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April 19, 2017

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Issue Highlights

April 19, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 8

• LEAD ARTICLE: Updating Your RPG Skills

• FEATURED ARTICLE: SQL 101: Tools of the Trade - Installing SQuirreL SQL Client

• NEWS HIGHLIGHT: Surround Technologies Launches Accelerator Version 7.2

• ON-DEMAND WEBCAST: IBM i Resources Retiring?

• FEATURED VIDEO: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes with TLAForms

• EVENT: 2017 Annual Meeting and Exposition May 7-10 | Orlando, Florida

Lead Article - Career

Updating Your RPG Skills

Updating your ILE and RPG skills will not only make you a better IBM i developer, but also make learning new languages easier.

Written by Brian May

My last article discussed learning new languages on IBM i. In that article, I also mentioned that before trying to conquer new languages, we should master our own. If you are not well versed in all that RPG has to offer, this article is meant to guide you toward the topics that every RPG developer needs to learn.

New Generation Software

Query-Web Reporting-OLAP: No time to attend a webinar? We’ve created a 15 minute highlight video just for you. NGS-IQ enables business users to extract, analyze, and share data while you maintain data integrity and security with IBM i. Whether your company uses Query/400 or an expensive BI system, the affordable power and versatility of NGS-IQ will impress you every day. Small shop? Tight budget? Ask about the NGS SDK. Look for NGS at COMMON. Request a FREE trial. www.ngsi.com. 800-824-1220

MC Press Online Bookstore

Introducing the complete guide to building business Web applications! Now programmers of all levels can learn to build Web apps that do real business work. Written by business developers for business developers, Developing Business Applications for the Web bridges the gap between website and business application programming. You'll master the fundamentals of Web development tools and gain all the necessary skills to build Web browser front-end applications that let users interact with business data.

Order your copy today!

MC Press Online Bookstore

Confused About Identity Management? Get expert help in this latest release from MC Press. Author Graham Williamson explains identity management for business people. Business managers and CIOs will learn how to manage today's identity challenges relating to access control, the cloud, consumers, data security, and the Internet of Things. If you are tasked with fitting identity management into your business strategy, then Identity Management: A Business Perspective is the perfect guide for you!

Order your copy today!

Feature Article - Programming

SQL 101: Tools of the Trade - Installing SQuirreL SQL Client

Time to explore another SQL client! SQuirreL was not designed specifically for the IBM i, but it does a fine job, and it’s free!

Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira

The SQuirreL SQL Client is a very interesting piece of software. It’s the brainchild of some very clever Java developers, and it was designed to help us, mere mortals, to connect to any database for which a JDBC connector exists.

MC Resource Centers

IBM i Resources Retiring?

Let’s face it: IBM i experts and RPG programmers are retiring from the workforce. These folks have been managing all areas of your business—often manually and behind the scenes—for decades, everything from IT operations to data and documents to cybersecurity.

Are you prepared to handle their departure?

During this 30-mintue recorded webinar, our panel of IBM i experts—Chuck Losinski, Robin Tatam, Richard Schoen, and Tom Huntington—will outline strategies that allow your company to cope with IBM i skills depletion by adopting these strategies that allow you to get the job done without deep expertise on the OS:

  • Automate IBM i processes
  • Use managed services to help fill the gaps
  • Secure the system against data loss and viruses

IBM i skills depletion is a top concern for IBM i shops around the world. The strategies you discover in this webinar will help you ensure that your system of record—your IBM i—continues to deliver a powerful business advantage, even as staff retires.

 

Watch Now!

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Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: