Entries by Alan Seiden

Salesforce talks to IBM i and PHP: suggestions for successful integration

February 19, 2018 /0 Comments/in /by

Salesforce’s cloud platform has become a leading choice for enterprises seeking to automate their sales process. Known primarily for customer relationship management (CRM), Salesforce also offers broad integration with functionality such as marketing automation. Salesforce can also be integrated with core systems, such as those running on IBM i. Here are a couple of suggestions from Seiden Group’s IBM i and cloud integration specialists.

Using Git on IBM i (with video review)

January 2, 2018 /0 Comments/in , , /by

We’ve seen a surge of interest in Git version control on IBM i, so a recent video about Git caught my eye.  The Git trend makes perfect sense as IBM i teams adopt languages such as PHP, Javascript, and Python to develop web user interfaces, APIs, and other functionality. That said, Git also supports the traditional IBM i language, RPG.

With a Lot of Help from My i

December 3, 2017 /0 Comments/in , /by

This past October I had the pleasure of collaborating musically with Ted Holt at the RPG & DB2 Summit.  Ted is not only a seasoned IBM i programmer, mastermind behind IT Jungle’s Guru column, and a speaker at many conferences, but also a musician who plays the ukulele, the banjo, the piano, and who knows what else. Ted traditionally closes the Summit with an original IBM i rendition of a classic song. For this Summit I suggested that he adapt The Beatles’ With a Little Help from My Friends. Ted wrote the lyrics for, and invited me to help lead…

PHP Toolkit for IBM i Conversion Tips

September 16, 2017 /0 Comments/in /by

Recently we’ve heard from several clients seeking help with Zend Server upgrades. While generally straightforward, upgrades can require an extra step with very old versions of Zend Server. “Old” means Zend Core or Zend Server 5.1 or earlier. Upgrades from these old versions may require a migration from Easycom to the “new” PHP to IBM i toolkit.

Next IBM i CIO Summit to be held October 16-17, 2017, Minneapolis

September 6, 2017 /0 Comments/in , /by

In late April in Manhattan, Seiden Group had the pleasure of hosting its first IBM i CIO Summit. Now we’ve gone a step further, teaming up with System i Developer partners Susan Gantner, Jon Paris and Paul Tuohy, to organize an IBM i CIO Summit “Plus.” The event will be held October 16-17, 2017, in Minneapolis, in conjunction with the RPG & DB2 Summit.

Resources for Upgrading to PHP 7 on IBM i

July 24, 2017 /1 Comment/in , /by

Now that speedy PHP 7 is available for IBM i, we’ve been helping clients upgrade to this long-awaited release. Here are some resources for performing this popular upgrade. First, we recommend Rod Flohr’s article Migrate to Zend Server 9 from Previous Versions, which contains both basic instructions and special tips.

Learning the Latest on Laravel

July 17, 2017 /0 Comments/in , /by

Seiden Group colleague Josh Hall and I will attend Laracon, the Laravel conference, in NYC on July 25-26, 2017. Getting these coveted tickets required persistence — they sold out quickly! Laravel is a hot PHP framework with a loyal community. We’ve been building our Laravel practice and look forward to sharing the latest tips and techniques with our clients. According to creator Taylor Otwell, the first commercial installation of Laravel was on an IBM i system!

PHP 7 and Free Basic Zend Server Edition for IBM i

July 10, 2017 /0 Comments/in /by

PHP 7 is creating excitement among PHP aficionados for its speed and additional language techniques. As the official runtime for enterprise PHP, Zend Server has always offered a free basic edition to IBM i customers. Recently, a change occurred on the Zend Server download page that has caused some confusion. At the time of this writing, the Zend Server download was labeled as a “30-day trial” even though, as an IBM i customer, you are still entitled to a free basic edition license. Of course, you can also opt for paid editions. IBM i users can request a download of Zend Server for  IBM…

Where to find DB2 for IBM i documentation

June 23, 2017 /4 Comments/in , /by

It’s not always easy to locate the official documentation for all features of DB2 for IBM i. Using Google Search is hit or miss, with full-text searches often bringing irrelevant results from other varieties of DB2 or from older versions. Many people don’t know that complete reference manuals are available for almost every aspect of DB2 on i.