Or Optim…not sure which.  Oracle is hosting an 11g technology day in Baltimore next week and I am hoping to get a sense of what Oracle users are talking about.  If you are in the area and would like to join me, I would be happy for the company!  Details are:

Discover How You Can Lower IT Costs While Building a Foundation for Innovation

Oracle is pleased to announce Oracle Technology Day featuring the latest updates on Oracle Database 11g Release 2 and Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g. During this interactive event, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Oracle experts while mingling with Oracle partners and industry peers.

This information packed technology day will include keynotes and breakout sessions where attendees will gain first-hand insights on new solutions offerings and related product developments.

Oracle end-users and partners will:
• Hear the latest on Oracle Database 11g Release 2 & Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g
• Meet face-to-face with Oracle subject matter experts
• Network with industry peers in an informal setting
• Visit with Oracle Partners
Don’t miss your chance to get the latest on Oracle’s world-class portfolio of industry-leading technology solutions - register today!

To register call 1.800.820.5592 ext. 6953.

Wednesday,
February 3, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Hilton Baltimore
401 West Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
+1.443.573.8700

In doing some co-marketing planning with the local IBM team there is clearly a lot of energy behind the push to move Oracle users to DB2.  With V9.7 the claim is that 95% of all Oracle application code will run - untouched - in DB2 V9.7.  So the IBM teams (and me) are looking at customers using both DB2 and Oracle as targets to move to 100% DB2 in 2010. 

I am accumulating information on the migration process and trying to figure out how to accomplish it quickly - and therefore as inexpensively as possible.  I want the ROI to show a return fast!  There is a tool to estimate the migration effort which can then be used to estimate the cost.  It’s 2010 - it’s so much easier than these things used to be…in fact, in looking at older migration plans, Frank dug up a white paper comparing Oracle and DB2 V6.1 that includes migration information.  It’s 148 pages long…take a look (at the link below) if you have absolutely nothing else to do.

Of course, in the world of new reseller programs, ValueNet and Software Advantage Plus, and so on, I must mention The Fillmore Group has a competitive migration VAP in place to enable us to sell DB2 to Oracle users for the best prices anywhere.  Call me if you want to make the change.  Go DB2!

http://eval.symantec.com/mktginfo/products/White_Papers/Application_Performance/indepth_db2_migration_wp.pdf

As I hope many people know, IBM announced the release of Cobra (DB2 V9.7) last week.  In preparation for the early announcement I was invited to a briefing to review the new features.  The technical portion was delivered by Cobra guru Chris Eaton.  The presentation is scheduled to be released publicly this week and as soon as I get it I will add it to this blog.  The content is excellent and as you view it, you will see they tried to include a little something for everyone.  I hope you find it helpful - and hope to have it available in the next day or so.

As an organization that has been doing essentially the same thing for over twenty years it’s always wonderful to be recognized for our experience.  Frank cringes when I tell customers our consultants come in two sizes - bald and gray - but the truth is that it takes a long time to gather the skills that make a consulting team experienced and comfortable directing others. 

So rather than judging our consultants by their biological age, we sometimes base their DB2 Age on the version where they started their career, yes, sort of like dog years.  Although I can honestly write that we can start a discussion at pre-DB2 SQL/DS, IBM’s first relational database, later renamed DB2 Server for VSE&VM. 

Over the years we’ve worked with a number of DB2 Server for VSE&VM customers and have watched all but a handful move onward and upward to newer versions of DB2 and yes, sadly, SQL Server and Oracle.  We have also watched many of these customers suffer through poorly planned migrations.  Frank and I have tried for years to persuade IBM to create a formal migration roadmap for customers with little success - until now!

Starting this week IBM has a page on ibm.com endorsing and recommending The Fillmore Group to organizations ready to modernize.  The phone hasn’t started ringing yet, but I am hoping the remaining DB2 Server for VSE&VM customers find us before they migrate, and make the process as straightforward as possible.  Knowledge is power!  Check it out at the link below:

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/db2/migration/upgrade-vse.html?wm=7100001f4734&cm_sp=ZZ999-_-SWB00-_-4734