2022 IBM i Conference Speakers Coming Soon

Liam Allan


Advisory Software Engineer, IBM

Experienced software developer with a background in developer experience, Node.js and IBM i. Skilled in DevOps for IBM i, development planning, and building applications to grow with the business. Loves to encourage the use of git with their RPG/COBOL code; to give developers the tools and training to help achieve their goals.

 

Introduction to Merlin and IBM i Developer: A deep dive into the IDE that comes with Merlin: IBM i Developer. We’ll look at what it takes to use the IDE, setting up a Workspace, writing + compiling code, and how it integrates with git.

RPGLE as a web service: through the use of SQL and an open-source environment like PHP, Node.js or Python, you can turn traditional

Hands On Workshop

Covering installation, writing ILE code (including RPGLE, CL and even COBOL!), tips and tricks and git with RPGLE. Mix of both talks and hands on / interactive content.

Patrick Behr


Application Architect

With a career in IT spanning 20 years, Patrick Behr has been working on IBM i (and its predecessors) for all of it. He spent most of his career working with RPG and Db2, and earned the ILE RPG Developer Certification, and has also worked in web development and application and database modernization. Patrick is a COMMON Speaker of Merit and Bronze medal winner, and has spoken at conferences and user groups across the country.

1. Why Procedures Are Better than Subroutines

Discover the superpowers that procedures have and how they can help you create more reliable and more easily maintained programs. We'll talk about the benefits of input parameters, local variables, return values, error handling with on-exit, and recursion.

2. The Awesomeness of Service Programs

Learn why service programs are so awesome. We'll weigh the pros and cons of different options we have for creating shared routines. We'll learn how to create a service program and how easy it is to use these shared procedures in our applications. We will discuss the importance of binder source and how it can make updating our service programs painless.

3. Test-Driven Development: Clean Code that Works

Let's take a look at how testing is often done today, and why it's so difficult. We'll discuss the benefits of test-driven development, and show how it works. We will look at the xUnit testing frameworks, and do a little test- driven development together.

4. Working with Legacy Code: Refactoring and Restructuring

Our legacy code has been running the business for decades and represents a tremendous amount of business knowledge. It can also be terribly difficult to understand and downright scary to work on. In this session we'll discuss how our code got in the shape it's in, and look at some techniques we can use to make our legacy code more testable, understandable, and maintainable.

Details Coming Soon

Jim Buck

President/Founder of imPower Technologies

Jim Buck

Jim is the president and founder of imPower Technologies where he
provides professional IBM i online/onsite training (imPowerTechnologies.com). He is active in the
IBM i community working to help companies train their employees in the latest IBM technologies and helps
companies develop the next generation of IBM i professionals.

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 (wmcpa.org) and has served on several teams developing IBM and
COMMON certification tests. Jim has co- authored several IBM i books with Bryan Meyers that are
used by many companies and in colleges worldwide, "Programming in ILE RPG" 5th Edition being the
latest in 2015.

Other accomplishments include:
• 2007 IBM System i Innovation – Education Excellence Award
• 2014 COMMON Presidents Award
• Champion -
Power Systems.

Developing ILE code requires the developer to change their thought processes, gone are the large programs doing complicated processes. ILE requires the developer to think in small easily managed procedures. Reusable procedures, modules, and service programs
Learning Objectives
1. Why use Model View Controller architecture
2. Improve developers understanding of service programs
3. Learn why Service programs should be data centric rather that application centric
4. Learn how correctly designed service programs will make your life easier

Audience
IBM i Developers wanting to get started with or improve their programming skills using modern RPG coding techniques.

Topics covered
• Correct use of Service programs and binding directories
• Create an IWS server
• How to install service program procedures on an IWS server

IBM has done some great things that allow DB2 to process JSON objects. This session shows you “Tips and Tricks” to make your life easier when you start working with JSON data. After a short discussion of the HTTP functions that have been added to SYSTOOLS and how they can be used with the JSON_TABLE Function, Jim shows the attendee how to work with the SYSTOOLS.HTTPGETCLOB and JSON_TABLE Functions to consume an API returning a JSON object. If you have tried using these functions many have problems writing the correct SQL/JSON path expressions to extract the data and represent it in a relational table. Jim will help the attendee understand this process with solid examples.

Learning Objectives
1. Developers needing clear examples of SQL/JSON path expressions with DB2
2. Improve developers understanding of SQL/JSON path expressions with DB2 and JSON
3. Improve developers understanding of how to use HTTP functions in SYSTOOLS
4. Improve developers understanding of how to use JSON_TABLE functions

Audience
IBM i Developers wanting to get started with or improve their programming skills using SQ/JSON/RPG and API’s
 
Why Should you attend the session?
• Want working examples of using DB2 Tools to process JSON
• You’ve struggled with the available JSON documentation
• Want clear examples of SQL/JSON path expressions with DB2

Topics covered.
• Free formatting and validation JSON tools
• Using the JSON_TABLE Function
• Using the SYSTOOLS.HTTPGETCLOB Function

Charlie Guarino

Central Park Data Systems, CEO

Charles Guarino believes in the “power” of IBM Power Systems. His career reflects his dedication and interest in bringing the platform and its solutions to others and as a result has been recognized as an IBM Champion.

He is a member of COMMON’s Speaker Excellence Hall of Fame and a proud recipient of the Al Barsa Memorial Scholarship Award. Additionally, he participates on COMMON’s Strategic Education Team. Other professional endeavors have included the roles of President and monthly Q&A host for many years of the Long Island System User’s Group LISUG (www.lisug.org)
In the spring of 2020 Charles created the monthly virtual IBMi iChime community. Each meeting features a “No PowerPoint” discussion with an industry expert. To learn more visit https://www.centralparkdata.com/ichime-dates.html

Today, along with the team at Central Park Data Systems, he is serving individuals and companies on a worldwide basis though his consulting work and award-winning speaking engagements. Charles is a true people person and can often be found at conferences sharing his expertise on RDi and other IBM i topics.
Charles can be reached at cguarino@centralparkdata.com.
LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/guarinocharles
Twitter - @charlieguarino

Your role as an IT Professional includes far more than development, system administration or any other one specific discipline. In this session we will discuss some of the latest technologies of digital transformation.

A walk through some of the recently added features to the LPEX editor and program debugger.

Sven Janssen

DBE and Senior Application Architect

Sven, who is a DBE and senior application architect, has nearly 30 years of experience working in fintech on the IBM i. He is currently a senior application architect at SEB. Sven serves as a board member of Common Sweden and is a respected speaker and educator in the global COMMON community. In his free time, he enjoys scuba diving and sailing.

Did you know that partitioned table functionality is now included in IBM I 7.5? Attend and learn what partitioned tables are and the benefits of using them to organize your data. Special Guest Sven Jansson from COMMON Sweden will discuss how they work and how he implemented them for a large bank. Q&A will follow a live demo.

Dan Magid

CEO, Eradani

Dan Magid is an IBM i Champion with decades of experience with IBM midrange systems. He is a frequent speaker and writer on IBM i new technology and modernization topics. Dan began his career at IBM working with System/34s, System/36s and System/38s. He went on to become CEO of Aldon and oversaw the creation of the Aldon Change Management System (now Rocket DevOps) and led its growth into the leading software change management system for IBM i.  He then held several executive positions in the IBM i arena at Rocket Software before returning to the entrepreneurial world and founding Eradani.  At Eradani, Dan focuses on helping IBM i organizations take advantage of all the exciting new technology available on the IBM i.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are transforming the way business is being done around the world. They make it easy to automate business processes, find new revenue channels and modernize applications. Anyone who has been to a shopping site like Amazon has experienced the power of the APIs that allow you to see pricing simultaneously from a variety of vendors, get instant shipping quotes and enter your order with just a click of the mouse. However, all that convenience comes with a cost. APIs have become the number one target for hackers looking to attack a company’s systems. As many companies learned painfully, it is critical to have a strong security strategy to go along with your API efforts to keep your company safe.  In this session, we cover the basics of API and Open Source security for your IBM i and we will step you through setting up and maintaining the latest in security technology.  

In this session we will cover:

  1. The terminology, structure and architecture of comprehensive API security
  2. The latest threats and how to protect your systems
  3. The latest open source modules for securing your IBM i APIs (so you don't have to try and write the code yourself)

The “API Economy” is fundamentally transforming the way business is being done today. APIs are dramatically increasing the speed at which companies can deliver new software capabilities, they are facilitating the automation of many formerly manual processes and they are improving customer service. In many industries, you can no longer compete or even participate in the supply chain if you don’t support API communications. Yet, APIs also represent the greatest potential security risk to an organization. So, to take advantage of the promise of APIs while protecting your systems, it is critical to ensure that your API strategy is carefully planned and executed.

In this session, we will use real world customer examples and demonstrations to cover:

  • The components of a successful API strategy
  • Planning for API security
  • Easily calling APIs from the IBM i
  • Rapidly providing API access to IBM i functions and data
  • Managing and monitoring APIs i

So whether you are looking to improve your existing API strategy or to get started using APIs, this session will provide you with helpful tips to ensure the success of your initiatives.

Mike Pavlak

Perforce

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 the adoption of PHP as a primary solution for web development on IBM i working with Zend Technologies. Today, as Solutions Engineer with Perforce, Mike helps companies around the world approach the challenges of modernization and open source technologies. In addition to several roles as a volunteer with COMMON the premier IBM midrange user group, Mike also teaches PHP & Python classes part time at Moraine Valley Community College in Suburban Chicago.

Python Test Driven Development (Beginner/Executive)

User Acceptance Testing should not be the only testing tool in your arsenal. Building a solid Python application is easy if you automate the boring testing process.  And EVERY SOLID DevOps process depends on automated testing.  In this session we’ll explore how easy automated testing can be in Python,  get it done with several examples and understand the steps involved in TDD so it can be applies in ANY programming language.   

Learning Objectives:

1)            Explore benefits of Test Driven Development.

2)            Work through a basic framework for architecting TDD using a simple manufacturing use case.

3)            Build an example case from scratch using Python and the unittest module.

TOP