The AS/400 - formally renamed the "IBM iSeries," but still commonly known as AS/400 - is a mid range server designed for small businesses and departments in large enterprises and now redesigned so that it will work well in distributed networks with Web applications. The AS/400 uses the PowerPC microprocessor with its reduced instruction set computer technology. Its operating system is called the OS/400. With multi-terabytes of disk storage and a Java virtual memory closely tied into the operating system, IBM hopes to make the AS/400 a kind of versatile all-purpose server that can replace PC servers and Web servers in the world's businesses, competing with both Wintel and UNIX servers, while giving its present enormous customer base an immediate leap into the Internet.

Topics Covered

1. What is an IBM i (AS/400)? * History of AS/400 * AS/400 Architecture * Communication Capabilities 2. The Object Based Architecture: * Library Concepts * Object Types and Attributes * Library Lists * Libraries Objects and Members 3. IBM i (AS/400) Work Management Concepts: * Interactive and Batch Jobs * Controlling Jobs * Submitting and Scheduling Batch Jobs * Understanding Subsystems * Understanding Job Queues * Understanding Output Queues * Working with Printers and Output 4. The IBM i (AS/400) User Interface: * The Menu System * Control Language * The Command Line Interface * Commands and Parameters * The Prompt Facility and the Help Facility * Tailoring Assistance Levels * Attn and SysReq Keys * Messages and Message Queues * Sending Messages * Viewing and Responding 5. IBM i (AS/400) Security Concepts: * Security Levels * User Profiles * Special Authorities * Object Authorities * Limit Capabilities 6. IBM i (AS/400) System Values using Program Development Mgr (PDM): * Working with Libraries, Objects and Members * Using PDM * The FNDSTRPDM Command 7. Using Source Entry Utility (SEU): * The Edit Display * SEU Line Commands * Find/Change Options * Browse/Copy Options * SEU Session Defaults 8. IBM i (AS/400) Database Concepts: * DB2/400 Relational Database Support * Database Capabilities * Storage Management * Data Description Specifications * Creating Physical Files * Using Field Reference Files * Creating Logical Files * External File Definitions * Using Data File Utility (DFU) 9. Using Query/400: * Defining a Query * Selecting Reporting Options * Defining Result Fields * Using Expressions and Joining Files 10. DDS for Display Files Screen Design Aid (SDA): * Creating Simple Displays * Adding Constants and Data Fields * Using Reference Fields * Using Multiple Record Formats * Overlays and Windows * Creating Help Text * Creating Menus 11. Report Layout Utility ( RLU): * Creating Simple Reports * Adding Constants and Data Fields * Using Reference Fields * Report Control functions * Complex reports with breaks Control Language Programming 1. Introduction to Control Language * What is CL? * Command Names * Command Parameters * The IBM i (AS/400) User Interface 2. Basic CL Programming * Creating CL Programs * Structure of a CL Source Member * Declaring Variables * Manipulating Variables * CL Control Structures * Expressions * Controlling Workflow * Basic Error Handling 3. Input / Output in a CL Program * Passing Parameters * Using external attributes * Files and Data Areas 4. Understanding IBM i (AS/400) Messages * Message Files * Message Handling Commands * Error Handling in CL * Message Queue Break Handling Programs 5. Using IBM i (AS/400) APIs in CL Running CL Commands from RPG Selective Prompting on CL Commands Using Binary Data in CL * List Processing * System API Processing 6. Understanding and Modifying Command Attributes Creating Your Own Commands * Command Definition * Command Processing Programs * Validity Checking Programs 7. V5R4 and V6R1 Changes to CL * Structured Operations * New Data Types * Creating Command Help *Multiple File Operations RPG III Programming 1. Introduction to RPG * RPG Specification sequence ( H, F, E, L, I, C, O ) * RPG Program cycle 2. Numeric Operations * Data Definition * Truncation and Field Sizes * Rounding * Assignment with Z-ADD and Z-SUB 3. Character Operations * Data Structures * MOVE and MOVEL Operations * Figurative Constants 4. Control Logic in RPG * Structured Programming Concepts * Selection Operations * Iteration Operations * DOWxx, DOUxx, DO * Loops and Early Exits * LEAVE and ITER * Unstructured Operations * GOTO and CABxx * Subroutines * Specific Scope Terminators * ENDIF, ENDDO, etc. 5. Program Described Files Externally Defined Files * AS/400 Approach to Database Files * Defining Physical Files with DDS * Defining Logical Files with DDS * RPG Programming with Externally Defined Files * Using Field Reference Files * Externally Defined Printer Files 6. File Access and Record Manipulation * Sequential Operations * Random Access * Composite Key Processing in RPG * Inserting New Records in Files * Updating and Deleting Records in Files * Record Locking 7. Tables and Arrays Processing * Defining Tables in RPG * Compile Time Tables * Pre-Runtime Tables * Table Look-Ups * Multiple Related Tables * Changing Table Values * Arrays * Calculations with Arrays * Array Look-Ups * The Indicator Array * Output with Arrays 8. Inter Module/Program Communication * Parameter Passing * Reading and Writing to Data areas * Data Queues * Message Sending 9. Interactive Programming * Comparing Batch and Interactive Programs * DDS for Display Files * A Sample File Maintenance Program * Screen Design Aid * Subfile Coding * Subfile loading techniques Load All, Elastic and page = size types 10. Exception and Error Handling * File Information Data Structure * File Information Error codes * Program Status Data Structure * Program Status Error codes * Program Status Error codes RPG IV Programming using ILE Concepts 1. RPG IV Basics * Stretching the Limits * Specification Changes Overview 2. Defining Data with D-Specs * Work Fields * Data Structures * Tables and Arrays * Named Constants * Prototypes and Procedure Interfaces * Long Field Names * New Data Types * Indicator Data Structures * Initializing Data Items 3. Expressions and Built-in Functions * Calculation Specification Changes * New Operation Codes and Operation Code Extenders * EVAL Operation * Improving EVAL Precision * Built in Functions * Using BIFs to Eliminate Indicators 4. Date and Time Processing * Defining Dates, Times, Timestamps * Date and Time Formatting * Initializing Date Values * Date-Related Operation Codes * Processing Legacy Dates Date 5. Calculations and Basic Operations * Arithmetic Operations * Assignment Operations * EVAL Operation and Expressions * Free format options in C Specs 6. Conditional and Iterative Operations * IF/ELSE Operations * SELECT/WHEN/OTHER Operations * DO/DOU/DOW/FOR Operations * ITER/LEAVE Operations 7. File Processing * RPG Logic Cycle * File Specifications * Full Procedural Processing * Keyed Processing * CHAIN Operation * READ/READP Operations * SETLL/SETGT/READE/READPE * WRITE/UPDATE/DELETE operations * Error Handling EXCEPT Operation * Output Specifications * Key Lists Complex & Multiple File Processing 8. Arrays and Tables * Defining Arrays * Initializing Arrays * Runtime vs. Compile Time Arrays * LOOKUP/XFOOT/MOVEA * Operations * Tables and LOOKUP 9. Converting, Compiling, and Debugging * Creating Modules * Binding Programs * Using CRTBNDRPG Effectively * Using a Binding Directory * ILE Program Updates * Conditional Compilation * Debugging ILE Programs * Debug Views 10. Coding and Calling Subprocedures * ILE Program Structure * Coding Subprocedures * Defining and Using a Prototype * Coding a Procedure Interface  * Sample Subprocedures * Compiling and calling Subprocedure * Subprocedures Vs. Subroutines * Why Prototypes? * Passing Parameters * Prototyping Program Calls * Prototyping API Calls 11. Static Binding and Service Programs * Dynamic Program Call and Static Procedure Call * Bind by Copy and Bind by Reference * Creating a Service Program * Calling a Service Program * Service Program Signatures * Using Binder Language 12. Understanding Activation Groups * What are Activation Groups? * Default Activation Group * User Named ILE Activation Group * *NEW Activation Group and *CALLER Activation Group * Activation Groups and File Overrides * Reclaiming Resources * Activation Groups and Shared File Opens 13. ILE Error Handling * Message Percolation * Message Handlers

Who should attend

Any body can attend

Pre-requisites

Nothing

What you need to bring

Nothing

Key Takeaways

AS/400, IBM iSeries, AS/400e, eServer iSeries/400