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2009 Presentation Summaries by Topic
Application Development
Data Warehousing/BI
DBA
Oracle Apps
Security
System Architecture/Administration

Application Development

Getting it Right the First Time—To Model or Not to Model, That Is the Question
Michael Farnsworth, Virginia DMV
In part two of the "Getting it Right the First Time" series, we ask and answer the question, "How much design is too much design, and how little design is too little design?"  You've heard of "Big Design Up Front" and "No Design at All", so what does this all mean? We'll get to the bottom of it all in our quest to "Get it Right the First Time."

A Language-Neutral Programming Interface to Oracle
George Flanagin, Digital Gaslight, Inc.
Complete with interesting visuals and exciting narrative, this is the story of how our company eliminated embedded SQL and developed a language-independent method to interface our apps to Oracle. Rated R for language used to express programmers' frustrations. Under 17 not admitted.

Performance-Tuning Oracle Application Express Applications
Doug Gault, Sumner Technologies
This presentation covers strategies and tactical advice for monitoring and addressing performance issues in Oracle Application Express-based applications, using built-in as well as free third-party (open source) tools. The session also presents some of the best practices for making Oracle Application Express performance problems easy to diagnose.

Rich Web Applications for the Enterprise...Creating RWA from Your Oracle Database
John Krahulec, Bizwhazee, LLC
Deliver the latest in Rich Web Applications (Ajax, Flash, XHTML) AND eliminate the "middle-tier tax" at the same time. The traditional n-tier architecture has become an overly complex and bloated obstacle to web development. The “Middle Tier Tax” means: application latency, more complex architecture, more resources, more hardware/software, more skill sets required, and more bandwidth required. Leverage the power of your existing Oracle database and PL/SQL development skills to create the rich web applications your customers’ desire.

Migrating Oracle Forms to the Web
Jennifer McNeill, CipherSoft Inc., A Subsidiary of Unify Corporation
The presentation will review options for migrating Oracle Forms to the Web. Participants will learn technical aspects of each option and how to determine the best solution based on the business drivers of their applications.

Troubleshooting Oracle APEX
Scott Spendolini, Sumner Technologies
Oracle Application Express is made up of several technologies: PL/SQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ajax. When something goes wrong, it's often more difficult to figure out what went wrong than it is to fix it. This presentation takes a brief look at each technology that makes up Oracle Application Express and discusses and demonstrates how to effectively track down and solve the problem. As an added bonus, every tool outlined in this presentation is available for free.

Extreme Makeover: APEX Edition
Scott Spendolini, Sumner Technologies
Users will make up their mind as to whether your site looks professional in a matter of seconds. Thus, you get only one chance to convey an image of professionalism to both existing and potential clients. Even sites that don't compete for clients such as internal applications will benefit from a crisp UI, as it will exude a level of confidence to your users. This session will outline the steps and skills required to create a custom look and feel for your APEX applications and include a live demonstration of how to incorporate an existing look and feel into APEX templates.

Data Warehousing/BI

An Anyone-Anytime-Anywhere (A-A-A) Architecture Framework for a Customer-Centric Oracle-Based DW & BI Solution
Lakshman Bulusu, Independent Consultant
This presentation details an Architecture Framework using the latest-and-greatest Oracle technologies that enables anyone-anytime-anywhere accessibility-cross-business, cross-IT touch points. It focuses on the pragmatic aspects of design and implementation, and its usability as a standardized and unified DW/BI design framework and explains why architecture is important and why getting it right the first time goes a long way in realizing a better business value and superior customer experience.

Report Bursting and E-mail/Fax Delivery with BI Publisher Enterprise at Starbucks Coffee Company
Brent Lowe, STR Software
Oracle's Business Intelligence Publisher Enterprise is a standalone reporting and document output management solution that allows companies to lower the cost of ownership for reporting solutions. Join us as we dig into the mechanics of the bursting and delivery engines of BI Publisher Enterprise and learn how Starbucks Coffee Company is leveraging Oracle and STR Software to create reports and burst them to fax and e-mail delivery channels.

DBA

Testing to Destruction: Part Two
Michael Ault, Texas Memory Systems
This presentation will discuss various benchmarking technologies and show actual test results from TPCC and TPCH testing on various systems. Attendees will see how to interpret the results.

Going Solid: Determining What to Place on Tier Zero
Michael Ault, Texas Memory Systems
In this presentation, the attendee will learn how to determine what objects should be placed on tier zero storage.

Secrets of Successful Oracle Database 11g Upgrades in an Oracle E-Business Suite Environment
Michael Brown, Colibri Limited
Upgrading a production database can be a complex task, all the more so when the database to be upgraded lies at the heart of a mission critical E-Business Suite installation. This session will provide hints, tips, and success factors that will help make a database upgrade faster, easier, and less risky - with special consideration for the unique characteristics of the E-Business Suite environments (both 11 and Release 12 will be addressed).

Database Duplication Using RMAN in 11g
John Claxton, B/E Aerospace
Cloning (or duplicating) a database is a common DBA task. This session discusses the improvements available in 11g RMAN. During the presentation a live cloning will be performed, and we'll hit some bumps along the way, which will be learning opportunities. Using RMAN to create "clones" of a database keeps getting better and better.

The Database Breaks—You Fix It: An Introduction to 11g Data Recovery Advisor
Break A Controlfile | Datafile | System
John Claxton, B/E Aerospace
When a database "breaks" (disaster), it’s the DBA's job to "fix it" (recovery). With 11g, the Data Recovery Advisor (DRA) can help. Either through command line or GUI tools, DRA can show you what’s wrong, tell you how it can be fixed, and even fix it for you.

Implementing Data Guard and Automated Storage Management on a VLDB System
Mitchell Coak, Arbinet, Inc.
Learn how to migrate to ASM using Data Guard. We'll discuss Data Guard configuration, ASM configuration, migration methodology, monitoring with OEM, and RMAN backups in a Data Guard environment.

Everyday Tasks with Oracle SQL Developer
Sue Harper, Oracle Corporation
Oracle SQL Developer provides database developers with a powerful tool  for database tasks. With too many features to demonstrate, this  session focuses on one scenario that database developers might  encounter, touching many areas of the tool to illustrate the diversity  and features it offers. The highlights include the SQL Worksheet with  its code insight, snippets and templates, Reports, Oracle APEX  integration, general schema copy and compare, and the integrated file  navigator and source code control support. We'll review the latest release of SQL  Developer, which supports unit testing and an integrated data modeler, and  close with a brief review of new functionality planned for the next release of SQL  Developer.

Introducing Database Modeling and Design with Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler
Sue Harper, Oracle Corporation
Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler supports logical and  physical data modeling for Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and IBM DB2. This addition to the Oracle SQL Developer family of tools provides  forward and reverse engineering of database structures for all who  work with graphical data models. In this session, see how to create a logical entity relationship diagram, with a choice of Barker or  Bachman notations, and forward engineer the design to one or more  relational schema diagrams. The session reviews various diagramming options, the set of Design Rules provided, the implementation-specific physical models, and the DDL generated. 

Round Table Discussion on Performance Monitoring and Trending
Scott Howe & Seth Sites , Liberty University
Join us as we discuss monitoring solutions and techniques for Oracle databases and their related application servers. Conversation topics will include currently available tools, long term trending and provisioning needs, environment hurdles, and successes.

Oracle in the Clouds (Is This Heaven or Iowa)??
Greg Mays, B2B
This presentation will explore what "cloud computing" is, what the various risks and rewards are of implementing a configuration "in the clouds" and walk through a basic install and run of an Oracle database in the cloud.

Control Your Environment with the Resource Manager
Margaret Norman, Duke Energy
The Oracle Resource Manager is a powerful tool to balance database resource consumption among groups of database users allowing the database: to prioritize interactive application users over adhoc reporting users; allow some users to execute queries with a higher degree of parallelism; move long running queries to a reduced priority; queue up query requests while limiting the number actively running; systematically cancel queries that are consuming too many resources; or balance database resource consumption between applications.

Troubleshooting with ASH
Margaret Norman, Duke Energy
The v$Active_Session_History (ASH) is a gateway to information about past database activity. Troubleshooting with the ASH demonstrates how to use the ASH table to find execution information to answer performance questions for real world troubleshooting scenarios. Included scripts will show how to determine what SQL executed for a given timeframe, the actual runtime, rows returned, previous runtime(s), current and previous explain plans.

Tuna Helper—Proven Process for Tuning SQL
Dean Richards, Confio Software
Many DBAs and developers are faced with tuning poorly performing SQL statements. There is no way to learn everything you need to know about SQL tuning in an hour, but you can learn a process to employ when badly written SQLs are ruining database performance. However, many tuning projects fail because the process being used is inefficient. This presentation will walk through a process Confio Software uses with great success and will include topics such as: indexing strategies, use of histograms, SQL wait event data, column selectivity, and several more that will help you succeed on future tuning projects.

Quantifying Oracle System Performance
Craig Shallahamer, OraPub, Inc.
Quantitatively representing database server performance allows Oracle performance metrics and performance mathematics integration resulting in number of analysis benefits such as problem highlighting, graphical representation, and anticipating proposed performance solutions. This presentation demonstrates step-by-step how to quantify database performance, how to blend the metrics and performance mathematics, and how to represent the situation both numerically and graphically. You will also learn how to comfortably and confidently communicate using response time terms, numerics, and graphics.

Serialization Control: The Lock, Latch, & Mutex
Craig Shallahamer, OraPub, Inc.
For a high performing Oracle system, serialization is death. That's why understanding, detecting, and resolving serialization issues are extremely important. Many DBAs feel there is little you can do when serialization issues raise their ugly head. Not true! I have found once one understands the general latch and mutex algorithms and equipped with Oracle's memory architectures and internals, latch/mutex contention solutions become very apparent. This presentation provides an in-depth look into memory serialization control, how Oracle's algorithms ensure the necessary serialization, and how we can get involved to ensure serialization issues do not remain a problem.

Oracle Apps

E-Business Release 12: Installation and Upgrade (Quick, Good, and Inexpensive)
Michael Barone, OATC, Inc.
Oracle eBusiness 12's upgrade and migration path is (now) a very well traveled E-Business destination. This presentation is your installation and upgrade "ticket" to a quick, good, and inexpensive journey, packed with installation and upgrade performance tips. E-Business 12 (Installation and Upgrade) provides a better user experience including reduced pop-ups, streamlined workflows, and increased personalization. Also discussed will be new Oracle 10.1.3 iAS Server (Forms/Reports), new Oracle 10.1.2 Apache Server and more.

Automate Work Order and Attachment Printing from Oracle eAM
Ben Bruno, STR Software
Standard functionality of Oracle EBS permits various types of attachments to be uploaded and stored within the Oracle database. The most popular of customer-facing documents, the purchase order and work order, may reference these attachments. Unfortunately, no functionality exists within Oracle EBS to include and collate these attachments when e-mailed, faxed, and printed. Users have been required to manually print and collate the documents and the attachments.

Managing a Successful R12 E-Business Suite Upgrade—A Repeatable Methodology
to Help Ensure Success
Art Dowd, O2Works LLC
If you are running Oracle applications, you have an upgrade in your future. Whether it's a scaled down "technical" upgrade or a full blown, features-driven "functional" upgrade, there are certain tenants that are essential to be successful. Many companies only upgrade every few years and it becomes a "déjà-vu all over again" experience. Because we continually assist companies with their upgrade projects, we have developed proven, repeatable methodology that helps ensure success.

Implementing Oracle iExpense—What We Did to Succeed in a Highly Controlled and Complex Environment
Bill Dunham, OATC, Inc.
This presentation will discuss our successful implementation of iExpense in a highly controlled and complex state government environment. Also discussed is the implementation, decisions made, application setups, and changes to functionality to effectively use and improve expense processing.

Using Forms Personalization
Talbott Jones, Colibri Information Management
Forms Personalization allows functionality modification of Oracle Applications forms without changing underlying code. We will use two real world examples to show how personalization works. We will make a field required, insert default values, display a message, and display a warning. We will hide a button and we will have the system populate a field with one of three possible values. Documentation, risks, and migration will be the wrap-up.

Security

Hack Your Database Before the Hackers Do
Todd DeSantis, Sentrigo, Inc.
In this presentation, you will learn common security mistakes developers make, how to use open source tools to find those mistakes, and how to roll out your own PL/SQL fuzzer.

How to Ensure Data Privacy and Security
Steve Johnson, IBM
Everyone is talking about data governance. What is it and how can you achieve sound data governance? Securing and protecting data requires a holistic approach, taking into consideration the broad range of data threats. Companies need to understand these threats and develop a comprehensive strategy security policy. Come see how to tackle the challenge of data governance head on. Don't let a data breach happen to you. Approach taking into consideration the broad range of data threats. Companies need to understand these threats and develop a comprehensive strategy security policy. Come see how to tackle the challenge of data governance head on.  Don't let a data breach happen to you.

How to Implement the Virtual Private Database
Margaret Norman, Duke Energy
Oracle's Virtual Private Database (VPD) feature allows an easy setup of row level or row and column level security in the database. This presentation will demonstrate how to design a VPD implementation, code the PL/SQL policy functions, define table policies, test the VPD setup, and implement in production. Demonstration scripts will be provided.

Penetrating the "Unbreakable" Oracle | Demo 1 | Demo 2 | Demo 3
Paul Stallard, B2B Solutions
Topics covered in this presentation will include known Oracle vulnerabilities and exploits, privilege escalation, SQL injection, password cracking, and client-side attacks. In addition, widely available tools will be demonstrated that can by used by hackers or penetration testers to access Oracle-based systems. The talk will wrap up with a discussion of some steps that can be taken to mitigate the risks of unauthorized access and data theft.

System Architecture/Administration

The Ultimate Oracle Architecture
Michael Ault, Texas Memory Systems
This presentation shows the ultimate Oracle Architecture in terms of performance and reliability using commodity hardware and off the shelf components. Concepts such as performance, reliability, and resiliency (both local and global) will be covered as well as the technologies needed to implement them.

Virtualization: From Hypervisors to RAC
Jonathan Beasley, Oracle
Virtualization technology is moving from rigid hard partitioning to dynamic soft partitioning. Companies can be very agile as demand increases or decreases based on internal and external customer demand, use of cheap commodity hardware, adoption of software as a service (SaaS) model, and migration to more efficient blade servers to reduce the overall hardware and power footprint of their data center. How can Virtualization improve my Oracle environments?