Vlamis Interviewed in Oracle Video Podcast
As conference Chairman for the Business Intelligence, Warehousing, and Analytics (BIWA) Summit 2008 conference, Dan Vlamis was interviewed for a video that has now been posted on the web. This is part of Oracle Magazine's "Up Close Video" series that offers a more personal look at featured leaders in the Oracle community. The interview focuses on BIWA and what we are trying to do with the user group and with the conference.
The video is a companion piece to the article Expanding Intelligence in the March/April 2009 issue of Oracle Magazine about Dan's leadership in BIWA and the BIWA Summit and how Dan has given back to the Oracle BI community over his two-decade career. Our thanks go out to Jeff Erickson for producing the video and writing the article.
The magazine article ends with:
There might be no better guide into the world of Oracle BI than Dan Vlamis. "Being part of the BIWA SIG is how I can give something back," said Vlamis, for whom the Oracle developer community is of great importance. "Building a community gives people a sense of place and a chance to connect. It gives them a sense that they're not just doing a job but that they belong to a community that supports them and makes them better at what they do. The connections I've formed as part of this community are responsible for my success."
Up Close Interview: Dan Vlamis, BIWA Summit from Oracle Magazine.
New Oracle Hyperion EPM and Oracle BI Demo Images Available from Vlamis
Oracle Partner Network members will now be able to demonstrate Oracle's Hyperion EPM and Oracle BI software without the hassle of installing and configuring software in a demo environment. Through an exclusive licensing agreement with Oracle and Microsoft, Vlamis Software Solutions announces the availability of MS Windows virtual machines installed and configured with more than 20 gigabytes of Oracle software, data sets, and demo scripts. Two sets of software and components are available: BIC2G: EPM (Hyperion EPM) and BIC2G: BI.
BIC2G: EPM (Hyperion EPM) A complete pre-configured EPM solution stack including:
- Hyperion Planning
- Hyperion Financial Management
- Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management
- Hyperion Essbase
- Oracle Database 11g
- Eden Company demo data sets
- Oracle Data Integrator
- Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Plus (OBIEE+)
- Oracle's demonstration scripts, reports, and dashboards
BIC2G: BI A complete pre-configured Oracle BI stack including:
- Oracle BI Applications
- Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Plus (OBIEE+)
- Informatica
- Oracle Real-Time Decisions
- Oracle Essbase
- Oracle SOA
- Weblogic Server
- Oracle BI Publisher
- Oracle Database 11g
- Oracle OLAP
- Oracle Data Mining
- Oracle Warehouse Builder
Before the availability of this program, partners had to install and configure all of the software and load demos manually. These demo images greatly simplify the construction of a demo environment. All you need to do is install the VM "player" software, and load the VM purchased from Vlamis Software. The virtual machine has everything you need to run the demonstration within the VM.
These virtual machines are available for purchase by Oracle Network Partner Members only. A Microsoft VHD image with evaluation license is available for $350 each and an unlimited VMware VM with a fully-licensed copy of Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business is available for $1500 each. Oracle Partner Network members can order all four VMs at http://www.vlamis.com/.
Dan will be presenting this topic in an Oracle Partner Webcast on March 20th from 1:30 to 2:30 CST. For connection details see BIC2G Partner Webcast in the Upcoming Events below.
For more information visit http://www.vlamis.com/ or email us at sales@vlamis.com.
Viewing Oracle OLAP 11g in Microsoft Excel
Simba, in partnership with Oracle®, recently announced an MDX provider to the Oracle11g OLAP Option. Simba's Microsoft Excel connector for Oracle OLAP 11g will support Microsoft® Excel® 2007, 2003 and XP connectivity to Oracle OLAP data cubes in Oracle 11g. This enables users to employ Excel as a viable "front end" analytics tool for all data housed in Oracle 11g OLAP data cubes.
Vlamis Software has been collaborating and working closely with Simba for several months. We have been testing Simba's MDX provider against a number of our test and client 11g databases and have found it to be both easy to use and highly effective. Excel connects to Oracle OLAP as if it were SQL Analytic Services. Creation of a pivot table with OLAP data is a snap. To learn more about Simba's Microsoft Excel connector for Oracle11g OLAP, click here.
Coming this April, Simba will begin a beta program for this solution. If you are an Oracle OLAP customer or partner and wish to be considered for the Beta program, please contact Dan at dvlamis@vlamis.com or Simba at solutions@simba.com. We'll keep you updated on this very exciting development for Oracle OLAP.
Employee Spotlight - Cathye Pendley
Cathye has 16 years of experience working with Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) technologies. Prior to entering the Oracle BI world, Cathye owned her own insurance agency, where business intelligence and customer service were a must for her agency to succeed. Cathye offers a well rounded mix of technical and non-technical skills combined with her Dallas charm:
- Project management of Oracle business intelligence projects
- Analysis, design, development and implementation of Oracle BI solutions
- Tool evaluations and selection for business intelligence tools
- Implemented sales and financial applications using Oracle BI
- Experienced with Essbase, Crystal Reports, and other BI tools
- Developed large and small BI applications/systems
- Conversion of older BI technology into more current web-based applications
Most recently Cathye successfully completed a long-term engagement migrating an Express PCX 5.0 application to Oracle OLAP for one of the largest oil and gas refining corporations in America. With her broad foundation in BI technology, Cathye is leading the charge for Vlamis in reaching out to new clients to help them develop their BI and Analytics capabilities. Cathye is also taking over the Vlamis newsletter.
Cathye is passionate about designing and implementing systems that meet and exceed our clients' expectation. She is always aware of the time and money spent on projects and strives to deliver projects on time and under budget. Cathye's Texas upbringing taught her to "treat others as you would like to be treated" and realizes it works just as well in corporate America as is does in small-town USA. Personally, Cathye is all about family. Cathye's volunteering centers on her children, coaching and serving on boards for academic, band, football, baseball, cheerleading, and PTA. She does manage one night a week for a date night with her husband of 15 years.
Upcoming Events
XMonth 2009
March 2-6 • Redwood Shores, CA • Website
Dan Vlamis and Cathye Pendley will be attending XMonth at Oracle headquarters and will be presenting on the new BIC2G VM image on March 6 to partners in attendance.
Oracle Partner eXpo Online Virtual Show
March 19th • Web Conference
Vlamis Software will be available in Oracle's BI booth to answer questions about the BIC2G program. Come by and chat with us. This event is free for all partners.
BIC2G Partner Webcast
March 20th • Webcast
BIG2G Demo images on Windows are now available for partners to order. Dan will be presenting Oracle BI and Hyperion EPM (BIC2G) Demo Images on Windows for Partners at the partners webcast on March 20, from 1:30 to 2:30 CST.
Domestic / International:
888-921-7502 / 706-634-1712
Passcode: 70143
Web Conference
Conference ID / Key: 136381247 / 70143
Collaborate 2009
May 3-7 • Orlando, Florida • http://www.collaborate09.com
| Speaker Name | Presentation Title |
| Chris Claterbos | University Class: How to Use Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) to Solve Real World Problems |
| Chris Claterbos | Having your Business Intelligence the Way You Want It! |
| Chris Claterbos | Building Cubes and Analyzing Data Using Oracle OLAP 11g |
| Mark Thompson | Tales from the Front: Strategies for a Successful OBIEE Implementation |
Abstracts for these presentations can be found on our website. Please contact us if you are attending the conference so we can arrange a time to meet with you during the conference.
ODTUG Kaleidoscope 2009
June 21-25 • Monterey, California • http://www.odtug.com/
| Speaker Name | Presentation Title |
| Mark Thompson | Tales from the Front: Strategies for a Successful OBIEE Implementation |
| Dan Vlamis | Having your Business Intelligence the Way You Want It! |
Abstracts for these presentations can be found on our website. Please contact us if you are attending the conference so we can arrange a time to meet with you during the conference.
Prior Newsletter Articles
We feature breaking news in the "Headlines" section of our home page at www.vlamis.com. More news items can be found on our Business Intelligence and Datawarehousing Blog at http://www.vlamis.com/blog. An archive of our newsletters going back through 2002 can be found at http://www.vlamis.com/newsletters.
Our Feburary 2009 newsletter featured the following articles:
- OracleBI Spreadsheet Add-In Released
- BIWA Summit Recap
- Oracle Sales and Financial Analyzer De-support
- Employee Spotlight - Mark Thompson
- Upcoming Events
- Chris' OLAP Tip
Please visit our blog for the most up-to-date Business Intelligence and Datawarehousing developments.