DB2 Web Query (QU2) is not your only option and may not be the best one.

By Mary Lynn Treadwell

Editor's Note: This article introduces the white paper "Replacing IBM Query/400: Understanding Your Options" available free from the MC Press White Paper Center.

If you're like most IBM i (System i, iSeries, AS/400) customers, your staff members have relied on IBM Query/400 for years to generate simple queries of your DB2 database. Since its introduction with the AS/400 in1988, Query/400 has remained essentially unchanged and has its limitations. But since it's familiar, you may still be running hundreds of Query/400 queries.

However, in late 2007, IBM decided it was time to replace Query/400 and withdrew the standalone Query/400 application from marketing.

Palo BI Suite 3.0 gives users a chance to try the latest open-source BI software at no cost.

By Chris Smith

One of the more interesting developments at the COMMON conference in Reno last week was the announcement by Key Info that its Smart i business intelligence solution was ready for general availability. The deployment of a System i-based BI solution using DB2 Web Query that is accessible by business users marks a stage in the evolution of business intelligence.

With this text search server, you can locate documents that contain specific search strings in Excel, Word, PDF, PowerPoint, etc.

By Gene Cobb

V6R1 of the IBM i operating system introduced many exciting new features, including numerous DB2 for i enhancements. One such enhancement that has flown somewhat under the radar is the IBM OmniFind Text Search Server for DB2 for i. This new product gives you the power to perform both basic and sophisticated text searching against data that is stored in your DB2 for i database tables. This article introduces this new technology and shows you how to set it up and use it in your environment.

HiT Software's snappy Ritmo/i middleware makes accessing the IBM i a pleasure, say loyal customers.

By Chris Smith

If you're a .NET programmer developing applications that need to access data in DB2 for i, you might be concerned that the middleware you're using to reach that data will slow things up so much that performance will suffer.

Several products out there work faster than ODBC or JDBC in accessing DB2 data from .NET applications, and this writer has featured them in the past.

Initial installation of the low-cost BI solution based on DB2 Web Query running on IBM i is ready for user-acceptance testing.

By Chris Smith

The first installation of Smart i, a new and bold business intelligence utilization of a Power System server running IBM i, has just been completed in Los Angeles and is now undergoing final user-acceptance testing. The degree to which these early adopters feel comfortable working with the DB2 Web Query-based solution could affect sales of IBM i Power Systems servers for years to come.

Do you need a DBA for DB2 for i? Maybe more than you realize.

By Mike Cain

As I travel around the world engaging clients, one question that I am always asked is "Do we need a DBA"? Sometimes, the question takes the form of apparent confusion, such as, "We have an SQL Server DBA. We have an Oracle DBA. Why don't we have a DB2 for i DBA"? In other situations, I hear clients, business partners, and IBMers proudly state, "You don't need a DBA"!

With this article, I hope to illuminate the many facets of the DBA question and, more importantly, make the case for why you should seriously consider adding or retaining someone who focuses on DB2 for i.

LANSA's Open for .NET solution is designed to help make integrating Microsoft applications and IBM data a trouble-free experience.

By Chris Smith

Ever roll into work and think you're actually in Gabon on the set of Survivor? Everyone has his little tribe, and no one thinks anyone else is contributing enough to justify their existence?

Think of the IBM i tribe as the red tribe, Fang. Think of the Microsoft .NET tribe as the yellow tribe, Kota. They wrestle, they compete, they try to survive on limited resources. If this describes your world, you may long for the good old days when there was but one tribe, the AS/400 tribe. Those days are over, however, so you might as well accept that there are now two tribes in Gabon. Do you want to compete, or do you want to get along?