The Data Warrior

Changing the world, one data model at a time. How can I help you?

Archive for the tag “Oracle ACE”

15 Jun 2015

Surfs Up! #KScope15 Beach Club: Opening Soon!

I know this is last minute but wanted to remind everyone that the Annual ODTUG KScope event starts in less that a week!

As always, I will be there with my ACE Director hat on (literally). I will be giving My Talks at KScope during the week. One on SQL Developer Data Modeler (SDDM), and my fun talk about the Worst Practices in DW Design I have seen. And there will be the Lunch with the ACEs among many other events.

I will also be running Morning Chi Gung on the beach each day to help people stay in shape and stress free.

Just so you know the score, I have captured for you a list of great stuff happening at KScope from the recent attendee email I got. Here it is. Enjoy

Believe it or not, we are only six days away from the opening of the Kscope Beach Club in Hollywood, Florida. This exclusive club is only open to Kscope15 attendees, so consider yourself one of the elite.

This is the third newsletter with content updates, event happenings, and everything you need to know to plan for Kscope15. It’s a long email full of important information to make your week a success, so please read it all.

See you soon!

– Natalie Delemar, Kscope15 Conference Chair

Important Updates

Community Service Day – If you have already signed up to attend Saturday’s Community Service Day, please meet at the Diplomat Conference Center Porte Cochere at 7:00 AM to have breakfast and pick up T-shirts. The activity is within walking distance (.5 mile); however, transportation will be provided to those who need it. Participants will depart the hotel at 8:00 AM. Wear comfortable clothing for both the walk and the activities. If you did not sign up to participate in Community Service Day but you would like to help, show up at the Conference Center Porte Cochere on Saturday morning. Chances are you will be able to join the group on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registration – Kscope15 registration is open on Saturday from 5:00-7:00 PM on the third floor of the Diplomat Conference Center. After that, registration begins at 7:00 AM on Monday and Tuesday; 7:30 AM on Wednesday; and 8:00 AM on Thursday. Check the agenda for daily schedules.

Mobile App – Build your schedule and have all of your devices sync to it with the Kscope15 mobile app. The first time you login you will need to click “create a password” and enter the email address you used for your Kscope15 registration. A password will be emailed to you. Only registered attendees (who have paid) can access the app. Download the app today and get busy building your schedule!

Schedule – Want to see the schedule in a grid format before you receive your printed Schedule at a Glance onsite? Check this out (you will have to log in to http://www.odtug.com to view) – but keep in mind the most up-to-date schedule will be available on the mobile app and the schedule signs outside of the Registration Desk.

Confirm Your Stay – Be sure to double-check your hotel reservations and confirm your arrival and departure dates are correct. Some properties may require a 72-hour cancellation notice.

Say Cheese – Need a new headshot or family pic? We’ve got you covered. Accomplished Kscope photographer Warren Capps is offering free sessions to a select number of Kscope attendees. Find out more here. Space is very limited, so sign up today!

Scavenger Hunt – Are you competitive, driven, and like to be a winner? Then participate in the Kscope15 Scavenger Hunt. Sign up in advance, and stop by the Registration Desk to receive your NFC sticker to fully participate!

Social Media Lounge – Give your brain a break and head over to ODTUG’s Social Media Lounge in the Exhibit Hall. We’ll have giveaways, picture-taking opportunities, and an area where you can sit back and relax. While you’re there, tell us what you think about Kscope in an interview, or watch one while it happens!

Women in Technology Roundtable – Participate in Wednesday’s interactive discussion about issues facing Women in Technology. Men are welcome, too! Ernst & Young is sponsoring the event. To participate in the luncheon, please register here and share your feedback on important issues.

Hands-On Training – If you are planning to participate in any Hands-On Training sessions, please view the mobile app and designated webpage for important prerequisite instructions. Details may be added within the next several days, so check back closer to the classes for updates.

Special Event – The White Party at Nikki Beach comes with a dress code: Plan your all-white outfit to live it up South Beach-style! It’s not required, but we would love as much participation as possible.

Fun for the Little Ones – Sign up any children in your group for Kids Fun Night Out on Wednesday while you are celebrating in South Beach. The cost is $70 per child, which will be charged to your room. Reservations are required; email Natalie.Dotson@diplomatresort.com.

Conference Dress – Casual. We want you to be comfortable! The days and nights will be hot in South Florida, but the conference rooms will be cool, so layers are recommended. Pack your swimsuit and hit the beach or pools in your off-time!

via Kscope Beach Club: Opening Soon!.

Hope to see you next week in Florida.

Kent

The Data Warrior

Posted in Chi Gung, Data Modeling, Data Warehouse, ODTUG, Oracle, SQL Developer Data Modeler and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
19 Sep 2014
7 Comments

It’s almost time! #OOW14 and #OTW14 – the biggest gathering of Oracle experts anywhere

Hi gang!

As you can guess by my lack of recent posts, I have been very busy this fall. Along with client work, home life, and editing a really cool book on SQL Developer Data Modeler, I have also been prepping for my annual pilgrimage to Moscone Center in San Francisco for Oracle Open World and OakTable World 2014.

As usual, there will be much to see, do, and learn at what is arguably the largest (60k+ people) gathering of Oracle users and experts in the world. Expect big news from Oracle Corp, great sessions from Oracle ACEs and ACE Directors, and of course the annual customer appreciation event.

So here is my short list of what to check out this year:

Annual ODTUG Sunday Symposiums: http://www.odtug.com/oracleopenworld2014Sunday

ODTUG’s best speakers during the week: http://www.odtug.com/oracleopenworld2014

OOW Executive Keynotes: https://www.oracle.com/openworld/keynotes/index.html

For all the sessions by day, check the main Content Catalog (over 2028 sessions): https://oracleus.activeevents.com/2014/connect/search.ww#loadSearch-event=null&searchPhrase=&searchType=session&tc=0&sortBy=&p=&i%2810009%29=10105

OakTable World 2014: http://www.oraclerealworld.com/oaktable-world/agenda/

This year I will again have the honor or presenting at OakTable World on Tuesday, September 29. I will give a data warehouse design session in the morning, then do a short TED-style talk over lunch about a Data Vault 2.0 innovation using MD5 hash functions.

If you have not heard of OTW, it is a FREE event co-located with OOW (http://www.oraclerealworld.com/oaktable-world/location/). It was organized by members of the elite OakTable and is in its third (or fourth?) year. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

As for special events, I plan to participate in the Run/Walk the Bridge on Sunday morning,  the 3rd annual Swim the Bay on Monday and I will again do some Morning Chi Gung with a few friends (follow me on Twitter for where and when).

So there are lots of opportnities to meet up.

See you there!

Kent

The Oracle Data Warrior

p.s. Later next week I will be at Oracle HQ at the annual ACE Directors briefing. Watch my Twitter feed for pictures and updates.

Posted in Data Warehouse, ODTUG, Oracle, User Groups and tagged , , , , ,
20 May 2014
1 Comment

Get thee to KScope14 in Seattle!

Once again it is that time of year when the who’s-who of Oracle development geekdom gather for their annual festival of education and networking.

Yes it is time for ODTUG’s annual event KScope14 to be held in Seattle,Washington from June 22nd – 26th. As always this is the not-to-be-missed independent Oracle user conference for users by users. This year includes 52 Oracle ACEs and ACE Directors, plus Oracle Corp Product Managers, and a host of other great speakers. Check out the entire list here.

As always there will be ample opportunity to network with the presenters and other attendees including breakfast with the ACEs and the popular Lunch and Learn panel discussions.

If you can make it to Seattle early, lend a helping hand and participate in the Annual KScope Community Service Day. This is the only event of its kind where the user community gathers to give back to the host city. This is now an annual tradition for ODTUG going back to helping in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Then there is the ever popular Special Event on Wednesday night. This year we will visit the world renowned Experience Music Project. (You do not want to miss this!)

As in past years, I will be giving several presentations myself, and running my now-annual Morning Chi Gung classes for those that want to start the day with this ancient Chinese health practice. I will holding these sessions each morning (Sunday – Thursday) at 7 AM.

If you need more convincing, check out ODTUG President Monty’s interview with Oracle Database Insider.

Ready now? Okay, go register here  and you can still get the early discount rate!

See you in Seattle!

Kent

The Oracle Data Warrior

Posted in ODTUG, Oracle, User Groups and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
06 Nov 2013
2 Comments

East Coast Oracle Users Conference (#ECOracle13) Review

This week I did a little travel and went to Durham, North Carolina to present at the 2013 East Coast Oracle Users Conference (aka ECO). While I have been aware of this event for over 20 years, it is the first time I have attended.

It was worth the trip. (Thanks to Jeff Smith at Oracle for alerting me to the event and encouraging me to submit). He actually sent me, Danny and Sarah (The EPM Queen). It was great to have members of the ODTUG clan together.

The gang of three - ODTUGers at ECO13 thanks to That Jeff Smith guy. Yea - he sent us!

The gang of three – ODTUGers at ECO13 thanks to That Jeff Smith guy. Yea – he sent us!

Overall a well run event held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Conference Center. It drew over 300 attendees and a large list of Oracle ACE and ACE Directors were there to present to a crowd very eager to learn and network.

Fun and Games: The Keynote

Our opening keynote from Steven Feuerstein (inventor of the PL/SQL Challenge)  was a fun take on different types of therapy and how they might be applied to software developers.

PL/SQL Evangelist Steven Feuerstein discusses Coding Therapy for Software Developers

PL/SQL Evangelist Steven Feuerstein discusses Coding Therapy for Software Developers

His discussed the use of:

  • Game therapy (try out mastermind or setgame.com)
  • Dream Therapy
  • Confessional Therapy
  • Shock Therapy
  • Couples Therapy
    • For DBA & Developers
    • For Developers & Their Managers

It was a fun, light way to start the conference with some very valuable advice.

Heavy Duty DBA-type Tuning Talks

Oracle ACE Director, author, and trainer Craig Shallahamer did two deep dive tuning sessions that I attended. In the first one, Introduction to Time-based Performance Analysis: Stop the Guessing, Craig gave us his four point framework for Holistic Performance Analysis. The points were:

  1. The Three Circles to consider (OS, Database, Application)
  2. Be Quantitative (i.e., trust the numbers not a hunch)
  3. Serialization is death, Parallel is life
  4. Tell a story (make the explanation of the issue understandable to managers)

With that he got into all sorts of v$ view stuff that went mostly over my head. Needless to say I will have to download the slides from his site (orapub.com) and give them to someone more attuned to this kind of tuning than I!

Oracle ACE Director, Craig Shallahamer discusses low level details for understanding Oracle CPU consumption

Oracle ACE Director, Craig Shallahamer discusses low level details for understanding Oracle CPU consumption

The second presentation Craig gave was called Understanding Oracle CPU Consumption: The Missing Link. Again lots of views and some Linux OS utilities (e.g., perf) and lots of numbers were displayed and discussed to try to ferret out how to determine what Oracle functions were actually taking up CPU time.

Even though I don’t really understand a lot of this (hey, I am a data modeler, not a dba right?) I like to go to sessions like this as I enjoy listening to smart people talk passionately about the things they do, and I figure I might retain just enough to point someone else in the right direction in the future, even if it is only to give them a copy of these slides!

Lovely Southern Style Lunch

ECO had one of the nicest little lunch buffets I have eaten in a while. Very simple southern food that included cole slaw, potato salad, baked chicken, fried chicken, pulled port (with N. Carolina bbq sauce), hush puppies and apple cobbler. (I did not say it was a light lunch right?)

I love all kinds of BBQ and the pulled pork did not disappoint. I do not usually like fried chicken but figured I should try it and was pleasantly surprised. Crisp and moist. Very nice.

Traditional Southern Fare for Lunch

Traditional Southern Fare for Lunch

My 1st Session – Making Data Modeling Fun

I had the best turnout ever for this topic with over 40 people in the session most of whom were game to try my gamification of data model review sessions.

Session attendees developing Haiku poems based on a Data Model

Session attendees developing Haiku poems based on a Data Model

One of the tasks was to translate relationship sentences and model descriptions into Haiku (or another form). There were prizes as an incentive to play along.

Some of the prizes for participants at my talk

Some of the prizes for participants at my talk

The winner by general acclamation was Edie Waite from Raleigh, NC with this little limerick:

There once was a country named France
Which had many regions for dance
The locations they chose to dance on their toes
Made employees all look askance.

The data model we used had the entities: Country, Region, Employee, Locations, and a few others.

Another Haiku from Sarah Zumbrum (a noted non-data modeler) went like this:

More than one region
Can reside in a country
Like the USA
The session was really a lot of fun thanks to everyone being open minded and being willing to try some unconventional approaches to gathering data model requirements. (There was one other Haiku in French which I will add as soon as the author sends it to me!)

ECO 13 – Day 2

Keynote today was about eBusiness suite stuff. I sat there after breakfast mostly not listening as I started to put this blog post together.

Then I did my 2nd talk.

Agile Data Warehouse Modeling

I had a somewhat disappointing turnout (only 5 people, sigh) but it was a great exchange with those 5 people. We had a very good discussion about applying agile techniques to building a data warehouse and I was able to introduce them to some of the details of Data Vault Data Modeling. None of them knew much about data vault, but some had heard the term.

One attendee did tell me he was skeptical about the approach when he came in as he was a traditional Kimball dimensional data warehouse guy. But after the session he was willing to concede there was some merit and ideas he had not seen before and he was going to take those into consideration as he embarked on a new phase of his project where there were some complex problems to solve. He could see that data vault might just help.

Really can’t ask for more than that!

Embedded Analytics

So my last session for the event was to attend Craig Warman’s talk on embedded analytics. It was a good discussion about how BI and analytics have evolved, Craig presented a simple maturity model as part of the talk:

Level 0: BI reporting and analytic applications are completely seperate from other applications
Level 1: Gateway Analytics – Operational applications have a report tab or menu item to launch the BI reporting tool interface. Maybe there is a login pass through.
Level 2: Inline Analytics – at this level, the analytics and BI tool has been incorporated into the operational application interface to the point it has the same look and feel and you can’t tell it is a separate product or tool. This where many organizations are today.
Level 3: Infused Analytics – this is the goal. At this level the analytics are truly part of the application and provide core functionality. Examples of this are the recommendations you get on Amazon as you check out or the movie suggestions you get on Netflix based on your prior movie choices. If the analytic pieces were removed the application would not function correctly.
Craig Warman (ECO13 conference chair) talks about what embedded analytics is (and is not)

Craig Warman (ECO13 conference chair) talks about what embedded analytics is (and is not)

Well that’s it for this conference.

Put ECO on your radar for 2014.

See you around.

Kent

P.S. Next conference on my agenda is RMOUG TD 2014. Let me know if you will be there.

Posted in Data Modeling, Data Vault, Data Warehouse, Oracle and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
20 Sep 2013

At the mother ship: Oracle ACE Director Briefing

Well, I can’t really talk about the meeting (yet) as everything is under NDA until next week (at least), but I can say it is great to get together with the top Oracle practitioners in the world and chat and discuss the issues and solutions in our field. It is like returning to the mother ship.

Oracle HQ - The Mother Ship

Oracle HQ – The Mother Ship

With all the tech talk and product futures, there is also just general catching up, networking, and bonding. Much is learned over pizza and beer.

And we are all following the America’s Cup race with Oracle Team USA trying to keep the cup away from Team New Zealand

I try to do my part in making sure we stay healthy and energized as well by running Chi Gung (Qigong) sessions in the morning before breakfast. Here is a shot of some of us outside this morning:

 

Not the best photo of Chi Gung practice, but what are you gonna do.

Lots more to come this week at Oracle Open World, so stay tuned for some very exciting announcements.

Go Team Oracle!

Kent

Posted in Chi Gung, Oracle and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries