Always Learning

Training Tip: Nearly Free Laser Pointer

When I got started in training, the pencil-type laser pointer was over $100. Needless to say, I found other ways to point at the screen  (hand shadows being the primary one).

Recently, I finally broke down and got a laser pointer, which I keep in my trainer kit. The cost?  Only $3, in a clearance bin at Walgreens. It was sold as a cat toy: a way to put a spot of light on the wall for cats to chase around. (It also puts up an image of a mouse, a butterfly, a star, and my favorite, a smiley face.)

The use of laser diodes in mass-market equipment such as CD and DVD players has lowered their production cost so far that now they can be sold as toys, not $100 professional tools.  I don't care what it says on the package, it's a dandy training aid.

On the other hand, training is often compared to herding cats, so maybe the package description is appropriate.

NOTE: Do not put this in your carry-on luggage. It's considered a weapon and forbidden by the TSA, so pack it with your trainer kit in your checked luggage.

Oracle Database 11gR1 on VMWare

I've just finished creating the test environment I'm going to use to prepare for the 11g OCP upgrade test. Instead of installing directly on a lab machine as I've done before, I decided to do this one inside a VMWare virtual machine. Here are some notes on what I did, while they're fresh in my mind.

Don't you just love the Internet?  I found an excellent step-by-step install guide by John Smiley, and it really shortened the learning curve. It also contains links to the download sites for Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, which is functionally similar to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, and Oracle Database 11gR1.

VMWare layer: 

I created a VM with 1024Mb memory, a single 20GB hard disk, one network adapter bridged. I don't plan to do RAC scenarios with this image, it's just for the basics, so I kept it simple. I can add more virtual hard drives to it later to practice ASM.

Linux layer:

I used Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, downloaded from Oracle.  I followed the install instructions from Oracle-Base, which included details on disk partitioning. OEL5 includes 5 CD images as .iso files, but the install only required the first 3.

On my first attempt, I did as the Oracle notes suggested and did a default install of packages. But this led to problems later with missing libraries needed by various RPMs. So, I started over, selected "Customize Now" instead of "Customize Later," and followed instructions I had used successfully with 10gR2 in terms of which packages to include and not:

• GNOME Desktop Environment
• Editors
• Graphical Internet
• Text-based Internet
• Development Libraries
• Development Tools
• Legacy Software Development
• Server Configuration Tools
• Administration Tools
• Base
• Legacy Software Support
• System Tools
• X Window System

This worked much better.

I then followed the Oracle instructions exactly for preparing the OS for Oracle, in terms of adding several additional RPMs, setting kernel parameters, creating security groups and creating the oracle user.

Oracle installation:

My first try failed due to unzipping all the files on my Windows machine and burning an ISO image. I got permissions errors when trying to start the Oracle Universal Installer. So, I reburned the image with just the ZIP file as downloaded by Oracle, and unzipped it within the Linux environment. The rest of the install was textbook.

Throughout, I used the VMware Workstation 6.5 snapshot feature, taking snapshots of the base Linux machine, Linux machine plus additional packages, Linux machine plus customizations for Oracle, and finally after the successful install.  I connected with sqlplus and was rewarded with the opening banner giving the version as 11.1.0.6.0.

Let the studying begin!  Oh wait, it already has.

New Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) Requirements

New candidates for Oracle's entry level DBA certification must now pass an exam on SQL, in addition to the existing requirement for passing the Database Administration I test. The Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) credential is the first rung in Oracle's 3-step DBA certification ladder. The change went into effect December 1st, 2008.

According to the Oracle University website, any of four exams will meet the requirement:

• 1Z0-001: Introduction to SQL and PL/SQL
• 1Z0-007: Introduction to 9i SQL
• 1Z1-051: Oracle Database 11g SQL Fundamentals I
• 1Z0-047: Oracle Database SQL Expert

Existing OCAs and OCPs do not have to fulfill the additional requirement. Their upgrade paths remain the same.

Training Tips: Use an Electronic "Whiteboard"

Training on-site at customer locations is sometimes challenging. Every classroom is set up differently, and that means having to be adaptable to the tools available.

For example, I like to draw on whiteboards as I talk, but many classrooms have such a big pull-down screen that the whiteboard is almost completely covered. It's a hassle (and distracting) to constantly raise and lower the screen.

My accomodation to this was to open a Word document, set the font to 24 pt. Arial, and use it to type my notes. It was awkward at first, but after a while, I found I really liked this approach. I can use the notes during review on future days without messing with bulky easel pads. And I email the entire whiteboard document to the participants after class is over, which makes a good "after sale" reminder of the value I've delivered.

I'm still struggling with how to draw diagrams: the tools in Word are a bit primitive.

One tip: back up the whiteboard to a flash drive before you leave each day. Some classroom environments reset themselves upon logout, and your documents might not be there the next day. Also, some on-site training rooms are shared spaces that others might use between class sessions. Be prepared: backup!

October 2008 Critical Patch Update released

Oracle released its quarterly security update on October 14.  The advisory can be found on OTN at http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/security/alerts.htm .

Note that in 2008, Oracle stopped updating Metalink with the Critical Patch Updates, and now distributes them only via OTN.

As with any patching, no matter how trivial, be sure to apply to your development and test systems first before updating production.

Planning: Top Down, or Bottom Up?

Training professionals, like all knowledge workers, need to plan their time. There is always more to be done than time available, and choices have to be made. These choices become commitments -- and once made, these commitments need to be tracked to ensure we follow through on them.

What city am I in next week? Has the venue been prepared? Did I send the course materials ahead? Which course is it, so I can pack the right Instructor Guide?

Two popular approaches to planning systems are top-down (or values-driven) and bottom-up (or action-driven).

An example of the top-down approach is the Franklin-Covey Planner. Their process starts with writing a personal mission statement that embodies your personal values. "Begin with the end in mind," says Steven Covey, and work backwards from that. The mission statement leads to long term goals in the various roles in your life, such as spouse, parent, worker, church member, etc.  These long term goals in turn lead to shorter term projects, and eventually, daily tasks which are tracked on the pages of the Planner. Your purpose becomes a compass that guides you in daily decisionmaking.

David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, works from the bottom up. You start by itemizing every "open loop" or unfinished commitment in your life, and taking them one at a time, determine if there is a next action to be performed. Any action that takes 2 minutes or less is done immediately, and longer actions are either delegated or scheduled on a calendar or action list.  Allen contends that as you gain control over execution, your mind will become freer to strategize what's important to you.

So which system is right: top-down, or bottom-up? The answer for me is "both." (Your answer, of course, may vary.)  I have done some work identifying my personal values, and I use a paper-based Franklin-Covey Compass planner. (Classic size, wire-bound, weekly format, in case you're interested.) But I don't use it the way that Franklin-Covey says to use it: instead, I use it as the calendar component of an overall Getting Things Done (GTD) filing system.

I've been working with planning systems for over 35 years now, constantly refining and adapting as my needs change.  And I still miss things occasionally. But my systems help me do the best job I can of fulfilling my commitments, both to others, and to myself.

Business Travel Tip: Best Accessory I Own

Sometimes it's the little things that are the most useful, way out of proportion to their size or cost.

The best travel accessory I own is not an expensive iPod, or Bose sound-cancelling headphones, or my Samsonite rolling briefcase that is my office on the road. No, it's a small webbed strap that connects to my Travelpro Crew6 rollaboard (which I use as checked luggage). The strap hangs down and provides a hook to piggy-back my briefcase.

Now one handle effectively pulls both items, and I have one hand free. Flight attendants and pilots have been using these for years, and many higher-end suitcases now come with them as standard equipment. Look for attachment points on your next suitcase or rollaboard.

I didn't realize how much comfort this little strap adds to my trips until one broke.  (My fault: I overloaded it.) Suddenly, I was doing the two-handed thing again, and not liking it. I located a Travelpro repair center locally and now I'm looking forward to my next trip.

Business travel tip: Look for security "fast lanes"

I was recently in Salt Lake City, and finally got a chance to test the experience-based security lanes rolled out on a test basis back in February.

There are three lines, identified by symbols used to mark the experience needed for ski trails:

• Green circle: beginners and families with small children and strollers;
• Blue square: intermediate travelers who don't fly very frequently;
• Black diamond: expert travellers who are very familiar with airport procedures.

The lines were well marked and it was easy to choose one. The families seemed to be using the green circle lane, which got them out of the regular flow nicely. But everyone else seemed to consider themselves an expert.  The intermediate, blue square line was almost empty.

And, wouldn't you know it, the person ahead of me in line in the "expert" lane didn't know to take her laptop out of the computer case before it went through X-ray.

Still, the lines seem to be an improvement.

I fly on American a lot because my home airport is Dallas Fort Worth International, a hub city for American. They've just announced a new program starting next month called Priority AAcess  (they love those AA's) that creates a priority boarding lane for frequent flyers. And for the past month, I've been enjoying early boarding anyway, as I just reached the AAdvantage Gold frequent flyer level and am always in Group 1 for boarding (but still behind First Class passengers and AAdvantage Platinum members).

I don't want to get into the politics of multiple classes of service, but I think the TSA scheme was done correctly. It's not based on how much money you have, but how likely you are to hold up others in the line.

Training tip: Nothing works every time

When you use checklists for service delivery, as I do, it's easy to slip into a routine. In fact, that's what checklists are designed to do: take best practices and make them a habit.

But nothing works every time. Doing the same training game at the same point in a given course may seem like a "best practice," but ignores the most important thing, which is the needs of the students in the class. People are different, and that means you can teach the same course dozens of times and no two deliveries will be exactly the same.

For example, there is one training game I usually play on the last day of a certain class.  It nicely sums up the material in the class, and it's a lot of fun.  Usually.  But I know from experience that if the class is smaller than 6 or 7 people, that game isn't going to work. So I have to substitute something else.

Or, if the people in the class find games distracting and prefer a more straightforward presentation, I have to adapt my style to what will make them comfortable enough to be open to learning.

Checklists can be a wonderful tool to ensure a base level of service delivery, a "good" class. But it's going beyond the checklist to personalize the experience that makes a class not just good, but great.

Business travel tip: Gasoline planning

High gas prices affect everyone, not just the airlines. When planning a business trip, make gasoline planning part of your process.

Here are some tips on saving gas (and therefore, saving the customer some money):

• Consider a hybrid. Some rental car agencies now have hybrid cars, which combine a gasoline engine with a battery-powered electric motor drive. When the car is moving slower than a certain threshold miles per hour, the gasoline engine shuts off and the electric motor drives the car.  When moving at a constant rate, the gas engine runs but only charges the batteries, which uses less gas. Only when the car is accelerating does the gasoline engine actually move the car.  Net effect: less gas used.  I spent an entire week driving around at a client site, and when I gassed up at the end of the trip, I had only used 3 gallons.

• Fill the rental car yourself before returning it.  Car rental companies charge at least a dollar per gallon more for refueling. On one recent trip, the area's gas price was $3.59 per gallon, but the refueling rate was over $5.  The prepay options are extra profit for the car rental companies, because they get to charge for the same gas multiple times. Pick the "bring it back full" option and do it yourself.

• Spot the gas station on your way out of the airport. When you arrive at an airport you haven't been to before and you're on your way to the hotel, keep an eye out for the nearest gas stations. Jot down the exit number from the highway so that on the way back, you won't waste time hunting for gas.

• Carpool with colleagues.  If multiple people are attending a conference or other event, use collaboration tools such as SharePoint or a wiki to coordinate car use.

• Consider going without a car. In many places you really do need a car to get around, but urban areas typically have excellent mass transit. Also, some hotels will let you use their shuttle: ask when making reservations.