I got accepted to present at the fall Business Objects conference again this year. Things are really on a tight schedule; we only have about two weeks from acceptance to the date when the first draft is due. 😯 With all of the work required to keep up with client obligations, Integra projects, BOB stuff, this blog… well, blog posting may be a bit sporadic over the coming month or so.
Having said that, it seems that I will also be able to go to the SAP TechEd conference next month. I’m finalizing travel and other arrangements now. I hope to be able to do “live blogs” like I did from Berlin earlier this spring since I will be there primarily as an attendee and not as a speaker. There is a bit more news on that front but I need to get final confirmation on a few details before posting anything further.
Busy. Busy. I’ll be back when I can.
As per this comment here is the recipe for my famous “Dave Cookies” … enjoy. 😎
Continue reading “By Popular Request: Cookies!”
I am probably not following proper blog “netiquette” as I don’t offer a “blog roll” here. A blog roll is a standard feature of WordPress and it allows a blogger to link to other blogs of interest, whether they’re on the same topic or just from friends or family or… well, you probably get the idea. Despite the lack of a formal blog roll I do read a few other folks (when I have time). One of those on my short list is Timo Elliott’s blog.
Continue reading “Technology Needs People Too”
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A few days ago I posted about the new GBN (Global BusinessObjects Network) organization. They’re going to be responsible for the user conference this fall that is replacing the “Insight” conferences run by Business Objects in the past. One of the questions posted as a comment to that post was this:
Will the Global BO Network be organising the conferences around the world?
We over here in the Asia-Pac haven’t had one for awhile…
I did some digging and asking around and some guessing, and at this point I have some rumors to share. 🙂 From what I can tell, the intent is to sponsor several conferences a year. If that is the case, then the Asia-Pacific Rim area should be on the short list of options to consider. I suspect that we will see plans for GBN-sponsored events in both Europe and Asia-Pac in 2009 along with at least one large “Insight-style” event in the US. Part of the reason for me guessing this is they will want to put their best foot forward in order to secure long-term support and interest for their program, and the best way to do that will be to get out in front of the users. By doing that, they can share their vision and mission with the largest group of people… which should ultimately prove beneficial for both parties if they can deliver. And from our first conference call (in my earlier post I mentioned that I was selected to the steering committee for the GBN) one of the focal points was the “G” or “Global” nature of the program.
Getting global events running would be the best way to reinforce that concept, yes? 😉
The EU-Insight from earlier this year was in Berlin along with the SAPPHIRE conference. Given that the GBN wants to emphasize the independence from the product company I would expect that future conferences will not be held in conjunction with SAPPHIRE but will instead be a separate venue. Most of this is guess-work at this point as the new organization is just getting off of the ground. If I learn anything concrete I will be sure to share it when I can.
I got a comment from someone new recently who said:
Sigh. There is so much about Business Objects that makes me scream “WHY??? Who designed this thing? Nobody who has ever used it in the real world, that’s for sure!”
First it made me laugh. But then it made me think. At various points Business Objects has done things that made their users extremely frustrated, and it seems that sometimes it’s because they don’t know what people are doing with their products. The best example that I can think of happened a very long time ago, but it was a “biggie” as they say. It happened during the update from 3.1 to 4.0. Anyone else remember those exciting times? 😆
Continue reading “What We Do Without Business Objects Knowing About It…”
The Business Objects Community Alliance is going to be rebranded as the Global Business Objects Network. There are various reasons for the change, some of which have to do with naming conflicts but mostly having to do with the desire to emphasize the independence from anything run by SAP. The new organization is going to be launched in a more formal fashion at the upcoming fall conference in October, but work has already started.
The new organization is going to exist along with but separate from the existing ASUG (Americas SAP User Group). Unlike ASUG, which is focused on the US, our goal is to attempt from the start to become a truly global organization. Thus, the name. 🙂 Over the coming months I will probably be posting more about this as I have the honor to have been selected as one of the initial steering committee members. We had our first conference call on Friday and will be talking regularly over the coming weeks in order to best prepare for the more formal launch at the fall conference this October.
In keeping with my belief in being “open” (whether it is using and supporting open source software or open organizations like BOB) I plan to post updates on the process here on my blog. If anyone has questions or input, do please post a comment. I ask that you do this rather than email me directly so that my responses can also be in the open and any interested party can follow the conversation.
As I write this I am just getting ready to welcome my students back for day 2 of the Advanced Designer course. How did I get here? It’s an interesting story. Or maybe it’s not, you get to decide. 🙂
Continue reading “48 Hours in the Life of a Business Objects Trainer”
