2008 GBN Business Objects User Conference – Preview

Monday is the beginning of the Global Business Objects Network’s (GBN) annual Business Objects User Conference in Dallas, Texas. This will be the first Business Objects user conference since merger with SAP, the first post-Insight user conference, and (at least for me) the first user conference held during a downturn in the overall US economy.

I’m looking forward to networking with my peers, consuming fajitas and guacamole, and presenting my breakout, CMC Essentials. My presentation focuses on Business Objects security administration, comparing XI R2 against XI 3.0 and XI 3.1. I’ll begin with a brief history of Business Objects administration, then move onto the security features that XI R2 and XI 3.x share. Most of my time will be spent discussing and demonstrating the the new security features of XI 3.x like custom access levels, scope of rights, the Permissions Explorer and Security Query.

On a personal note, it’s my first breakout as a member of Integra Solutions, a business unit of Quorum Business Solutions. As Darth Vader said, “The circle is now complete.” When I attended my first Business Objects conference in 2005, I had never heard of Integra Solutions but attended several breakout sessions by Alan Mayer, Dave Rathbun and others. Now, these outstanding professionals are my friends and co-workers. Please join Integra Solutions at the following breakout sessions:

Virtually Yours, by Alan Mayer and James Landis
Monday, October 20, 2008
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Wedgewood

Extreme Reporting, by Alan Mayer
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
Wedgewood

Universe Designer Essentials and Beyond, by Dave Rathbun
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Wedgewood

CMC Essentials, by Dallas Marks
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Metropolitan Ballroom

Auditing for Anyone, by Meredith McLarty
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
Metropolitan Ballroom

I’ll be blogging live from the conference. See you in Dallas!