The Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at COLLABORATE 13, a conference on Oracle technology presented jointly by the IOUG, OAUG (Oracle Applications User Group) and the Quest International User Group. The event will be held April 7 to 11 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
As part of the conference, the IOUG will host the COLLABORATE 13-IOUG Forum with nearly 1,000 sessions providing user-driven content. Presentations, hands-on learning sessions, panel discussions and informal conversations at networking events are aimed at giving attendees practical information that can be applied within their organizations. Oracle experts will also be on-hand to provide a high-level view into the next generation technology, all of which helps attendees meet their responsibilities to understand and translate business requirements into the appropriate technical execution. The difference between success and failure in this mission is often measured in millions of dollars.
Theme of COLLABORATE 13-IOUG Forum is “Elevate”
The theme of this year’s COLLABORATE 13-IOUG Forum is “Elevate - take control of your career and elevate your Oracle ecosystem knowledge and expertise,” says IOUG president John Matelski. “In fact, in addition to all of the great educational content that will be presented that will help elevate attendees technical knowledge, there is also an exceptional leadership program that is focused on helping elevate leadership skills as well. And how better to bring it all together than to attend a presentation keynote from aviator, Sean Tucker, who has a life marked by a search for excellence and perfected skill whether he is heli-skiing, or flying his one-of-a kind aerobatic dream machine. Another exciting keynote presentation will be given by Oracle president, Mark Hurd, who will discuss Oracle strategy, innovation and the company’s relationship with its customers. Mark has a distinguished career leading great companies like NCR, Hewlett Packard, and now Oracle, and elevating those companies to the top of the technology industry.”
In addition to database, development, master data management and professional development, additional hot topics that will get special attention at the conference include big data, cloud computing, and security.
Helping IOUG Members Navigate Challenges Ahead
“Regardless of what industry you are in, or what role or function you play in your organization, we all are facing challenges, and have some significant opportunities available to overcome those challenges,” says Matelski, pointing to shrinking budgets as one of the biggest challenges. The conference sessions are designed to allow attendees to learn lessons from other users, and also obtain best practices from Oracle and other vendors who are part of the overall Oracle ecosystem.
“COLLABORATE 13 is not just a conference. I look at it as just one key component of a year round investment strategy to leverage a community of users to obtain information, education, networking and advocacy. Where else can someone go and learn about the next generation of Oracle database, and be at the forefront of discussions with Oracle, and with real users. I am not aware of any other user driven conference for technology professionals that will address the depth and breadth of topic areas including Database Administration, Business Analytics, Data Management and Governance, Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, Information Lifecycle Management, Partitioning, Real-Time Analytics, Big Data, Data Warehouse Appliances, Reporting Tools, Hardware-Database Engine, Technology Leadership - just to name a few. And when most conferences are over, that’s it until next year. Not so with the IOUG – because customer members, who are volunteers of the IOUG have designed programs and services to help facilitate year round interactions, education, and growth, which allow companies and government entities to create efficiencies, save money and drive innovation throughout their organization,” says Matelski.
IOUG’s Big Data Visionaries: 2013 Data Skills Survey
As part of its ongoing effort to address the changing needs of Oracle data professionals, the IOUG has just released the results of its data science skills survey. The final report of the research, conducted by Unisphere Research, is titled “Big Data Visionaries: 2013 Data Skills Survey.”
According to Matelski, the research identified that many data professionals—including database administrators and IT managers—see their roles evolving closely to that of what is now being called a data scientist. “A data scientist represents an evolution from the business or data analyst role, with a solid foundation typically in computer science and applications, modeling, statistics, analytics and math. What sets the data scientist apart is strong business acumen, coupled with the ability to communicate findings to both business and IT leaders in a way that can influence how an organization approaches a business challenge.” A key finding that emerged from the study is that bringing “data scientist skills” into organizations doesn’t require the hiring of individuals under the formal title of data scientist. In fact, many of these skills already exist among current data managers and professionals, or are evolving within today’s enterprises, says Matelski. While today’s data professionals spend most of their time managing and securing databases, a large segment of respondents also expect to have an increased role in business intelligence and data modeling in the near future. There is also an anticipation that their jobs will continue to evolve and require the ability to employ data to help in business decision making and “telling a story” with the data, Matelski observes.
The “Big Data Visionaries: 2013 Data Skills Survey” can be downloaded from the IOUG website.
More information is available about the COLLABORATE 13- IOUG Forum at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.