Regularly I write about the developments in the field of Oracle Applications. One of the changes that I foresee in the coming years is that the traditional activities of a functional or technical consultant will change dramatically.

Oracle Fusion Middleware is now a accepted product and is increasingly being used by our customers. It forms the technical basis for the next generation application: Fusion Applications. In my view this means a whole new playing field for the traditional ERP consultant. Fusion Applications consists of processes (with BPM and BPA Suite), services developed with Java and integrated with Fusion Middleware, service bus and BPEL. To keep it simple I leave IDM/SSO, BI, MDM out of the equation. Striking is that on the playing field for instance PeopleTools or Siebel tools are not mentioned. The focus is no longer on the ERP application but more on processes and services. Integration is the key word.

General OpenWorld News

Ellison touts new products at Oracle OpenWorld

Oracle’s CEO Larry Ellison fired up the crowd at Oracle’s OpenWorld conference in San Francisco on Wednesday by showing off new business software and a new data-storage system that he dubbed “the fastest business computer in the world.” Read more …

Schwarzenegger praises Oracle’s deal for Sun

Adding a little star power to Oracle’s proposed acquisition of Sun Microsystems, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took the stage at the Moscone Center on Wednesday and congratulated CEO Larry Ellison on the deal even though it’s been stalled by a European antitrust investigation. Read more …

Oracle’s Larry Ellison to IBM: “make our day”

… Ellison fought back Wednesday in a speech in San Francisco, promoting a $10 million prize Oracle is offering to any organization that finds Oracle’s database software doesn’t run at least twice as fast on Sun servers as it does on IBM’s fastest computers. Read more …

Thanks to this year’s crew

Bob, Frank and Ellen, a big thanks for your contribution.

General OpenWorld News

Keynote Thomas Kurian “More of the same”
 

During Thomas Kurian’s keynote yesterday, he was presenting new versions of the current applications, integration between those applications and funny movies to support the issues customers have and can be solved by Oracle products. More on BI Applications, BPM Applications and Enterprise Manager. No word on Fusion Applications… let’s see what Larry Ellison will tell us during his keynote tonight.

Today’s Keynotes
Larry Ellison “Larry Ellison discusses the state of technology.”

General OpenWorld News

The Buzz at Oracle OpenWorld 2009

Impressions from Oracle’s annual get-together: Ellison disses IBM; Where are Fusion Apps?; Charles and Safra on Red Stack integration. At Oracle OpenWorld, Sunday was all about the partner ecosystem—some some 21,000 strong—and Larry Ellison’s trashing of IBM up and down on the main stage of the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Ellison, with the comedic assistance of Sun Microsystems chairman Scott McNealy, was in full-out attack mode, going after his new target: IBM. “We’re looking forward to competing with IBM in the systems [business],” said the Oracle CEO, “and we think the combination of Sun and Oracle [is] well-equipped to compete successfully against the giant.” (That’s the lite version of his comments.)

Never one to shy away from the dramatics or fact-challenged hyperbole, Ellison boasted that Oracle would give $10 million to any enterprise whose existing database application would not run at least twice as fast as on Sun gear. (Can’t wait to see what happens when an enterprise calls him on this.)
Read more …

General OpenWorld News

Oracle expects 35,000-plus for OpenWorld

Oracle is beckoning tens of thousands of business partners and customers to its OpenWorld conference at Moscone Center this week, promising to answer a host of business software questions. It’s a tall order for the Redwood City software giant. Questions abound concerning how Oracle will integrate Sun Microsystems, when it will roll out its much anticipated Fusion Applications Suite, how it will expand its cloud services and how it will help customers weather tough economic times.

Oracle Vice President of Corporate Marketing Tania Weidick said 35,000 to 40,000 people are expected this year, potentially a 10 percent drop from the 40,000 that attended last year’s convention. She said the economy has played a role in paring the number of registrations, but that walk-ups could increase the numbers. Oracle continues to use every inch of convention space available, including 300,000 square feet of show floor. It has also expanded the number of sessions to almost 2,000 events, about a 10 percent increase over last year.