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Page 22

Oracle Consulting

Oracle devotes a complete division of its company to consulting services. Many companies have large computer development and consulting staff and find it natural to hire consultants from Oracle. Oracle consultants have the advantage of specialization. Many products in Oracle's vertical product line, such as Oracle Financials and Oracle Manufacturing, require specialized knowledge that Oracle Consulting can provide.

A consultant from the Oracle Corporation obviously has access to the latest technology releases, bugs , and successful implementations of applications that are probably similar to your effort. By accessing this staff of 8,000 worldwide consultants, you can gain more inside knowledge of the Oracle and add an expert to your staff.

Oracle Consulting addresses five major areas with its expertise:

• Advanced technologies: This focus measures factors that make a project successful such as availability, transaction rate, data access rate, process volume, network traffic rate, and connectivity.
• Application implementation: This part of the consulting department gives customers support in using Oracle front-end tools and design tools such as Developer/2000 (formerly SQL*Forms) and Designer/2000.
• Business consulting: These special services are offered to a corporation as a whole to plan a vision of high-level technology with Oracle. Business process re-engineering (BRP), channel definition, new product development, supply chain/manufacturing, customer order management, post-sales support, Oracle Financials integration, and information services consulting are some of the areas in which Oracle can offer a company expertise at a higher level.
• Core technologies: This is how Oracle Consulting supports the implementation and tool choices that go along with a relational database. Operational standards such as OFA (Optimal Flexible Architecture) are also encouraged. Configuration planning and installation, system upgrades, performance management and tuning, system audits , and training workshops are some of the programs offered through core technologies.
• Custom development: Oracle's Custom Development Method (CDM) is a methodology of project tracking and model-driven development standards that Oracle has found successful.
• Program management: These are a series of management methods and techniques that Oracle Consulting can use to aid managers in the overall planning and implementation of a project or a series of projects.

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Oracle Sales

I really don't want to sell you on Oracle Sales; that's their job. I will say that you can either approach Oracle in the more traditional manner of contacting their sales office or go the Oracle Store, an online shopping store where you can buy Oracle products using the World Wide Web. Here are some useful numbers you might need if you want to inquire about an Oracle product or service:

Oracle U.S. Sales	800-ORACLE-1
Oracle Workgroup Product Sales	800-633-0586
Oracle U.S. Education Sales	800-633-0575
Oracle U.S. Consulting Sales	800-578-4672
Oracle U.S. Documentation Sales	800-252-0303
Oracle Trial CDs	800-633-0586
Oracle U.S. Corporate Headquarters	415-506-7000
Oracle U.S. Customer Relations	415-506-1500
Oracle U.S. Worldwide Support	415-506-1500
Oracle U.S. Business Alliance Partner Sales	800-323-7355
Oracle U.S. Developer Programme	800-358-3675
Oracle OpenWorld	800-304-4664
Directions to Oracle Corporation	415-506-0794
Network Computer Corporation	415-631-4600

When you get in contact with Oracle directly or through the Oracle Store on the World Wide Web, it is also a good a idea to contact your local Oracle sales representatives. They are probably near your area and know about the local support and user - group channels that will help you. They also understand the business needs of your community and can probably refer you to other Oracle customers.

Oracle on the Web

Oracle has an excellent Web page, and it is one of the fastest waves I have surfed. Here you can discover a great deal about the different products and services that Oracle offers and also learn about the latest press releases and Oracle Magazine. It is a good idea to visit this page from time to time to see the hot topic of the month. You can also find a number of other good " underground " Web pages about Oracle Corporation and the Oracle product line. Happy surfing! Oracle's Web address is www.oracle.com.

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Summary

Oracle is a complicated company with a complex strategy of waging war in the software world. Its forces are widespread; Oracle has its hands in many different cookie jars. You will explore each of these cookies throughout the book and bite into them as you are taken through beginning and advanced topics regarding the major products that Oracle sells.

Don't be overwhelmed by the complexity of what Oracle offers; just focus on the areas that you will need to understand to make your experience with Oracle a pleasant one. I have never met anyone who was an expert with all the products owned by Oracle. The true expert can sift through the huge manuals and product lines of Oracle and find out what small part of Oracle's creation will be useful for today.

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