IBM Power System Academic Initiative, which has been making some notable progress lately."

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry. We're starting this week's edition off with an article from one of our own prized developers, Brian May...

Programming Standards: Good, Bad, and Ugly
by Brian May

• "This month, I want to talk about coding standards. The mention of the topic makes some managers and developers all warm and fuzzy and others cringe."
• "Standards have a place. They can add consistency to your code and greatly reduce the time needed to analyze code or research bugs. Naming conventions and application structure should adhere to a standard."
• "Your standards should never limit your developers' creativity. While some may think a developer's job is to write code, they are really there to solve problems. Standards should help developers solve problems, not hinder them."

Source: http://www.mcpressonline.com/rpg/programming-standards-good-bad-and-ugly.html

What JSON on IBM i Can Do For You
by Alex Woodie

• "One of the most compelling new features that IBM added to the DB2 for i database in recent memory is support for JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), which has become the de facto standard interchange format for Web data."
• "Many IBM i developers are beginning to use JavaScript as a front-end scripting language for developing Web and mobile interfaces. While the backend business logic for these apps remain in RPG, Java, PHP, or other language, the front-end is typically written in JavaScript, and quite often the data format it will use is JSON."

Atrium is a browser based menu portal that allows you to reproduce your entire green screen menu and display it as a tree or accordion format. A user can click a menu item which starts a Genie interactive session. Genie then runs a macro which navigates though the green screen menus until it arrives at the target screen. The navigation occurs very quickly, is not visible to the user and is a very effective way to modernize and simplify access to an ERP application running on IBM i.

Recently, we have come across situations where there are multiple companies or divisions within an application. The green screen menus may allow a user to enter a company number or similar which changes the library list, thereby changing the company. A Genie macro is certainly able to detect the company field and populate a company number but there is no built-in method to choose a specific company when running an Atrium menu item. However, this can be accomplished using a little bit of JavaScript code, along with a new Atrium feature that allows you to execute JavaScript code from within a Genie Macro.

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry.

IBM i Tech Refresh Reiterates Database Emphasis
by Dan Burger

• "Whether or not the majority of IBM i shops have an interest in SQL, IBM continues to make database enhancements its top priority as it rolls out new Technology Refreshes for its eponymous Power Systems operating system."
• "On the way to answering that question, let's take a look at the services that will be available when TR11/TR3 becomes available next month."
  • Work with Object Locks (WRKOBJLCK) detail enables application developers and system administrators to capture, understand, and resolve sporadic timing issues.
  • Work with System Status (WRKSYSSTS) detail provides critical systems management insight.
  • Work with Output Queues (WRKOUTQ) detail enables improved systems management solutions.
  • Work with TCP/IP Network Status (NETSTAT) provides the critical information about the system network health.
  • Work with System Activity (WRKSYSACT) details provide critical system activity insight.
  • Work with License Information (WRKLICINF) provide key details on licensing information on the system.
  • Work with Media Library Status (WRKMLBSTS) provides details on the media library status on the system.

You’re reading IBM i Pulse, our weekly bite-sized roundup of the latest headlines in the IBM i industry.

IBM i 7.2 TR3 – PurePower, BRMS Tiers, RPG
by Steve Will

• "IBM announces the Technology Refresh 3 for the IBM i 7.2 release, as well as TR 11 for 7.1. By this time, you will have gotten used to the strategy IBM adopted with the introduction of the 7.1 release in 2010: twice a year, in the spring and fall, we announce new support for the IBM i operating system..."
• "My blog today will discuss a few of the items at a high level. As always, with the high degree of function incorporated into this integrated operating system, the totality of the announcement is too big for one blog or one article..."

Source: http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/You-and-i/October-2015/IBM-i-7-2-TR3-%E2%80%93-PurePower,-BRMS-Tiers,-RPG/

IBM i 7.2 TR3 and 7.1 TR11 Highlights
Dawn May

• "This announcement includes a lot of exciting features that are coming to IBM i and I recommend you read it, in addition to Steve Will’s blog."
• This week, I will review a couple highlights from the announcement. There are two things that I think many of you will find very exciting. They are:
  • Additional IBM i Services
  • IBM i Access Client Solutions is being enhanced to include the SQL Performance Center and Run SQL Scripts