IDUG 2024: Tech Sessions & NASCAR

It’s summer! Kids are out of school, the pools are open, and …. technical conferences are in full swing? For those who are not aware, the IDUG North America 2024 technical conference is happening next week in Charlotte, NC (June 23-27). It’s about time to start packing, review the agenda, and select a few sessions.

There will be some change at IDUG this year. Unfortunately, conference regulars Ember Crooks and Keri Romanufa will not be in attendance and will be sorely missed. So, make sure to pour one out for our home girls during the IBM reception at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I find it kind of coincidental that neither will be attending this year so I can not avenge my crushing defeat at the NSACAR pit crew challenge that happened at a previous IDUG.

Another change is that, after a multi-year hiatus from presenting, I will be part of two technical sessions at IDUG this year. First, I will be pulled onstage to briefly speak about my experience as a RDS for Db2 beta tester during the opening keynote given by Minaz Merali on Monday, June 24^th at 9:10am. Secondly, I will be giving my own presentation “Amazon RDS for Db2 – What You Need to Know” (LUWOPS2) on Wed, June 26 at 11:30am. The topic is similar to my previous blog (Db2: On-Prem vs Amazon RDS) but the session will go into more technical and architectural depth.

Finally, the best piece of advice I received at IDUG was to make sure to seek out well known speakers. Regardless of the topic, you will always learn something from a strong or established speaker. An added bonus is that a strong speaker is also able to make the session engaging so you don’t suffer death by Powerpoint.

May I make a few suggestions as you plan your agenda for the week? These are all people that I know to either be well spoken, technically deep, have a solid reputation, or I believe will deliver a strong session even if I haven’t seen them speak previously.

Sessions I will be a part of:

• (Minaz Merali) Keynote: Db2, Generative AI & WatsonX: Getting the Most From Your Data
  I’ll be part of a 10 minute interview during the keynote to discuss my experience as a AWS RDS for Db2 Beta Tester.
• (Mike Krafick) Amazon RDS for Db2 – What You Need to Know
  My own session regarding how to set up an RDS for Db2 instance. We will discuss what technical responsibilities shift from IBM to AWS, how your approach to architectural decisions may change, limitations to consider, and how administration will change.

Sessions I would seek out:

• (Ken Shaffer) AIX to RHEL Conversion – Real World Experience
  Sleeper pick. I have heard him speak many times. Always highly technical and well delivered.
• (Craig Mullins) Oh, The Things I’ve Seen: Db2 Stories and Best Practices
  I have heard him speak many times. Very good speaker and highly technical. Also, he is my archnemesis. Don’t ask … it’s a long story.
• (David Beulke) Strengthen Db2 z/OS and LUW – 40 Years of Experiences
  Have not heard him speak because he is primarily Z (and I am LUW) but his reputation proceeds him. Known to be a good speaker and very technical.
• (Markus Fraune) My top 10 Monitoring Functions for Performance and Problem Determination
  Have not heard him speak, I’m marking this session as one I want to attend. Learned he is highly technical and well-spoken (from 1:1 engagements). I expect his presentation to be fantastic.
• (Dale McInnis) Db2 HADR Performance Tuning – How to Make it Fly
  Just go. Don’t argue, just go. Dale is so technically deep that he has forgotten more about Db2 than I have learned. He could make a technical deep dive into a telephone book interesting. He is an established and sought after speaker at IDUG.
• (Misc. Speakers) Db2 LUW Expert Panel
  People on the panel vary, but the session is always fantastic. A must attend session.