Back from Mumbai (Oracle Solution Architect Training by Ruben Spekle)

Nigdi, Pune | January 24th 2010 | Time : 6:08 PM

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Past 1 week, I was attending a training from Capgemini University on being an Oracle Solution Architect.

There are things you know you know, there are things you know you do not know and then there are things that you DO NOT know that you DO NOT know .. this was training of the 3rd kind.

The Course is a fallout of Oracle making numerous acquisitions. Capgemini is thinking that there is a need for people who can effectively present a mix of all those "ACQUIRED R n D" technologies under Oracles Umbrella. I think capgemini has rightly identified this HUGE GAP which needs to be filled for at least some time to come.

Think of when you would suggest a Hyperion or Sleeping Cat or AcquaLogic to the Client just because that is the best fit, before Oracle acquired them.

My thinking Before the training

, I would say till Last 2 years ago BEA was Oracle's Competitor for APplication Servers but now its not. Hyperion for Financial reporting.. and Sieble for Analytics .. I guess If i HTTRACKED Oracle's website 4 years ago I would have got 100 reports why Oracles product are superior to each one of them. But Now the business is changed, they are Oracle. so

cough... cough ...

They are good for your business. !! Actually they are GREAT !!!!!!

Best of Breed you see.

My thinking After the training

As you might have already guessed SOA is the backbone of delivering all these technologies. We have webservices that enable the integration. After aquisition there are numerous Overlapping technologies and Oracle decides on which one to keep and which one to let go.

The Job #1 of Oracle Solution Architect is to keep their clients on the right track of technology. Hence, There are technologies that are

1. Continue
2. Converge
3. End of Life

The idea is know which technology is where and to consult client to keep them in CONTINUE or at least CONVERGE phase.

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There is just one problem

Capgemini is NOT ORACLE

It would have been great if the course only focussed on being a Solution Architect. instead of Oracle Solution Architect. I want to give my client BEST AVAILABLE SOLUTION. It may come from IBM, MICROSOFT or may be its Open Source.

My End Customer is the Client. He deserves the best solution available in Market because he has his hard earned money on the table. If myself being an Oracle Solution Architect I am not the right technology guy I have to step aside to let others come in.

Thanks to Ruben Spekle from NL, who conducted this course.

Internally, I feel that this course has flicked a switch which was OFF till now. I have begun to think of various stakeholders as to what are their individual needs.

Eg :

1. Oracle Alliance Manager
2. Owner
3. CIO
4. Marketing Manager

If this is what I think it is, It could be a start of a wonderful new journey, and I feel like a totally new Person. Eagerly, waiting for the Next Oppotunity to come when i can implement the know-how and Looking forward to working together with rest of the Solution Architects.

PS : Also met Anand Shetye from Oracle in the same training. We met after a very long time. (say 5-6 years)

Let me know in comments what you feel.