Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction

IBM Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction V7.5 enables a developer to build innovative rich Web applications, and user interfaces (UI), that can link to the backend RPG, COBOL, and Enterprise Generation Language (EGL) business applications. It contains powerful EGL based web development tools targeting IBM i (i5/OS).

IBM Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction V7.5, helps to simplify and accelerate the development of SOA applications and modernization of legacy systems. It requires a minimum re-training effort and will help to reduce development costs. A developer can reuse and extend IT assets, by using wizards in IBM Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction to turn existing callable RPG and COBOL programs into Web services.

IBM Rational Business developer can be used to extend these applications to the Web.

IBM Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction contains the latest technology Web Development tools targeting the IBM i (i5/OS). The products included in the offering are:

• Rational Business Developer

• Rational Developer for i

• Host Access Transformation Service (HATS) toolkit

IBM Rational Business Developer

IBM Rational Business Developer delivers the latest technology tools to support the definition and test/debug of EGL applications and services. It is also a generation engine that transforms the EGL source into Java or COBOL code optimized for deployment to a broad variety of application hosting environments, including Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE) servers, WebSphere, Apache, Tomcat, IBM i (i5/OS) Integrated Application Server and others, as well as traditional transactional systems such as IBM i (i5/OS).

EGL hides the details of the target execution platforms and associated middleware, freeing a developer to focus on the business problem rather then on the underlying implementation technologies. Developers with little or no experience with Java and Web Technologies can use EGL to create enterprise-class services and applications quickly and easily. Even those with little or no experience with IBM i (i5/OS) programming, can quickly create highly optimized IBM i Web services and programs.

IBM Rational Business Developer has functions that further strengthen the platform coverage, the support for SOA and for business integration solutions, the usability and versatility of the EGL language. It provides capability for extending RPG and COBOL applications to the Web.

IBM Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction addresses the full spectrum of modern business application requirements including the development of:

• Business services: The EGL language includes the built-in notion of "service", allowing a developer to create and consume services in an extremely simple and straightforward way, and to permeate systems architecture with service orientation.

• Web applications: Tight integration of EGL with the Java Server Faces (JSF) framework and JSF tools enable a developer to create Web applications in a simple and productive way, without the need to know Java or the details of the JSF framework.

• Portlets: EGL JSF Web applications can also be deployed to WebSphere Portal Server. EGL provides built-in functions to interface to the Portal framework, including support for inter-portlet communications.

• Reports: EGL integration with Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), an open source reporting engine, allows for creation of sophisticated reports.

• Batch systems: The language includes the built-in notion of a "batch program," which can be generated to run without end user interaction (for example, to produce reports or to batch database load and up-date.)

• Text user-interface applications: To facilitate migration of legacy systems to a modern development environment, EGL includes the ability to create traditional 5250 character-based user interfaces and related programming constructs.

• Tight integration of EGL and RPG/COBOL applications: RPG/COBOL applications can be easily extended to the Web.

IBM Rational Business Developer V7.5 delivers the following enhancements in addition to the existing capabilities of IBM Rational Business Developer V7.1:

• Support for deployment of Web applications to WebSphere Application Server V7.0

• Support for deployment of portlets to WebSphere Portal V6.1

• Support for JavaServer Faces 1.2

• Support for MQ Series: Message queues can now be accessed using EGL language abstractions.

• IBM i (i5/OS) Integrated Application Server support: Generated Java Web applications can now be deployed to the IBM i (i5/OS) Integrated Application Server.

• IBM i (i5/OS) Data Queues and Data Areas support: These resources can now be accessed through the use of new EGL functions.

• CVS files support: Comma separated value (CSV) files can now be accessed using EGL language abstractions.

• Text User Interface applications: Language elements and tools allow a developer to write traditional 5250 character-based user interface programs.

• Web transaction support: To facilitate migration of VisualAge Generator Web applications, EGL now supports the development and generation of applications using the VisualAge Generator Web Transaction feature.

• BIRT integration: EGL integration with BIRT, an open source reporting engine, enables creation of sophisticated reports.

• Portlets support: EGL JavaServer Faces (JSF) Web applications can be deployed to WebSphere Portal Server, and EGL provides built-in functions to interface the portal framework, including support for inter-portlet communications.

• Enhanced security: EGL applications can include user sign-on capability to restrict access to resources only to authorized users, through new EGL support for access to JNDI/LDAP directory data and enablement of both container-managed and application-managed security.

• JSF support enhancements: IBM Rational Business Developer V7.5 includes several JSF editor usability enhancements, the use of JSF AJAX-enabled type-ahead fields, and the use of LDAP security JSF support.

• EGL language enhancements: These include the use of exclusive OR (XOR) operator, the ability to pass and return EGL records on function invocations and other minor enhancements.

• EGL invocation from native Java: IBM Rational Business Developer generates Java wrappers that enables EGL invocation from native Java.

• ILE service procedures invocation: EGL can invoke native IBM i (i5/OS) Integrated Language Environment (ILE) service procedures.

• Usability enhancements: A new project wizard and numerous source editor and debugger improvements (such as automated formatting, improved content assist, dynamic error markers, code refactoring, "jump to line" during debugging, dynamic code modification during debugging) significantly simplify the EGL development experience.

• Built-in tools: For automated conversion of VisualAge Generator code to EGL.

• Bi-directional text enhancements: A number of enhancements enable development and deployment of applications that require bi-directional text support.

IBM Rational Business Developer empowers programmers to increase their productivity when developing IBM i (i5/OS) application development through:

• Abstraction: EGL provides concise and powerful notations that help to eliminate the tight coupling. It reduces the amount of coding required to interface systems and middleware. This abstraction simplifies and speeds up your development work.

• Declarative programming: EGL includes a certain level of declarative specifications to help reduce repetitive and error-prone coding. For example, validation rules can be associated with a data item to trigger validation whenever the item is used in a Web page or a 5250 screen.

• Language: EGL is an easy-to-learn language, comprehensive language. Modern, modular, and readable, it has a rich library of built-in functions to boost developer productivity for commonly required operations, such as date and time math, string manipulation, and so on. The language is extensible and offers full interoperability with other languages, including EGL interfaces to native Java, and seamless invocation of RPG or COBOL programs or any ILE procedure.

• Tools: IBM Rational Business Developer contains a rich set of Eclipse-based capabilities, including EGL source level debugging, powerful smart editing, visual construction, graphical navigation, and automated generation of Create/Read/Update/Delete (CRUD) applications from Unified Modeling Language (UML) models or from data schemas.

• SOA: EGL is designed to facilitate services development and deployment. A simplified SOA development paradigm is built into the language itself and complemented with the tools. EGL supports the creation of services without the need to know Web service protocols and standards such as Web Services Description Language (WSDL), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Statement of general direction

IBM currently plans to deliver a fully supported and enhanced implementation of the EGL Rich UI technology (formerly called EGL Rich Web) in IBM Rational Business Developer in fourth quarter, 2008. This technology, which currently exists as an IBM alphaWorks project, helps enable IT organizations to quickly deliver rich Web 2.0-style solutions without needing to learn or program the intricacies of Ajax, Javascript, REST, HTML, or XML. With EGL, organizations have the ability to build complete solutions, including front-end user interfaces and back-end services and business logic using a single language. This ability to combine EGL cross platform integration and service deployment capabilities with EGL Rich UI helps make critical, proven enterprise assets and data available to other organizations, partners, and users in new and more modern ways. Web 2.0-style applications help improve productivity and enable innovative business processes through a more responsive and rich user experience because all logic responsible for presenting, mashing up, and validating information is performed on the client.

For more information, visit

• http://www.ibm.com/software/rational/cafe/community/egl/rui

IBM also plans to deliver an extension to Rational Business Developer that enables the generation of EGL as COBOL source that can be compiled and deployed to z/VSE in fourth quarter, 2008. Code can be deployed as traditional 3270 CICS applications, traditional batch applications, or programs capable of being invoked from an EGL Web front-end or EGL service, which can be deployed on a distributed application server. A runtime component, comparable to IBM Rational COBOL Runtime for zSeries, provides the required libraries for these programs running in z/VSE. This new offering helps deliver Web 2.0, SOA, and Web solutions for z/VSE.

Product plans referenced in this document may change at any time at IBM's sole discretion based on market opportunities or other factors, and are not intended to be a commitment to future product or feature availability in any way. All statements regarding IBM's plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice.

IBM Rational Developer for i V7.5

IBM Rational Developer for i V7.5 delivers an Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE) for RPG and COBOL programmers. The combination of IBM Rational Developer for i and IBM Rational Business Developer provides an IBM i (i5/OS) developer to:

• Develop and deploy Web-based applications.

• Create Web services for existing IBM i (i5/OS) applications

• Use EGL to extend your existing applications with a Web user interface.

IBM Rational Developer for i gives you with edit/compile/debug capabilities. The key V7.5 enhancements include:

• Integration with IBM Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software V7.5

• Improved performance at startup and system actions

• Increased capabilities of the i Project support for centralizing IBM i resources in a common change management repository

IBM Rational Developer for i allows you to modernize existing IBM i (i5/OS) RPG and COBOL applications to enable them for SOA. Use the edit/compile/debug capability in IBM Rational Developer for i to separate your batch code into reusable procedures that can be consumed as Web services. The new Web services wizard can be used to turn these procedues into services. These steps will enable IBM Rational Business Developer to consume those existing RPG and COBOL services.

IBM RATIONAL HATS TOOLKIT V7.5

The HATS Toolkit includes a default transformation engine that quickly and easily generates a dynamic Web interface from a 5250 datastream. The resulting Web interface can also be customized with the HATS Toolkit. HATS can also be used to create Web services that provide standard programming interfaces to business logic and transactions contained within host applications. Applications produced with the HATS Toolkit require the purchase of HATS for 5250 Applications licenses and HATS for 5250 Applications V7.5 media prior to deployment to production.

The key HATS V7.5 enhancements include:

• Visual macro editor tooling to enable developers to more easily build robust and reliable Web services

• Support for latest versions of Rational development environments, including Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software V7.5

• Support for latest versions of WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Portal, Lotus Expeditor, and Eclipse Rich Client Platform

• Support for the Firefox browser for WebFacing or linked HATS/WebFacing applications

IBM Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction Product Postioning

Most IT organizations are under pressure to deliver integrated systems and Web applications to help their businesses become more efficient and competitive. However, some industry studies show that the high cost and long time required to re-train software developers are main inhibitors to aligning IT with the needs of the business. If an organization develops applications in-house but the development team does not have enough experience and skills with emerging middleware and programming technologies, they may be unable to deliver the systems that the business demands.

To address this challenge, IBM delivers the new IBM Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction offering. It enables organizations to build their application development capabilities while preserving their investment in skills and software assets.

• Helps simplify and accelerate development of SOA applications, modernize legacy systems, and reduce development costs.

• Enables developer to reuse and extend valuable existing IT assets such as RPG and COBOL programs and service programs, by turning existing RPG and COBOL applications into artifacts needed for service access, for example, Web services.

• Combines the power of IBM Rational Developer for i for edit/compile/debug with the ability to extend existing applications to the Web with IBM Rational Business Developer.