IBM i · Data & Analytics
AS400 & IBM i Data and Analytics
Your most valuable operational data lives in Db2 for i. SIS gets it into Power BI, Snowflake, Tableau, and other cloud data platforms, accurately and on time, so decisions stop waiting on custom reports.
- Db2 for i expertise
- Power BI and Tableau
- Snowflake and cloud data warehouses
Decades of business data, and still hard to see.
Sales, inventory, purchasing, and financial history built up over decades on the IBM i is exactly what leaders want in their dashboards. Getting it there is the hard part. Field names are cryptic, business rules live in RPG programs rather than the database, and the reporting that exists is often printed spool files or one-off queries maintained by a single developer.
SIS builds the bridge. We map Db2 for i data to business meaning, design pipelines that move it to modern analytics and cloud data platforms in real time or batch, and build the data models and dashboards that merchandising, operations, and finance actually use.
Because we know both the IBM i and the retail and warehouse processes it supports, the numbers in the dashboard match the numbers the business trusts.
When IBM i data is holding decisions back.
Reports take a developer
Every new question requires a custom query or RPG report, and the queue is weeks long.
Spreadsheets fill the gap
Analysts export, clean, and combine data by hand every week, and versions disagree.
No single source of truth
IBM i, eCommerce, and WMS data are reported separately and never reconcile.
A cloud data platform has no IBM i feed
The organization invested in a data warehouse, but the system of record is not connected.
Business rules are buried in code
Nobody is sure how a metric is calculated because the logic lives in programs, not the database.
Leaders want real-time visibility
Daily batch extracts are too slow for inventory, pricing, and fulfillment decisions.
From Db2 for i to decisions.
Data discovery and mapping
Catalog of key IBM i tables and fields translated into business definitions, including logic buried in programs.
Real-time and batch pipelines
Data movement from Db2 for i to cloud data lakes and warehouses such as Snowflake, with change data capture where speed matters.
Data models for analytics
Clean, documented models for sales, inventory, purchasing, and finance that BI tools can use directly.
Dashboards and reporting
Power BI and Tableau dashboards that replace spool-file reports and spreadsheet workarounds.
Reporting modernization
Retiring legacy query and report tools in favor of governed, self-service reporting.
Data quality and governance
Reconciliation checks and ownership so the business trusts what it sees.
How an IBM i analytics project runs.
- 01
Discover
Identify the decisions that matter and the IBM i data behind them.
- 02
Model
Map and model data with business definitions everyone agrees on.
- 03
Pipe
Build and test pipelines to your analytics or cloud data platform.
- 04
Deliver
Launch dashboards, train users, and hand off documentation and governance.
Modernizing a 20-year retail platform while preserving business continuity
$5B global fashion retailer. Upgrading core merchandise and financial stock ledger from Island Pacific v1.5 (2001) to v19.1, without touching high-volume sales or merchandise processing.
Deep knowledge of IBM i merchandising and financial stock ledger data is what made a zero-disruption upgrade possible, and it is the same knowledge that makes IBM i analytics accurate.
Read the case study- Sales disruption
- 0Sales disruption
- Custom objects updated
- 1,280Custom objects updated
- Future upgrade cost cut
- ~30%Future upgrade cost cut
Analytics partners who understand the source.
We know Db2 for i
Decades on IBM i mean we can find and interpret the data, including logic hidden in RPG programs.
We know retail and distribution
Merchandising, inventory, and warehouse metrics are our daily work, not a learning curve.
We connect the rest
Our integration and warehouse practices tie IBM i data to WMS and eCommerce data for one view.
Headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metro and working on-site with clients across the United States. Where we work
IBM i data and analytics questions
How do you get data out of an AS400?
IBM i stores data in Db2 for i, which can be accessed with SQL through standard database connectivity, replicated with change data capture tools, or exposed through APIs. The right method depends on volume, latency needs, and security requirements.
Can Power BI connect to IBM i?
Yes. Power BI can read Db2 for i data directly or, more commonly for performance and governance, from a cloud data warehouse or data lake that IBM i data is replicated into. We design the approach that fits your reporting needs.
How do you move AS400 data to Snowflake?
Common approaches are scheduled SQL extracts for smaller, less time-sensitive data and change data capture from Db2 for i journals for near-real-time replication. The right tool depends on volume, latency, budget, and what your team can support, and we stay tool-agnostic when recommending one.
Do we need a data warehouse to report on IBM i data?
Not always. Smaller reporting needs can be served directly from Db2 for i. When you want to combine IBM i data with eCommerce, WMS, or other sources, or need heavy analytics without affecting production, a separate data platform is usually the better choice.
Will analytics workloads slow down our IBM i?
They can if queries run directly against production. Replicating data to an analytics platform, or scheduling and tuning direct queries, keeps reporting from competing with transaction processing.
Put your IBM i data to work.
Tell us which decisions are waiting on data and where it lives today. A senior SIS consultant will follow up within one business day.