Oracle supports Microsoft
May 16, 2008
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in conversations around the topic of “Oracle vs. Microsoft”. I’ve heard both sides of the story ranging from “SQL Server for mission critical operations…are you crazy!” to “Oracle costs me my first born child…year after year!”. While these discussions are often entertaining, the line delineating the two database giants is blurring by each subsequent release.
In my years consulting for LÛCRUM, I have worked for numerous clients that have had installations of both Oracle and Microsoft running in their environments. With recent statistics estimating that Oracle controls >50% of the database market and Microsoft controlling >50% of the server operating system market, are you surprised? SQL Server only runs on Microsoft. Oracle offers more operating system versatility. While you’ll see UNIX and Linux installations, Oracle’s ability to run on Microsoft remains strong and they are improving their functionality with respect to Microsoft development. Where might an Oracle database deployed on a Microsoft server make most sense? In the small and mid-sized business market (SMB). In the SMB market, Oracle has competitively priced versions such as Oracle Database Standard Edition and Standard Edition One.
So what advantages does running Oracle on Microsoft have to offer? First, Oracle has tight integration with Active Directory and Windows Security Framework. Items such as single sign-on and security via database role and Active Directory group fall into this category. Next, Oracle offers 32-bit and 64-bit versions. In the 32-bit version, Oracle is able to utilize up to 3GB (out of a 4GB O.S. maximum) of system memory for database use. Finally, Oracle has also been working on enhancing its ability to integrate with the Windows development suite, specifically Visual Studio 2008. Oracle supports .NET in 3 ways. The Oracle Data Provider for .NET leverages ADO.NET API and allows .NET applications to access Oracle data. These APIs should be familiar to most Microsoft developers. In addition, through an add-in (free for that matter), developers can work with Oracle services via Visual Studio 2005 (and 2008 as previously mentioned). Through the development suite, developers have access to various wizards to perform various database tasks (i.e. DDL), a procedure editor (for PL/SQL procedures, packages, and functions), a Debugger for runtime error interaction, and integrated help for items such as Oracle error reference, SQL, and PL/SQL user manuals. Lastly, Oracle has integrated .NET extensions directly inside the database. This allows developers to created stored procedures and functions using C# or VB.NET within Visual Studio. This code can then be deployed to the database and referenced wherever a stored procedure or function is permitted.
Oracle has shown it is advantageous to offer solutions that fit neatly into an operating system that controls the majority of the server market, even if that vendor also happens to be a major competitor in the database market. Offer a product that is extensible and easy to use with development GUIs is sure to give you a seat at the table when it comes to choosing a solution for your organization. That is precisely why Oracle supports Microsoft (most of the time <grin>).
Dave
Sphere: Related ContentWhen Life Gets in the Way of A Great Blog Post
May 15, 2008
If you’ve read any of my previous postings, you know that I put a lot of thought and detail into each of my blogs. I have to say sorry that I’ve missed you all lately, but life has started to get in the way. I have several partially complete. But then…
This week - Urgent priorities with my new client, Ipsos, and other major client needs are driving my time. I also have a member of my team in town from Newfoundland.
Last week - I started to come up to speed with Ipsos and had meetings all day each day.
Prior week - I was finishing my Data Strategy/Architecture role with Kroger which required me to max out each day.
But, at night… Had lots of family things going on…you know what it’s like trying to balance work/home life. 
!
I’ve got one finishing high school, one just finished her first year of college. Two proms. One 8th grade formal. One child going to Orlando for two weeks, another going to Destin for a week. Three awards ceremonies. One child with recent medical issues and blah blah blah and so on….
So, I am trying to get back in to balance and expect to reach a proper rhythm again soon. Or my head will explode! I miss you all and hope to post some great content soon.
Sphere: Related ContentWhat is a Architect?
May 14, 2008
I attended the first meeting of the new Cincinnati Architect users group (CinArc) to find out the answer to this question. I have been struggling with this question for a long time. Since this was the first meeting, there was a lot of discussion about what the group should and should not be. Attendees did not want a place to just sit and listen to speakers. They wanted a place to openly discuss the issues, challenges and technologies that come with the role of Architect. Yes, I said ‘role’ not ‘title’. More on that later. The format of the meetings is still not totally decided, but the format of a ‘fish bowl’ style of discussion group worked very well for last nights open discussion on this topic. It also kept the conversation on track and under control with 20+ people there.
What is a Architect? Is it the guy that wonders the halls with a chip on his shoulder and thinks he has all the answers … Yes. It is the guy who sit quietly in the corner cube and know how everything works … Yes. It is the guy that everyone looks to for technical leadership … Yes. Is it the guy who works with the business team and the development team to deliver a solution to a business need … Yes. I listened to a lot of opinions on what people considered a architect to be. Here are some of the qualities of an architect that come out in the meeting:
- Knows the value of business and how to work with them to provide solutions
- Bridges the gap between business and IT
- See the ‘Big Picture’ and keeps everything on course
- Advocates change ( In technology and business)
- Mentors
- Designs repeatable solutions
- Defines processes
- Creates conceptual solutions to prove concepts
- Codes
These qualities can be boiled down into 5 compentencies of an architect
- Technology
- Leadership
- Consulting
- Organizational Politics
- Business Stragegy
Many companies use roles as titles to help define an individuals value to the company. I think this is where the definition of an architect gets confusing. It can be defined differently based on the company you are working for. A architect at small company A might only be considered a technical lead at large company B. People can be quick to say that they are an ‘Architect’ because the title adds value to them within the company. It can also mean a higher pay scale and more respect, who doesn’t want that. This is partially how I defined an architect, but after last nights meeting I have a different view. Architect is a role that is played on a project. I might be a architect today on a project, a business analyst tomorrow and a coder the next day. Do I have the qualities and competencies of an architect? Yes (depending on who you ask). Should I have the title? No. I move from project to project in my consulting career and may serve as architect on a project or I might just be joining the team to help out with coding an application that has fallen behind schedule. I could even move to the database and being doing tables and stored procedures. The point to my rambling is that we should not define ‘What is a Architect’ just based on technology, but define what are the qualities, skills and competencies of the individual that plays the roles of architect on a project.
Architect vs. Designer/Technical Lead
This can be a tough distinction to make depending on the size of the company you work for. Smaller companies and projects will blur the line between the two just because there are not enough people to clearly define separate roles. I think the distinction between the two is made by the qualities of an architect listed above. An architect can do the technical lead role, but brings more to the table along the lines of business knowledge and the ability to understand what the business wants, work with them to find a solution and understand the costs and ROI involved in the solution.
Types of Architect
This can also be tough distinction depending on the company or project. The meeting produced the following list of types:
- Enterprise
- Strategy
- Sees and understands the ‘Big Picture’ for a company
- Oversees all applications and infrastructure
- Works with business leaders (CFO,CTO,CIO)
- Solution
- Oversees multiple applications and integration
- Develops solutions to meet business needs
- Infrastructure
- Servers and sever software such as Exchange
- Capacity planning
———————————————–
- Data
- Database and data
- Business
- Works with business to improve process and workflow
- Application
- Technical lead
- Coding standards
- Application specific detai
The separation between the top and bottom three is because the bottom three could all be considered part of the top three depending on the size of the company or project.
These are just my thought on what was discussed in the meeting. Maybe they helped you answer some questions. Maybe they raised more questions. What is a Architect? It will vary depending on who is defining it. To me an architect is a person who can wear many hats and work with business to clarify the ‘Big Picture’ and create solutions that meet needs and provide value to the business. Don’t worry about achieving a title, worry about being good at your job whatever hat your wearing that day.
Thanks to Mike Levy, Leon Gersing and Joe Wirtley for an excellent meeting. Joe will be presenting ‘Pragmatic Software Architecture and the Role of the Architect’ at the May 21st Cincinnati Programmers Guild meeting if you are interested. Check out their website for more info. http://cincypg.org/.
Also checkout the Cincinnati .NET users group site for more information on the CinArc group and the new CinArc forum. http://cinnug.org/. Hope to see you at the next meeting.
- Jeff
Sphere: Related Content
So why are people flocking to SharePoint 2007?
May 12, 2008
By flocking, I mean that “the vast majority of enterprises — 96% — are considering, planning on, in the process of, or have already completed deploying at least some part of Microsoft Office System server software. And most of those — 87% — plan to implement or upgrade to Microsoft Office System server software within the next 12 months” and that’s from Forrester (see the free Forrester research document titled “Topic Overview: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007”, by Kyle McNabb and Rob Koplowitz, dated April 24, 2008)!
It’s easy to see why SharePoint 2007 is such a strong contender in the enterprise collaboration space, when you realize that it combines messaging, social computing, real time collaboration and virtual team workspaces.
I am currently working on developing a plan and strategy for collaboration for a client and it’s all about leveraging the power of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (SharePoint 2007) to increase employee productivity and connect seamlessly to people, knowledge and data to help employees make better informed decisions so that they can serve their customers more effectively.
SharePoint 2007 provides blogs and wikis as site templates so that you can easily create those as needed. The People Finder can help you locate people based on different directory level attributes and the neat thing is you can find people based on skills or expertise that they have specified in their user profiles. People and group lists are readily accessible depending on user privileges and presence information is available as well. Real Time Presence and Communication is enabled wherever the real-time presence smart tag icon displays. In conjunction with Live Meeting 2007, Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007, this makes for a very powerful collaboration tool.
In the messaging space, the tight integration between Outlook 2007, Exchange 2007 and SharePoint 2007 allows you to take offline an entire library so you can work disconnected from the network. Also your SharePoint tasks can display right alongside your Outlook tasks. Alerts that you set up on your SharePoint site automatically send you email notifications. Discussion boards are email enabled so users can save their email as part of a threaded discussion. Also, lists and libraries can be email enabled so as to allow users to email a document directly into a library. There is an RSS viewer web part with which you can subscribe to an RSS feed. Furthermore, every list and library in SharePoint 2007 is RSS enabled, so you can subscribe to the contents of a list or library via RSS.
When it comes to virtual team workspaces, SharePoint 2007 provides several different site templates out of the box. Apart from this, Microsoft has released 40 site templates that cater to commonly used functionality such as vacation scheduling, contacts list management, etc. Furthermore, it is very easy to create a custom site template – once you configure your site to work just the way you want, you can easily save that as a site template so you can now reuse that as needed. These virtual team workspaces provide a repository for lists of items, libraries of documents, announcements, online calendars, surveys, task and issue lists, project tasks list with Gantt chart functionality, and task coordination using simple workflows. Lists and libraries can enforce security at the item level and they also provide versioning, explicit check in/check out, content approval before publishing, etc. These team workspaces can be also be secured at an individual or group level. SharePoint 2007 makes it possible to easily create no-code, declarative, sequential workflows based on business rules using the SharePoint Designer 2007 tool. Combine SharePoint 2007 with Groove 2007 for collaborating across organizational boundaries, whether connected or offline and now you have an even more compelling scenario of use.
So all in all, it makes sense that the adoption of SharePoint 2007 is so pervasive!
Sphere: Related ContentGet a handle on Unstructured Data
May 8, 2008
One of the big topics in data management these days is Unstructured Data. What is it? Word documents, spreadsheets, video, images, email, and instant messaging are a few examples. How does one harness the wealth of information contained in these non-standardized formats, IF you are trying to capitalize on your existing data management infrastructure? Microsoft has attempted to answer this question with its upcoming release of SQL Server 2008 (SS2008).
Due out later this year, SS2008 provides built-in support for Unstructured Data through the FILESTREAM functionality. FILESTREAM combines the power of a relational database platform with the storage flexibility of a NTFS file system. This is accomplished by storing references within the database to binary large object data (BLOBs) residing on the file system. In this fashion, SS2008 manages access and interaction with the information, but is not responsible for the direct storage of it. Unstructured Data can be accessed through typical Transact-SQL statements or via Win32 API calls. FILESTREAM is a good option to consider when objects being stored are larger than 1 MB in size and is limited only by the volume size of the underlying file system. If objects are <1 MB on average, you’ll get better performance by using the Varbinary(max) data type directly within the database.
From a security standpoint, FILESTREAM fits neatly into the database. If a user has permission to query a table and column containing FILESTREAM data, they are able to access the Unstructured Data. This access however does not carry forward at the file system level. Only the account running the SQL Server service account has access to the files at the file system level.
Is this only way to deal with Unstructured Data? Of course not, but it is an option. There are some limitations when using FILESTREAM with other SS2008 functionality. Special consideration needs to be addressed when utilizing Database Snapshots, Mirroring, Replication, Log Shipping, and Clustering.
Continue to browse through other blogs on www.thefuturevalueofbusiness.com to see conversations on SharePoint 2007 and its role in taming Unstructured Data.
Dave
Sphere: Related ContentCollaboration and Search
May 5, 2008
We collaborate and work together to achieve a common goal, sharing knowledge and ideas and creating content in the process. Often times in a business, people are collaborating around a certain issue that needs addressing or improvement or maybe brain-storming ideas to come up with a new solution or collaborating around a certain task. Typically, as people collaborate, content gets created in the form of an email or a document or a discussion thread or a virtual workspace or a wiki or other similar mechanism. While the collaboration activity is at its peak, it’s probably easier to keep track of this content. However, the further removed one is from the actual activity, the harder it becomes to know or remember where something might be found. And ultimately for the business, all of this content could be considered assets that need to be easily and quickly retrieved.
Collaboration by its very nature creates a lot of unstructured content. Given that there isn’t a pre-defined structure, how does one go about quickly locating relevant information? It’s quite possible that the one who is looking for something might not even know where the information might reside. Is it on a file system or in a virtual team workspace or in a discussion thread or in a wiki? Also, it’s quite possible that the unstructured content that is created was actually pertaining to some structured content out in a database or a line-of-business application. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to search and reference that information as well?
IDC estimates that information workers spend on average 48% of their time searching for and analyzing information, (9.5 and 9.6 hours per week, respectively) which costs an organization $28,000 per worker per year (see “The Hidden Costs of Information Work”, IDC April 2006)
As mentioned last week, I’m going to look at some of the capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (referred to in the future as SharePoint 2007) which make it such a strong contender in the Enterprise 2.0 space. With SharePoint 2007, you are able to search both structured and unstructured data and quickly find the information you might be looking for. You can search content on your file shares, your internet and intranet web sites, IBM Lotus Notes repositories, Microsoft Exchange Public folders, and of course, SharePoint sites. You can also find information stored in databases and backend Line of Business systems, such as ERP and CRM. Not only this, but you can also search for people in your organization and identify those who might have the required expertise to get a job done. The best part about SharePoint search is that it returns security-trimmed results, so that a user only gets to see what they’ve been previously authorized to see. The search experience in SharePoint 2007 is highly customizable as well so that one can display best bets, eliminate noise words, and customize the display of search results and do so much more. Another highly useful feature is that there is really no preset document limit unlike other well-known search products.
An Enterprise Search feature pack is expected soon which is going to further enhance the Search experience with SharePoint and incorporate some of the powerful functionality found in Microsoft Search Server 2008, which Forrester Research has labeled as a Disruptor in Enterprise Search (see Microsoft: Latest Disruptor in Enterprise Search). Also, with Microsoft’s acquisition of FAST earlier this year (see Gartner Magic Quadrant for Information Access Technology, 2007), which Microsoft plans to integrate into SharePoint Search, it’s going to make the already powerful SharePoint search experience even more so. It’s worth noting too that other software vendors have also recognized the power of SharePoint Search and are integrating their products with SharePoint to leverage its powerful search functionality (for example, look at this news article about an open source collaboration vendor integrating with SharePoint for its Search functionality).
So with SharePoint 2007, you can pretty much assume that you will be able to search and retrieve the content you’re looking for. For more details, look at Enterprise Search from Microsoft.
Sphere: Related ContentDashboards for Dentists
May 1, 2008
This week I had my bi-yearly checkup with my dentist. I have never really minded going to these appointments. For the most part, other than always being gently scolded for not flossing regularly (come on, it’s a pain to do!), my visits are routine and without surprises. Over the last 10 years or so, one item I have always puzzled about is the WALL of patient files that exist behind the receptionist’s desk. How many patients’ records exist in that wall? How many are active patients? How many versions of x-rays exist per folder? What happens if the office goes up in smoke or is the victim of water damage? Does the history of the patient disappear?
Well this visit was a bit different, let me explain. I sat down in the chair and my hygienist explained it was time for x-rays. Ok no problem…put on lead vest…open wide and bite down on film…absorb some radiation…print out x-ray…review x-ray on white screen. To my surprise, my assumed process stopped at “absorb some radiation”. Instead of printing out the x-ray to film, the results of my x-ray immediately displayed on a LCD monitor next to my chair within “Dave’s dashboard”! My dentist had recently installed a new system and was in the process of converting the WALL into the digital age.
So what did “Dave’s dashboard” include?
-
A repository of x-ray films. This allows the dentist to quickly move between versions of films and allows him to monitor changing patterns in the mouth (tooth gaps widening/shrinking, jaw alignment, etc.)
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Historical view of past visits. Included were procedures performed, costs associated, insurance company billed, future scheduled visits, etc.
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A graphical representation of all the teeth in MY mouth. It showed my incisors, my molars, etc. But the neat part was that if something was “special” about a tooth, that “special” was represented in the graphic. Fillings were shaded grey. Cosmetic work was green. Areas “being watched” were blue. I was told areas with potential enamel problems would be another color.
-
A bunch of other “tabs” of information that I wasn’t able to view (couldn’t ask, mouth was full)
How cool is that? All information about a patient was online and accessible in a concise easy to read format. A format that can be shared directly with the patient to help them understand why their tooth is hurting or what their teeth may look like “after” a cosmetic change.
I attempted to ask my dentist about the software to get a feel for what technologies were used to create this. Obviously he didn’t have a clue, but it was running in Windows Vista and appeared to be client/server in nature. Not only did this appear to make the dentist and hygienist’s job easier from a paperwork perspective, but now this vital information was easily maintained, backed up and tucked away in the event of an office disaster. The reliance on the WALL was subsiding. So in a world where businesses are consistently trying to improve themselves, exposing the same old information in new exciting ways may just help turn on a light bulb to a new way of thinking or acting/reacting…even a dentist.
If I ever need to change dentists, I now only have to request my records be forwarded electronically to my next dentist. I don’t plan on doing so anytime soon though. I very pleased with my current one and he’s getting hip with the times and using software/technologies that I have expressed interests in.
Now where is that floss…
Dave
Sphere: Related ContentWhat is Consulting?
April 29, 2008
“Good Morning”
“Do you have a need for Contract Programmers?”
Here at LUCRUM, Chuck has done a great job at filtering our email solicitations. However, I still get the one above from some guy named Patrick Harris….it reminds me of how LUCRUM is positioned in the market as a consulting firm providing business and technology solutions.
There’s a real difference between “contract programmer” and “consultant.” The industry often mingles the definitions together and customers tend to negotiate for consulting services using “contract programmer” pricing.
LUCRUM has had a rich history of hiring IT professionals that thrive on “consulting” using their technology skills. With that statement, let’s ask ourselves “what is a consultant?” Consulting is bringing expertise of one’s experiences into a firm on a project or fee basis. One of the ironies of consulting is that the goal of the consultant must be to make him or herself obsolete.” All of us have been in the position of being frustrated (either as an internal or external consultant or even as a perm-placement worker) by management’s careful efforts to defeat any and all attempts on our part to transfer the knowledge we had to at least one (other) person in the organization. This puzzles me because I learned early on in my career that it is far more probable that a company will retain “intuitive knowledge” about their system/applications/data/whatever if more than one person has that knowledge.
To provide our technology expertise is simply not enough in today’s global economy. The disparity between India (and other Asian-based services) and the US will continue to have companies use “contract programmers” that are truly just “coders” and not consultants.
Why do I bring this up? It’s our livelihood! I also know that our mantra has been “85% social and 15% technical.” My ratio is skewed purposely to emphasize the requirement to “over-communicate” on every part of our daily assignment. The technology works; it doesn’t work if people are not communicating. As consultants, it’s up to us to take the lead responsibility with the customer on communications. That’s our largest challenge. You’ll see LUCRUM’s focus to grow our capabilities in this area with Customer Alignment Sessions, leveraging Whole Brain Organizational Development processes internally and with our customers, and a new larger emphasis on the consultant, and in developing unique professional skills. Jodie Heflin, as our Delivery Leader, has the proven track record of Customer-oriented 85/15 skills. It’s her goal to get all of our firm up to a higher level of capability; to “think” as a part of our customer’s business in addition to our technology capabilities.
Sphere: Related ContentOf Web 2.0 and SharePoint 2007
April 28, 2008
Web 2.0 made a big bang in 2007 advocating and offering new avenues for information worker collaboration to increase their productivity. Forrester Research expects that “adoption of social networking solutions for business” will “accelerate dramatically in 2008 with many firms looking for internal social networking solutions”.
Web 2.0 in the enterprise is now here and companies, big and small, are having to figure out how best to deal with it. Technologies such as blogs, wikis, RSS, instant messaging, surveys, team workspaces, web conferencing, mashups and the like have grown immensely in popularity. In many cases, employees have figured out for themselves how to accomplish their work more efficiently using such technologies without formal offerings or support from their companies, and so it has now become imperative that businesses and especially their IT departments seriously consider how they are going to support this growing need for social computing in their organizations.
One of the primary contenders in the enterprise web 2.0 space is SharePoint 2007 from Microsoft. In the short period of a year since it was first released, SharePoint 2007 has generated over $1 billion in sales for Microsoft and has become their fastest selling server product ever. Industry analysts such as G. Oliver Young of Forrester Research say that “Microsoft’s SharePoint will continue to steamroll the market” in the enterprise Web 2.0 space (see Forrester Research’s “Top Enterprise Web 2.0 Predictions For 2008” by G. Oliver Young, January 25, 2008). He also says that “for SharePoint, 2008 will be another banner year.” Forrester also expects that the IT departments taking a leadership role in enterprise 2.0 deployments will look at SharePoint first.
For Lucrum, SharePoint 2007 is currently a cornerstone of our collaboration strategy. In subsequent blogs, I plan to spell out in greater detail those aspects of SharePoint 2007 that make it such a strong contender in the enterprise web 2.0 space. Of course, one cannot assume that SharePoint is the holy grail of social computing and it is what everyone needs - depending on the customer’s needs and environment, it’s possible that other tools might be better suited for them.
Sphere: Related ContentEat our own dog food!
April 25, 2008
It’s great to see LÛCRUM eat our own dog food! That may sound negative but it’s really a very positive statement. I heard this phase regularly from a former manager. What this means is if a product or procedure is good enough to recommend to our customer’s, it’s good enough for us to use as well.
Yesterday I had my first opportunity to participate in an Alignment Session at LÛCRUM. In simple terms, an Alignment Sessions is one of LÛCRUM’s differentiating tools we offer to our clients to help organizations align on key business decisions.
Our LÛCRUM meeting was to look at a new internal system. Our senior management team and key system users followed the Alignment Session process to help drive to consensus and define next steps. The process helped us document the current system’s Strengths (ie, it’s free!), Problems (ie, too many manual processes), Threats (ie, might cost too much), and Opportunities (ie, interface with other business systems). From that point we were able to define our required Objectives and differentiate those from the ‘Nice to Haves’. Then we documented the Challenges (ie data conversion), Resources (ie PM, Sponsor), and finally our Game Plan (a high level project plan).
As the project manager of this internal project, I am thrilled to have at the end of the session all the information I need to complete a Project Charter and move forward on the project. In addition, I’m comfortable that the right people are aligned on the decision. I went home that day feeling like the day had been a big success.
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