First and foremost, the build process must produce consistent results, but efficient use of developers' and builders' time is important too.

By Joe Cropper

Go into this directory. Select these source files. Right-click here. Export this. Rename that. Copy the renamed file there. Does this sound familiar? Yes! It is your build process! Wouldn't it be nice if you could (conveniently) build your Java project with a single mouse-click or a single command? The good news is that you can--with the Apache Software Foundation's Ant tool (named "Ant" by its creator, James Duncan Davidson, because it's a little thing that can build big things).

Attend the Help/Systems User Conference for Computer Operations.

By Tom Huntington

Do you find it difficult to obtain good computer operations education? When was the last time you had the opportunity to network with other computer operations analysts? Do you feel your team has kept up with the latest in computer operations software and hardware?

As computer systems evolve, it becomes harder and harder to keep up with the ever-changing world of managing them. The technology has changed dramatically, and the strategies that worked 10 years ago no longer apply. Ask yourself if you're operating in a similar mode year after year. Or is your team executing more and more procedures manually since regulations like SOX and PCI have cropped up?

Do you think writing embedded SQL code for RPG is more complex and time-consuming than it should be? You're not alone!

By Scott Salisbury

Have you ever started down the path to creating an SQLRPGLE program only to turn back and do it the old-fashioned way? If you said yes, I'll bet it's because RPG CHAIN, SETLL, READE, etc. are easier and less hassle than trying to unscramble the proper use of statements, prepared statements, host variables, return codes, and all the rest.

Accessing Linux and Windows systems can be as simple as using two open-source tools, SSH and VNC.

By Max Hetrick

Much of my work for my employer is done at home after normal work hours, when I can access systems much faster because users are not logging on and off of the network. So how do you go about accessing your systems securely?

The answer to this can be anything from using a full-blown VPN to something as simple as tunneling and port forwarding across SSH (Secure Shell) and VNC (Virtual Network Computing).

Coding SQL within RPG can be tedious, but what if you could automatically generate SQL for RPG, SQL for Java, and SQL for PHP in a just few clicks?

by Scott Salisbury

Have you ever avoided using SQL in your RPG programs because embedded SQL is a hassle and it's just easier to do it the old-fashioned way? Have you ever wished your RPG programs could access data from Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle? Do you work with multiple databases and multiple SQL client tools? What about Java and PHP? Both use embedded SQL. Are you using them yet?

SQL(snap) simplifies SQL tasks and turns hours into a few clicks.

IBM continues to make life easier for SQL developers.

By Kent Milligan

As SQL becomes more widely used by i5/OS developers, it's important for IBM to continue to enhance the tools and utilities supporting the SQL interface to increase the adoption of SQL. The Run SQL Statements (RUNSQLSTM) system command is one of those SQL utilities that is enhanced in V6R1 to make life easier for SQL developers.