COMMON POWERUp 2025

If you've ever been tasked as a developer with creating complex responses for an internal or external web service, you've likely explored multiple avenues for generating JSON from your IBM i programs. From constructing responses manually in your RPG code, to using various publicly available toolkits like YAJL, RPG NextGen, etc., there are a myriad of ways to create JSON strings with all the requisite curlies, commas, colons, quotes and hard brackets.

If you're on IBM i OS 7.2 or higher, there's yet another avenue you can explore in which you let SQL do all the JSON construction work for you. The biggest benefit of this approach becomes most apparent when your JSON response requires arrays, and especially nested subarrays. Coding such responses can be a bit tedious when done on a record-by-record basis in your program, whereas by using some nifty functions you can can let SQL assemble your JSON response automatically.

In this session we'll review the basics of JSON publishing functions such as JSON_Object, JSON_Array, JSON_ObjectAgg and JSON_ArrayAgg. We'll explore some practical use examples for publishing your business data in JSON, letting SQL do all the dirty work.

IBM i continues to have a loyal base of users running mission-critical applications. Its robustness and stability make it an ideal choice for industries that require high availability and security. However, as the technology landscape evolves and businesses face growing demands for greater flexibility, efficiency, and a better user experience, there is an increasing push to modernize the applications and user interfaces on the IBM i platform.

One of the key driving factors behind this trend is the need to attract younger talent. Younger generations of developers and IT professionals are more familiar with modern technologies like web applications, mobile apps, and cloud platforms.

By transitioning traditional IBM i applications to web-based platforms, businesses can improve accessibility, streamline workflows, and ensure that users can interact with the system from any device, anywhere; for example mobile applications ensure that IBM i systems can support the growing demand for remote work and mobile-first experiences, giving users the flexibility to perform tasks on the go. Finally, leveraging AI-driven enhancements will not only improve automation, but also enable smarter decision-making, predictive analytics, and more personalized user experiences.

Various factors are driving businesses to modernize, and we will explore some of the key market needs and how they can be addressed

Presenters: Marina Schwenk, Shelly Petty, Simon Hutchinson

This fast paced presentation, "the duel", Marina Schwenk and Simon Hutchinson will offer methods and alternatives for the following:

How to find error messages
How to find the joblog for the job that has errored. 
Determine the cause of the error.
Demonstrate various approaches to prevent errors.
Create RPG, CL, & SQL code that is "hardened" to handle issues when they happen.

Shelly Petty will adjudicate the duel & award points to each of the presenters, & at the end of the presentation announce the winner.

We no longer live in a world where we have one system of record that is used for all business functions. IT is an everchanging blend of tools, applications, and platforms. Integration is top of mind for most businesses. If there is one common way to link all these systems, it is an API layer. Your IBM i should speak the language of APIs, both consuming and hosting. In this session, let’s look at the big picture with regards to APIs and IBM i.