Want to vote in the 2016 ODTUG BoD election? Then you must become a full member no later than 30 September 2016.

Getting the vote out

No, no, no, not the current (if you are a Yankee) Presidential election.  A pox upon both of their houses.  This is something almost as important and quite a bit less fraught with baloney – the ODTUG Board of Directors election.  This doesn’t decide the fate of the United States or the Free World, but instead our beloved user group.

Per ODTUG’s blog post (and actually per Yr. Obt. Svt. as I am the ODTUG Secretary) the election, “…is for a two-year term – January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2018. Members of the ODTUG Board of Directors enjoy the opportunity to guide the direction of ODTUG as well as increased contact with Oracle Corporation’s upper management and other experts in the development community.”

You must be a full ODTUG member to vote; you must be a paid member and up to date no later than 30 September 2016 to participate in that vote.

There’s more to it:

Responsibilities

• Develop and initiate policies and programs regarding the general direction of ODTUG membership, conferences, publications, and communications with Oracle Corporation.
• Attend the annual ODTUG conference.
• Participate in a monthly Board of Directors teleconference of approximately 60 to 120 minutes.
• Prepare monthly progress report(s).
• Attend two face-to-face board meetings each year. For 2017, the dates are January 26-28 and June 23. The 2018 dates are to be determined.
• Maintain an email address for board communications.
• Chair and/or serve on at least one active committee.

ODTUG pays for all travel and per diem costs associated with official Board of Directors meetings. Board members are expected to maintain and pay for their ODTUG membership.

This is important stuff for it determines our future direction.  If you love ODTUG, it behooves you to vote.

If you want to play, you’ve got to play

This election is not up for sale.  But voting is only open to full ODTUG members.  You must be a full ODTUG member to do so.  

It’s $99 a year.  Register here.

Membership benefits include:

• Access to recorded webinars
• Access to Kscope presentations and recordings
• Ability to run and vote for the ODTUG Board of Directors
• Discount on Kscope and SP conferences

You must be a full ODTUG member to vote; you must be a paid member and up to date no later than 30 September 2016 to participate in that vote.

The math test

Although this is not noted, it also discounts the cost of Kscope by $150.  Do the math:  $150 - $99 = $51  overall savings.  If you attend what is surely the Greatest Oracle User Group Conference Ever, being a full member nets you $51.  Such a deal.

You must be a full ODTUG member to vote; you must be a paid member and up to date no later than 30 September 2016 to participate in that vote.

Go out and do it

If you care about ODTUG, oh Best and Brightest, you must vote for the candidate of your choice.  

You must be a full ODTUG member to vote; you must be a paid member and up to date no later than 30 September 2016 to participate in that vote.

It’s $99 a year.  Register here.

Yes, the hard sell.  But only for ODTUG and the organization’s future.  I care.  Do you?

Be seeing you.

Kscope16 in snaps, part 3

The days go by in a blur

Yes, this is almost a month out from Kscope16 and so, Gentle Reader, you may be wondering what took me so long.

Laziness is one of the reasons but I think I can make a case for mental and physical exhaustion.  I love Kscope but as I’ve documented over the last two posts and hope to with this one, I exercise very poor geek impulse control when it comes to this conference and the attempt to pour in 5 lbs. of coffee into a 1 lb. sack (that’s 2.26796 kg into a 0.453592 kg sack for those who live in countries that haven’t travelled to the Moon).

Don’t believe me?  Check out the geeky-cool dashboards of Yr. Obt. Svt.’s declining energy levels.

Not nearly enough sleep

Who Cameron, who, does this to you?  Ah, I do.  Bummer.

Trying to do too much, too quickly, all at the same time

Does my body respond to The Madness?  Why yes it does.  My resting pulse really is around 60.  That’s a function of good cardiovascular fitness, exercise, and sleep.  The latter two elements were not in play at Kscope.  My body responded accordingly.  And that took time to recover from.

I’m not whining (okay, yes, I am) about what I do to myself, I’m just showing you why it’s taken me so long to get back to form.

With that excuse , let’s dive into Tuesday through Thursday.

Day 3, Tuesday

I was in meetings almost all of Tuesday, so you’re going to see just a few pictures.  Meeting rooms full of geeks really aren’t all that interesting.

And the Tuesday night events that would have been interesting evince my absolutely awful photography skills.  

I can tell you I went to John Booth’s  Metavero party here:

And then Tim Tow’s AppliedOLAP party here:

Leo Gonzalez’ tweet with:  Leo, Yr. Obt. Svt., and Jason Jones at the top of the John Hancock building.  OMG what a view that unfortunately my photography skills adequately reflect.

Why were my photo’s so awful?  This might be germane.

Yes, I am jumping around a bit (I’ve jumped forward to Wednesday) but I wanted you to see why I looked like I was going to fall over on my face during meetings, presentations, etc.

I do not work well on less than four hours of sleep a day.  Not. At. All.

Here we are at Wednesday

Harry Gates and Philip Hulsebosch

Llamas?  Cameron Llamapour?  Tim Twotoes?  Oh, the puns.  I think maybe but am not sure I should be flattered by Harry Gates’ and Philip Hulesbosch’s skit.  The thought of a Dutchman playing an Uraguayan named “Phillipo” simply has to be experienced in person.  Oh yes, Harry’s cubeSavvy utilities are really cool.  I’m actually using the ASO export parser right now – it is really good -- and will have (sometime this summer) a post about it.

Btw, if you’re not keeping up, we have now reached Wednesday.  Kscope is like that – over in a snap of the fingers.

Tim and I on EssCS

Note that Tim looks animated and I look asleep.

We’ve had several requests for this session, the demos, etc. and unfortunately that just isn’t possible because of our agreement with Oracle.  Given how fast the product is moving, I wouldn’t overworry about what we showed.  Hopefully we’ll be able to show EssCS in it’s final GA iteration at Kscope17.

Waiting for Godot

Here is your board of directors and conference committee from Natalie Delemar.

And here are anxiously awaiting special event attendees:

Yves Perrot’s take on Tim and I.  He’s quite the snazzy dresser and took a bit more care than I did.  Next year I won’t have to do the fancy dress costumes as no more board.  :) or perhaps :(  

Brothers?  My Man In California is doing his best not to laugh.  When I first met him he had a real ‘tash, now it’s just as fake as mine.  I think we both look better clean shaven.

Tim Faitch catching me droop a bit.  Perhaps I should grow one as it seems to make irresistible?  Probably not.

Dance crew in action.  I was, unsurprisingly, not asked to participate.  Thanks really, truly, and sincerely Natalie as I would have said “no”.  Really, my dancing skills are best left to the imagination.

Supermarine Spitfire

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust is well worth your support.

And one of the best scenes in one of the best movies ever about planes, Spitfire or no.

If you can’t tell, Spits are my favorite plane ever, anywhere, always.

eSSbase 2.1

What, you want me to return to the real world?  How about Ron Moore’s vintage copies of eSSbase 2.1.  I came into the Essbase world in 3.1 or 3.5 – I no longer remember.

We argued about whether this ran on OS/2 or Windows NT.  It was OS/2 as I remember well Essbase (eSSbase?) crashing hard and corrupting the OS.  Fun times rebuilding OS/2 2.0 from floppies.  

The last day

Tim and I officially put out to pasture

Natalie very nicely thanked Tim Tow and I for our six years on the board.  We aren’t quite done yet but the time for others to take our place will soon be upon us.  I know that those who follow us will take ODTUG to new heights.  It was an honor to serve.

The standing ovation (I think mostly for Tim but I’ll bask in the reflected glory) was just amazing.  I’m sure I haven’t done anything to deserve it but I thank you all for your sentiment.

One note – it was MMIC GlennS who led the applause.  Glenn, I owe you once again.

One last note:  we’re both term limited and have to wait two years before we run for the board.  I can guarantee you that won’t be either of us.  It’s time for new people to have their place in the sun.

Tanned, rested, and ready

Proof?

I’m already thinking about Kscope17’s abstracts and if I will get in.  This will be the first time in six years that I don’t get a guaranteed hotel room or conference pass.  Wish me luck.

Be seeing you.

2014 ODTUG board of directors election results

First of all, thank you

You have, perhaps a trifle unwisely, reelected me to the ODTUG board of directors.  Thank you and I will do my best to serve all ODTUG members to the best of my ability.

I have to say that given the intense campaigning this time round, I was pleasantly surprised to be reelected as this blog post is all that I did to announce my candidacy.  So again, thank you for your belief in me and I will do my best to not let you down.  I may even make you happy.  :)

Who got elected

Yr. obt. svt.

You are reading my blog, perhaps you even voted for me.  You know who I am for better or worse, and as I wrote before, thank you for voting for me.  

Tim Tow

Tim has been treasurer for as long as I’ve been on the board and was originally (I think I have this bit right) appointed to the board when ODTUG first welcomed what was then called Hyperion back in 2008; he subsequently ran for the board and is now on his third reelection.  Tim is also a personal hero of mine; anyone who knows him in the EPM and ODTUG community knows and respects him as well.  Tim and I are both reaching the end of our six year term limit so this will be it for him, at least for a while.

Mike Riley

Mike is a former ODTUG president (so slightly insane then, but nice) and Kscope conference chairman (again with the slightly out of his mind, but again thankfully someone took on that Herculean task).  He hit his six year term limit last year, took the mandatory year off and is back.  

Mike helped bring EPM to what was then called Kaleidoscope, so everyone who reads this blog owes a debt of gratitude to him.

I don’t think anyone can doubt his dedication to ODTUG and drive.  I look forward to serving with him again.

Sarah Zumbrum

Sarah is new to the ODTUG scene and has seemingly exploded out of nowhere.  That’s not actually true as she was a member of the former Hyperion SIG.  I’ve worked with Sarah on the EPM Community initiative and have been very pleased with her work ethic, determination, and ability to lead the other volunteers.

She will make a great contributor to ODTUG and I look forward to serving with her for the next two years.

What I’m going to do after this term

ODTUG board members are currently limited to three contiguous two year terms.  After that, they must take at least a one year break.  This upcoming two year term will therefore be my last as 2014 is the end of year four for me.

But it’s going to be more than just the end of my maximum three concurrent terms – the upcoming 2014 to 2016 term is it, there ain’t no more to give, I’m moving out, it’s Arrivederci, Auf Wiedersehen, Tot Ziens, and Cheerio after that.  

It’s not that I don’t love ODUTG, but I feel that six years is more than enough time to enact whatever vision I have (I am speaking for myself and no other board member) and with the grassroots EPM Communities initiatives I am managing (Ah, management:  I give very few general directions, which are largely ignored and rightfully so, and Jennifer Anderson, Courtney Foster, and Sarah Zumbrum along with a bunch of other people do all the work and somehow credit is accreted to me.  Why am I not a manager in real life?) I think I have found the task that strikes passion in my ODTUG heart.

So I have two more years to help get the EPM Community initiatives get their sea legs, do all of the other sundry tasks and requirements of ODTUG board members (some are quite exciting, others deadly boring, so just like a real job), and then get out of the way for the next group of volunteers.

Am I divorcing ODTUG?  Is this a community property state?  Who gets custody?

Absolutely not.  I owe a huge professional and personal debt to ODTUG – it has had all kinds of impacts on my career.  These include:

• Writing a book – Developing Essbase Applications:  Advanced Techniques for Finance and IT Professionals
• Becoming first an Oracle ACE and then an ACE Director
• Meeting a raft of people I would otherwise never have meet (Natalie, John, Jason, Tim, Dan, Gary, Jessica, Mark, and many others)

I am not going to forget or fail to repay that.  I’m not sure what kind of ODTUG role I will be able to carve out in future but even if it’s stuffing bags at Kscope17, I’ll be involved.

I’m not dead yet

I want to finish my work with the EPM community initiatives – you have elected me to do that.  Once that is done, it is time for someone else to come onto the board for the first time and go through his process of learning and contributing.

Until that time, I look forward to serving every single member of ODTUG.  Thanks again for believing in me.

Be seeing you.

Once more unto the ODTUG breach

I’m asking for your ODTUG support

Again I come to you (and for the last, term-limited time) to continue your work on the ODTUG Board of Directors.

As a Director, in the last two years I’ve:

• Waved the ODTUG flag in New Zealand and Australia
• Been heavily involved in EPM Kscope13 and Kscope14 content selection
• Recruited volunteers to manage Kscope’s training lab Cloud infrastructure
• As always, blogged, tweeted, and cheerleaded about the best Oracle user group there is
• Set the vision for the EPM community initiatives, recruited volunteers, and begun the grassroots transformation

ODTUG’s community initiatives are your user group’s way to increase your participation, hear your voice, and help drive ODTUG in the direction you need.  I am leading the EPM community initiatives and with the help of some incredibly talented volunteers, people just like you, we will change ODTUG for the better.  That work has just begun but you will soon see the impact at Kscope15, in social media, and at local meetups all over the country, all with the goal of making ODTUG reflect your professional Oralce needs.

I’m asking you to return me to the ODTUG Board of Directors for the final time so I can finish the great work you and I have begun.

Biographical Sketch

In case you don’t know who I am (although I have to wonder about that given that you are reading this off of my blog), here is my professional summary.

I first worked with OLAP technology in the dinosaur days of Comshare’s System W and saw the Essbase light in 1993.  

Since that life-altering event, I:

• Introduced what was then Arbor Software’s Essbase to Johnson & Johnson Corporate
• Independently consulted since 1996, with a brief foray into working for consulting companies
• Created solutions for customers using Oracle’s Essbase, Planning, and anything else that ties to those two products
• With the help of 12 of his closest friends, wrote the only advanced Essbase book
• Actively post on OTN’s and Network54’s Essbase board – sharing knowledge makes my day interesting
• Presented at multiple conferences including Hyperion Solutions, Oracle Open World, and of course Kscope
• Taught multiple formal classes and webinars
• Served on the ODTUG Hyperion SIG
• Have been an Oracle ACE since November 2010 and an ACE Director as of August 2012

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more

ODTUG is your user group.  The whole purpose of a user group is that it serves the users.  All of us on the ODTUG board of directors do that to the best of our abilities.   

I like to think that I’ve served you (I do style myself yr. obt. svt. on purpose) during my two terms through my advocacy, dedication, and passion for you, ODTUG’s members, in what is surely the best Oracle user group ever.  

I am asking for your vote to continue this work one more time.  The EPM community initiatives are just getting up a full head of steam and I think I am best suited to seeing that they are firmly established.  Please help me do so by reelecting me.

Be seeing you.