Re-engineering AS/400 Legacy Applications and companion CD ROM provide a tutorial aimed at showing you how to modernize your applications by taking you step by step through the re-engineering of a sample application. Author Paul Tuohy covers conversion of RPG IV programs, as well as re-engineering them to take full advantage of RPG IV and ILE. He also covers triggers, referential integrity, and APIs so that your applications can take advantage of all the new technology that is available today. This book will be a valuable aid as you evaluate your legacy applications and then move into re- engineering.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication is focused on melding industry preferred practices with the unique needs of the IBM i community and providing a holistic view of modernization. This book covers key trends for application structure, user interface, data access, and the database. Modernization is a broad term when applied to applications. It is more than a single event. It is a sequence of actions. But even more, it is a process of rethinking how to approach the creation and maintenance of applications. There are tangible deliveries when it comes to modernization, the most notable being a modern user interface (UI), such as a web browser or being able to access applications from a mobile device. The UI, however, is only the beginning. There are many more aspects to modernization. Using modern tools and methodologies can significantly improve productivity and reduce long-term cost while positioning applications for the next decade. It is time to put the past away. Tools and methodologies have undergone significant transformation, improving functionality, usability, and productivity. This is true of the plethora of IBM tools and the wealth of tools available from many Independent Solution Providers (ISVs). This publication is the result of work that was done by IBM, industry experts, and by representatives from many of the ISV Tool Providers. Some of their tools are referenced in the book. In addition to reviewing technologies based on context, there is an explanation of why modernization is important and a description of the business benefits of investing in modernization. This critical information is key for line-of-business executives who want to understand the benefits of a modernization project. This book is appropriate for CIOs, architects, developers, and business leaders. Related information Making the Case for Modernization, IBM Systems Magazine

Application development is a key part of IBM® i businesses. The IBM i operating system is a modern, robust platform to create and develop applications. The RPG language has been around for a long time, but is still being transformed into a modern business language. This IBM Redbooks® publication is focused on helping the IBM i development community understand the modern RPG language. The world of application development has been rapidly changing over the past years. The good news is that IBM i has been changing right along with it, and has made significant changes to the RPG language. This book is intended to help developers understand what modern RPG looks like and how to move from older versions of RPG to a newer, modern version. Additionally, it covers the basics of Integrated Language Environment® (ILE), interfacing with many other languages, and the best tools for doing development on IBM i. Using modern tools, methodologies, and languages are key to continuing to stay relevant in today's world. Being able to find the right talent for your company is key to your continued success. Using the guidelines and principles in this book can help set you up to find that talent today and into the future. This publication is the result of work that was done by IBM, industry experts, business partners, and some of the original authors of the first edition of this book. This information is important not only for developers, but also business decision makers (CIO for example) to understand that the IBM i is not an 'old' system. IBM i has modern languages and tools. It is a matter of what you choose to do with the IBM i that defines its age.

Doug Pence and Ron Hawkins have spent the last two decades accumulating tips, tools, and techniques that make RPG the best that it can be. From designing software to attaining maximum performance to using advanced problem-solving tools, this book presents a wide range of important topics. It offers in-depth, practical coverage of basic subjects--such as data structures, string handling, and subfiles--and also tackles the more intricate subject areas, such as APIs, prototyping, and journaling as a debugging tool. It covers built-in functions (BIFs), data types, and subprocedures. From coding to compiling, this book has tips for RPG programmers of every level.

Using examples from companies that have successfully deployed mission-critical e-business applications with the IBM AS/400, Bob Cancilla explains the major issues, concepts, and technologies necessary to implement an AS/400-based e-business solution--from planning for e- business to selecting an ISP. You'll learn about the many products that work together to make the AS/400 a Web server. You will also discover how to develop a project plan and how to design and build an e-business Web site. While many other books touch on individual Internet- related technologies, this book puts all the pieces together!

Most organizations rely on complex enterprise information systems (EISs) to codify their business practices and collect, process, and analyze business data. These EISs are large, heterogeneous, distributed, constantly evolving, dynamic, long-lived, and mission critical. In other words, they are a complicated system of systems. As features are added to an EIS, new technologies and components are selected and integrated. In many ways, these information systems are to an enterprise what a brain is to the higher species--a complex, poorly understood mass upon which the organism relies for its very existence. To optimize business value, these large, complex systems must be modernized--but where does one begin? This book uses an extensive real-world case study (based on the modernization of a thirty year old retail system) to show how modernizing legacy systems can deliver significant business value to any organization.

For more than 40 years, Computerworld has been the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide. Computerworld's award-winning Web site (Computerworld.com), twice-monthly publication, focused conference series and custom research form the hub of the world's largest global IT media network.