EPM Conversations – Episode No. 2, Part 1 & 2, a conversation with Essbase Lady, Natalie Delemar

Two (actually four) for the price of one (which incidentally happens to be free)

Our freewheeling conversation with Natalie Delemar continues apace. The conversation was so chock full o’ content (or, arguably, nuts) that we simply couldn’t make it just the one episode.

It was quite the free ranging conversation with really no holds barred. If you were looking for a wee bit of controversy (nicely put and argued – we are an antidote to negativity), here are your episodes. Our podcast hosting service has this option for each episode:

I was tempted. <grin> Seriously, no bad words, nothing NSFW, just opinion with compelling arguments for and against with a fantastic guest.

As always, there are a plethora of ways of hearing us: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Buzzsprout (our provider), Stitcher, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Deezer, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, and Castbox. Celvin adds these and he is a podcasting madman – there are probably others that I’m not aware of.

And of course you can listen directly on www.epmconversations.com.

As noted, there are two episodes. Here’s the first, EPM Conversation – Episode No.

The ODTUG Learn From Home Series, Free Form Planning aka Essbase SaaS, The Changing Landscape of EPM, and Yr. Obt. Svt.

A plague is upon us. Shall we make a virtue out of necessity?

Snark is, next to laziness and general incompetence, my stock in trade, cf. this blog (and the previous one) in post after post after post. But there’s not really all that much to mock or deprecate or even gently poke fun at in the face of a global pandemic and the unknown economic cost to come.

Better then to celebrate grit and determination and optimism in the face of adversity, which is exactly what ODTUG has done with a brilliant concept: the ODTUG Learn From Home Series. If the world+dog cannot come to Kscope20, then Kscope20 will come to you. For free. Really.

Click on the below graphic that I shamelessly stole from ODTUG’s website to begin your registration:

A screenshot of a cell phone

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I can’t write this better than ODTUG (cf. laziness).


We are excited to announce the Free ODTUG Learn from Home Series taking place May 19 – May 22. Get ready for four days packed with over 90 sessions plus mini Oracle symposiums—all covering a range of Oracle-related topics to keep you on the cutting edge of the latest technology.

The ODTUG Learn from Home Series

Kscope20 presentations come in threes

Good things come in threes?

Just what are the brilliant creations of Hergé doing in an EPM/CPM blog about ODTUG’s Kscope20?

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While you are all, I trust, ardent fans of Captain Haddock, Tintin, and Snowy just as I am, I am not suggesting that Kscope20 has become a place to meet, discuss, and learn all about what are surely the greatest fictional Belgians outside of Hercule Poirot. Wait. That would actually be awesome. Beyond awesome. But alas, no. Tintinology is not within the scope of what is after all surely The Greatest of All Oracle Conferences. Perhaps it should be in future? But I digress.

Why the triumvirate? Does putting this sketch in his blog mean that Yr. Obt. & Hmbl. Svt. finally has a chance to get that Masters in literary criticism he really ought to get via Hergé’s oeuvre? No. Thankfully. Probably. Most especially for me. Instead, the above reflects friendship. Tintin and his chums travel the world, getting into one scrape after another, fighting evil, righting wrongs, and generally doing Great Things including fighting Bolshevism, breaking international opium rings, restoring rightful governments in the face of fascist usurpers (this one is my favorite, probably

Voting for the 2020-2021 ODTUG BoD

Ooooh, looky-loo

Yes, I really do read my emails across my seven addresses although in this case 10 days late per the date of this email.  Regardless I am finally getting round to doing more than skimming my email. Upon actually applying myself, lo and behold, I see that I can and should vote for the ODTUG BoD.

Did I? Did I? I did not, M’lud, but I plead working 15 hour days, eating in gas stations ‘cos that’s the only thing open near the hotel (no, no sushi or pizza but instead these guys who are alas not as good as these guys but still aren’t half bad) in the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, and, mostly, the laziness I am well known for.

Laziness mixed with a soupçon of procrastination led to this:

Ah bugger, didn’t vote then either as it came two days ago and I have yet to act.

I am voting because:

  1. I was extrememly active in ODTUG (presented, was on the BoD myself and yes somehow ODTUG survived that so totes obvs it’s a strong organization), was away for a year or two, and am back albeit not at the same

Kscope19 live blog, so many days after the conference it can’t really be called live

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know: late

I plead a vacation, freedom from technology, and a healthy-ish communion with dirt, or in other words: tent camping. It was great, thanks for asking. And oh yeah, I’m on doxycycline, thank you .

And with that mea culpa, let’s jump right into Kscope19 and its import

I’ve been out of the Oracle world for the last two years to it’s all been a bit overwhelming as I try to catch up with lo the many new announcements. To wit, Oracle really seem to have their act together for the first time in quite a while.

By that I mean that there’s been a concerted effort to take the multiple SaaS products that make up the Oracle EPM product suite and combine them into a single offering. I am by no means an expert in product pricing (There are those, perhaps quite rightly, who believe that I am by no means an expert in anything – who can argue with such logic given abundant supporting evidence?) but it seems to me that a move away from EPM a la carte pricing on a product by product basis to a broader enterprise license is

Kscope19 live blog, Day 3 — Starts out with such promise, ends disappointing everyone

Hah! Gotcha!

That has to be the click-baitiest bit o’ nonsense I’ve ever written. Ever and for me with over 10 years of blogging that’s saying something. I’m not talking about Kscope or ODTUG or Oracle. Instead, I am (of course) talking about me. Totes obvs. Why disappointing? ‘Cos I said I would live blog and I seem to be sort of, kind of, completely not doing just that and am instead lagging a day behind. Whoops. You can always follow my insanity on Twitter where I can get stuff out much more quickly.

As an aside, it has been pointed out to me that all of this is available on the Kscope app and that’s absolutely true. Think of this as my way of getting the product roadmaps and announcements out to world+dog.

What Cameron, what are you doing and how are you going to do it? Beats me but if you figure it out, send me a comment care of this blog.

I am again going to post a series of screenshots that highlight the really important announcements Oracle have made at Kscope. (As an aside: really, if you can swing it in any way, manner, shape,

KScope 19 live blog, Day 1, Part 2

OAC’s roadmap

ALL OF THIS IS SAFE HARBORED. What does that mean?

The following is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features orfunctionality described for Oracle’s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle.

In your family, does “maybe” mean “yes” or does it mean “no”.? Maybe.

There. Have I made that clear? Whatever the Idiot Named Cameron posts, it’s all maybe, maybe not likely to happen. You have Been Warned.

With that, I’m going to try to give you a slide by slide take on what’s coming. Again, maybe.

Btw, you should really, really, really be here. It’s one thing to look at slides and entirely another to hear The Man In Charge to actually explain ‘cos there’s not a chance that I can. Being away for two years can do that.

With that, slides galore. Yeah, this is a huge post. I’m not going try to comment for several reasons: 1) I have