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26 Jun 2013
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KScope13 Day Three: Crossing Over in New Orleans

Well Tuesday was another fun and fact filled day at the annual ODTUG KScope conference in New Orleans.

As we do each morning, the first event is Morning Chi Gung. This morning the group grew again to 22 participants who met at 6:45 AM (yes it is early) to walk down the street a few blocks to get in some morning moving meditation. Today we even picked up a few “strays” who joined us (folks not part of the KScope event).

Only in New Orleans would people wander by and join an Ad Hoc exercise and meditation class.

I consider that a sign of success. 🙂

After that is was back to the hotel, breakfast, a quick shower, then my first session.

Hands-on Lab

To start off I went to the SQL Developer Hands-on Lab run by Oracle Product Managers Jeff Smith and Ashley Chen. We had a very nice lab (downloadable from OTN) on how to use SQL Developer for Tuning database queries.

It was very education and useful for me. I even learned a few new options in the tool I had not seen before.

Lunch and Learn

Next, after writing yesterday’s blog post, I got to participate it an ODTUG annual session – the BI Panel Lunch and Learn.

This year they improved it by allowing 30 minutes first for everyone to eat before we started the discussions and questions. Much better (at least for us panelists!).

Quite a good audience for the Oracle ACE BI Lunch & Learn Panel discussion

Quite a good audience for the Oracle ACE BI Lunch & Learn Panel discussion

We had a great and interactive session with lots of give and take and a few somewhat controversial comments from Dan Vlamis to liven things up a bit. Our esteemed moderator, Mark Rittman, did an excellent job of prompting us with relevant questions and controlling the flow of the conversation so everyone had their say. Rounding out the panel was Gurcan Orchan, our resident ODI expert (amoung many other things)

Data modeling sessions

After the panel I went on to see my friend Ashely Chen introduce people to SQL Developer Data Modeler in her Data Modeling 101 session.

Oracle Product Manager Ashley Chen presenting Data Modeling 101 with SQL Developer Data Modeler

Oracle Product Manager Ashley Chen presenting Data Modeling 101 with SQL Developer Data Modeler

Ashley dd a great job setting the stage by showing people what is meant by data modeling and how it fits in the life cycle of developing a database. She then showed many of the basic features of Oracle Data modeling tool.

After Ashley’s session then I had my final presentation on my Top 10 Cool Features in SQL Developer Data Modeler. Ashley and Jeff Smith both attended along with 20-30 other folks as I ran down my list of things I use and like in the tool.

The talk went well with some good questions about the product and how to use it (except for the fact I kinda ran out of time and had to rush the last 3 features). I got some great feedback from Jeff and Ashley on the talk and an excellent suggestion for my next talk. 😉

The Hyperion Crossover Session

This was a KScope first -sessions about topics aimed at people on the other side of the fence. So this session was for database people who know nothing about the Hyperion and Essbase products that Oracle acquired a few years back.

It was an excellent session, even if not highly attended (something about being after the happy hour in the exhibit hall perhaps?).

Andy Jorgenson conducts the first ever Hyperion 101 Crossover Session (for database people)

Andy Jorgenson conducts the first ever Hyperion 101 Crossover Session (for database people)

I learned that they are solving many of the same problems as we database people do but just with a different technology. Some of the terms are used a little differently. For example what they label as BI is much broader than I tend to think of – to them it is basic reporting against an ERP. I tend to associate BI with a data warehouse or a data mart (but the data comes from an ERP or operational system originally).

We also got a full list of some of the pre-packased applications that Oracle provides in this space. Very focused on financial solutions.

During the Hyperion 101 session, Andy discussed all the pre-built packaged analytic application that Oracle offers.

During the Hyperion 101 session, Andy discussed all the pre-built packaged analytic application that Oracle offers.

The really cool thing I learned was what Essbase stands for:

Extended SpreadSheet dataBASE

Very telling!

After that it was off to another fine dining experience in the French Quarter.

Probably not going to lose weight on this trip!

C’ya! Tomorrow I should be reporting on our big event!

Kent

Posted in Chi Gung, Data Modeling, Fitness, ODTUG, Oracle, SQL Developer Data Modeler and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
25 Jun 2013
4 Comments

KScope13 Day Two: Wine to Water and Other Transformations

So day two in New Orleans at the ODTUG KScope13 event was another big day.

I am gong to start out at the end of the day with the General Session update so if you don’t have time to read the whole post you can read the really important and interesting stuff first.

General Session and Keynote

First the fun part, we got greeted by a live New Orleans Jazz band.

We had a live band in the lobby to great attendees before the general session and keynote.

We had a live band in the lobby to greet attendees before the general session and keynote.

That was great fun. They then led us all into the grand ballroom for the general session and then went out and led in our board of directors and the conference committee all dancing up a storm in true NOLA fashion.

The general session gets opened with the board and conference committee being lead on stage marching/dancing behind a live New Orleans Marching Jazz Band

The general session gets opened with the board and conference committee being led on stage marching/dancing behind a live New Orleans Marching Jazz Band

ODTUG Announcements and Award Winners

Every year ODTUG gives out a number of awards so I want to recognize the winners here:

Editors Choice Award for Best White Paper went to David Schleis.

The Oracle Contributor of the Year (which goes to an Oracle Corp employee) went to my good buddy, Jeff Smith.

The ODTUG Volunteer Award went to Mack McCasland who has been working behind the scenes at our events for over 10 years (and he is retired!),

In addition to these awards, Oracle also announced the promotion of my good friend John King to the status of Oracle ACE Director.

The big announcement: KScope14 will be in Seattle, Washington, USA on June 22-26, 2014. The conference hotel will be the Sheraton in downtown Seattle.

Wine to Water

The big deal for the night was our keynote speaker, Doc Hendley. He is a bartender who decided he wanted to make a much bigger impact on the world and ended up founding an organization that now brings clean water to people in over 15 countries.

The statistics he gave us on how many people in the world do not have clean, safe water to drink (over 1 billion!) were stunning. And that more people die from lack of clean water than those that have died in all the recent wars put together. Another startling fact is that even though it is the biggest killer on the planet, dealing with dirty water for the poor of the world gets less than 20% of the funding when compared with funding for HIV, malaria, and TB.

He has a very moving and passionate story about how he got to that place in his life where he found his real purpose, discovered these facts, and set out to do something about it. His talk (and book) tell the whole story. There were a few teary eyes by the end of his talk. Doc has shown amazing courage and perseverance in the pursuit of making a difference.

He really has proven that one, very ordinary person can have a large impact on the lives of others if you really set your mind to it.

I encourage you to go over to his site and learn about his mission, his story, and his organization Wine to Water.

Maybe you can help him make a difference.

Doc Hendley, Founder of Wine to Water, gives a moving and inspirational address as our keynote speaker.

Doc Hendley, Founder of Wine to Water, gives a moving and inspirational address as our keynote speaker.

The rest of my day

So back to earlier it the day (for those still with me here)…

Started as always with my morning chi gung class. The group grew to about 14 people with a few new folks joining us. We had a few passersby stop to watch and try a few moves as well.

After a healthy breakfast and a shower I did my first talk of the event, Five Ways to Make Data Modeling Fun. There were about 20 folks in the session and we all had a good time trying out my ideas.

Then I headed over to hear my friend Jeff Smith talk about SQL Developer (my 2nd favorite Oracle product).

Oracle Senior Product Manager (and ODTUG Oracle Contributor of the Year) shows us his top tips and trick for SQL Developer.

Oracle Senior Product Manager (and ODTUG Oracle Contributor of the Year) shows us his top tips and tricks for SQL Developer

After that is was another awesome lunch (beet salad and redfish!) then on to Mark Rittman’s session about OBIEE, Endeca, and his take on the overall landscape of Oracle BI and data discovery in the new world of NoSQL and Hadoop.

In Mark Rittman's session he talked a bit abut Oracle's strategy around business analytics.

In Mark Rittman’s session he talked a bit abut Oracle’s strategy around business analytics

Always a good idea to get Mark’s take on things BI.

Lastly (before the general session that is), I did my second presentation along with Stewart Bryson. We introduced folks to the idea of using OBIEE on top of a Data Vault Data Warehouse and showed how it conformed to Oracle’s reference architecture while at the same time enabled an agile approach to BI.

Oracle ACE Stewart Bryson talks about how he used OBIEE to create a virtual data mart on top of a Data Vault style EDW model

Oracle ACE Stewart Bryson talks about how he used OBIEE to create a virtual data mart on top of a Data Vault style EDW model

I can’t thank Stewart enough for taking on the challenge to learn Data Vault and figuring out how to use it effectively in OBIEE. His approach works very well and should really enable organizations to truly leverage their data and create an agile BI/DW framework.

That’s it for today’s report. I should have another report for you tomorrow on activities today!

Cheers.

Kent

P.S. Yes there was eating and drinking around the French Quarter after hours. Even got to have a drink with Doc Hendley and his wife on Bourbon Street. That was a nice treat.

Posted in Chi Gung, Data Modeling, Data Vault, Data Warehouse, Fitness, ODTUG, Oracle, User Groups, Work-Life Balance and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
23 Jun 2013
1 Comment

Welcome to the Biggest KScope Conference Ever!

Day breaks over the Mighty Mississippi

Day breaks over the Mighty Mississippi

Day one at ODTUG’s KScope13 was awesome as always with a great set of symposiums and networking events.

At the speaker meeting we learned that there are 1,400 registered attendees, 30 countries represented and over 50 exhibitors making this the largest event and largest exhibit hall in the history of the Oracle Development Tools User Group (ODTUG).

So we must be doing something right to attract such a large crowd.

Part of what we do right is getting the top Oracle developers, consultants, and Oracle ACEs in the world to present. And we get stellar participation from the Product Management and Development teams at Oracle Corporation.

Even though it was Sunday, there was a tremendous turnout for our free Sunday Symposiums. In the Symposiums we had rooms dedicated to specific topics so attendees could stay in one place all day and get a series of related talks.

After conducting my now annual Morning Chi Gung class (had nine attendees!) I spent the day in the DB & Developer’s Toolbox Symposium. It had quite a line up.

First I attended Jeff Smith’s session  on SQL Developer 4.0 which will come out later this summer.

SQL Developer Product Manager, Jeff Smith of Oracle, introduces new features in the upcoming 4.0 release

SQL Developer Product Manager, Jeff Smith of Oracle, introduces new features in the upcoming 4.0 release

Got lots of great tips and trick which I am sure Jeff will be blogging about at ThatJeffSmith.com in the near future.

Next was Oracle Technologist Tom Kyte who spoke about many new features and enhancements to SQL And PL/SQL in the upcoming Oracle 12c release of the database.

Tom Kyte (of AskTom.com fame) introduces attendees to new SQL and PL/SQL features in Oracle 12c

Tom Kyte (of AskTom.com fame) introduces attendees to new SQL and PL/SQL features in Oracle 12c

And last for my day of learning was Maria Colgan discussing changes to the Oracle Optimizer in 12c.

Oracle Product Manager, Maria Colgan, discusses the Evolution of the Oracle Optimizer: Rules based to 12c

Oracle Product Manager, Maria Colgan, discusses the Evolution of the Oracle Optimizer: Rules based to 12c

As always, Maria provided so much information my head was ready to explode from information overload. And later in the week she has a second session on this topic with even more new features to discuss. If every Oracle DBA could attend one of her sessions, all of our databases would run better!

After the sessions it was time for formal and informal networking. There was the speakers meeting and the official welcome reception in the exhibit hall. I got to attend an official Oracle ACE dinner cruise on a steam powered paddle wheel river boat complete with live jazz band. Very much in the spirit of New Orleans.

Stay tuned for more reports as the week progresses.

Kent

The Oracle Data Warrior

P.S. I got to do a little touring as well and visited the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the United States. It is quite a beautiful church inside and out.

The beautiful St Louis Cathedral near Jackson Square in New Orleans

The beautiful St Louis Cathedral near Jackson Square in New Orleans

Posted in Chi Gung, ODTUG, Oracle, User Groups and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
19 Jun 2013
1 Comment

See you at KScope13!

Are you ready?

It is almost time for the annual ODTUG KScope conference in New Orleans. It starts with the Community Service Day on Saturday June 22nd and runs through Thursday June 27th at the Sheraton Hotel right on the edge of the French Quarter.

For my readers that are attending, I will be giving three talks this year, leading morning Chi Gung classes,  as well as sitting on the BI Lunch and Learn Panel.

My talks will be:

Five Ways to Make Data Modeling Fun – Monday at 9:45 AM

Using OBIEE and Data Vault to Virtualize Your BI Environment: An Agile Approach – Monday at 3 PM (with Stewart Bryson)

Top Ten Cool Features in Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler – Tuesday at 12:15 PM

And on Wednesday at 10:45 AM you will find me in Social Media Lounge getting interviewed about Data Modeling, ODTUG, and KScope.

If you are joining me for Morning Chi Gung, I believe we will meet in the hotel lobby at 6:45 AM so we can walk to the river front park where we will hold our class. It is only a 30 minute class right before breakfast so please give it a try and get energized for a long day of learning and networking! Follow me on twitter @KentGraziano for any updates to the location and meeting time.

Don’t forget to download the new KScope Mobile App so you can keep track of your schedule and not miss any of these sessions.

See you in New Orleans!

Kent

The Oracle Data Warrior

Posted in Chi Gung, Data Modeling, Data Vault, Data Warehouse, Fitness, ODTUG, Oracle, SQL Developer Data Modeler, User Groups and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
09 Jun 2013
1 Comment

Another Free Tip for SQL Developer Data Modeler (and a Challenge)

So here is another tip on using Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler – but this time it is one I will NOT be showing during my session at #KScope13.

In SDDM there is a really nice wizard for building views. Once your view is built, you should probably test it right?

You could generate the DDL, or use DDL Preview, then open up SQL Developer, run the script to build the view, then select from the view to see the results.

Lotta steps, eh?

Or you could simply use the Test Query button on the View Properties dialog.

Press the button, then select a database connection from the drop down list (or create a new one if you need to). This will create a connection to the database and cause the SQL in the view to be executed. If everything works you will see “Query executed successfully”.

The Test Query button will first check that the SQL will execute

” The Test Query button will first check that the SQL will execute

If you want to see the output of the query, just click the Query Results tab.

The Query Results tab lets you examine the output without opening another tool

The Query Results tab lets you examine the output without opening another tool

Pretty cool. And must faster than the old way.

Now for the Challenge:

  1. You must be attending KScope13.
  2. You must be the first person to find me onsite in New Orleans and tell me you read this post.
  3. You then have to show up at my Top Ten Tips session at the conference, join me at the podium and tell the attendees this tip!

Your reward:

  1. It might be your first chance to present at an international conference.
  2. I will buy you the adult beverage of your choice that evening and chat about SDDM (or another topic of your choosing).

Not a million dollars, but who knows where it might lead or who else you might meet along the way.

So, who’s up to the challenge?

See you in New Orleans.

Oh – if oyu missed the first tip, it is here.

Kent

P.S. Jeff (@thatJeffSmith) and Chet (@OracleNerd) – sorry guys but you are not eligible! (I may buy you beer anyway)

Posted in Data Modeling, ODTUG, Oracle, SQL Developer Data Modeler, User Groups and tagged , , , , , , , ,

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