2007 Georgia Oracle Users' Conference

Session Abstracts

Monday 8:30 - Keynote Presentation

How Oracle Came to Rule the Database World
Rich Niemiec, TUSC

This is a break from the technical presentations, but not too much of a break. Sit back and listen to the history of the relational database go by. Find out the crucial moves that Oracle made at critical junctures of their history. See what drove the product from inception, over the rocky road and eventual to the top of the mountain. Learn what made Oracle the product a success, but also find out the attributes that made Oracle the company a font of technological wizardry. This talk will reveal several seldom heard facts and some unknown secrets of Oracle's success.

I. The Paper that started it all - E. F. Codd
II. System-R & Ingres
III. Oracle is Founded as SDL
IV. Version 1 to Version 10g
V. Why did Oracle win?
VI. Future market direction
VII. Summary

Monday 10:15

SDLC from a data-oriented perspective – Tanya Cannon and Derek Otieno, DeVry University

Our presentation will cover a full system development scenario from planning, analysis, design, through implementation using the Oracle DBMS. The business problem scenario will be to create a segment of the database requirements for Gallon Automobile Life Insurance Application (GALIA). The system objective of the GALIA project will be show a business solution to the data requirements of any typical automobile insurance company. The upper life cycle deliverables (data analysis (logical) and design (physical)) will be demonstrated by Tanya Cannon. The lower life cycle deliverables (design (physical) to implementation (coding) – output display) will be demonstrated by Derek Otieno.

Implementing OEM for the First Time – Gary Gelder, Mirant Corporation

This presentation is a new user's view of Oracle Enterprise Manager. The OEM product covers so many areas of Oracle administration it can be an overwhelming task to implement. This presentation will cover the basics of installing and getting started with OEM. We will also discuss what pieces make up OEM including agents, repository, notifications, and management packages.

Monday 11:30

Most Recent Advances Database Attacks – Aaron Newman, Application Security, Inc.

Database attacks continue to grow in sophistication. Over the past year we have seen several advancements in the tools used to hack databases. The database is the “virtual vault” that holds your most valuable assets. As such, protecting those assets is a top priority of any realistic security plan. Tools – now freely available for download across the Internet – have made the task of taking over and controlling databases significantly simpler. As security practioners we must be aware of these tools and understand how they are used, in order to protect against them. In this presentation we will show a variety of these tools in action and qualify the actual threats each attack vector represents. Don't be left out in the dark on database security – come see how it actually happens!  

Recovering From User Errors– Otis Barr, TUSC

Often, recovering from user errors can be tedious and time-consuming. But, Oracle's flashback features can provide fast and flexible methods for recovering deleted or corrupted data. This presentation will explore how these features can be used to see changes made to data, review details about past transactions and perform point-in-time recovery.

Monday 1:30 - Keynote Presentation

Tuning the Oracle Grid
Rich Niemiec, TUSC

This presentation will show the top ten tips when tuning your architecture for grid computing. Oracle has come a long when from when they first introduced clustering. The tools continue to improve and the installation continues to get better and easier.

1. Know the basics; Introduction to RAC
2. Oracle Direction
3. Market direction - Consolidation
4. Grid Basics - Start with RAC
5. Grid Basics - Scaling it
6. The interconnect and block coordination
7. Tuning quick tips using Statspack & AWR Report
8. Use Grid Control to Monitor
9. Grid Control for Multi-Node Systems
10. Use Grid Control to Tune Systems
11. Where does ASM fit in?
12. Other tips - Partitioning and Block Size


Monday 2:45

Virtual Private Databases – Jalal Raissi, DeVry University
VPD was introduced in Oracle8i and is one of the most popular security features in the database. When the standard object privileges and associated database roles are insufficient to meet application security requirements, VPD fills the gap. According to Oracle, VPD policies can be simple or complex depending on the security requirement. VPD can be used in combination with the "application context" feature to enforce sophisticated row level security requirements for privacy and regulatory compliance. VPD might be used to restrict access to data during business hours or to initialize an application context during a login trigger, and to enforce row/column level security

Wait-Time Based Oracle Performance Management – Gary Serbousek, Confio Software

There are many ways to user Oracle wait events for performance tuning of an Oracle database, but often there is confusion on exactly what the data means. The issue typically centers around the fact that the wait event data is analyzed at the wrong level or the collected wait event data is not detailed enough. This presentation will focus on these problems and review several real-life case studies of using wait event data coupled with Wait-time based performance analysis to solve the most difficult performance related issues.

Data Modeling Basics – Tanya Cannon, DeVry University

This session will present an overview of the system development life cycle (SDLC) to set up the framework for successfully developing any application from the data and process model perspective. Emphasis on the data model perspective will be made with a brief discussion of the process model perspective. I will discuss the purpose of the data model, the transitions from the logical data model to the physical data model, including a review of the three steps of normalization. I will discuss how process modeling has evolved into the business process management needs of today's market. The discussion will wrap up with the importance of both model driven approaches to develop a quality application for today's business requirements.



Monday 4:00

Zen and the Art of Database Automation – Matthew Zito, Grid App

The ever-growing application environment has become a major challenge for organizations to address. Companies have more databases, more data, increasingly complex availability requirements, and security and compliance demands that can make a DBA's job more difficult than ever. In other areas of technology, teams are turning to automation and configuration management to achieve standardization and SOP – why should the database be any different? Matthew Zito will discuss strategies and tools for centralizing and automating database management that will save time and make the DBA's life easier.

Oracle Warehouse Builder – Tony Abraham, TrinData Inc.

Oracle Warehouse Builder is a comprehensive tool that provides end-to-end data management. In this session you will see some of its main features at work; features that will whet your appetite and stimulate your thought processes such that you will be inclined to take advantage of its capabilities on your immediate return to the office.

RFID – What To Do With All That Data – Bob Burnside, DeVry University

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) is being implemented in numerous industries. RFID is primarily a tracking technology. The question is: What do you DO with all the data it generates? This presentation will provide an overview of RFID and how Oracle supports the technology.

Monday 6:00 - Reception/Networking at U.S. Play


Join us for some FREE FOOD ( wings,  chips,  etc. ) at U.S. Play - it's just down the road from the KSU center. Starting at 6:00 PM, you can network with other conference attendees, compliments of the Georgia Oracle Users' Group! We're inviting all attendees, speakers, and vendors to join us for a fun evening and a game or two of pool.
U.S. Play
775 Cobb Place Blvd.
Kennesaw, GA 30144
770-427-7679

Tuesday 8:30 - Keynote Presentation

Six Simple Steps to Unit Testing Happiness
Steven Feuerstein, Quest Software

Over $60B is spent each year in the US alone fixing bugs in code. What a waste of time and money! Wouldn't it be nice if we could somehow produce code with fewer bugs, that is more thoroughly tested? Code in which we have a high level of confidence? Sure, sounds great. But we don't have time to test our code, do we? And if we had the time, how would we go about testing our PL/SQL programs? How do we test the contents of tables? Where do we put the results of our tests? How can we verify whether or not the tests worked? To do all of this, PL/SQL developers need to standardize the process for testing their code, and they need tools to make it easier and faster to write and run tests. This presentation will show how you to apply Test Driven Development principles to the world of PL/SQL through"six simple steps." TDD is an increasingly popular testing methodology in the world of Java and .Net, and it is also a powerful paradigm for PL/SQL. Steven will then review the testing tools available for PL/SQL developers that will help you revolutionize the way you test your PL/SQL programs.


Tuesday 9:45

Attention DBAs! Get in Front of the Security issue or Get Run Over – Steven Migliore, Application Security, Inc.

Database administrators (DBAs) have a critical role in security. This is a double edged sword, because generally your role is most visible when there is a security breach. However, the upside is to become a security expert and work vigilantly to protect your organization's data.

Issues such as the Oracle DB worm served as a red flag for DBAs who neglect to change the default passwords. In a big company, it's safe to assume that 100 percent of admins are running some databases with default usernames and passwords. Eventually, someone modify the exploits and launch an attack.

As database professionals we depend on the Oracle database to keep our information safe from hackers. What we fail to realize is that the database is not secure unless we as DBAs make it secure. DBAs need to see security as an opportunity to shine by staying ahead of security issues and implementing security best practices in their organizations.

Database Duplication with RMAN 9i – John Claxton, Allstream IT Services

This session will cover using RMAN in an 9i environment to perform database duplication (cloning). A step-by-step methodology will be given. Some of the bumps along the way will also be discussed.

You Probably DO Need RAC – Matthew Zito, GridApp

The model of relational databases has remained fairly consistent over its lifetime – the servers may be bigger, the SQL more complicated, and the database sizes larger, but there's always been a fairly standard model of operation. However, there has been a shift over the last few years that will forever change the database landscape. This shift comes in a number of different areas – organizations store different types of data, the data itself is more federated, and lastly the shift towards commodity clustered computing. Data and transaction performance growth have forced many organizations to continue buying larger and larger servers at the same time budget have been cut. How can organizations bridge this gap? Oracle RAC is the answer. By giving organizations the ability to scale a database across multiple servers and process transactions in parallel, the whole database model is turned on its head. Organizations can find themselves with a higher performance, more cost-effective database infrastructure.

Tuesday 11:00

Extending OEM Grid Control Functionality with Plug-Ins – Randy Arseneau, BEZ Systems

With OEM Grid Control R2, Oracle now maintains a central repository of performance data for its users to interact with. This set of information is fed to the central repository from the OEM collection agents that are deployed on each of the monitored servers. The collection agents are provided a set of instructions on what “target type” data is to be collected and when to collect it. There are a series of target types that are provided with the OEM product during installation. Additional target type plug-ins can be downloaded from Oracle's website. OEM also provides a facility called the Management Plug-In where customers can define and deploy their own target types within the product.

In this presentation we will focus on two key areas within the OEM framework:

  1. The standard “Oracle Instance” target type.
  2. Management Plug-In's to extend OEM collection capabilities.

Attendee will learn what Oracle Instance data is persisted in the OEM central repository and what data is retrieved and displayed dynamically. Scheduling and purging consideration for this data will also be discussed. The bulk of the discussion will be on how to extend the base set of captured data by the creation of Management Plug-Ins that will allow new sets of data to be captured and stored within the OEM repository.


CRM Upgrade Best Practices – Tricia Heard, Apex IT

At some point in time, every owner of an Oracle CRM product – be it PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM, Oracle E-Business Suite, JD Edwards or Siebel will face a similar decision: to upgrade or not upgrade. It's a decision that can't be taken lightly - implementing a new version of an existing CRM application is never easy as it first appears. There is always the chance that important customizations might get lost. There are integrations that have to be reconfigured. Finally, there are significant change management issues that need to be dealt with.

During this presentation, attendees will learn:

•  How to conduct successful upfront analyses to determine whether or not a CRM application upgrade is necessary

•  The keys to developing a successful CRM application upgrade roadmap

•  What no to do in the course of a CRM upgrade project – i.e. avoiding common upgrade pitfalls

•  Finally, the role of Project Fusion in the upgrade decision

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to prepare for your next CRM upgrade project!

Effective Graphical User Interface (GUI) Design in Software Development – Warren Moore, DeVry University

This presentation focuses upon one of the most important aspects of software development and unfortunately one most often neglected. The basic elements of effective graphical user interface development includes: human factor and cognitive elements, b) structural components or controls used to build the interface, c) managing human structural component interaction, and d) screen layout and presentation characteristics. Each of these elements will be discussed with accompanying guidelines for effective graphical user interface development.

Your Card is Safe With Me – A PCI Compliant Database – Kenny Smith, Cnetics

Use these Oracle database features and techniques to secure credit card data. These techniques can also apply to other security standards.


Tuesday 1:00 - Keynote Presentation

Take My Code, Please
 Steven Feuerstein, Quest Software
Are you tired of writing code that sort of works, is sort of maintainable, is sort of tested, and is only accepted with reluctance by your users? Wouldn't you like to write code that is so elegantly written it sparkles, that is so thoroughly tested your users smile the next time they see you, that you won't be terrified of having to change five years from now? In this keynote, you will learn about some of the most important techniques and features of PL/SQL for transforming the quality, performance and maintainabilty of your code. From the way you write SQL in your applications to strategies for modular construction, Steven will have you looking at your code in a whole new light.

Tuesday 2:45

Most Recent Advances Database Attacks – Aaron Newman, Application Security, Inc.
Database attacks continue to grow in sophistication. Over the past year we have seen several advancements in the tools used to hack databases. The database is the “virtual vault” that holds your most valuable assets. As such, protecting those assets is a top priority of any realistic security plan. Tools – now freely available for download across the Internet – have made the task of taking over and controlling databases significantly simpler. As security practioners we must be aware of these tools and understand how they are used, in order to protect against them. In this presentation we will show a variety of these tools in action and qualify the actual threats each attack vector represents. Don't be left out in the dark on database security – come see how it actually happens!

Essential Unix: Tips, Tricks, and Hints Every DBA Should Know – Kris Cook, Mirant Corporation
DBAs are familiar with the many nuances of administering a database once inside SQL*Plus or their GUI of choice. However, many DBAs come from a developer background in a Windows environment and do not necessarily have system administration experience. With the explosion in popularity of Linux as well as other Unix flavors, being able to fully exploit the power of Unix and leverage its strength and flexibility to maximize database administration tasks is almost essential to a DBA's survival. This presentation provides new to intermediate level DBAs many Unix commands and code snippets than can help them create and maintain a robust database environment.

SQL Developer: No Longer the Toddler – Dan Looby, Georgia Institute of Technology

The initial release of SQL Developer (free) was like a toddler learning to walk...with a few falls, a few bumps and a number of bruises along the way. With the newest release of SQL Developer (free) the toddler has grown up and taking great strides. Improved Reporting (including charts), SQL Worksheet enhancements, rewritten Object Navigator, Search Engines, Native Excel Import & Export and more. Come see why SQL Developer (free) should be part of your toolkit.


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