IDUG 2013: Five Reasons Why IDUG Orlando is going to be great this year!

The International DB2 User Group (IDUG) North American conference is only a month away.  This year IDUG is really going to be great because many DB2 related items are coming together and are sure to be detailed, dissected and discussed in depth at the conference.  Below are the five most important reasons to make sure you attend this year’s IDUG conference.

  1. First IBM continues to develop the IBM DB2 Family and it continues to pull away from the competition.  This is confirmed through the growing number of companies that are converting their databases from other database vendors, especially Oracle to DB2, for better performance and to reduce overall hardware and software licensing costs.  Disappointing strategy and quarterly results from Oracle show this trend in almost every category as highlighted in this Yahoo article. IBM continues to pull away from the competition through its DB2 Version 11 for zOS and DB2 LUW “Kepler” Betas that are progressing nicely.  Usually, there are DB2 Beta news items and updates debuted at IDUG conferences and I look forward to hearing more about these new releases.  
  2. Because I’m involved with the DB2 LUW “Kepler” Beta, I’ve seen that IBM has some new great DB2 LUW features that every OLTP, Big Data and data warehousing system can leverage for even more infrastructure savings.  Experiencing these features first hand through the Beta program has been very exciting because it’s a chance to see IBM DB2 development leverage all the latest hardware and software capabilities.  Pay close attention to the IBM DB2 LUW announcements in the coming weeks as the new technology really is a game changer for your database designs and performance tuning thinking.
  3. In addition to DB2 Version 11 for zOS and DB2 LUW “Kepler” IBM continues to enhance their Big Data platforms and software offerings.  IDUG this year has many great sessions planned for Big Data and IBM’s coming announcements will only add to the excitement at the IDUG conference.  IBM understands Cloud and Big Data from its traditional and new clients and continues to learn about these areas through a variety of initiatives.  IBM recently expanded the number and use of IBM Watsons, the computer that won Jeopardy, for different types of applications.  Read more about it in this great New York Times article. If you had a Watson what analytics or questions would ask it?
  4. IDUG is also a great place to see the innovations from the other vendors.  There are always new releases and versions to talk about with their performance products, maintenance improvements and special features.  Finding out about all these is critical to make sure your shop leverages the latest and greatest tools for availability and performance.  Sometimes you find a specific tool that addresses your database situation and it can make all the difference in the world for the success of your application.   
  5. IDUG is also the place to network, make new friends and see old friends from the 25 years of  the conference.  It is always great catching up with everyone and hearing about our common database design, performance and maintenance struggles.  Talking about the application development languages, their techniques and performance issues is always helpful for avoiding the same problems.  Also discussing the management by magazine, database trends, the best Dilbert and the best new beer is always good.

There are many more great reasons to come to IDUG this year and every presentation is another great opportunity to learn from the users of DB2 about the on-going real world success stories of the DB2 Family. With this year also being the 30th anniversary of DB2 and the 25th anniversary of IDUG, you will want to hear how the DB2 Family continues to evolve and be the best in the database industry.
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Have you made your plans for IDUG in Orlando this year?  Also make sure to register early and get the IDUG early bird discount. Sign up today!

I look forward to speaking at the IDUG DB2 Tech Conference 2013 North America conference.  The conference will be held in Orlando, Florida on April 29-May 2, 2013.  Get more information at www.idug.org.

Also being an IBM Data Champion I get to sponsor an attendee for the IDUG conference through the Mentor program.  This enables them to get a reduced registration fee.  Email me if you are interested.

I will be speaking at the conference presenting Big Data and Analytics Session F07 – “Data Warehouse Designs for Big Data Performance” Wed, May 01, 2013 (02:15 PM – 03:15 PM) in Bonaire 5&6.
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Dave Beulke is an internationally recognized DB2 consultant, DB2 trainer and education instructor.  Dave helps his clients improve their strategic direction, dramatically improve DB2 performance and reduce their CPU demand saving millions in their systems, databases and application areas within their mainframe, UNIX and Windows environments.

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