IIUG Insider (Issue #112) October 2009

Highlights: Dr. Arvind Krishna is the new General Manager, Information Management IBM Software Group

Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Insider! Designed for IIUG members and Informix user group leaders, this publication contains timely and relevant information for the IBM Informix community.

Contents:

 


Editorial Back to top

I am writing this editorial from the IBM Information On Demand conference in Las Vegas.

Once again IBM delivered a spectacular event. I am often asked which conference to attend – the IOD or the IIUG conference. There is no straight answer. The two conferences are very different. The IOD is a huge event, covering the entire IBM Information Management portfolio. There are many sessions covering business trends and marketing. The IIUG conference is targeted towards Informix and is purely technical. The IOD gives you the opportunity to meet colleagues and IBM professionals and executives from a wide variety of software products, but they can be hard to find and may not be able to devote as much time as you would sometimes like due to other obligations. At the IIUG conference you have easy access to the Informix development and support teams and to other Informix users. The coziness and family atmosphere make it easy to network. And last but not least there is the price difference. Many organizations cannot afford the IOD.

In other words these two conferences do not compete. Weigh your needs, set your priorities, and choose whatever suits you best.

We wish to see you all at the IIUG Informix conference in Kansas April 25-28 2010.

Between now and March you will find valuable information regarding the conference in the “Conference corner” of the IIUG Insider and of course on our Website at: /conf

Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Insider Editor
gary@iiug.org


Highlights Back to top

Dr. Arvind Krishna is the new General Manager, Information Management IBM Software Group

The IIUG would like to send a warm welcome to Dr. Arvind in his new position.

Arvind has been a great supporter of Informix and the IIUG in his previous role as VP, Database Servers & IM Development Information Management, IBM Software Group.

We wish him well in his new position.

Please read Arvind’s letter to the IIUG community at:

/news/letter/arvind.html

IIUG Board of Directors, on behalf of our worldwide user community


Conference corner Back to top

2010 IIUG Informix Conference Update

April 25-28, 2010

Overland Park Kansas

Many people ask why the IIUG conference is in Overland Park, KS (just outside of Kansas City). Although there are several good reasons, one of the most important is its close proximity to the IBM Informix development lab and technical support center giving us access to many key support and development personnel who participate in the conference as speakers, demonstration personnel and attendees.

The head of all of Informix development and support is Mr. Jerry Keesee, World Wide Director of Informix, IBM Development. We asked Jerry to comment on the conference, and here is what he had to say…

I am thrilled to hear that the IIUG conference committee has selected Overland Park, Kansas as the location for the 3rd World Wide IIUG Conference! The first two conferences were a tremendous success, and we’re looking forward to an even more successful and exciting third annual conference.

I know the conference committee is working hard to plan a conference with fresh, relevant content, dynamic and knowledgeable speakers, and exhibitors with solutions important to your business. Because our Informix worldwide support and development labs are only 5 minutes away, we can guarantee a significant number of Informix engineers will be available at the conference so that everyone who wants to spend time with an engineer will be able to do so. I hope that you will consider how you might participate – as an attendee, potential speaker, or as an exhibitor. I’m looking forward to seeing you next April in Overland Park Kansas.

Thanks Jerry. We are looking forward to seeing you and your staff there.

Registration has officially opened. IIUG Members will continue to receive the same low price as last year. The early bird cost is only $499 with your IIUG member discount. After January 15, the cost will increase. Register before the end of the calendar year to use up your budget dollars, or kick off the New Year with a plan to join the community in Kansas City.

Don’t forget Tutorials. These are an outstanding deal. A full day of in-depth Informix training costs only $250 including breakfast and lunch, or half day for $150 and includes 1 meal.

Visit the conference web site for more details — /conf

We are looking forward to seeing you in Kansas City.

IIUG Conference Planning Committee


Education Back to top

Our Support experts save the day — meet some of the heroes behind Information Management Support

When you choose IBM Information Management Support, you leverage the knowledge and experience of our expert representatives to gain a deeper understanding of your software, better manage your products, and quickly resolve your critical issues.

Meet some of the great minds behind Information Management Support that keep you up and running by visiting our Support Profiles page!

Visit now!

http://www.ibm.com/software/data/support/profiles.html?ca=extsprtexprts

Just Released! The Information Management Software Subscription and Support Video

Transform your business to be smarter, greener and more cost effective by renewing your Software Subscription and Support. When you renew, you maintain uninterrupted access to our world-class support community and product upgrades — with innovative solutions that can make a real difference to your company’s bottom line.

Watch our video to find out the benefits of renewing on-time direct from Debbie Landers, Vice President, Worldwide Client Support, Information Management Software.

Watch now!

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/support/ssvideo.html?ca=extrnwlsvdo

Cut back on travel costs and train green with Instructor Led Online (ILO)

Now with more great courses available online, ILO enables you to train green by eliminating travel and reducing your carbon footprint. With ILO you get the same instructor interaction and group discussion of traditional classroom courses without the time and expense of travel. Now you can have the best of both worlds!

Start learning today!

http://www.ibm.com/software/data/education/ilo.html?ca=TrnGrn

Get the knowledge you need with IBM Information Management Redbooks

IBM Information Management Redbooks are excellent resources, providing valuable guidance, installation and implementation experiences, typical solution scenarios, and simple step-by-step “how-to” guidelines.

Redbooks often include sample code and other support materials to help you learn. Simply choose the format that suits your learning style with Redbooks available online, as hardcopy books, or in IBM Redbooks CD-ROM collections.

Learn more!

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/portals/data

Test your readiness — take an on-line assessment test

Are you fully prepared for your next IBM professional certification exam? Find out what you know and what to improve on by taking an on-line practice test. These assessments are offered through Prime/Prometric for a low fee of $10 USD.

Learn more online!

http://www.ibm.com/software/data/education/cert-assessment.html?ca=onlntst

New! Four great Informix courses to choose from!

Enhance your training and gain the latest skills by enrolling in our new Informix courses. Just choose the best learning method for you!

  • IBM Informix Red Brick Warehouse Administration V6.30 – available ILO (3X500)
  • Informix Dynamic Server 11 System Administration – available as a Self-Paced Virtual Course (2X811)
  • Informix Dynamic Server 11 Backup and Restore – available classroom and ILO (IX440/3X440)
  • Creating Global Databases Using Informix GLS (Private Only) – available classroom and ILO (IX450/3X450)

Read the full descriptions here!

/url/courses.html


Developer corner Back to top

Informix Chat with the Lab

Wednessday, Nov 18
8:30 AM Pacific
10:30 AM Central
11:30 AM Eastern
4:30 PM London
5:30 PM Paris

MACH11 best practices around HDR/RSS

Jerry Keesee, Director of the Informix Lab will introduce the call and Madison Pruet, Informix STSM will be our technical speaker.

Presentation material will be available at http://www.ibm.com/informix/labchats prior to the event.

Questions, comments ahujam@us.ibm.com

To register for this event, use the following link:

https://events.webdialogs.com/register.php?id=fbae7a6e35&l=en-US

If clicking the above link does not work, please copy the entire link and paste it into your Web browser.

For webinar-specific questions, contact the moderator. For technical support, contact UnyteSupport@us.ibm.com.

Best regards,

Madhuri Ahuja PMP®
Information Management, IBM
Lenexa, KS

New in DeveloperWorks

Get started with Informix Dynamic Server user interface tools

Learn about the user interface utilities that help to access, administer, and monitor IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS). This article highlights the utilities DB-Access, AGS Server Studio, Open Admin Tool, and Informix Server Administrator. In addition, learn about some new features that help you leverage IDS capabilities using these tools.

For more information go to DeveloperWorks — Informix:

/url/devworks.html

Onbar pages

Some Onbar pages hosted on Yahoo by Maury Tiller are going away.

With Maury’s permission we posted those pages on our website, and they can be found at:

/onbar/onbar.html

Thank you Maury.


IBM Corner Back to top

IDS 11.50 Information Center is now a Collaboration Center

Do you love the Informix documentation? Do you hate it? Well, now… you can contribute to it!

The IDS 11.50 Information Center is now a Collaboration Center. You can rate IDS documentation topics, start discussion threads, comment on content, share examples, watch topics/threads, and more! To try out the new collaboration tools, go to the V11.50 Information Center at /url/info_center.html.

Anyone can view comments. To add or rate comments or reply, log in using your ibm.com ID. If you don’t have an ibm.com ID, the Information Center login dialog has a link — it takes only seconds to create!

Questions or feedback on the new functionality can be sent using the “feedback” link on the bottom of each page, or sent directly to burkharj@us.ibm.com.

Go forth and collaborate!

Judy Burkhart

Manager, IBM DM Information Development
Informix, Derby, and Mashup Hub


Informix resources Back to top

Informix Blogs and things

  • The IIUG forums at /forums/technical.php **** these are very good****
  • Blogs, Videos, News and more at http://planetids.com
  • IDS Experts at http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/idsteam
  • Guy Bowerman at http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/gbowerman
  • Madison Pruitt at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/roundrep
  • Jacques Roy at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/jacquesroy
  • Cathy Elliott at https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/mydeveloperworks/blogs/InformixVoices
  • Informix blogs at http://www.ibmdatabasemag.com/blog/main/archives/informix/index.html
  • Kate Dawson at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/katedawson
  • Fernando Nunes at http://informix-technology.blogspot.com/
  • Virtual Worlds, MMOGs, Serious data – Informix Technology for Persistent Worlds http://informix4virtual.wordpress.com/
  • IBM DATABASE MAGAZINE at http://www.ibmdatabasemag.com
  • The Informix Zone at http://www.informix-zone.com
  • The Informix mag at http://www.informixmag.com/
  • IIUG Developers Desktop /devnews/Vol_1_Iss_4/Home.html
  • There is an Informix group on LinkedIn. The group is called “Informix Supporter”, so anyone loving Informix can join, from current IBM employees, former Informix employees, to users. It will also be a good occasion to get in touch with others or long-time-no-seen friends. If you fancy showing the Informix logo on your profile, join. To join, simply go to: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/25049/5E4B2048E558

 


Calendar of events Back to top

November – 2009
Date Event Location Contact
12 Informix Community Event Henry, Warwickshire U.K. Bell Micro
23-25 Free 3 Day IDS 11.5 Bootcamp (in German language) Duesseldorf, Germany Alexander Koerner

 


Useful links Back to top

In response to your input, we have created a page on the IIUG web site containing all the links we used to include. Please find it at:

/quicklinks.html


Closing and credits Back to top

The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an organization designed to enhance communications between its worldwide user community and IBM. The IIUG’s membership database now exceeds 25,000 entries and enjoys the support and commitment of IBM’s Data Management division. Key programs include local user groups and special interest groups, which we promote and assist from launch through growth.

Sources: IIUG Board of Directors
IBM Corp.
Editors: Gary Ben-Israel
Tammy Frankforter

For comments, please send an email to gary@iiug.org.

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.