A very different kind of ODTUG webinar

Marketing introduction

The ODTUG virtual panel series goes from strength to strength. (What, marketing? You promised me a rose garden a marketing-free blog.   Yes, but this isn't marketing for me, so relax. My self-marketing ineptitude continues apace.)

 

Stuff you actually care about goes right here

What do I mean? None other than Chet Justice, aka ORACLENERD is moderating an ODTUG virtual panel in the form of a webinar.

Wait, ODUTG , virtual panels, ORACLENERD? Is Essbase involved somehow?   No.   Cameron, is it time to get some sleep? Why yes it is, but before I hit the hay, let me pull it all together:

1. ODTUG is having another one of their successful-beyond-our-dreams virtual panels
2. Chet is the moderator
3. The speakers are: Cary Millsap, Dominic Delmolino, and Kris Rice.
4. The webinar's subject is "Software Development in the Oracle Eco-System". Essbase is absent, but so what?
5. The time and date are Thursday, May 30, 2013 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDST

See here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/759087318

Where's the beef?

Okay, that's all very interesting but why should a bunch of (mostly, or maybe exclusively if you're reading this blog) EPM people attend a webinar on something that is pretty obviously not EPM-related?

1. Because these guys are good.   I heard Cary speak last year at the Kscope12 keynote.   Did you?   He was fantastic.   Inspirational even.   I don't know the other speakers (blush, my EPM-centricity shows yet again) but I have a sneaking suspicion they are really, really, really, insightful speakers.
2. They are covering a subject (development, its frustrations and triumphs, and how to have more of the latter than the former) that all of us, each and every one, do to some extent or another.   Isn't the point of ODTUG to find learn from others and occasionally share something with them?   That's pretty much why I'm involved.   Here is your chance to do that with some Really Big Names in the Oracle world.
3. It's free.   Think about how much you would pay to get trained by these guys.   Yeah, I couldn't afford it either.

What a nice way to end an undoubtedly hectic week.

I guess that's it, and it ought to be enough. I'm signed up. Are you?

For more gen

If you want to get a feel for them, check out their blogs.

Chet: http://www.oraclenerd.com/

Cary: http://www.oraclemusings.com/

Dominic: http://www.oraclemusings.com/

Kris: http://krisrice.blogspot.com/

There is some really good stuff there -- I love it (not that I ever do it myself) when geeks muse about why they do something as opposed to how although of course the how is important too.   I think this webinar/panel will be in that vein and I am really looking forward to it.

Be seeing (listening to because remember, this is a panel and you can participate?) you on 3 pm EDST, 30 May 2013. 

Where in the world is Cameron, day 5, Australasian edition

Not the beginning of the end, but perhaps the end of the beginning

I’m not one to quibble with WSRC, but the ODTUG SP Australia conference is at day two of two and that means that I am finally coming to the end of Cameron’s Most Excellent Australasian Conference Adventure. It figures that my body is finally sort of, kind of, used to the time zone difference because I will be jetting away tomorrow. It took me a week to get used to the time here and I expect another week of sleepiness when I get home to the States. OTOH, I have lots of real Cadbury chocolate (see yesterday’s rant on the stupidity of US chocolate manufacturing practices – Something Must Be Done), I have really had a great time here, and learnt quite a bit about BI and EPM.

But none of the above really matters – what does matter is: did the conference attendees get value for money? Given the depth and breadth of the sessions, the passion that the presenters brought to their sessions, and the high technical level of the presentations (despite protestations to the contrary re “being technical”), I’d argue that yes, the attendees got their money’s worth, and more.

I was a little apprehensive about helping select sessions (read: beg Oracle Australia, James & Monroe, M-Power, Bambi Price, and just about anyone I knew in Australia to help put together the speaker list – oh dear, I am now on the hook for repaying favors but it is all worthwhile) as the Australian market differs somewhat from the US of A’s. Yes, the market details are different, but at the end of the day we are all trying to solve the same problems with Oracle’s BI and EPM tools. The attendee survey will tell the tale (how could a BI/EPM conference not try to wrap metrics around an event?), but based on conversations I’ve had, I think it will be a solid win.

Taking OBIEE to the Next Level, Maneesh Disawal, 9:00 am to 10 am, ACDT

Maneesh is taking us through a definitely-not-standard approach to making OBIEE more useful. It’s nice to know that hacks aren’t just an EPM-only approach. And besides, a good hack isn’t a hack at all, but instead is Just Really Cool.

It’s interesting to see how much OBIEE overlaps with EPM – yes, yes, I get it, Oracle are bringing the two together, but still, it’s interesting to actually observe it. Most ODTUG conferences have me running round like a chicken with its head cut off. I am really enjoying actually being able to sit back and listen.

Another thing I am noticing about OBIEE is how IT-oriented it is. This isn’t a bad thing but it is evidence (if it were needed) that there is still quite the gap between the BI and EPM worlds. Their eventual merger will be interesting to watch.

Essbase ASO – A Brave New World in Australia but not for the Rest of the World, Steve Hitchman, 10:15 am to 11:15 am, ACDT

This session hasn’t occurred yet, but it’s up next. m-power worked with my buddy Dan Pressman and utilized his Rules of ASO Essbase. I’m very excited to see what they have on offer. Update – The session is in progress right now.

Oh, this is embarrassing, but kind of awesome at the same time. Dan Pressman, ASO wizard extraordinaire, just had a slide devoted to him and His Really Big Brain. What else was part of the slide? Why an advertisement for Developing Essbase Applications. Yes, it is a good book, and internationally loved.

Steve is going through the ASO design principles Dan has tried to hammer into my head:

• No formulas, unless you must
• Stored instead of dynamic hierarchies, or at least Multiple hierarchies enabled
• No more + and - operators, instead just + and flip the data signs to get round the dynamic hierarchy
• Gary Crisci’s MDX chapter in Developing Essbase Applications just got mentioned as well as a resource (Are Gary and Dan soon to become Australian citizens? Could be.)
• Do the simple stuff in MDX, do the complex logic in BSO and import results into ASO
• Alternate YTD hierarchies to come up with YTD values through ASO’s aggregation capabilities
• Solve order to handle variances

Oracle BI and Oracle Essbase: Today and Tomorrow, Stephane Roman, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, ACDT

Stephane is taking us all on a journey through Essbase and OBIEE integration in the next release of the OBIEE stack. They are To Become One.

Stephane is reviewing Sample.Basic aka My Very Favorite Essbase Database In The Whole Wide World (MVFEDITWWW). It’s nice to know that The Beverage Company’s business continues forward. Who wants to bet that when Sample.Basic was created that a bunch of Arbor Software developers sat round and said, “Eh, a good first effort, but we have to replace that with something better, but soon.” Soon never came.

Watching Stephane’s presentation, I realize that I have a career decision to make – am I going to jump on the OBIEE bandwagon to get a leg up on the tool or just passively wait for the Bus Named OBIEE to run me over. Maybe getting flattened will be pleasurable? Probably not. So much to do, so little time.

One thing that is funny about OBIEE (and why I personally think things aren’t quite there yet wrt product convergence) – it takes an Essbase database in all of its Essbase awesomeness and turns it into a logical star schema. That is…odd looking. I realize this is how OBIEE federates data but it is still a little jarring for an Essbase developer to see.

Slay the Evil of Bad Data in Essbase with ODI, Cameron Lackpour, 1:30 pm to 2:30 ACDT

This is the same presentation I gave at NZOUG 2013 and I always enjoy a chance to spread the ODI gospel. My solution doesn’t exactly use standard ODI functionality but one of the great things about ODI is that, to quote one of the attendees at ODTUG SP Australia likes to say, “There’s always a way round a problem”. ODI is great at enabling those ways around issues. I am a super fan of the tool.

Growing with Business Analytics - Keeping Updated and Informed, Paul Anderson, 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm ACDT

I finally get to meet Paul – I’ve seen his posts on the Business Analytics – Proactive Support web site.

Oracle Support are doing great things with making the support of the not-exactly-simple EPM tools. They are trying to preempt problems before they occur. One might argue that they are trying to put themselves out of business. I think that isn’t likely to happen any time soon but it is beyond great to know that Oracle understands the importance of fixing problems asap and maybe even preventing the issues before they even occur.

Master Notes, feedback, Advisor Webcasts, patches, product certification, social media/My Oracle Support Communities (hint, use this in lieu of Service Requests when your problem doesn’t involve fully-engulfed-in-flames Essbase servers), product version certifications, patch communities, product specific communities (HFCM and Endeca), Remote Diagnostic Agent (RDA), whew, you get the idea. Oracle Support are doing a lot of interesting things.

Closing Panel, Richard Philipson and Cameron Lackpour, 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm

This is an anything-goes, hit us with your best shot session. They are a lot of fun at Kscope and I am hoping that this will be more of the same. However some topics like do you like wheat or white toast are beyond the pale. Okay, I kid, I kid, wheat every time. Rye vs. wheat will have to remain a secret. Everything else is fair game. :)

Keep tuned

Almost done – I will put in my final thoughts when the party’s over.

Be seeing you.

Will the 13th be a lucky day

Nope, I am not becoming superstitious

Oh, I never walk on a crack, lest I crack my mother’s back (you have to see the pavement heaving in my town – I blame all those lovely trees), nor do I walk under ladders (having fallen off a tall one – yeah, that explains a lot, doesn’t it? – I know what is up will eventually come down, maybe on my head), and I never throw my hat on a hotel bed (when I am wearing one of my boonies, I am more likely to be near a sleeping pad and bag), so no, I am not becoming superstitious in my old age.  And 13 December is not Friday the 13th,  so really, what could possibly go wrong?  Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?

I am hoping for luck, however, because it will be required

Why?  Because I (I should say we, as in ODTUG) am going to participate in something new, innovative, quite possibly very rewarding, and also very possibly a bit of a stress-inducer.  What oh what oh what am I talking about?  Nothing other than the first ever ODTUG virtual experts panel.

Panel beating

I have participated in, and moderated a few Kscope panels (I leave it up to the reader to decide if yr. obdnt. srvnt. deserved to be up front – I have to say I sometimes wonder) and I know how much fun and yet informative they can be.  From a preparation perspective, all one needs to do is bring knowledge and experience, and a healthy desire to chime in – the rest is magic.  And from an audience perspective panels are an opportunity to get some (hopefully) knowledgeable opinion on technical matters from a variety of perspectives and experience.  Did I mention that moderating these things is like trying to herd autistic cats?  Fun all around.  

Kscope (like Christmas) comes but once a year, but the need and desire for panels happens the other 51 weeks.  What to do?  Enter a brainstorming IM session between John Booth and myself.  We were kicking around the idea of doing something like the show these two morons/idiots/geniuses/very funny guys do for the automotive world, but for EPM world when one of us (I know not which, but I suspect it was John) said, “Why can’t we do a panel?”  And thus the ODTUG virtual experts panel was born.  (If you follow the link, replace Chemical X with very strong coffee.)

Not just EPM

One thing to note – as John and I talked about this idea, we realized that to limit this just to EPM was silly.  You will note that two out of the four panelists are NOT from the EPM world at all, but the larger data integration and business intelligence communities.  I am particularly excited about this (and excited that we were able to go outside of the US and get people many, many, many hours ahead of the States to participate) because Oracle’s tools are crossing disciplines.  We chose Oracle Data Integrator because it is an exemplar of a tool that does just that.  Given ODI’s read-from-anywhere, write-to-anything nature, looking at ODI from an EPM perspective simply didn’t make sense.  And so we are not.

The vision

The way this is going to work is:

1. ODTUG is going to scour the world for the best practitioners in a given field.  In our first go round, focusing on ODI, we have Matthias Heilos, Gurcan Orhan, Mark Rittman, and (somehow) yr. obdnt. srvnt, up on the panel.
2. You, dear audience, will connect to ODTUG’s GoToWebinar session and listen to John kick off the panel.
3. You will listen to our witty yet wise banter and repartee and this dialog will spur ODI questions.
4. You will send questions to the ODTUG GoToWebinar administrator via G2W’s (I am not typing that out any more) chat feature.
5. The ODTUG G2W (hi, Lori Lorusso) admin will collate the questions and pass them to John and John will ask the panel the question.  Btw, this approach is because moderating a panel and running a webinar is akin to rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time.
6. Chaos/genius/a cacophony of panelist voices will ensue, and hopefully your question will be answered.
7. This will all be a great success (bar some inevitable minor logistical SNAFUs as we climb the learning curve, and yes we have rehearsed it beforehand, but there will be stress for we panelists, not you the audience) and you will see many more virtual panel webinars from ODTUG.  Did I mention this will be great?

Be a part of it

A panel differs from a presentation in its spontaneity and improvised content.  In other words, while this webinar will be recorded, it does not follow a set path and you most certainly can and will influence what we talk about.  But of course you have to be there to impact it.

Here’s the gen

What:  ODTUG Expert’s Panel Webinar - Oracle Data Integrator (ODI)
When:  13 December 2012, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm Eastern (US) Standard Time
How:  https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/270041222

Join us, won’t you?