AS/400 (IBM i)

IBM AS/400 (now IBM i) is a widely-used midrange computer system in enterprise environments. It features an integrated database (DB2 for i) and robust business application support.

What You Can Upload

• Physical files (PF) - data exports
• Save files (.SAVF)
• Exported CSV or XML from IBM i
• DDS source files (optional, for schema)
• ZIP archive with complete file sets

What You Get Out

DataMeans extracts your data into multiple modern formats:

Output	Description
csv/{TableName}.csv	One CSV file per table with all row data
xlsx/{TableName}.xlsx	Excel workbook per table
xls/{TableName}.xls	Legacy Excel format per table
json/{TableName}.json	JSON array of records per table
json/{TableName}.jsonl	Newline-delimited JSON (streaming-friendly)
postgres.sql	PostgreSQL CREATE TABLE + INSERT statements
schema/schema-graph.json	Relationship graph for visualization
schema/er-model.json	ER model for diagram tools
report.json	Structured extraction report
report.md	Human-readable extraction summary

How to Export / Obtain Files

1. On IBM i, use CPYTOIMPF to export physical files to CSV/IFS
2. Or use SAVOBJ to create save files (.SAVF)
3. FTP the exported files to your local system
4. Include DDS source if available for better schema mapping
5. Create a ZIP with all files
6. Upload the ZIP to DataMeans

Supported Features

• Physical file (PF) data extraction
• Logical file (LF) view definitions
• DDS (Data Description Specifications) parsing
• EBCDIC to ASCII conversion
• Packed decimal and zoned decimal fields
• Date and time format conversion
• Multi-member file handling

Known Limitations

• Requires exported files (not raw disk images)
• Complex SQL stored procedures documented but not converted
• Some proprietary IBM formats may need preprocessing

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Character encoding errors	Verify EBCDIC to ASCII conversion settings
Date format issues	Check job date format (MDY, DMY, YMD)
Missing fields	Include DDS source for complete schema

Overview

AS/400 (now IBM i) is an integrated business computer system developed by IBM, featuring a built-in relational database called Db2 for i. The system uses a proprietary object-based architecture where all resources (files, programs, devices) are treated as objects. The database supports both traditional record-oriented access and modern SQL, with advanced features like journaling, commitment control, and referential integrity.

History and Background

• 1988: AS/400 announced in June as successor to System/36 and System/38; first systems shipped in August with OS/400.
• 1994: AS/400 Advanced Series models introduced; integrated database named DB2/400.
• 1995: Product line moved to 64-bit PowerPC AS (RISC) processors.
• 2000: Renamed to eServer iSeries as part of IBM's eServer branding initiative.
• 2004: eServer i5 systems introduced with POWER5 processors; OS/400 renamed i5/OS.
• 2006: Renamed to System i.
• 2008: System i and System p merged into IBM Power Systems; i5/OS renamed IBM i with release 6.1.
• 2019: IBM i 7.4 released, introducing Db2 Mirror for i.
• 2022: IBM i 7.5 released with security enhancements and a BOOLEAN SQL data type.

File Format Specifications

Database Objects:

• Physical files: Tables containing data records
• Logical files: Views and indexes over physical files
• Source physical files: Program source code storage
• Display files: User interface definitions
• Printer files: Report output specifications

File Structure:

• Record format level identifiers for compatibility
• Field-level descriptions with data types and attributes
• Access paths defined through logical files
• Member concept allows multiple data sets per file
• Integrated file system (IFS) for stream files

Storage Architecture:

• Single-level store architecture
• Db2 for i integrated database
• Object-based security model
• Journaling for audit trails and recovery
• Commitment control for transactions

Data Types and Structures

Type	Size	Description
CHAR	Fixed	Fixed-length character strings
VARCHAR	Variable	Variable-length character strings
GRAPHIC	Fixed	Fixed-length double-byte strings
VARGRAPHIC	Variable	Variable-length double-byte strings
BINARY	Fixed	Fixed-length binary data
VARBINARY	Variable	Variable-length binary data
SMALLINT	2 bytes	16-bit signed integers
INTEGER	4 bytes	32-bit signed integers
BIGINT	8 bytes	64-bit signed integers
DECIMAL	Variable	Packed decimal numbers
NUMERIC	Variable	Zoned decimal numbers
FLOAT	4/8 bytes	Single/double precision floating point
DATE	4 bytes	Date values (YYYY-MM-DD)
TIME	3 bytes	Time values (HH:MM:SS)
TIMESTAMP	7-13 bytes	Date and time with fractional seconds
BLOB	Variable	Binary large objects
CLOB	Variable	Character large objects
DBCLOB	Variable	Double-byte character large objects

Database Features:

• Referential integrity constraints
• Check constraints and triggers
• User-defined functions and procedures
• Materialized query tables
• Row and column access control

Version Differences

Version	Year	Key Features	OS Branding
V1R1	1988	First release; integrated relational database	OS/400
V3R1	1994	Referential integrity, triggers; DB2/400 name	OS/400
V4R1	1997	AS/400e series; e-business focus	OS/400
V4R4	1999	Logical partitioning (LPAR)	OS/400
V5R1	2001	Linux in secondary logical partitions	OS/400
V6R1	2008	POWER6 processor support	i5/OS, renamed IBM i
7.1	2010	XML data type; Technology Refresh model	IBM i
7.2	2014	Row and column access control (RCAC)	IBM i
7.3	2016	Temporal tables, authority collection	IBM i
7.4	2019	Db2 Mirror for i	IBM i
7.5	2022	Security enhancements, BOOLEAN type	IBM i

Compatibility Notes:

• Record format levels ensure application compatibility
• SQL access available alongside native I/O
• Some features require minimum OS levels
• Migration tools available for hardware upgrades
• Backward compatibility maintained for business applications

Technical References

• IBM i Documentation
• Wikipedia: IBM AS/400
• Db2 for i SQL Reference
• IBM History: The AS/400
• IBM Redbooks

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To learn how to use this format with DataMeans, see the User Guide.