» Z is big, even at IOD!

IBM’s Information on Demand conference is in full planning mode right now. Have you registered to attend? Maybe you need a few reasons to incent you to attend.

If you’re coming from a System z perspective, there is plenty for you to be excited about. IOD 2012 represents the largest System z software event in the world, delivering the know-how you need to optimize business performance, drive more value from existing business analytics deployments, and get the latest innovations and success strategies from IBM experts, analysts and customers.

Choose from more than 180 sessions covering key business analytics technologies, including:

- DB2 sessions

- IMS (Information Management System) sessions

- BA/DW (Business analytics/data warehousing) sessions

- Tools/utilities sessions

Although you can find more details on the System z Sessions and Activities page on the IOD website, I’ve decide to pull together a few highlights of the conference from my perspective.

Retail books

We have 4 new retail books that have published for z platform:

DB2 10 for z/OS Database Administration: Certification Study Guide

by Susan Lawson and Dan Luksetich

Meet author Dan Luksetich Monday, October 22 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm at the IOD bookstore. Purchase your book at the IOD bookstore for a 20% discount and bring it to Dan to get your book signed and to hear some words of encouragement. Also listen to the podcast Dan recently did with Crysta Anderson.

DB2 Developer’s Guide 6th Edition: A Solutions-Oriented Approach to Learning the Foundation and Capabilities of DB2 for z/OS

and

Database Administration: The Complete Guide to Practices and Procedures (2nd Edition)

Both of these books were written by Craig Mullins. The Developer’s Guide came out earlier this year and the Database Administration Guide will be launched at the conference.

Meet Craig on Tuesday, October 23 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at the IOD bookstore. These books can be purchased at the IOD bookstore for a 20% discount. Meet Craig and find out how he managed to publish two books in a year!

Also attend Craig’s IOD session: 1066A Ten Breakthroughs That Changed IBM DB2 Forever; Thu, Oct 25, 2012; 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Islander B

An Introduction to IMS: Your Complete Guide to IBM Information Management System, 2nd Edition

by Barbara Klein, Richard Alan Long, Kenneth Ray Blackman, Diane Lynne Goff, Stephen Paul Nathan, Moira McFadden Lanyi, Margaret M. Wilson, John Butterweck, Sandra L. Sherrill

Meet authors Kenneth Blackman, Margaret Wilson, John Butterweck, Sandy Sherrill Tuesday, October 23 from 11:00 –12:00 at the IOD bookstore.

See also: 1919A ATE: Modernizing and Automating IMS Tools; Tue, Oct 23, 2012; 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM – Tradewinds C

The bookstore will carry many other books that may be of interest to you. Make sure you come by to browse the large selection.

Flashbooks

Flashbooks are printed books that are free and easy to read. They contain key messages for you to take back to the office with you to share with those who weren’t able to attend the conference. This year is special for DB2 as we are coming up to the 35th anniversary of the DB2 product. To mark the occasion, the Father of DB2, Don Haderle, has written a special section in the Flashbook we are handing out. Also participating in this Flashbook are John Campbell, Terry Purcell, Surekha Parekh, and Ruiping Li.

IBM DB2 – The Past, Present & Future: 30 Years of Superior Innovation

by Surekha Parekh, Terry Purcell, John Campbell, Ruiping Li, and Don Haderle

Signing and Giveaway: Mon 12:30 – 1:30 at bookstore.

This is the third Flashbook that the DB2 team has published. You can download the e-versions of these books anytime you wish:

· DB2 for z/OS Planning Your Upgrade: Reduce Costs. Improve Performance

by Cristian Molaro and John Campbell and Sureka Parekh

· DB2 10 for z/OS – Cost Savings ….. Out of the Box

by Roger Miller, David Beulke, Julian Stuhler, Surekha Parekh

A limited number of “IBM Software for System z for Dummies” books will be available at the Expo center. Be sure to stop by the xxxx booth on Sunday, Oct 21, 2012 during the Expo Reception to get your free copy.

About the book: IBM Software for System z For Dummies, Limited Edition showcases IBM software for the System z, IBM’s flagship solution in the enterprise systems category. You discover how IBM software for System z delivers a private cloud infrastructure at enterprise scale; how these solutions ensure critical data is always available across the enterprise, making it accessible in new ways so actionable insights can be derived from operational analytics; and how these solutions provide ultimate security, ensuring the integrity of critical data while mitigating risk and providing assured compliance.

Certifications

DB2 Certification Exams have been updated for V10 and are available for you to take while you’re at the conference. You can save $170 per exam for any exam. The exams are available for you to take for $30 each, which is 85% off the regular price of $200 per exam.

Here are the V10 exams you may wish to take.

Exam 612 – DB2 10 DBA for z/OS

Number of questions: 67
Time allowed in minutes: 90
Required passing score: 60%
Exam Objectives
Courses
Assessment Exam (Note: the assessment exam fee is waived for registered IOD attendees for the month of October, 2012.)

Passing this exam, along with pre-requisite Exam 610 or Exam 730, will earn you the following Professional Certification: IBM Certified Database Administrator – DB2 10 DBA for z/OS

Book suggestion: DB2 10 for z/OS Database Administration: Certification Study Guide by Susan Lawson and Dan Luksetich

Exam 617 – DB2 10 System Administrator for z/OS

Number of questions: 63
Time allowed in minutes: 90
Required passing score: 60%
Exam Objectives
Courses
Assessment Exam (Note: the assessment exam fee is waived for registered IOD attendees for the month of October, 2012.)

Passing this exam, along with pre-requisite Exam 610 or Exam 730, will earn you the following Professional Certification: IBM Certified System Administrator – DB2 10 for z/OS

Book suggestion: DB2 9 System Administration for z/OS (Exam 737) Study Guide by Judy Nall, even though it was written for the V9 exam.

IBM Redbooks

IBM Redbooks are FREE and available for you to download in PDF or EPUB versions at anytime from the IBM Redbooks website. One of the most popular giveaways at IOD is printed IBM Redbooks. This year we have 10 different titles to give away. Please note that the PRINTED copies are in limited quantity. Optimizing DB2 Queries with IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator for z/OS is one of the IBM Redbooks that will be given away Thursday, October 25, 12:00 – 1:00 at the IOD bookstore. While you’re getting your free copy, meet the authors who wrote the book and have them sign it for you!

Social Networking

Social networking is easy to do at IOD. Just about everywhere you’ll go, you’ll have an opportunity to meet someone new. Make sure you sign up for the Ask the Experts sessions to meet the people who created the product.

2991A Social Business for IT Professionals: Career Enhancements – Islander B; Mon, Oct 22, 2012; 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
3921B BOF – IBM DB2 for z/OS e-Communities, Collaboration Groups -Social Networking World – Bayside Dining IM BoF Tables 3&4; Tue, Oct 23, 2012; 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM

Blogs

The DB2 for z/OS community is heavily into blogs. I’ve had the pleasure to work with Willie Favero and Surekha Parekh on presentations about social media. Here are some of the bloggers you may wish to follow:

Twitter

More and more people are getting on twitter. If you’re not yet… the one thing you should know about twitter is it is great resource for up to the minute information. You don’t need to tweet anything yourself… you can simply follow others to hear what they’re saying. In a single location you can get news about your favourite products, rock stars, world events, and more. Here are a few twitter handles you may wish to follow.

Suggestion… check out who these people are following. That will give you suggestions as to who else you may wish to follow.

Communities

Communities are a way for you to participate in conversations with other like minded people. You’ll find lots of resources, news about events, and perhaps access to experts.

Other IOD sessions you may wish to check out:

2032A IBM DB2 for z/OS Migration: Query Performance Considerations – Islander A; Tue, Oct 23, 2012; 8:15 AM – 9:30 AM
1723A Application Best Practices and Recommendations Specific to IBM DB2 for z/OS Data Sharing – Islander A; Tue, Oct 23, 2012; 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
4012A IBM DB2 10 for z/OS Migration Planning and Experiences – Part 1 – Islander A; Wed, Oct 24, 2012; 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
4013A IBM DB2 10 for z/OS Migration Planning and Experiences – Part 2 – Islander A; Wed, Oct 24, 2012; 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
3942B BOF: IBM DB2 for z/OS and Tools: Ask the Experts Panel – South Pacific F; Wed, Oct 24, 2012; 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM
1840A Protecting Your IBM DB2 for z/OS Assets With Effective Backup and Recovery Strategies – Islander A; Thu, Oct 25, 2012; 8:15 AM – 9:30 AM
1845A Runstats Challenges for Optimal Query Performance – Islander B; Mon, Oct 22, 2012; 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
3922B BOF – New SQL Function and Performance in DB2 10 for z/OS – Bayside Dining IM BoF Tables 5&6; Tue, Oct 23, 2012; 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM
2049A Do These IBM DB2 10 Optimizer Enhancements Apply to Me? – Islander B; Wed, Oct 24, 2012; 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
3923B BOF – Query Performance Challenges with DB2 10 for z/OS – Bayside Dining IM BoF Tables 3&4; Wed, Oct 24, 2012; 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
2054A The IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator Hands-On Learning Lab – Shorelines B Lab Room 1; Thu, Oct 25, 2012; 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

If you’re interested in developing applications that make efficient use of data, check out these sessions:

1195 Smarter IBM DB2 Application Development Using the IBM Family of Tools
3215 IMS and Rational: A Partnership That Pays You Dividends

“Rock the Mainframe” System z reception

Join fellow customers, IBM experts, executives and IBM Business Partners on Wednesday evening for a special reception hosted by Phil Weintraub (Vice President, zEnterprise Software Sales,North America) and Dan Wardman, (Vice President Information Management Mainframe Development). Bring your IOD conference badge along with your IOD 2012 System z pin for admission.

When: Wednesday, October 24, 7:30-9:30pm

Where: House of Blues

Stay in touch with the official IOD blog for all the latest details about what’s going on at the conference: before, during and after.

Susan

Information On Demand 2012 Blog

Z is big, even at IOD!