The General Electric Experience at ODTUG Kscope18: The Premier Oracle Developer Conference

General Electric is one of the biggest users of Oracle technology for Finance applications (HFM, Planning, Essbase, CM, ARM, FDMEE, ODI, DRM, Exalytics, Exadata). The GE Finance IT function has built one of the largest EPM Shared Service teams supporting 500+ internal applications. Even after the #PoweringForward announcement of a more simplified GE, the Oracle landscape of finance applications across the existing GE businesses won't change for a while. As such, among the 1400 participants and 250+ speakers, the learning and knowledge transfer contribution at Kscope18 was invaluable. GE has always added great value to the Kscope conferences throughout the years. Our Oracle EPM experts are some of the best in the industry, always willing to share best practices outside of the company.

ODTUG is an independent, not-for-profit, global organization whose sole purpose is to keep the user community on the cutting-edge of the constantly changing Oracle technology landscape, especially the Oracle Cloud movement. The conference attracts Oracle ACE Directors and ACE Oracle experts as well as participants who are decision makers and influencers in their companies. The conference constantly evolves to include the best, the latest, and the most up-to-date educational sessions. Kscope serves as a neutral meeting ground to exchange thoughts and ideas with Oracle leaders on how to make the products deliver to the best of their potential for all customers.

The conference sessions are categorized according to the following tracks:

? EPM Reporting BI & DV ? Planning ? Essbase ? Financial Close ? EPM Data Integration ? EPM Infrastructure ? Real World EPM ? Database ? Application Express ? Breakout with Blockchain / Emerging Tech ? Careers and the Changing Landscape for DBA/Developers and EPM/BI

All presentations are available to be downloaded by all ODTUG Paid members. When it comes to having access to premium technical content, the membership is worth it! At Kscope18 there were over 350 sessions presented, and almost always you'd have to pick favorites to fill every hour of the day.

• Kscope18 Presentations (Filter by topic & sub topic)

This was my second time attending the Kscope conference and I was honored to be a presenter in two sessions: the first focused on the DRG workflow module of the Oracle DRM (Data Relationship Management) application (presented along my colleague Rakesh Kandagatla), the second focused on the Agile methodology practices across the different Finance IT teams at GE. The attendance and audience engagement exceeded expectations. I was pleased to be invited at Ford to share best practices on how GE has embraced an Agile mindset across the Finance IT teams. And since Kscope18 was held at Disney, both sessions followed the Aladdin theme in detail!

Rakesh and myself, along with some other young Oracle professionals blog about the Oracle DRM application at datarestless.com. This was the blog post that inspired our DRG Kscope18 session: Building a DRG Workflow, The Magical Steps No point in hiding the millennial creativity as you'll see below...

Here is a sneak peak of a couple of sessions at Kscope18: Bill Nall presenting on the GE EPM Shared Service organization; I was an ODTUG Ambassador for one of Jason Jones' sessions, Jason has helped me a few times with my Dodeca questions so I had to moderately return the favor; at the Essbase panel I was happy to see Belen Ortiz, a female panelist among some of the best Essbase experts; the Brazilians, Rodrigo & Ricardo delivering a great session that won them the Best Speaker Award in the EPM Data Integrations track!

• New Oracle Professional Sessions (Great intro to Oracle content and technical experts)
• Oracle Product Management Symposiums (EPM Latest Oracle Updates on the: State of EPM Business & Strategy Review, Connected Planning, Connected Financial Management, EPM Cloud Adoption Customer Panel, Oracle Analytics Product Strategy, Roadmap, and Demos, Essbase Product Update and Demos) Check out the 5 Key EPM Takeaways from Kscope18 from Muthu Ranganathan, Oracle EPM Product Manager.

• Hands-On Training Labs (All you had to do in these sessions was bring your laptop and put your technical learning skills in action for the following topics: EDMCS, OAC, FCCS, PBCS, EPBCS, FDMEE, APEX, PL/SQL, REST APIs, JavaScript) Julia Radovani, another one of the DataRestless millenials and also my Albanian doppelganger, delivered the EDMCS hands on training.
• Deep Dives (1.5 hr sessions to summarize the key takeaways for each track at the end of the conference)

1. GE Finance IT Presentations at Kscope18

This year, the conference was organized at Disney! The GE Finance IT team presented 9 sessions, all in the EPM track. Many of our team members were also part of Ask the Experts panels and volunteers in coordinating various Kscope18 community events. Every GE speaker always takes the time to present the content in a fun and creative way while sharing very detailed and best class solutions implemented at GE.

Seems like every year the GE team is recognized for their contributions and expertise in the Oracle technology space. At Kscope18 I was very honored to be awarded the 2018 ODTUG Volunteer Award for my contributions to the ODTUG community during the past year. I was surprised and very happy at the same time. Since I became an ODTUG member last year, I've been fortunate to join a network of the best Oracle experts in the world that have motivated and encouraged me to grow professionally and expand my technical knowledge.

Another great recognition for the GE team was Joe Nasal's Best Speaker Award for the EPM Infrastructure track. I happened to be his session ambassador and I heard first hand the great feedback all attendees had for his presentation, many wanted him to present again on the same topic at Kscope19 to share even more best practices. Joe has contributed tirelessly to building a world class EPM PaaS organization at GE in the past few years, a well deserved award!

Check out the following page for the list of all ODTUG Kscope18 Award Winners

For the past 8 months, I'm grateful to have been part of the ODTUG Leadership Program, where we discussed topics from "The Leadership Challenge" book, we heard from some of the most influential ODTUG leaders, we worked as a team to deliver valuable outcomes for a project that the ODTUG Board of Directors assigned to the 5 of us to build up. I've been part of many leadership trainings at the GE Crotonville campus, but this was a very different and fulfilling experience. I felt I grew as a leader in areas that I hadn't reflected upon before and I gained new leadership perspectives outside of GE. We made a great team!

Another great highlight from Kscope18 was Gary Adashek's appointment as the EPM Content Chair at the Kscope19 Conference Committee. Content is King!

Gary's session Inside Out of OAC Essbase and DV Plus BI was also selected to be delivered live during the conference. Some of our colleagues that couldn't attend Kscope, tuned in.

We do have another Gary in our Finance IT team. When Gary Crisci and Gary Adashek join forces, you can expect... the unexpected! I was notified last minute that I was chosen to be one of the sharks for their Saving the Beverage Company presentation. They didn't just impress the audience with their Smart View Powerpoint skills... their Photoshop tricks were quite elaborate as well!

Kscope18 will always be a memorable conference, not just because of all the activities I was personally involved with, but most importantly because it's always a pleasure to share this experience with an amazing group of friends and colleagues! During my 7 years working in different GE businesses, going through all the change and the challenging times, some things have always remained consistent: the pursuit of excellence and the great people!

2. Kscope19 Abstract Submission Process

Kscope not only enables GE employee's to increase their Digital IQ, but it is also a great place to highlight the Finance IT team's yearly accomplishments by showcasing them to the larger Oracle community. If you’re curious to see what a presentation abstract looks like, check out the below example of the Oracle DRM, DRG workflow module presentation that I delivered with Rakesh Kandagatla at Kscope18. We submitted our abstract in January '18 and we were informed that our session was accepted at Kscope18 by March '18.

If you were inspired, submit your abstracts to be one of the 250+ presenters at Kscope19! Abstract Deadline: tbd

3. Women in Technology Event

The GE Women's Network puts a strong emphasis in developing women leaders across all 175 GE locations throughout the world. You can read more about the ways GE strives to #BalanceTheEquation in another one of my articles: Girls Who Code Gala 2018: Imagining a World Beyond Equity - How General Electric Develops Women in STEM

Along the same lines, one of the most memorable events of the conference was the Women in Technology roundtable. At Kscope18, among many women attendees and ODTUG volunteers, we also had the privilege to witness 4 women leaders in action:

• The First ODTUG Female President: Natalie Delemar
• The First Kscope Female Conference Chair: Opal Alapat (ACE Director)
• The First Kscope Female Keynote Speaker: Dr. Heather Knight
• The First Kscope Special Event Female DJ: EM V

The organizer of the event, Minie Parikh, had planned well thought topics to highlight real scenarios and challenges that women face in tech roles around the following themes:

• How women can help each other in a mostly male dominated field
• How to find resources for professional and personal development
• How to organize company events that are more gender-inclusive
• What the #MeToo movement means for the future of Women in Technology
• Equal pay and negotiation tactics: how to know what you want and get what you deserve
• Handling conflict and confrontation with tact and finesse

I was the facilitator for one of the tables and along with Kyla, Julie, Barb, Malou, Pete, Greg and Mumtuz we created engaging discussions on how to navigate offensive social situations, how to face the "Bro" culture in the workplace and we also shared personal stories on how we had dealt with the misconceptions associated to motherhood and the ways working mothers are perceived, supported and promoted in the tech industry.

ODTUG WIT Scholar Award presented to Linda Stewart as a female leader in STEM. (Interview Link TBA)

The women I've met at Kscope have been some of the most impressing and inspiring people I've ever encountered. They aren't just experts in their respective Oracle technical areas, they are leaders in their companies, entrepreneurs, authors, college professors, artists, Ironman Triathlon champs, mothers, community volunteers and some of the most strong and caring human beings. They go above and beyond to support, mentor and promote other women in the ODTUG community!

4. Social Media Lounge Kscope18 Interviews

At Kscope18 I also volunteered to interview 3 well known Oracle experts: Mark Rittman on his Drill to Detail podcast, Jorge Rimblas on his role as the Kscope18 Content Chair for the Database and Apex tracks, Mike Durran from the Oracle Product Management team on the Oracle DV product roadmap. Check the YouTube video links in the below tweet.

If you wish to be involved in helping out to organize Kscope19 activities or ODTUG Community meetups you can Lend a Hand by volunteering your time! As one of my favorite artists put it:

'The meaning of life is to find your gift! The purpose of life is to give it away!" Picasso

5. Networking after Kscope

What happens after KScope is over? From what I've learned in the past year... it's not really over! The ODTUG community has established a social media presence through Twitter, where hundreds of participants connect with each other to share blog posts, suggest solutions to technical problems, participate in ODTUG meetups and keep in touch.

Apart from my @NevianaZhgaba and my group blog @DataRestless accounts, GE has 2 other Twitter gurus that you can follow: @GAdashek (Kscope19 EPM Content Chair) and @GaryCrisci (ODTUG Board Member & Treasurer).

If you're new to the ODTUG Twitter community get started on your social media journey by following these experts, most importantly read their blogs and be inspired by their @odtug contributions: @opal_EPM, @CubeCoderDotCom,@dbaOnTap, @joeaultman, @markrittman, @HyperionBarbie, @HyperionNerd, @miaurman, @Bec_Wagner, @essbasedownundr, @sfonplsql, @RodrigoRadtke, @in2hyperion, @jwj, @TriGeek_SCZ, @RZGiampaoli, @rjgideon, @thatjeffsmith, @rimblas, @erichelmer, @martindsouza etc.

#Kscope18 was full of insights into the landscape of Oracle Cloud applications and Emerging tech! The journey ahead only promises constant change & innovation!

I started my Kscope18 trip at the NASA Kennedy Space Center, followed by a memorable tour of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was well prepared for the Kscope week to be exhausting and awesome at the same time, but it exceeded all my expectations!

Every Kscope brings you higher up in terms of professional growth and expertise!

You enter Kscope with the purpose of learning as much as possible about Oracle technologies and how you can better leverage them in your workplace, however you end up leaving with so much more: great use cases to apply in your projects and also special friends and mentors for years to come!

Create, Develop, Innovate and most importantly Share the Knowledge!

5. Kscope18: The Fun Bits!

And if you thought Kscope18 was also a fun conference, wait until you check out the real team building activities during the Community Service Day, Health & Fitness 5k Run, Chi Gung Morning Sessions, Disney Theme Welcome Reception, Kscope18 Special Event, EPM Community Night Speed Networking Event & Lip Sync Battle. The GE team always surprises! Read the following blog post for all the details.

Kscope18: Work Hard, Play Hard, Dance Harder!