Why Oracle: Part of the Ship, Part of the Crew

Having a namesake derived from the patron saint of sailors and travelers, Brendan the Navigator, it only seems fitting to tell the story of why I joined Oracle using nautical parallels.

Rewind 5 years ago to the Loras College Business Analytics Symposium where I met my mentor, and now manager Rich Clayton. Going into this symposium, my personal agenda was to simply absorb as much as possible from the analytical professionals who were presenting. I stayed back to ask some questions from Oracle's very own analytics rockstar Mitch Campbell after he had finished presenting, and what I got from the interaction was more than I could have imagined. Mitch and Rich fed off each other's love for data analysis and storytelling as they demoed an analysis on beer sales and hop growth in particular areas for me (they know how to grab a college student's attention)! This was my first taste of beer , I mean OBIEE 12c.

The Map

After learning more and more about the work Oracle was doing to impact the analytics world from Rich and Mitch, I knew I wanted to be part of it. Besides gaining further affirmation that going into the analytics field was a smart choice, I also gained a map. Sounds odd, but it's true. Not just any map, this map was simple but crucially important for this specific Brendan (Doyle) The Navigator! This map was Rich's rough sketch of the Bay Area with Redwood Shores (RWS), Oracle's HQ being circled and starred. From the day Rich grabbed my notebook and became a cartographer to this very day, the Bay Area map has been folded in my wallet as an internal reminder that I had to get to the place with the circle and star around it...I had to get to Oracle!

Jumping ahead a year, I got the privilege to work for and learn from Oracle ACE directors Kevin McGinley and Stewart Bryson at Red Pill Analytics. This time around I was the one getting my hands dirty playing with OBIEE 12c! From building interactive dashboards to writing in-depth reports on the advanced analytics features offered in the product, I was getting a clearer vision of where Oracle was taking BI. I wanted to be part of this journey.

All Hands On Deck

Just like the crew that races for Oracle Team USA, the Oracle Analytics crew strives to be the best too! Let me describe the Oracle Analytics Crew:

It is exciting to board a ship that is setting its sails under Oracle's founder and CTO, Larry Ellison. Putting my faith in the leadership of a technologist, like Larry, our ship's Skipper, is easy to do. His competitiveness and drive to be the best is infectious. The impact that our Skipper has made on the world of data, platform, and application is far from done!

Our Mainsheet Trimmer, who's responsible for the crew's runners and for maintaining the speed and momentum of the ship is none other than Bruno Aziza, our GVP of AI, Analytics & Cloud. Bruno is a leader with decades of experience in Data, Analytics, and AI. His contagious energy rubs off on the the rest of the crew and pushes us to live out the "all hands on deck" mentality.

Our Tactician, Rich Clayton, VP of Analytics Product Management, is responsible for getting the boat around the course and providing the strategy to give the Oracle Analytics crew the best advantage. Working closely with the trimmers (Aziza) to find the fastest way around the course, Clayton's role is crucial to the success of Oracle Analytics and the journey we are taking! His ability to get the most out of his crew-mates is second to none.

In a sea of data, the journey ahead may appear intimidating, but with Jignesh Mehta, our Sr. Principal Architect, acting as the Pit Crew Boss, he shows how leveraging these waves of data correctly using the advanced analytics, AI, ML, and data visualizations capabilities within Oracle Analytics can make a ship (or your company) fly!

While this is only scratching the surface of those who make up the strong Oracle Analytics crew, I knew that this crew is where I wanted to lower my anchor. Joining the Oracle Analytics crew meant I would be boarding a ship that is setting its sails to a future with truly governed and secure data exploration, smooth sailing across data preparation, and an embedded one-click compass to provide direction for smart data analysis!

Working closely with the Tacticians, as a Sr. Product Manager of Oracle Analytics, I am providing navigational tactics to set the Oracle Analytics ship on the right course! Shaping the journey for events like the Oracle Analytics Summit, our event to showcase our customers' successes and our last latest innovations across governed, self-service and augmented analytics. And if you don't know what I'm referring to? Here are 3 easy steps to get going on Oracle Analytics.

• Get Oracle Analytics for free here.
• Get Free Training on Augmented Analytics (Basics here, Advanced here)
• Join the Community on LinkedIn here

Why I Joined Oracle: The New Map

Even though I have reached the destination on my Bay Area map, the real journey is only just beginning. I joined Oracle because I wanted to be part of the team of cartographers who are mapping out the future of Business Intelligence and Augmented Analytics. Joining the Oracle crew meant I get the opportunity to take YOU, the customer, along on the Oracle Analytics journey. The Oracle Analytics product provides a single solution that blends the industry's requirements of governed, centralized analytics, self-service as well as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) into every step of the process. No matter where your end destination is, Oracle Analytics is tailored to your specific needs! Want to know more about where we're going? Check out the Oracle Analytics Roadmap created by our crew for guidance on your way forward!

I'd love to connect and chat!

Let's Build Culture,

Brendan Doyle