2nd Annual Back to School with Microsoft & Oracle Event

* I am reposting this to let everyone know that they need to sign up now for the 2nd Annual Back to School event that we are holding September 15th,2009 in Indianapolis. Attendance is already above 100 people so book your space now. We have even had people from as far away as the west coast asking if we will be webcasting the sessions.. not this time ..sorry, but it has definitely sparked some more interest in doing a virtual conference! So look at the inf0rmation below and get signed up , we have a great line up of speakers on all kinds of DBA and Developer topics. This will be a good excuse to take off from work for some FREE training. What boss is going to turn that down, right????

My parent company Perpetual Technologies, Inc. is getting ready to throw their second annual Back to School with Microsoft & Oracle Event on Sept 16th , 2009. This will be a great event and to the best of my knowledge the only event that specifically looks to give presentations across both platforms. You can sign up for the event at the url below:

Perpetual Event Sign Up Page!

As always the event is FREE! So get up off your duffs and ask for a day off to attend because with a whopping 20 presentations it is sure to be a hit! Last year we had about 200 people and I personally would like the IT community to come out in force for this one. Especially with the economy being down still this is the perfect opportunity to get some free training …. whose boss can turn down something that’s FREE , right?!

Agenda and speakers are laid out below. If anyone has any questions on the event then please feel free to contact me!

Cheers!
AJ

AGENDA

8:30am-9:00am

Registration & Breakfast

9:00am-9:35am

Keynote Address

Details Coming Soon

9:35am-9:45am

Break

9:45am- 11:15am

Microsoft Track

Session 1 – SQL Server Management Best Practices: Part 1 (Tom Pizzato & Joe Carver)

Session 2 – What PowerShell Can’t Do (Hope Foley)

Oracle Track

Session 1 – OFM WebCenter, WebLogic, and SOA Suites (tba)

Session 2 – Oracle Database: Interpreting the 10046 Trace File (Anna Plum)

Technology DIY Track

Getting Started with Silverlight 3 (Arie Jones)

11:15am-11:30am

Break

11:30am-1:00pm

Microsoft Track

Session 1 – SQL Server Management Best Practices: Part 2 (Tom Pizzato & Joe Carver)

Session 2 – Entity Framework 4.0 (Arie Jones)

Oracle Track

Session 1 – Oracle FMW Identity Management (Shujaat Ali)

Session 2 – Oracle 11g Active Dataguard (Chris Ruel)

Technology DIY Track

Session 1 – Design it Right with CSS and .NET Skins (Laura Poland)

1:00pm-1:45pm

Lunch

1:45pm-3:15pm

Microsoft Track

Session 1 – Working with the New Data Types in SQL Server 2008 (Tom Pizzato)

Session 2 – Combining Transactional Replication & DB Mirroring (Jimmy May)

Oracle Track

Session 1 – SQL Server for the Oracle DBA (Arie Jones)

Session 2 – Oracle 11g Release 2: An Overview (Blaine Brothers)

Technology DIY Track

Session 1 – xRM: Microsoft Dynamics 4.0 as an Application Development Platform (TBA)

3:15-3:30pm

Break

3:30pm-5:00pm

Microsoft Track

Session 1 – SQL Server 2008: FILESTREAM (Kirk Harmeyer)

Session 2 – Table Partitioning in SQL Server 2005 and 2008 (Jimmy May)

Oracle Track

Session 1 – Oracle Database Forensics (Rizwan Khan)

Session 2 – Oracle application Express (Mark Wyatt)

Technology DIY Track

Session 1 – SharePoint for the Small to Mid-size Business (Jim Grabinski & Brett Canova)

Session Abstracts

Tom Pizzato , Microsoft Corporation

Joe Carver, Microsoft Corporation

SQL Server Management Best Practices: Part 1

This is a 2-session series focused on applying management best practices in SQL Server 2008. The first session starts by helping you figure out what SQL Servers you have in your organization. We’ll look at a free tool that will help identify what machines have SQL Server installed (including Express and MDSE), what their version is, size of the machine, OS level, etc. Once we’ve identified the instances of SQL Server, we’ll look at consolidation and virtualization with SQL Server 2008. Finally, we’ll examine upgrading or migrating your older instances to SQL Server 2008.

SQL Server Management Best Practices: Part 2

The second session then moves into taking those identified servers and discusses how to manage them.  We’ll show you how to take the list of instances identified in Session 1 and use that as a starting point for this session.  We’ll address topics like Policy Based Management, the Performance Data Collector, Resource Governing, etc. 

Hope Foley – PTI

What Can’t Powershell Do?

How often do you hear a DBA say “well I want to do X but I never have time with all the day to day stuff I have to get done”? Automating tasks is a great way to do that and Powershell is one of the tools that can help you. In this session I will help you become familiar with this tool. In addition to that we’ll work through the process of the creation of a script to help solve a real world DBA issue…deleting old backups. SQL Server many times does not remove the old backup files even though you have done everything right in your maintenance plan. We will go through the entire process of constructing a viable working solution to get rid of those unneeded files.

Speaker TBA – Oracle Corporation

OFM WebCenter, WebLogic, and SOA Suites

Oracle 11g Fusion Middleware can serve as a comprehensive platform for your business and IT processes. It can help make your business more agile, intelligent and responsive, ensure long-term flexibility in heterogeneous IT environments. WebCenter can also take advantage of modern software and hardware architectures – delivering both cost savings and innovation. Use WebCenter Suite 11g to create connections among people, ideas, content, processes, systems and enterprise applications. Simplify the management of the entire portal lifecycle – via the single packaging of code and metadata, in-depth resource metrics reporting and robust integration with Enterprise Manager . Oracle WebLogic Server enables customers, consultants and ISVs to build and run enterprise applications and SOA services. Both operators and developers can become more productive and improve mission-critical quality of service while lowering total cost of ownership.

Anna Plum, PTI

Oracle Database: Interpreting the 10046 Trace File

"Being able to interpret the 10046 trace, both raw and analyzed using tkprof, can be a valuable addition to your tool set as a DBA or developer. This is true when troubleshooting as well as when tuning code. Being able to produce the 10046 trace is essential when working with Oracle Support. This presentation will demonstrate how to produce the 10046 trace for an individual user, using either a logon trigger or an ALTER SESSION command. You will learn how to locate the raw trace file and generate a tkprof report. We will step through tkprof report and some of the options you have for controlling output and will then step line by line through a sample raw trace. This should give you enough practical information to begin using the 10046 trace in your own environment. We will NOT delve too deeply into TUNING code."

Arie D. Jones(AJ), PTI

Getting Started with Silverlight 3

If you’ve been interested in learning Silverlight but don’t know where to start then this would be the place for you. We’ll discuss some of the basics of Silverlight such as XAML, controls, data binding, and styles. Additionally, we’ll discuss of the more interesting features of Silverlight 3 that, for example, allow applications to run out of the browser. Cool things for everyone!

Entity Framework 4.0

Microsoft is getting ready to release VS 2010 here in the near future and there are a lot of interesting things coming up with the Entity Framework that you will not want to miss. We’ll be working with the VS Beta’s to delve into the changes that are happening in respect to the Entity Framework and talking about what possible things are in store for the future as well.

SQL Server for the Oracle DBA

Increasingly in today’s budget constrained climate a lot of DBAs are being politely asked to assume tasks that were previously left to other entities. One increasing demand on today’s DBA is the need for them to transcend a single database platform and instead manage 2 or more different implementations. In this presentation we will run through the SQL Server 2008 implementation and feature set with an eye toward the Oracle DBA in an attempt to make the transition smoother. Giving tip and tricks along the way that will enable you to actively participate in the management of these data assets with confidence.

Shujaat Ali, Oracle Corporation

Oracle FMW Identity Management

Delivering a superior online experience can offer unique competitive advantages, but it also presents significant security risks. Security breaches are pervasive, and even more alarming, the sophistication level of these attacks is rising. To combat risky threats, companies often invest in security safeguards that are not only expensive, but also tend to damage user experience. Reliable and cost-effective security safeguards that protect customers’ data, prevent fraud and offer quick ROI are necessary.

This session will highlight:

· Technologies based on risk-based security that offer reliable security and a seamless user experience.

· Cost-effective and proven strategies that accelerate profits, prevent fraud and mitigate risk.

· Best practices and real-world scenarios for deployment of risk-based security safeguards to regulate access to sensitive data.

Chris Ruel, PTI

Oracle 11g Active DataGuard

Oracle 11g Active Data Guard allows you to have your standby database open for queries while it is being updated with recent transactions from the primary. This is a significant enhancement as you will now be able to use your standby database without worrying about it falling behind. This is very nice for offloading reports from the primary site. Furthermore, since the database had to be fully licensed anyway, why not get your money’s worth? This presentation will go through the steps to setting up Data Guard and then enabling the Active Data Guard feature. I hope to include live examples from a test Data Guard setup.

Laura Poland, PTI

Design it Right with CSS and .NET Skins

Web sites and web applications are essential to the success of almost every business. Regardless of the tools and approach you use for designing and implementing your new site, it will inevitably cost you time and energy. In this session I will show you how to make sure that your time and energy are spent wisely, as an investment that will grow and change with your needs. With CSS and .NET Skins, you have valuable tools at your fingertips that allow you to change the look and feel of your site without editing a single source code document. Additionally, they give you the ability to design skins that are portable across multiple applications. Don’t waste your time designing it twice, come and learn how to design it right!.

Tom Pizzato, Microsoft Corporation

Working With The New Data Types In SQL Server 2008.

SQL Server 2008 includes new data types which open up new application types and make developing applications easier.  This session will explore:

1. What is spatial data and how do you work with the GEOGRAPHY and GEOMETRY data types in SQL Server 2008.

2. How the FILESTREAM extension to VARBINARY(MAX) helps with the classic paradox: “where do I store large objects, in the database or in the file system)

3. What the new date/time formats mean and how to use them

Jimmy May

Combining Transactional Replication & DB Mirroring

Database mirroring can be used in conjunction with replication to provide availability for the publication database. Database mirroring involves two copies of a single database that typically reside on different computers. Mirroring involves applying the transaction log from every insertion, update, or deletion made on the principal database onto the mirror database. Replication failover to a mirror is supported without the need to reinitialize replication. Learn & see how these High Availability options can work together in SQL Server, as well as pitfalls to avoid.

Table Partitioning in SQL Server 2005 & 2008

Data can be stored by using the storage algorithms provided by Partitioned Tables and Indexes. Partitioning can make large tables and indexes more manageable and scalable. Learn keywords, key concepts, & see meaningful demonstrations on techniques related to table partitioning which are consistent with enhanced performance, scalability, & management.

Blaine Brothers, Oracle Corporation

Oracle 11g Release 2: An Overview

Oracle 11g Release 2 is being made available to Oracle customers this fall. Please join Oracle in understanding the new features of Oracle 11g Release 2 and how this version of the database can help organizations reduce risk and overall IT costs.

Speaker TBA – Microsoft CRM Group, Chicago

xRM: Microsoft Dynamics 4.0 as an Application Development Tool

Businesses are often plagued with the same problems whether they are a large corporation like Microsoft or a mid-market commercial real estate firm. How do you manage the sales process? How do you track the various pieces? How can you automate processes? How can you analyze the information? Businesses often turn to CRM systems such as ACT or SalesLogix which provide less than optimal integration and customization abilities. In this session, I will be demonstrating Microsoft CRM in order to demonstrate how the flexibility and integration of this system allows your business to make the system work for you instead of becoming a slave to it. By the end of the demonstration, you will be able to see how CRM can not only become a tool that you can leverage in your business but how CRM can become a true force multiplier!

Kirk Harmeyer, PTI

SQL Server 2008: FILESTREAM

SQL Server 2008 introduced the concept of the FILESTREAM support. Most DBAs whom have been around for a while have in one instance or another supported streaming applications by use of the VARBINARY(MAX) datatype in order to store file information within the database architecture. However, this has drastic limitations as the RDBMS are not typically set up to deal with data that is not accessible in terms of pages and extents. FILESTREAM support adds a new paradigm to the database platform by marrying the database system with the NTFS file system in order to overcome these old obstacles. In this session, we will delve into FILESTREAM support, what it takes to implement, and some of the extremely cool things that you can do with this new power.

Rizwan Khan, PTI

Oracle Forensics

If your database is hacked, would you know where to look or how to put your case together? In this presentation, we will look at what is forensics and how it applies to Oracle databases. We will overview topics like Log Miner and its use in forensics, then move to Listener log and Auditing. Learn ways to document your findings and build your own toolkit.

Mark Wyatt – WebSoft Solutions

Oracle Application Express

This session will show how to quickly build Oracle based applications while showing reasons why custom software projects may fail or be delayed. We will explain the advantages of Rapid Application Development and explore successful software applications that have been built using APEX. Real world examples of custom built APEX applications will be shown and also how to use APEX as Middleware.

Advantages of APEX

· Collaboration

· Rapid Deployment

· Free with Oracle Install

· Easy to learn and use

Jim Grabinski, PTI

Brett Canova, PTI

Sharepoint for the Small to Mid-Sized Business

Document sharing, collaboration, and security are crucial to any small business. In this session, we will show you how to use out-of-the-box SharePoint features to enhance the function and efficiency of your business. A successful SharePoint deployment will help your organization to better communicate, share, and find information. We will cover tips for planning a SharePoint deployment, as well key capabilities of SharePoint Web portals, sites, document libraries, Outlook integrated lists, custom lists, content types, enterprise search, and much more. Finally, we will review a few of the exciting new features to look forward to in SharePoint 2010!