Hands-On Learning and Networking

Join us for three days of general sessions and hands-on labs across three tracks, along with opportunities to network with your fellow professionals.

Day 1

Monday, August 31st

AI Deep Dives

+ Special Event

Day 2

Tuesday, September 1st

Technology Tracks

+ Special Event

Day 3

Wednesday, September 2nd

Hack-a-thon

+ Lunch & Awards

Monday, August 31st – AI Technology Roundup

Hear from leading technology executives about how AI is transforming IBM i and application development.

11AM-12:00PM

Registration

Registration/Hospitality Desk Open.

12:00PM–5:00PM

Strategic AI Insights Sessions

Lunch plus sessions from technology leaders from IBM, Broadcom, Microsoft, Anthropic, CM First, A&I Technologies, programmers.ai, Midrange Dynamics

Session 1
Tim Rowe
IBM

Not Legacy — Ahead of Its Time: The Future of IBM i and how IBM Bob is Changing How We Work on It
IBM i was built for what the industry is only now catching up to — and in this session, we’ll prove it. We’ll cover the Power11 roadmap, hybrid cloud integration, IBM i’s industry-leading security and reliability, and the real cost advantages that make it hard to beat. Then we’ll show why IBM i is uniquely AI-ready today, thanks to the depth of SQL Services that make connecting modern tools to your business data straightforward.
In the second half, we get hands-on with Bob and the Premium Package for i — an AI assistant built specifically for IBM i. We’ll show how operators and administrators can use Bob to review audit journals, investigate job logs, monitor system performance, and understand unfamiliar programs — all through natural conversation. No migrations, no rewrites. Just actionable intelligence from the system you already run. Come for the platform vision. Leave with a tool you can use on Monday morning.

Session 2
Mike Pavlak
programmers.ai

AI loves fresh data! How to Surface IBM i Data in AI platforms
Discover how InfoConnect platform bridges the gap between IBM i and today’s AI ecosystem. In this session, you’ll learn how real-time Change Data Capture (CDC) streams live DB2 data from IBM i to modern data platforms with little to no coding and without impacting production performance. We’ll demonstrate how to make IBM i data available to AI agents and workflows, enabling intelligent automation, natural language interfaces, and real-time decision-making. Whether you’re beginning your AI journey or expanding existing IBM i capabilities, this class provides practical strategies for integrating trusted enterprise data with the latest AI technologies.

Session 3
John Rhodes
CM First Group

Tokenomics
AI coding agents promise faster modernization — but the bill arrives in tokens, and pure-LLM translations of RPG can compile cleanly while preserving 0% of business behavior.
Through five real code examples, this session unpacks the economics of agentic development for CA 2E and CA Plex shops: deterministic analysis and transformation with CM evolveIT at the core, AI where judgment pays, and no LLM vendor lock-in.

Session 5
Casey Hawes
A&I Technologies

Scaling Agentic AI from isolated pilots to a governed, enterprise-wide workforce is a growing challenge for organizations.
In this session, we introduce Scout, an enterprise-grade Agentic AI platform built on AWS that enables businesses to build, deploy, and govern AI agents across every function. Grounded in promise theory and a Swarm Intelligence operating model, Scout ensures secure, policy-driven execution while preventing sprawl and protecting sensitive data. We’ll also explore how Scout’s Agentic Studio and data-driven transformation approach guide organizations from proof-of-concept to autonomous workflows. With real-time intelligence delivering predictive insights and continuous optimization, Scout empowers enterprises to accelerate AI adoption with control, visibility, and performance at scale.

5:15PM–6:00PM

AI Technology Roundtable

AI Technical Leaders will address current challenges and topics from the audience

6:30PM–8:30PM

Special Event

Special Event: Nashville Hot Chicken Dinner & Hot Sauce Challenge
Enjoy a true taste of Nashville with a hot chicken dinner, followed by a fun Hot Sauce Challenge at the hotel.

Tuesday, September 1st – Technology Tracks

8:30AM–9:00AM

Registration

Registration/Hospitality Desk Open

9:00AM-10:00AM

Keynote

IBM and Broadcom Technology Keynotes on roadmaps and technical directions.

10:00AM-10:50AM

Customer Round Table

A panel of IBM I, CA Plex, and CA 2E customers will address current topics and questions on modernization.

11:00AM-11:50AM

2E/Plex
Plex show & tell from customers
Andrew Leggett, Roger Griffith, Jeremy Stent
To assist in automated regressing testing we at United Heritage have developed a test framework with patterns to create test harnesses around non UI programs, and test harnesses to update and review database records. This test framework supports setting up database records, running tests, and automatically reviewing the return values and updated database records to check for test pass or failure. This is based solely on Patterns libraries and is available for free. You can run individual tests, groupings of tests, and all tests for a system.

Modernization
Analyzing and Modernizing 2E Applications using Static Analysis and AI
John Rhodes, Roger Hammer
This session explores how static analysis and artificial intelligence can be applied to CA 2E environments to accelerate discovery, surface embedded business logic, and chart a clearer path to modernization. Attendees will come away with a practical understanding of how these tools work together in real CA 2E shops.

Technology
Working Together on IBM i: Git + Change Management for Innovative IBM i DevOps
Donna Westmoreland – Midrange Dynamics
Source versioning tools like Git have transformed modern development—but for IBM i teams, Git alone isn’t enough. When paired with structured change management, this powerful combination streamlines source control, strengthens compliance, and improves collaboration across IT teams. If you’re looking to modernize your IBM i development process without compromising stability or compliance, we’ll show you how to achieve the best of both worlds: agile, collaborative development with safe, controlled deployments.

noon-1:20PM

Lunch

Lunch with Teams Trivia Game

1:30PM-2:20PM

2E/Plex – Show & Tell
Use AI for Test Creation
Mark Schroeder
This presentation show how to use AI to create testing suite that validates 2E, RPG, and COBOL application components to confirm functional accuracy and adherence to business rules. Each test case documents inputs, expected outcomes, and pass/fail criteria, with results tracked in a centralized Excel workbook for clear status reporting and sign-off.

Modernization
Analyzing and Modernizing Plex Applications using Static Analysis and AI
John Rhodes, Roger Hammer
Focused on CA Plex environments, this session examines how static analysis and AI-assisted tools can reduce the time and risk associated with understanding and modernizing complex Plex applications. Expect a practical look at where these approaches add the most value in a Plex modernization program.

Technology

IBM i was built for what the industry is only now catching up to.
Tim Rowe
In this session, we’ll prove it. We’ll cover the Power11 roadmap, hybrid cloud integration, IBM i’s industry-leading security and reliability, and the real cost advantages that make it hard to beat. Then we’ll show why IBM i is uniquely AI-ready today, thanks to the depth of SQL Services that make connecting modern tools to your business data straightforward.

2:30PM-3:20PM

2E/Plex
Plex Tips and Techniques
Andrew Leggett, Roger Griffith
No matter how long we’ve been using CA Plex, there’s always something new to find in its feature set that can help you in your day-to-day tasks. Several highly-experienced developers will share tips and techniques that they’ve picked up over the years.

Modernization
2E Development with AI Claude Code
Lily Taharudin
AI is everywhere — but how does it actually help with 2E work? In this hype-free live demo, we’ll use Claude Code and a small MCP “bridge” to read your 2E model, generate a clean reference document for a 2E function in seconds, and get an impact analysis for a proposed change — all in plain English. No AI background required, and you don’t need to be an expert to start.

Technology
DDS to DDL (Target database Agnostic)
Mahadev Kanike
I’ll demonstrate how CM DDSToDDL turns legacy IBM i DDS source into ready-to-run SQL Server and IBM i DB2 DDL in minutes — with clean, business-readable names and correct keys generated automatically, never hand-inferred. A live demo shows a single source folder producing deployable, dependency-ordered scripts for both platforms in one pass.

3:30PM-4:20PM

2E/Plex
2E Tips and Techniques
Eamonn Foley, Steve Cast, Mark Schroeder
Join us as Eamonn leads the group through a rapid fire session of tips/tricks you can use.

Extending 2E Capabilities

This presentation shows developers how to extend Synon 2E generated RPG IV applications using EXECUSRSRC, covering key built-in functions and the #I/#O/#B parameter conventions. It also demonstrates embedded SQL patterns, walking through the full cursor lifecycle from prepare and declare through fetch and close.

Transforming Impact Analysis into Controlled Change

Many CA 2E (Synon) teams still track change scope through spreadsheets or disconnected tools, risking incomplete impact assessments and missed objects. This session shows how Synon Model Lists—built from impact analysis—create a single, validated source of truth that drives development, testing, and deployment. Through a real-world example, attendees will see how Model Lists shift change management from individual object edits to controlled, managed change sets.”

Modernization
Automated testing of AS-IS and TO-BE systems
Maya Najjar
This presentation shows developers how to extend Synon 2E generated RPG IV applications using EXECUSRSRC, covering key built-in functions and the #I/#O/#B parameter conventions. It also demonstrates embedded SQL patterns, walking through the full cursor lifecycle from prepare and declare through fetch and close.

Technology
Turn Any Synon Application into a REST API and MCP servers
Mike Pavlak – programmers.ai
Modernize your Synon (CA 2E) applications without rewriting proven business logic. In this session, you’ll learn how to expose existing Synon programs as secure, scalable REST APIs and MCP servers, that can be consumed by AI agents, web applications, mobile apps, cloud platforms, and third-party systems. We’ll demonstrate how to rapidly create APIs and MCP servers, apply authentication and security, and integrate with modern technologies while preserving your investment in IBM i. Whether you’re building a digital transformation strategy, enabling cloud integration, or supporting AI initiatives, this class will show practical techniques for extending the value of your Synon applications through standards-based REST services.

4:30PM-5:20PM

2E/Plex
Controlling CA Plex with AI
Andrew Legget, Borys Vulgarin
AI coding assistants have helped accelerate modern development, but don’t feel left out if you’re using older tools like CA Plex. Andrew Leggett will demonstrate how Plex developers can use tools like Claude Code to query and modify your Plex applications, automating common tasks and extracting information from your models, while Borys Vulgarin will introduce an AI-driven pipeline that turns plain-language requirements into valid CA Plex Object Migration XML, which can then be imported directly into a Plex model.

Modernization
Modernizing Native Legacy Code Tips
Kiyoshi Terasawa, Lily Taharudin
We will showcase a modernization process by migrating IBMi native code to SpringBoot Java. In this session, we will walk through various code transformation scenarios, including COBOL, RPG with O spec report, and CLP to Java. We will also share the challenges we encountered and practical tips drawn from our modernization project experience.

Technology
IBM i Technology Presentation
This session delivers an up-to-date look at the IBM i platform — covering the latest developments in tooling, integration, and the capabilities shaping modern IBM i environments. Essential viewing for any shop with IBM i infrastructure as part of their stack.

5:30PM-6:20PM

2E/Plex
Plex as a Foundation, Not a Ceiling: Practical Patterns for Modernizing Without Starting Over
Hugo Rodriguez – Sodisa
After 20+ years building enterprise ERP software on CA Plex, SODISA faced a familiar challenge: evolving user expectations without abandoning the business logic that took decades to perfect. In this session, we share three real-world patterns we used to extend our Plex system outward. Including integrating facial biometric recognition directly within Plex, exposing Plex business logic through a modern .NET API to power a web employee portal, and building new web interfaces that coexist with our existing Plex model. No theory, just honest lessons from a team that decided to orchestrate around Plex rather than walk away from it.

Modernization
ModernizeIT: From Legacy Code to Modern Architecture: Accelerating Application Modernization with AI-Guided Discovery
Tim Higgins – A&I
Legacy modernization efforts are often slowed by limited visibility into complex applications, undocumented business logic, and unclear modernization pathways. In this product showcase, discover how ModernizeIT helps organizations accelerate modernization through AI-guided discovery, analysis, and planning. We’ll demonstrate how teams can gain actionable insights into legacy applications, visualize architecture and dependencies, generate documentation, and identify opportunities for modernization—all within a unified platform designed to reduce risk and improve decision-making.

Technology
Performance Optimization using SQL Procedure (Caching / parallelism )
Eric Giron, Boris Vulgarin

When modernizing CA 2E models to CA Plex, the same business logic can be preserved, but the execution cost can change dramatically when native RPG is replaced by Plex-generated Java. A row-by-row access pattern that was inexpensive with native IBM i I/O can become costly when every lookup becomes a JDBC round trip. This session examines a practical approach to modernizing these performance bottlenecks. We will identify repeated database access and shared computations and transform row-by-row processing into set-based SQL and stored procedures. We will also discuss alternative approaches, including caching and parallelism.

7:00PM-8:30PM

Reception

Special Event-Join us for a fun night of line dancing, live music, networking, and Nashville nightlife at Bootleggers Inn in the heart of downtown Nashville!

Wednesday, September 2nd – AI Hackathon / AI Hands On Training

8:30AM-9:00AM

Registration

Registration/Hospitality Desk Open

9:00AM-noon

Hackathon                                                                        Kiyoshi/Lily/Maya/Mahadev/Roger Hammer/Tim higgins                                Hands-on workshop: modernizing Plex and 2E apps to the cloud using static analysis and AI agentic frameworks. Automated Testing.

noon-1:30PM

Closing Lunch

Lunch with Conference Recap and Awards