Are you interested in SQL Server and Oracle interoperability? Then you might want to consider attending the 12-city Roadshow “Managing Your Cross-Platform Data: Solutions for Oracle and SQL Server Environments,” which Windows IT Pro (SQL Server Magazine’s sister publication) and its industry and training partners are about to kick off. For a minimal investment of time and money (one day and $99), Oracle DBAs and developers can learn how to extend their skills into the SQL Server world and Oracle-focused IT managers and directors can evaluate the benefits of making strategic investments in SQL Server-based solutions.
I don’t make a habit of mentioning every interesting show or seminar event I come across because if I tried, all I’d ever do is make announcements. However, this Roadshow strikes my fancy for two reasons. First, I think it’s reflective of a big push from Microsoft in the database interoperability space that you should expect to see over the next year. I haven’t tallied up all of the Microsoft initiatives designed to spur SQL Server growth in cross-platform environments, but I do sense a growing interest from multiple groups at Microsoft in targeting this space. Don’t get me wrong--Microsoft has always cared about cross-platform wins. However, funding is a good gauge of Microsoft’s interest in particular initiatives. More recently than in past years, I’ve learned about multiple initiatives in which Microsoft employees are proactively working on cross-platform wins. A proactive increase in focused efforts to support competitive wins from Oracle and IBM DB2 can mean only one thing: Someone has funding (i.e., money) to pay for those efforts. Thus, someone (or perhaps many people) at Microsoft think it’s a growing strategic priority.
The second reason I think this particular Roadshow is interesting is that a market opportunity exists for it; therefore, many large companies must already have substantial investments in multiple enterprise-database platforms. I admit that historically, most of my clients have tended to be Microsoft-based shops in which most investments are in Microsoft technology. However, I’ve noticed over the last year or so that it’s more common for me to see mixed environments, and my company has seen an increase in requests along the line of, “We need to train our enterprise Oracle DBAs on SQL Server.” This isn’t a statistically pure survey by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a clear trend that I’ve observed.
To produce the Roadshow, Windows IT Pro is partnering with Microsoft, HP, and Intel, and other sponsoring partners. Two top SQL Server firms, Scalability Experts and Solid Quality Learning, are providing the technology content, so you can be sure the material will be interesting. In fact, the BI content is produced by Douglas McDowell, author of the monthly SQL Server Magazine UPDATE Special Edition commentary. (To be fair, I must tell you that Douglas and I are colleagues. But you can be assured that as such, I can vouch for the quality of his work, and he’ll give you excellent information.)
According to the event’s Web site, the Roadshow “is designed for Oracle professionals who have cross-platform responsibilities or need to transfer their skill sets to SQL Server, and for IT managers seeking database computing environment improvements for their organizations. We are bringing Oracle professionals together to learn from a third-party, independent source key concepts about SQL Server in enterprise database computing environments, including: how to successfully deploy SQL Server's BI capabilities on Oracle; proof points demonstrating that SQL Server is enterprise-ready; and how to successfully deploy Oracle on the Windows platform, focusing on the advantages of 64-bit Intel processor-based server implementations.”
Dates and locations for the tour are:
- September 7, 2006 Washington DC
- September 12, 2006 Boston
- September 21, 2006 Columbus, Ohio
- September 26, 2006 Chicago
- September 28, 2006 St. Louis, Missouri
- October 03, 2006 Houston, Texas
- October 05, 2006 Irvine, California
- October 10, 2006 San Francisco
- October 12, 2006 Phoenix
- October 17, 2006 New York
- October 19, 2006 Atlanta
- October 24, 2006 Seattle
You’ll find additional information about the event, including a link for registration, at http://www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/sqloracle.
