If you are in the Baltimore/Washington area I want to make you are aware of two upcoming DB2 events – the September Baltimore/Washington DB2 Users Group meeting with a special LUW track on September 15th, and a hands-on pureQuery Proof of Technology The Fillmore Group is hosting in our Towson headquarters the following day, September 16th. 

IBM Silicon Valley Lab’s Vijay Bommireddipalli is presenting at the users group meeting the 15th on .NET and Java tuning, then leading the pureQuery PoT the following day.  Read More…

Kimberly Madia’s IBM/Optim team is hosting a Virtual Tech Briefing this Thursday:

DB2 Connect for DBAs: A Primer and Look Ahead

Whether you are a DB2 for LUW DBA who would like to access enterprise information or a z/OS DBA wondering how all those Java and .NET programmers are getting to your data, DB2 Connect is the solution.   Frank Fillmore, A DB2 Gold Consultant with an extensive history in training and consulting, will step you through a DB2 Connect primer from end-to-end, including platform architecture, DB2 Connect configuration parameters, and more. Case studies from large scale DB2 Connect health checks will be included.   IBM’s Kevin Foster, who manages the development of the product, will be on hand to discuss licensing, new packaging options such as the DB2 Connect Advanced Edition, which provides pureQuery acceleration in the box, and upcoming changes to the product.

Date: 19 August 2010
Time:  10:00-11:00AM Pacific, 1:00-2:00PM Eastern
Register here: http://ow.ly/2iAlr

As much as I dislike the relentless repetition that’s part of the nature of the world of blogs and twitter and listserves and email blasts, here I go with a shameless pitch for a TFG special services offering I emailed to several DB2 users earlier today.  I am doing this because, at the end of the day, the rate disparity in today’s DB2 services market baffles me.  Are the ridiculously high rates being charged eroding product adoption?  I am afraid so, which is why we are offering a summer services special. 

Read More…

While the IBM Optim teams are excited to see customers adopting InfoSphere Data Architect, everyone recognizes the journey from CA ERwin to IDA can be frustrating.   The Optim team has been working to develop more resource materials for ERwin users and recently emailed a new Tips & Tricks guide developed by Joe Cullen.  If you find this valuable please let us know, and we will let you know when the new materials are released.  Thanks to Joe Cullen for offering to share this with the community!

IDA Tips&Tricks by Joe Cullen

The developerworks team has announced a free technical webcast next week on pureQuery, based on feedback from the z community.  Like other developerworks webcasts it will be available for replay - as is the recommended prerequisite, pureQuery Part 1.

pureQuery Deep Dive Part 3:  Client Optimization Administration Enhancements for DBA’s

June 24th, at 1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific

Our dynamic duo of client optimization experts is back again!  Patrick Titzler and Chris Farrar, who some of you may remember from pureQuery Deep Dive Part 1, will discuss the enhancements released in Fix Pack 3 in Optim Development Studio and pureQuery Runtime that make the maintenance, security, and management of the client optimization processes better for DBA’s.  These enhancements are driven by real customer experiences and are centered around a relational repository that enhances security, fosters collaboration and streamlines the process of administering a pureQuery-enabled application.  Tooling support for these capabilities in Optim Development Studio will be demonstrated. 

Register today and don’t miss out on your opportunity to hear from the experts!

IBM has moved DB2 Connect support into the Optim group, as it is in some ways the original Optim solution.  Kathy Zeidenstein, who manages community outreach efforts for the Optim team (a weekly e-newsletter, content on the developerworks site, Twitter, etc.) is coordinating a DB2 Connect Virtual Briefing scheduled for August 19th.  The primary purpose of the presentation is to introduce new features in the advanced edition, however, as DB2 Connect can be used in so many ways, and is so often under-utilized, she’s invited Frank to devote some of the time allocated to delivering an overview of what DB2 Connect can do.  More information is on the way…for the moment we have the date and time reserved (mark your calendars - August 19th at 1pm Eastern), and a tentative agenda:

DB2 Connect for DBAs:  A Primer and a Look to the Future

Whether you are a DB2 for LUW DBA who would like to access enterprise information or a z/OS DBA wondering how all those Java and .NET programmers are getting to your data, DB2 Connect is the solution.  Frank Fillmore, A DB2 Gold Consultant with an extensive history in training and consulting, will step you through a DB2 Connect primer from end-to-end, including platform architecture, DB2 Connect configuration parameters, and more.  Case studies from large scale DB2 Connect health checks will be included. Kevin Foster, who manages the development of the product will be on hand to discuss packaging including licensing, new packaging options such as the DB2 Connect Advanced Edition, which provides pureQuery acceleration in the box, and upcoming changes to the product.
What you will learn:
• Why you need DB2 Connect
• How DB2 Connect is packaged and licensed
• Platform architecture
• Configuration and tuning options

As soon as I have registration information I will post it.

The countdown to the first day of Spring is below 20!  Spring can’t come soon enough for me, as here in Baltimore we’ve had over 80 inches of snow - our average is 18.  In preparation for Spring I am coordinating events with the local IBM teams to introduce customers to two great technologies we hope everyone will consider implementing in 2010:  InfoSphere Change Data Capture (CDC) and Optim Data Growth Solutions. 

Both events are planned for Baltimore’s beautiful Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.  The tentative date for the CDC event is Thursday, May 6th, with a PoT scheduled two weeks later on May 20th.  I am working on getting the Optim dates on the calendar.  If you will be in the Baltimore/Washington area please try to join us - both topics should be of value to organizations looking for ways to better control their data.  CDC’s niche is in quickly moving data to where it’s most effective, while Optim Data Growth Solutions can help any organization with a packrat in the IT Department.  You know who you are.

Hope to see you there!

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

The Mid-Atlantic IBM technical team - specifically Linda Snow, Paul Westfall, Warren Heising, Brad Greeley and Martha Fields - were all on hand this past Thursday to assist customers interested in learning more about Optim products using the IBM Proof of Technology hands-on labs.  The PoT format is pretty straightforward, with an IBM tech team member introducing the product and giving a high-level technical product overview for about 30 minutes, followed by the attendees performing hands-on lab exercises for 30-60 minutes. 

The format was well-received and the attendees all stayed until the last exercise was completed.  Each attendee received a lab manual and collateral on the Optim products. 

Warren Heising tells me there are many, many product PoT’s available.  He’s promised me a list; I will share it when I get it.  I encourage anyone interested in learning more about a particular product to call their local IBM team or Business Partner to see if a PoT on the product is available.  These are great!  And oh, by the way, these were delivered at no charge to our customers or us!!

Just announced - The Fillmore Group will host four Optim sessions with the IBM team, featuring Paul Westfall, on Thursday, January 7th, from 9am - 3:30.  If you are “local” and interested in learning more about Optim (regardless of your database of choice), I hope you will join us.  More info below:

Enterprise applications and databases don’t just help run your business - they ARE your business.  And every year, they grow in size and complexity - making them harder and more complicated to manage.

IBM® Optim™ gives you the power to manage enterprise application data through every stage of its lifecycle – regardless of the relational database your organization uses.  These sessions will introduce the Optim products that can enable you to meet your service level agreements, decrease maintenance costs and protect data privacy and security, reducing your legal liability exposure, whether you use Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, DB2 – any or all! Read More…