For The CRM Folks In The Crowd

The Oracle Applications Users Group ("OAUG") sponsors a series of web-based training sessions: OAUG Training Tuesdays. The sessions are free for OAUG members, but pre-registration is required on a first-come, first-served basis.

The session coming up on Sept. 29 will be of special interest to those of you interested in Customer Relationship Management ("CRM") apps: "Impact of Fusion Applications on Oracle E-Business Suite CRM Applications". The session will be led by Wade Lewis from Georg Fischer Central Plastics LLC.

I've had the good fortune to work with Wade as a fellow member of the OAUG Fusion Council. I'm personally not deep in CRM knowledge, so I rely on Wade's expertise in the area…and Wade is an expert.

Wade's session will take place on Sept. 29 at 5:00 p.m. EST. During the session, Wade's will cover:

• Upgrade path for Oracle E-Business Suite CRM Applications to Fusion Applications

• User interface changes to expect

• Potential gaps between E-Business CRM and Fusion CRM

• Expected impact on trading partner end users

Highly recommended, especially for the CRM folks in the crowd.

A Chance To Do Good

This is a little off the subject for this blog, but I'm hoping that this is an opportunity for each of us to do a good turn and make the world a little better place.

A friend of a friend is working on her PhD at Cornell...while undergoing chemotherapy. She's now working on the research for her thesis. That research includes gathering and analyzing survey data.

Now, I've written a couple of these in my life (one for my undergrad degree and another for my grad degree). I never want to do another thesis...I'd sooner cut off my goatee with a spoon. Gathering and analyzing data is hard work as it is...I can't even imagine doing this work while undergoing chemo. I think what we have here is a determined woman who could use our help in conquering a significant challenge.

Each of us can help in two ways:

1) I've already participated in the survey. Took less than 5 minutes of my time. Smart people will rip through it in much less time. You can take the survey here.

2) Spread the word. The more, the merrier. Twitter, Facebook, IM, email, text, word of mouth, write it up on your own blog, whatever. Get the word out so that more people can help.

So, if you're still looking to do your good deed for the day, here is a great opportunity. Get involved!

OpenWorld 2009 - What Looks Good To Me

Oracle OpenWorld 2009 is almost upon us. As always, it looks to be a huge conference - it'll be much too large for anyone to take it all in. So the issue is one of how to best spend your time. I suggest that those attending OOW focus on specific areas of interest. My own areas of interest this year are Fusion Applications and E-Business Suite 12.1 - including extending the E-Business Suite with Fusion Middleware. I'll pick up a few miscellaneous sessions on the database and Oracle Support, but the two apps areas are my main focus. I'm also planning on spending a significant portion of my time both attending and presenting at the Unconference sponsored by the Oracle Technology Network. The Unconference really appeals to me due to the informal setting and the presentation method - not much fluff happening here, only really meaty stuff. So with that in mind, I'll share what looks good to me at OOW 2009. Of course, the sessions I facilitate or present will be "must attend" events (insert coughing and/or sarcastic laughter here). Consider these first four items as blatant self-promotion:

• The OAUG Fusion Council Meeting, Session S312243, Sunday, 2-3 p.m., Moscone West, Room 3001.

  Oracle’s Next-Generation Applications provide a substantial commitment to end-user productivity. By working in-depth with customers to observe how end users did their work and by leveraging the best practices of Applications Unlimited products, Oracle identified key “Next Generation User Experience Fundamentals” necessary to drive next-generation productivity. Join The OAUG Fusion Council and Oracle during Oracle OpenWorld 2009 to learn more about these exciting new user experience innovations built on Fusion Middleware 11gR1 technologies. Everyone is welcome.

  Presenters are Floyd Teter from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Jeremy Ashley, Vice President Applications User Experience, Oracle; and Katie Candland, Director Applications User Experience, Oracle.

• Unconference Presentation: Case Study - Roadmap to Fusion Applications. Monday, 10 - 11 a.m., Overlook II.

• Unconference Presentation: Aligning Fusion Technology with Enterprise Strategy - The Martini Glass Model. Tuesday, 11 - noon, Overlook II.

• Unconference Presentation: Why We Can't Wait For Fusion Apps. Co-presenting with Debra Lilley and Basheer Khan. Thursday, 10 - 11 a.m., Overlook II. (yeah, it's a Thursday session - just for the conference "die hards").

As for my focus areas, here are the sessions that look most interesting to me (I've only included the session name and session ID - you can get details through the OOW Content Catalog or, if you're registered, the OOW Schedule Builder):

E-Business Suite

• Upgrading to Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1: Technical and Functional Panel,S307961
• Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1 Standalone Applications for Release 11.5.10 Customers: How?,S309539
• Oracle E-Business Suite Applications Strategy and General Manager Update,S309787
• Oracle E-Business Suite Technology Road Map and Vision: Release 12.1 and Beyond,S309536
• Oracle E-Business Suite 12 Procure-to-Pay Process Flow,S309651
• Oracle E-Business Suite 12 Focus on Supply Chain Management,S309654
• From The Trenches: An Oracle E-Business Suite 12/Oracle Database 11g Implementation,S307635
• Oracle E-Business Suite 12 and 12.1: Technology Essentials,S307955
• Get Ready for Oracle E-Business Suite 12! Tasks to Complete Now to Ease the R12 Upgrade Process,S307740
• Oracle HRMS Applications Implementation at DENSO: Powered by Oracle Application Framework,S309498

Extending EBS with Fusion Middleware

• Create A Unified Worklist Using SOA, and Integrate with Oracle E-Business Suite,S307654
• Building A SOA Solution with Oracle Fusion Middleware for Oracle E-Business Suite,S309975
• Shared-Service Oracle E-Business Suite 12, Oracle Business Intelligence Applications, and SOA,S307747
• Energizing and Modernizing Oracle E-Business Suite with Oracle Fusion Middleware,S307959
• Enhanced Usability of Oracle Applications with Web 2.0: Technical Insight,S311588
• Smart Strategies: Prepare for Tomorrow, Leverage What You Have Today,S311178
• General Session: Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g--Foundation for Innovation,S311766
• Using Oracle Application Server 10g with Oracle E-Business Suite,S307958
• Advanced Configuration and Cloud Deployment of Oracle E-Business Suite,S307956
• Oracle E-Business Suite 12, SOA, and Oracle Application Integration Architecture,S312324
• Implementing an Advanced Architecture for Oracle E-Business Suite,S310395

Fusion Applications

• IOUC Product Development Committee Roundtable,S312188
• Ten Things You Can Do Today To Prepare for the Next Generation Applications,S307953
• Oracle Fusion Upgrade Road Map Planning: Defining Measurable Business Value,S308998
• General Session: Complete, Open and Integrated Applications for Your Business,S311860
• Oracle Fusion Development Experience: An Oracle Application Development Framework Overview,S309421
• Oracle Fusion Design Fundamentals,S307405
• The Next Generation of Human Capital Management,S308655

Miscellaneous (not related to my focus areas, but feeds my inner geek)

• Providing a Robust Data Archive Solution for the Largest Global Healthcare Payer,S311658
• Best Practices for Achieving Faster Problem Resolution with My Oracle Support,S311897

• Creating Quick and Powerful Web applications with Oracle, GlassFish and NetBeans/Eclipse, Unconference Overlook I, 11 a.m. Monday

• Rich Client Interfaces via Functional UI Patterns & Best Practices from Oracle, Unconference Overlook I, 9 a.m. Wednesday

• Extreme Faces Makeover - Inject ADF Faces Rich Client Components into your old wrinkled applications, Unconference Overlook I, 10 a.m. Wednesday

• Integrating ADF applications with SOA, Unconference Overlook I, 4 p.m. Wednesday

Well, hopefully this list is helpful to those of you with interests similar to mine. However, if your interests are different, don't despair. There is great info out there to help you get the most out of OOW, regardless of which Oracle products catch your interest. Oracle puts out special "Focus On" documents for each area of emphasis at OOW: the list includes keynotes, sessions, and other events of interest. You can find all the "Focus On" docs here. Now, if anybody knows a way to resolve all the scheduling conflicts so that I can get to all the events I want to attend, please drop a comment and let us all in on the secret...