Software Development — Database & Reporting

DB2 for i, SQL & Business Intelligence Reporting

The data and service layer beneath your applications, and what your team sees on top of it — SQL/400, DB2 for i, embedded SQL, service programs, and the reporting and BI work that turns that data into something people actually read.

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What this covers

The Data Layer, and What Gets Built on Top of It

Two related but distinct kinds of work — the database and service layer your applications run on, and the reporting layer your people actually look at.

SQL/400 & DB2 for iThe native relational database underneath IBM i — schema design, physical and logical files, and the SQL that queries them.

Embedded SQLSQL written directly inside RPG and COBOL programs, for applications where the data logic and program logic are intertwined.

Service programs & activation groupsILE architecture that exposes database logic as reusable, callable services rather than duplicating it across programs.

Query optimizationIndexing, access paths, and query tuning for the reports and processes that have gotten slower as your data has grown.

Stored procedures & triggersBusiness logic pushed down to the database layer, where it runs consistently regardless of what’s calling it.

Business intelligence reportingSQL-based reports, scheduled distribution, and dashboards built directly on your DB2 for i data.

Why these two go together

Reporting Is Only as Good as the Data Layer Underneath It

A slow or badly structured report is usually a database problem wearing a reporting costume. Missing indexes, logical files that don’t match how the data is actually queried, or business logic scattered across a dozen programs instead of centralized in one place — all of it shows up downstream as a report that takes ten minutes to run, or numbers that don’t match between two dashboards.

That’s why we treat the two as one engagement rather than two separate ones. If a report is slow, we look at the query first, not just the report layout. If the same calculation is implemented differently in three places, we consolidate it into a stored procedure or service program so there’s one answer instead of three.

Most of this work happens without touching your applications’ user-facing behavior at all — it’s underneath what your team already sees, making it faster and more consistent.

Common Requests

A report that’s grown too slow to run during business hours
Replacing a manual Excel extract with an automated report
A browser-based dashboard pulling live DB2 for i data
Consolidating duplicated business logic into a stored procedure
Logical file or index design for a query that’s timing out
Scheduled report distribution to replace a manual monthly process

Related work

Where This Fits With What Else We Do

Database and reporting work often runs alongside RPG and COBOL development, since the program logic and the data logic usually need to change together. If the goal is exposing this data to systems outside IBM i, see our approach to APIs.

FAQ

Database & Reporting Questions

Can you speed up a report without redesigning our whole database?

Usually, yes. Most performance problems trace back to a missing index, a poorly matched access path, or a query pulling more data than it needs — targeted fixes, not a redesign.

Do you build dashboards, or only traditional reports?

Both. We build browser-based dashboards pulling live DB2 for i data, alongside traditional scheduled and distributed reports, depending on how your team actually wants to consume the information.

Can you work with our existing physical and logical file structure?

Yes. We start by understanding what’s there before recommending changes — restructuring is sometimes the right call, but it’s never the default one.

Got a Report That’s Outgrown Its Query?

Tell us what’s slow, or what you’re trying to see, and we’ll tell you where to start.

Discuss your project Call 800-966-6725