COMMON POWERUp 2025

COMMON POWERUp 2025

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!

11:15am PDT

An introduction to Node.js

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

South Ballroom B

JavaScript and TypeScript have become the go-to tools for crafting modern applications, powering both the sleek frontends and robust backends of today's software. At the heart of many backend systems lies Node.js, a runtime that’s revolutionized the way we build scalable and efficient applications.

In this session, we’ll dive into why Node.js has become a developer favorite, exploring its unique benefits and versatile capabilities. Through practical examples and code, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the core principles that make Node.js tick. Whether you're new to backend development or looking to sharpen your skills, this talk will arm you with the knowledge to write clean, effective Node.js applications, sidestep common mistakes, and accelerate your path to success. Join us and kickstart your Node.js journey with confidence!

Speakers

Michael Dawson

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
South Ballroom B 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

11:15am PDT

Getting Started with Web Development

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

Nile

Knowing where to start in your web development learning journey can be difficult. In this session, we will cover a high level view of the languages and practices to learn to plan the first steps of your web career.

Speakers

Jasmine Kaczmarek

Vice President of Technology, M.R. Williams

With over ten years of experience on the IBM Power System, Jasmine's passions include modernization, API development, integration of gamification techniques into business applications and mentoring new developers. Jasmine is an avid promoter of adopting open-source languages into... Read More →

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
Nile 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

11:15am PDT

Modern CL Programming

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

Castle

IBM Made a huge number of enhancements to the CL language starting with V5R3 through i 7.1. WHile the changes slowed after that most CL programmers ignore all these changes and continue to write unreadable code with gotos and tags.

Come to get a detailed look at examples of the new functions including DOFOR, DOWHILE, DOUNTIL and SELECT, and how they allow programming CL in a much more structured format, and allow you to banish goto to the bit-bucket.

Learn about the many new process flow options and variable types in the CL language such as integer, signed integer, and pointer variables and how to use them.

Get tips on how to simplify the compiling of CL programs and command objects.

Find out how to provide direct feedback to IBM on your needs for the CL language -- they want to know if these changes are helping you and what to enhance next.

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 →

Monday May 19, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
Castle 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

3:15pm PDT

RPG Code Assistant Update

Monday May 19, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT

South Ballroom A

In 2024 at POWERUp, Steve Will, CTO & Chief Architect of IBM i, launched a project to create a tool that would use an AI Large Language Model, trained to understand RPG, to make life much easier for programmers who work with RPG, and to allow businesses to more confidently hire programmers and know there was a tool that could help any programmer work with existing RPG code. That project, the RPG Code Assistant project, has had a year to mature. In this session, Steve will give you the latest update. Joining him will be Edmund Reinhardt, the lead developer on the project, who will give insight into what it takes to create and train the tool.

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 →

Edmund Reinhardt

IBM i Application Development Tools Lead, IBM

Edmund Reinhardt has been working on application development tools for IBM i for over 25 years. Starting with the green screen tools in 1989 through each technology iteration from OS/2 to Java. As the architect for Rational Developer for i, he is passionate about engaging and delighting... Read More →

Monday May 19, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

3:15pm PDT

What’s New with Open Source & IBM i

Monday May 19, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT

Nile

Open source solutions have been on the IBM i platform for many years but recently the number of solutions deployed here has blossomed. Join Mike as he explores the latest news regarding packages and solution features available in IBM i Open Source Package Management and beyond.

Speakers

Mike Pavlak

Solution Architect, Perforce Software

Mike Pavlak has been working with IBM midrange solutions since 1992 and IBM Mainframes before that. After years of developing applications using RPG, CL and PHP he managed IT development and IT for power protection manufacturer Tripp Lite. Later Mike was instrumental in developing... Read More →

Monday May 19, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT
Nile 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

4:30pm PDT

Contributing to Open Source

Monday May 19, 2025 4:30pm - 4:50pm PDT

Safari

Open-source contributions are a great way to improve your skills and give back to the community. This session will walk attendees through the process of contributing to an open-source project on GitHub. We’ll cover forking a repository, working in a branch, pushing changes, and submitting a pull request for review.

Speakers

Joseph Wright

Owner / Consultant, Wright4i

Monday May 19, 2025 4:30pm - 4:50pm PDT
Safari 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

10:45am PDT

Fun with JSON Publishing: Letting SQL Do the Dirty Work

Tuesday May 20, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

North Ballroom A

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.

Speakers

Robert Swanson

Senior Partner, CNX

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 →

Tuesday May 20, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
North Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

10:45am PDT

Modern Applications: from UX to AI

Tuesday May 20, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT

Safari

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

Speakers

Jeroen Van Dun

IBM Champion & Product Manager, Rocket Software

Rashmi Agrawal

Vice President – Engineering, App Mod Vice President – Engineering, App Mod, Rocket Software

Rashmi is a highly accomplished Global R&D leader with 26 years of experience driving product innovation and execution at enterprise-grade companies like IBM, Dell/EMC, and Rocket Software. Her expertise spans a wide range of products, including datacenter, cloud, AI, storage, developer... Read More →

Kuldip Vikram

Principal Architect, Rocket Software

Kuldip is a Principal Architect at Rocket Software responsible for modernizing IBMi applications/workloads and their development through a combination of pure/hybrid Cloud deployments and Generative AI.He has a rich and diverse experience architecting, designing, developing, and deploying... Read More →

Andrew Clark

Andrew Clark has been working on the IBM i platform for more than 30 years, beginning with the "secret Mankato Project" on a pre-release version of os/400, and an internship at IBM Rochester working on the Query team. He has development expertise in more than a dozen languages on... Read More →

Tuesday May 20, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am PDT
Safari 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

3:15pm PDT

Dueling Way to Prevent, Find, Resolve Error Message to Your Systems

Tuesday May 20, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT

North Ballroom A

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.

Speakers

Shelly Petty

Application Support, Profound Logic

I am a Full Stack Developer at Profound Logic. We run our production applications on the IBMi Power Server. Primary languages are CL, RPG, DB2 SQL and Java, and the UI: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Drupple, React, and Sencha.My position is a fast paced job and it includes Help Desk phone... Read More →

Marina Schwenk

Innovative Software Solutions inc.

Marina started her career in January 2015 at Everbrite LLC in Greenfield WI after graduating from Gateway Technical College in May of 2014 with an Associate’s degree in IT Software Development. Marina worked for over nine years as a Senior Programmer Analyst/IBM i admin at Everbrite... Read More →

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 →

Tuesday May 20, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PDT
North Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

5:05pm PDT

Intro to Modern Application Integration via API

Tuesday May 20, 2025 5:05pm - 5:25pm PDT

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.

Speakers

Brian May

Vice President of Product Management, Profound Logic

Professional IT Leader, Speaker and WriterSpecialties:Team Building, Development and RetentionTechnical SalesSolutions ArchitectureSoftware DevelopmentEnterprise Systems Manufacturing ProcessesApparel IndustryAccounting Principles

Tuesday May 20, 2025 5:05pm - 5:25pm PDT
Monorail 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

8:00am PDT

Web Services: A RESTful introduction

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

South Ballroom A

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 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
South Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

9:15am PDT

Security as a developer, why should I care?

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

South Ballroom A

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

Innovative Software Solutions inc.

Marina started her career in January 2015 at Everbrite LLC in Greenfield WI after graduating from Gateway Technical College in May of 2014 with an Associate’s degree in IT Software Development. Marina worked for over nine years as a Senior Programmer Analyst/IBM i admin at Everbrite... Read More →

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

Programming: General

10:45am PDT

OSS Tools For System Management

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

Safari

Join us as we explore the world of open-source tools for system management, starting with fundamental concepts and progressing to practical applications on IBM i with Prometheus for operational monitoring and Grafana for data visualization. We will also introduce Manzan, IBM i's new open-source solution for seamless integration with modern infrastructure monitoring tools. Have you ever wanted to receive Slack notifications for critical system errors, or perhaps send syslogs directly to monitoring dashboards like Sentry or Grafana Loki? With Manzan, not only is all of this now possible, but it also unlocks the potential for AI-driven system management. Don’t miss this opportunity to see how you can enhance your system's monitoring capabilities with minimal setup and maximum flexibility.

Understand basic system management concepts and explore various open-source tooling options
Learn how to use Prometheus and Grafana on IBM i
Learn how to integrate Manzan with modern infrastructure monitoring tools
Explore the role Manzan plays in system management with AI

Speakers

Jesse Gorzinski

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

Sanjula Ganepola

Software Developer - IBM i App Dev & AI Toolchain, IBM

Sanjula Ganepola is a Software Developer at IBM working on IBM i application development tools. As an open-source advocate, he is an active contributor and maintainer of several Visual Studio Code extensions including IBM i Project Explorer, Code for IBM i, IBM i Testing, Source Orbit... Read More →

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

Programming: General

10:45am PDT

SQL Error Logging Facility (SELF)

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

Magic Ballroom 3

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
Magic Ballroom 3 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

Safari

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 a lead user interface developer in IBM i. She joined the Rochester lab in 2021 and has since worked on Navigator, IBM i Services, and IBM i Migrate While Active. Her focus areas include security, networking, and the IFS.

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

South Ballroom B

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

Robert Swanson

Senior Partner, CNX

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
South Ballroom B 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

5:00pm PDT

Processing JSON with DB2 and RPG

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

Nile

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 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Nile 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

11:15am PDT

AI Meets Node.js: Unlocking the Power of Large Language Models in JavaScript

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

North Ballroom A

Artificial Intelligence and large language models (LLMs) are reshaping industries and sparking innovation like never before. While AI development has long been associated with Python, the growing demand to seamlessly integrate AI into the web applications that drive the digital world is changing the game. So, do we transform web developers into Python experts—or do we empower them to leverage AI with the tools they already know?

In this talk, we’ll take you on an exciting journey of exploring LLMs with Node.js and JavaScript. Discover how leading AI libraries like LangChain, Ollama, and LlamaIndex are bringing JavaScript into the AI fold as a first-class citizen. Learn how surprisingly easy it is to integrate powerful AI capabilities into your applications with Node.js, and walk away inspired to embark on your own AI journey—no Python required! Whether you’re an AI enthusiast or a JavaScript developer curious about the future, this session is your gateway to building smarter, AI-powered applications.

Speakers

Michael Dawson

Thursday May 22, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
North Ballroom A 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

1:30pm PDT

Web & API Language Shootout

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

Nile

Alan will compare and review several open source languages commonly used for web-related development and the role of RPG alongside them. Languages include PHP, Python, and Node.js (javascript). The session contains concrete information about each as well as a lively discussion.

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

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

Programming: General

4:45pm PDT

Quick Spreadsheets through PHP and Python

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm PDT

Magic Ballroom 2

Each language supports modules for extending basic features. In this session we'll explore this technique for creating REAL spreadsheets for both Python and PHP.

Learning Objectives:
1. Create REAL Spreadsheets using XLSXWriter in Python.
2. Create REAL Spreadsheets using PHPSpreadsheet in PHP.

Speakers

Mike Pavlak

Solution Architect, Perforce Software

Mike Pavlak has been working with IBM midrange solutions since 1992 and IBM Mainframes before that. After years of developing applications using RPG, CL and PHP he managed IT development and IT for power protection manufacturer Tripp Lite. Later Mike was instrumental in developing... Read More →

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm PDT
Magic Ballroom 2 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General

4:45pm PDT

The Magic of Rest APIs for IBM i

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm PDT

Nile

Rest APIs play a core part of the modern application. The good news, the IBM i operating system has an integrated engine giving everyone the ability to easily get started with leveraging Rest. This session will show with live demos how to create Rest APIs that call backend RPG/COBOL programs or wrapper SQL statements.

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 →

Thursday May 22, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm PDT
Nile 1150 Magic Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

Programming: General