Employee Management System

A Node.js web application for managing employee data stored in an IBM i database.

This repo is used for giving demonstrations and examples of full-stack development with IBM i.

It was first built as part of a modernisation workshop at the IBM i Community Event "BeNeLux 2025" in Tilburg, Netherlands.

Features

• View Employees: Browse all employees in a responsive table
• Search: Search employees by number, first name, or last name
• Add Employee: Create new employee records with comprehensive data fields
• Edit Employee: Update existing employee information
• Delete Employee: Remove employee records with confirmation
• Responsive Design: Bootstrap-based UI with FontAwesome icons

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js with Express.js
• Templates: Pug (Jade)
• Styling: Bootstrap 5 with FontAwesome icons
• Database: IBM i accessed via Mapepire
• Testing: Jest with Supertest

Installation

1. Clone the repository. In a windows command prompt or powershell window run:

   git clone https://github.com/FormaServe/f_EMS.git

2. Change into the project directory:

   cd f_EMS

3. Install dependencies:

   npm install

4. Configure environment variables by copying .env.example to .env:

   cp .env.example .env

5. Update .env with your IBM i connection details:

   MAPEPIRE_SERVER=your-ibmi-server
   MAPEPIRE_USER=your-username
   MAPEPIRE_PASSWORD=your-password
   MAPEPIRE_PORT=8076

Usage

Development Mode

Run with automatic reload:

npm run dev

Debug Mode (Extra logging in the console)

npm run dev:debug

Production Mode

npm start

The application will be available at http://localhost:3000

Testing

Run the test suite:

npm test

Database Schema

The application manages the EMPLOYEE table.

To create the table, use the following SQL statement on your IBM i system:

call qsys.create_sql_sample('AY_DEMO');

Replace AY_DEMO with your target schema if different. (Must be in uppercase!)

This table has the following structure:

| Field | Type | Length | Description |
|-------|------|--------|-------------|
| EMPNO | CHARACTER | 6 | Employee Number (Primary Key) |
| FIRSTNME | VARCHAR | 12 | First Name |
| MIDINIT | CHARACTER | 1 | Middle Initial |
| LASTNAME | VARCHAR | 15 | Last Name |
| WORKDEPT | CHARACTER | 3 | Work Department Code |
| PHONENO | CHARACTER | 4 | Phone Number Extension |
| HIREDATE | DATE | - | Hire Date |
| JOB | CHARACTER | 8 | Job Title/Code |
| EDLEVEL | SMALLINT | 4 | Education Level |
| SEX | CHARACTER | 1 | Gender (M/F) |
| BIRTHDATE | DATE | - | Birth Date |
| SALARY | DECIMAL | 9,2 | Annual Salary |
| BONUS | DECIMAL | 9,2 | Annual Bonus |
| COMM | DECIMAL | 9,2 | Commission |

Project Structure

Employee/
├── app.js                # Main Express application
├── examples              # Workshop examples and testing
├── package.json          # Dependencies and scripts
├── routes/               # Route handlers
│   └── employees.js      # Employee CRUD routes
├── views/                # Pug templates
│   ├── layout.pug        # Base layout
│   ├── index.pug         # Employee list
│   ├── error.pug         # Error page
│   └── employee/         # Employee-specific views
│       ├── form.pug      # Add/Edit form
│       └── view.pug      # Employee details
├── public/               # Static assets
│   ├── css/              # Custom styles
│   ├── js/               # Client-side JavaScript
│   └── documentation/    # Application documentation
├── models/               # Data access layer
│   └── employee.js       # Employee model
└── tests/                # Unit tests
    ├── employee.test.js  # Model tests
    └── routes.test.js    # Route tests

API Routes

• GET /employees - List all employees
• GET /employees/search?q=term - Search employees
• GET /employees/new - Show create form
• GET /employees/:id - View employee details
• GET /employees/:id/edit - Show edit form
• POST /employees - Create new employee
• POST /employees/:id - Update employee
• POST /employees/:id/delete - Delete employee

Development Guidelines Followed

• Use camelCase for variable names
• Prefer arrow functions over traditional functions
• All database operations should use async/await
• Include proper error handling with try-catch blocks
• Write unit tests for new features
• Follow RESTful conventions for routes
• All documentation to be stored in public/documentation/

Support the Project

If you find this project helpful, consider buying me a coffee! ☕

Your support helps me continue creating free educational resources and open-source projects for the IBM i community.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. It covers the entire project, including all source code, documentation, and assets.

© 2025 FormaServe Systems Ltd.