A new search feature allowing the student to enter a phrase such as “web query,” “SQL stored procedure,” or “logical partition.” It then searches the training library and returns a link to each place in the complete library where the specified topic is covered.

Manta Technologies announced today two major enhancements to MantaNow, the company's course delivery system, that turn Manta’s IBM i Training Library into a comprehensive IBM i online reference.

With 98 courses and growing, Manta’s IBM i Training Library is the most comprehensive source available for online IBM i education, the company says. Overall, the library covers roughly 4,500 IBM i and Power Systems topics. With the ever-expanding size of the library, finding a particular topic had become increasingly challenging--until today.

The menu that a student receives after signing on is created dynamically based on the courses that the customer has licensed. The menu can also be customized for individual students by a company’s training administrator. The menu structure was designed to make it easy for a student to find and take courses in the proper order. Manta’s customers, however, not only take courses when they need to learn a new topic; they also use the courses as an online reference library once they are back on the job. Several customers had commented that the old menu structure was not adequate when a student wanted to find and review a specific topic. The customers talked, and Manta listened.

The first enhancement is to its menu structure, which is now dynamically expandable. These changes make it easy to drill down from the main menu to a specific topic. Because the menus are built on-the-fly, they always reflect the current contents of the Manta library.

The ultimate benefit is not the easy journey, but what you have when you get there, so the second enhancement is one that customers should find truly exciting: A new search feature lets a student enter a phrase such as "web query," "SQL stored procedure," or "logical partition." It then searches the training library and returns a link to each place in the complete library where the specified topic is covered.

Because the links are to topics within Manta’s IBM i Training Library, the student gains fingertip access to tutorials that include complete examples and practice exercises. As a result, it’s more than an online reference, it’s an online mentor, the company says. Best of all, for Manta customers, the company is offering the enhancements at no additional charge.