Welcome to 5 Minute Briefing: Oracle an information resource prepared by Database Trends and Applications Magazine and published in cooperation with the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG). To subscribe, click here.

Oracle Database Vault Certified for the Oracle E-Business Suite

Oracle has announced the certification of Oracle Database Vault for use with the Oracle E-Business Suite. This enables customers to better protect sensitive application data from unauthorized access by any user, including privileged users, misusing their database privileges. Oracle Database Vault is an advanced database security product designed to enforce when, where, how, and by whom, data can be accessed.

Oracle Database Vault transparently defends against unauthorized access to application data as well as intentional or accidental harmful database changes by any users, even privileged users with database administrator (DBA) rights, taking into consideration multiple factors such as time of day, authentication, application, and more. It can be used to enforce separation of duties within the database, for example, blocking a DBA’s access to sensitive application data while permitting the DBA to perform day-to-day operations such as database backup and recovery, tuning, and replication. With Oracle Database Vault, customers can consolidate application databases and enforce strong boundaries and policies around access to that data.

“Organizations rely on the Oracle E-Business Suite to drive key components of their business from finance to human resources to supply chain,” said Cliff Godwin, senior vice president, application technology at Oracle. “The combination of Oracle Database Vault and the Oracle E-Business Suite helps enterprises secure their data against insider threats and comply with regulatory mandates.”

“Oracle Database Vault monitors activity inside the database and enforces real-time preventive controls,” said Vipin Samar, vice president of database security at Oracle. “Organizations can now protect sensitive E-Business Suite application data at the source – the database.” More Oracle information is here.

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Daptiv and Pervasive Software Partner

Daptiv, a leader in collaborative business software, and Pervasive Software, a leader in embeddable data management and agile integration software, have announced a partnership to provide integration between Daptiv PPM, a project portfolio management solution, and a variety of enterprise systems. The new solution, Daptiv Connect, is intended to enable businesses to gain a holistic view of the spectrum of work across their enterprise and connect Daptiv's SaaS-based solution with both SaaS and on-premise software.

Taking advantage of Pervasive's library of more than 150 adapters, including adaptors for Oracle and Peoplesoft, Daptiv Connect will provide Daptiv customers with integration tools that help them map data relationships between Daptiv's environment and outside enterprise applications. “They are embedding our Data Integrator integration platform and that comes with over 150 connectors ready to go to a whole variety of systems” resulting in “a single unified experience” for the Daptiv customer, David Inbar, director of worldwide marketing and channel development, Pervasive, told 5 Minute Briefing.

As a result of the partnership, Daptiv is able to deliver “an on-demand data integration capability along with their Daptiv application, which is significant for their customers - and for the pace at which Daptiv can be adopted by their customers. Since the application itself is all about aggregating and analyzing data from what are traditionally a range of siloed systems, this becomes pretty important,” Inbar said. “With our technology, Daptiv is able to, as part of their on-demand application service, enable the flow of critical data from and to all of the other systems inside an organization.”
 
Daptiv Connect is available now.  Pricing for the service is based upon the number of connections required, and the size of the user community. For more on Pervasive, go here. For more on Daptiv, go here.

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NetApp Integrates SnapManager with Oracle Database 11g

NetApp has announced enhanced capabilities to its SnapManager for Oracle software that further simplify the backup and recovery process for Oracle Database 11g environments running on NetApp enterprise storage systems. SnapManager for Oracle is now tightly integrated with Oracle Database 11g, supporting Direct NFS and new functionality in Oracle Automatic Storage Management (ASM) technology.

SnapManager for Oracle can identify where Oracle ASM files are mapped, enabling database administrators to back up, restore and clone database files that are presented in Oracle ASM disk groups. This functionality helps DBAs minimize database maintenance time, reduce human error and improve automation. Additionally, NetApp SnapManager for Oracle enables higher levels of data protection with additional capabilities for backing up and restoring Snapshot copies to NetApp secondary storage.

"With this latest release of SnapManager for Oracle, database administrators can still accelerate their database backup/restore and cloning operations, while taking full advantage of the latest technologies in Oracle Database 11g," said Patrick Rogers, vice president of solutions marketing at NetApp. Visit NetApp here.

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Confio Software Reports Record Results

Confio Software, a developer of wait-time database performance management tools, yesterday announced the completion of its third consecutive year of record growth. The growth was largely fueled by the release of its four new Ignite products, extending its wait-time database performance methodology to support multiple Oracle, Microsoft, IBM and Sybase databases, addressing approximately 90 percent of the RDBMS market.

“The Confio Igniter Suite continues to offer a strong value proposition to IT executives and management who need their databases and the internal and external applications that depend on them to run at peak performance," said Charlie Sander, CEO of Confio. "Companies spend millions of dollars on applications and hardware and can't be slowed down by application bottlenecks at the database level. 2008 will bring an acceleration of our growth as we broaden our solution and provide more opportunities for customer return on investment".

In 2007 Confio released four distinct and complementary new products that expanded Confio's solution for cross platform database performance management, including Ignite to Oracle E-Business, which is designed to provide increased visibility into the causes of performance problems that can occur in Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle ERP and Oracle Apps environments.

The Confio Igniter Suite can be used across a mix of Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, and Sybase databases and Java/J2EE applications to speed the process of finding and resolving performance issues. For DBAs, Ignite identifies the exact business processes and application code that affect database performance and the responsible source. Ignite also shows exactly where the problem resides and who should own the problem to ensure the best path to resolution. For more information go here.

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Tech Spending Forecasts Slash

Forget the robust quarters just turned in by Oracle, IBM and Microsoft. We may be tightening our belts again, according to technology research firms Forrester Research and IDC. Both have cut their forecasts for 2008 global technology purchasing growth. Forrester cut its growth forecast from nine percent to six percent, citing the risk of a U.S. recession. IDC, which was initially more cautious than Forrester, now expects worldwide IT market growth of five percent this year, down from its previous forecast of 5.5 percent and off from 2007's six percent. It, too, cited the risk of recession as the reason for lowered growth. Unisphere Research, our research arm, conducts proprietary research with leading IT user groups. To read abstracts of these studies, go here. Are you interested in having proprietary research conducted for your company about issues of concern to you? For more information, send an email to Tom@dbta.com

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Economic Stimulus Plan Also Has Plums for Technology Users

On the other hand, the slowdown may not be all that bad for high tech. Most people know that the U.S. Economic Stimulus Package, signed into law last week, is going to provide tax rebates to most taxpayers over the coming months. However, the new package also has some incentives for business technology investments as well. The new law includes a bonus depreciation provision available for all businesses on new equipment and software placed in service in 2008. Large and small businesses can expense up to 50 percent of the value of capital goods placed into service this year, while certain small businesses may have the ability to nearly double the amount they immediately write-off during 2008. This provision in effect doubles the benefits of an existing tax write-off for small businesses. To follow trends in the industry, keep reading 5 Minute Briefing and subscribe to Database Trends and Applications magazine e-edition here.

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COLLABORATE 08 – IOUG Forum Sessions for Every Oracle Professional

COLLABORATE 08 – IOUG Forum, taking place April 13-17 in Denver, CO, is the place to expand your knowledge on a wide array of Oracle subjects. Register with the IOUG to learn from more than 425 educational sessions covering everything from tuning to RAC to upgrades. Here’s just a snapshot of diverse sessions offered by the IOUG Forum:

• 10g Tuning? Tuning Oracle has Radically Changed
  
• Oracle Services on RAC: How They Work and What You Should Use Them For
  
• Fool-Proof and Fast Track Strategies for a Successful Upgrade: Database Replay, DBUA and More

View the IOUG Forum session scheduler to search for sessions, create your personalized schedule and download it to your Outlook calendar. Then, register with the IOUG by March 13 to save $200 off of the regular rate. Choose priority code EM10 when registering.

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Add a University Seminar to Your COLLABORATE 08 Registration

Attendees of COLLABORATE 08 - IOUG Forum, April 13-17 in Denver, CO, receive top-notch education from three user groups - the IOUG, Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) and Quest International Users Group (Quest) - in one forum. You can now expand your Oracle knowledge by adding a University Seminar onto your conference registration.

IOUG University Seminars* are offered in full- and half-day formats. They provide in-depth education on specific areas that interest you as an Oracle professional. Choose from a variety of seminar topics taught by seasoned Oracle users, including:

• Oracle Database 11g
  
• Oracle Database 10g
  
• Real Application Clusters (RAC)
  
• Java
  
• PeopleSoft
  
• And much more!

To view the complete listing of seminars, please click here. Then, register for COLLABORATE 08 – IOUG Forum. Choose priority code EM10 when registering. If you are already registered for COLLABORATE, but would like to add a University Seminar onto your registration, please e-mail ioug@showcare.com.

*Please note that there is an additional registration fee to attend a University Seminar that can be found on the registration form.

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Meet Oracle Users on the Oracle Professionals Exchange Network (OPEN)

The IOUG is excited to announce Oracle Professionals Exchange Network (OPEN), a new online collaboration tool available to all members. Built by IOUG volunteers from the Oracle Applications Express Special Interest Group, this customer-driven tool is the only place to network and share information/best practices with your peers in the database and technology community. Some of the tools include:

• The “Collaborator” – Search for other IOUG members with similar interests, and then join “communities” with these individuals to share files, links, messages, contacts and more. When you click on the tab, detailed instructions will be provided about how to utilize this tool.
• Wikis/Discussion Forums – Participate in the IOUG's existing wikis/discussion forums, or create and manage one of your own.

To edit a wiki, simply select the wiki that interests you, view the ‘Topics Index’ tab to see what has been written about the topic, and click edit to add your own insight. A WikiEditing tutorial is also available.

To contribute to a discussion forum, choose a forum, and click on one of the forum’s topics. Then view one of the topic’s threads, and reply to the thread, or create a new thread.

If you would like to administer your own wiki/forum, contact Tony Jedlinski at tony@konoso.com.

• Ask the Expert – Ask IOUG experts questions or volunteer to become one.

Simply select an expert, and view what questions have been previously asked. Or, click on the “Submit a New Question” button to ask the expert your own question.

If you would like to become an IOUG expert, you can send your request and qualifications to Tony Jedlinski at tony@konoso.com.

Login to OPEN today to share your Oracle knowledge. This network is "in progress" so be part of the launch, and help build it out with your great ideas! Providing your insight and expertise will not only help this tool get up and running, but it will also strengthen the IOUG community.

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Live Webcast: Future Proof Your Business: Create Value, Cut Costs, and Plan for the Future

Why your relationship with your Enterprise Software Provider is more critical to your success than ever.

According to an upcoming, independent briefing paper by the Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Oracle, companies today are looking to their software vendors to provide them with not only products that are flexible, easy to deploy and use, but also to be a valued business partner that helps to ensure the overall success of their business.

Join us to hear about the Economist Intelligence Unit's independent research findings.

Additionally you will also learn about:

• Critical factors for choosing and working with your enterprise software vendor
• How Oracle's Applications Unlimited strategy brings together Oracle applications, with pre-built integrations, world-class services, and a strong network of partners
• How a strong relationship with your enterprise software vendor helps you plan for the future

Register for this important webcast now!

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Join the IOUG to Take Advantage of Exclusive Member Benefits

Take advantage of exclusive IOUG member benefits, including the opportunity to save up to $400 USD on COLLABORATE 08 – IOUG Forum, taking place April 13-17 in Denver, CO, by joining the IOUG today. IOUG members have exclusive access to:

• SELECT Journal, the IOUG's quarterly technical publication that was rated a top member benefit in the IOUG 2007 membership survey.
  
• Library of Oracle Knowledge (LoOK), an online repository filled with thousands of technical tips, articles and papers.
  
• Discounted registration to COLLABORATE 08, a premier customer-driven event presented jointly by the IOUG, Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) and Quest International Users Group (Quest), offering attendees numerous educational sessions, networking opportunities and vendor interaction.
  
• And much more!

Join the IOUG today!

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Founded in 1993, the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG) (formerly International Oracle Users Group) is a user-driven membership organization for Oracle technology and database professionals serving more than 15,000 database administrators, developers, architects, technical managers and other Oracle professionals throughout North America and worldwide. The IOUG empowers its members and the broader Oracle community through their technical publication, SELECT Journal, Web site resources including more than 3000 papers, tips and articles and networking with other users through online discussion forums, Special Interest Groups and a network of regional Oracle user groups. For more information about the IOUG, please visit the IOUG Web site.

Database Trends and Applications, published by Unisphere Media, provides timely coverage of the technology and intelligence needed to conceptualize, plan, initiate, implement and manage large-scale integrated information projects. Unisphere Media also publishes 5 Minute Briefing: Data Integration, a summary of news, trends, and insights addressing crucial data integration challenges and 5 Minute Briefing: MultiValue, a review of news, technical tips and insights for the MultiValue database community. Visit our Web site here.

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