COMMON POWERUp 2026

Discover how Model Context Protocol (MCP) is making it easier than ever to integrate intelligent AI capabilities with your existing business applications. In this introductory session, you'll learn what MCP is, why it matters, and how this game-changing technology allows AI models and tools to tap into data and applications you already have in place. We'll explore practical examples of how MCP can transform everyday business processes—from creating conversational interfaces that let users ask questions in plain English, to automating routine tasks and generating insights from your company's data. Whether you're a developer, IT manager, or business stakeholder curious about AI's potential, this session will demystify the technology and show you concrete steps to begin your AI journey without the typical complexity and cost barriers.

Learning Objectives:

See live demonstrations of MCP in action Understand the basic concepts behind this emerging standard Walk away with clear ideas for how to start experimenting with enhancing AI tools with MCP

Join me in exploring Project Bob, a new AI-powered software development partner. We’ll look at how Bob supports the entire software development cycle through intelligent modes, tools, commands, and workflows that understand your code, intent, and standards. We’ll also dive into practical demos for IBM i developers, showcasing how Bob can explain, understand, refactor, transform, and test even monolithic or legacy codebases.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore what Bob is and how to use it • See how Bob understands your code, intent, and standards • Explore practical examples of using Bob as an IBM i developer • Learn how Bob excels at modernizing legacy codebases

Most seasoned RPG developers have mastered the principles behind 5250-based (green screen) display files, deftly incorporating function keys, multi-line folding subfiles, overlaying windows and creative field abbreviations into text-based interfaces. But today's users — particularly younger ones — tend to demand more intuitive, browser-based interfaces to get their work done. To be effective with web-based applications on IBM i, we developers must apply substantially different design philosophies from what we'd become accustomed to in the green screen world.

This mostly non-technical session is focused on the art and science of designing effective web page layouts for business-centric applications, leveraging modern UI components like drop-downs, auto-complete, scrolling, accordion layouts, pop-ups, etc. We'll explore what makes an application visually appealing and user-friendly, with a discussion of web design best practices. We'll touch on the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle and "less is more" philosophy, ensuring your next generation of IBM i applications are both functional and engaging for your users.

Learning Objectives:

* Gain awareness of modern UI components, such as drop-down menus, auto-complete fields, vertical/horizontal scrolling, accordion layouts, pop-up elements, etc., and their roles in enhancing the user experience
* Learn page layout and wire framing strategies to help transition from 5250 green screens to clean, intuitive, browser-based designs
* Understand web design best practices, prioritizing clarity, consistency, and accessibility in your application interfaces
* Appreciate the benefits of applying a "less is more" philosophy to eliminate clutter, focus on essential elements, and create elegant & efficient screen layouts

Traditional IBM i monitoring often stops at surface-level events and alerts, such as CPU spikes or disk space warnings, leaving IT teams to diagnose the root cause. But what if you could predict issues well before they even show symptoms? By learning how your system behaves when healthy, AI-powered algorithms can Observe signals, detect subtle “heartbeat” patterns, and correlations between workload and processor-level time signatures. This enables IT teams to truly Understand the system behavior and Act proactively, addressing risks before they escalate into outages. In this session, we’ll go beyond theory and share a real-world example of how an IBM i environment leveraged AI/ML-driven observability to move from reactive alerts to predictive insights. You’ll learn practical steps to apply these techniques in your own organization, reducing business risk and keeping your IBM i running smoothly, well ahead of trouble.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the limitations of traditional IBM i monitoring and why component-level alerts are not enough. Learn how AI-powered observability applies the Observe, Understand and Act framework to predict and prevent issues. Explore a real-world case study demonstrating the transition from reactive monitoring to predictive insights. Identify practical steps to implement AI-driven observability in your IBM i environment to reduce operational risk.

Join us for an in-depth look at the IBM i Testing VS Code extension and IBM i Testing CLI. In this session, we will demonstrate how you can now write and execute RPGUnit test suites (supporting both RPG and COBOL) directly within the editor using local files or source members. We will cover the basics of the RPGUnit test framework, showcase how to generate test stubs that make it easy to get started, demonstrate how to execute tests with code coverage, and even run tests in a CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions. If you are looking to adopt new and modern tooling, come check out this exciting addition to the IBM i development ecosystem in VS Code.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to use the IBM i Testing extension for VS Code • Learn about the RPGUnit test framework • Learn how to execute RPG tests and view code coverage • Learn how to automate your unit tests in a CI/CD pipeline

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