June 20, 2018
June 20, 2018 | Volume 12 Issue 22
- LEAD ARTICLE: POWERUp 18 Recap
- FEATURED ARTICLE: Making Node.js a Business Application Language
- FEATURED ARTICLE: Book Review: Extract, Transform, and Load with SSIS
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM Cloud Fuels Smart Building Innovation
- WHITE PAPER: 3 Compelling Drivers for Implementing an HA Solution on an IBM i Cloud with MIMIX
- FEATURED VIDEO: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: Query, Reporting, and Analytics for IBM i Users

POWERUp 18 Recap
COMMON’s POWERUp 18 showcased new hardware editions and cognitive solutions.
By Steve Pitcher
I’m going to bounce around a little with my topic coverage, because there’s a lot to talk about with regard to POWERUp, COMMON’s newly renamed spring conference that was held in San Antonio last month.
About 1,000 people attended this year. As part of the Board of Directors for COMMON, I try to shake every attendee’s hand and say hello. I haven’t confirmed yet, but it seemed that the number of first-time attendees was up really well this year (we give those people special ribbons to signify them).
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Making Node.js a Business Application Language
You want to start developing an application in Node.js, but you soon realize the JavaScript language is not necessarily business oriented. What to do?
By Brian May
JavaScript, like most interpreted languages, can be immensely powerful due to its flexibility. Variables can be dynamically typed, code can be passed as a parameter and executed, and code can be run asynchronously. These types of features allow amazing things to be done. As a true geek, I love to use these types of things.
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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Book Review: Extract, Transform, and Load with SSIS
Do your business apps access different data sources? This book shows you how to make that task easier
by Steven Cole
As a developer, I have often worked with business applications that pull in data from various sources, such as files or databases, and send that data to multiple destinations. This sounds simple enough, but clients and/or applications typically do not send or receive data the same way. So, what happens when you must update that data for the destination to take it in? There are multiple tools you can use to modify (transform) this data—essentially, the extract, transform, and load (ETL) concept. Wouldn’t it be great to have one tool to handle multiple ETL scenarios? That’s where Extract, Transform, and Load with SQL Server Integration Services: With Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and DB2 comes into play. This book is exactly what the title states. In it, authors Thomas Snyder and Vedish Shah dive into how to use Microsoft’s SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) to accomplish these tasks.