COMMON POWERUp 2026

The Code for IBM i family of extensions continues to grow with new tools and powerful enhancements. In this session, we will showcase recent improvements, highlight community contributions, and share a glimpse of upcoming features on the roadmap for 2026.

Learning Objectives:

• Share newly released features across all IBM i VS Code extensions • Showcase new tips and tricks to improve the developer experience • Share an overview of upcoming features in the 2026 roadmap

As an IBM i administrator you’ve either used Navigator for I, or you’re living under an AS/400! While you’re getting this done though, you’ve likely missed many of the capabilities built into Navigator to make your job easier and a better fit for your specific needs and environment. In this session, Tim and Larry will go beyond the basic capabilities of Navigator and show you the buttons and the options and capabilities that are built into Navigator for I that turbocharge the capabilities of Navigator for i. Come for the Ooh’s and the Ah’s !!

Learning Objectives:

Learn how to be more effective when utilizing Nav4i.

Don't miss the Student Job Fair if you are interested in hiring an intern, or your next colleague.

Over 40 students and educators are attending POWERUp 2026, many of whom are looking for employment opportunities, so don't miss out on your chance to meet with them and connect.

It will be set up in a Reverse Job Fair format, where each student will be assigned a table and potential employers can go from table-to-table and talk to each person.

If you are looking to connect with the next generation of IT talent, this is your chance to maximize your company's benefit of attending POWERUp 2026.

What I wish I knew when I started my IBM i Career is a practical roadmap for early-career and aspiring IBM i professionals looking to build momentum within the ecosystem. Drawing from real-world experience, this session explores how conferences, mentorship, community involvement, and side projects can accelerate growth and create meaningful career opportunities.
Attendees will learn how to engage strategically at IBM i events, approach interviews with confidence, identify skill gaps, and build credibility within the community. The session also addresses common misconceptions about networking and professional development in the IBM i world.
Participants will leave with clear, actionable steps they can immediately apply to strengthen their career trajectory and become active contributors to the IBM i ecosystem.

This session will discuss some of the advanced topics in using BRMS for your back up and recovery. Featured topics will be tape and library management, BRMS Networking, control group and list controls, BRMS Policies and how they affect the overall operation of BRMS, and using SQL to manage BRMS. Recovering from a BRMS back up can be extremely easy, but it can also present some opportunities for trouble. This session will discuss some of the landmines in a BRMS recovery and how to avoid them. Both BR2 GUI and BR1 controls will be demonstrated.

Learning Objectives:

1. Ultilize control groups and lists to fully customize BRMS backups 2. Set up and manage BRMS Networking 3. Learn how to make a BRMS recovery simple and as easy as possible 4. Using SQL services to manage BRMS and reports

Every few months the IBM i development team delivers new updates and features across the operating system. Keeping track and actually using these changes can be a difficult task at best. This session is the favorite new enhancements from a team of IBM i developers. You get to hear each of our favorite updates to the OS that have been delivered over the past bit. This session is new every time, often lots of fun and for sure there is something for everyone.

Learning Objectives:

Learn about the many new features of IBM i

We’re bringing a full pickleball court right to the Expo floor! The court will be available throughout the conference - even outside of official Expo hours. Whether you’re a seasoned player or picking up a paddle for the first time, come rally with fellow attendees. Watch social media and your inbox for details on joining the tournament bracket and competing head-to-head!

Lunch will be served from 12PM-1PM.

IBM i has been the backbone of enterprise stability, but shifting expectations now demand more. IT modernization has become a strategic priority, driving efficiency, innovation, and enhanced customer experiences. In the next two years, 25–30% of IT budgets will focus on AI readiness, cybersecurity, automation, and data optimization. For IBM i teams, this is both a challenge and an opportunity to turn barriers like legacy complexity and siloed data into catalysts for growth and innovation.


In this keynote, Rashmi Agrawal, VP of Engineering at Rocket Software, will reframe IBM i not as a legacy constraint but as a strategic advantage. With the right modernization roadmap—spanning applications, data, infrastructure, and security—IBM i teams can accelerate digital transformation, enable AI initiatives, and deliver measurable business outcomes that resonate with the C-suite.


In this session, you’ll discover:

• How AI enhances human-driven decision-making in workload modernization. With 54% of enterprises expecting AI-assisted migration and optimization, IBM i teams can leverage AI to augment—not replace—human expertise.

• Why modernization maturity drives business performance. Modernization leaders report significantly higher gains in efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction, proving the direct correlation between IT transformation and business success.

• What RPG, COBOL, and CL developers need to prepare for. From data quality and integration to AI-augmented coding and secure-by-design practices, developers must evolve their skills to meet new demands. AI-assisted development, testing, and infrastructure readiness will be critical.

• How technical leaders can overcome modernization blockers. Learn strategies to address data silos, compliance complexity, and talent gaps while preserving the resilience and reliability that make IBM i indispensable.

• Join us to discover how to transform your IBM i environment into an AI-ready, modernization-driven foundation for the next decade of innovation.

The IBM i platform is often seen as a legacy system, powerful but dated. As a young developer entering this space, I encountered that perception head-on. But what I found was a vibrant, evolving platform with modern tools, active communities, and incredible opportunities for growth. In this session, I’ll share my journey into the IBM i ecosystem: how I got started, the learning curve I faced with technologies like RPG and CL, and how I began working with security-focused tools like Powertech Encryption and Authority Broker. I’ll also talk about what it’s like joining user groups, getting involved with COMMON’s N2i initiative, and finding mentorship and community support along the way. Whether you're new to the platform, mentoring a junior developer, or trying to attract the next generation of IBM i talent, this session will offer practical insights, encouragement, and a fresh perspective on what it means to thrive on IBM i today.

Learning Objectives:

Understand what it's like to get started as a new developer on IBM i Learn about tools and communities that support early-career success Explore the value of mentorship, networking, and community involvement Discover how to build confidence and stay motivated on a legacy platform Recognize the importance of inclusion and support for new talent in tech

Every RPG shop has them. Most developers avoid them like the plague. Large monolithic programs are a significant source of technical debt in all RPG shops. They limit your agility which in turn is detrimental to your business. So, once you are ready to deal with the issue, where do you start? There is no one answer, but there are steps you can take to begin dismantling and repurposing the code within these behemoths.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss steps to refactoring monolithic RPG programs 2. Learn common pitfalls to avoid 3. Learn how to organize extracted procedures for ease of use

Positive healthy relationships are vital to success in everything you do: whether it is excelling in your career, creating a vibrant and energetic work environment, or having a happy and rewarding personal life. Learning how to interact with others in a way that is respectful and constructive is essential.

Learning Objectives:

1) How to connect with others in a positive and proactive way 2) The impact of creating respectful and nurturing relationships 3) How to create long-term relationships that will accelerate your career 4) Tools and techniques to foster positive relationships

Learn how to deploy LLMs directly on IBM i and integrate with your Db2 integration.

Learning Objectives:

Learn how to deploy LLMs directly on IBM i and integrate with your Db2 integration.

Discover the super powers that procedures have(and subroutines don't) and how they can help you create more reliable and more easily maintained programs. We'll talk about the benefits of input parameters: local variables, and return values, error handling with on-exit, and increased functionality with recursion.

Learning Objectives:

1. The benefits of using procedures 2. How to create a procedure 3. How to get the most benefit out of procedures

We’re bringing a full pickleball court right to the Expo floor! The court will be available throughout the conference - even outside of official Expo hours. Whether you’re a seasoned player or picking up a paddle for the first time, come rally with fellow attendees. Watch social media and your inbox for details on joining the tournament bracket and competing head-to-head!