imPower Technologies

09/03/2026

Let’s build a web app, and then make it useful.
Join WMCPA and Patrick Behr on Thursday, September 10, for a hands-on evening covering the building blocks of a web application and how to connect it to your IBM i.
4:30 PM — Let’s Build a Web App
7:30 PM — Now Let’s Make It Useful
📅 Thursday, September 10, 2026
🕓 Doors open at 4:00 PM
📍 Clifford's Supper Club, Hales Corners, WI
Come ready to see how modern web development and IBM i can work together. Patrick will take you from a basic web app to connecting it to real IBM i services.
Register: https://wmcpa.org/events/wmcpa-dinner-meeting-patrick-behr/

08/27/2026

Have you registered for the inPower Conference 2026 yet?
From Sept. 14–17 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, join other IBM i professionals for four days of technical education, networking, and practical insights. Learn from seasoned developers in sessions covering AI, IBM i system administration, modernization strategies, and more to help you stay ahead of what's next for the platform.
Expand your knowledge and connect with the IBM i community: https://ibmi.workoutloud.com/event/inpower-2026

08/25/2026

AI is changing the conversation around technical debt.

For years, organizations have carried the weight of undocumented systems, inconsistent data definitions, outdated integrations, and business logic hidden inside applications. Those challenges often stayed behind the scenes because existing systems continued to run.

AI is bringing them into focus.

As Craig Mullins explains, AI doesn’t fix poor data quality. It relies on it. When AI systems pull from decades of accumulated data, they inherit the inconsistencies, gaps, and decisions that were never fully documented.

For IBM i organizations, this is a critical reminder that modernization is about more than adopting new tools. Trusted data, clear processes, strong governance, and an understanding of existing applications are foundational to preparing for AI.

The systems that have powered businesses for decades contain valuable knowledge. The challenge is making that knowledge accessible, connected, and ready for the future.

We’re curious, do you think AI will help organizations uncover technical debt that has been hidden for years, and identify where to start addressing it?

Read the full article: https://techchannel.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-amplifies-technical-debt/

Data expert Craig Mullins explains why decades of shortcuts become tomorrow's AI failures as organizations reckon with poor data quality.

08/20/2026

Many IBM i applications still rely on OPM RPG, but more organizations are making the move to ILE RPG, and for good reason.

In this clip from a recent TUG meeting, Jim Buck explains some of the key differences between OPM and ILE RPG, including how ILE's procedural design improves maintainability, provides better exception handling, delivers stronger performance, and makes it easier to build modern integrations through APIs.

Whether you're maintaining existing applications or planning your modernization strategy, understanding ILE RPG is an important step toward preparing your IBM i environment for the future.

Watch the video below and learn more about our RPG ILE course: https://impowertechnologies.com/rpg-class/

08/18/2026

We recently came across an interesting perspective in Talsco Weekly newsletter: "RPG alone no longer carries a career."

The message wasn't that RPG is becoming less important. It was that the most successful IBM i professionals continue building on their RPG foundation by learning modern technologies like APIs, SQL, open source tools, AI, and today's development environments.

It's a pattern our industry has seen time and again. Developers who embraced free-format RPG, ILE, RDi, and other modern practices expanded their opportunities while continuing to deliver value on IBM i. AI and modern integration are simply the next chapter.

Continuous learning has always been one of the strengths of the IBM i community, and it will continue to shape the next generation of developers.

What skill do you think IBM i professionals should be learning next?

Read the Talsco’s newsletter: https://www.talscoinc.com/talsco-weekly-rpg-alone-no-longer-carries-a-career/

Why RPG alone is no longer all you need for a career in IBM i. Read Talsco Weekly for the latest in trends, career advice and more.

08/13/2026

AI is becoming a big part of the IBM i conversation, but knowing where to start can be the biggest challenge.

In this clip from a recent TUG meeting, Jim Buck shares an overview of Bob for IBM i and why it's becoming a valuable resource for IBM i developers. From understanding existing RPG code to helping developers work more efficiently, tools like Bob are changing how teams approach development and modernization.

08/11/2026

One idea from a recent article, "21 Things I Wish I Learned Sooner (As A Junior Developer)," stood out to us:
Developers aren't hired to write code. They're hired to solve problems.
That perspective becomes even more relevant as AI enters the software development process. Writing code is becoming faster. Understanding business requirements, designing maintainable solutions, integrating systems, and making sound technical decisions remain the skills that create long-term value.
For IBM i professionals, that means building on a strong RPG foundation while continuing to learn SQL, APIs, modern development practices, and AI-assisted tools. Technology will continue to evolve, but the ability to solve business problems will always be the skill organizations depend on.
The best developers never stop learning because the problems they're solving never stop changing.
What's one lesson you've learned during your development career that you wish someone had taught you sooner?
Read the article for more things this developer wished they learned sooner: https://theseniordev.com/blog/21-things-i-wish-a-senior-developer-had-told-me-sooner-as-a-junior-developer/

I wrote my first line of JavaScript over ten years ago. ‍While studying for an aerospace engineering degree, I had the crazy idea that machines would dominate the world and that programmers would be the ones able to control them. Plus, any engineer who doesn’t know how to code isn’t really an ...

08/06/2026

IBM i maintenance isn't a once-a-year project. PTF groups, HMC software, storage code, and Power firmware all follow their own release schedules, making it important to review your environment on a regular basis.

Relion Solution's July update provides current recommended levels, support windows, and planning guidance for IBM i professionals responsible for keeping systems secure, stable, and supported.

Articles like this are also a reminder that maintaining IBM i requires ongoing technical knowledge. Teams that stay current on platform updates are better equipped to plan upgrades, troubleshoot issues, and keep their environments running smoothly.

It's a worthwhile read for anyone responsible for IBM i infrastructure.

Read the article: https://relionsolutions.com/july-2026-ptf-group-hmc-software-storage-system-power-firmware-levels/

Keeping an IBM i environment current is one of the simplest ways to protect uptime, but it is also one of the easiest things to fall behind on. New PTF

08/04/2026

APIs have become the standard way applications communicate. That includes IBM i.

In this short clip from a recent TUG meeting, Jim Buck introduces our new RESTful Web Services on IBM i course taught by Patrick Behr and explains why API skills are becoming increasingly important for IBM i professionals.

Whether you're connecting to payment processors, shipping carriers, cloud services, or internal applications, understanding REST APIs, HTTP, JSON, and modern integration techniques opens the door to new capabilities without replacing the systems you already trust.

If APIs are on your team's roadmap, or should be, this is a great place to start.

Watch the video below and visit our course page for more information: https://impowertechnologies.com/restful_apis_ibmi/

07/29/2026

IBM i leaders, if you still have professional development funds available this year, now is a good time to put them to use.

Here are a few practical ways teams are investing those dollars right now:

• Strengthening RPG skills with a focus on modern, modular programming approaches
• Building API capability to support integration and modernization efforts
• Improving SQL skills to better work with Db2 for i data directly and efficiently

These are the areas we see most often tied to active projects, modernization work, system integration, and reducing reliance on legacy patterns.

Our courses are designed around these skills, with hands-on learning in a real IBM i environment: https://impowertechnologies.com/classes/

If training is still on your 2026 plan, this is a good time to get it scheduled.