Oracle Applications Release 11i Workshops -
Administration, Maintenance, Installation,
Upgrades and Performance Tuning

                                           

Toronto OAUG Spring 2002


Metro Toronto Convention Centre
May 20-21, 2002

Agenda
Administration, Maintenance, Installation, Upgrade Final Presentation
Performance Tuning Final Presentation
Re-implementation vs Upgrade Presentation
Cost Base Optimizer Parameters


OAUG and Solution Beacon

are sponsoring the Oracle Applications Release 11i Workshops at the Toronto OAUG on May 20-21, 2002. The focus of the Workshops is to share "real-world" experience as well as tips and techniques to manage the complex Oracle Application environment delivered with Release 11i. These unique, two-day Workshops are FREE to OAUG attendees. Solution Beacon has partnered with Avasta who will be providing and managing servers and secure connectivity to multiple Release 11i Application environments on UNIX servers. To provide an expanded training curriculum, Solution Beacon has enlisted the participation of some of the best industry experts available. Participants for these Workshops include experts from O2Works, KPMG Consulting, AppsDBA, and Orion Consulting. OAUG will be providing the meeting room and venue for the Workshops, while Solution Beacon will be providing the technical expertise and the Release 11i knowledgebase for download distribution from the web as well as the trainers for the Workshops.

OAUG and Solution Beacon first presented the Workshops at the OAUG Fall 2001 in San Diego.  The attendance was excellent at the Fall Workshops with standing room only! The subject matter and presentations received high conference ratings.  See URL http://www.solutionbeacon.com/SBFallOAUG.html for copies of the presentations as well as the detailed agenda and handouts from the Fall Workshop. The Workshops received an abundance of appreciative emails as well as some excellent suggestions.  The Workshops have been restructured to incorporate these suggestions for the OAUG Spring 2002 Conference in Toronto.   A significant number of the attendees requested more information on Release 11i maintenance and patching as well as performance tuning.  These topics will definitely be addressed in more detail during the Toronto Workshops. With such great reviews OAUG and the Solution Beacon Team are looking forward to providing another great series of Workshops in Toronto.    

Nancy C. Hill of U. S. Department of Energy, Southeastern Power Administration wrote:

"Did you ever feel like something was "meant to be"?  When I started looking at available resources, I found that the 2001 OAUG Fall Conference had a lot to offer.  I could not believe my luck!  There was a vendor, Solution Beacon, who would share "real-world" experiences freely with anyone who was interested.  The two-day workshop was on Oracle Applications Release lli Installation and Upgrade.

The workshop was great for me.  The motto, KISS - Keep It Simple and Supportable, was just what I wanted to hear.  The workshop provided both formal instruction and hands-on training. Another perk for me...the workshop was presented in a UNIX environment.  I thought it couldn't get better but it did.  John Stouffer, and all the team, shared tips, techniques, and handouts.

I was excited to hear that all the workshop materials would be placed on the OAUG site.  Also, they have re-activated the Upgrade SIG which I feel will be another great resource.”

The Workshops' motto, KISS - Keep it Simple and SupportableSM, is the battle cry of the Applications DBAs presenting the Workshops. Release 11i is Oracle's biggest and most complex Applications release. The Workshops' motto helps users navigate through the complexities of Release 11i, including the increased functionality (going from 40 to over 170 products) and the constant, required changes in the underlying technology stack. Planning and creating stable environments and becoming intimately familiarity with Oracle documentation on MetaLink is the constant recommendations of the experts at the Workshops.

Kahin Farah of University of Pennsylvania wrote:

“I think your workshop was one of the most informative sessions that I attended. John and Co. were great.”

John Stouffer of Solution Beacon is the lead instructor for the Workshops.  John has over 10 years experience as an Oracle Applications DBA and has done multiple Release 11i implementations and upgrades in very complex, high profile environments.  He has taught numerous training sessions and workshops in additions to OAUG white paper presentations and panel discussions related to Applications Database Administration and Upgrades.   Other instructors participating in the Workshops are Randy Giefer of Solution Beacon, Alicia Hoekstra of KPMG Consulting, Jeff Holt of Avasta, Will Cordle of Avasta, Mark Clark of O2Works, Sandra Vucinic of Orion Consulting, and Andrew Rivenes of Lawrence Livermore National Labs/AppsDBA.com.

The tentative agenda for Toronto will be as follows for May 20 and 21:

R11i Concepts
R11i Installation
R11i Administration, Maintenance and Patching
Re-implement versus Upgrade Discussion
Upgrade Demonstration/Discussion
Upgrade Question and Answer Session with the Experts
R11i Performance Tuning

The Workshops address the basic concepts of Release 11i by discussing the interdependencies of products and multiple component requirements as well as the architectural changes between the various releases of R11i.  The three-tiered environments (client, middle and database tier) in Release 11i have changed technology components constantly throughout release 11.5.1 to current release 11.5.5.  Staying up-to-date on all the technology components’ versions is just one of the many things that makes maintenance and patching the major pastime of the Release 11i Apps DBAs.  Application patching and maintenance will be covered in great detail with special emphasis on decreasing patch application times and migration of patches through multiple environments.  All these changes and complexities make it mandatory for the Apps DBA to “KISS”.  The Workshops cover these topics and the experts make recommendations based on their shared experience of multiple upgrades and implementations in a host of diverse environments. 

An overwhelming question to most users pre-Release 11i is “should I re-implement or upgrade?”  The Workshops have a team of technical and functional experts who will discuss the pros and cons for re-implementation versus upgrade.  The team gives “real-world” experiences to help to sort out some of the ambiguities.  Considerations like multiple production instances and extent of customization can be clear indicators for re-implementation as opposed to upgrade.  The team discusses these considerations and others in depth and are available to help answer any specific questions of the attendees.

After the re-implementation versus upgrade discussion, the next workshop session is on Upgrades.  The experts make recommendations as to the stabilization of environments prior to upgrade.  They also identify the preparation steps that need to be done pre-upgrade and provide a list of tasks for pre- and post-upgrade tasks.  A specific question and answer period has been set aside for this part of the Workshops to allow the attendees extra time to explain their environments and discuss specific questions, issues or experiences with their Release 11i upgrade.

Performance Tuning is also a major concern for the Apps DBAs.  A team of Apps DBA experts will present information, tips and techniques on what to do and when to optimize your Release 11i environment before, during, and after your 11i upgrade. 

Solution Beacon is offering a free remote Release 11i technical upgrade assessment to one of the lucky attendees of the Workshops.  To qualify, please attend the Workshop sessions and place your business card or name in the box provided at the rear of the conference room.  The winner will be drawn at the last session of the day on May 21.   Please check out http://www.solutionbeacon.com/ for the latest updates and more information about the Workshops and drawing. 

Solution Beacon, LLC is a leading provider of expert-level resources to Fortune 1000 companies as well as for government and education entities. Solution Beacon specializes in the Oracle Applications marketplace by providing assistance with Upgrades, Implementations, Database Administration, Systems Architecture, Performance Tuning, and Remote Support Services.

Avasta provides automated and proactive enterprise application management via a proprietary technology platform and 24x7 operations support. Avasta relieves customers of day-to-day application operations burdens so they can focus on their core business, gain support efficiencies, enhance end user experiences and create new revenue streams.

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