IIUG E-News, April 2001

IIUG E-News, April 2001

Other Issues

International Informix Users Group (IIUG)
www.iiug.org
E-newsletter
Volume 5 – April, 2001


SUMMARY

I. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT:
II. IIUG NEWS AND EVENTS: Apply for the IIUG Board, Survey Results, IUC 2001, State of the IIUG Server, and Local User Group News and Upcoming Events
III. BOARD NEWS: New Board Member, February IIUG Board Meeting, Plans for 2001
IV. INFORMIX NEWS AND EVENTS: World Record TPC-H Benchmark, SAP Global Partnership, Financial Foundation Bundle
V. CLOSING AND CREDITS: Request for Feedback, Credits

You can update your IIUG information online at www.iiug.org/cgi-bin/update_member.cgi


I. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Greetings!

I would like to take the opportunity of sharing some of the recent activities around IIUG and also an update of the Board meeting held in Menlo Park, CA on 17 Feb through 20 Feb 2001. Surprisingly enough the weather outside was gloomy and believe me it had nothing to do with the electricity problems in California but because of the rainy and wet weather. However the weather inside the boardroom was upbeat. It was the first full meeting with the new board in place and we had a very productive meeting.

With that I would like to share with all of you status of various projects and also a highlight of the board meeting.

We have had good progress on stabilizing the IIUG server infrastructure. Great job well done by the operations sub committee under the chair of Stuart Litel.

The newsletter you are now reading is an interim one with a turn around time faster than normal. Kudos to the Promotions sub committee headed by Rob Vorbroker.

During our board meeting we had met with several members of the Informix management team, including Brian Staff, VP of Marketing, Sharon Thomson, Executive Director – Global Communications, and Product Managers Meg Hilbert and Anita Chung who shared with us the Vision, Strategy and roadmap for Informix database product line.

The highlight of the board meeting was a Focus group session with Saatchi and Saatchi, one of the premier advertising and marketing organizations of the world. The session was aimed at discussing about Informix, the brand, the product, the company, people, customers etc and to get the feedback from us, your representatives to help promote the Informix brand, the products and the company itself. This was the fourth session of this kind, prior to that there were sessions held with customers in Atlanta, London, UK and San Francisco. We will keep you updated on the programs and results of these sessions as soon as Informix and Saatchi and Saatchi share it with us. Keep tuned.

Yours truly,

Sudhir P. Nair
President, IIUG
president@iiug.org

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II. IIUG NEWS AND EVENTS

Survey for International User Conference (IUC) 2000 – Dawn McGuire

Please provide the IIUG with your feedback on IUC 2000 and help us make IUC 2001 the best if can be! Even if you did not attend the 2000 conference, we want your input. Complete your survey today by pointing your Web browser to the following link:

http://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/3431/iuc.htm

WANTED: New board members for the IIUG

We are looking for new members of the board of directors for the IIUG! If you are an Informix user and have creative ideas for the success of the IIUG, please come forth and take advantage of this opportunity to lead. Because the IIUG is an international organization, we are VERY interested in non-US members.

The one-year term starts October 2001 at the Informix User Conference in Las Vegas. This commitment will require travel to board meetings, monthly conference calls, and regular e-mail communication with other board members. We meet for about three days (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) three times a year (once at the Informix User Conference). Based on your background and expertise, you may elect to contribute to one of the three major IIUG Board of Director committees, including Promotions, Membership, and Operations. In addition to being able to make a difference in the direction of the organization, fringe benefits include all-expenses-paid attendance to the Informix User Conference and other required meetings.

For more information about the process, please refer to www.iiug.org/members/Nominating_Committee.html. To nominate yourself or others, please contact one of nominating committee. For biographies of current board members, see Board Biographies.

Tools Survey Results – Dawn McGuire

Informix and the IIUG Board of Directors would like to thank you for your participation in the Informix tools survey. All of the results have been collected and analyzed. Review the results.

Again, thank you for your participation. We hope that you will continue to participate in future surveys conducted by the IIUG and Informix. To see what surveys are currently being conducted, please visit www.iiug.org/resources/research.html.

IUC News – Paul Mosser

THE IUC IS COMING. MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!

The Informix User Conference (IUC) 2001 is scheduled for October 21-24, 2001, in exciting Las Vegas, Nevada! The conference will be held at the beautiful MGM Grand Hotel. Besides the fun, this conference will be packed with information that you and your organization can use to leverage your Informix investments. IIUG has already started working with Informix to ensure that IUC 2001 meets YOUR needs for the latest product plans, technical “tips-n-tricks”, and truly useful session content. Watch the Informix web site (www.informix.com) or the IIUG web site (www.iiug.org) for further details as these plans are being developed. If you have some ideas regarding IUC 2001, or if you’d like to help, please email us at events@iiug.org.

State of the IIUG Server – Stuart Litel

The IIUG server (www.iiug.org) is going through a major overhaul. While the server is still using the same hardware, the operating system and all the software have been upgraded. The new software will allow the IIUG to resolve some email problems and once again reach the entire membership..

In addition to the upgrades, the new server will provide us with the following benefits:

  • Easier access for the local user groups to have their own Web pages on the IIUG server.
  • A members-only area that will include the Informix news feed, ftp software and the ability for members to change their own profiles.
  • Better security and logging.
  • More flexibility and control.

In addition, the server will have a dedicated T-1 line, courtesy of Informix, and an onsite system administrator, courtesy of Advanced Data Tools Corporation. Any questions or ideas should be emailed to stuart@iiug.org.

Local User Group News

Carolina Informix User Group – James Edmiston

I had the privilege of attending the inaugural meeting of the Carolinas Informix User Group (CIUG) yesterday in Charlotte, NC. There were about 40 people in attendance. Most of the attendees were not from Charlotte and drove a significant distance.

There were presentations by a couple of Informix systems engineers on Informix Server Administrator (ISA), Office Connect, Server Studio and the Geospatial DataBlade. There was also a presentation by a product manager for Object Translator.

I was on the agenda and gave a brief overview of IIUG, some specific ways we could help the members (host the Web site, manage email lists, etc.), our role in the IUC, and more.

The president of the group is Harry Caraway. He is a former Informix employee from the mid 90s. It was a very enjoyable day and I appreciate the opportunity to attend and welcome the new group’s members!

Central Texas Informix User Group – Paul Mosser

On Thursday, March 8, 2001, I attended the regular meeting of the Central Texas Informix Users Group, in Austin, Texas. The meeting was hosted by Sears and was held at the Sears Technical Center. Informix’s Carl Sandburg organized and conducted the meeting.

There were about 25 people in attendance, including three Informix employees. A number of people had driven several hours (many left their homes at 6:00 A.M. or earlier!!) in order to get to the meeting, which started at 9:00 a.m.. Several companies were represented.

I led off with a presentation on the IIUG. I discussed our objectives, activities (Forum 2001, IUC, etc.), services (host web site, email list, SIG’s), and structure. Following that, Bob Greer of Informix gave an overview of the current Informix product roadmap. Carlton Doe, also of Informix (and a founding member of IIUG), gave a technical overview of High-Availability Data Replication (HADR). Finally, Sarada Vempati, of Sears, gave a presentation on Sears’ use of Enterprise Replication.

Carl informed me that he would be starting a new user group in Houston in about June. He would also like someone from IIUG to present at that meeting. I appreciated the opportunity to attend this meeting and represent IIUG and the IIUG Board of Directors.

Washington DC Area Local User Group – James Edmiston

The Washington Area Informix Users Group (WAIUG) held Training Day on Wednesday, March 21, 2001 at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, VA. The Department of Information and Software Engineering at GMU hosted the event. There were approximately 110 participants on hand for sessions that included SQL optimization, Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) performance tuning, upgrading to IDS v. 9.2, data warehouse design and Informix Extended Parallel Server (XPS). Many thanks to our speakers, the WAIUG board of directors and volunteers, and representatives from the local Informix office in Vienna, VA. Special thanks to Dawn McGuire, User Group Program Manager, for her contribution and support. Check our web site at www.iiug.org/waiug for a summary page of the day, downloadable copies of the PowerPoint presentations and information on upcoming events.

Upcoming Local User Group Events

For a complete list of IIUG & LUG events check the Events section on the IIUG web-site at www.iiug.org The following is a sample of upcoming events.

Nordic Informix User Conference
May 7th and 8th, 2001 Copenhagen, Denmark
Web Site: www.ibdk.dk
Five years ago the Danish Informix User Group formed the first Nordic User Conference in Copenhagen. Since then it has been in Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki and last year Reykjavik.

The Nordic User Conference has visitors from all the Nordic countries. Typically they expect between 100 and 150 attendants. The conference is mainly technical, with some business oriented tracks.

EMEA Local User Group President’s Meeting
May 9th, 2001, Hanover, Germany

The IIUG has arranged a meeting for all EMEA Local User Group Presidents to discuss common issues, successes, and problems regarding their local user groups. During this meeting we will also be providing the Presidents with a chance to hear from some Informix EMEA Executives.

German User Group Workshop
May 8th-9th, 2001, Hanover, Germany

The German User Group has over 500 members. It typically has 4 technical workshops a year that are divided in 4 parallel sessions.

Please check the IIUG Events web page at: www.iiug.org

To list your local event in this newsletter or on the IIUG web site, please send your event information to ug@iiug.org

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III. BOARD NEWS

New Informix Representative to the Board

Effective February 2001, Martha Schraer has assumed the position as Informix representative on the Board of Directors. Shawn Dagg, Informix’s previous representative, has changed positions within Informix and it was decided that closer ties to Informix’s Marketing group would be beneficial to the IIUG. Join us in welcoming Martha to her new role and thanking Shawn for his contributions over the years he spent on the Board.

Board of Directors Meeting – February 2001

The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) board of directors met in Menlo Park, CA on February 18th-20th, 2001. The IIUG Board is made up of 11 volunteers from the IIUG Community and one representative from Informix (see www.iiug.org/about/iiug_board.html). This meeting was one of three face-to-face sessions that the Board has each year and was held in Menlo to allow access to various Informix staff members including marketing’s Brian Staff and Sharon Thompson.

The Board met with Meg Hilbert, Product Manager for The Classics, who gave a short presentation on the Product Roadmap for these products. Anita Chung led an interactive presentation on Application Server Direction and Data Security. The IIUG Board also met with Gary Koller, responsible for the IDN website, and Ramesh Rao, newly responsible for all Informix websites, internal and external.

The IIUG Board regularly meets to review the goals and objectives of the organization, to plot strategies as to how we can better serve our members, and to determine how we can better foster communications between Informix and the IIUG Members. The IIUG Board is split into three Teams: Membership, Promotions and Infrastructure. Other sub-committees revolve around the IIUG’s interaction with Local User Groups (LUGs), Special Interest Groups (SIGs), International Issues, and IIUG’s involvement in the annual Informix User Conference. A revised Business Plan and Minutes from the Board Meeting are posted on the IIUG web site (www.iiug.org).

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IV. INFORMIX NEWS

Informix Software Sets World Record in the 1000GB TPC-H Benchmark

Informix Software announced that it has established a world record in the 1000GB TPC-H benchmark on a single node system, setting industry-leading marks for speed and accuracy. For more details check out www.informix.com/informix/press/2001/mar/benchmark.htm

Informix Software and SAP Announce Extension of Global Partnership

Building on the companies’ seven-year partnership, SAP will resell Informix Dynamic ServerÙ (IDS) licenses with the mySAP.comÙ e-business platform, which features a complete family of e-business solutions, services, and technologies that enable customers to run their businesses more efficiently, productively, and effectively regardless of industry or sector. For more details check out www.informix.com/informix/press/2001/feb/sap.htm

Informix Software Unveils Financial Foundation Bundle

Informix Software announced the release of Informix Financial Foundation, an analytical database solution developed exclusively for capital markets, which will be unveiled today at the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) trade show in New York City. For more details check out www.informix.com/informix/press/2001/feb/fin.htm

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V. CLOSING AND CREDITS

The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an international organization that is designed to enhance communications between Informix and its worldwide user community. The IIUG now has over 10,000 members and receives major support from Informix. We also help with the creation and growth of local user groups.

If you do not wish to receive future editions, send an email to ug@iiug.org with the words “UNSUBSCRIBE enews” in the text of the message. To delete your record from the IIUG database, send an email to ug@iiug.org with the words “DELETE iiug-membership” in the text of the message.

Sources: IIUG Board of Directors

Editor: Rob Vorbroker, Vorbroker Consulting and IIUG Board Member

Assistant Editors: Ron Flannery, One Point Solutions, lead author of Informix Handbook and IIUG Board Member

Contact: ug@iiug.org or Dawn McGuire at 650.926.6762

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Published
Categorized as Insider

By Vicente Salvador

Board member since 2014, a user since 1989 and Informix fan. I'am software architect which allow me to combine technical and business skills.