There was evening, there was night, the second day…

Day two starts at a more reasonable hour. I am running the streets of San Fran at 4 am with my i-pod on and am thinking about all of the things that need my attention back in the office. Things are stressful for me now. I get back to the hotel and am in Starbucks by 5 am (that is NOT me by the way- its a file photo of some dude) to do e-mail and make calls to the UK. I am having a bit of a crisis and that continues to unfold. I take my 7 am call from the hotel and that makes me late for the taxi to day two.

Day two of strategy council is cool. We discuss how Oracle plans to weave Web2.0 concepts into its EBS solution. Now this is cool. How can we use tools that people use every day to drive productivity? I am on the edge of my seat with ideas and gushing them out all over AJ, AR and Steve. AJ is amused at first and then bored. I am excited. I see he is simmering on a few issues we learned earlier in the day that may materially alter our roadmap. It seems that the direction that Oracle has chosen on scanning technology cuts across some work that we have lined up for this year. He is troubled. I am talking with my hands and getting excited about things.

The afternoon is good too. Terrance Wampler provides an update on R12.1. Right! 12.1 is being discussed because Terrance has already moved on to newer things. I like the update and take good notes. I love when Oracle uses terms like ‘Superior Ownership Experience’. Firstly it makes me think I am buying a BMW, second, it’s like who else is there? You have basically acquired everyone else so superior to who?

Day two ends with a review of OOW sessions and I am on my way. I do some shopping and head to the hotel.

Strategy Council Day One

Day one of the Oracle Financials Strategy Council is a rough one. With my jet lag and general nervousness of what is going on in the HR Programme I am awake at 1:30 am. By 2 am I am down in the business centre and making phone calls to the UK. By 5 am I am in Denny’s having a fry up and by 5:30 I am in Starbuck’s synchronizing e-mail. The real challenge comes when I have to shower and get ready for the workshop that starts at 9 am. It is just about that time I am ready to go back to sleep! Day One is really good actually and the content is good enough to keep us all awake.

I love attending events like this with Oracle because they are run very well. The slide presentations are appealing and the presents know their sh1t. It is also a good time to bounce ideas off of peers and get a sense if they are having the same issues you are. Despite knowing that BT is big and that we have a very forward thinking agenda, it is confirmed by our attendance here. The synergies that exist by having me, AJ, AR, Steve and Chris at the same table to discuss strategy is awesome. Collectively amongst us there is over 60 years of experience on BT finance systems at the table. Every break is a chance to refine outlook and roadmap ideas going forward. I realize in looking around the table, my move to HR is bittersweet. I’ll be doing a lot less in the Oracle Financials space going forward and that is a bit of a downer. Not only do I really like oracle EBS, I really like working with these guys.

Oracle EBS is at a really cool turning point right now. The new functionality that Oracle is rolling out answers many of the issues we’ve had for a while. The first session of the day is dedicated to Sub ledger Accounting. This is cool. Keeping the GL lean and mean. Keeping the detail in the sub ledgers is where our thinking has gotten to over 18 months ago. The buzz around the table begins as Steve starts ticking off the number of issues that can help us resolve. An interesting debate goes on related to TP, we hit full stride in our discussion and we are excited.

The Business Intelligence update is a challenge. By now it is time for bed in the UK and my body struggles to remain focused. Plus, with Oracle’s acquisition on Hyperion, the strategy has changed and there is just a lot to absorb. Try as I might, I am getting about 30% absorption. The highlight of this session is the XBRL capability built directly into Hyperion. I latched onto XBRL early and have read about as much as I can on this subject. As a CPA I know this is the future of financial reporting and beyond.

The afternoon is a slight bust when we start talking about Fusion User Acceptance Module. Steve slyly notes that this is like 40 letters that otherwise spell HELP. I am giddy at this point and am trying to think if an acronym that can transform FUAM into fubar. Anyway, Fusion User Acceptance Module is bit like a cup holder in a Mercedes. Once you press the button you watch this thing unfold and you realize there are a handful of German engineers that had way too much time on their hands. My sense is that this is kind of over engineered. By this time I am starting to drool on the table as the jet lag is being unkind.

We wrap the day with a conversation around Applications Unlimited.

Overall a good first day and the big benefits coming during the breaks where we are speaking in real terms about the impact on BT.

Size Matters

So there we are standing at the baggage carousel waiting for the first class bags to come off the plane. Of course, my frustration level with Virgin Atlantic surges as I am watching everyone else walk away with their bags first and mine has not arrived. Then we see AJ’s bag medium sized bag come off and we are all duly impressed that he can fit a week’s worth of clothing in that device. Then AR’s bad arrives and another minimalist packing job. Then comes my bag. Suffice it to say the ridicule will not stop even till now. You could fit all of their bags in mine and still have room for shopping.