AS400 usually means IBM i running on IBM Power hardware. This beginner’s guide explains AS/400, IBM i, and IBM Power in plain language, how the platform evolved, and why organizations still use it.
Master DB2 for i triggers in 2026: create BEFORE and AFTER triggers with CREATE TRIGGER, use FOR EACH ROW and FOR EACH STATEMENT granularity, access transition variables OLD and NEW for changed data, build audit logging triggers for change tracking, cascade business rules across tables, create INSTEAD OF triggers on views, and apply trigger best practices on IBM i.
Master IBM i commitment control in 2026: start and end commitment definitions with STRCMTCTL and ENDCMTCTL, control DB2 transaction scope with COMMIT and ROLLBACK in CL and RPG, use savepoints with SAVEPOINT and ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT in embedded SQL, handle commitment control errors, and design reliable multi-file update patterns on IBM i.
Master IBM i job scheduling in 2026: add recurring batch jobs with ADDJOBSCDE, manage schedules with WRKJOBSCDE and CHGJOBSCDE, create schedule calendars and exception calendars for bank holidays, retrieve schedule entries with RTVJOBSCDE, hold and release schedules with HLDJOBSCDE and RLSJOBSCDE, and monitor scheduled job execution from CL.
Build AI-driven anomaly detection for IBM i operational data in 2026: query QSYS2 system views for job and performance metrics, establish DB2 statistical baselines with SQL window functions, install Python and scikit-learn in PASE, train an Isolation Forest model on historical IBM i data, detect real-time anomalies, and trigger automated alerts via email or data queue when anomalies are found.
Secure the IBM i Integrated File System (IFS) in 2026: manage stream file and directory authorities with CHGAUT and WRKOBJAUT, change ownership with CHGOWN, apply access control lists (ACLs) using SETFACL and GETFACL in PASE, configure the PASE umask for default creation permissions, audit IFS object access with QAUDJRN, and follow stream file security best practices.
Integrate IBM MQ with IBM i in 2026: create and configure queue managers, define local and remote queues, set up sender/receiver channels, send and receive messages with MQPUT and MQGET from RPG programs, configure MQ Triggering to start IBM i jobs on message arrival, handle dead letter queues, and monitor MQ activity with AMQSPUT and AMQSGET.
Master IBM i output queue and print management in 2026: create and configure output queues with CRTOUTQ and CHGOUTQ, work with spooled files using WRKOUTQ and WRKSPLF, move and copy spooled files, convert spooled files to PDF with IBM i Transform Services, send spooled files over the network with SNDNETSPLF, and manage printer writers with STRPRTWTR and ENDWTR.
Master DB2 for i common table expressions (CTEs) and recursive SQL in 2026: use the WITH clause to name intermediate result sets, chain multiple CTEs for readable multi-step queries, write recursive CTEs with anchor and recursive members to traverse bill-of-materials hierarchies and organisational trees, and detect cycles in self-referencing data on IBM i.
Master ILE RPG string handling on IBM i in 2026: use %SCAN, %SUBST, %REPLACE, %TRIM, %TRIMR, and %TRIML for text manipulation, declare VARCHAR and VARYING fields for variable-length data, build and parse delimited strings, handle CCSID conversion, and use %CHAR, %INT, and %DEC for type conversion in free-format RPG programs.