RPG Fundamentals 010-260413-RPGDev

RPG Fundamentals is a four-week, hands-on training program designed to take complete beginners from zero experience to job-ready proficiency in IBMi and RPGLE development. Built for professionals entering RPG-based application environments, this course provides the technical foundation, practical skills, and system-level confidence needed to perform effectively from day one on the job.

IBMi is one of the most resilient and widely deployed platforms in enterprise computing — particularly in industries like banking and financial services, where mission-critical applications have run on IBM systems for decades. RPG (and its modern form, RPGLE) remains the backbone of countless production environments, powering everything from core banking operations to customer data management and transaction processing. Understanding this platform is not optional for professionals stepping into these roles — it is essential.

This course starts at the very beginning. In Week 1, students are introduced to the IBMi architecture, learning how the system is structured, how libraries and objects are organized, and how jobs and queues operate. By the end of the first week, students will have navigated a live IBMi environment using ACS and built their first working RPGLE program — a milestone that sets the tone for what follows.

Week 2 moves into the core of RPGLE development. Students learn free-format RPG syntax, file handling, and record-level access before diving into DB2 — IBM's integrated relational database. SQL fundamentals are introduced in the context of real RPGLE programs, with students writing queries and performing full CRUD operations against DB2 tables. Practical lab work reinforces every concept, ensuring that learning is immediately applied.

In Week 3, the focus shifts to building more sophisticated, production-quality programs. Students learn how to structure modular applications using procedures, service programs, and binding directories — the same patterns used in professional IBMi development shops. Embedded SQL is introduced, along with structured error handling and debugging techniques that are critical for maintaining reliable applications in live environments.

Week 4 brings everything together. Students work with CL programs, batch processing, and system operations — covering security, authority management, and deployment workflows. The week culminates in a capstone project: a complete, end-to-end RPGLE application integrated with DB2 and deployed on the IBMi system. This final deliverable is designed to demonstrate the kind of practical, job-ready capability that employers in enterprise environments are looking for.

Throughout the course, every lesson is paired with hands-on lab work and assessed through quizzes and evaluated exercises. Students do not just learn concepts — they build things, break things, fix things, and leave with a working understanding of how IBMi applications are developed, structured, and maintained in the real world.

By the end of this program, students will be equipped to operate confidently within an RPG-based application environment — reading and understanding existing codebases, making modifications, handling data operations, and supporting application workflows in a professional setting. For those moving into roles involving RPG-based platforms in the banking and financial services industry, this course provides exactly the grounding needed to hit the ground running.