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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8:00am CDT

AI Throughout Your Day!

Tuesday April 28, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

Tired of all the hype surrounding AI? Would you like to be more productive using AI - today – but you’re not sure where to start? Or maybe you’ve scratched the surface with AI, but want to learn more? Either way, this is the session for you! Here we skip the theory and dive straight into real-world applications that boost productivity and streamline daily tasks using AI based tools. Join us for this session and leave with tangible skills to supercharge your productivity, while producing better results, with less effort!

Learning Objectives:

Join this session to learn to: - Understand the art of prompt engineering - Generate professional emails, reports, and letters in a fraction of the time - Dive into data analysis without the headache - Help you write code better and faster - Unlock your creative side to make art you’ll be proud of - even if you can't draw a straight line! - Use AI throughout your day for personal and fun tasks as well as at work - Get the most out of the many diverse AI tools available today for maximum productivity - Whether you’re new to AI or just looking for practical ideas, you’ll leave with real examples and skills you can start using immediately for both professional and personal tasks. Join us to learn how to put AI to use for you today!

Speakers

Steven Wolk

CTO, PC Richard & Son

Steven Wolk is the CTO for PC Richard & Son. Founded in 1909, PC Richard is a family owned and operated chain of over 65 appliance, electronics, and mattress superstores located throughout NY, NJ, CT, and PA. Steve's deep background in retail began on the sales floor while in college... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Balcony K

Developing Business Skills, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

9:15am CDT

DEVELOPMENT LIFECYCLES AND HOW TO TEST THEM

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

As businesses modernize there are multiple types of software requiring support. We will discuss the types of software lifecycles all needing different testing. Specifically covered are the development types V-model, Waterfall model, and Iterative model. From there we will talk about component, integration, system, and acceptance testing and where and how to use each.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the various software development lifecycles. Understand test types. Design and implement structured test levels

Speakers

Yvonne Enselman

Owner, Yvonne Enselman Professional Services

Tuesday April 28, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
Balcony K

Program Testing, IT Strategy

10:45am CDT

How to Think Like a Tester

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

Unit testing is one of the most valuable skills developers can have but, not all developers can unit test properly. Its a learned skill and a paradigm shift. This session will go over Unit testing, development practices and thought processes in relation to unit testing and finally how to break apart your code and unit test it!

Learning Objectives:

Develop the paradigm shift that will allow you to start thinking like a tester Understand what Unit testing is How you can start unit testing today.

Speakers

Marina Schwenk

Senior Programmer/Analyst IBM i Admin, Innovative Software Solutions

Tuesday April 28, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am CDT
Balcony K

Program Testing, Programming: RPG

3:15pm CDT

Client Server Communications in a Modern Secure World

Tuesday April 28, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

Host Servers are the servers you likely use, but don’t notice. They offer functionality that ranges from remotely running commands to managing data queues. Attend this presentation to learn about these important servers on your IBM i and how your application and workflows are likely utilizing them. Included in the presentation is the newest host server that enables Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for remote services and how to configure the host servers using the new Configure Host Server (CFGHOSTSVR) command.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand what the host servers are and what each one does. • Understand what the host connection server does and how it enables MFA. • Understand what the CFGHOSTSVR command does and how it works. • See how the host servers work from applications like Access Client Solutions (ACS) and others.

Speakers

Wayne Bowers

IBM i Global Support, IBM

Wayne Bowers has been with IBM since 1997, where he works with the IBM i Global Support Center in Rochester MN. He is an Advisory Software Engineer specializing in the support of the IBM i Access (aka Client Access) products, Console, the TCP Telnet communications server, and the... Read More →

Justin Nelson

Advisory Software Engineer, IBM

Justin Nelson is a software developer within IBM i development. He has worked on the IBM i since joining IBM in 2015. He is a member of the integrated file system & servers (IFS) team and specializes in the Network Client File System (QNTC), host servers, and Network Authentication... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm CDT
Balcony K

Client Connectivity

4:30pm CDT

How to Write Code That Doesn't Suck

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

Great code doesn't just "work" - it survives change, catches mistakes early, and makes your future self say "thank you" instead of "who wrote this mess?". This session will dig into the habits that separate quick hacks from quality software. You'll learn why testing matters, how Test-Driven Development (TDD) can guide better design, and how to put it into practice with RPGUnit for the IBM i. Expect practical demos, a few war stories, and clear takeaways for building code that's clean, reliable, and - most importantly - doesn't suck.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand Test Driven Development 2. Look at RPGUnit 3. Investigate tools built into VS Code for IBM i that can help

Speakers

Patrick Behr

Senior Consultant & Instructor, Seiden Group & imPower Technologies

Tuesday April 28, 2026 4:30pm - 4:50pm CDT
Balcony K

RPG

5:05pm CDT

SQL - Final/Old/New Table Statement

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

Have you ever wanted the ability to see which records were affected by an Insert, Update, or Delete statement? Data Change Table References (FINAL/OLD/NEW Table) statements were created for this exact purpose. Join me in this session to learn how to use these statements.Learning Objectives:

Learn how and when to use an SQL FINAL/OLD/NEW Table statement

Speakers

Mike Zaringhalam

Developer, PC Richard & Son

Have you ever wanted to meet someone who started Hawaiian Shirt Fridays at their work place?
If the answer is 'Yes!', then feel free to reach out with any questions you have regarding Hawaiian shirts... Or IBM i related topics.
My main focuses are RDi, DB2, Modernization, and D... Read More →

Tuesday April 28, 2026 5:05pm - 5:25pm CDT
Balcony K

Database

8:00am CDT

9:15am CDT

10:45am CDT

3:15pm CDT

4:30pm CDT

5:05pm CDT

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