Archive for the ‘IDUG’ Category
Win a Trip to the IDUG Conference of your Choice
The International DB2 User Group (IDUG) is a user-run organization. If you want independent information about DB2, IDUG is the place to go. This year, IDUG are have conferences in the US (Denver), Germany (Berlin), and Australia (Sydney). The good news is that the DB2night Show is holding a contest, and the prize is an all expenses-paid trip to the IDUG conference of your choice. The contest aims to identify new users who can speak about their experiences with DB2. It’s a talent contest of sorts, where the talent is sharing your experiences. If you have ever considered speaking at a conference, this contest is the ideal way to see how you might do in a fun setting.
Highlights from the IDUG EMEA Conference
I’m still in the afterglow of the International DB2 User Group (IDUG) conference in Prague, Czech Republic. It was another great conference at a great facility in a great city. The conference organizers should be commended on a truly outstanding event. Its incredible to think that the conference organizers are user volunteers, and not professional conference planners! I’m already looking forward to the next IDUG EMEA conference in Berlin next year. If you are interested in a more in-depth discussion of the conference, including lessons learned from the technical sessions, Norberto Filho will be appearing on the DB2Night show on Friday 02 December 2011. Even if you were at the conference, there was so much happening there that you are sure to learn something new from Norberto’s experiences.
Top 10 Reasons to Attend IDUG EMEA in Prague this November
Here are my personal top 10 reasons to attend the upcoming International DB2 User Group (IDUG) conference in Prague, Czech Republic this November.
- 100+ of the best technical sessions about DB2, featuring IBM developers, industry experts, and users like you
- IBM keynote on the future of relational database software
- Official IBM certification tests at no additional cost
- Pre-conference seminars on preparing for DB2 certification tests at no additional cost
- Pre-conference workshop on preparing for DB2 10 for z/OS upgrades at no additional cost
- Conference exhibit hall with the world’s top DB2 tool vendors, consulting firms and solution providers
- Post-conference day-long educational seminars
- It’s a great way to meet and get to know fellow DB2 users
- It’s a great way to speak directly with the DB2 developers
- Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world
Registration is now open at http://bit.ly/IDUGEMEA. If you register before 17 October 2011, you can take advantage of the early bird discount and save 275 Euro + VAT.
Most Popular Presentation from IDUG DB2 Tech Conference 2011 in Anaheim
The International DB2 User Group (IDUG) is presenting a free webcast featuring the most popular presentation from the most recent IDUG DB2 Tech Conference, as voted by attendees at the conference. Suresh Sane will present his A DB2 10 Customer’s Experience presentation, which will describe his experiences with DB2 10 for z/OS, including:
- How new SQL features help
- How hash access speeds up queries against large tables
- How access path determination is now smarter
- How concurrency is improved without sacrificing integrity
- How temporal tables simplify code
This webcast is a must-see for Database Administrators and Application Developers. It is filled with rich content, helpful hints and tips. As a special bonus, everyone who registers for the Webcast will receive a complimentary copy of the Business Value of DB2 10 – Smarter Database for a Smarter Planet report by Julian Stuhler, Triton Consulting. The Webcast will take place at 11am ET on Wednesday, 02 November 2011. To register for the Webcast, please go to DB2 10 Application Topics—A DB2 10 Customer’s Experience.
Call for Presentations – 2012 DB2 Tech Conference in Denver, Colorado
The deadline for submitting proposals for presentations at next year’s DB2 Tech Conference in Denver, Colorado is fast approaching. Make sure to get your proposals in by 14 October 2011. You can submit your proposals on the International DB2 User Group Web site at Call For Presentations. If you look at the Web site, you will see the list of potential topics, as well as guidelines for the presentations. Essentially, the organizers are looking for presentations on almost every aspect of working with DB2. If you have experiences to share, presenting at the conference is a great way to get a complimentary pass to the conference.
Introduction to Big Data Solutions
Here’s a short video that was recorded at the IDUG conference, where I talk about the characteristics of Big Data solutions, discuss some of the technologies involved, and describe some real world Big Data solutions that IBM has implemented. Its a high-level introduction, but if you’re not sure what this “Big Data” term refers to, you may find it useful.
In the video, I try to quantify what “big” means today, as well as describing some lessons we have learned while implementing Big Data solutions. Technologies introduced include Map/Reduce systems, systems for analyzing streaming data, Massive Parallel Processing data warehouse systems, and in-memory database systems.
Those of you that know me in person, will see that I was a little under-the-weather when the video was recorded. You can hear it in my voice, see it in my demeanor, and notice it in my cadence. I hope you can get past this, and find this video useful.
Win Complimentary IDUG Conference Pass
The International DB2 User Group (IDUG), the leading association of IBM DB2 database and technology professionals, is conducting a survey to better understand the changing “Information Management” needs and wants. This will enable IDUG to provide the right technical education and training for its community. When you choose to participate in this survey and submit your email address, you will enter into the drawing for one of three (3) complimentary IDUG Conference Passes ($1,995). Your email address will be used for results notification only, and all responses are strictly confidential. Please take a moment to contribute to this project – and help IDUG meet your technical training needs.
The survey should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. Please respond no later than May 20, 2011. Your feedback will provide valuable insight regarding your needs and provide a better understanding as to how IDUG can best address areas important to you.
Please note that your responses will be confidential and reported in aggregate. If you have any questions about the survey or have difficulty accessing the survey, please contact idug@idug.org.
Would you Make a Good Speaker at a Conference?
Scott Hayes of DB2Night Show fame is running a new contest called DB2′s Got Talent. If you think you would make a good speaker at a conference, this is your opportunity to test that in a friendly and fun setting. Because the goal is to unearth new speaking talent, to participate in the contest, you cannot have spoken at a recent IDUG or IOD conference. And the prizes are great. First prize is a free conference registration to an IDUG conference together with money for travel expenses. For more information, see the DB2Night Show.
Winning Entry in the “Do You DB2?” Contest
The Independent DB2 User Group (IDUG) recently ran a contest called Do You DB2? where DB2 users were encouraged to share their experiences. I’d like to congratulate Michael Krafick of Atlanta, GA who won the Grand Prize of a 55″ internet-ready HDTV for describing his organization’s experiences with IBM Smarter Systems. Here are some excerpts from his story:
…a database with multiple partitions over three nodes. Initially performing well, we soon discovered that predicted monthly growth for the database was grossly underestimated. Performance and trending were showing that we were going to run into a problem sooner rather than later.Not to mention, this was a data mart supporting Business Intelligence in a financial market. We were heading into that special time of year where the planets align – where month end loads, quarter end loads, and year end loads were about to collide.
… This is where IBM’s Balanced Warehouse methodology comes in to save the day… We would extend our cluster out by one more BCU to give us some more horsepower… The result was incredible. Here is just a taste of what we saw:
- Our CPU utilization saw a 50% drop. Where we had consistently ran at 95% utilized (spiking to 100%) we dropped to an average of 45% utilized.
- We were able to increase our workload by 10% compared to the month before (2077 Report Views over 1935 Report Views).
- Even with the additional increase in workload, we decreased our execution time by 50% (Original Execution Time- 357 Hours, New Execution Time – 210 Hours).
Essentially, our reports were flying and the client immediately came back “raving” over our speed. Our hard work had paid off and the DBA’s released a huge sigh of relief. There is a real feeling of accomplishment when you win one for the team.
Congratulations Michael!
IDUG North America 2011 Call for Presentations is Open
Next year’s North American International DB2 User Group (IDUG) conference is taking place in Anaheim, California (2-6 May 2011). If you are a DB2 user who has experiences to share with other DB2 users, the call for presentations is currently open. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 1 September 2010. All speakers receive a complimentary conference registration.
Exciting New Contest for DB2 Users
If you are a DB2 user in North America, make sure to check out the new contest over at the International DB2 User Group (IDUG). The contest is called Do you DB2? and includes prizes like a WiFi-enabled HD TV and exciting new Apple iPads. To enter simply tell IDUG exactly why you love working with DB2 in less than 1,000 words. The stories will be judged based upon originality of the content, efficacy of expression, and the use of proof points. It doesn’t matter what your scope or nature of experience with DB2 is, as long as your stories are memorable and unique you have a great chance to win.
Here are some sample topics that you could write about:
- Usability, Performance, Scalability or High Availability of DB2
- Features: Deep Compression, SQL compatibility, pureXML, security, autonomics
- Cost or risk of migrating from another database vendor to DB2
- Experience with the DB2 maintenance and support given by IBM
- Proof points on why DB2 is the best database software
- Stories about the reach and value of DB2’s worldwide community, forums, events or education
Make sure to get your entries in soon, as the deadline for entries is in June.
IDUG Conference in Tampa on May 10-14
If you are a DB2 user, you probably already know that the International DB2 User Group (IDUG) offers the best DB2 conferences. These user-run conferences offer the largest number and widest range of sessions about DB2. In fact, there are more than 100 sessions about DB2 at the upcoming IDUG conference in Tampa, Florida on 10-14 May, 2010. This year, for the first time, IDUG has added the extremely popular Hands-On Labs that IBM has been offering at the Information on Demand Conferences for a number of years. Also, don’t forget about the FREE IBM certifications that are available to conference attendees. And, of course, there are lots of great opportunities to get to know other DB2 users like yourself. You can register for the conference at the IDUG Web site. There are even tips for justifying conference attendance to your manager.
News about IDUG Conferences
If you are a DB2 user, make sure to join the recently created LinkedIn groups for the IDUG conferences. You will get all the latest news about locations, speakers, special offers, and more. Here are the links:
Calling all DB2 Users in India
The third annual IDUG India Conference will take place at the Chancery Pavillion Hotel in Bangalore on 24-26 September. The International DB2 Users Group (IDUG) have not officially announced the line up of speakers and topics yet. However, I have been talking with the conference planning committee and understand that they are lining up some very exciting speakers and topics for this year’s event. If you are a DB2 user in India, this is one event you will not want to miss. Not only are the conference organizers offering sessions that prepare you for DB2 certification and FREE DB2 certification tests, but they are also lining up some of the world’s leading DB2 experts to talk about the most exciting new features in DB2. You can learn more about the conference at IDUG 2009 – India. You can also see a short preview video at IDUG India Movie.
Upcoming DB2 Regional Events
The Independent DB2 User Group (IDUG) is hosting a number of regional events in November. These two-day events bring the latest DB2 sessions and the leading DB2 speakers to the following areas:
- Camp Hill, PA on 3-4 Nov
- Dallas, TX on 9-10 Nov
- Austin, TX on 12-13 Nov
- Minneapolis, MN on 16-17 Nov
- Kansas City, MO on 18-19 Nov
I expect details for the events to be posted soon on the IDUG events calendar.
