n8n-nodes-ibmi-odbc

Community node for n8n to run SQL and CL commands on IBM i (AS/400) via ODBC.

Features

• Execute arbitrary SQL
• Call stored procedures
• Run CL commands via QSYS2.QCMDEXC
• Connection pooling for performance

Credentials

Provide Host, User, Password, optional Library List (DBQ) and Naming mode.

n8n-nodes-ibmi-odbc

IBM i (AS/400) node for n8n to run SQL and CL commands via ODBC.

This package provides a small, focused n8n community node to:

• Execute parameterized SQL queries against IBM i Db2
• Call stored procedures
• Run CL commands (via QSYS2.QCMDEXC)
• Reuse connections with a lightweight pool for bulk item performance

Why this project

If you need to integrate n8n workflows with IBM i systems using an ODBC driver, this node provides a straightforward, tested bridge with sensible defaults and options for paging, terse output, and metadata control.

Quick start

1. Install dependencies and build:

npm install
npm run build

2. Run n8n with this node locally (fast path):

npm run dev:n8n
# or watch mode (rebuild on save then start n8n):
npm run dev:n8n:watch

If you prefer to point n8n directly at dist/ manually:

N8N_CUSTOM_EXTENSIONS="$(pwd)/dist" npx n8n

Features & options

• Resource: Database or System
• Database operations:
  • Execute SQL (supports placeholders)
  • Call Procedure
• System operations:
  • Run CL command (executes using QSYS2.QCMDEXC)
• Options: reuse connection, include/exclude metadata, terse output, continueOnFail handling

Credentials

Credential fields (in the node UI):

• Host (system address)
• User
• Password
• Library List (DBQ) — default: *USRLIBL
• Naming mode — *SQL or *SYS

Implementation notes

• The node uses the odbc package and a simple singleton pool to reuse connections within the node process.
• Credential icon files live under src/nodes/<Node>/ and are copied to dist/nodes/<Node>/ during the build so the file: paths resolve at runtime.

Using the node

• SQL: provide a query in the SQL field; enable Use Parameters to bind a JSON array or object.
  • Example parameter formats:
    • Array: ["ACME", 42]
    • Object: { "CUST_ID": 42 }
• CL: provide the CL command text (e.g., DSPLIBL) in the CL Command field.

Development & testing

• Install deps and run unit tests:

npm ci
npm test

• Watch mode during development:

npm run dev      # tsc watch
npm run dev:n8n:watch

• Tests use vitest and an alias to test/__mocks__/n8n-workflow.ts so no live n8n runtime is required.

Code style

• Prettier is used for formatting. Run:

npm run format

Releasing

• Releases are handled with the scripts/release.mjs helper and a GitHub Actions workflow that publishes tags vX.Y.Z to npm (requires NPM_TOKEN).

Troubleshooting

• If the node does not appear in n8n:
  • Ensure dist/ exists and was built
  • Verify N8N_CUSTOM_EXTENSIONS points to the absolute path of dist/
• TLS / driver issues: try Ignore Unauthorized TLS first; if it works, add a CA instead of ignoring.

License

MIT