A Sure Thing

If you're going to Collaborate this year, there's a pre-conference workshop you may want to consider attending...taking some value home from this workshop is a pretty sure thing.

The workshop is titled "Mapping Fusion Middleware Success: Case Studies That Lead the Way". It will be hosted by ODTUG's Jerry Ireland. The workshop will be based on presentations by Oracle customers on actual projects using the Fusion Middleware. Most of the customers presenting are 2007 Oracle Excellence Award Winners for innovative uses of Oracle Fusion Middleware.

I've worked with Jerry and can tell you that he really understands Oracle technology. For example, if you're worried about migrating your Oracle Workflow processes to BPEL (and if you're an EBS customer, you probably should be), Jerry is the expert. In fact, I'm fairly sure that Jerry and I will have the opportunity to do some business as my shop moves to the Fusion architecture.

This promises to be a very good workshop...you may want to think about getting in while there's still a few seats left. You can learn more here.

More "10 Things..." Stuff

Oracle's Nadia Bendjedou, of "10 Things You Can Do Today To Get Ready For Fusion Applications" fame, has expanded her presentation into a white paper. The white paper expands on the "10 Things..." theme, including some use case scenarios for different types of circumstances. It's well worth reading. You can find Nadia's white paper here.

Thanks to Yak About Apps' Linda Fishman Hoyle for bringing Nadia's paper to my attention.

Scratchin' My Head

Another off-topic post...sorry, I'll get back on track after this one.

Oracle's quarterly financial results came out early today. I'm really scratchin' my head as I try to figure out investor reactions to the results. According to the Santa Barbara News-Post, earnings were up 30 percent over the same period last year. Revenues were up 21 percent over the same period last year but apparently investors were disappointed that revenues failed to meet their expectations. As I write this post, the stock is taking a bit of a bath in afterhours trading.

A 21 percent improvement in revenues, coupled with a 30 percent increase in earnings, and the stock is in the tank? Don't know about you all, but I wish my own finances would "miss expectations" so well.

To avoid a conflict of interest in both my profession and on this blog, I don't personally own any Oracle stock. However, I'm really tempted to go buy some on the cheap tonight before investors come to their senses...

Adios Clamshell and Other Random Thoughts

Most of this post is off topic, but I hope it's still interesting...

Adios Clamshell

Last week, I finally bid a fond adios to my beloved trailing-edge Nokia clamshell phone. My wife gave me an iPhone as a "no special reason" gift...yup, the woman's a keeper. I really think she did it due to fatigue from my incessant whining about the need to be fully connected all the time. I've only had the iPhone for six days and I'm already wondering how I ever lived without it. If nothing else, the iPhone may encourage me to stop being such a "Twitter slacker" (I follow lots but don't tweet much - have yet to figure out why).

Web-Based Apps Experiment

I actually began this experiment a few weeks before receivng the iPhone gift, but getting the iPhone just makes this idea that much more interesting. On March 1st, I began an experiment of attempting to go an entire month without using locally-based apps for anything. That's right, 30 whole days without Excel, Word, or PowerPoint. Instead, I've been working with web-based apps such as ThinkFree and Zoho (in fact, I'm actually writing this post from scratch on Blogger).

The iPhone adds a new twist to the latter half of the experiment, as I'm narrowing the field to only those apps that will allow me to generate content via the iPhone. That eliminates ThinkFree and Google Docs entirely, as well as the spreadsheet and presentation software from Zoho (although Zoho's Writer still qualifies). I'm starting to use EditGrid for spreadsheet work, but I'm still looking for a PowerPoint substitute. I suspect I'll conclude that the iPhone is a great appliance for staying connected but not so hot for generating content (translation: I can leave my laptop computer home on short trips, but I'll still need it for anything longer than about two nights on the road - that's the max amount of time I can go without generating some type of spreadsheet, doc or presentation).

Whatever Happened To Oracle Discoverer?

With all the recent acquisitions, BI servers and reporting tools, I have yet to hear anything official on the fate of Oracle Discoverer. It doesn't mean that there isn't anything official from Oracle, it just means that I've looked but have been unable to find anything official. Anyone have any reliable information on the future direction of Oracle Discoverer?

Flexing The E-Business Suite

Anybody doing any work with extending the E-Business Suite using Adobe Flex? I'm getting a bit interested in Flex and my mental gears are churning out some possible ideas, but I just haven't found the time to integrate Flex with the Oracle apps server and try any of those ideas out. I'd really like to get a hands-on feel for the differences between Flex and AJAX, and how those differences might apply in an E-Business environment. If anyone out there has done anything like this, please let me know.

Web 2.0 at Collaborate 08

Yeah, yeah, I know: I wrote in my last post that I'm "zeroing in" on a few specific areas for Collaborate. Sounded really disciplined and focused, didn't it? Well, that lasted about a day...those that know me at all won't be surprised by this.

After some more noodling, there's another important subject I'll be checking out: Web 2.0. Although I can't really define Web 2.0, I do think I know it when I see it (or hear about it) and I'm pretty excited about it. After years in enterprise apps, it's neat to be getting my feet wet in some cutting edge stuff again. So, now that I've rationalized my way into expanding the scope of my focus at Collaborate 08, here are the Web 2.0 sessions that look good to me:

• "Oracle & Web 2.0: Applying Principles of Social Networking, Collaboration, and the New Web to Doing Business", Paul Pedrazzi, Oracle, Monday, 9:15-10:15, Room 102

• "Web 2.0 Technologies for a New Class of Enterprise 2.0 Applications", Mark Wollen, Oracle, Wednesday, 3:15-4:15, Room 102

• "Web 2.0 E-Commerce Integrated with Oracle E-Business Suite", Sandeep Kuttiyatur, iBiz Software Inc., Thursday, 8:30-9:30, Room 110

Collaborate 08 - It Looks Good To Me

I'm getting pretty excited about Collaborate 08. In comparison to years past, this year's conference seems to have a stronger focus on interactive exchanges and hands-on training. We'll still see plenty of PowerPoint slides before the conference ends, but the steak behind the sizzle looks a bit thicker this year.

Every year, when I head to Collaborate, I try to "lock in" on a few topics. My topics for this year are Fusion Applications, Fusion Middleware, E-Business R-12, and Oracle Support. With that in mind, what follows are some events that look good to me:

• My own session: "Case Study Update: A Roadmap To Fusion Applications" on Wednesday at 9:45 in Room 207. When I gave my original presentation on this subject at Oracle OpenWorld 2007, I promised an update at Collaborate 08. This is that update...and, my oh my, how things have changed!

• The Fusion Council Panel, hosted by Triora Group's John Stouffer, Wednesday at 4:30 in Room 112 (I'll be there too, just in case John needs a little help - you know how it is with DBAs in front of crowds).

• "Oracle BPEL Training", hosted by Innowave Technology's Basheer Khan on Thursday at 11:00 in Four Seasons Ballroom 4.

• The Hands-On Sessions for extending E-Business, PeopleSoft and Siebel applications with Oracle Fusion Middleware. You can learn more about these sessions here.

• Solution Beacon's "Road To The Rockies" presentation series, happening throughout the conference.

• The Sunday pre-conference session jointly sponsored by OAUG and ODTUG, "Mapping Fusion Middleware Success: Case Studies That Lead the Way". This session will be led by RightSizing's Jerry Ireland. You can learn more here.

• "Optimize System Performance and Availability with Metalink & Oracle Software Configuration Manager" by Oracle Support's Chris Warticki on Monday at 10:30 in Rooms 210/212. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: “Yuuuukk…boring!!! You’re excited about a Support session???” I'm here to tell you that what you learn in this session will change how you approach the management of your Oracle-based system.

• [Update Added 3/18/2008] "Fusion - Marketing Hype For Tomorrow Or Reality For Today" by Fujitsu's Debra Lilley on Tuesday from 11:00-12:00 in Room 203. Debra also leads the International Oracle Users Group Community's Product Development Council.
  

In addition, there are several presentations that fall into my "must see" sessions:

Fusion Applications

• "A Technical Roadmap to Fusion Middleware, E-Business Suite Release 12, and Fusion Applications", John Stouffer, Triora Group, Wed., 8:30-9:30 207

• "Introduction to Fusion Applications", Steve Miranda, Oracle, Wed., 9:45-10:45, Four Seasons Ballroom 4 (Steve gave an early version of this presentation at Oracle OpenWorld 2007 – it should have been a keynote at that conference; if you missed it then, don’t miss it now)

• "Upgrading to Fusion Applications: Planning Ahead", Cliff Godwin, Oracle, Wed., 11:00-12:00, Four Seasons Ballroom 4 (this presentation answers quite a few of the questions floating around in the user community about the upgrade to Fusion Applications)

Fusion Middleware

• “10 Things You Can Do Today to Prepare for Fusion Applications”, Nadia Bendjedou, Oracle, Monday, 8:00-9:00, Room 407

• “BPEL People – BPEL Middleware as a Software Integration Solution for the City of Las Vegas”, Pat Dues, City of Las Vegas, Monday, 2:15-3:15, Room 109

• “Demystifying SOA with Fusion Middleware – Real Life Example”, Manish Bhansali, Move Inc., Monday, 3:30-4:30, Room 207

• “Extending and Automating the HR Onboarding Process Using Fusion Middleware”, Michael Rulf, USi, Tuesday, 11:00-12:00, Room 404

• “Business Process Architect – It’s All About the Model”, Paul Cyphers, Tuesday, 11:00-12:00, Room 207

• “Faster, Cheaper, Better: Implementing Fusion Middleware at Capital & Coast District Health Board”, Greg Fookes, Hewlett Packard New Zealand, Tuesday, 3:30-4:30, Room 207

• “Service Enablement of Oracle E-Business Suite with Oracle SOA Platform”, Nishit Rao, Oracle, Wednesday, 8:30-9:30, Rooms 210/212

• “Taking Oracle AIA to the Next Level with Oracle Fusion Middleware”, Markus Zirn, Oracle, Wednesday, 9:45-10:45, Room 405

• “Large Scale B2B Integration with Fusion Middleware”, Sean Carey, SPS Commerce, Wednesday, 3:15-4:15, Room 207

• “Case Study – Application Customers Achieving Business Values by Using Oracle Fusion Middleware Today”, Nadia Bendjedou, Oracle, Wednesday, 3:15-4:15, Room 109

E-Business Suite

• “E-Business Suite Customers Achieving Business Values with Oracle Fusion Middleware Today and Beyond”, Nadia Bendjedou, Oracle, Monday, 9:15-10:15, Room 207

• “Using Oracle Application Server 10g with Oracle E-Business Suite”, Steven Chan, Oracle, Monday, 1:00-2:00, Room 407 (yes, THAT Steven Chan...the host of the most widely-read Oracle blog on the planet; you'll come away from any interaction with Steven feeling mentally well-nourished - this presentation is HIGHLY recommended)
  

• “Release 12 Java Infrastructure”, Brian Bent, Solution Beacon, Tuesday, 4:45-5:45, Room 407

• “Release 12: Are You Ready for Fusion? A Practical Guide to What You Should Know”, Robert McMillen, Triora Group, Thursday, 12:15-1:15, Room 207

• “How Do You Publish XML in the Oracle E-Business Suite?”, Tim Dexter, Oracle, Thursday, 1:00-2:00, Room 405

Yes, I know there are a few scheduling conflicts in the events I’ve listed here. That’s a sign of a good conference…there’s enough good content that you’re forced to make choices on what you’ll attend.

For the Fusion-minded among us, note that I have not listed all the Fusion-related events taking place at Collaborate 08. You can learn about more events and stay on top of breaking developments by visiting the OAUG Fusion Council's Collaborate 08 website here.

Also note that it’s highly likely that the schedule will change as we get closer to the conference. You can check the latest schedule and get started on building your own agenda for Collaborate 08 here.

I've not even scratched the surface on all the events and information available at Collaborate 08. If you haven't registered yet, you're at risk of missing out on a great conference. You can still get a spot by registering here.

Fusion Apps - Let's Kick The Tires

In addition to the Collaborate 08 events I've written about previously, it seems the conference will offer an opportunity to "kick the tires" on Fusion Applications.

Oracle and OAUG are jointly sponsoring onsite Customer Feedback Sessions on Product Usability for Fusion Applications. This is a chance to look over the user interface for Fusion Applications. I'm hoping we may even have the opportunity to take the apps for a little test spin.

Those of you interested can sign up to attend here. Let's fire up the engine, kick the tires, and see what we're getting.

You Say Stop, I Say Go

You say yes, I say no.
You say stop and I say go go go, oh no.
- from "Hello Goodbye" by The Beatles

I've just returned from Utah State's IT Partners In Business conference. This is my first time attending PIB (I was a speaker on Day 2) and I have to say I learned quite a bit. The conference draws an interesting regional cross-section of attendees, so I made an effort to spend some time mingling and talking with attendees about the things on their minds. The conference was a real eye-opener for me, and I want to get my observations out while they're still fresh in my mind. Keep in mind that this is a relatively small sampling - business I.T. people based in Utah and Idaho for the most part - so feel free to take my observations with a grain of salt.

• Most of the attendees believe that the U.S. is already in an economic recession and that things are going to get worse before they get better. As a result, they're looking for ways to cut I.T. costs right now. In fact, in many organizations, the drive to cut I.T. costs has already begun.
  

• The rate of change in I.T. has become overwhelming (I actually spoke on this subject). A substantial portion of the group was so concerned about the rate of change and the continual stream of high costs associated with it that they're looking for strategies to "drop out" or avoid changes altogether for several years. There were quite a few PeopleSoft users with this perspective; they're happy with what they have, they don't see any compelling business needs that require a change, and they'd rather not change at all.
  

• Maintenance costs are a growing concern for many of the ERP users. In fact, several customers I spoke with are considering the idea of continuing to use ERP software desupported by the software vendor in the hopes that they'll be able to reduce maintenance costs and avoid ERP upgrade costs for as long as possible.
  

• Everyone at the conference seems interested in the buzz they hear about social networking, collaboration, New Web, etc. However, they're not interested enough to investigate technologies that have yet to develop strong business cases or value propositions. One example: I didn't find a single Twitter user in the crowd.

So, the upshot here? It seems to me that this all comes down to getting the story out on the value proposition. While many of us in the I.T. community believe we're in an exciting time with an ever-increasing rate of change, many of the end users have an entirely different perspective. The end users, already very concerned about a challenging economic environment and attempting to reduce I.T. costs, see that changes without value are being forced upon them and that the costs of those changes are very high. To align those perspectives, those of us who evangelize for I.T. must do a better job of aligning rapidly-changing technology and innovation with specific business value. Will your new technology or your great innovation help users do things better, faster or cheaper? It's important, because if the end users aren't motivated to uptake the fruits of innovation, those fruits will die on the vine...the worst result for everyone.