IIUG Insider (Issue #93) March 2008 Other Issues

New IIUG Board elected, more on the Conference, get Calton Doe's book electronically, piles of stuff on training and much more.

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
• Cool Informix stuff
  • Announcing the 2008 IIUG Board of Directors
  • The Best Informix Feast of the Year in Kansas City
  • Get Calton Doe's ebook "IBM Informix Dynamic Server 11"
  • Informix training — do it now!
  • 2007 Top Value Add Distributor for Software is an Informix partner
  • Connecting your exercise bike to Informix
  • Kazer Webcast on Data Governance — 1 April
  • Arizona Informix User Group meeting
• Informix resources
  • New articles in developerWorks
  • Informix Blogs and things
• Calendar of events
• Board News
• Useful links
• Closing and credits

Now. Turn the page... hit the 'pg dn' key... click down the page... whatever nods your noggin but read this issue of the IIUG Insider and then write me a note (david@iiug.org). Do it NOW. :) :) :)

Earlier this month I had the pleasure to spend a day and dinner with a bunch of wild Informix Aussies. Not everyone's cup of tea I know, but it someone had... But I digress. The event was the Aussie IDUG conference in which they included a day long Informix stream. The day was great. The key note, for the Informix folk, was Scott Pickett who did a great job taking us through new IDS functionality. I swear that the boy stays home at nights and invents TLA's, just for the fun of it. Anyway, the point is, that though the Informix crowd was small, it was extremely partisan and a great lot of fun. By criekie... What else do you expect from a bunch Informix dudes? Anyway... well done Aussies. It was great to see the enthusiasm.

Of course more of the talk these days is focused on the IIUG Informix conference in Kansas. This will be a great conference for three reasons. The first is that it is focused on learning. You are going to learn heaps, from the best "experts" in the business. The second is that, if you come, you will meet some of the biggest and best Informix bigots in the business. Right from Ambuj Goyal (rumored to be in attendance!!) and Arvind Krishna (who will definitely be in attendance as he is doing a keynote) and Jerry Keesee (he is local, he has no choice to attend) to me. :) And finally, bang for buck, this conference can not be beat. No matter if you live in India, or Malaysia or China or Brazil or Mexico or Turkey or the Congo... you need to get to this conference.

But enough of the conference blah. If you are not going yet, your boss must have rocks in her head.

Remember Trev? One eyed, skinny dude with a fat head. An Informix fanatic who can't sing. Well I ran into him just last week. He still can'' sing. But he is keen to hear some real war stories about Informix that I can publish. So... . If you have a good story to tell then send it to me (or Trev) or trap me at the conference and tell me. There is a pile of great things happening in the world of Informix and I really want to tell them. Send me an email insider@iiug.org.

Well. I hope to see some of you at the conference.

Cheers,

David

David Fraser
The IIUG Insiderman
IIUG Board of Directors
david@iiug.org

President's Note:

In my travels over the last few years, I have often been asked two questions:

1. Is there a graphical front end to administer IDS?
2. What is the future of 4GL (do you know that the IIUG estimates that over 40% of Informix users use 4GL)?

Well to settle these two questions, the IIUG Conference will be offering two tutorials that are FREE to all attendees to the IIUG Conference on Sunday at the Marriott.

The first tutorial is by AGS Ltd, the makers of Server Studio (http://www.serverstudio.com) which is about the best (and only full-featured) way to graphically administer an IDS database. It works with all currently supported IBM Informix versions. For more information on the tutorial visit http://iiug.org/conf/2008/iiug/tutorial_ags.php.

The second tutorial is by Four Js Software. Their software lets you easliy migrate any Informix 4GL application to work in a graphical environment of windows and/or the web to run under most any browser. The conversion process is so simple even I can do it. It is still the same 4GL-based code, but now running graphical. It even includes a graphical development environment (IDE) and can incorporate web services if you wish. For more information on the tutorial visit http://iiug.org/conf/2008/iiug/tutorial_4js.php.

Both these tutorials as I said are FREE and will be hands-on and highly technical and not marketing sessions. They also include continental breakfast and lunch. For more information on these tutorial and all the tutorials, visit http://iiug.org/conf/2008/iiug/tutorials.php.

The conference should be a sell-out event, so don't miss it. Once we hit a certain registration count, we must shut down registration due to fire code limits and we are getting close, so don't miss this exciting opportunity to learn from the best and meet fellow Informix developers and DBA's from around the world and I promise there will be a few exciting announcements from IBM.

David: Is Trev coming to the Conference?

Stuart Litel
President
Email: http://www.iiug.org/president
IIUG

First of all, to you who took the time to vote for the 2008 IIUG Board of Directors... . Thank you.

The IIUG Board of Directors for 2008 are:

• Andrew Ford
• Art Kagel
• Cindy Lichtenauer
• Gary Ben-Israel
• Jean Georges Perrin
• Kate Tomchik
• Kernoal Stephens
• Norma Jean Sebastian
• Sergio Ferreira
• Stuart Litel
• Tammy Frankforter

Congratulations gals and guys. You have a really important role to fulfill on this watch. :)

The new Board will take up its duties from the close of the IIUG Informix Conference on the 1st of May 2008.

If you've been following the Insider over the last few months, you know we've been planning quite a technical program for the IIUG Informix Conference 2008, which will be held April 27-30 in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City. Kansas City is home to what is arguably some of the best BBQ around, so this year's locale has got me thinking, "FOOD!"

Any good epicurean event starts with appetizers. Our menu will include several excellent selections that will be dished up in half-day portions as Educational Seminars on Sunday.

Monday and Tuesday mornings, the executive chefs from IBM will be serving up platters of savory tidbits and sweet surprises sure to whet your appetite. Wednesday will start with some newsworthy morsels at the IIUG Annual General Meeting.

For the main course Monday through Wednesday, you'll choose from a chuck wagon load of lip-smackin', rib-stickin' Informix sessions, cooked up for you by celebrity technical chefs the likes of Jonathan Leffler, John Miller, and Madison Pruet. You'll get a chance to nosh on the creative offerings from many other talented gourmets within the Informix community too. You've undoubtedly heard the expression "too many cooks spoil the broth." Not to worry. The quality of these chefs guarantees a 5-star experience.

Of course no culinary event is complete without dessert. The icing on this conference cake will be the opportunity to network every day. You'll get to meet new people, catch up with those you've not seen for a while, and exchange technical tips.

After all this great grub, you'll definitely want to take time for a workout. That's where the certification testing comes in. Take the challenge. Exercise your mind. It'll be good for you, and it's FREE.

In addition to all that brain food, you're going to need some food you can sink your teeth into. The Marriott banquet chefs will start you off each morning with a deluxe continental breakfast buffet. Lunch for tutorial attendees will be deli-style, and for the remainder of the conference will be hot buffets. There will be plenty of veggie offerings, and no box lunches!

Finally there will be time for some R&R, complete with — you guessed it — food. Come enjoy the spread of finger-lickin' good appetizers at Sunday's Welcome Reception. Plan to grab some hearty fare at Monday night's cookout with the backyard BBQ'ing crowd from the Lenexa Labs, sponsored by IBM Optim (formerly Princeton Softech). Then be sure to catch the special off-site event sponsored by Kazer Technologies on Tuesday. Our very own food and beverage director, Stuart, promises that each evening there will be stacks of food and loads of fun.

Don't miss out on the best Informix feast of the year. Get yourself registered right now at http://www.iiug.org/conf. This promises to be an all-around great event, sure to please the Informix foodie in all of us.

Dig in!

Tammy Frankforter
Conference Planning Committee
IIUG Informix Conference 2008

http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/information/ids-ebook.html

Enroll in an ILO course now!
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/education/ilo.html?ca=marchiiug

Build your Data Management skills! Browse the Information Management Skills blogs
Want to stay informed about Data Management training, certification, and education resources? Visit the Information Management Skills blogs by Susan Visser and Kate Dawson, and get the latest information on database technology! Combined, Susan and Kate have the knowledge and insight on certifications, training and IBM press books to help you build your skills.

Check out their blogs today!
http://www.ibm.com/software/data/education/blogs.html?ca=marchiiug

Register now for IBM Information on Demand 2008<
Registration opens on March 1 for this year's IOD conference. Take advantage of the opportunity to take up to three Information Management exams at no charge. Once again, IBM Certified Professionals will enjoy an added perk — the Certification Members-only Lounge. Located in the Mandalay Bay hotel, this cafi-style lounge is designed for relaxation with comfortable seating and quiet study areas. The earlier you register for IOD 2008, the more you save.

Register today and save up to $400!
http://www.ibm.com/software/data/conf/certification.html?ca=marchiiug

Complimentary Informix certification at the 2008 IIUG Conference!
Earn the latest Informix certification, IBM Certified Solution Expert for Informix Dynamic Server V11 (Exam 918), at this year's IIUG Informix Conference in Kansas, April 27-30. All Information Management certification exams will be available at no charge at this year's conference.

Prepare for Informix certification by studying with these free online tutorials!
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/education/selfstudy.html#5?ca=marchiiug

Test yourself with an Online Information Management Assessment Exam
Test your readiness on any Information Management professional exam from IBM. Prepare for success on exam day with an Online Assessment Exam and identify areas in need of focused study. Offered through Prometric for a nominal fee of $10 USD, take an assessment exam and ensure that you are ready to take your job knowledge to the next level with an IBM professional certification designation.

Prepare yourself now!
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/education/cert-assessment.html?ca=marchiiug

Download a complimentary copy of the new Informix Dynamic Server 11 eBook
Get an inside view of IBM Informix Dynamic Server 11 (IDS) with a newly released eBook. Simply complete a brief online registration and you can download a complimentary PDF version of the book. IDS 11 continues a longstanding tradition of delivering first-in-class data servers which combine the robustness, high performance, availability and scalability needed by today's modern businesses.

Register and start reading today!
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/information/ids-ebook.html?ca=marchiiug

Add value to your project with IBM Optim Services
Have Information Management Software Services help you with your next IBM Optim Services project. Our Optim consultants are highly experienced in enterprise data management across a range of industries. Engage Software Services to gain a proactive approach for faster, safer upgrades and application migrations. With IBM Optim Services, you can achieve rapid deployment of new releases and functionality while safeguarding business continuity.

Learn more about IBM Optim Services
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/services/database.html?ca=marchiiug

Take an inside look at IBM Services Consultants!
Do you want to know how IBM expert Steve Graves led a migration to DB2 from Teradata for a large financial organization? What about how IBM expert Edin Aganagic greatly reduced query time for a global investment banking firm? Meet the Software Services techies and benefit from their experience.

Read their stories
http://www-306.ibm.com/software/data/services/consultants.html?ca=marchiiug

Kate Dawson
Marketing Product Planner Education and Services Planning & Development IBM Information Management

Read my blog: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/katedawson

Specialist value-added distributor, Bell Micro today announced that it has won the inaugural IBM VAD Software Award for "2007 Top Performing Value Add Distributor IBM Software." More...
http://www.sourcewire.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=37620&hilite=

Capture data from an analog environment in real time and store it in an IBM^® Informix^® Dynamic Server or DB2^® database. Use WebSphere^® Community Edition to create graphs of captured data and present them in Java^TM Server Pages. All the steps, including the installation and wiring of the magnetic sensors, the computer interface, the client OLTP code, and the JSP code for presentation of results is presented in an easy-to-follow format.

So... all you stir crazy American health junkies... get on your bike and read this developerWorks article...
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/db2/library/techarticle/dm-0803lurie/

Data Governance initiatives for managing your vital enterprise application data require implementing policies, procedures and standards to protect data in both production and non-production (development, testing and training) environments. How can you create a consistent, enterprise view of your organization's data in a way that ensures data security, improves decision making, reduces risk of fines and maximizes the business value of your data?

Kazer invites you to attend a complimentary Webcast, titled, "Data Governance: Strategies to Increase Performance, Reduce Risks and Control Costs." The Webcast will take place on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. EDT and will last about an hour. The Webcast will address data governance challenges in two comprehensive segments:

http://www.optimsolution.com/kazer

Data Governance in Production Environments — "Archiving Strategies to Support Data Retention, Security and Compliance Requirements," will examine the full anatomy of an archiving project, including:

• Review of new and pending compliance legislation and compliance strategies
• Best practices for meeting requirements, while reducing costs and increasing accessibility
• Proven methods for managing data during application and database upgrades

Data Governance in Non-Production Environments — "Managing Test Data Effectively and Ensuring Data Privacy in the Testing Environment," will examine the full anatomy of a data privacy project, including:

• Review of new and pending data privacy legislation and compliance strategies
• Best practices for removing, masking and transforming data in your testing environment
• Proven methods for reducing testing time and costs for new applications, while ensuring database security and data privacy

Attend this complimentary Webcast and learn from the IBM. Optim^TM Data Governance experts. Space is limited, so register today at http://www.optimsolution.com/kazer!

IBM respects your online time and privacy. If you prefer not to receive emails from us in the future, you may email your request to optim@us.ibm.com. Please note that this link does not affect your subscription to the IBM Optim newsletter.

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2008. All rights reserved. IBM, the IBM logo, and Optim are trademarks of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries or both. All other company or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.

The next Arizona Informix User Group meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 9. Lunch will be provided by IBM so please RSVP to Neil Williams at neil.williams@us.ibm.com so we can get an accurate count for lunch. We are pleased to have Jacques Roy as our guest speaker for this meeting.

Data Studio is an exciting new GUI tool for administration and development. If your developers have ever complained about having to use dbaccess, then bring them to this meeting to see Data Studio!

These are two articles added to developerWorks in February:

• Web service development and deployment with Informix Dynamic Server and IBM Data Studio:
   
  http://www.iiug.org/url/devworks_ids_datastudio.html
   
• Callable Statement handling using named parameters:
   
  http://www.iiug.org/url/devworks_statement_handling.html
   

Get the real oil on Informix from:

• The IIUG forums at http://www.iiug.org/forums/technical.php **** these are very good****
• IDS Experts at http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/idsteam
• Guy Bowerman at http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/gbowerman
• Madisons blog at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/roundrep
• Fernando Nunes at http://informix-technology.blogspot.com/
• Bell Micro and the Informix City at http://www.informixcity.com/ Check out their Oracle survey :)
• The Informix mag at http://www.informixmag.com/
• JGP himself at http://www.jgp.net
• The Informix Zone at http://www.informix-zone.com

Board Elections are done. Results at the top of the Insider. :)

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:

http://www.iiug.org/quicklinks.html

The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an organization designed to enhance communications between its worldwide user community and IBM. 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.

For comments, ideas, information, more ideas, gossip, lies and general dudette type chatter, please send an email to david@iiug.org.