I've been asked to participate in the Exadata Virtual Conference organized by Tanel Poder that is being held August 3&4. I'll be speaking about something near and dear to my heart, Exadata patching! Patching Exadata can be a scary proposition, considering that one patch touches Exadata storage application code, provides OS and kernel updates, and even flash firmware for the hardware components. Many customers of ours have noted that they have had issues with patching, or are reluctant to patch all together due to the complexity of the process. I'm looking to explain the process in plain English and take the fear out of it. Speaking with me will be the authors of Expert Oracle Exadata. Tanel will be speaking, along with Kerry Osborne, one of the best Exadata performance guys around, and Randy Johnson, speaking about IORM. It should be an interesting format, allowing for a direct Q&A after each session. Early bird pricing is $375 per attendee until July 22.