December 1999

• IT's ACID Test: e-Business Transaction Integrity - To ensure integrity in your transaction systems, Robert Tipton says you should take the ACID Test: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability.
• PTF Watch - PTF Watch lists selected High Impact Pervasive (HIPER) PTFs that aren't — or aren't yet — part of a cumulative PTF package.
• 12 AS/400 Programming Tips and Techniques - Can’t wait for midnight on December 31st to start the new year’s fun? This article gives you a reason to celebrate right now: nifty AS/400 programming tips and techniques on everything from RPG to Java!
• The RPG Meatballer’s Map to the 11 Java Bridges - For programmers with little experience outside RPG, Roger Pence offers some prerequisites to complete before beginning a more advanced Java course.
• Generation XML - Proprietary data formatting is for slackers. Brian Singleton shows how the Extensible Markup Language (XML) lets you describe the structure of data items contained in a document so that any computer can read the data.
• Newswatch Listings -
• Street Talk - Switching to RPG IV; Mocha Software’s TN5250 shareware; AS/400s on the auction block
• The AS/400: Who Needs to Justify It? -
• The AS/400: Positioned to Win - Wayne Madden describes a four-step process to use when positioning the AS/400 as a solution to your enterprise’s technology requirements.
• Letters -
• Purchased Software Can Jeopardize your Security - John Earl says that by continuing to rely on ineffective menu security designs, many software packages force users to render their AS/400s’ impressive security features useless.
• Software Packages Should Use Native AS/400 Security - J.D. Edwards’ David Rest says that third-party vendors must incorporate native AS/400 object-level security into their core designs to make sure their solutions are secure.
• Hot New Products -
• Java Checkpoint - Emerging technologies expand Java’s usefulness for business applications. Sharon L. Hoffman explains several key points you should consider as you begin designing business apps using Java.
• I Want My PDF - Pam Jones explains how AS/400-to-PDF conversion lets you replace printed reports and documents with e-mail or Web versions users can view from any browser.
• The Opera Goes Online - Richard Sweetman relates how Egypt’s Cairo Opera House uses Farabi’s HostFront to book tickets and reservations over the Internet.
• The AS/400's Architecture Goes Beyond Technology - Frank G. Soltis explains the five architectural principles that place the AS/400 "beyond technology": technology independence, object-based design, hardware integration, software integration, and single-level storage.
• In This Issue -
• Benchmark Wish Lists - NEWS/400's technical editors tell us what benchmarking information they'd like IBM to provide.
• Technical Resources - Articles, benchmarking information, books, magazines, and Web sites are grouped by topic: Domino, Java, DB2/400, performance, high availability and more. Use the list as a resource to help you position the AS/400 within your company.
• The Vendors' Position - AS/400 solution vendors sound off about why they chose the AS/400 as a platform for marketing their wares.
• 9 Tips for Blazing JDBC Performance - Mark Megerian and Richard Dettinger show you how to save time and eliminate resource-intensive operations by optimizing your JDBC performance.
• 10 Tips For Networking & Systems Management - These 10 tips provide help for AS/400 networking and systems management problems.
• Exploring Web-based Java Terminal Emulators, Part 2 - Jim Hoopes continues a tour of Java 5250 emulators with a look at BOS’s Jadvantage, Persoft’s Persona server and Insight client, and Core Technology’s MultiBridge server and CTCBridge 5250 for Java client.
• Backup & Recovery FAQs -
• Changing CPI in a Program-Described Printer File -
• Determining Libraries Associated with LPs -
• Applying Text Formatting to Numeric Data in Excel -
• Simplify AS/400–Excel File Transfer with CA Tool -
• Turn Off ODBC Tracing for Better Performance -
• Reserving DASD -
• Remotely Manage AS/400s with FTP’s RCMD -
• Balancing Data Across DASD -
• Retrieving the Percentage of System ASP Used -
• Intranet vs. Internet Certificate Authorities -
• Using SEU to Connect Opcodes with Corresponding END<I>xx</I>’s -
• Replacing *ENTRY PLIST -
• Update JDK Release Levels -
• RPG Compares and Sequencing -
• One AS/400, Multiple JDKs -
• Returning Retrieve API Output to a User Space -
• API Parameters: Optional vs. Omissible -
• Enable Restore Display Feature When Creating a Display File -
• Century Keying Shortcut -
• Simplify HLL Calls in Net.Data -
• Converting Character Data to Numeric in Query/400 -
• Shortcut Access to AS/400 Commands -
• Use prepared statements -
• Eliminate unnecessary database calls -
• Use the correct commitment control level -
• Use Unicode data -
• Eliminate resource-intensive operations -
• Use connection pooling -
• Use blocked fetch -
• Use batch updates -
• Use stored procedures -
• In Focus: Mayday, Mayday, We May Be Under Attack -
• In Focus: IBM Investment Showdown: Java Versus RPG -