As Published In July/August 2005

Partner News

ISV Membership in Oracle PartnerNetwork Swells

Independent software vendors (ISVs) have long been a linchpin of Oracle's partner efforts, and their work is even more important as Oracle reaches out to small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Oracle PartnerNetwork membership among ISVs is growing rapidly: Globally, more than 7,000 ISVs are members of the Oracle PartnerNetwork, an increase of 14 percent from last year. ISVs are migrating their applications to the full Oracle 10g stack and connecting their products with Oracle applications. These joint efforts extend and improve solutions for the companies' common customers worldwide.

More than 100 ISVs in Latin America have migrated to Oracle 10g from competitive platforms in Oracle's fiscal year 2005 (FY05). For example, Gemco, an Oracle Partner in Brazil serving the retail and distribution market, and Innovasoft, an Oracle Partner based in Costa Rica, have migrated from SQL Server to Oracle.

In North America, more than 125 ISVs have migrated to Oracle 10g in Oracle's FY05. Certified Partners Khameleon Software, of Tampa, Florida, and Computer Methods International, in Toronto, Canada—both creators of financial- and project-management solutions—have embraced Oracle technology. And Lumigent, a Certified Partner creating enterprise data auditing solutions, converted its Entegra solution from SQL Server to Oracle.

In the Asia/Pacific region, Oracle Partner Microlink Systems, of Malaysia—creator of systems for financial services and logistics—is one of 29 ISVs that have completed migrations to Oracle 10g in Oracle's FY05. In Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), ISVs including Occam Systems—creator of student housing application PAMS—and Cerebrus Solutions—maker of a suite of fraud-prevention applications for the telecommunications industry—are leading the move to Oracle 10g.

The Oracle PartnerNetwork's Integration Initiative has fueled this ISV groundswell. This initiative helps ISVs leverage Oracle BPEL Process Manager to create solutions for service-oriented architecture (SOA). Oracle BPEL Process Manager is Oracle's process-based integration technology for application connectivity, business-to-business integration, process modeling, Web services management, and security. Various partners are offering solutions that complement Oracle BPEL Process Manager, including Aepona, GT Software, IDS Scheer, ILOG, Itemfield, NEON Systems, Pervasive Software, Popkin Software, ProActivity, Proforma, SOA Software, and WRQ.

Web Locator ISVs Gemco Innovasoft Khameleon Software Computer Methods International Lumigent Microlink Occam Systems Cerebrus Solutions Oracle BPEL Process Manager ISVs Aepona GT Software IDS Scheer ILOG Itemfield NEON Systems Pervasive Software Popkin Software ProActivity Proforma SOA Software WRQ Oracle Partners and Sensor-Based Services EnvironMax Oracle PartnerNetwork Events OPN Access Architecture of the Future

"Both ILOG and Oracle are committed to customer success," says Bounthara Ing, chief operating officer of ILOG, a global creator of software engines and components. "ILOG is pleased to extend its partnership with Oracle by integrating the ILOG Business Rule Management System with Oracle BPEL Process Manager."

New Sensor-Based Services Initiative

Oracle PartnerNetwork has launched a Sensor-Based Services Initiative to promote partner and customer adoption of radio-frequency identification (RFID) and sensor technology. With 60 partners—systems integrators (SIs), ISVs, and hardware vendors—already signed up, the program will provide training, technical enablement, and go-to-market support.

Participation in the Sensor-Based Services Initiative allows partners to offer end-to-end RFID and sensor-based solutions based on Oracle Application Server 10g, Oracle Database 10g, and the Oracle E-Business Suite that incorporate RFID and sensor technology. Partners and their customers will benefit from optimized integration with sensor middleware for immediate sensor data capture and management capabilities.

"It is imperative to partner with industry leaders such as Oracle to ensure that our RFID solutions perform with the quality and reliability that our customers expect," says Robert Waits, director of business development for EnvironMax, developer of an industry-leading environmental information management system for tracking, managing, and reporting on hazardous materials and waste. "Adding Oracle Sensor-Based Services components to our application functionality and technology footprint ensures that we are delivering the most robust sensor technology to our customers."

Oracle PartnerNetwork Events Now Online

Anytime is the right time to hear how Oracle and its partners deliver solutions to customers. That's because the Oracle PartnerNetwork now has on-demand, online events showcasing how Oracle and the 15,000 members of the Oracle PartnerNetwork deliver Oracle-based solutions for today's challenges.

Events exploring how Oracle and its partners accelerate success for enterprise and small and midsize customers are now available in Real Media, MP3, and PDF formats. Upcoming presentations will cover Oracle 10g for independent software vendors (ISVs), integrating and deploying applications that leverage Oracle 11i, Release 10, and turnkey solutions that deliver low total cost of ownership (TCO). Check back often, because new events are added regularly.

Oracle PartnerNetwork Targets SMB Resellers

A new Oracle PartnerNetwork initiative focuses on resellers that are seeing heavy demand from smaller companies that want top-quality database and middleware solutions at a reasonable cost. OPN Access allows these organizations to offer Oracle's entry-level database and application server products to small and midsize businesses (SMBs).

For US$300 these resellers can join the Oracle PartnerNetwork, with access to tools and resources to sell the Oracle 10g Standard Edition One product family. Benefits include streamlined OPN enrollment, resources for effective selling, online product training, and demand generation and marketing awareness. OPN Access participants can acquire Oracle Database 10g Standard Edition One and Oracle Application Server 10g Standard Edition One at standard reseller discounts through the value-added distributor of their choice and take advantage of Oracle financing.

"We developed OPN Access to help partners sell more products, faster, in a growing market sector," says Bronwyn Hastings, vice president, Global Alliances and Channels at Oracle. "With our Oracle 10g Standard Edition One products, small companies can enjoy the same scalability, reliability, and security as larger enterprises."

Toad Pocket Reference for Oracle, 2nd Edition By Jeff Smith, Patrick McGrath, and Bert Scalzo O'Reilly Media, Inc. ISBN: 0-596-00971-2 If you're a developer or DBA looking to simplify day-to-day tasks, this book belongs by your side. With the Oracle Tool for Application Developers (TOAD, for short), code changes that once took hours can be done in minutes. This graphical user interface for the Oracle database saves you time by letting you build, test, debug, and format your code within an interactive development environment. The book provides a quick reference to all of TOAD's shortcut keys and productivity tips. This revised edition also addresses the changes introduced in TOAD V8.0 and V8.5. New to TOAD? That's OK. The book includes an introduction to TOAD and its main program features and details how to customize TOAD to suit your work style. You'll also learn how easy it is to graphically browse and change database characteristics. If you're not already a dedicated TOAD user, you no doubt will be after reading this book. Oracle Database 10g DBA Handbook By Kevin Loney and Bob Bryla Oracle Press ISBN: 0-07-223145-9 If you're a DBA working with Oracle Database 10g, this book is a must-have reference guide. Fully revised and updated for Oracle Database 10g, the book provides an introduction to Oracle architecture and explains how to install Oracle Database 10g or upgrade from an earlier version. Authors Kevin Loney (an Oracle Magazine contributor) and Bob Bryla (an Oracle Certified Professional with more than 15 years of database experience) discuss how to take advantage of new and improved management, scalability, availability, and security features. Other topics include Automatic Undo Management, Oracle Real Application Clusters, Oracle Recovery Manager, Oracle Data Guard, managing the development process, managing large databases, and much more. If you want one book for all of your Oracle Database 10g questions, this book has it all. Browse for these and other Oracle books at oracle.com/technology/books/10g_books.html.