How COBOL REDEFINES the Way You Think About Business Programming
February 1, 2021
“I got it started. It should build itself now.” So a local builder advised a cousin-in-law of mine in rural Poland who was building a house, and had requested assistance with putting the roof in place. Being more of an academic than a builder, my cousin was baffled—all he saw was a mostly unfinished roof […]
ArticlesAn Introduction to IBM IMS OTMA
January 29, 2021
IMS Open Transaction Manager Access (OTMA) is a component of IMS TM and is a transaction-based, connectionless client/server protocol
ArticlesThe Best Ways to Keep Your Data Private
January 28, 2021
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have turned to the internet to help get daily tasks safely completed. Whether it’s ordering your next grocery delivery online or hosting video calls from a make-shift home office, technology has become not just a luxury, but a necessity, for many. As vaccines begin to roll […]
ArticlesNoSQL Databases: Frequently Asked Questions
January 25, 2021
Q: What is NoSQL? When you hear someone use the term NoSQL, they’re referring to non-relational databases. Some people will tell you that NoSQL stands for “non SQL.” However, the more fitting term is “not only SQL” as some NoSQL databases continue to support SQL. NoSQL databases utilize a flexible system of storing data, compared […]
ArticlesGetting the Most From Your Application Development Tools
January 25, 2021
This past summer I tackled the daunting project of rebuilding an outdoor deck. My collection of tools is hardly of beginner level, but surely not contractor grade either. There was one particularly onerous section that was too difficult for my carpentry pay grade and it was blatantly obvious a trained professional was in order. When […]
Understanding IMS OTMA Commit Mode and Synchronization Level
January 25, 2021
The IMS OTMA client communicates information to IMS and receives information from IMS in a prefix passed in front of the message (or command). Among several information present in the prefix are COMMIT MODE and SYNCHRONIZATION (SYNC) LEVEL. OTMA SYNC Level The OTMA client specifies the sync level on each input message. The OTMA sync […]
ArticlesWhat Coding Language Should You Teach Yourself?
January 25, 2021
Coding and programming are major additions to any worker’s skillset and can make the job market a much easier place to navigate. Companies everywhere are looking for candidates who are already trained in various coding languages, and the good news is that with all the online resources available for free, it’s easy to teach yourself […]
ArticlesIBM i Performance Data Investigator: Memory Allocation Perspectives
January 22, 2021
IBM’s recent enhancements to the Performance Data Investigator (PDI) charting engine includes some new memory perspectives (charts) which provide additional usage statistics that help visualize and understand memory usage on your IBM i partition. IBM i memory tuning has traditionally been a dark art: adjust tuning parameters and see how the system behaves. It was […]
ArticlesBridging the Generational Gap
January 22, 2021
It’s no secret that mainframes are still relevant and constantly changing to keep with the new demands for increased speed and stability. The new machines are being built smaller and are processing faster than ever before. This evolution triggers the same questions at conferences, resource planning, and even with vendors: How can we plan for […]
ArticlesA Beginner’s Guide to NoSQL
January 19, 2021
Traditionally the way that SQL works is through relational databases. As such, it tends to run into certain issues, for example, complex design due to needing to avoid data duplication. Another big issue is the fact that SQL is only vertically scalable, and therefore can become quite expensive as a project expands. NoSQL was made […]