COMMON POWERUp 2026: Full Schedule

Unlock the Power of IBM i at POWERUp 2026!

Join us in New Orleans, Louisiana for POWERUp 2026, the premier conference for IBM i professionals. Whether you’re an experienced expert or just starting your IBM i journey, this event offers unparalleled education, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities. Stay ahead of the curve with insights from industry leaders, explore the latest innovations, and connect with a thriving community that shares your passion for IBM i. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge, grow your skills, and power up your career!

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10:00am CDT

Code for IBM i & Co : contribute to an Open Source project !

Monday April 27, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

Balcony L

Evaluation Survey

Code for IBM i, the popular open source extension that brings modern IBM i development to VS Code is developed and maintained by developers, for developers. Why not join that community driven project ? More than 50 people already did and contributed to it, so, come on, join the fun ! There are many ways to contribute, not only through code but also by submitting ideas or bug reports, writing documentation or just spreading the word about how nice it is! Through this session given by some of the extension's Core Team members, step through the looking glass and come discover what the Open Source model has to offer and how you, too, can join the adventure. It doesn't matter if you're a developer or not - everyone is welcome!

Learning Objectives:

`- Understand what "open source project" means - Discover how the Code for IBM i project is managed - Meet the core team - Discover how to contribute to this project or others

Speakers

Sébastien Julliand

Tech Lead R&D, I AND ME - IT TRAINING

Hi, I'm Seb! I am the R&D Tech Lead for i and me - IT Training and Solutions GmbH and an active contributors to IBM i open source projects.

Let's talk about anything related to software development, on IBM i or not, it doesn't mater to me. RPGLE, Java, TypeScript...I love them all... Read More →

Monday April 27, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Balcony L

General Programming, Personal Development, Programming: General

11:15am CDT

AI and IBM i Trends and Directions

Monday April 27, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming more and more prominent, how will your business adapt and thrive? Your journey can start here, with an exploration of IBM's strategy and offering set. In this session, we will explore the available AI technologies and what they mean for IBM i.

Learning Objectives:

An understanding of AI tools to build out your company's strategy with AI

Speakers

Jesse Gorzinski

STSM and Senior Business Architect - AI and Open Source, IBM

Experienced business architect from IBM and a specialist in the IBM i platform. My passion is enabling enterprises to adopt artificial intelligence and open source technologies.

Monday April 27, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Balcony I-J

General Programming, Artificial Intelligence (AI), IT Strategy

11:15am CDT

OAuth: What it is, how it works and why you want to use it

Monday April 27, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Galerie 6

Evaluation Survey

OAuth is a critical security framework for modern web and mobile applications, enabling secure access to resources without sharing user credentials. We will start with the history, foundational concepts and terminology of OAuth. We then describe the different types of OAuth clients and the appropriate authorization flows, grant types, and scopes. We will explore the different types of tokens, explain JWTs, and introduce OpenID Connect. Whether you're a developer, security professional, or someone looking to understand OAuth in more depth, this session will provide a solid introduction to one of the most essential standards in the world of secure authentication and authorization.

Learning Objectives:

1. The need/history of OAuth 2. Terminology 3. Client types 4. Authorization flows 5. Tokens

Speakers

Patrick Behr

Senior Consultant & Instructor, Seiden Group & imPower Technologies

Monday April 27, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Galerie 6

General Programming, Programming: General

3:15pm CDT

Introduction to Open Source on IBM i

Monday April 27, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT

Galerie 3

Evaluation Survey

Introductory and survey level discussion that looks at the installation of the Open Source solutions on IBM i. We'll also review many of the components available via open source and discuss the PASE environment. If you've been on the outside looking in at Open Source, this is the place to start..

Learning Objectives:

1) Understand how to install open source solution on IBM i. 2) PASE basic understanding 3) Explore the solution in the open source packages

Speakers

Mike Pavlak

Solution Architect, Programmers.io

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... Read More →

Monday April 27, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT
Galerie 3

General Programming, Systems Management

3:15pm CDT

Understanding LLM and Transformer

Monday April 27, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

A beginner level and generalized explanation of the modern face of Artificial Intelligence: the Large Language Model (LLM) coupled with the Transformer architecture. Fairly rigorous in places (Danger! Math!), but the overall tone of the presentation is a colloquial and metaphoric.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understanding LLM architecture 2. Understanding Transformer architecture 3. Understanding the strengths and limitations of this approach to AI.

Speakers

Jack Woehr

Senior Engineer / Senior Consultant, Consulting to Procern Technology Solutions and Seiden Group LLC

40+ years development. IBM Champion 2021-2026.
IBM Qiskit Advocate since 2019. Secretary, OpenQASM Technical Steering Committee. MongoDB Creator status. Prolific Open Source creator/contributor. Former Contributing Editor, Dr. Dobb's Journal.
Consult on IBM i AI modernization... Read More →

Monday April 27, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT
Balcony I-J

General Programming, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

4:30pm CDT

CL 2025: What’s New and Useful

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Studio 1-2

Evaluation Survey

Control Language (CL) remains a core tool for IBM i system operations, and recent releases have added features that make scripting faster, cleaner, and more powerful. In this 20-minute session, Simon Hutchinson will provide a hands-on look at the most useful new CL commands, built-in functions, and SQL integration techniques. Attendees will learn how to modernize legacy scripts, automate system tasks, and streamline everyday operations using the latest CL features.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to: - Identify and use the most important new CL commands and functions. - Integrate SQL statements into CL scripts for database operations. - Modernize legacy CL code with practical tips for efficiency and readability. - Apply CL features to automate routine system tasks.

Speakers

Simon Hutchinson

Founder & author, RPGPGM.COM

Simon Hutchinson has worked with IBM midrange servers and the RPG programming language since 1988—starting in the U.K. and continuing in the U.S. for over 35 years. He is best known for his long-running blog, RPGPGM.COM, where for more than 12 years he has shared practical insi... Read More →

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Studio 1-2

General Programming, Programming: General

4:30pm CDT

Intro to Modern Application Integration via API

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Studio 3-4

Evaluation Survey

We no longer live in a world where we have one system of record that is used for all business functions. IT is an everchanging blend of tools, applications, and platforms. Integration is top of mind for most businesses. If there is one common way to link all these systems, it is an API layer. Your IBM i should speak the language of APIs, both consuming and hosting. In this session, let’s look at the big picture with regards to APIs and IBM i.

Learning Objectives:

• Importance of APIs in modern architecture • Common API integration needs • Replacing legacy interfaces_ • Elements of a successful API implementation

Speakers

Brian May

Principal Technology Evangelist, Profound Logic

Professional IT Leader, Speaker and WriterSpecialties:Team Building, Development and RetentionTechnical SalesSolutions ArchitectureSoftware DevelopmentEnterprise Systems Manufacturing ProcessesApparel IndustryAccounting Principles

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Studio 3-4

General Programming, Programming: General, Technologies Integrated with IBM i

4:30pm CDT

Recursion, Recursion, Recursion

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Galerie 6

Evaluation Survey

Why write endless loops when your code can elegantly call itself? This session will demystify recursion and show practical examples in RPG and SQL - perfect for cracking hierarchical data problems. With this superpower in your toolkit, you'll be ready to replace clunky iteration with clean, powerful recursion.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand what recursion is 2. Use recursion in RPG 3. Use recursion in SQL

Speakers

Patrick Behr

Senior Consultant & Instructor, Seiden Group & imPower Technologies

Monday April 27, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Galerie 6

General Programming, Database, Programming: RPG

10:00am CDT

11:15am CDT

11:15am CDT

3:15pm CDT

3:15pm CDT

4:30pm CDT

4:30pm CDT

4:30pm CDT

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