Weekend Learning: PeopleSoft webcast archive and scheduled recordings

Ever wanted to know more about Oracle PeopleSoft applications?  Look no further than the "PeopleSoft Enterprise Advisor Webcast Schedule and Archived Recordings" page on My Oracle Support via note ID 1456265.1 for several years of archived webcasts in addition to current upcoming events too!

Weekend Learning: Security by Asset book whitepaper

Earlier this week I posted about Assets and linked in that MOS post was "Security by Book White Paper" found by article ID 111129.1 but I think it is important to highlight it here in Weekend Learning because there is always an opportunity to learn more so check this 30+ page PDF out to pick up something new!

Weekend Learning: Learning or Obsolescence?

This is an interesting post tonight, because I think most people actively following my blog would fall into the learning category of individuals, but the post from Matthew Morris on actively learning really does hit home for me as I have been using the blog to push myself to keep learning or discussing something every night so that I stretch myself beyond my comfort zone.  Last month I said how I would have had my younger self blog immediately after getting into this field, but another thing I would have told that younger self would have been: shoot for getting certified, but do not fall into the trap of thinking that is the only way you can learn about or become knowledgeable about Oracle technologies.  I feel like I have made plans over the past 3-5 years about getting certified because that was the only path available to me that I could actually map out where the random piecing together (or blogging) of information has actually given me a lot of knowledge that likely would not have been sussed out from certification.

Do I want to get certified some day?  Sure I do!  Am I okay not completing a certification in exchange for completing other tasks like new presentations, new conferences, or my random learning through the blog?  You bet I am!  I think I have finally come to terms with making my own path here through the Oracle technology jungle, with ANY progress being good because it means that I am not being paralyzed into inaction by "failing" to meet a path I set for myself.  That is why I think Matthew's article hit home so much, and why I think you might enjoy it.

Weekend Learning: Inside Cary Millsap's learning

Earlier this year, Cary posted a really great article about how he learned so much about "Oracle" and I recommend that you read it (and take it to heart) if you are just getting started with Oracle technology.  While I am of course nowhere near where Cary is, I think it is very interesting how his path mirrors how my path went because of how much he was in the field and in Support that is my entire life every day.  What is pretty different is how he saw the application causing the majority of the problems while a lot of what I see is the database having problems or not understanding the interaction between the two.  Also do yourself a favor and follow each and every blogger Cary listed, all of them you can find on my blog roll, because it is important to practice continuous learning!

I learned a new book to read from reading his article, with a few other takeaways too.  What did you take away from this?

OTN Virtual Technology Summit

The last few years, OTN presents Virtual Days which include hands-on labs and this year they are changing up the script a bit!  It looks like instead of more "hard-core" and lab intensive work OTN is opting for sharing a lot of information about Middleware, System Administration, Databases, and Java with a lot of different experts during a Virtual Technology Summit on July 9th for the audiences in the Americas (10th and 16th for regions outside the Americas).  Did I mention that this is free?

This looks like a really great event, and I signed up minutes after I read it in my Architect Community Newsletter which you should also sign up for here.

Weeklong Learning: E42014

No, that is not a misprint.  I said weekLONG learning.  Why?  Because you should be following Enkitec's E4 conference on Twitter via the hashtag #E42014 if you can't make it in person or be a virtual attendant.  With such good prices, I think this conference is going to be in my personal budget for next year just in case I find myself free around this time next year because that is a GREAT value for all of what you can learn about Exadata here.

Weekend Learning: ADF TV Channel

Are you interested in the development lifecycle of the ADF product?  Would you like to see upwards of 100 episodes of ADF related content on YouTube?  Then this blog post, via ArchBeat, is the one for you!  I really hope this is one of the first ventures Oracle does in this manner, and that it starts to catch on with other products too because stripping away the mystery while informing people is an excellent way to have people learn more.  I wonder if there is anything I can do like this.....

Following up with Karen Morton

I've posted several times about the webinar's that Karen Morton hosts, but I've never provided you the follow up posts that she adds to get the videos or presentations that she used!  There's no time like the present, and actually, let me call this my present to you.  I've attended most of these, and the ones I've missed are going to be my homework over the holiday break.  :}

http://karenmorton.blogspot.com/2013/05/follow-up-using-optimizer-hints-for.html

http://karenmorton.blogspot.com/2013/11/webinar-follow-up-everyday-oracle-pro.html

http://karenmorton.blogspot.com/2013/09/webinar-follow-up-execution-plans-learn.html

http://karenmorton.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-day-with-ohio-oracle-users-group.html

http://karenmorton.blogspot.com/2013/07/follow-up-visual-sql-tuning-webinar.html

Weekend Reading: Exadata & DB Storage

The weekend has just begun, but that doesn't mean you can escape without getting homework assigned!  I think these go together well, and soon I'll be devouring them when I get a chance to sit down for a few hours and catch up on my reading.  First, is Database Storage for Dummies; no seriously I can't make this up!  Then next up is the first entry in the Exadata Workbook series that covers planning, installing, operating and maintaining an Exadata platform so I want to go through this looking for opportunities to enhance the support of the platform.

As an extra bonus this weekend, you should also read the article at My Oracle Support 1274322.1 on Exadata High Availability best practices too!