Embarcadero Technologies plans to hold DataRage, three full days of online technical sessions and a virtual trade show targeted at DBAs, data architects, database developers, security experts, and other database professionals, from March 17 through March 19. "We needed a conference tuned to the massive user base that we have-and beyond," Greg Keller, chief evangelist at Embarcadero, tells 5 Minute Briefing.
Embarcadero has a "fantastic ecosystem" including experts within the company, such as product architects and database aficionados, and customers and partners, who "speak database," Keller observes. In providing the virtual conference and online technical sessions, says Keller, the goal is to take this ecosystem and turn it around back to the public and allow customers' and partners' and employees' stories to be told. "And the stories are deeply technical training sessions, that range from data architecture-focused sessions, i.e., how to optimize generalized architectures for rolling out large data implementations, all the way to tips and tricks from SQL Server experts on making your SQL Server instance hum," in addition to semi-technical sessions from a business track. Keller adds, "Even if you are not a customer of an Embarcadero product, it doesn't matter. It's not about the products; it is about highly focused database-specific educational content-all for free."
Embarcadero's CodeGear Group, the tools group purchased from Borland last year and now integrated within Embarcadero, has held successful and well-attended "CodeRages" in recent years, but this is Embarcadero's first "DataRage" online educational and technical seminar for database professionals, Keller notes.
While nothing truly replaces in-person interaction, he notes that the virtual approach is the right one in light of the current economy. "Given the macro economic challenges everybody faces, people can't get on planes and spend money on hotels, and go and get educated. Conversely, the education can't stop." With the services being offered for free, Keller says, "the only thing you need to do is take time out during the day, and pick the sessions you want."
DataRage will include sessions covering Embarcadero products such as DBArtisan, Performance Center, Rapid SQL, Change Manager, ER/Studio, DB Optimizer. It will also include topics related to the roles as data architects, developers and DBAs, and technologies such as Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Embarcadero InterBase, IBM DB2 and others, as well as sessions on CodeGear products. Sessions will take place between 8 am and 5 pm PDT. For more details and to register, go here.