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

Intro to the SQL Procedural Language

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Room 4

SQL includes a full-fledged programming language, SQL PL. Come learn about the programming constructs, including error handling, that this language contains. You will leave with all the knowledge you need to start writing your own SQL functions and procedures.

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 →

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Room 4 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

9:15am PDT

SQL Plan Cache Uncovered

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Room 4

This session explains how the SQL Plan Cache is used by Db2 for i to support the execution of your SQL & non-SQL queries. In addition, the session will review Plan Cache related tools & services that can help you identify query performance problems.

Speakers

Kent Milligan

Senior Db2 for i Consultant, IBM

Thursday May 22, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Room 4 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

11:15am PDT

OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) Functions – much more than running numbers!

Thursday May 22, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

Room 3

The first OLAP Functions were already introduced with Release 6.1, for building running numbers and ranks, in a specific sequence and even with the ability to restart numbering at a predefined level. At release 7.3 a bunch of additional OLAP functions and enhancements for existing OLAP functions are introduced. With these enhancements it is possible to easily build running totals or averages with or without level breaks. Data cannot only be accumulated over all rows, but also within a specific range. It is easy to access and compare the first, previous, next or last occurrence of the data within a partition. This session will give you an overview over the available OLAP functions and how they can be exploited.

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 →

Thursday May 22, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
Room 3 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

1:30pm PDT

Simple Steps to Improving Data Security on IBM i

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT

Room 3

During this session we will cover a wide range of security and compliance methods including row permissions and column masks used to control access to data and enforce separation of duties, authority collection used to determine the lowest level of security needed by a user, audit journals used to audit the effectiveness of your security solutions, and IBM i services which can be used to quickly accomplish security tasks, including automating security policies. This session will include many examples that you will be able to take home and use right away.

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 →

Thursday May 22, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room 3 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

3:00pm PDT

Forget ODBC! Here’s a New Db2 Connector

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Room 4

Connecting to Db2 has never been easier or more efficient. Join us for an in-depth session on Mapepire, a powerful open-source library designed to simplify and enhance your Db2 database interactions. This library offers a more straightforward alternative to traditional JDBC or ODBC connections, ensuring developers can achieve optimal performance and scalability without the usual complexity. With support for multiple programming languages, including Java, JavaScript, Python, this versatile library meets the needs of diverse development environments. Attendees will gain insights into its architecture, see practical demonstrations, and learn best practices for integrating it into their projects.

Speakers

Sanjula Ganepola

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 4 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

3:00pm PDT

ListAgg and Split – Grouping, Aggregating and Dividing again

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Room 5

Almost everybody working with SQL knows the GROUP BY specification for accumulating identical information. Those queries are quite often combined with aggregate functions such as SUM() or AVG().
With the multi-dimensional grouping it is possible to also add all kinds of sub-totals as well as a grand total to the queries.
In composition with CASE clauses it is possible to accumulate information and return the data in different columns, for example monthly or quarterly sales per customer. Pivot tables can be easily created … as long as the number of output columns is fixed.
Sometimes, however, we have to accumulate information that is located in multiple rows in a single row, for example all items in an order. Unfortunately, the number of output columns (i.e. Items) may differ. However, with the LISTAGG aggregate function a string containing the different information separated by a comma (or any individual separation string) can be built.
As far as good … but how to split a string with multiple information separated by a comma or any other individual separation string? No problem with the SPLIT service! … in composition with other services even *.csv files located in the IFS can be decomposed

Speakers

Birgitta Hauser

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

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 5 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

3:00pm PDT

Visual Explain - IBM's SQL Performance Show-&-Tell

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Room 10

For many years now IBM have positioned SQL as the primary interface to the database on IBM i. At the same time, new capabilities are being added only to SQL, not to the native database interface.

We need a different tool to understand and analyze query implementation plans and feedback from the optimizer – the SQL component that determines the most effective way to deliver the data we ask for in SQL statements. Visual Explain is just such a tool, and it both shows us graphically what plan the optimizer has chosen, as well as tells us details about each step along the way. It can also give us suggestions on ways to improve performance of our queries.

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 →

Thursday May 22, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 10 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database

5:00pm PDT

Simon's top 10 SQL favorites

Thursday May 22, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 4

IBM Champion Simon Hutchinson has written a lot about modern Db2 for i and SQL on his blog. In this session he will take you through his top 10 favorites. You will have to attend to learn what these cool SQL tricks and tips are! He always keeps this up to date with his favorites from every new release and Technology Refresh.

Speakers

Simon Hutchinson

Founder & author, RPGPGM.COM

Simon Hutchinson has been writing his highly acclaimed IBM i blog, RPGPGM.COM, for eleven years sharing his knowledge, experience, and giving many detailed examples of the latest RPG, SQL, and CL. His work has led him to be recognized by IBM as an IBM Champion for Power and IBM i Community Advocate. He is a subject matter expert for COMMON Americas, awarded... Read More →

Thursday May 22, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 4 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Database