Building my new PC....

It’s been 13 years since I bought a new PC. That PC was a Micron and lasted many years past it’s expected lifespan. Upgraded memory, video card, hard drive and CD burner at one point or another. I believe I got about five or six years out of it.

Around 2005 I acquired a HP AMD machine from a company where I was working as IT manager. I was never really happy with it, equipped with a lower end AMD chip it could barely keep up with Windows XP and all the software I threw at it. It was free, so beggars can’t be choosy. Basically I will never buy an AMD machine.

My current PC I acquired from a good friend who acquired it new from one of the branch offices. He would not put it on his network since it is a clone and does not meet his network topology standards. The clone is a Intel Core Duo E6550 2.33GHz with a 500GB hard drive, 1GB of ram and DVD-R RW drive. For $200.00 bucks it is an ok deal.

I had to replace the power supply after two weeks since the PC would reboot periodically on it’s own. I added an additional GB of RAM, max is 2GB, and a ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 graphics card which gives me the capability of having three displays, two Samsung SyncMaster 940n I acquired from my time at Pilot Pen and a Dell 15” LCD that I traded a mini monitor for.

The machine came preloaded with Windows XP, I purchased and installed Windows 7 Home Upgrade. Overall the PC has served me well over the last year.

When land a new job I always treat myself to as new electronic gadget of one sort or another. I have finally landed another good full time job after a year of searching and I have decided to upgrade my System.

The new job is full time work from home providing programming and IT support to a lighting retailer. I don’t want to be waiting on my PC. I need to be able to run a lot of different software at the same time allowing me to multitask and efficiently provide services as needed. I hate waiting!

I spent the last few days researching components and systems and decided that if I want my dream machine I would have to build it myself. Below is what I finally ordered today.

I started with the CPU - Intel® Core™ i7-3770K Processor

I balanced need, want, speed and price. 3rd Gen I7 processor with some oomph!

Next the Mother Board - Intel® Desktop Board DZ77GA-70K

Mother board made with the K series chips in mind. SATA ports at 6Gb/s will come in handy as you will soon see. Wi-Fi / Bluetooth and support for 32Gb  DDR3 1600+ RAM.

Now for a little RAM -  Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 SDRAM      Desktop Memory
This I purchased from J&R for $99.88. Maybe later I’ll add another 16gb. ;)
The hardest part was picking the video card. My future expansion includes 2 additional 23” Samsung HD monitors, this will give me a total of four monitors.

Video Graphics card - EVGA - GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card

The next card up is over $500.00, I had to be real. I am already overkill and just could not get the want to override the price. Bottom line I don’t have much time for gaming, but if I ever do I can with the best of them. :P

Anyway you look at, it’s a badass card!

 
Let’s see what should I acquire next. How about a some Hard Drive? I want to be able to store pictures and video safely and programs to run at light speed.

SSD drive for programs -  Intel 330 Series Solid-State Drive 180 GB SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5-Inch

This is what I had in mind looking at the 6Gb/s on the motherboard. Not the best but damn close. My programs will launch at light speed just thinking of clicking the mouse!

HDD for storage -  Seagate - Barracuda 2TB Internal Serial ATA Hard Drive for Desktops
7200 rpm, 64Mb Cache and 6Gb/s SATA what's not to like?

If you're following this you have to be asking yourself what's it going to take to power all these beastly components? Well I’ll tell ya!

Power Supply - Thermaltake - SMART Series 850-Watt ATX Power Supply - Black  

NEED MORE POWER! Don’t think so. Don’t panic I did not pay $999.00, Best Buy $119.99.

Now all I need is a mid-tower case. After much research I descided on a Cooler Master.

Case -  Cooler Master - Elite 430 Mid-Tower Chassis

Dust filtered, support for five fans, water cooler connection if overclocking silliness overcomes me and support for beastly graphics cards like the GTX 670. I think my wife would divorce me if I went with the GTX 690!

Additional fan -  Corsair - Air Series AF120 Performance Edition 120mm Airflow Fan

I wanted at least one additional fan to start with and had a hard time deciding on one so I threw a dart at the board and this what I came up with.

I ordered all the parts today and hopefully have everything by next weekend. most of the items I purchased from Best Buy, 18 month 0%, the SSD from Amazon and Ram from J&R. Total cost $1692.57.

My current side work open receivables will cover most of the cost but liked the idea of 18 month 0% and most of the items are within $20.00 +/- when sourced outside of Best Buy. Either way it’s a business expense.

I am planning on adding a CPU heatsink but want to get everything put together first.

I hope to take the time to provide Youtube unboxing and installation, so stay tuned!

~Richard

Computers are like air conditioners.  They work fine until you start opening windows.  ~Author Unknown

EDI done wrong...

The last few months have been interesting to say the least. I have been in discovery mode for a medium size Jacksonville based retailer evaluating their EDI processes. The contract called for extracting and supplying EDI statistics to EDI providers and learning how the business does EDI.

This was my second contract in the retail industry and the experience is extremely beneficial. Most of my experience comes from manufacturing/distribution operations where I was either hired to implement, fix or re-implement ERP software solutions and provide IT management based on the IBM midrange systems.

What I discovered are EDI processes set up by RPG programmers who did not fully understand EDI. Instead of using Inovis TrustedLink translator on the iSeries to provide validation of the EDI documents, based on the published guidelines, RPG programming was created.

At very basic level this setup allows invalid data to populate into user files and then program failure farther down the line when code is not created for every variation of potential data error. I actually saw this happen during an invoicing run where missing data was allowed through the translator and validation programs. This required programming effort to back out data that had partially processed through the back end systems and delayed payments to suppliers.

I have seen this scenario several times before and successfully changed EDI operations to run with minimal intervention and staff. In my humble opinion if an EDI operation requires anything more than a EDI coordinator to maintain processing it is not implemented correctly.

Another interesting find is all element qualifiers are translated into the user files. Not that it’s wrong, just useless. Unless, the user file fields are so generic that the previous field denotes what the current field represents. Oh wait but how are you going to have to create programming to validate field contents? :) NOT!

If the wheel exists why reinvent, EDI software is a tool already written why not use of it?

I wish the company would have hired me as a permanent employee. I would have enjoyed re-implementing EDI and being more involved in the business side of IT.

I feel bad that I did not give any notice but felt that I had not integrated into the daily activities so I would not be missed. I needed health insurance and security of a full time position without the fear of working my way out of job.

~Richard

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.  ~Henry Ford     

Galaxy Tab 10.1 ICS update...

It's been a long time coming and due to a rotten Apple in the barrel who knows when the US OEM version of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be available.

The guys over at XDA-Developers are gods! They released a rooted version back in January which I installed a month ago and loved it. Right away I noticed a performance boost, look and feel was like it was made for a tablet and overall, a very cool look. The only annoyance is the camera does not work. At first I thought it would not be a big deal but after a week I start missing the capability to snap shot of the dogs during funny moments. So I decided to patiently wait for the OEM version.

Last week Samsung released ICS to the UK market and I knew someone would hack it and post. On day two I found a post and prepared for the update but decided to wait a few days to see what else popped up on the forum. I don't know if Scaryshark's instructions and rom will work or not but his user name gave me second thoughts. I hate sharks, remind me of salesman! ;)

Thursday the post I was waiting for appeared. Simple process that follows exactly what I have been doing to flash the ROM using ClockworkMod Recovery . Thirty minutes later I have the OEM version of ICS with working camera, WhoooHooo!

I manually reloaded my apps. I think there is a way to restore them but I like the idea of starting out fresh. I always seem to have apps that I tried and forgot laying around.

Now to wait for JellyBean!!!! The non-OEM version is available but no working camera, I think ICS will keep me happy for a while.

If you have Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi I highly recommend updating to ICS.

~Richard

 
  

iSeries SQL Function Proper Case.....

One of my clients asked me to update the tax processing currently working in VAI System 2000 on the iSeries. The requirement is set up the county tax file and update the customer master with the proper county code based on the city field in the customer master.

Challenges abound, the city field in the customer file is mixed with all capitals, all lower case, proper case and misspellings. And yes, I have to learn how to fill out Florida sales tax form, which is where we find a $5000.00 limit on county tax. Always a twist somewhere.

First I looked for availability of current taxes for the State of Florida with city, county and current tax. I found Tax-Rates.org and for 39.00 bucks with the information needed, I downloaded CSV, changed to Excel and uploaded to the iSeries using Data Transfer To IBM i. This enables me to create the file on the IBM i automatically during the upload.

Once I have the file on the IBM i I have to overcome the case problem with the RMCITY field. There should be a way to do this without any code. I can do it in RPGLE using embedded SQL no problem but know there must be a way with just an SQL UPDATE statement.

Well, sort of correct, SQL does not have a PROPER function but I found this code about Functions with downloadable code, cool. First brush up on Control Statements and Create Function article by Scott Klement. It did not take me to long to figure out. I was tripped up on the definition of the inbound field but soon realized @TCSTRING VARCHAR(100) is the data field being returned.

I opened System i Navigator and expanded Databases so I can see Functions.




Right click and select New - SQL and the following is displayed -

 

Change the following -

Function = PROPER,
Description = Change Case To Proper
Type = VARCHAR,
Length = 100
Check = Same result returned from …....(Deteministic)
Data access = Modifies SQL data
Specific name = PROPER



Select the Parameters tab and then Insert, the following is displayed -




Change the Parameter Name to @TCSTRING, change Type to VARCHAR, Length to 100  and check of Return Null on Null input.




I downloaded the code and opened in notepad. Copied from BEGIN to END. I left out the SQL parameters since we are selecting them in the wizard. There are easier ways to just create the Function from the copied code, but the wizard breaks it out and explains it a little better.





Click on OK and the Wizard closes and the following should be displayed.



Now we can generate the SQL, right click on PROPER and select Generate.

If I need to change a field to be consistent like the city field in customer master I just run the following SQL statement.

update transfer.VARCUST
set rmcity = qgpl.proper(rmcity)

Several things to figure out, why library where the function is located in has to be specified, I thought it would come from the library list. And I did not take to the time to understand all the checkboxes in the wizard. The function performed as I needed and enabled me to continue on with my project.

I finished identifying the missing city county combinations and update the list.

The following SQL updated the county code field in the customer master based on the cross reference FL_CTYTXa file. There is a little problem with the SQL and I am looking for how it should be done correctly but what I created worked and updated the field as desired.

update transfer.varcust set rmcnty =
(select rkcnty
from transfer.VARCNTY, transfer.FL_CTYTXa
where city = rmcity
and salestaxregion = rkdesc
and rmstat = 'FL'
)
where exists
(select *
from transfer.VARCNTY, transfer.FL_CTYTXa
where city = rmcity
and salestaxregion = rkdesc
and rmstat = 'FL'
)

Previously I update the VARCNTY county tax file with the Florida taxes.

Now on to identifying where to put the hook in tax processing to only charge county tax on the first $5000.00 and testing.   

Any suggestions or questions, please send them on.

~Richard

Talk doesn't cook rice.  ~Chinese Proverb

Next challenge, EDI integration....

My intended daily blog has turned into a when I can blog. This is a good thing since it means I am getting paid.

My current contract analyzing and documenting EDI processes for a major retailer in preparation for replacement of software or full outsourcing. The software currently being used is Trusted Link on an iSeries with a flat file IFS interface to Retail merchandising System based on Oracle.

If kept in house the software mandate is to run on Microsoft platform and all processes discontinued on the iSeries. Interface architecture is to be replaced with an Enterprise Bus Service package that will be used across the organization. I am also being asked to help with implementation new WMS from Highjump and TMS from Mercurygate software which requires interoperability with EDI processes.

Two potential software candidates that can fill the EDI and Enterprise Bus Service requirements are Extol EBI and Microsoft BizTalk.

This is exciting stuff and I am being given the opportunity to use my iSeries, EDI, integration, warehousing, distribution and management skills to help move a fast paced environment from a single ERP based system to a best of breed software using the cloud where possible environment. I will be getting exposure to Oracle, Cloud processing and Microsoft products such as SSIS, BizTalk and .Net.

I do still want to keep my iSeries programming skills up and am fortunate to have active clients requiring programming development and IT assistance. I am currently working on updating a System 2000 tax processes.

Have a great week,

~Richard

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.  ~Mitch Ratcliffe
 

Moving on to next contract....

After four and half months I have completed 99% of the interfaces between iSeries Island Pacific ERP and MidRetial Allocation application running on SQL.

I  created over 52 programs and/or files that either send or retrieve data in XML using RPGLE, SQLRPGLE and IFS API’s. One of the best aspects of this project is that I was able to teach myself how to read and write directly to the windows file shares. Utilizing embedded SQL is also a lot of fun, the more I coded without the RPG cycle the simpler tasks became.

I think the best aspect of using SQL is the ability quickly adjust the SQL select statements as needs change.

The generic interface map.




The project went live over the weekend with some minor tweaks but overall a success!

Today I start a new contract as EDI Lead / Developer for a large retail chain. I am really looking forward to increasing my EDI skills in a retail environment. My previous EDI experience revolves around distribution and manufacturing supplying the retail vendors with ASN and Warehousing data.

~Richard

There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.  ~Alan J. Perlis

Two more weeks to go.....

We are almost done with implementing Midretail, I have been extremely busy coding and testing. The SQL works beautifully and is absolutely amazing. Learning embedded SQL and RPG Free has been exciting and challenging. I would have never been able to pull this off without the help of Google and all the wonderful people posting hints, tricks and code examples. I hope to find time to pay it forward and post more snip-its of code I created for interfacing the systems.

Special thanks to -
www.scottklement.com/
www.itjungle.com
www.iprodeveloper.com
www.code400.com
www.rpg-xml.com
www.bmeyers.net
www.ilerpgprogramming.com
www.winautomation.com


and many more....

I am starting to look forward to my new position as EDI Lead/Developer at a large retailer here in Jacksonville. I am hopeful for a long term relationship with challenging opportunities to work with different hardware / software platforms in a fast paced environment.

~Richard

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.  ~Dutch Proverb