COMMON EUROPE CONGRESS 2025

COMMON EUROPE CONGRESS 2025

WELCOME TO COMMON EUROPE CONGRESS 2025

Don’t forget to reach out to your local country user group to get the discount code for the congress!

Common Europe, in collaboration with Common Sweden, is delighted to be holding its annual flagship event, Common Europe Congress, in the friendly city of Gothenburg offering extensive education, networking and relaxation opportunities. It’s also a great opportunity for exploring the city… so why not take a family mini-break as well.
Congress education areas targeted are IBM Power hardware, Application Development, Advanced RPG, Open Source tools and Languages, System Management, Db2 and SQL, IBM Storage, IBM i services and microservices, Security and Compliance and much more.
There will be two AIX / Linux tracks, to emphasize the Power Systems character of Common Europe.
Top IBM Business Architects and industry experts have already agreed to share their knowledge on the latest announcements, customer cases as well as practical subjects.
The congress content includes:

3 ½ days of latest education delivered by top IBM and industry leading speakers punctuated by large breaks offering maximum networking,
Three-hour in-depth workshops, 60 minutes’ education sessions and solution provider’s special slots,
A Solution Providers’ Centre open for 2 ½ days with top European and worldwide technology companies at their booths presenting innovative practical solutions that will enhance our solutions,
A Congress Dinner in the hotel with live entertainment.

We have negotiated special room rates in the Congress hotel itself,
The Common Europe Organization Team looks forward to seeing you in picturesque Gothenburg.

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

10:00 CEST

How to stop and start IBM i - Workshop LIMITED

Monday June 2, 2025 10:00 - 13:00 CEST

IBM i has evolved over the years, so has the way to start and stop your system. the system startup program needs some love and care to gain flexibility. Shutting system down also needs some redecoration.
Are you open for this new approach or curious? If you attend this session, you will go home something worth implementing at your own IBM i LPARs.

Speakers

Rudi van Helvoirt

Technical Director, Easi

After having started as a System/38 programmer in 1986. In 1989 the switch was made to system programming and systems management.Being passionate about systems management he founded van Helvoirt Automatisering in 1993.Rudi enjoys helping IBM i customers ever since for running their... Read More →

Monday June 2, 2025 10:00 - 13:00 CEST
07 - R18

Workshop

14:00 CEST

SQL Performance from the System manager point of view LIMITED

Monday June 2, 2025 14:00 - 17:00 CEST

SQL Performance is for some system administrators a black box. In this deep dive that box will be opened. By giving example you will learn how to get insight in SQL performance.

Speakers

Rudi van Helvoirt

Technical Director, Easi

After having started as a System/38 programmer in 1986. In 1989 the switch was made to system programming and systems management.Being passionate about systems management he founded van Helvoirt Automatisering in 1993.Rudi enjoys helping IBM i customers ever since for running their... Read More →

Monday June 2, 2025 14:00 - 17:00 CEST
07 - R18

Workshop

10:40 CEST

Db2 for i Inside of VS Code LIMITED

Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:40 - 11:40 CEST

Visual Studio Code is an industry standard development environment that provides powerful extendability through extensions. The IBM i team has built a VS Code extension that allows programmers, database engineers, and others to easily harness the power of Db2 for i through a modern interface. The extension offers features such as running SQL queries, a schema browser, Visual Explain, the SQL Error Logging Facility, and much more!

Speakers

Ryan Moeller

Software Engineer, IBM

Ryan Moeller is a software engineer working on Db2 for i, specifically on the SQL Query Engine (SQE) team. He joined the team in the Rochester, MN development lab in 2020. Ryan specializes in SQL, database development, and query performance analysis.

Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:40 - 11:40 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

11:50 CEST

Merlin as a Service offering explained

Tuesday June 3, 2025 11:50 - 12:50 CEST

In this jointly session of CSI, Arcad and IBM, the new offering Merlin as a Service will be explained. We will discuss what Merlin is, what the benefits are of Merlin as a Service and how this can help in speeding up the modernization of your IBM i environment

Speakers

Tonny Bastiaans

offering manager, IBM

Tonny Bastiaans is World Wide Product manager Power System at IBM. Started more than 20 years ago as an engineer on RS6000 systems (the predecessor of Power). He moved via several roles to his current role. With his technical background he is bridging the gap between technic and business... Read More →

Tuesday June 3, 2025 11:50 - 12:50 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

14:00 CEST

Lessons learnt from a proof of concept using IBM watsonx Assistant

Tuesday June 3, 2025 14:00 - 15:00 CEST

Steve Cast, IBM Champion, i-UG Marketing Director, COMMON Europe Treasurer, and technical entrepreneur will deliver this informative session.

The session addresses the lessons learnt from a Proof of Concept to develop a chatbot using Watson X Assistant, with real word examples.

Starting with an introduction to Watson X Assistant, Steve will progress on to explore the challenges faced. This will include the successes and failures his team experienced along the way. Key takeaways will be presented to help your learning. Closing with conclusions and potential future directions, this session will be beneficial to anyone considering Watson X Assistant for their own needs.

Come along to this session to see Watson X Assistant for yourself and benefit from the lessons learnt by Steve and his team.

Tuesday June 3, 2025 14:00 - 15:00 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

15:15 CEST

Sponsor session: Data Protection for SAP HANA with StorSafe LIMITED

Tuesday June 3, 2025 15:15 - 15:40 CEST

As SAP HANA environments continue to grow in complexity and size, ensuring efficient data protection and recovery becomes a critical challenge. StorSafe, a cutting-edge backup and recovery solution, is optimized to address the unique demands of SAP HANA. By leveraging StorSafe's advanced deduplication and compression capabilities, organizations can significantly reduce storage requirements, minimize backup windows, and ensure rapid recovery in the event of data loss or system failure.

With StorSafe, SAP HANA administrators can simplify their data protection operations, reduce costs, and improve overall system performance. StorSafe's compatibility with SAP HANA's backup and recovery tools ensures seamless integration, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming custom scripting or modifications. Additionally, StorSafe's support for NFS and CIFS protocols enables easy backup and recovery of SAP HANA data, regardless of the underlying storage infrastructure.

In this technical session, we will delve into the details of how StorSafe optimizes SAP HANA data protection, exploring topics such as deduplication ratios, backup and recovery performance, and integration with SAP HANA's native backup tools. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how StorSafe can help them overcome common data protection challenges in SAP HANA environments, ensuring high availability, data integrity, and business continuity.

Sponsor speakers

Guy Berlo

MD EMEA FalconStor, FalconStor Software

Guy Berlo is the Managing Director for the EMEA Region. Prior to joining Falconstor, Mr.Berlo was the VP Sales & Operations for EMEA at ProphetStor Data Services active in the AImarket space. Previously, Mr. Berlo was the Vice President and General Manager EMEAafter starting up CEMEA... Read More →

Sponsors

FalconStor

Tuesday June 3, 2025 15:15 - 15:40 CEST
07 - R18

Solution provider

15:50 CEST

VS Code and Code for IBM i Hidden Gems

Tuesday June 3, 2025 15:50 - 16:50 CEST

Thanks to the Code for IBM i open source extension, VS Code became an IDE of choice for whoever wants to do some development on IBM i. Less expansive (as in "free") and more modern than RDi, it's already a daily driver for IBM i professionals and enthusiasts alike. But what does it have to offer we barely know? What are the less-known features that can make a developer's life easier? The legend tells that it's even possible to work locally on IBM i source code synchronized with Git or to use Visual Explain right from VS Code. But the best is yet to come and see for yourself! Whether you are a seasoned developer or just curious, join me to discover or rediscover the hidden gems that VS Code has to offer. Don't be a stranger and bring your questions along!

Speakers

Sebastien Julliand

Tech Lead, ARCAD Software

Hi, I'm Seb! I am a Tech Lead & IBM i Advocate at ARCAD Software and an active contributors to IBM i open source projects.Let's talk about anything related to software development, on IBM i or not, it doesn't mater to me. RPGLE, Java, TypeScript...I love them all equally 😁I'm actively... Read More →

Tuesday June 3, 2025 15:50 - 16:50 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

17:00 CEST

Using modern mobile Apps created with Flutter and RPG Microservices as Backend LIMITED

Tuesday June 3, 2025 17:00 - 18:00 CEST

There is more than one way to skin a cat - so it is with creating a modern, graphical User Interface for IBM I Applications (and of course for all the other platforms as well).
My Team and I are using multiple ways like Angular, ExtJs, React, .Net (XAML with MAUI), Serverbased Web Applications, IceCap, Swift, Kotlin AND Flutter.
It always depends what you want to achieve and - of course - what kind of resources (human as well as time and money) you have.

One way, which is a very good one from our perspective, is the DART Framework Flutter.

In this Session you will see how you can create platform independent Apps with one codebase using the Flutter Framework and RPG Microservices with JSON as the backend on IBM i with DB2 for i.

Learn about the advantages of the Flutter Framework and how you can use one codebase to run on mobile, Desktop and Browser in combination with RPG Microservices in the backend running on IBM i with DB2 for i.
Quick Look on what a RPG Microservice is, how you can easily create them and why it is a great idea to use it as a backend for any modern Frontend.

Speakers

Markus Litters

CEO, i and me - IT Training and Solutions GmbH

I start working with IBM POWER Servers and IBM i since I was 19 back in 1990 when it was called IBM AS/400 and from the beginning I was focused on Integrating the System with everything else (first of all DOS PC's, then Windows PC's and HP Unix and so on) and to modernize the existing... Read More →

Tuesday June 3, 2025 17:00 - 18:00 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

08:00 CEST

Modernization Without Madness: The Practical Guide to IBM i Application Transformation LIMITED

Wednesday June 4, 2025 08:00 - 09:00 CEST

A comprehensive roadmap for transforming legacy applications into modern, maintainable systems without disrupting business operations. Through real customer case studies and hands-on examples, learn how to strategically modernize RPG applications using incremental approaches, modern tooling, and web technologies. Discover proven patterns for breaking down monolithic applications, implementing APIs, and introducing modern UI frameworks while maintaining the reliability that IBM i is known for.

Speakers

Koen Decorte

Owner and CEO, IBM Champion, CD-Invest

Koen Decorte is owner of CD Invest, an international IBM business partner with offices in Belgium andSpain. CD-Invest is specialized in innovating and modernizing IBM i applications.Koen studied philology and computer linguistics.His focus is mainly on integrating and using open source... Read More →

Wednesday June 4, 2025 08:00 - 09:00 CEST
07 - R18

Strategy

10:20 CEST

Live Demo of how to create a Webservice from your existing 5250 Display programs within a few minutes LIMITED

Wednesday June 4, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 CEST

Very often you get the task to create a Webservice for a brand new mobile App, Web App, Cloud solution or whatever and use existing Data that is already available on your IBM I for decades. Maybe you should ìonlyî grab some data and show it or ñ even worse ñ you should also save and proceed data on IBM i.

When you start to find out where the data comes from or goes to you often stumble over one or multiple old (or very, very old) RPG programs that collect a bunch of data from old physical files and mix them up and again and again and then show the result on the screen or processes the input.

Another task is to optimize existing processes where your users need to enter data in multiple 5250 programs and enter the customer or article number many times.

To modernize these backend stuff normally takes a lot of time such as weeks or months. If you want to go the step by step approach or need to get up and running with your modern app very quickly the way you will find in the live demo will save your life.

See and learn how you can create a modern Webservice that receives and returns JSON and ìremote controlsî your 5250 application to grab Data from within your existing 5250 programs (even RPG-II from the 70ís) or enters the data like the user did it before.
All that is done in RPG or Cobol (ILE CL, c or c++)!!!
You even donít need the source code of the old programs.

You will learn when this approach makes sense and why and what you can do with it to optimize existing processes, document old stuff and moreÖ

Speakers

Markus Litters

CEO, i and me - IT Training and Solutions GmbH

I start working with IBM POWER Servers and IBM i since I was 19 back in 1990 when it was called IBM AS/400 and from the beginning I was focused on Integrating the System with everything else (first of all DOS PC's, then Windows PC's and HP Unix and so on) and to modernize the existing... Read More →

Wednesday June 4, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

11:30 CEST

The Zero-Code Revolution: Natural Language Processing Takes Over IBM i

Wednesday June 4, 2025 11:30 - 12:30 CEST

Examining a future where traditional programming on IBM i is replaced by advanced NLP, allowing systems to be managed and modified through conversation alone.

Speakers

Koen Decorte

Owner and CEO, IBM Champion, CD-Invest

Koen Decorte is owner of CD Invest, an international IBM business partner with offices in Belgium andSpain. CD-Invest is specialized in innovating and modernizing IBM i applications.Koen studied philology and computer linguistics.His focus is mainly on integrating and using open source... Read More →

Wednesday June 4, 2025 11:30 - 12:30 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

12:40 CEST

TBD

Wednesday June 4, 2025 12:40 - 13:05 CEST

Wednesday June 4, 2025 12:40 - 13:05 CEST
07 - R18

Solution provider

14:05 CEST

Serverless architecture and RPG?

Wednesday June 4, 2025 14:05 - 15:05 CEST

It sounds like an oxymoron - serverless architecture is normally said in conjunction with frameworks like FastAPI in Python, Spring-boot in Java or LoopBack in Node.JS. But what about RPG? Can you leverage the same features in ILE? ñ of course you can! The ILEastic framework was made exactly to be a player in the world of microservices and serverless architecture ñ and even better: it is 100% open source. If you need to modernize your RPG code and make it available as services on the web ñ If microservices is a business strategy or just curious about tools like yum, git and gmake? ñ then this session is for you.

Speakers

Niels Liisberg

Chief Software Architect, Partner & IBM Champion, System & Method

Niels has developed IBM i middleware used in numerous applications worldwide. He is the architect of the IceBreak application server for IBM i. Over the years he has contributed to the IBM i community with presentations, demos, and loads of open source: ILEastic and noxDB to name... Read More →

Wednesday June 4, 2025 14:05 - 15:05 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

15:20 CEST

Cheat Sheet to Demystify AI

Wednesday June 4, 2025 15:20 - 16:20 CEST

Letís discuss the alphabet soup that is AI and see how all the parts fit together.

Speakers

Charlie Guarino

CEO & IBM Champion, Central Park Data Systems

Charles Guarino believes in the “power” of IBM Power Systems. His career reflects his dedication and interest in bringing the platform and its solutions to others and as a result has been recognized as an IBM Champion.He is a member of COMMON’s Speaker Excellence Hall of Fame... Read More →

Wednesday June 4, 2025 15:20 - 16:20 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev, AI

16:30 CEST

Data analysis on IBM i: Alternatives to DB2 Web Query with a focus on Apache Superset LIMITED

Wednesday June 4, 2025 16:30 - 17:30 CEST

While DB2 Web Query has been a valuable tool for reporting and data analysis on IBM i, modern needs for data visualization and interpretation call for exploring alternative solutions. This session highlights powerful options, with a particular focus on Apache Superset, an Open Source platform for data visualization and exploration.

We will explore into Apache Superset: its key features, architecture, and use cases on IBM i. You will discover how this solution can transform your data into interactive and intuitive visualizations while seamlessly integrating with your existing ecosystem.

Additionally, we will see other Open Source and commercial options available on the market, their respective strengths, and criteria to help you make an informed choice based on your organizationís specific needs.

This session is designed for data professionals, decision-makers, and developers looking to adopt modern, powerful tools to maximize the value of their data.

Join us to learn how to embrace next-generation solutions while preserving the richness and reliability of your IBM i environment.

Speakers

Gautier Dumas

Director, CFD-Innovation

Gautier DUMAS has been involved for 10 years in conducting numerous development projects implementing web technologies in the IBM i environment.A PHP specialist, Gautier is interested in various modernization approaches involving Open Source technologies. It is in this dynamic that... Read More →

Wednesday June 4, 2025 16:30 - 17:30 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev, Strategy

20:00 CEST

Congress Dinner

Wednesday June 4, 2025 20:00 - 23:00 CEST

Wednesday June 4, 2025 20:00 - 23:00 CEST
07 - R18

Break

08:00 CEST

Experience the Wonders of AI: Come Marvel With Me!

Thursday June 5, 2025 08:00 - 09:00 CEST

In recent memory very few new technologies have captured our imagination the way AI has. Come join the discussion as we show the fascinating ways AI has revolutionized our world. We'll delve into the captivating reasons behind AI's growing influence and showcase real-life examples that demonstrate its transformative power. From revolutionizing industries to enhancing daily life, this session will illuminate the endless possibilities of AI. Whether you're a tech expert or simply curious about the future, you will leave inspired and informed about the marvels of modern AI.

Speakers

Charlie Guarino

CEO & IBM Champion, Central Park Data Systems

Charles Guarino believes in the “power” of IBM Power Systems. His career reflects his dedication and interest in bringing the platform and its solutions to others and as a result has been recognized as an IBM Champion.He is a member of COMMON’s Speaker Excellence Hall of Fame... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 08:00 - 09:00 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev, AI

09:10 CEST

Code for IBM i & Co: contribute to an Open Source project !

Thursday June 5, 2025 09:10 - 10:10 CEST

Code for IBM i, the popular open source extension that brings modern IBM i development to VS Code is developed and maintained by developers, for developers. Since it's a community driven project more than 40 people already contributed to, why not come and join the fun? There are many ways to contribute, not only through code but also by submitting ideas or bug reports, writing documentation or just spreading the word about how nice it is! Through this session given by some of the extension's Core Team members, step through the looking glass and come discover what the Open Source model has to offer and how you, too, can join the adventure. It doesn't matter if you're a developer or not - everyone is welcome!

Speakers

Sebastien Julliand

Tech Lead, ARCAD Software

Hi, I'm Seb! I am a Tech Lead & IBM i Advocate at ARCAD Software and an active contributors to IBM i open source projects.Let's talk about anything related to software development, on IBM i or not, it doesn't mater to me. RPGLE, Java, TypeScript...I love them all equally 😁I'm actively... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 09:10 - 10:10 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

10:20 CEST

The Future of RPG : Evolution of a Legacy Language LIMITED

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 CEST

RPG has been the backbone of IBM i development for decades, but how is this language evolving to meet modern programming needs? This session explores the ongoing transformation of RPG, highlighting recent enhancements and future directions. We'll compare modern RPG features with those of contemporary languages, demonstrating how these trusted languages are adapting to current development paradigms. Additionally, we'll address the critical issue of attracting new talent to RPG, discussing strategies for bridging the generational gap in the IBM i developer community. Whether you're a seasoned RPG developer or a manager looking to future-proof your team's skills, this session will provide valuable insights into the enduring relevance of this legacy language.

Speakers

Koen Decorte

Owner and CEO, IBM Champion, CD-Invest

Koen Decorte is owner of CD Invest, an international IBM business partner with offices in Belgium andSpain. CD-Invest is specialized in innovating and modernizing IBM i applications.Koen studied philology and computer linguistics.His focus is mainly on integrating and using open source... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:20 - 11:20 CEST
07 - R18

IBM i App Dev

COMMON EUROPE CONGRESS 2025

From €204.79