18 May 2010

SQL Developer 2.1 Webcast is Published

I started a web cast series a few months ago and am still not sure if this is the right way to spread the news and provide feature demonstrations to the customers. Firstly I'm alternating between SQL Developer and the Data Modeler and so if you're only interested in one area, this is quite a gap. Also there's the whole time zone thing... Where I can only reach half the world in daylight/work hours. Let's see hopw it goes int he next few months.

Anyway, I apologized for the chaos caused when I didn't run up for the event in April, due to longer travel home after the volcanic clouds caught us off guard. Kris ran the event, but not everyone was aware of the dial in changes and so missed the event. I have now recorded and published that session and you can find it on the web casts page on OTN. The session is on SQL Developer 2.1 and the demos cover the new features. It's quite a big file to download, but once done, you can listen/ watch the session at your leisure, with having to worry about Internet latency.

I will not be doing a live web cast on Wednesday 19th as planned. This will be a recorded session and the file will be made available for download from that same web casts page.

07 May 2010

Updating the Database with SQL Developer Data Modeler

This may be one of my most frequently asked questions - "How do I create the "alter" statements to update the database, using SQL Developer Data Modeler?" Most people know how to use the the Data Modeler to generate DDL scripts to create new objects, but not everyone knows how to create the DDL required to update the database. We have created a new online tutorial which walks you through this process. I did mention it recently when I wrote about the new Learning Library, and we have now also added the link to the the Data Modeler page on OTN.

06 May 2010

Data Modeler: Launches the First Public Classroom session

In March this year I attended the pilot of the Data Modeler (Instructor Led Training) class. It was fun because the course writer presented the class and the attendees came from various Oracle offices from around the US and Europe. We all attended for various reasons, but mostly because we'll be working with customers and SQL Developer Data Modeler. The group were/are experienced data modelers, familiar with other tools and getting to know the capabilities of the new tool. This meant a lively interaction throughout the week and feedback rolled into the final training product.

I was a bit nostalgic, as this was my old area, as I was first involved in training then writing courses and running these "train the trainer" events. Anyhow, I'm pleased to say that the course is now up and running and you can start registering for or requesting classes. It's a great class, covering all aspects of SQL Developer Data Modeler, including the Data Flow diagram, logical, relational and physical models, all in the context of designing and developing data models. There are lots of examples and we worked on and developed a number of different models, which kept it all interesting. I definitely recommend this event.

The easiest way to sign up for any Oracle University class is to go straight to http://www.oracle.com and click on the Education. (Alternatively use http://education.oracle.com)
Either way you end up on the education site and in the right hand corner you can search for the class you are after. If you start typing "Data Modeling" in the search list, then a drop list will allow you to select SQL Developer Data Modeling . The class is Oracle Data Modeling and Relational Database Design and the next available event is May, 10th in Chicago! It starts next week and so there is not much time to decide.
If you are not be able to make this one, you can watch out for future classes, or express your interest in a future date or location by providing feedback on the same course detail.