OOW 2010: Exadata SIG

I managed to get registered this morning, I got to the oh-so-short Blogger/Press line (FTW!). Unfortunately, no schwag. Beggars can't be choosers though. I'm sure I'll find one of the bags somewhere.

I had a guide with me, my roommate, John Piwowar, who got us both signed in and then found the "session" in Moscone West, in the north end of the lobby. This is the signage for the Exadata SIG session, in case you were wondering how we found it:



And even better, Arup Nanda signage:



For me, there were really 3 main topics discussed:
1. Documentation - It comes bundled with the machine, but it is not publicly available. When will that be available?
2. Public Instance - Something similar to what the APEX team has done at http://apex.oracle.com Is that something that is feasible? Will Oracle ever do something like this? Will there be some sort of Oracle built VM that could simulate the setup for those of us who like to tinker. I'll talk more about this later.
3. I can't remember #3. Hmmm...there was some technical talk, around Hybrid Columnar Compression (HCC) and backup operations, but that wasn't the main thrust, to me anyway.

I'm not sure of the exact direction of the SIG just yet. It's still fairly new so it's expected that there will be some fluidity.

Some great discussions though. Well attended by some heavy weights (not fat people, like myself, but Oracle experts and the like). I always enjoy getting involved in those kind of discussions. Helps me learn and helps me feel like I can contribute something to the community, which I love.

If you get a chance today, stop by one of the other SIG meetings, it's a great way to get involved.

Attendees:

Phillip Stephenson, Senior Principal Product Manager [LinkedIn]
Anita Jackson, Director, NACH Business Development at Oracle
Arup Nanda
Paul Vallee
Mark Fielding
Fuad Arshad
John Piwowar
Martin Paul Nash
Richard J. Niemiec
Dan Norris

(I'll add links later...listening to Mark Rittman right now)

OOW 2010: Day -1

Wow. What a day.

Started out on the floor of Lewis's hotel room (no, I didn't pass out) and ended up in the...quaint...King George hotel with John Piwowar (I learned tonight that those "w's" in there aren't really pronounced at "w's", they're pronounced as "v's").

The middle is where are the fun was though.

Let's see, I walked around San Francisco taking lots of pictures (top right) of this beautiful city and of all the Oracle related signs, tents, etc. I did get lost, which would shock no one. Google Maps didn't even help me.

I then ended up at the 4th Street Deli to watch the Gators beat Tennessee (poorly) where I met a fellow Gator up here for OpenWorld. He bought me a beer. Yeah for me.

After leaving there (and still being somewhat lost), I wandered into Old Navy (you know, it had big bright lights and big sign, so I was drawn in) and bought some cooler weather clothes (I live in Tampa, it's never cool).

Back to the Hilton where I ran into Ben Prusinski and got to meet Charles Kim. I'd link them up, but my internet connection is spotty.

Finally, off to dinner with Ben, John and Ronald Bradford (of mySQL fame) at a Thai restaurant. Then over to the Urban Tavern which is in the lobby of the Hilton. That's where I ran into Dan Norris and other members of his team. We had a few beers and he made fun of me quite a bit...apparently my head is gigantic. Whatever.

So that's it. Tomorrow is the big day, sessions start with the Exadata SIG early (10:30) in the morning. We'll see how many times I get lost tomorrow.

I sat in the lobby of the Union Square Hilton

OOW 2010: Day -2

I arrived last night via Chicago. As difficult as it was to skip going home, I had to figure out the best way to balance work and Oracle OpenWorld (sort of work).

I arrived sometime around 10 PM PST, which was 2 AM in Chicago and 3 AM in Tampa. Fun. I will admit though, I don't have it nearly as bad as the people from Europe. Rumor has it, they're struggling.

Anyway, after taking the wrong BART train, I finally managed to find my way to the right one...which was actually the first one. I don't like to read directions much.

Got off at the Powell Street stop (which was right) and I was approached by an older gentlemen asking where I was staying. Like a moron, I told him. Fortunately, he wasn't a mean older gentlemen...he pointed me to the Hilton and walked me about half way there, before he asked for some spare change. I gave him $5, it was worth it.

Once there (about midnight) I walked around the gigantic 17th floor of rooms looking for Lewis Cunningham's room. He's obviously not a night owl like me...I woke him from his slumber.

We talked for a few minutes and then off to sleep.

OOW 2010: Slideshow

I've put up a public album on Picasa along with this "wonderful" slideshow. I'll keep adding pictures to it as the week progresses.