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!

8:00am CDT

SYSTOOLS Services

Wednesday April 29, 2026 8:00am - 10:15am CDT

Balcony I-J

Evaluation Survey

With the last releases and technology refreshes IBM provided a bunch of new IBM i and Db2 Services. A lot of these Services provide functionalities that are not directly available in RPG or can only be implemented in RPG by calling complex System APIs and/or by using pointer handling for accessing the data. However, IBM provides new SQL services mostly located in the SYSTOOLS schema that can write data into the IFS, delete old spool files and even transform a spool file into a PDF document. With other services the SQL queries can be executed and the result saved as Excel-Sheets or *.csv files. Even eMails can be easily sent with the aid of an IBM i service. And the best, we can put all together This session will show a sub-set of SQL and IBM Services which can easily be embedded in any programming language that supports SQL and, in this way, can make live much easier.

Learning Objectives:

In this session you’ll learn how specific SQL Services can be implemented with embedded SQL in RPG or Cobol and how the formerly complex source code can be reduced.

Speakers

Birgitta Hauser

ModEdCon

Wednesday April 29, 2026 8:00am - 10:15am CDT
Balcony I-J

RPG, Database, Programming: RPG

5:00pm CDT

Supercharging SQL in RPG

Wednesday April 29, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT

Galerie 6

Evaluation Survey

SQL has become an essential tool in the modern RPG developer's toolkit—but are you getting the most out of it? Join Simon as he shares practical, real-world examples to help you supercharge your SQL within RPG programs and procedures. You'll learn how to optimize performance, quickly diagnose feedback from Db2, and leverage Views for even greater efficiency. Simon will also cover high-performance SQL I/O techniques for faster data retrieval and smarter error-handling strategies, so you'll know exactly what happened with your SQL statements—and how to fix it.

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 →

Wednesday April 29, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Galerie 6

RPG, Database

8:00am CDT

Case Study: Improving performance in RPG programs with SQL

Thursday April 30, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT

Balcony K

Evaluation Survey

SQL has become an essential tool for modern RPG development, but knowing how to apply it effectively can be a game-changer. In this session, drawn directly from real-world experience, I’ll walk you through how I introduced SQL into my RPG applications, from the thought process behind the changes, to the incremental steps, and finally the results that transformed performance and maintainability. Along the way, you’ll see working examples and take home simple code you can use immediately to compare, test, and fine-tune your own embedded SQL.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the practical steps for introducing SQL into RPG applications. Learn how incremental changes can simplify the adoption of SQL in existing codebases. Discover the performance and maintainability benefits of SQL-driven RPG. Gain access to sample code you can use to experiment with and optimize your own embedded SQL.

Speakers

Gregory Simmons

Software Engineer, PC Richard & Son

Gregory Simmons is a Software Engineer at P.C. Richard & Son. He is a COMMON certified Application Developer – ILE RPG on IBM I on Power. He is also a registered instructor with IBM’s Academic Initiative and an RPG and IBM i instructor at Scott Regional Technology Center, where... Read More →

Thursday April 30, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CDT
Balcony K

RPG, Database, Programming: RPG

COMMON POWERUp 2026

8:00am CDT

Birgitta Hauser

5:00pm CDT

Simon Hutchinson

8:00am CDT

Gregory Simmons

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