{"id":37609,"date":"2020-06-30T15:22:59","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T13:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arcadsoftware.com\/?p=37609"},"modified":"2021-05-26T13:31:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T11:31:47","slug":"arcad-software-launches-arcad-api-web-service-generation-solution-for-ibm-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arcadsoftware.com\/arcad\/news-events\/arcad-press-articles\/arcad-software-launches-arcad-api-web-service-generation-solution-for-ibm-i\/","title":{"rendered":"ARCAD Software launches ARCAD API, Web service generation solution for IBM i"},"content":{"rendered":"

Annecy, France and Peterborough NH, USA \u2013 30 June 2020<\/strong> \u2013 ARCAD Software, international leader in DevOps and Modernization solutions, today announced the launch of ARCAD API, for auto- generation of RESTful Web services directly from any native IBM i 5250 application interface.<\/p>\n

ARCAD API is a \u201cno-code\u201d solution for organizations needing to rapidly interface core business systems on IBM i with other applications and devices. This makes the solution particularly well adapted in situations with no access to application source code – such as vendor packages – or where the source code is too complex or too critical to modify.<\/p>\n

Philippe Magne, ARCAD CEO, explained the goal behind the new connectivity solution: \u201cMany of our customers need a rapid way to deliver key data and functionality from their IBM i systems to consumers anywhere \u2013 cloud, mobile, or workflow engines, BPM and ESB. Some of them have CRM, ERP or banking software systems on different platforms that just need to exchange data to keep in sync. In other cases, business processes have changed meaning that a whole new level of workflow orchestration is needed to avoid repeating the entry of data, while adding calculations and functionality on the fly. Others just need a Web service interface to give real-time access to transactional data from mobile devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

5250 Scenario recording<\/h2>\n

Using ARCAD API, non-developers can generate Web services easily in a matter of minutes. The solution records user actions on 5250 screens, automatically recognizing the fields and metadata used. From the API studio, users can drag and drop the input and output fields to create the web service descriptor. ARCAD API also handles lists and subfiles, auto-learning which fields to remember and managing unexpected screens. With just a few clicks, it is easy to generate a RESTful Web service, test, and view execution results in JSON format.<\/p>\n

Magne highlights why retaining native 5250 access is especially important on IBM i: \u201cSome IT professionals assume that they can bypass IBM i applications to access transactional data with simple SQL queries over DB2. They are surprised to find that the logic and business rules required to manage this data isn\u2019t actually IN the database as with data-centric systems \u2013 instead it is explicitly coded within the RPG or COBOL programs. So to keep the same level of reliability they would need to re-develop that same condition handling and business rules – and find those rules first! This is when ARCAD API is most attractive, as it offers an easy way to retain all the custom IBM i logic by connecting the Web service to the native 5250 stream\u201c.<\/p>\n

Auto-learning and version control<\/h2>\n

The beauty of ARCAD API is that no specific IBM i development skills are needed. With just a working knowledge of how to use the IBM i application it is possible to generate and deploy a set of Web services within just a few minutes of using the tool. This makes front-end developers rapidly autonomous, delivering real value to the business with minimal time and effort.<\/p>\n

ARCAD API has several key functions:<\/p>\n