A Smart View survey? Oh yes. Or no. You decide.

A time of surveys

No, not a political one for those of you in the States.  Gah, I have enough of those from the eleventy-billion polling firms in this Great and Glorious country.  A pox upon them.  Yr. Obt. Svt. only goes this far in mentioning politics in his blog but he does wish that said eleventy-billion polling companies would please stop calling his abode.  It’s not like I answer the phone in any case.  And if I did, I’d lie just to confound them.

Having just (gently) savaged the American voting system, is this survey to be assiduously avoided the way many of us don’t answer the telephone?  No, because it addresses one of the key components in Oracle’s EPM technology stack – Smart View.

Smart View! Yes or No?

Is that a fair or even a valid question?  I’m not sure that it is.  After all, it isn’t as though there are many viable alternatives to Smart View except for Applied OLAP’s Dodeca and Dodeca Excel Add-In for Essbase.

Think of this poll as a message to Oracle as the results go to Oracle’s product management team for review.  Continuing the political theme, how you vote is anonymous, just like being at the ballot box so feel free to praise or damn Smart View without fear.

For the record

There are those who claim I am no fan of Smart View.  I will answer that by saying that this poll was my idea.  I like the concept of Smart View – one tool, many providers.  It’s what set Essbase apart in 1992 with its then revolutionary Excel add-in and I very much want Smart View to continue in that tradition.

At the same time no product is perfect.  This is your (and my) chance to let Oracle know what you think of it, what you use, and where you’d like to see the product be available (there is more to life than Excel).

Some of the guilty

Speaking of blame, as always there are many who contributed to this effort.  

• Gary Adashek
• John Booth
• Natalie Delemar
• Tim Tow
• And unnamed (and thus likely quite thankful) Oracle employees

If you don’t vote, don’t complain

Vote, won’t you?  This is your chance to make your opinion heard and it’s a pity not to take advantage of it.

Be seeing you.

Kscope16 in snaps, part 2

Trying to do this in a different fashion, part 2 of I don’t know

This is Monday, 27th June, aka Day 2 of the conference.  The madness was just beginning…

The photographers will snap us, and you'll find that you're in the rotogravure

PBCS session filling up

My woefully deluded because he presents with me wonderful co-presenter Jason Jones’ view from our PBCS session dais

1st slide

Carnival time with Gary Adashek, Jessica Cordova, and Chris Rothermel

I’ve gone to community night events since Kaleidoscope 2008 and this was by far the best ever right down to the unbelievably expensive but actually quite tasty popcorn.  The scavenger hunt was a brilliant idea (it surely wasn’t mine) that acted as an effective ice breaker.  Many thanks to subject experts Chris Barbieri (financial close), Gary Crisci (business content), Steve Davis (infrastructure), Al Marciante (reporting), and Glenn Schwartzberg (Essbase) who graciously quizzed attendees.  

The prize was this:  

Pretty cool, eh?

The success of the night was of course yours, Gentle Kscope16 Attendee, but the vision and hard operational work was a team effort that wouldn’t have happened without:

• Jill Colsh from ODTUG’s management company Your Conference Connection (YCC)
• EPM community volunteers Jennifer Anderson, Janice D'Aloia, Jessica Cordova (shanghaied into this at the last minute), Chris Rothermel, and the EPM community leader Gary Adashek
• Greg Beaton, Alex Leung, and Valantus Philip (as well as a few others whose names flew by me at 160 kph, sorry but I least I metricated the speed) from The Goal Getters

Sometimes a group of disparate people come together for a project and it’s magic.  This was one of those times and I was privileged to be on the sidelines cheering our volunteers on.

My time with ODTUG is coming rapidly to a close.  Jennifer, Janice, Jessica, Chris, and Gary are the future.  Mark their names for one day they will be our board of directors.

The crowd, very early, and honestly there were over 100 there

Oh my goodness

No one gets credit (or blame) for this but me.  Perhaps it’s my Easter Bonnet?  Perhaps the >100 community night attendees went to my head?  Perhaps both?  Who can tell.

OMG #2

OMG #3, with Jennifer Anderson, Natalie Delemar, Gabby Rubin, and Richard Philipson

I’m not totally sure what the theme is wrt the lit up headpiece, only that it exists and that’s enough for me.

Not even halfway there

I’ve brought you so far through Monday night.  It got late.  It’ll get later.  My sleep patterns will become more erratic.  Fun, I think.

Be seeing you.

Can you take over the OTN ArchBeat Podcast?

Are you an Architect?  Have something to say?  Want to work with OTN?

You likely are, you almost certainly do, and really should.  It’s also dead easy.

The OTN ArchBeat podcast has been around since 2008 and is a showcase for members of the OTN architect community and everyone else to speak in a relaxed, informal, and unstructured way about the topics, techniques, and tools that make Oracle – and for the purposes of this blog, Essbase and Planning and HFM and ODI and FDMEE and whatever else floats your EPM boat -- hackers, well, something more than hackers.

Yr. obt. svt. has participated in multiple podcasts, and as many of you are already thinking, “If Cameron can do it, surely I can as well.”  You’re right, you can and should.  Some other EPM examples are upgrades and ODI.  I like to think that the latter ODI podcast helped the Great Cause of getting Oracle to support Hyperion Planning 11.1.2.4 KMs in ODI 12c.

Who does this?

Bob Rhubart runs the ArchBeat program within OTN and he is actively canvassing participants for ArchBeat podcasts.  As both Uncle Sam and Lord Kitchener said, Bob wants you.  

In fact, he’s looking for more than participants, Bob’s looking for guest producers.  What’s a guest producer?  It’s someone who picks the topic and selects the panelists for the podcast discussion.  Yes, you get a fabulous Tinseltown title.  I can’t say if you will look like this after the podcast but anything is possible.

What do you do?

Simple, simple, simple:

1. Pick a topic
2. Recruit fellow speakers
3. Submit your podcast abstract to OTN
4. If approved, come up with a few questions/topics to get the conversational ball rolling
5. Get on Skype

Can it get easier?  Thought not.

Think of this podcast as a conversation, not a presentation.  We talk/complain/gossip/educate about EPM topics all the time – you’ll do the same in a podcast only it will be recorded for world+dog.

The best part

The very best part is that you only need be generally (or at least putatively) brilliant in your architect-y discussion of whatever EPM content tickles your fancy.

OTN does all of the hard logistical, organizational, and technical work.

How does one get the ball rolling?

Simply submit your idea here.

That’s it.

What are you waiting for?

OTN ArchBeat podcasts and their reach

I should note that the ArchBeat podcast is one of the top three podcasts Oracle have on offer.  Think about that for a moment – ArchBeat is pretty much a grassroots operation (one man does most of the work) and it meets or beats the many sales-related podcasts Oracle produces.  It seems reasonable to assume that something that actually sells software licenses has quite a bit of organizational support (read $, ¥, or £).  This isn’t to take anything away from Bob as he does an excellent job with evangelizing Oracle, but the popularity of these podcasts is testament to the strength of Oracle’s development community.  You are part of that community and the ArchBeat podcast is your chance to share your knowledge.

Be seeing and hopefully hearing you.

Oracle OpenWorld 2014, day 4

The craziness continues, part the fourth

I am slowing down.  No, not because I am old and feeble (definitely something to look forward to but not just yet) but because I am not getting enough sleep.  I don’t even seem to be able to get enough energy to take pictures.  Or attend that many sessions.  For shame, but I’ve been at this a week already (remember I was here four days before OpenWorld actually began), I’m running out of clean clothes (possibly too much information?), and I’m just…well, tired.  See, the craziness continues bit wasn’t exaggeration on my part.

At the same time, OpenWorld is a great place to catch up with otherwise virtual friends, fly the ODTUG flag, and meet with key Oracle personnel.  

So no complaints on my side, other than my inability to discipline myself to go to bed early.  That’s hardly the fault of Oracle, but instead the fault of Cameron.

Yesterday

We had quite the blowout at the meetup Tim Tow and I hosted.  So fun, so much talking, so much networking that I forgot (gasp) to take photos or ask others to do the same.  So unfortunately, just the one picture I took at the beginning.  As always, it was nice to see familiar faces and meet in a relaxed forum.  You should join us next year.  :)  And take photos so yr. obt. svt. would have something to post.

And today

CON8532  --  Product Development Panel Q&A: Oracle Hyperion EPM Applications

Talk about more stars than there are in heaven, at least if heaven is defined as Oracle development management.

Left to right from your perspective, Gentle Reader, is:  Matt Bradley, Kash Mohammed, mystery HFM development manager (sorry, I am HFM-stupid or I would know who this is), Prasad Kulkarni, and Toufic Wakim.

CON7615  --  Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine: The Fast Path to In-Memory Analytics

I’m listening to Gabby Rubin speak right now re Exalytics.  There is a ton of true Business Intelligence offerings on Exalytics – it’s way more than just OBIEE.  Try Endeca, in-memory engine (both Essbase and Oracle database), TimesTen, InfiniBand, and more cores than you can shake a stick at.  Essbase has grown and grown and, unlike me, isn’t getting tired.

CON8546  --  Oracle Enterprise Performance Management on Mobile

Here’s Al Marciante talking about mobile, EPM, and cloud:

What I am very glad to hear is that my customers will not be Planning on their iPhone.  That was going to be ugly.  And tiny.

Financial Reports is coming (not soon, but it is coming) to mobile.

As is Smart View (yes) on MicroSoft’s Surface Pro tablet (which is essentially a Windows 8 computer).  

Planning on mobile:

• Interface for tablets
• Full write-back (so tiny type?)
• Forms
• Reports
• Calc Man rules
• HTML5 based
• Consistent interface with Fusion applications

The other thing that is interesting is Oracle Financial Management Analysis on mobile.  Cool mashup of HFM and OBIEE without require a PhD in Oracle Business Intelligence.  I cannot wait for the Planning version of this.  

I will note that I am a bit of anomaly as I bang away at my laptop as mobile devices are absolutely everywhere at OpenWorld.  I do have my much-maligned phone, but I am sort of a minimalist when it comes to using it, although that may be a case of cutting my suit to fit my cloth.

What’s next?

If someone would send me snaps of last night’s meetup, I’d be happy to update this blog with them.  Hint.

I am not going to the event tonight.  Remember that bit above about tiredness.  I will likely (hopefully) have a quite dinner with a few of my friends and take some pictures this time to prove it.

Watch this blog for more information on the last (sob) day of OpenWorld.

Be seeing you.

Oracle OpenWorld, day 2

The craziness continues

It really isn’t craziness, more like crazy busy.  But this is the nature of conferences, right?

The rest of yesterday

Probably the most interesting/embarrassing thing yesterday was me rushing to a 3 pm podcast on ODI.  Except of course…

OTOH, it was quite a popular tweet.  :)

I think I can make today’s meeting.  I hope.

Update -- I did.  Of course my ODI knowledge quite a bit behind behind my copanellists but that is true for all sorts of technology areas I work in.  I have decided to embrace my weakness(es).  :)  It isn't like I have much of a choice anyway.

Oracle ACE dinner

OTN hosts a dinner for ACEs every year, and yr. obt. svt. somehow got to attend.  The entertainment will be the Stuff Of Legend.  

Right now

CON2659  --  Oracle BI in the Cloud: Getting Started, Deployment Scenarios, and Best Practices

I’m sitting in on Mark Rittman’s session on Oracle BI in the cloud.  It’s standing room only (I had to annoy a few people in getting to one of the few open seats to allow me to type), and Mark is his usual brilliant self.

It’s still early days on the tool, and there are quite a few things that are not there compared to the on premises product.  For instance, there is no Essbase (gasp), but this is coming.

Oooh, someone just asked Mark a question on Essbase.  Mark doesn’t think it will be Essbase SaaS, but there might be an option to make Essbase as the backend to options (persistence, Planning, etc.) within OBIEE SaaS.

And now Smart View – again, Mark thinks that because it has to be locally installed and chatty web service calls, it won’t be available in the near term.  But it might be.  I always enjoy answers like that but I suspect Mark (and maybe even Oracle product management) don’t know yet.

CON8424  --  Oracle Business Analytics Product and Technology Roadmap

Sitting in on a SRO (again) session by Paul Rodwick on what’s coming in Business Analytics.  Interesting stuff.

GEN8525  --  General Session: Executive Briefing on Oracle’s EPM Strategy and Roadmap

Balaji Yelamanchili is speaking on the future of EPM in a big room.

Here’s a snap from my BFF, Natalie Delemar.  Note that her circa 2013 phone has a rather better camera than my nineteen aught three, steam powered, all brass, powered by anthracite coal, phone.

Where is Oracle EPM going?

You’re going to get this as a set of bullet points.  I’m not going to focus on what’s already out, but what is on the roadmap – I just can’t type fast enough.

Focus

• New apps
• Apps in the cloud
• Keep in being the best
• Social and mobile to attract new EPM users
• Do this for everything:  Close, Planning, and Reporting

Next 12 months

• Financial consolidation & close
• HFM 11.1.2.4
• Lighter, faster, simpler, & portable
• HFM on Exalytics
• New supplemental data management module
• New tax governance module
• Mobile workflow for FCM

HFM 11.1.2.4

• Platform independence
• Significant performance (see below) improvements
• Simplified deployment architecture
• Multiple databases per instance
• Streamlined integrations, Java API
• Online monitoring (Exalytics only)
• Easy install and upgrade
• One click (Exalytics only)
• Full LCM support

And now an HFM 11.1.2.4 demo.  I’ll do my best to describe this but I am not an accountant and this isn’t my area.

• New UI is more Windows Explorer-ish with
• filtering,
• collapsing folders,
• no more pop ups for grid options,
• Direct link to Smart View
• New form designer
• Form legends to explain what cell shading/coloring means
• Favorites
• Oracle Financial Management Analytics
• Link to OFMA directly from within HFM (pretty nice looking stuff, btw)
• And of course…
• Much better performance, 3x faster (at least in their example) better performance
• Some other examples
• 2 hours to 6 minutes (2200 accounts, 2800 entities, 400 custom members) consolidation
• 53 to 21 minutes (10K accounts, 15K entities, 3000 custom members), extract data from 1 hour to 12 minutes
• Etc., etc., etc.  :)

Planning

Next 12 months

• User-defined sandbox, grid improvements, instantaneous calculations (hellllllllllllooooo Hybrid Essbase)
• Cloud innovations available for on premises
• Planning Cloud will get the full suite of Planning modules

Planning demo now up – and yes, now I have a clue.  Barely.

• Support for user sandbolxes
• Auto calcs, auto save on change
• Cloud and on-premises
• Supports large data sets
• Rapid forms, quick cell navigation (so quite an improvement), scrolling in all grids
• User-defined client side calcs using familiar Excel syntax in the grid itself

Formulas can reference dimension members and persisted in Planning (I believe the data is persisted in Planning and the form calculations are persisted in Planning – this is not, I think, a way for users to create Planning members, although one could certainly argue that a custom, persisted set of calculations that writes back to Planning/Essbase is pretty nice)

Demo

• Mobile interface
• Looks nice, definitely not the familiar Workspace
• Forms are quick, quick, quick.  No more of 11.1.2.2’s pain.
• Sandboxes can be named, and creates a virtual Version for at least everything on the form.  Maybe more as well?  
• Data that is saved into Sandbox can be compared to base Working, and then published when happy with the result back to the real Working Version.
• Sandbox gets destroyed when it has been published back to Working
• When working in Sandbox, the data is private
• Excel integration
• Showed the custom member formulas
• Smart View grids can then be saved and opened up in the browser with the custom calculations
• Can these formula grids be shared with other users?  Dunno.

EPM Cloud

• Cloud, cloud, cloud, cloud.  Did I mention cloud?   :)
• It’s all very exciting, and I think Oracle are finding uptake far better than they had hoped for – 150+ customers in six months.  Oracle is having a problem buying enough hardware to do all this..  This is bad news for infrastructure consultants (so not a problem for me as I am infrastructure-challenged to be charitable) but great news for everyone else who just want to do cool application stuff.  And oh yeah, hardware (Exa?) manufacturers are having a good time as well.
• PBCS – now and see above
• Financial Performance Reporting Cloud Service – in preview
• Not Financial Reports
• Think of it as a managed way to combine:  reporting, document management (collaboration, process management, document history, etc.), data narrative, versioning, auditing.
• IOW, no more Excel hell with documents.  So FPRCS is to financial documents as Essbase is to data.  :)
• It’s meant for people who produce high level briefing books or external reporting like a 10-Q.
• Financial Consolidation and Close Cloud Service – in development
• Note that customers do monthly patches – no more opatch pain.

Essbase

• Parallel scripting
• Scalability for concurrent query and calculation operations
• Hybrid
• See Dan Pressman and Tim German’s session on this Thursday
• In-memory enhancements
• Intriguing, and I have no idea what that means.  But I shall find out…

CON8526  --  What’s New and What’s Coming:  Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Financial Planning Suite

I popped late into this one because of the ODI podcast recording.  

It looks like most of what Shankar Viswanathan and Prasad Kulkarni are talking about (at least for someone who came in 30 minutes late) was discussed at Kscope14.  Yet another vote for the awesomeness of ODTUG and Kscope.

So far Prasad has talked about:

• Faster grids
• Sandboxing
• Valid combinations
• Excel formulas

Check out my post from earlier this year for way more information than I can type whilst listening.

What’s next?

Beyond my podcast on ODI (and I think I have some interesting news on the future of ODI, FDMEE, and EPM) today, I also have a book signing tomorrow at 3 pm, and of course the rest of OpenWorld.

Watch this blog for more information.

Be seeing you.