COMMON POWERUp 2025: Full Schedule

Unlock the Power of IBM i at POWERUp 2025!

Join us in Disneyland, California, for POWERUp 2025, the premier conference for IBM i professionals. Whether you’re an experienced expert or just starting your IBM i journey, this event offers unparalleled education, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities. Stay ahead of the curve with insights from industry leaders, explore the latest innovations, and connect with a thriving community that shares your passion for IBM i. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge, grow your skills, and power up your career!

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8:00am PDT

Fresche Group Placeholder

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 3

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 3 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

8:00am PDT

IBM Placeholder

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 1

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 1 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

8:00am PDT

Let's explore watsonx!

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 7

You've probably heard a bit about watsonx lately. Between watsonx.ai, watsonx.governance, and watsonx.data, there's a full suite of tooling to deploy and manage AI workloads. In this session, get an introductory peek at what the toolsets look like, and explore how they might be used for your organization

Speakers

Jesse Gorzinski

STSM and Senior Business Architect - AI and Open Source, IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 7 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

8:00am PDT

Optimize Code Review through Automation, DevOps Style

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 10

Peer code review has great benefits but is often not fully formalized because it can be labor intensive. Often due to limited resources peer code review is limited to more complex changes. DevOps promises automation to reduce the overhead but how can it work on the IBM i? This session will discuss automation at a high level and dig deeper into the tools available for peer review, open source and otherwise, that can be used on IBM i source. We'll cover the use at the developer level with linting where the code can be previewed and at the workflow process level where it is automated. The automation tools discussed will be pull/merge requests and pipeline tools like SonarCube etc. We will also cover the limitations of IDEs and tools and how that impacts automation.

Speakers

Jeff Tickner

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 10 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

DevOps

8:00am PDT

PowerHA for Cloud and Hybrid-Cloud (Geographic Mirroring)

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 2

Geographic mirroring is a PowerHA hardware replication technology that provides a complete high availability solution for IBM i working with any type of storage, enabling the simplicity of hardware replication with the flexibility of cloud and hybrid-cloud environments. In addition, if simple real-time disaster recovery meets your needs, Geographic mirroring can also be used in an IBM i-hosted environment for a very easy-to-implement DR solution.

This session will explain the concepts of geographic mirroring, as well as best practices and sizing considerations. We will walk through a complete configuration of a geographic mirroring environment.

This session will cover recently released technologies for geographic mirroring including compression, multi-target geographic mirroring. In addition, other recently announced PowerHA Cloud technologies in IBM Power Virtual Server will be discussed.

Speakers

Brian Nordland

Director of Development, Fortra

In addition to his role as Director of Development for Power Development at Fortra, Brian Nordland serves as the technical product manager for PowerHA and Robot HA. Brian has spoken at events, webinars, and user groups—including COMMON—since 2014. He is a co-inventor on multiple... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 2 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

High Availability Resilience

8:00am PDT

Preparing Your IBM i for the Next Generation

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 12

A critical challenge facing IBM i organizations today is attracting and retaining next-generation talent while preserving the deep expertise that makes our platform great. In this session, we'll explore how modern development tools, practices, and cultural changes can make your IBM i environment attractive to new developers without alienating experienced team members. We'll discuss real-world success stories of organizations that have successfully bridged this gap, and provide practical strategies for implementing change while maintaining stability.

Speakers

Mike Samboy

Chief Commercial Officer, Eradani

IBM i integrations, APIs, DevOps

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 12 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

IT Strategy

8:00am PDT

Processing JSON with DB2 and RPG

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 6

IBM has enhanced DB2's capabilities for managing JSON objects, simplifying data handling. This session provides "Tips and Tricks" for mastering JSON data, starting with an introduction to the new HTTP functions in DB2 and their synergy with JSON_TABLE. Jim will demonstrate the practical use of QSYS2.HTTP_GET and JSON_TABLE to fetch and process JSON from APIs. Many find it challenging to construct the correct SQL/JSON path expressions to convert JSON into relational data. Through detailed, actionable examples, Jim will clarify this process, improving your proficiency with DB2's JSON features.

Speakers

Jim Buck

CEO & Head Instructor, imPower Technologies

Jim Buck’s career in IT has spanned more than 35+ years, primarily in college education, manufacturing, and healthcare industries. Past president (13 years) of the Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association (www.wmcpa.org) and has served on several teams developing IBM... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 6 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

8:00am PDT

The basics of moving from fixed format RPG to complete free form RPG.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 9

Fixed format is still a heavily used code base and many developers need to be able to at least read it. But, what if you were able to read it and translate that into complete free form RPG? we will look at how to read fixed form RPG and give you the skills to actually translate into a more modern RPG.

Speakers

Marina Schwenk

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 9 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: RPG

8:00am PDT

IBM Storage Resiliency Solutions for IBM i

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 11

Learn the latest on IBM storage resiliency solutions with IBM i and Technology experts labs integrate these solutions with IBM i. This session will include the new DS8000 Global-Global Mirror solutions and the latest FlashSystems deliverables of Policy based HA and 3 site solutions for IBM i. the session will also cover how the solutions can be used for migrating storage while active for both IBM storage solutions.

Speakers

Selwyn Dickey

IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 11 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Storage Technologies

8:00am PDT

Hidden Gems

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 5

Every few months the IBM i development team delivers new updates and features across the operating system. Keeping track and actually using these changes can be a difficult task at best. This session is the favorite new enhancements from a team of IBM i developers. You get to hear each of our favorite updates to the OS that have been delivered over the past bit. This session is new every time, often lots of fun and for sure there is something for everyone.

Speakers

Tim Rowe

STSM - IBM i Business Architect, IBM

Tim Rowe is the Business Architect responsible for Application Development and Systems Management for the IBM i operating system. His responsibilities include helping to make sure that the IBM i has what is needed to be successful both today and into the future. He sends much of his... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 5 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management

8:00am PDT

IBM i Console Best Practices

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 13

The IBM i restricted state (DSP01) Console environment is an oft neglected part of System Administration/Management. Many things allow systems to run months or even years with out needing to connect this system Console. Then, when it is absolutely necessary to have this level of access for a system upgrade, hardware replacement, etc and the environment isn't correctly configured or is completely unknown significant delays are likely increasing a system outage.

In this session we will go over the configuration and usage best practices for both the HMC and LAN Console environments.

Speakers

Wayne Bowers

Software Engineer, IBM

Wayne Bowers has been with IBM since 1997, where he works with the IBM i Global Support Center in Rochester MN. He is an Advisory Software Engineer specializing in the support of the IBM i Access (aka Client Access) products, Console, the TCP Telnet communications server, and the... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 13 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management

8:00am PDT

Best Practices for the IBM i Security Administrator

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 10:15am PDT

Room 8

Know you should be managing your IBM i Security implementation but don’t know where to start or what all needs to be checked? This session will provide you with a checklist of the areas of the operating system that should be checked on a regular basis. Carol and Steve will explain why it’s important to perform these checks along with the risks of not maintaining your security configuration. The Run SQL Script file used during the demo will be provided with the handouts.

Speakers

Carol Woodbury

IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor, Kisco Systems

With over 30 years' experience in the area of IT security, Carol is known world-wide as an expert in the area of computer security. During her career, Carol has architected security solutions for Fortune 100 companies as well as small and medium-sized organizations. Carol is passionate... Read More →

Steve Riedmueller

Certified IBM i Admin - IBM Champion, Speaker, Mentor, and Advocate, Kisco

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 10:15am PDT
Room 8 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Security

8:00am PDT

Take Control of Your IBM i Prestart Server Jobs

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 10:15am PDT

Room 4

Prestart server jobs are used to handle requests from clients in the network. There are many uses of prestart jobs on IBM i, the most common is the database server. Prestart jobs present many challenges for how to understand what is happening on the system, what work requests these jobs are handling, and generally how to manage them. This session will review all the key characteristics of prestart jobs, provide many tips to better understand what is happening on your system, and review how you can use subsystem configuration to better manage your prestart jobs.

Speakers

Dawn May

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00am - 10:15am PDT
Room 4 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Technologies Integrated with IBM i

9:15am PDT

Elevate your SQL Capabilities with Lateral Joins, Pivots, and Window Functions

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 7

Take your SQL skills to the next level with this session on Lateral joins, Window functions, and Pivoting. Discover how LATERAL joins simplify complex queries, learn new insights with Window Functions, and master the art of pivoting data for dynamic reporting. Whether you're an SQL pro or beginner, join us to unlock the full potential of these powerful tools and techniques (and get free code).

Speakers

Mike Zaringhalam

Developer, PC Richard & Son

Have you ever wanted to meet someone who started Hawaiian Shirt Fridays at their work place? If the answer is 'Yes!', then feel free to reach out with any questions you have regarding Hawaiian shirts... Or IBM i related topics. My main focuses are RDi, DB2, Modernization, and D... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 7 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

9:15am PDT

Run Away Queries Got You Down

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 5

Having negative performance impacts from query tools like Query/400, QMF, Showcase, Tableau and others because of the "query from heck" eating up system resources? Is your system open to security exposures from wide-open ODBC type connections? This session will cover options including using the new-ish Db2 Query Supervisor to control and/or audit long-running queries.

Speakers

John Westcott

Db2 for i Consultant and Team Lead, IBM

John Westcott is the Db2 for i Team Lead in IBM Technology Expert Labs. John is highyly skilled in SQL, RPG, Data Analytics, Rest API, and both database and application modernization. John has over 35 years of experience on IBM i and it's past family of names. John has a storied career... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 5 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

9:15am PDT

Are you a Sail or an Anchor?

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 9

Throughout your career you will be placed into many situations. You will work with peers, subordinates and superiors. You will work with vendors and customers. You will work with those inside and outside of Information Technology. All of those people will form an opinion of you. What will it be?

Each time you meet a challenge, each time you are asked for your opinion, each time you will provide input. In what manner will you respond?

At the end of the day, will people think of you as a Sail or an Anchor?

Speakers

Larry Bolhuis

Cloud and Datacenter Engineer, IBM Champion, Service Express Inc.

Larry has grown up with computers since his father became a CE in 1967. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Calvin College in 1982 and soon after began working on IBM midrange equipment with the S/34 and S/36. Larry began working on the As/400 at its introduction In 1988.After spending many years as a developer Larry began working on communications, networking, and systems management tasks. Years of... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 9 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Developing Business Skills

9:15am PDT

IBM Power Virtual Server for an IBM i Customer

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 10

IBM Power Virtual Server (PowerVS) provides a simple and straightforward solution for infrastructure modernization, while delivering the benefits of a hybrid cloud architecture. It provides a seamless and fast cloud transition for IBM Power workloads since there is no need to change architectures. A customer has access to additional application and data services as well as high availability and disaster recovery. 2024 saw many enhancements for IBM i customers such as better pricing, increased volume support, and Virtual Serial Numbers (VSN). Leading businesses worldwide use IBM Power Virtual Server for their production, development and HA/DR operations, so attend this session to hear the latest and greatest about IBM PowerVS for an IBM i customer.

Speakers

Dan Sundt

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 10 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Hardware

9:15am PDT

Integrated File System Security Principles and Practices

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 2

Does IBM i Integrated File System security confuse you? Want to learn more about file system security? If so, come to this session and learn the principles and best practices of securing your file systems. This session will cover more than just setting permissions (authority) on your objects. Other topics include virus scanning, controlling remote access, object auditing, and more. Latest updates to file system security will be included.

Speakers

Justin Nelson

Staff Software Engineer, IBM

I work on the integrated file system for the IBM i (aka AS400).

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 2 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Integrated File System (IFS)

9:15am PDT

IBM i Client Innovation Stories

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 12

IBM i clients around the world in industries such as retail, distribution, consumer products, and more spent another year in 2024 innovating on the platform. These clients found new ways to modernize with open source technologies, automate routine tasks to increase productivity, optimize business processes in the cloud, and more. Join this session with Brandon Pederson, IBM i and Power Product Marketing Manager, and Steve Will, IBM i Chief Technology Officer, to hear the latest client success stories from this past year. You'll leave this session with new ideas for your business and fresh ways on how to innovate with the platform.

Speakers

Steve Will

IBM i CTO & Chief Architect, IBM

Steve is the CTO and Chief Architect for the IBM i Operating System. Spending the past fourteen years of his IBM career in this position, he has become an award-winning speaker, author of the influential blog "You and i," (https://bit.ly/You-and-i-blog) and is one of the most sought-after voices at customer briefings and events. Steve has worked on IBM i and its predecessors since before the creation of the AS/400, and is currently responsible for setting the strategy of the IBM i operating system, as well as deciding which enhancements will be implemented. In his role, he talks to clients and pa... Read More →

Brandon Pederson

IBM i and Power Product Marketing Manager, IBM

Brandon Pederson is the Product Marketing Manager for IBM i and Modernization within the IBM Power business. Prior to this role, Brandon was Content Marketing Manager for IBM WebSphere and Content and Community Manager for IBM Power. He has a degree in Marketing from Concordia University... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 12 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

IT Leadership & Management

9:15am PDT

Git Concepts I Wish I Knew Years Ago

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 6

Join us for a deep dive into Git concepts you probably did not know about! Whether you only know the basics of Git or have been using it for years, we will uncover useful tips and tricks that will not only help you appreciate the power of Git but also improve your day-to-day workflow.

Speakers

Sanjula Ganepola

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 6 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programmer Tools

9:15am PDT

Technical Debt: It's Wise to Decustomize

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 13

One of the riskiest and potentially destructive forms of Technical Debt involves the customization of source code in licensed third party applications. Back in the day, we called them "mods" - all those little customizations to vendor supplied RPG and CL programs to cater to user requests. Eventually, they can cripple your line of business applications and your ability to keep them at supported levels. Join us as we explore methods to use better programming practice to reduce if not completely eliminate mods, while still being able to provide the value adds your business needs.

Speakers

Chris Burns

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 13 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programmer Tools

9:15am PDT

Security as a developer, why should I care?

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 1

Security is the hottest topic in today's society and yet many developers don't have it in the forefront of their minds. We will look at todays trend, risks and why you as a developer should develop with security in mind.

Speakers

Marina Schwenk

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 1 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

9:15am PDT

Web Services: A RESTful introduction

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 3

We'll introduce the basics of web services, with a focus on HTTP, JSON, and RESTful principles. This session focuses on the basic principles and architecture of web services, and will also have some examples of how to consume and provide web services from IBM i.

Speakers

Patrick Behr

Software Developer / Architect, Seiden Group

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 3 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

9:15am PDT

Backup to the Cloud with IBM Cloud Storage Solutions for i

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 11

You can use Cloud Storage Solutions to store IBM i files securely in the cloud, eliminating the need for tape drives, tape cartridges, and courier services for off-site storage. ICC should also be a core part of your Hybrid Strategy. When your IBM i LPAR is already on the cloud, the only backup medium available is cloud storage! You can use Backup, Recovery, and Media Services (BRMS) for i with Cloud Storage Solutions to transfer virtual save media to and from the cloud. This session will cover backups of Cloud LPARs, and also the use of ICC to simplify your on-prem to Cloud hybrid strategy.

Speakers

Hrithik Govardhan

Software Lead, Rocket Software

Long time Rocketeer working in the Security/MFA/Cloud spaces on Power and Z.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 11 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Storage Technologies

10:45am PDT

IBM Placeholder

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 1

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 1 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

10:45am PDT

Build a Watson AI Chatbot from Db2

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 7

One of the many features of the IBM WatsonX suite is WatsonX assistant, an interactive, AI-powered chatbot. This session will not only show you how to build your own intelligent chatbot, but also how to integrate this chatbot into Db2 data! This integration will even showcase how you can easily deploy a simple REST server running on IBM i which will be powered by Mapepire, the new open-source and cloud-friendly IBM i database access layer that was built with simplicity and performance in-mind.

Speakers

Sanjula Ganepola

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 7 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

10:45am PDT

API Enable Your Database

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 5

How important is delivering business data to your users and customers? I’d bet it’s among the top concerns of any development effort. How do you deliver data in the modern world? Rest API are one of the most common methods. We’ll explore, though live demos, how to expose data in a safe and secure manner using Integrated Web Services (IWS). Our focus will be on directly leveraging the DATBASE with SQL, not using RPG or Service program.

Speakers

John Westcott

Db2 for i Consultant and Team Lead, IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 5 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

10:45am PDT

Inject more security into Db2 for i

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 3

In this new session, Scott will explore the many ways that “bad actors” can attempt to subvert the security on IBM i. Whether the topic is protecting against SQL Injection, closing doors to acquiring elevated privileges, or attempting to discover unprotected objects, this session will include techniques for evaluation and protection of your IBM i. Attend this session to take a big step towards discovering and eliminating attack vectors within Db2 for i!

Speakers

Scott Forstie

STSM, Db2 for i Architect, IBM

Scott Forstie is a Senior Technical Staff Member within IBM i development and spends most of his time working as the Db2 for i Architect. He has worked on IBM operating system development since joining IBM in 1989.Scott is a frequently published author, speaker at industry events... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 3 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

10:45am PDT

A customer's journey: From Legacy to WOW!

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 4

We’ve all heard the saying: Don’t be afraid of change - be afraid of not changing. But let’s be honest - change is hard. Whether it’s outdated technology, entrenched processes, or resistance from within, modernization can feel like an uphill battle. Does it frustrate you when your applications are labeled legacy? You're not alone. This session is a real-world case study of how one retailer navigated the journey to modern application development using IBM technologies, including Power, IBM i, Ansible, and more. Along the way, they didn’t just modernize their apps—they transformed how IT is perceived within the company. IT is in a prime position to drive meaningful change. But how do you start? How do you overcome resistance and build excitement? In this session, you’ll learn practical strategies to shift mindsets, gain leadership buy-in, and turn legacy into WOW!

Speakers

Steve Wolk

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Steven Wolk is the Chief Technology Officer for PC Richard & Son, a family owned and operated chain of 66 appliance and electronics superstores located throughout NY, NJ, CT, and PA. Founded in 1909, PC Richard has always been known for honesty, integrity, and reliability throughout... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 4 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Developing Business Skills

10:45am PDT

Integrated File System: Real Life

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 2

The Integrated File System has become more integrated into everyday processing for many customers over the years each with unique environments and specialized workloads. This session will discuss real life scenarios of file system usage and some common problems experienced by customers.

Speakers

Justin Nelson

Staff Software Engineer, IBM

I work on the integrated file system for the IBM i (aka AS400).

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 2 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Integrated File System (IFS)

10:45am PDT

SQL Error Logging Facility (SELF)

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 12

Have you ever been faced with “strange” SQL Errors or SQL Errors that were not trapped but simply ignored? How to find those problems?
SQL Performance Monitors can help, at least if you know where to start, i.e. which job, which program caused the problems. But SQL Performance Monitors come with significant overheads, just by gathering everything.
SELF is an additional tool for finding understanding and fixing SQL Errors and Warnings. SELF can be started without modifying any programs and can safely run in production.
This session will show what are the components of SELF and how to use them.

Speakers

Birgitta Hauser

Database and Software Architect, IBM Champion, Birgitta Hauser - Modernization - Education - Consulting

Birgitta Hauser worked on the IBM i and its predecessors since 1992. She graduated with a business economics diploma, and started programming on the AS/400 in 1992. She worked and works as traditional RPG Programmer but also as Database and Software Engineer, focusing on IBM i application... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 12 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

10:45am PDT

SQL for the RPG Programmer “How To”: Working with SQL Services

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 9

SQL is THE recommended interface from applications into your data. This session focuses on how using SQL services extends what you can do in these application.

Speakers

Vern Hamberg

Senior iSeries Developer, OneMain Financial

Vern has worked on IBM midrange systems for over 30 years, beginning with the System/38 and AS/400. At present he is a Senior iSeries Developer at OneMain Financial. He serves on the COMMON Strategic Education Team (SET), is one of the SMEs for Db2, and has served on the COMMON Americas... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 9 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: RPG

10:45am PDT

Building a Successful IFS Security Strategy

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 8

Ask any security professional which area of IBM i security is most often ignored and chances are the unanimous response is a chorus of “the Integrated File System."

Many organizations are either unaware of the risks that an unsecured IFS poses or are simply unsure of how to secure it. Regardless of the reason, this is a problem. The system interface doesn’t differentiate how a user profile accesses data – which leaves sensitive data exposed and vulnerable to manipulation, malware, and even theft.

Speakers

Sandi Moore

Sr. Solutions Engineer, Fortra LLC

Sandi has been working with Fortra customers for over 20 years supporting systems monitoring and security software. With experience on IBM i, AIX, and Linux, she has been involved in product demonstrations, implementation, support, training, research, and product testing. Sandi is... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 8 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Security

10:45am PDT

Tape vs red-hot power hogs

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 11

The higher power needs of data centers drives more focus to efficient storage. Tape for cold archive data meets that need. Tape’s low power requirements, sustainability characteristics and security capabilities are growing the tape industry.
This presentation describes the latest tape technology, illustrates the modernization of archive solutions – especially ease-of-attachment – and explores how tape plugs into the growing AI industry.

Speakers

Christine Teale

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 11 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Storage Technologies

10:45am PDT

DR Planning & Testing - Ensure your Recovery Works in a Disaster 

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 6

Do you have a disaster recovery plan? Are you really prepared? The difference in surviving depends on how well you prepare for the unexpected. This session breaks down the components of disaster recovery planning as it relates to the availability and recovery of your systems in Cloud and On-premise . Testing your plan is essential examining critical points of failure, assumptions, and technical gaps.

Speakers

Richard Dolewski

VP, Enterprise Solutions, Connectria

Richard is a recognized SME and award-winning industry speaker specializing in, Cloud Computing Architecture, Business Resiliency, Disaster Recovery Planning and Backup & Recovery Program Design. He leads organizations through the new era of technology, achieving the desired, successful... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 6 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management

10:45am PDT

Everything You Need to Know about the Administration Runtime Expert

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 10

Business-critical applications must be up and running reliably without failure. When something unexpected occurs, you must identify the cause and correct it quickly. The relentless push to do more with less is only going to intensify while the tolerance for failure keeps dropping. Yet identifying points of failure can be tricky as complexities scale.

The IBM Administration Runtime Expert for i (ARE) can be used to define attributes of a healthy environment and use those defined attributes to validate that the environment is as expected.

This session will everything you need to know to get started with ARE:
- Overview of what ARE is and example use cases
- Creating and editing templates
- Setting up system groups, verification options, and verifying systems
- Understanding the reports

Speakers

Dawn May

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 10 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management

10:45am PDT

How healthy is your IBM i?

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Room 13

Abstract: In this presentation Steve shares some quick and simple tricks and tips to check your server is healthy and working at its optimum level. This presentation gives you a practical list of tasks that you will be able to use with all your IBM i Servers to keep them running at their best. We will cover a wide range of topics, some technical, some practical, all of which are free of charge.

Speakers

Steve Bradshaw

Friendly Techie, Rowton IT Solutions Ltd

I've worked in the IBM Business Partner world for over thirty years now and despite IBM's best attempts I still love them ;-)In 2008 I set up my practice (Rowton) and now spend my time supporting clients or designing new IT solutions using a combination of Power servers, Intel and... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Room 13 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management

3:45pm PDT

IBM Placeholder

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 1

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 1 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

3:45pm PDT

DIY AI: Small Language Models at Your Fingertips

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 12

Dive into the exciting world of small language models and learn how to bring their power right to your personal computer.

Speakers

Charlie Guarino

CEO & IBM Champion, Central Park Data Systems

Charles Guarino believes in the “power” of IBM Power Systems. His career reflects his dedication and interest in bringing the platform and its solutions to others and as a result has been recognized as an IBM Champion.He is a member of COMMON’s Speaker Excellence Hall of Fame... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 12 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3:45pm PDT

ACS Deployment Guide

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 13

IBM i Access Client Solutions is a key tool for your PC workstation's connecting to the IBM i, but as a platform independent Java based solution it's deployment the aforementioned PCs it quite unique.

Come and follow along as Wayne, IBM i ACS Support Team Lead, presents a step by step approach to Deploying ACS into your environment.

Speakers

Wayne Bowers

Software Engineer, IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 13 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Client Connectivity

3:45pm PDT

Stepping through SQL Performance

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 5

Every SQL statement has a predefined steps that it must go through before it can complete you data base requests. Each step taken can positively or negatively impact SQL performance - especially on transactional applications that are running the same set of SQL statements over and over again. This session will explain each step needed to run an SQL statement and the structures that Db2 creates that can impact performance. In addition, this session will review application design and settings that can impact the performance of the required steps.

Speakers

Kent Milligan

Senior Db2 for i Consultant, IBM

Kent Milligan is a Senior Db2 for i Consultant in IBM Technology Expert Labs. Kent has over 25 years of experience as a Db2 for IBM i consultant and developer working out of the IBM Rochester lab. Prior to re-joining the Db2 for i Expert Labs practice in 2020, Kent spent 5 years... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 5 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

3:45pm PDT

Everything they never taught you!

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 3

Ok, maybe we're setting the bar a little high by saying EVERYTHING, but did you ever feel like all the people around you seem to just KNOW things, things you don't? Sure, you're a wiz with SQL, and no one codes RPG like you do, but when it comes to people skills, to working in teams, to communicating well, to building your career... Well, they never taught you THAT! Come to this session to learn everything you've been missing out on.

Speakers

Steve Wolk

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 3 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Developing Business Skills

3:45pm PDT

Upgrading IBMi inside PowerVS

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 10

Have you considered or even already moved your IBMi workloads to PowerVS but wonder how move forward with future OS releases? Learn the tips and techniques of performing upgrades once inside PowerVS compared to traditional approaches. In this session, we will also learn about new features or enhancements for IBMi to come to PowerVS.

Speakers

Michael Miller

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 10 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Hardware

3:45pm PDT

DB2 Mirror -  Logistics for 400K trucks -  Driving Business Outcomes    

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 7

  

The logistics company generates over 3.2M downloads to equip over 400,000  trucks 7 x 24 with all the AI features they need for their workday.  Near zero downtime was the only way to keep the fleets connected and moving. This CASE Study will present through the eyes of the customer a roadmap:  IBM lab DB2 Assessment, building a reference architecture, implementation, testing failover and day to day management for DB2 Mirror.

Learn how Transflo leveraged an  IBM Cloud On Net solution by staying on IBM  Power Technology connected to AWS and Azure.

Speakers

Richard Dolewski

VP, Enterprise Solutions, Connectria

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 7 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

High Availability Resilience

3:45pm PDT

Integrating Open Source on IBM i: Advanced Topics and Optimization

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 6

When your business grows, and you need speed and scalability, how do you find the best mix of open source technology and the integrated capabilities of IBM i? Learn from our years of experience in how to optimize scalability and performance with open source and traditional IBM i programs and capabilities (RPG, COBOL, Db2 etc). Impress your company with the most efficient techniques while avoiding rookie mistakes.

Speakers

Alan Seiden

Principal, IBM Champion, Seiden Group

How to modernize and create something new while leveraging your valuable business logic. Supporting developers, mentoring, staff augmentation, architecture, development and programming.APIs, IBM i, open source, web, PHP, Node.js, Python, RPG, ERPs

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 6 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

3:45pm PDT

Embedding SQL into Your Legacy RPG Programs

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 9

Embedding SQL into legacy code can be scary. In this session we will explore embedding SQL into legacy code. I will demonstrate very simple methods to get started. We will explore some examples of simple SQL, work our way through reading from cursors and demonstrate how to convert physical files to SQL tables

Speakers

Gregory Simmons

Software Engineer, PC Richard & Son

Gregory Simmons is a Software Engineer at P.C. Richard & Son. He is a COMMON certified Application Developer – ILE RPG on IBM I on Power. He is also a registered instructor with IBM’s Academic Initiative and an RPG and IBM i instructor at Scott Regional Technology Center, where... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 9 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: RPG

3:45pm PDT

Audit Journaling with Navigator for i

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 8

Understand how Navigator for i makes audit journaling on the IBM i easy. Learn how Navigator simplifies configuring auditing to just a few button clicks. See how Navigator can make consuming and analyzing audit entries easier. Learn about new improvements that increase the performance of analyzing audit entries.

Speakers

Ann Wilkerson

Software Developer, IBM

Ann Wilkerson is the technical team lead for Navigator for i and a developer for IBM i Services.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 8 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Security

3:45pm PDT

IBM DS8000 Enterprise Storage : The new Generation 10 and Compression

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

Room 11

The IBM DS8000 continues to evolve enterprise level storage into the 10th generation. The session outlines the advancements in the recent hardware release continuing to provide enterprise level availability, security, and performance along with compression. It will continue into future innovations based on this technology and the exciting possibilities for businesses.

Speakers

Clint Hardy

Senior Technical Staff Member, DS8000 Storage Architecture and Development, IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
Room 11 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Storage Technologies

3:45pm PDT

Managing the startup and shutdown of IBM i

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 4

In days gone by the IBM supplied program QSTRUP combined with a couple options on CHGIPLA was good enough for most IBM i shops. It started what seemed to be needed and anything else we stumbled through after each IPL. When it was time to shut down a PWRDWNSYS or ENDSBS command took down whatever was running. We were happy.

Today though we often see dozens of subsytems running many web servers, other needed batch jobs and services. We see monitors and queue processing jobs and many writers. For security purposes we should be starting only the TCP servers that we need, not all of them. Likely we should not start IPV6 and start things in sequence as well.

Further considerations may be needed in an HA environment. These include not starting jobs until iASPS are available and starting different IP interfaces and services depending on production or backup mode of the server. We may want to handle special startup modes while doing PTFs, backups or other system maintenance.

In this session we will work with customizing that startup. We'll discuss staring PASE jobs with QSH, web server jobs and more. Finally we will also work with sequencing the shutdown of the system. As part of this we'll discuss some simple ways to know what needs to be shut down and smoothly handling that.

Speakers

Larry Bolhuis

Cloud and Datacenter Engineer, IBM Champion, Service Express Inc.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:45pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 4 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management

5:00pm PDT

Administer & Restrict IBM i ACS

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 13

IBM i Access Client Solutions (IBM i ACS) is likely a key part of your IT and Business user's interaction with the IBM i, therefore understanding it's administration is key.

In this session we will dig deeper into the tooling that IBM provides to Administer and Restrict IBM i Access Client Solutions. We will take a closer look at the ACSConfi.properties file, how that can be leveraged to control various behaviors, and how those changes can be protected. Then we will look at ways to restrict what functions of IBM i ACS are available to the users. Finally we will take a brief look at how functions within IBM i ACS can be scripted to run automated.

Speakers

Wayne Bowers

Software Engineer, IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 13 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Client Connectivity

5:00pm PDT

The Ninja Guide to Building Teams and Creating Engagement!

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 3

Sure, Ninjas are cool, and they're fun to talk about. And more importantly, there's a leadership lesson there... Ninjas are always 100% ENGAGED! They equate their personal success with the success of their team, and of their mission. How productive would your teams be if they were always completely engaged, like Ninjas? Whether you're a leader looking to learn the secrets behind building strong teams and keeping them engaged, or a team member who wants to better understand team dynamics, you'll find this session illuminating.

Speakers

Steve Wolk

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 3 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Developing Business Skills

5:00pm PDT

How to have your cake and eat it too in the DevOps world

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 10

Often, trying out something new in DevOps means messing with the stuff that’s already working well. Or asking a vendor to build a custom improvement to your DevOps environment, which could take months. But trying something new quickly and keeping the tried-and-true running don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Speakers

Jeroen Van Dun

IBM Champion & Product Manager, Rocket Software

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 10 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

DevOps

5:00pm PDT

Db2 for i inside of VS Code

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 1

VS Code is really built with developers in mind. IBM has been building a neat Visual Studio Code extensions that makes accessing and working with the database much simpler for developers. Not only can VS Code be used for writing in many different languages, but now it has great tools for working with Db2 for i. You might see exporting data, working with examples, browsing your schemas, or even managing multiple database configurations. There's a lot to see!

Speakers

Liam Allan

Software Advocate, IBM

I am a developer and open-source advocate. Ask me about Node.js, VS Code, app deployment and CICD :)

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 1 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programmer Tools

5:00pm PDT

API Examples Using RPG, Node.js, PHP and Python

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 6

APIs allow IBM i to connect with other systems safely and securely, using the languages you already know. You will feel empowered to provide and consume APIs with the many examples given here, in RPG, PHP, Python, and Node.js (javascript), along with secure techniques and free tools that make API development easier.

Speakers

Alan Seiden

Principal, IBM Champion, Seiden Group

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 6 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

5:00pm PDT

IBM i Services for the Developer

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 7

In the past you may have considered using CL or coding to system APIs to access and work with system information. Today there is a better option: IBM i Services. In this session you will learn how to use SQL to work with data areas and data queues, discover how easy it is to review your program and service program attributes, and much more.

Speakers

Ann Wilkerson

Software Developer, IBM

Ann Wilkerson is the technical team lead for Navigator for i and a developer for IBM i Services.

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 7 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

5:00pm PDT

Practical Examples of pulling web service data into your IBM i applications

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 2

Obtaining information from external systems or data servers has come a long way since the introduction of EDI in the 1980s! Today, publicly available web service APIs offer a much more flexible and easier-to-integrate method for pulling pertinent global data into your IBM i applications. Whether it be commodity prices, financial data, current weather information, demographic statistics or whatever else you can think of, there is no shortage of information available on the internet that could complement certain areas of your company's business, thus adding valuable real-time information to your various user applications.

In this session we'll put this concept to work in a hands-on fashion. The presenter will use real-world API examples to demonstrate how IBM i developers, using SQL, can quickly access this valuable web service repositories and pull data into an RPG program or UI tool for their users.

Attendees will see three simple 5250-based interactive examples in action, with source code they can try on their own systems.

Speakers

Rob Swanson

Senior Partner, CNX Corporation

Rob has worked as an in-the-trenches IBM i developer since 1992, with the past 15 years focused on developing modernization efforts for legacy systems written in RPG. Currently serving as Senior Partner for CNX Corporation in Chicago, Rob is a strong advocate of introducing highly... Read More →

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 2 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

5:00pm PDT

Mastering IBM i: Efficient Development with Optimized SQLRPG

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 9

Understand how an IBMi developer can leverage their skills to efficiently scan source code using RPG. This opens doors to a multiple powerful and versatile applications like:

1) Impact Analyser: Perform impact analysis for field or file changes to identify all files and programs accessing a specific field.

2) Field Transformation: Display and modify all files and programs that utilize a specific field.

3) Object Dependencies: Identify all programs that are invoking the specific program.

4) Coding Standard Inspector: Analyse code to identify deviations from coding standards.

Equip developers with advanced embedded SQL techniques to build more robust, efficient, and maintainable RPG applications by enhancing data manipulation, retrieval, and performance.

1) SQL Cursors vs. RPG Op Codes: Cursors offer more flexibility, simplifying data handling and maintainability.

2) Single vs. Multiple Fetch: Choose single fetch for precision or multiple fetches for batch processing to optimize retrieval.

3) Performance Tools: Use query hints and execution plans to enhance SQL performance in RPG applications.

Speakers

Jeroen Van Dun

IBM Champion & Product Manager, Rocket Software

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 9 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: RPG

5:00pm PDT

IBM i Security with an SQL Chaser - Round 3

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 8

In this award-winning session, be prepared to hear Scott Forstie and Carol Woodbury shake up the world of IBM i Security, mixing up yet another set of SQL concoctions to bedazzle the otherwise boring world of IBM i Security. This menu includes examples of using SQL to find vulnerabilities in your code (aka penetration testing) as well as new (but practical!) ways to use SQL services to discover and fix your security out your current processes that have reached their ‘consume by’ date. And, of course, be prepared to be a bit shaken (but not stirred).

Speakers

Carol Woodbury

IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor, Kisco Systems

Scott Forstie

STSM, Db2 for i Architect, IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 8 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Security

5:00pm PDT

CyberVault on IBM i and IBM Storage

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 11

The best of IBM Power and Storage combine to provide the best in class cyber resiliency for your critical enterprise workloads. This session will cover the use of IBM Storage software and hardware product to help automate cyber resiliency and recovery for Power workloads (IBM I , AIX, SAP HANA, Linux and beyond).

Speakers

Selwyn Dickey

IBM

Yves Santos

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 11 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Storage Technologies

5:00pm PDT

Ai-Ops - Monitor, Detect and Correct. Leveraging Ai with automated system management

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 5

Ai, its all the buzz, but what if you really could start to leverage AI in the automated management of your IBM i systems ? With the latest support from IBM and the Instana product, combined with tools like Prometheus and Ansible, you now have options for monitoring virtual any metric you can dream up, combined with powerful alerting capabilities and AI to help determine the best corrective action via Ansible. In this session we will review these technologies, as well as show demos of this in action.

Speakers

Tim Rowe

STSM - IBM i Business Architect, IBM

Wednesday May 21, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 5 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Systems Management