February 6, 2019
February 6, 2019 | Volume 16 Issue 31
- LEAD ARTICLE: Practical DB2: DB2 Services for OUTQ Management
- FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy – Modernization: Setting Your Modernization Goals
- FEATURED ARTICLE: Introduction to Runtime Arrays in ILE RPG
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM Board Approves Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend
- WHITE PAPER: 2019 IBM i Marketplace Survey Results
- FEATURED VIDEO: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: OCEAN's 30th Anniversary - Charles Guarino & Alison Butterill

Practical DB2: DB2 Services for OUTQ Management
DB2 continues to provide more services that allow us to more easily manage our IBM i infrastructure.
By Joe Pluta
I've been doing a lot more infrastructure-related tasks lately. These are not naturally my forte, and I can often use a little help from my friends. For example, just recently I reached out to the midrange.com mailing list for some insight on performance tuning. If you haven't heard of midrange.com, then just stop right now and click on the link above. Don't worry, I'll be here when you get back. And if you have heard of midrange.com, then just read on as I try to do my best to pay it forward with what I've learned about a couple of DB2 services: OUTPUT_QUEUE_INFO and OUTPUT_QUEUE_ENTRIES.
Seiden Group Announces Free Access to CommunityPlus+ PHP for IBM i

RPG Academy – Modernization: Setting Your Modernization Goals
Crafting your own map, knowing (and preparing for) the perils you’ll encounter is important, but you also need to define where you want to go. So set your modernization goals wisely!
By Rafael Victória-Pereira
Now that you’re probably preparing to set sail in your modernization adventure, it’s time to figure out where you want to go and make sure that everybody is on board with you. The last few articles hopefully helped you to evaluate if your application is worth modernizing, and if so, what the benefits are and typical pains of the process. Now let’s focus on a different, but equally important, aspect of the modernization process: setting appropriate goals that, on one hand, reflect your modernization initiative direction and ultimate objective and, on the other, keep everyone “in the loop” and focused on the tasks at hand.
What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small.
This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business?
This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
- Why IBM i skills depletion is a top concern
- How leading organizations are coping
- Where automation will make the biggest impact
Enjoy!
Download your copy today!
2019 State of IBM i Modernization
The annual Profound Logic ‘State of IBM i Modernization Survey” takes a look at the trends and attitudes that shape the IBM i modernization market. We reached out to the IBM i community, and the response was outstanding: close to 800 people, nearly 300 more than last year, took the survey. This enthusiasm resulted in very interesting findings for how businesses plan to use and modernize the platform in the coming year.
As you read through each section of the survey, you will see our summary of the results and suggestions for the future. We hope the survey will help your business better understand what is possible for your IBM i platform in the coming year.
Node Webinar Series Pt. 1: The World of Node.js on IBM i
Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.
Part 1 will teach you what Node.js is, why it's a great option for IBM i shops, and how to take advantage of the ecosystem surrounding Node.
In addition to background information, our Director of Product Development Scott Klement will demonstrate applications that take advantage of the Node Package Manager (npm).
watch now!
What Most IBM i Shops Get Wrong About the IFS
Can you trust all of your users all of the time?
A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six month later.
A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:
- How phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated
- Three little-known ways malicious programs can reach your IFS
- Why the IFS is IBM i’s “Typhoid Mary”
You’ll also learn why some of the most common malware solutions still leave IBM i systems vulnerable—and what you can do to protect your organization.
Easiest Way to Save Money? Stop Printing IBM i Reports
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Introduction to Runtime Arrays in ILE RPG
Get to know the runtime array, a handy structure for storing data used during an ILE RPG program’s execution
by Bryan Meyers and Jim Buck
Editor’s Note: This article is excerpted from chapter 11 of Programming in ILE RPG: Fifth Edition, by Bryan Meyers and Jim Buck.
An array is a grouping of data that contains multiple elements, all defined with a common name. The major difference between an RPG array and the tables as we are used to thinking about them is that a typical RPG array represents only one column of data.