October Luncheon Speaker
David Carpenter

Last month we heard some of the do’s and don’ts of implementing successful client/server applications from Ruth Devine and Jim Albert. This month we will be introduced to a tool that Jim Cleghorn (one of our retired brethren) is convinced can save us a lot of time and effort. The tool is DYNASTY and it is receiving attention both in -government and private circles. Our speaker will be David Carpenter the Western Regional Marketing Manager for Dynasty Software.

Today’s software solutions and the development environment are undergoing dramatic change. This is predominantly, driven by new open, distributed client/server architectures, and a mandate to increase development productivity and quality dramatically. Recent. trade articles point to DYNASTY as the next generation client/server development environment meeting these needs for the rapid development of scalable enterprise class applications.

DYNASTY development provides independence in your hardware, database and architectural decisions. Its-target-independent design allows the developer to focus on business rules, generating cross-platform, heterogeneous applications including UNIX (Motif &  Open Look), Windows/NT, Mac, and 0S2/PM with support for virtually all databases, including legacy systems.

An open architecture approach, including advanced "C" and SQL code generation, and application partitioning, generates flexible, high-performance applications. You can quit programming to a specific architecture. In fact, you can remove yourself from the technical aspects of’ communication, database, language and GUI programming.

Come and join us for lunch at the Tyee. The program will consist of a brief introduction, ‘then thirty plus minutes of product demonstration followed by questions & answers for as long as people care to stay. It promises to be a good program.

Don’t forget to call in your reservations to the IPMA voice messaging service at 786-4979.

P.S. There will be another drawing and you have to be a member in good standing and in attendance to win.

—Phil Coates

FORUM ‘94

The FORUM ‘94 theme will be "Trading In Info-Futures".

Selecting the right products for an organization can be career challenging in today’s environment where Vendors are closing their doors, merging with their competition, or discontinuing product lines. Once you have selected your strategic hardware and software platforms then you must integrate these products into your work environment. Integrating all your data, networks, and applications-will not be easy or inexpensive. Current budget constraints require any current investment be "an investment in tomorrow."

FORUM ‘94 will attempt to provide the technology information that will be needed to make difficult decisions in the areas of:

Application integration—the linking of all legacy, shrink-wrap, and custom applications into a cohesive streamlined business operation. Choosing a suite of products instead of products from many vendors can reduce support efforts.

Network integration—the linking of a broad range of pc’s, servers, printers, and network operating systems on multiple LANs into a flexible agency-wide network. Choosing the- right network products can minimize support efforts and provide common protocols for integration with state-wide enterprise solutions for electronic mail exchange and data sharing.

Data integration—the linking of multiple databases with multiple desktops into a seamless and transparent environment. Users should be able to access their data without a technical knowledge of where the data is physically stored.

If you are looking for sage advice and practical solutions attend FORUM ‘94 where the name of the game is "Trading In Info-Futures" October 25-26.

—Jim Andersen

Join Us For Lunch

The October IPMA Luncheon will be:

September Board Meeting

Attendees: Phil Coates, Joe Coogan, Kathy Marston, George Lindamood, Jim Andersen, Phil Grigg, and Darrel Riffe.

Meeting was opened at 7:40 a.m.

Chairman’s Report—Phil requested that the Board fill the vacant position left by the resignation of Karen Lichtenstein. He motioned that Darrel Riffe (DOR) be appointed on an interim basis until the, next election. The Board approved the motion.

Treasurer’s Report—Jim Andersen presented the Transaction and Budget Reports for the months of July and August. They were approved and can now be used for federal tax calculations.

Monthly Programs—Phil Coates discussed the success of the last program. A number of people attended the function and had not called in to confirm their presence. This resulted in an additional two tables which had to be setup. Phil stated that he has a difficult time estimating the numbers. The IPMA is responsible for 30 people attending in order to break even. The Board discussed a number of alternatives to the problem. These included an hors d’oeuvres/cheaper approach, condensing the session to once per quarter and requesting the corporate sponsors take over the logistics. Phil Coates will explore the alternatives and Darrel Riffe will assist him.

Professional Development/Strategic Partnerships—Phil Grigg, George Lindamood and Phil Coates discussed Microsoft’s proposal to develop a training series of seminars under IPMA endorsement. They reported back that the initiative deserved support subject to editorial control and allowance of the same opportunity for other vendors. George will contact Microsoft and request more details.

George also talked about a training session for higher level executives. He will bring the idea up at the next Executive CAB meeting.

Kathy Marston reported that she would pursue delivering a training session that would be presented by the LAMP project contractor.

FORUM—Jim Andersen stated that seven corporate sponsors have committed to the FORUM and that he would probably have ten committed before the end of October. George Lindamood will be the keynote opening speaker. Amy Wohl will be the keynote closing speaker. The FORUM is scheduled for October 25th and 26th.

Membership—Joe Coogan reported that he will have a sign up sheet at the next monthly program and will continue with gift give-aways. He is having some trouble getting his membership-committee together to work on some issues. -

Other Committees were not represented. Meeting was closed at 9:00 a.m.

Call For Speakers

The monthly luncheons have always been one of the cornerstones of the IPA. For years the organization has had the justified reputation of being a "Good Old Boys Club". In the past few years the IPMA has gone to great lengths to change that image. The name change to Information Processing Management Associates is one example and opening membership to any current or retired state employee, is another.

Whenever we have done a survey of the continued next column membership regarding the what's, where’s and when’s of the luncheons, we always hear that it is the subject and the speakers that determine if a person chooses to attend a given luncheon. I would contend that a bigger advantage is meeting and conversing with a group of friendly people with similar interests and occupations. That said, I was sitting quietly, trying to think what topics and speakers would be of interest to people in the I.S. community. I was reflecting on the September luncheon, where Jim Albert and Ruth Devine packed the house with their talk on client/server implementation tips and lessons. I thought about the systems that have had problems and gotten bad press over the past five or ten years. Then it occurred to me that one of the things we all like to hear is good things about ourselves.

Not that we are a bunch of egotist that need to hear our deeds of daring shouted from the roof tops, rather we like to hear that our professional colleagues in state government are doing good things for the citizens of the state. We need to celebrate our collective accomplishments. We could use the luncheon periodically to provide a forum for those who have some successes to share. In the-process we could all learn something.

Now, all I need is some volunteers who have a story to tell. If you don’t have a story yourself, you probably know someone who does. How about sharing!

I can be reached by mail at:

 IPMA
c/o Phil Coates
P.O. Box 915
Olympia, WA 98507-0915

or you can leave me a voice message at 786-1979.

--Phil Coates

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