Oracle Academy, Oracle's global philanthropic education program brings you Oracle Academy Tech Chat where we discuss how Oracle Academy helps prepare the next generation's work force. In this podcast Tyra Crockett, Senior Manager Oracle Academy North America, interviews experts across the Oracle ecosystem about their experience and advice for educators and their students.
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May 12, 2026Episode 1831 min
Stack Your Career Sandwich: Building Your Career Portfolio as a College Student- Part 2
In this second episode of Stack Your Career Sandwich: Building Your Career Portfolio as a College Student, host Tyra Peirce continues the conversation with Lino Persi, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Java Customer Success at Oracle, focusing on how students can turn their experiences into real career opportunities. They explore how to stand out—even without traditional internships—by leveraging projects, volunteer work, and leadership roles, and discuss how experiences like study abroad and campus involvement translate into workplace value. Lino also shares practical advice on presenting your skills effectively on resumes and in interviews, the importance of mentorship and networking, and how to confidently position yourself for success in a competitive job market.
May 12, 2026Episode 1717 min
Stack Your Career Sandwich: Building Your Career Portfolio as a College Student: Part I
In this first episode of Stack Your Career Sandwich: Building Your Career Portfolio as a College Student, host Tyra Peirce sits down with Lino Persi, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Java Customer Success at Oracle, to explore how students can go beyond academics to build a strong, well-rounded career foundation. Together, they discuss the importance of intentionally "stacking" experiences—such as internships, projects, research, and campus involvement—to develop both technical and soft skills that employers value. Lino shares practical insights on how educators can better support students, why hands-on experience is critical in shaping career direction, and how mentorship and diverse opportunities help students discover their interests and stand out in a competitive job market.
April 7, 2026Episode 1621 min
IT Career Lessons
In this episode, we talk with a veteran IT leader about the career path that shaped their success and what inspired them to enter tech. We cover how they've stayed relevant through constant change—career planning, lifelong learning, and building skills that last. They share lessons from setbacks, what they'd do differently, and advice for students starting out in today's fast-moving IT world. -------------------------------------------------- Episode Transcript: Unknown Welcome to the Oracle Academy Tech Chat. This podcast provides educators and students in-depth discussions with thought leaders around computer science, cloud technologies, and software design to help students on their journey to becoming industry ready technology leaders of the future. Let's get started. Ljiljana Welcome to Oracle Academy Tech Chat, where we discuss how to stay ahead of the game in this constantly changing industry. Oracle Academy helps prepare the next generation's workforce. I'm your host, Ljiljana Krkic, Oracle Academy program manager, and in this episode, Rob Lockard, recently retired Oracle ACE director, professional Oracle DBA, Designer, Developer, Product Manager, but also a pilot, sailor, photographer, and a very good friend of mine will share secrets from his more than 40 years long successful career in IT. He will speak about how AI is changing our jobs and how to befriend it, and let it help you move forward in your career as well as about three protocols that can help you have the power to make your career and life a success. Rob, my friend, welcome! Rob Hey! Thank you for having me! Ljiljana Thanks. You've had a long and distinguished career in IT. Can you briefly share your path and what inspired you to enter this industry? Rob We'll start with what inspired me. When I was a child, my father was in the Marine Corps, and he went to school on programing the IBM 360, and he would bring home his textbook and study it. And whenever I had a chance, I would pick it up and start reading it. Now, mind you, I was like 8 years old at the time, and I didn't really gather it because, you know, we're talking about mainframes and all. But it gave me an early interest in it. And then when I went into the military myself, I got into computer science and then got out and went to the community college and then one university and then another university and then another university. And I kept going till I got my master's degree. Largely, actually, my employers paid for my education. So when I was working for Cannon, the camera manufacturer, I would take night classes at the university and they would pay for my night classes. So, you know, I always leveraged somebody else paying. Ljiljana Yes. Oh. All right. Rob Kind of how I got into it. And then, from there, it's just, you know, one pivot after another pivot after another pivot, something would go wrong, something would go right, and I would just make little adjustments along the way. Ljiljana Yeah. Great. Technology evolves quickly. What approaches have helped you consistently stay ahead of industry changes and remain relevant throughout your career? Rob Okay. Well, number one, I have always read the professional journals. Way back when I was a C programmer, I would read the C journals. Then, as I got into databases, I would read the database journals. And now with the world of the internet, as you know, the internet became more and more popular because when I started this, everything was printed on paper. You know, we didn't have this information right at our fingertips. But what I would constantly do is reading what is currently happening in the industry. And then I would actually sit down a couple times a year and write out a story, what will the industry look like in five years, ten years, 20 years? Ljiljana All right. Rob And you use the information you have to try to figure out where things are going. All right? And you are going to be wrong. I was wrong more often than not, but it always gave me a direction to shoot for, and as I got more information, I would adjust where I would focus my energies. And that's the easy explanation for it. But I'm constantly, even to this day, following what's happening in the industry and trying to figure out what is the world going to look like five years from now on in our industry? What's world going to look like ten years from now? And, you know, it's like, where do I want to put my efforts so I stay relevant? Ljiljana Yes. Rob And now, with this world of AI, it's making it more interesting. Where do you want to study? Do you want to get into AI agents? Do you want to get into AGI? What purpose? How are you going to use this AI to solve a problem? I mean, at our business, what we do is we solve problems. Okay. That is the simplest way to explain it. And when you see a problem, how do you solve it? So we can use AI. We can use AI agents. I was just recently, making an appointment, with my doctor and I didn't realize it, but I was on the phone with an AI agent who walked me through the whole process, including setting up labs. Ljiljana Right. Rob And then I'm, like, oh, well, it's come a long way. So do you want to go in to, I'm going to say the academic field, you know? Yeah. Become a university professor. Do you want to get into the industry? Where in the industry do you think you will fit? What? Where are you curious? I always have an insatiable curiosity. Okay. I do other things. Like I said, I'm a pilot. I'm a sailor. I'm a photographer. I take all of these things that also interest me. And it helps. It also helps me in my business because it helps me solve problems. Ljiljana Yeah. Great. Yes, I know what you are talking about. Rob Yeah. And, you know, you're a pilot, and when you're landing a plane, you don't just fly the plane into the ground. That's a good way to crash. That's how I've always stayed ahead. I just try to figure out where things are going to be. Go in that direction, and I'm going to be wrong. And I will just constantly make adjustments along the way. Ljiljana Yeah, that's a very important point. Thanks. And you highlighted career planning and lifelong learning. So what concrete methods do you use to set your goals and keep your skills up to date? Rob Okay. Well concrete method, what I mentioned I would write out a story five years, ten years to figure out where my life is going to be. What outcomes do I want? But then one of my concrete messages is I spend one hour every morning studying something that interests me. And it could be anything from navigation for ships, because I recently became a Coast Guard license captain, I had to go through a whole lot of learning. Ljiljana Yeah, I know Rob I just pick something I'm curious about, and I spend an hour studying it, every single morning. And it may not be intense study, where I'm cramming for an exam. It's more like I'm curious, I need to learn more. Ljiljana You feed your curiosity actually. Rob My curiosity has always driven me. Yes. Ljiljana Yeah. Rob So that is one thing that I've always done. And then after studying it, I try it. And that always works great for me. So, okay. That's how it explains it. Ljiljana Okay. Great. And can you discuss a time when you faced setbacks or challenges in your career? How did you overcome these obstacles and maintain your motivation? Rob Oh gosh. Let's see. I'm gonna go into one of my biggest setbacks in my career, that was in the mid 2000. I set up a system for the Department of Treasury and I finished. It was beautiful. It didn't require a lot of maintenance and I became extremely org. I am going to work and I'd sit there and twiddling my thumbs all day because everything was working great. And then one day, one of my colleagues came up to me saying, you know, you're pretty smart, why don't you start speaking at conferences? And I'm going, oh, yeah, right... Nobody wants to hear me speak at a conference. But I said okay, and I picked the subject that I was relatively good at, which is information security. I put together an abstract, and I go, you know something? I'm probably going to absolutely bomb this. I'm not going to do great. And I was like, but I put all my effort into it. So I'm going to go someplace where English is not their first language. So if I completely mess it up, you know... So what do I picked? Finland. And I'm thinking everyone speaks Finish and just a little bit of English. No, everyone's speaking fluent English, and I'm like, oh my God. But I did pretty good. And I was invited back to speak again. And basically what it was, was a friend gave me a mountain to climb. All right? Ljiljana Aha Rob Once I climbed that mountain and I got there going I wanted to do it again. So basically it gave me an objective, a place to focus my efforts. So you know, when I achieve one of those goals, I pick something else and I go, hey, I'm curious about this. I'm going to go and figure it out. And I go attack it and I learn it, and then I move on to the next objective. So my brain is constantly moving on to the next objective. So when I find myself getting stuck in the doldrums, just kind of languishing, I go, what's challenging? Let's do it. Yeah, no, that's a good explanation. I have a mountain to climb. Ljiljana And tell me also, looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your career, or a key lesson you wish you'd learned earlier? Rob Oh, gosh. You know, people ask me this, and I think about this, and you want to know something? There's nothing I would have done differently. I could say, you know, I wish I came out of the military and just went full time to university and got my degree, but then I think, having a full time job and going to university at the same time actually was very well, worked very well for me. I could say travel more. Yeah, travel more when I was younger, because from all that travel, I learned to surround myself with people smarter than me. I started surrounding myself with more and more interesting people. People smarter than me. And, I would have probably started doing that a lot earlier. Yeah. Ljiljana Yeah. Great. And for the students and those starting their IT journey, what's the most important advice you can offer to succeed and adapt in an ever-changing technology landscape? Rob The moment you lose your curiosity, your career has ended. Ljiljana Oh, my God, this is very harsh. Rob It is hard to say, but very true. If you're not curious about something to go out and learn, learn it, experiment it, play with it, you know you're stuck in this one little tiny box, okay. You hear this constantly get out and pick something to learn, even if it's wrong. Okay? I went out and I learned how to fly airplanes. Has nothing to do with, I started taking writing classes from Oxford. Now, it was more along the lines of like, you know, I wrote a book. I found out I enjoyed writing. That's why I started taking writing classes, have nothing to do with IT. But it does have to do with learning how to communicate. Ljiljana Right. Absolutely. Rob Another piece of advice is get up there and teach. Okay. Teach. Because if you can teach something, you understand it. And so I'm not saying get up and start teaching whole classes, but maybe in your work or wherever goes, I will give you 15 minutes on this subject and you become an expert in a very small piece of that subject and teach it Ljiljana Right. Rob And that will bring you into learning that subject too. Public speaking, which goes into teaching. When you learn how to communicate better, the world is your oyster. Okay. People will give you things that will open doors. If you can't communicate your ideas, you're stuck. People aren't going to open doors for you. So that would be my thing. Stay curious. Try to teach. Sharpen. Get into public speaking. Write a book. You don't even have to publish it. But you know, learn to communicate. People are walking around with their phones everywhere, and they're sending out text messages. And when I read text messages from some people and they start abbreviating, it's like, I don't know what they're talking about. You know, there's a long form of communication. Learning is that long form communication. Ljiljana Yeah. Rob And it brings us into, you know, the AI world. You know, fortunately, Oracle has the always free cloud accounts. You can go out and you can set yourself up an Oracle database in the cloud, and it's free. Okay? And you have access to all the tools. But Oracle is also providing you their learning labs. You want to learn about AI on the Oracle Cloud? They have a lab that you can go through. It could be a one hour lab, it could be a two hour lab. Go out and do those labs. Set up an account and just go and do those labs. And then there's other labs you can do. You can get into the classic DBA work. You know what you need? I was a classic DBA. Ljiljana Yeah. Rob You can get into developing, you can get into designing, all those tools are available to you, and they're free. When I learned those tools weren't free, you had to pay for them. Ljiljana True, yeah. Rob Fortunately, my employer paid for them. But you had to pay for them. You also have access over the internet to experts all over the world, Ljiljana Right. Rob I have sent messages to people I've never met before on Twitter, YouTube, whatever going. Hey, I'm trying to figure out something. You're the expert. Can you help me out here? Ljiljana And you get the answer! Rob And 99 times out of 100, they will answer you. Don't stock up on them, but be polite and professional. Ljiljana Yeah. Rob Jeff Smith in North Carolina, he's a SQL developer product manager. I have, you know, to this day, I probably tap his brain on a couple things every now and then, even though I'm now retired. He'll answer you. Okay? Ljiljana Because he sees your curiosity? Is it for that reason? And he wants to help somebody on the same way, on the same path? Rob Yeah. And I'm fortunate I have been able to surround myself with some of the smartest people in the world. Surround yourself with people smarter than you. People who know things you don't know. People who've done things you haven't done. Ljiljana Right. Rob In this day and age, it's much easier. So you want to get into the AI world? Start asking people who are the AI experts. Make friends with them. You don't have to know everything right now. Learn a little bit. Apply it, which will bring up more questions. Learn a little bit more. Apply it. It'll bring up more questions. So, you have the tools available to you free of charge from Oracle. All right. I can't tell you how valuable that is. Figure out how would you use it to solve a problem. Okay. Pick a problem. Come up with a solution. Try to use the tools to come up with a solution. You will learn more, which will bring up more questions. Go back. Find people who are the experts. Ask them questions. Go out and teach. Inspire somebody to learn something new. And? And you'll be successful. Ljiljana That's how you've done it, right? Yes. Yes. Great. Awesome. Thank you so much for this inspiring conversation. And, I look forward, following some of or all of the, the advices you gave. And I hope that our audience will find it also very useful from someone who, who's done it already and whose career confirms that it was a good choice. Rob Yeah. And I've had a good I have a very good life. And, you know, now I'm starting on my next adventure. Unknown That wraps up this episode. Thanks for listening. And stay tuned for the next Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast.
March 17, 2026Episode 1521 min
Learn about the latest Oracle Academy workshops on embedding generative AI in Apex applications and using AI to create SQL in Apex
Willie Mcrae, Oracle Academy Principal Instructor, joins us to discuss Oracle Academy AI resources for educators and their students, including two new workshops on embedding generative AI in Oracle APEX applications and using AI to create SQL in APEX.
March 3, 2026Episode 1416 min
From the Classroom to the Lobby: Hospitality Skills for the Real World
Oracle Hospitality's Deanne Wofford joins host Tyra Peirce to discuss how Oracle Academy is helping educators and students unlock new opportunities in hospitality management. Discover the essential role of technology in today's hotels, the benefits of digital learning resources, and practical tips for building career-ready skills. Perfect for faculty, students, and anyone passionate about the future of hospitality! ---------------------------------------------------- Episode Transcript: 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:34:09 Unknown Welcome to the Oracle Academy Tech Chat. This podcast provides educators and students in-depth discussions with thought leaders around computer science, cloud technologies, and software design to help students on their journey to becoming industry ready technology leaders of the future. Let's get started. Welcome to Oracle Academy Tech Chat, where we discuss how Oracle Academy is preparing the next generation's workforce. 00:00:34:10 - 00:00:57:13 Unknown I'm your host, Tyra Peirce. In this episode, I speak with Diane Wofford from the Oracle Hospitality Management Team about the vital role hospitality management systems play and why it's important for students to study them. Welcome, Diane. So to start off, can you give me a bit about your background and your role at Oracle? Hi, Tera, thanks for having me. 00:00:57:16 - 00:01:29:07 Unknown I joined Oracle through the acquisition of micros and have dedicated 19 years to training and empowering or hospitality customers. My journey began as an implementation consultant where I was quickly entrusted with onboarding and training of new consultants. Over the years, I advanced through the organization, shaping our role, focusing on delivering innovative training and education to our customers, partners and employees. 00:01:29:09 - 00:02:02:03 Unknown Currently, as the director of the Global Learning Initiatives Team and the Oracle Hospitality Organization, I lead a talented, multifaceted global team committed to developing comprehensive learning content and opportunities that drive success through the hospitality industry. Our team is passionate about creating impactful and effective learning experiences, and ensuring everyone we support is equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to drive within our hospitality solutions. 00:02:02:05 - 00:02:32:14 Unknown Your experience is so fascinating to me and you really, truly are the right person to talk about hospitality and why it's important for students to learn. Because you've come from an education space and developing training materials for our partners and our customers, as well as our employees. So with that said, what are the core components of a hospitality management system like opera, and why are they critical to the success of hotels and resorts today? 00:02:32:16 - 00:02:59:19 Unknown Well, that's an absolutely great questions. At the core of hospitality management systems like Offer Cloud, there are several key components that are truly essential for a smooth and successful operation of hotels and resorts today. First, you have the property management system or PMS. I like to think of this as the nerve center of the hotel. It handles everything from guest relations and check ins to room assignments and billing. 00:02:59:21 - 00:03:27:12 Unknown Our focus is really on streamlining those day to day tasks, so the staff can spend more time focusing on delivering a great guest experience. Now that experience actually begins right at the time of booking. As we know, most guests today are booking online, so it's crucial to connect seamless nicely with multiple channels like OTAs urged access as well as direct booking engines up a club. 00:03:27:13 - 00:04:06:03 Unknown It's right in that landscape by connecting with a variety of channel management systems. Plus, with Opera Cloud distribution, we make it even easier for our customers to manage this process all in one place, enabling a smooth flow of reservations directly into the PMS. This ensures that front desk agents always have accurate guest information and also helps hotels yield maximum occupancy, seize revenue opportunities, and and I was doing so good. 00:04:06:05 - 00:04:19:14 Unknown Yeah. Go ahead and just repeat wherever you want to start. So if you want to start that guest experience or you can start with plus and then just kind of repeat where you want to say with that piece right there. 00:04:19:16 - 00:04:51:15 Unknown With OPERA cloud distribution, we make it even easier for our customers to manage this process from one place and enabling a smooth flow of reservations directly into the PMS. This ensures that front desk agents always have accurate guest information, and it also helps hotels maximize occupancy, seize revenue opportunities, and maintain consistent yield and rate management. 00:04:51:17 - 00:05:07:12 Unknown You know, front desk operations are another crucial piece with real time tools. Front office staff can manage check ins, check outs and guest preferences effectively, efficiently. 00:05:07:13 - 00:05:34:13 Unknown Front desk operations are another critical piece with real time tools. Front office staff can manage check ins, checkouts and guest preferences efficiently, which really shifts the overall guests experience from the very start. Housekeeping management is just as important. Offer cloud automates rooms, status updates and task assignments, making sure rooms are ready when guests need them and when used with offer. 00:05:34:13 - 00:05:45:14 Unknown Cloud mobile hotels can drive great, even greater efficiency and guest satisfaction. We include that. 00:05:45:16 - 00:06:15:17 Unknown We include powerful sales and management capabilities, supporting everything from group bookings to large conferences. These help streamline coordination between departments and maximize revenue from events, which is so important for many properties. And of course, I could go on and on. The Upper Cloud Property Management suite covers it all, including integrated reporting and analytics with real time data and customizable reports. 00:06:15:19 - 00:06:51:12 Unknown Seamless connections to point of sale systems like Oracle Symphony, integrations with key entertainment and in-room interfaces, and much more. Our goal is to always provide our customers with a unified solution. All of these components are critical because they automate routine tasks, provide valuable insights, and help hotels respond quickly to evolving guests needs. Ultimately, it's all about driving operational efficiency and creating memorable guest experiences. 00:06:51:14 - 00:07:22:10 Unknown I actually never realized how much went into management of hospitality. My husband and I are extensive travelers and and next time I leave for a trip, I'll have to really think about like the backend and the systems and everything that is going into place to help create a, you know, an optimum guest experience. So with that being said, how do hospitality management systems integrate with other business functions such as guest services, reservations and finance? 00:07:22:12 - 00:07:57:19 Unknown And what benefits does this integration bring to the overall guest experience? Well, first, it's important to build a solid understanding of how property management systems work, since the PMS serves as the backbone of hotel operations. Students should get comfortable with the basics like managing reservations, handling check in and check out processes, and maintaining guest profiles. That foundational knowledge is essential because these tasks touch on almost every aspect of the daily hotel activities. 00:07:57:20 - 00:08:37:02 Unknown A strong grasp of reservation and management industry. A strong grasp of reservation management and distribution is also critical. Excuse me. So you can let us get this one right. Just a strong grasp of reservation management and distribution is also critical. Understanding how travel. I'm never going to get this frontier. I'm going to get it, though. 00:08:37:04 - 00:09:09:23 Unknown A strong grasp of reservation management and distribution is also critical. Understanding how online travel agencies, OTAs and global distribution systems, GDS and booking engines connect to the hotel systems will help students see the big picture of how today's properties maximize occupancy and revenue. Becoming familiar with channel management systems and how they integrate to a solution like offer cloud distribution can give students a real edge. 00:09:10:00 - 00:09:39:01 Unknown Learning how to navigate front office tools, from setting up guest preferences to processing payments is just as important. Proficiency in these tools help create a smooth and personalized guest experience, which is at the heart of hospitality. On the operational side, skills including housekeeping, event management modules are also valuable. These areas often incorporate automation and mobile technology such as offer cloud, mobile. 00:09:39:03 - 00:10:24:10 Unknown So having a comfort level with new tech and mobile apps is definitely a plus. Beyond the functional aspect, students should develop analytical skills by working with reporting to analytics tools. Hotels rely on the data from customizable reports and dashboards to make very strategic decisions. So being able to interpret and UN insights is highly prized in today's industry. Finally, having a general comfort with integrations such as how a PMS connects with the point of sale system or POS payment gateways that you use for your credit cards and in-room technologies, which are and removes your phone. 00:10:24:14 - 00:10:58:18 Unknown Electronic Minibars and other third party applications prepare students to minister for hospitality tech ecosystem. Overall, students that are comfortable with technology eager to learn new tools and able to connect operational processes with guest service, will be well prepared to use and manage hospitality management systems like offer cloud and a professional setting. It's the blend of technical skills and a service mindset that sets a future hospitality leader apart from others. 00:10:58:19 - 00:11:29:06 Unknown So let's keep going with this theme of what students need to learn. So for these students studying hospitality management, what technical skills and knowledge should they develop to effectively use and manage hospitality management systems in a professional setting? Once again, that's a great question. It definitely hits close to home for me. I actually have a bachelor's degree in sales and media management from the Hospitality and Business College at Johnson Wells University. 00:11:29:08 - 00:11:54:16 Unknown Back then, I never imagined I ended up at as one package. That's a great question and it definitely hits home for me. I actually have a bachelor's degree in sales and meeting management from the Hospitality and business College at Johnson, a Welsh university. Back then, I never imagined I end up working at a hospital working in the hospitality technology sector. 00:11:54:18 - 00:12:16:14 Unknown But what's been really rewarding is seeing how the skills I gained for my hospitality education are relevant every single day, especially as I help pass on offer cloud knowledge to our customers. For students studying hospitality management. I can't stress enough. 00:12:16:16 - 00:12:47:10 Unknown For students. Sorry. For students studying hospitality management. I can't stress enough how important it is to build a mix of both technical and operational knowledge. At its core, you really want to understand how a PMS works since this technology is the backbone of hotel operations. Get comfortable with things like managing reservations, guest check ins, checks out, billing, updating guest profiles. 00:12:47:12 - 00:13:12:19 Unknown Again, these are the nuts and bolts of daily hotel management. Reservations and distribution management are another key area, with so many bookings coming in from online travel agencies, global distribution systems and direct booking engines. Understanding how these channels connect to the hotel PMS and solutions like offer cloud distribution is. 00:13:12:21 - 00:13:50:18 Unknown Crucial. Reservation and distribution management is another key area, with so many bookings coming in from online travel agencies, global distribution systems and direct booking engines. Understanding how these channels connect into the hotel's PMS and solutions like Opera Cloud, is crucial for maximizing occupancy and revenue. It's also really important to gain hands on experience with front desk operations, using guest facing tools to capture preferences, manage, request, ensure seamless guest experiences. 00:13:50:20 - 00:14:16:01 Unknown Same goes for housekeeping in event management technology. Many of these tools are now mobile making it easier to manage tasks on the go with solutions like offer cloud. Mobile. Analytical skills are in high demand. Modern systems provide real time data and reporting tools, so learning how to interpret these reports and use. I do, I feel like I'm repeating myself. 00:14:16:03 - 00:14:19:23 Unknown Sorry. 00:14:20:01 - 00:14:39:15 Unknown Honestly, you're doing really great. It just this is where I always get. This is why I like podcasts better than webcasts. Because you can scripted out and you can go back and repeat it. So by the end of it, it really does sound perfect when we do it. Yeah. I mean, I'm, I kind of want you to send me the recording now so I can edit it before, you know. 00:14:39:17 - 00:15:01:00 Unknown Actually, it's better to have Dave do it instead of you doing it because he does have the bias. Yeah, he doesn't have the bias. He's really good. He gets all of it. It's just sounds so professional. But I get it good. So we'll leave it to the professionals. Now we are David's like I know. Yeah yeah yeah. Have you you've worked with Dave before haven't you. 00:15:01:02 - 00:15:18:01 Unknown I don't think so. He's a the Oracle's video hub guy. He's the Oracle video guy that does all the, like the stuff for cloud roll mapping. Okay. Yeah, we do most of our stuff. You do most of your just okay. So you want to edit it yourself. You can give it to me. I can just have give you the wraps on it. 00:15:18:03 - 00:15:41:02 Unknown No I you're right. I should just let it let it go wherever you want to start. Analytical skills are up further. Excuse me. I'm going to start back at the reservation and distribution management. Okay. Right there. Sounds good. Okay. And I have it on my screen, so that way you don't have to worry about, Oh, okay. 00:15:41:02 - 00:16:25:10 Unknown I'm following along. Okay, great. Okay. Reservations and distribution management is another key area with so many bookings coming in from online travel agencies, global distribution systems and direct booking engines, understand how these channels connect into the hotels. PMS and solutions like opera cloud distribution is crucial for maximizing occupancy and revenue. It's also really important to gain hands on experience with front desk operations, using guest facing tools to capture preferences, manage requests and ensure it's also really important to gain hands on experience with front desk operations. 00:16:25:16 - 00:17:02:17 Unknown Using guest facing tools to capture preferences, manage, request and ensure. See. I can't get a seamless guest experience as. It is also really important to gain hands on experience with front desk operations, using guest facing tools to capture preferences, manage requests, and ensure seamless guest experiences. Same goes for housekeeping in the event management technology. Many these tools are now mobile, making it easier, making it easier to manage tasks on the go with solutions like offer cloud. 00:17:02:17 - 00:17:35:12 Unknown Mobile analytical skills are also in high demand. Modern systems provide real time data and reporting tools, so learning how to interpret these reports and use insights to drive decision making is a real asset, whether you're working in operations or management. And there's one thing I'd like to add. Understanding integrations. This includes how the PMS links up with the point of sale system, POS payment solutions, and even in-room technology. 00:17:35:14 - 00:18:01:21 Unknown This provides you with a holistic view of hotel operations and prepares you to solve problems and innovate as technology evolves. What I found is combining the foundational hospitality knowledge for my degree with these technical skills has been invaluable not only for my career, but also helping our customers succeed with solutions like Opera Cloud. So let's continue along in that vein. 00:18:01:21 - 00:18:42:21 Unknown Sorry. So let's continue along in that vein, are there resources or certification programs through Oracle Academy that can prepare students for roles in hospitality technology? So here I'm really excited to share that Oracle Hospitality is partnering with Oracle Academy to offer our hospitality digital learning to Oracle Academy. My was supposed to be the seller. Tiara I'm really excited to share that Oracle Hospitality is partnering with Oracle Academy to offer hospitality, digital learning to Oracle Academy members at no cost. 00:18:42:23 - 00:18:54:19 Unknown This collaboration brings all the great Oracle Hospitality products I mentioned onto the Oracle Academy platform. 00:18:54:21 - 00:19:27:06 Unknown This collaboration brings all the great Oracle Hospitality products I mentioned onto the Oracle Academy platform. From making digital learning court. Digital learning content. This collaboration brings all the great Oracle hospitality products I mentioned onto the Oracle Academy platform, making digital learning content readily accessible. Instructors will be able to share this content directly with their students as part of select learning paths. 00:19:27:10 - 00:20:00:20 Unknown Students can earn Oracle Learning badges. Just instructors will be able to share this content directly with their students and as part of select learning paths, students can earn an Oracle Learning Badge upon completion. These badges are what these badges are great way to showcase skills on LinkedIn and other social platforms. We're also providing supporting materials to help guide instructors on how to enhance their courses. 00:20:01:00 - 00:20:06:20 Unknown By integrating this digital learning into this career. 00:20:06:22 - 00:20:27:02 Unknown We're also providing support materials to help guide instructors on how to enhance their courses by integrating this digital learning into their curriculum. And the best part is, this is just the first paid. 00:20:27:04 - 00:20:53:17 Unknown I'm going to get this free. We're also providing supporting materials to help guide instructors on how to enhance their courses. By integrating this digital learning into their curriculum. And the best part is, this is just the first phase of our partnership with Oracle Academy. We're planning to expand our materials and offerings even further for members in the future. 00:20:53:19 - 00:21:21:10 Unknown So for students interested in hospitality technology, there are fantastic resources and certification opportunities available through Oracle Academy to help them prepare for their future careers. I am so excited about this future partnership and the opportunity we've had to work together to bring Oracle Hospitality Management curriculum and materials into the hands of our Oracle Academy faculty and consequent and subsequently their students. 00:21:21:11 - 00:21:53:23 Unknown So my final question for you today. If you could give one piece of advice to faculty and students, what would it be? That oh, I love that question. And the one piece of advice I could offer to faculty and students would be this don't be afraid to be disruptive. Early in my career, I was hesitant to challenge the status quo or offered new ideas, especially when I was working with more senior consultants. 00:21:54:01 - 00:22:19:14 Unknown But as time went on, I started to see so many opportunities to make things more efficient and improved how we support our customers. When I finally found the courage to speak up and advocate for change, it made all the difference. Every time I disrupted the way things are done, it helped drive both my personal growth and positive changes for my team and our customers. 00:22:19:16 - 00:22:47:13 Unknown I've been embraced by my coworkers. Management now looks to me for new ideas and coaching and even clients from years ago. Stay in touch to share how much they value my approach during their influence. In the city. Every time I disrupted the way things were done, it helped drive both my personal growth and positive changes for my team and our customers. 00:22:47:14 - 00:23:16:10 Unknown I've been embraced by my coworkers. Management now looks to me for new ideas in coaching, coaching, and even clients from years ago. Stay in touch to share how much they valued my approach during their implementation. To me, disruption goes hand in hand with evolution and innovation. Don't be afraid to challenge norms or suggest a better way. This is what sets you apart in the hospitality industry. 00:23:16:12 - 00:23:44:03 Unknown This is what sets you apart in the hospitality industry and what leads to a lasting impact. I really appreciate what you just said. I found myself as a fellow disruptor throughout my career and I, I really well that it really resonates with me, what you just said. I think that that is one of the most important things for students to learn is how to be creative. 00:23:44:04 - 00:24:18:04 Unknown Don't you know, take a chance, take a risk. They may not always work, but when they do work, they work really well. And just taking those chances and disrupting the status quo and asking questions is so, so important. It's invaluable. Definitely. Absolutely. A special thanks to Diane for joining me today on the Oracle Academy Podcast. Please, visit the Academy website to get access to our brand new digital learning subscriptions from the Oracle Hospitality team, and subscribe to our podcast. 00:24:18:06 - 00:24:32:17 Unknown Thanks for listening. That wraps up this episode. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for the next Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast.
February 10, 2026Episode 1326 min
Building a Career in Tech Marketing
In this episode of Oracle Academy Tech Chat, we welcome Janet Kamau, Marketing & Field Engagement Director for Oracle Africa to discuss her career journey and expertise in tech marketing. Janet shares her personal career path, outlining what led her into the dynamic world of tech marketing, and provides listeners with firsthand perspectives on the ever-evolving opportunities for tech professionals in the marketing industry. ----------------------------------------------------- 00;00;09;02 - 00;00;28;21 Speaker 1 Welcome to the Oracle Academy Tech Chat. This podcast provides educators and students in-depth discussions with thought leaders around computer science, cloud technologies, and software design to help students on their journey to becoming industry ready technology leaders of the future. Let's get started. 00;00;28;24 - 00;01;02;04 Speaker 2 Hello everyone! Welcome to Oracle Academy Tech Chat, where we discuss how often Academy prepares innext generation's world class. I'm your host for today may carry on my summer. In this episode we will be discussing building a tech career in marketing. Our guest is an Marketing and Field Engagement Director for Oracle Africa to discuss her journey and expertise at the intersection of technology and marketing. 00;01;02;06 - 00;01;50;11 Speaker 2 Janet is an accomplished marketing and business development executive with over two decades of leadership across Africa, specializing in technology research and digital transformation. Jeanette. Career includes senior roles at Ogilvy, Airtel, Hewlett-Packard, and Oracle, where she has driven innovation on high performance marketing in complex and diverse markets, and Oracle. She was instrumental in launching and expanding Oracle offices across Africa, have focused on customer centric innovation and digital transformation, has led to Oracle's accelerated market share growth and heightened brand relevance across the continent. 00;01;50;13 - 00;02;23;08 Speaker 2 How impact has been recognized through multiple channels, including Oracle's Best of Best Regional Winner, the Oracle Global Marketing Leadership Excellence Award, and HP Emir's High Achievers Club. She is known for drafting data driven, scalable marketing strategies that closely align with corporate transformation goals and long term business value. She is a passionate advocate for social impact and youth development. 00;02;23;10 - 00;03;08;11 Speaker 2 She leads as a Gems Global Mentor, co-leads the Oracle Women Leadership in Kenya, and oversees the Oracle Volunteer Program in Kenya. She is the founder of the Marketing Young Professionals Program and the Parent Cycle Circle, which supports personal growth, leadership development, and engagement. In 2022, Jeanette was named one of the top 25 Most Influential Women in Marketing in East Africa, and in 2024, she was honored as the Marketing Trailblazer of the year and the East Africa Women of Excellence Awards, hosted by UN women and Hope media. 00;03;08;14 - 00;03;41;17 Speaker 2 She holds a BSc in International Business Administration from US, IU Africa and is a certified Professional Coach. Jeanette is the Board Chair of Junior Achievement Africa, where she supports youth entrepreneurship and future ready skill development across the continent. Jeanette brings to the board a blend of strategic marketing, vision and digital transformation expertise with a deep passion for social impact, youth empowerment and inclusive leadership. 00;03;41;19 - 00;04;13;12 Speaker 2 One of her favorite quotes is no one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to bleed by hits. You look what comes in it, and that's such a rich profile you've got there. Thank you for being a guest on the Oracle Academic Tech Chat. How you tell us a bit about your journey into tech marketing and what inspired you to pursue this career path? 00;04;13;14 - 00;04;42;21 Speaker 3 Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the opportunity to feature in this podcast, and thank you for all the work and the wonderful work that you do to inspire, you know, the students and educators across the continents, you know, basically preparing them for today and for the future. We we appreciate all the work that you do now, in regards to my journey in tech marketing and what has inspired me and what inspired me to take this career path. 00;04;42;23 - 00;05;08;03 Speaker 3 That question, you know, took me back to when I just finished my university. I still remember asking my dad if he could help me find a job, and he smiled at me and said that he. Then, inspired by making sure that, you know, I had gotten a good education and from there it was up to me. So honestly, at that time I felt a little bit down and there wasn't. 00;05;08;05 - 00;05;33;01 Speaker 3 It wasn't what I wanted to hear. But looking back, I realize it was one of the best gifts he could have given me. That gentle push made me stop and really think about what I wanted and what I dreamt of doing. So I took out a piece of paper and wrote down the names of all the global brands that I would want to work for, and three of them specifically, stood out. 00;05;33;03 - 00;05;55;19 Speaker 3 And somehow, step by step, I managed to work for all the three. HP was one of them. And so joining HP was my entry into the world of tech marketing. What's funny, though, is that, I wasn't drawn to HP because of the technology itself, but because I was passionate about big brands and learning about how they connected with consumers. 00;05;55;19 - 00;06;23;13 Speaker 3 Because consumer research has always been a really passionate, area for, for me. So the opportunity at HP opened up a whole new path for me, and it kept building from there. And that's how I found myself, at Oracle. And then looking back, I see the power of believing in yourself, writing down your dreams, and being truly intentional about what you want to do. 00;06;23;16 - 00;06;43;18 Speaker 3 And sometimes the best support is a little nudge to discover if you know your own strength. Like what my dad did. And it's amazing what you can achieve when you're clear about your goals and follow them with your, you know, with your whole hat. So what has truly inspired me to remain within tech marketing is it'sever changing or evolving. 00;06;43;22 - 00;07;12;26 Speaker 3 You know, nature every day. Each day brings new opportunities, and being at the forefront of technology with companies like Oracle, Oracle is a leading company, and seeing its positive impact on people's lives. And they continue having that continues. This has always been a continuous, continuous source of motivation,for me. And so that's what has been my journey in, in, you know, in tech marketing. 00;07;12;28 - 00;07;31;04 Speaker 2 That's the interesting thing that started them, I'm sure not the points where you're not, you know, give me that advice. You would have seemed difficult, but, I'm so glad he pushed you towards that direction in. Thank you. Thanks. All right. 00;07;31;04 - 00;07;32;29 Speaker 3 That's true. Yeah. 00;07;33;02 - 00;07;48;10 Speaker 2 Yeah. So the next one will have would be. How is technology transformed the field of marketing in recent years? And what skills are most valuable today for tech marketing professionals? 00;07;48;12 - 00;08;11;26 Speaker 3 Yeah, that's that's a good question. Now, technology has changed everything about the way we do marketing. I remember when I joined marketing a number of years ago, 20 to be precise, or 20 plus, it is to be a bit of a guessing game, like, you know, David, forgive me, once said, half the money spent on advertising is wasted. 00;08;11;28 - 00;08;38;09 Speaker 3 The trouble is, I don't know which half, but that really is not the case anymore. I don't know if things have changed now with the analytics tools out there. We actually get to see where every dollar goes and we can't figure out what's working right away. Instead of waiting weeks or months to to find out. So to put this into perspective, think about a typical product launch 20 years ago. 00;08;38;11 - 00;09;07;24 Speaker 3 Back then, marketing mostly meant to be ads, billboards, magazines, you know, all planned months and months ahead and targeted at broad audiences feedback for, you know, sales results would call internally. And if things weren't working, it was tough and even costly to, you know, to to to pivot from there. So you often had no idea what was resonating with customers until it was almost too late to change. 00;09;07;27 - 00;09;36;13 Speaker 3 Now it's a totally different story. Today, if we are launching a new product, say, a pair of shoes sneakers, we can coordinate a campaign across social media, email, influencer platforms worldwide, all, all at once. So advanced analytics helps us to, what I call micro target specific groups and personalize content for different markets. In real time will tell if an ad is performing. 00;09;36;13 - 00;10;03;22 Speaker 3 Say, for example, we at Facebook we spotted instantly and update the same ability the same day. We can even engage directly with customers through chat, tools like Oracle. Eloqua, which is a powerful CRM tool that that helps us to automate, you know, our processes and helps us to nurture every step of the customer journey from the first time that they click to their post-purchase, follow up. 00;10;03;22 - 00;10;25;24 Speaker 3 So AI takes things even further is what we are seeing. It predicts what our customers might want next, suggests content that will grab the attention and even automate part of our campaign so we have more time, you know, for to to be more creative. We are now able to deliver super personalized recommendations, our messages at, you know, just the right moment. 00;10;25;24 - 00;10;48;09 Speaker 3 And then so we I was putting trends and patterns faster than we could even have, you know, been able to spot them on, on our own. So all in all, I would say that technology has made marketing faster, smarter, and in that way much more personal. We are than just watching what people we are building, stronger relationships. We are co-creating with our customers and we are giving them experiences. 00;10;48;12 - 00;11;10;21 Speaker 3 Philip Kotler, one of my most favorite, marketing, gurus, put it so aptly that marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but about the relationships we build. And that's for me, how technology has transformed, marketing. And I think your other question was about, sorry, I forget there was a question in between. 00;11;10;23 - 00;11;19;05 Speaker 2 Yeah. I what skills are most valuable to them? What skills are most valuable today for tech marketing professionals? 00;11;19;08 - 00;11;39;27 Speaker 3 Yeah. Thank you. Again, if you really want to stand out in tech marketing in one would be want to stand out marketing, the first thing they need is that genuine sense of curiosity. Things move so fast. There's always something new to learn or to try out. The marketers who make the biggest impact are the ones who keep asking questions and never stop wanting to grow. 00;11;39;29 - 00;12;04;02 Speaker 3 And that has and that's really, I think is the same for any role. Really. The other second B2C is you you have to be super adaptable. So marketers, we have many hats. We have very many hats being willing to jump in and figure things out. Does anyone outside our comfort zone really concept someone? The fact that our key is being comfortable with numbers, it is is really key. 00;12;04;05 - 00;12;25;22 Speaker 3 There's so much data coming up. Marketers, you need to be able to dig into the detail and see what'sworking and use those insights to make things better. Let's show real results and tweak campaigns so marketers are not just busy, but they're being effective at seeing results to their business. The other thing I'dlike to say is creativity. 00;12;25;24 - 00;12;47;14 Speaker 3 Creativity is what makes your website. It's not just about coming up with catchy Diaz. It's about telling real stories, solving problems in new ways, and finding memorable ways to connect with people so that your brand stands out. And of course, you can't do it alone. You've got to work well with a lot of different people, other teams, partners and customers. 00;12;47;21 - 00;13;12;05 Speaker 3 Marketing is really all about relationships, so the better you are at connecting and building trust and the farther you will go. Lastly, I think would say digital fluency is a must, one that it is automation platforms like, what I mentioned earlier, Oracle Eloqua or social media or data analytics. Knowing your way around digital tools, you know, makes your marketing not as matter but more personal. 00;13;12;05 - 00;13;54;05 Speaker 3 And, and impactful. So looking ahead, ten years, socially with AI continue to grow, marketing sales will probably shift even more. So I will handle a lot of repetitive tasks and content in ad creation, you know, optimize campaigns and customer targeting much more automatically. So what does that mean? It means that the most valuable skills might be things only humans can do, like static thinking, ethical decision making, understanding complex emotions and coming up with the big, bold or creative ideas of machines really cannot imagine. 00;13;54;05 - 00;14;30;03 Speaker 3 So marketers will work alongside AI not as a tool, but as a partner. And I think to bring this to to somebody in 20 as 20 years ago, marketing was all about the creativity and brought messaging. Today, the skills that are required, a mix of creative and digital skills, data analysis and personalization, and looking for the most valuable marketers will be those who are able to combine a proven insights with human creativity, some empathy in there, and strategic thinking. 00;14;30;06 - 00;14;31;29 Speaker 3 Thank you. 00;14;32;01 - 00;15;01;15 Speaker 2 Well, that's very interesting. And this was, a lot of really valuable things that you shared. I like how you make you pointed to facts that technology has changed everything. But technology has also made marketing faster, cheaper and more personalized. And also, you've mentioned some of these skills that are needed for tech professionals. Now, for tech marketing professionals, you mentioned that, you know, professionals need a genuine sense of curiosity. 00;15;01;15 - 00;15;36;22 Speaker 2 They have to stay adaptable, have to love numbers. Who would have thought? I mean, the marketers should know we need to take those numbers. And also they have to be strategic thinkers and also be very creative. Thank you for sharing those valuable, points with us. Now, how can students from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities, find opportunities and build confidence in tech orientedmarketing roles? 00;15;36;25 - 00;16;09;18 Speaker 3 Thank you. Thank you for that question. You know, for a lot of students from underrepresented communities, it can be tough to find opportunities in tech simply because of limited access and not knowing what's out there. But there's so much the industry can do to to help out. So companies like Oracle, we are stepping up, but working with schools and organizations in all kinds of, you know, regions to open up doors and show students all the amazing possibilities, like the existing roles, you know, we have within tech marketing. 00;16;09;18 - 00;16;34;17 Speaker 3 So it's all about making those career paths, I would say visible and actually within reach. So I'm that example is what's happening here. We do really an academic partnering with schools and giving the students and teachers free access to the latest technologies that we have and the training through the amazing hackathons. And they'll do that how you run the hackathons, the amazing hackathons, the tech bootcamps. 00;16;34;19 - 00;16;54;01 Speaker 3 And you can see that the students get real hands on experience that build their skills and confidence. And honestly, working on those kinds of projects is a great way to spark an interest. You know, in, in, in tech, I would like to add the, angle of mentorship. So mentorship matters too. Personally, I wouldn't be where I am today without mentors guiding and supporting me. 00;16;54;01 - 00;17;17;06 Speaker 3 So for those of us who've been down this road, I think it's really important to give back, whether that'smentoring in our own communities or getting involved with local schools or university programs. And again, I would like to say a big thanks to you, Becca. And, you know, the Oracle Academy team, the Oracle volunteer programs for giving us distances within Oracle to mentor and support others. 00;17;17;09 - 00;17;44;12 Speaker 3 And you know what? Schools are doing some great things as well. You know, having clubs like the scienceclubs, tech clubs and took ownership groups, these clubs are fantastic for building skills and helping students to realize just how much they are capable of. And looking back, I wish I joined more of these clubs because the exposure is priceless and that's why I encourage a lot of students today to get involved in Stem clubs. 00;17;44;14 - 00;18;19;23 Speaker 3 The Stem clubs build your problem solving and critical thinking skills or muscles, but you don't have to forget it. We also need to remember the creative arts or music clubs. Of course, they're just as important for creativity and self-expression. So the bottom line is to take advantage of every opportunity to explore, learn and connect, you know, with anybody who, come in the spaces that are provided within our schools or programs, such as, or Aqua Academy or volunteering or the clubs that exist within the schools. 00;18;19;23 - 00;18;42;15 Speaker 3 And, and for each of us to make a mark in this world, we must then go back and mentor, mentor student back in our communities, really other people to to do so and get involved in programs like Oracle Academy where we can then skin, you know, skill a lot more because on your own it might be difficult, but when you join programs like this, then the, the skill, then, brings it all together. 00;18;42;18 - 00;18;48;04 Speaker 3 Thank you. 00;18;48;07 - 00;19;18;21 Speaker 2 Thank you. Jennifer. Sharing those gems you talked about mentorship, and how we must also give back forthose who are already ahead. You mentioned the Stem clubs and music clubs and clubs in schools because,opportunities are only shared on those platforms. And, you know, people who are from maybe, less, underrepresented communities can always find opportunities in those circles. 00;19;18;24 - 00;19;45;03 Speaker 2 Thank you. Also mentioning the work that we do, Oracle Academy, where we're giving out free quality, world class technology education to schools, to today and to teachers across the globe. Or unless we show you how important I know you've talked a bit about it, or maybe you didn't elaborate a bit more. How important is mentorship and networking in building a tech career in marketing? 00;19;45;05 - 00;19;52;22 Speaker 2 What strategies have worked best for you in making meaningful professional connections? 00;19;52;25 - 00;20;27;10 Speaker 3 Yeah. Good. Good. Thank you for that. Now, mentorship and networking really, cornerstones for any, any successful career, not just marketing, but in a successful career. Having people you can turn to for honest advice, mixed, you know, make tough decisions. You know, we make you making tough decisions much more easier. So I like to think of this as building your own personal board of directors, trusted mentors who offer guidance and, you know, give different perspectives when you need them. 00;20;27;12 - 00;20;52;17 Speaker 3 So as African proverb sayings that, you know, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That actually speaks to the power of surrounding yourself with good mentors, good networks and nurturing those relationships, you know, over time. So coaching for me is just as valuable. So as a quote, I've experienced that sometimes the best way forward comes from within you. 00;20;52;19 - 00;21;15;19 Speaker 3 You just need someone to help you ask the right questions and find your own path. So for me, coaching helped me get clearer about my strengths, my values, and what truly motivates me. And that's what, you know, made my decisions a lot more intentional, you know? Plus, once you really know yourself, once you really know yourself, you end up making better choices. 00;21;15;25 - 00;21;32;25 Speaker 3 So for me, both mentors and coaches have played a huge role in helping me grow and have given my career. And that's something that I would encourage anyone to get a mentor and to get a coach who you can work with. And when it comes to net, networking, I've learned that it pays to be extremely, extremely deliberate. 00;21;32;27 - 00;22;03;26 Speaker 3 Whether I said industry brands or forums and community spaces. What I try to do is to identify who I want to meet ahead of time and make a point to connect genuinely. So building relationships don't stop after the fast connection. Consistent follow up, sharing interesting resources or just checking in really helps keep those connections alive. And so at the end of the day, it's about showing real interest in other people's success and being there for each other. 00;22;03;29 - 00;22;33;01 Speaker 3 And that's how building a network that truly supports your personal and professional growth. So for me, that that that's how I've managed to do building through those networks. Being very deliberate as to who who do I admire and who would I want to to learn from? I mean, it's to be able to, to meet them. And of course, then having the mentors and having the coaches who have helped me to to grow along this journey, it is you can'twalk alone, you can't walk alone. 00;22;33;01 - 00;22;55;01 Speaker 3 And you need a team around you and people who will, you know, always uplifting. And we always say that you must stand on the shoulders of giants. And for me, that is what I've done. I've stood on the shoulders of giants who've been there before me, or those who can coach me to walk that path. And that's what for me, I think has, has, has made me to be where I am today. 00;22;55;03 - 00;22;55;24 Speaker 3 Thank you. 00;22;55;27 - 00;23;22;01 Speaker 2 Thank, thank you. So one thing that I would like that you said mentorship from networking is very important. But it also, it also is important to not that we have to be deliberate when networking. I know let's also show genuinely and be authentic be authentic self when we are networking and submitting myself so to mentorship. 00;23;22;01 - 00;23;41;20 Speaker 2 So so I'm very loud. I mean, time flies so quickly and down to the, very last question. If you could give one piece of advice to faculty and students, what would that be? Oh, well, 00;23;41;23 - 00;24;15;06 Speaker 3 So for teachers, or faculty, my advice is to make sure that, you know, that they're training what actually matches what's happening in the real world, even if it means bringing in recent examples or talking about what's new in the industry. The job market and the skills people need are always changing. So it is important to help students to focus less on just training for one specific job and more on building useful and flexible skills they can use anywhere. 00;24;15;08 - 00;24;42;09 Speaker 3 So it's about skills and how those skills can be flexible for use in life and for students. I can't stress enough how important it is to keep building again, the skills and staying adaptable. Gone are the days when careers followed a straight, predictable path. Today, most of our journeys are non-linear, full of unexpected turns, new roles every day, and changing industry. 00;24;42;09 - 00;25;09;07 Speaker 3 So if you just focus on one career idea, you might find it doesn't exist, at least in the same way that you had envisioned it. But if you work on things like creative thinking, problem solving, using digital tools, and analyzing data, you'll always have solid options. So it's a skills, not your job, that really opens doors because those can start across industries and roles. 00;25;09;09 - 00;25;39;18 Speaker 3 Know no matter how you know, the world changes. And as Alvin Toffler once said, that the illiterate of the 20th century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot land and land in dry land. Somy encouragement or my words would be to for anyone to keep learning, keep growing, and stay curious, because that's the key to to success. 00;25;39;20 - 00;26;08;16 Speaker 2 Well, thank you so much, Jeanette. That's such an interesting, point that you have made. It is the skills that open doors, and not necessarily the jobs itself. And for the teachers, please make sure that what you train your students on actually match what is obtainable in the real world. Thank you for your time, Jeanette. You have been a fantastic guests and great to have you here. 00;26;08;19 - 00;26;37;07 Speaker 2 From your wealth of knowledge to Alice, thank you so much. Yeah, to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. Please remember to visit our website academy.uncle.com to learn more about Awful Academies learning and resources. Subscribe to our podcast, share with your friends and you can also follow Oracle Academy on ECS, Instagram and Facebook. Bye for now. 00;26;37;09 - 00;26;43;29 Speaker 1 That wraps up this episode. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for the next Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast.
February 3, 2026Episode 1214 min
Empowering Connections: Exploring the New Oracle Academy Community
In this episode Lorilyn Owens, director of Innovation Programs and Member Services, talks about the new Oracle Academy Community, a dedicated online space for Oracle Academy members and ambassadors. This vibrant community will empower participants to connect, share best practices, and access resources tailored to their academic and professional journeys. Tune in as we provide a comprehensive overview of the community's features, opportunities for engagement, and how you can make the most of this collaborative environment designed to support your success within the Oracle Academy network. ------------------------------------------------------------ Episode Transcript: 00;00;09;02 - 00;00;28;18 Speaker 1 Welcome to the Oracle Academy Tech Chat. This podcast provides educators and students in-depth discussions with thought leaders around computer science, cloud technologies, and software design to help students on their journey to becoming industry ready technology leaders of the future. Let's get started. 00;00;28;21 - 00;00;57;26 Speaker 2 Welcome to Oracle Academy Textured, where we discuss how Oracle Academy prepares this next generation's workforce. I'm your host. Sajeel Shahzad In this episode, I'm joined by Lorilyn Owens, director, innovation Programs and Member Services. We speak about the new Oracle Academy community platform, what it is, and how Oracle Academy members, faculty and ambassadors can use it. 00;00;57;28 - 00;01;00;13 Speaker 2 Welcome, Lorilyn. 00;01;00;16 - 00;01;02;05 Speaker 3 It's nice to see you. 00;01;02;07 - 00;01;15;00 Speaker 2 It's fantastic to have you here as we kick off this exciting chapter of Oracle Academy. Can you give me a bit about your background and your role at Oracle? 00;01;15;02 - 00;01;45;23 Speaker 3 Sure. Thank you for having me, Sajeel. So in my role as director of Oracle Academy Innovation Programs and Member Services, I oversee many of the programs and services that help our faculty members innovate in their teaching and get the most out of their membership. Our team is responsible for curating Oracle Academy program benefits, promoting member success, deepening member engagement, and supporting members throughout their membership lifecycle. 00;01;45;25 - 00;02;18;10 Speaker 3 One of the favorite things that we get to do is to share our member success stories. I'm passionate about empowering educators and students to thrive in this ever evolving tech landscape. I love seeing how innovative teaching and collaboration can truly transform learning experiences and help students gain real world skills. Gosh, I spent over the last 25 years working at the intersection of technology and education. 00;02;18;12 - 00;02;54;08 Speaker 3 Whether that's developing and rolling out new learning initiatives or supporting faculty communities globally. But before joining Oracle Academy, I worked in human resources. I've worked in Oracle Consulting and also in Oracle support. All of that taught me the value of collaboration, connection, community building and helping the next generation of learners be ready. One of my treasured memories is from a few years ago, when we published a video celebrating the 25th anniversary of Oracle Academy. 00;02;54;10 - 00;03;31;09 Speaker 3 We've been around for almost 30 years now, but when we celebrated the 25th, I just loved seeing faculty members from different countries share their Oracle Academy stories in their own words. That was special. It really brought home the global impact we could have when we work together. I am just constantly inspired by the dedication and creativity I see in our Oracle Academy members, and I'm always eager to learn from their experiences and support their work in any way that I can. 00;03;31;11 - 00;03;41;25 Speaker 2 Starting to start? What is the Oracle Academy community and what makes it distinct from other forms of communications? 00;03;41;27 - 00;04;13;04 Speaker 3 The Oracle Academy community is really special because it's not just another online forum or email list. It's a dedicated space where Oracle Academy faculty and ambassadors can connect, collaborate, and share ideas. It's tailored specifically for those who teach with Oracle Technologies. So the conversations are relevant and everyone understands the unique challenges and opportunities our educators face in the classroom. 00;04;13;07 - 00;04;42;27 Speaker 3 So, unlike more general platforms, everything here is focused on helping educators grow and support each other with resources and advice they can use. It's a curated, secure environment where participants can discuss best practices, get support, and collaborate on projects with peers who share a passion for helping to advance student technology, education and skills. 00;04;43;00 - 00;04;56;09 Speaker 2 Interesting up. Could you describe the unique value of bringing together Oracle Academy Ambassadors and Oracle Academy faculty members in a dedicated online community? 00;04;56;12 - 00;05;31;03 Speaker 3 Sure. Bringing ambassadors and faculty together in one place is incredibly valuable. Faculty members who are out there teaching every day and tap directly into the expertise of ambassadors who are well versed in Oracle technologies. It creates this dynamic exchange. Ambassadors, along with the Oracle Academy team, can share the latest resources and opportunities and faculty can voice what they need or share what's working in their classroom. 00;05;31;06 - 00;05;50;16 Speaker 3 This kind of back and forth isn't something you get with traditional emails or newsletters, or just one way communications. It really accelerates learning and innovation for everyone involved and empowers us to enhance student outcomes. 00;05;50;18 - 00;05;57;09 Speaker 2 Tell us, how do community members engage and support each other? 00;05;57;11 - 00;06;30;22 Speaker 3 Community members engage and support each other in several meaningful ways. For starters, there's always an open dialog happening. People ask questions about everything from teaching best practices to specific Oracle technologies, and others are quick to jump in with answers, tips, or resources. Members can also share lesson plans, project ideas, and real life classroom experiences, which can be incredibly helpful if you're looking for inspiration or solutions to a challenge. 00;06;30;24 - 00;07;04;22 Speaker 3 There are regular opportunities to participate in group discussions, so it's easy to stay up to date and hear different perspectives from around the world. And when someone achieves something like completing a new certification or launching an innovative student project, the community is right there to celebrate and share the successes. So overall, it's just a very supportive environment where everyone is genuinely interested in helping each other grow and succeed. 00;07;04;25 - 00;07;14;19 Speaker 2 Interesting. How is the Oracle Academy community structured, and what are some of the key features for community members? 00;07;14;21 - 00;07;50;14 Speaker 3 In addition to just the dynamic features of the platform itself, like tagging, gamification, reputation rich content support and the mobile friendly design. We've also added knowledge base and FAQ use. We have categories in the Oracle Academy community to help organize discussions and resources into focused topics. That makes it easy for members to find relevant information, connect with peers, and participate in conversations that really just match their interests. 00;07;50;16 - 00;08;22;21 Speaker 3 Our topic based categories include AI, cloud, apex, and Next week, and also industries like construction, Nearing and Hospitality. We also have an events calendar where you can find information about upcoming webinars, workshops, conferences and community activities. You can explore this page to stay informed about important dates, register for events and connect with fellow members through shared learning and networking opportunities. 00;08;22;24 - 00;08;53;22 Speaker 3 We also have the Oracle Academy Community Learning Blog, and that's where members can share thought leadership ideas, classroom experiences, and real world applications of Oracle technologies for content. I'm really excited because we have Share Your Success Mondays where we will feature our member success stories. We have Test Your Students Wednesdays, where we'll provide short quizzes to share with students covering different technologies. 00;08;53;24 - 00;09;17;02 Speaker 3 And then I think maybe my favorite feedback Fridays. And that's when we'll ask for your feedback on the Oracle Academy program and popular trends. And it really does just enhance the opportunity for two way dialog. We have a lot going on in the community school, so we really want people to come back often and just set up your profile to receive updates. 00;09;17;03 - 00;09;30;15 Speaker 3 We're excited because the community is a place where Oracle Academy members and ambassadors can come together and collaborate and share knowledge. 00;09;30;18 - 00;09;44;21 Speaker 2 I'm curious that how can active participation in the Oracle Academy online community and harness professional growth and amplify the impact on the broader Oracle Academy community. 00;09;44;24 - 00;10;17;16 Speaker 3 While still getting involved in the community is a fantastic way to boost your own professional development? You can contribute to blogs, take part in discussions, and connect with other educators from around the world. It's a network that fosters personal growth and keeps you up to date on new trends and tools. Plus, by sharing your own successes and ideas, you contribute to the wider Oracle Academy community so your experiences can help influence and inspire others. 00;10;17;18 - 00;10;56;13 Speaker 3 Together, we can make a bigger impact on students everywhere and specifically for ambassadors. Oracle Academy Ambassadors should also join the community and actively participate, because it offers a dedicated space to connect and collaborate with faculty and fellow ambassadors worldwide, making it easy to share expertise, coordinate guest lectures, and work together on educational initiatives. The community enables ambassadors to answer faculty questions, provide guidance and share best practices and research this in a centralized forum. 00;10;56;15 - 00;11;22;06 Speaker 3 Additionally, it offers access to essential tool materials and updates tailored specifically to support ambassadors in their role. So by participating ambassadors can also stay informed about the latest Oracle technology. Oracle Academy News, upcoming events, resources and exciting opportunities to get involved. 00;11;22;09 - 00;11;32;01 Speaker 2 Last question. Lorilyn, please. If you could give me one piece of advice to faculty and students, what would it be? 00;11;32;04 - 00;12;07;23 Speaker 3 I'm well for faculty. I would say stay curious and open to innovation. The world of technology is constantly evolving, and your willingness to learn and adapt sets a powerful example for your students. Don't hesitate to reach out. Collaborate and share your experiences within the Oracle Academy community. Together, we can amplifier impact and continue to inspire the next generation of tech leaders. 00;12;07;25 - 00;12;40;09 Speaker 3 And for students, Embrace every opportunity to learn and experiment. Ask questions. Take advice from your instructors and peers. And don't be afraid to dive into new technologies. Let me remember the skills you develop now. Problem solving and creativity persistence are just as important. Actually, maybe more important than the tools you're going to be using. Your journey in technology can take you anywhere. 00;12;40;11 - 00;13;10;24 Speaker 3 Keep exploring and never stop challenging yourself. And finally, I guess for both Sajeel, I would say education is a journey you don't have to take alone by supporting each other, sharing knowledge, and staying engaged in our community. We can all accomplish so much more. So let's keep pushing boundaries. Celebrating successes and helping each other grow. 00;13;10;26 - 00;13;44;01 Speaker 2 Wonderful. Thank you to Laureline for telling us about the new Oracle Academy community, and for joining me on this episode of the Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast. We invite faculty to explore the many benefits of joining Oracle Academy. We invite Oracle Academy members and ambassadors to become part of our vibrant new Oracle Academy Community platform where you can connect, collaborate and grow alongside peers and Oracle experts. 00;13;44;04 - 00;14;01;05 Speaker 2 Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for more updates, expert insights and stories from the world of Oracle Academy. Thanks for listening and we look forward to welcoming you to the community soon. Thank you. 00;14;01;07 - 00;14;08;06 Speaker 3 Thank you for having me, Sajeel, and I look forward to seeing everybody in the new Oracle Academy community. 00;14;08;08 - 00;14;14;28 Speaker 1 That wraps up this episode. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for the next Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast.
January 27, 2026Episode 1126 min
Part II Transforming Database Operations: MCP Server + OCI Generative AI in Action
In Part II of this episode we explore how Oracle's latest AI-driven database tools are revolutionizing teaching and learning in higher education. Tailored for global faculty and students, the episode demonstrates how artificial intelligence makes database operations more accessible, intuitive, and relevant to real-world applications. Faculty will discover strategies to integrate AI-powered tools into their curriculum, using features like natural language processing database queries, schema analysis, and automated health checks—all in simple language, not complex SQL. Students will see live demonstrations where database tasks are executed through everyday commands, bridging the gap between AI and hands-on expertise needed for today's tech landscape. Key highlights include an introduction to the MCP server, insights into OCI Generative AI integration with databases, and step-by-step interactive demos ideal for classroom and research settings. This podcast is a must-listen for educators seeking innovative approaches, students aiming to build in-demand skills, and academic leaders looking to advance curriculum and research with the latest in AI technology. ------------------------------------------------------------ Episode Transcript: 00;00;09;02 - 00;00;28;19 Welcome to the Oracle Academy Tech Chat. This podcast provides educators and students in-depth discussions with thought leaders around computer science, cloud technologies, and software design to help students on their journey to becoming industry ready technology leaders of the future. Let's get started. 00;00;28;22 - 00;00;46;13 Welcome back to Oracle Academy Tech Chat, where we discuss how Oracle Academy is helping prepare the next generation's workforce. This episode is part two of Transforming Database Operations MCP server and OCI generative AI in action. 00;00;46;16 - 00;01;02;05 So here is the code which we have built it. And I'll start my server. Okay. So first thing is like we can just do list all the databases. 00;01;02;07 - 00;01;28;22 So you can see like how many databases we have. So here are all the databases which we help you see. Database 123. Okay. And we can see what are the prompts. So let's say the first prompt I am using. Connect me to the database and list user tables. Okay. So I'll just go ahead. 00;01;28;25 - 00;01;42;24 Connect me to the I will connect to the first database and list all the user tables. 00;01;42;26 - 00;02;03;17 And meanwhile it does it operation. I'll also show like how you can build your own resources. So you see here I am using this open AI. If I wanted to use I can use this okay. Okay. So these are the things and these are the databases connections which I have used. So basically consist of the resources grants and the tools. 00;02;03;18 - 00;02;26;27 So this is some thing you can think like a resource. This will just turn to you okay. These are the resources which I am using it. And then I was also talking like a you can build your own provider. So I have been like OCI provider. This is my OCI provider. Similarly I have built open a provider. Here is my opening a provider. 00;02;26;29 - 00;02;50;28 And when you build your own provider you can also build like as I said MCP server consists of the prompt state prompt also tool and resources resources. I already shown these are the prompts. If you see here you are an expert Oracle DB which has this access for database operation. Perform these operations. So these are the prompt which you have to provide okay. 00;02;51;00 - 00;03;11;18 And there are certain means. There are the tools which we have already discussed. I will show us in the code. And that tool you can invoke. So yeah. So here you can see I have like within the prompt only I have added these tools stuff. Use this for SQL query to use this for this connection for list like that. 00;03;11;21 - 00;03;35;21 So if you see here I give the prompt connect me to the PUC database and list all the users tables. What it basically does it it basically with the first option it does it it basically connects me to the database automatically. Then it runs this again. It gets the response. It sees that response, and then it runs the query. 00;03;35;24 - 00;04;06;05 And you can see for the user table. So first it does the connection. Second it does the user query to get the response. So if you can see there are two operations which it performs after getting the response it performs another one operation. So total two task has been performed. Successful two okay. So yeah. So here you can see now I will just go to the next prompt list user table. 00;04;06;05 - 00;04;32;24 We already shown you. Now I just run this one list user table list transition event skills in separate tables. So if anyone has to build their own MCP server by using our good, I'll be sharing this code. This is available in the GitHub repository. So you can build your own orchestrator so that you can use this code as a reference code. 00;04;32;27 - 00;04;56;24 And in this code, if you see there is an MCP server code. So basically Oracle already came up with a tool which is a plugin which you can install SQL okay, you can install and you don't have to do. But what we have done is like we have mirrored that tool by building our own MCP server. Like we build a real database connection, we build the real tool, expose it, and trying to use it. 00;04;56;26 - 00;05;25;09 So it's just to make sure that everybody understand the actual real world behind this. Okay. So here you can see I gave the prompt, list user tree with rich transaction events using separate tools. Okay. Three tasks has been executed. If you see it user table. These are the user table it tries to get. Then there was some error. 00;05;25;09 - 00;06;07;10 It got other this one queue name is invalid identifier. Then it tries to invoke again okay. And but the system indicate that no errors. So maybe I haven't given the permissions to list available connections or something. But transaction events stuff. Right. So that permission is not there. That's why you didn't able to query the database. So those days just now so is needed whenever you are building the MCP server so that you may not get what I can just say is like, you may not, give him the admin privilege and he can change the policy or do some nasty stuff. 00;06;07;13 - 00;06;37;25 Now, I'll, move to the next prompt. So this one prompt called saw me all the tables. Before that, I'll just use this, provide me the top three weight operations. So let's see how many weight operations which are running inside our database. So it automatically generate the query and tries to find the weight operations. So if you see here here's this is this this was our okay. 00;06;37;25 - 00;07;00;09 So I'll just first go there. So the if you see here this was the things which is try to like using probably does then it converted converts it into the SQL query okay. These are the SQL query. It gets converted. And this was the response which it tries to fetch it. So top three weight event. We asked. 00;07;00;12 - 00;07;24;05 So it gives you the events. Weight class total weights time weighted average wait time. So library cache okay. So basically total three weight operations try to providers ten rows has been selected. You can see here. So yeah. So if you give anything it basically tries to invoke the tool call converts your natural language into the SQL language and gets the response back to you. 00;07;24;07 - 00;07;48;24 And if you wanted to perform some agent approach, you can build your agent approach. As I said, we have already done this right in front of everyone, right? We connect to the database, we get the response, then we are listing the user tables. Okay. There is something called, report. I will show that also before so this is done and then so me all the tables inside the database. 00;07;48;26 - 00;08;09;25 So there are lot of tables. It may take some time so it will take some time. Meanwhile, I'll just say like so if you see here two will already available. But these are the tools. The Oracle has built it just to show everyone that how you can build your own tool. 00;08;09;27 - 00;08;30;16 So this is also the tool this the other tools which we have. I'll make it available as a part of this MCP. So you can see here. So these are the tools we are calling these tools. And then there is a real tool called we are doing it. And basically it does the real database connection okay. It does everything on a real basis. 00;08;30;16 - 00;08;51;11 Not like a plugin does it. you can install and start working on. So basically the idea here is like you can take this code and build your own NCP stuff by taking this as a reference to me. So actually there are a lot of tables we get this query, it may take some time, so I'll just move to the fifth and the sixth prompt. 00;08;51;13 - 00;09;24;08 Close this, start the server again. So I will generate so basically in the database we have report. So all the DB basically goes and then try to analyze this report. And it takes a lot of time. Right. And the first thing is like there is a query with which you can generate a report okay. And then you provide this like what all the weight operation you does all the performance recommendation analysis using that report. 00;09;24;10 - 00;09;57;27 So we'll see how we can generate using this. So I'll connect to my first database and generate report of last one. So meanwhile you can just see here, you have a config and in the config you can this is just like all these sources where you can have your stuff. And from I have already shown so there is a resource ID, there's a prompt and there a tool called. 00;09;57;29 - 00;10;19;21 So all the tools also I have shown. So that's the way you can build your own MCP server okay. So here you can see let me first connect to the database. And in this repository we have given this what I can say Readme file through which you can follow and you can build your own, like you can run this project also. 00;10;19;24 - 00;10;53;19 And I have connected with database now generated, a w report of last one. I will. So this readme file, you can just, take a look and you can actually, have the setup ready inside your system and you can work on it over the top of that and or what else you have. Yeah. So this is what basically will help everyone like building Dhcp server. 00;10;56;21 - 00;11;16;12 I was also talking about this feedback loop mechanism. So one second, if I could show you. So if you see here, the way I have implemented, you guys can also like, take a look. So this, feedback loop mechanism, if you see here. 00;11;16;14 - 00;11;41;02 You have a SQL syntax, you have a two execution score. So if you get your score right, we are basically calculating these those evaluation score result delivers a score. And then we try to find if it is lesser then then we try to do a iterative approach. Like we try to invoke the another that invoke another tool. 00;11;41;04 - 00;11;59;06 So that's the way we have built it. So you can just follow this piece of code and you can, actually do the step. Okay. So yeah, that's comma verse one. I think there are. 00;11;59;08 - 00;12;27;11 Some, there are some errors with the database which I am using it. The database has some issue last 500 characters. Fine. So yeah. So these are the. So if you see it's a complex problem process generate data here for last one hour. If I say generate the report only this much. So it will try to get the whole report from the public database. 00;12;27;13 - 00;12;51;01 Okay. So if these type of things are there you need to enhance this code. If these errors will come you need to enhance your prompt prompting technique and then people will understand accordingly and build a SQL accordingly. So it tries to build a SQL. If you see it. And you did not worked out for large to or not okay. 00;12;51;04 - 00;13;00;13 So algorithm basically tries to convert your natural language to a SQL and try to execute that SQL. But. 00;13;00;15 - 00;13;23;28 Fine. And anything else I have. Yeah. And. Yeah that's it. And then we have all these resources which I think we will be sharing it. So there is a GitHub repository where the code lies. And then there's a conference page we will see like a of 5 to 11 so that you can take a look okay. 00;13;24;00 - 00;13;31;09 And that's it. I don't have much questions. I will happy to answer all the questions. 00;13;31;11 - 00;13;48;27 And thank you Pam. Coach that was wonderful. I can actually pose those questions to you if you want to concentrate on answering them. So we do have some questions in the discussion and I'll just shoot them to you and you can let us know what the answers are. So the first question that we got was in relation to the MCP server. 00;13;49;01 - 00;14;06;23 And its scalability. And the question is how does it handle and manage the connection. And I think when we're talking about scalability, we're also talking about if this is something open, you know, how many connections can you handle. What determines the MCP service capabilities. 00;14;06;25 - 00;14;26;17 So in terms of the scalability, everybody has to like for us, we have to build our own rate limiting logic. Okay. So if you have a rate limiting logic, then let's say there are a lot of, requests are coming. And then you can like, I'm just give you an example, 100 requests at a time, you can process. 00;14;26;17 - 00;14;50;06 Right. So that's the way you can, build a scalability. And also it depends on the automation, right. Or personalize it. It's own MCP server. So by default MCP server is a lightweight protocol right. It is not completely heavy system. So they're just saying something called message routing system which we have it basically use the protocol. 00;14;50;06 - 00;15;14;10 So you but I can only use Http. There is something here you you can use the to do so in inherently what I can say that we use RPC is like inherently scalable which has a recipe structure to call. But if the number of requests are coming used so you can build your own limiting logic. Even doesn't 100 how many requests are coming. 00;15;14;12 - 00;15;25;16 Right. So based on that you can actually limits it. So scalability point of view. So at the time you will have 30 to 80 pulls calls which will be very easy for you. 00;15;25;18 - 00;15;43;24 And so I think this is a question comes in line with that, which is to do with how do you secure the MCP server, for the real time data to be secure. So you did mention it in the presentation, at a very high level, but I think they're just after a little bit more detail and, and I understand that question. 00;15;43;27 - 00;15;49;05 You could answer that ever a couple of hours. But if you have a very short answer for that question, that would be great. 00;15;49;08 - 00;16;09;12 Yeah, I got your point. So basically every organization or every company or every individual who is building MCP, first thing is like it is not, what I can just say it is not secure by design. So the person who is building it, they have to build it secure. So we are giving user level access to the database. 00;16;09;14 - 00;16;39;22 We are not giving the system privileged data, administrator, administrator level privilege because the database so that people cannot, delete it any table or do some modification system device like some views. So there's a way you can come also with your MCP. You can build your own TLS, kind of set up your own certificate training. So this is like the individual, person, what agency or individual organization perspective they have to build their own security system. 00;16;39;25 - 00;16;46;05 I'm maybe not secure by design. It's natively not secure. But yeah, there is. 00;16;46;07 - 00;17;05;03 A friend. So I guess depending upon the risk, the amount of data, what type of data, if it's something like an open database, you would be okay to let anyone access it. But if it's something secure like medical records or, something more sensitive private information, credit cards, you'd obviously make it a lot tighter and make sure that it's inaccessible by anyone. 00;17;05;06 - 00;17;06;11 Yes. 00;17;06;13 - 00;17;20;02 Wonderful. Okay, there is a question here in real life into the demonstration. And what you've showed to say is everything that you try to say, open source or is there are there any licensing phase if you want to build your own, MC server? 00;17;20;04 - 00;17;44;19 Well, so basically we have two testing. One is, we are using OCI. Another is we are using any AI. So if people are using open AI they have to like use their key. I was using my key. And if they are you using OCI or OCI? I don't know how the licensing works, but if they have the access of OCI cloud tenancy, they can go ahead and use the OCI, for accessing like using this MCP. 00;17;44;21 - 00;17;53;09 So it's just a different perspective. They can come and build their own provider, put their own key and they can start using it. 00;17;53;11 - 00;18;05;27 Yeah. So generally I would say with a lot of these protocols and I can speak for now and if you're listening to this in six months time or 12 months time, it might be completely different. But at the moment a lot of them, if you register, you have a certain number of tokens you can use or credit. 00;18;05;27 - 00;18;20;18 So you can use and I think it will be dependent upon that. So that might be where, you know, per day. For example, if you use certain large language models, they give you a certain number of queries, a certain number of questions, and then you run out, you got to wait till the next day. So I think that would be the limitations. 00;18;20;18 - 00;18;42;10 But at the moment, essentially what we've done here, Pankaj, is demonstrated to us is right now free auto degree, I'll say free to a degree. That's, yeah, let's give that one. Now, someone's asked about the usage of this, is it for application development or is it for something you do use for yourself? 00;18;42;12 - 00;19;02;16 So, so usage of this is like, what I can just say, like, if you are in the organization, there are certain tasks like JIRA task or some log analysis or some kind of task which you are doing. You can build your own MVP server and host it. People just have to invoke the tool. That's it. 00;19;02;16 - 00;19;30;01 They don't have to do open the create the ticket or do this, do that. So a lot of operations can be automated using MCP server. You use that. You can create one application host your MSK server somewhere. Third organization people can use this MSK tools and do their daily operations. And for the individual point of view it's more of like you will build, but at the end how many people are using it. 00;19;30;03 - 00;19;54;28 So MCP server is a way. It provides a way which can, invoke the external sources like some other external sources can use your tools for Oracle database. We never provided a layer that any application go inside our database and do some operations. But now we provided a way through which you can come invoke like execute SQL queries using your application. 00;19;55;06 - 00;20;09;07 But there are only five rules which we are making sure you are able to access. Nothing. Nothing. Then more than that, right? So yeah, that is the way you can also provide, like a tool for your purpose. 00;20;09;09 - 00;20;30;09 And I suppose from a usage perspective, really, I mean, it's applications are limited by your imagination, I suppose. Right? I mean, I could probably and correct me if I'm wrong here, have a database of all my contacts, for example, and then have a bunch of cameras around my house. And as I walk around, if a camera detects my hair is too long, it could create a connection. 00;20;30;09 - 00;20;45;09 Call my baba and create and connect with my calendar. Now what? I'm free and create a little, appointment for me with the Baba. I mean, is that kind of if I was to go very imaginative. Is that a potential use case? 00;20;45;12 - 00;21;08;08 Yeah, yeah, it can. It can be like a next step. What you are saying like automatically detecting your hairs and then performing these operations. So detection is also means it. That's the next step of this. So what I was doing this the one which I just showed you build you put some prompt and then it goes do some correction decimal place and you get the response. 00;21;08;11 - 00;21;27;29 And then based on the response you perform certain other actions. So you make a MCP server a genetic approach. Right. You does some operations over the top of the response. So that's W currently this tool supports but like auto detecting and then doing this. So that is another step. Yeah. 00;21;28;01 - 00;21;46;21 Yeah another layer on top of it. So we have another question here. And we've got a couple more minutes for questions. So we're good with that. I think it's how long connections are kept open. So is the MCP server capable of connecting different Oracle database service deployed in different locations. So can you I guess there's probably two parts of this connection. 00;21;46;21 - 00;21;55;26 Is it state or state list. And can it query a bunch of different databases in different locations if that's how your data is distributed? 00;21;55;28 - 00;22;17;05 Yeah. So it so as it is at one time as you. So it depends on the resources. What will the resource that you have available as a part of resources. Right. I made like one database connection. You can go multiple data connection, but not at a time because the client will make the connection at one client will make one connection. 00;22;17;05 - 00;22;51;01 Right. It cannot make multiple connection. And then do a log out. Do this that. So for our database like what one database at a time. It is doing one connection. But if you want to make a multiple connection. So like at the same time then you have to come within a genetic approach and you have to build a microservices architecture where you have to like a have multiple services of application which connect to the multiple MCP server, and then it can be done. 00;22;51;03 - 00;23;11;01 Okay. So that makes sense. So the connections are within the databases themselves connected. And then you're doing the one query at every time. Yes. Yes. Yeah okay. And a quick question. We've had a couple of questions on on certifications Oracle certifications and I and I know it's probably not your area of expertise, but do you recommend any. 00;23;11;01 - 00;23;27;22 And there is a question about the cost. And I believe the foundational ones are free at the moment. And there are a couple of that are available. And I mentioned some of those in my answer. But certainly you would start with OCI foundations associate if you had not much experience with AI. Is that what you would say would be the great starting point? 00;23;27;25 - 00;23;29;06 Yes. 00;23;29;09 - 00;23;33;18 Yeah. So I hope that answers that question. 00;23;33;21 - 00;23;45;10 And I'm just if anyone has any more questions, feel free to throw them in right now. Otherwise we will send our goodbyes and close out the session. 00;23;45;12 - 00;23;59;02 I think we've answered all the questions there. I there just want to ask one extra questions pop in. Actually, what mechanisms does the MCP server use to handle schema mismatches when generating context for the ARM? 00;23;59;04 - 00;24;20;27 So schema mismatch context is like it depends on the allele, it depends on the prompting. And so once you do a prompt, write a line. Basically read your prompt. It was going to read your natural language. It's converting to the SQL language. And if the SQL or the schema right whatever it has been converted, that is not a proper. 00;24;21;00 - 00;24;41;10 It means somewhere the prompting technique has to be improved somewhere. Array. You have to change. If you are using Gemini, you can try with Claude, or if you're using Claude, you can try with this. And token size is very important. The amount of context you are providing. If you are using a lamp which has only 5000 tokens, that may not be helpful. 00;24;41;10 - 00;25;06;14 Let me use the glow for 20,000 tokens. So token size is something where you can give a lot a lot of context. So your token size needs to be very good. And then the the element which you are using it must have the proper prompting technique, whatever you are applying so that it converts, your normal English to the SQL in a proper and appropriate way. 00;25;06;16 - 00;25;21;27 But and so I appreciate that. Okay. We're about to close as we hit the top of the hour. Do you have any final words you'd like to share with your with the audience before I say thank you and goodbyes? They're very appreciative and we've got some great feedback so far. Thank you. And we really appreciate your time. 00;25;21;27 - 00;25;34;12 So if you have any final words for students or people teaching AI, maybe a little bit of a vision of what the future might hold or that's a bit of a challenging question, but I'll give you a minute space to talk. 00;25;34;15 - 00;25;58;17 Yeah. So what I feel like everybody's every organization is building MCP and it is good to start. And a lot of startups also coming on the MCP. So, there are a lot of things which are happening. So you start doing dirty your hand using this MCP stuff. And what just Danny said right here, detection and many other challenges which are in the market can be solved using MCP. 00;25;58;19 - 00;26;03;03 So it is just an start over. So that's what I wanted to say. 00;26;03;05 - 00;26;19;05 Lovely. And you'll be sharing the slides and some of the code that you showed today. So yeah okay. So look first of all I just want to thank everyone who has attended today and everyone who's listening to this recording. I think it's really important that you take the time to develop yourselves, to learn as much as you can to keep ahead. 00;26;19;05 - 00;26;38;05 This is a great, session. It's great technology, and it's, a great way to make sure that we stay relevant in our industry. And I think that's really important. So I thank you all, and I appreciate your time today. And with that will close the session. Thank you very much. 00;26;38;07 - 00;26;44;26 That wraps up this episode. Thanks for listening. And stay tuned for the next Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast.
January 20, 2026Episode 1024 min
Transforming Database Operations: MCP Server + OCI Generative AI in Action
Part I In this episode of the Oracle Academy Tech Chat Podcast we explore how Oracle's latest AI-driven database tools are revolutionizing teaching and learning in higher education. Tailored for global faculty and students, the episode demonstrates how artificial intelligence makes database operations more accessible, intuitive, and relevant to real-world applications. Faculty will discover strategies to integrate AI-powered tools into their curriculum, using features like natural language processing database queries, schema analysis, and automated health checks—all in simple language, not complex SQL. Students will see live demonstrations where database tasks are executed through everyday commands, bridging the gap between AI and hands-on expertise needed for today's tech landscape. Key highlights include an introduction to the MCP server, insights into OCI Generative AI integration with databases, and step-by-step interactive demos ideal for classroom and research settings. This podcast is a must-listen for educators seeking innovative approaches, students aiming to build in-demand skills, and academic leaders looking to advance curriculum and research with the latest in AI technology. ------------------------------------------------------------ Episode Transcript: 00;00;09;02 - 00;00;38;13 Welcome to the Oracle Academy Tech Chat. This podcast provides educators and students in-depth discussions with thought leaders around computer science, cloud technologies, and software design to help students on their journey to becoming industry ready technology leaders of the future. Let's get started. Hello everyone! My name is Danny Tomic and I will be your host for today's webcast. Revolutionized learning with AI driven database tools. 00;00;38;16 - 00;01;14;23 I'm pleased to welcome our featured speaker, Pankaj Tewari, a seasoned software development professional with over 12 years of experience and a master of science in AI and Machine Learning from Liverpool John Moores University. We're excited to bring together faculty and students from around the world to explore the very latest in database technology and artificial intelligence. Today, you'll discover how Oracle's innovative solutions are making database operations more accessible and impactful for teaching, learning and research. 00;01;14;26 - 00;01;26;24 Today's webcast will introduce you to the Model Context Protocol server and show how Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is. 00;01;26;26 - 00;01;47;22 Narrative AI with database operations through natural language. If you have any questions, please ask them in the Q&A tool. We will hold them until the end and try to get through as many as possible. This session will be recorded and distributed at the end of the presentation. For those that were not able to attend here live. Thank you all for joining us today. 00;01;47;25 - 00;01;55;10 Let's get started. Without further ado, I turn you over to Pankaj Tiwari. 00;01;55;12 - 00;02;23;25 Hi, my name is Pankaj and I'm part of Rakel Cloud Action Development team. I'm here to talk about, like, The topic is transformation of database operations using Amqp seven OCI identity in action. So. And I will not delay further I'll just move ahead with the next slide before starting directly to the like, going directly to the topic, I just wanted to know, like, I mean, maybe there are people who may not be, knowing about, like, what is MCB? 00;02;23;27 - 00;02;43;24 So I'll just give a small brief. Like, what is MCP? So MCP is nothing, as anybody might be aware. It is like a model context protocol. So model is something like the NLM, Gemini Cloud. Whatever the model you wanted to use the context, the context which we provide to the model and the protocol, whether it's Http, IO or Http. 00;02;44;00 - 00;03;10;17 So these are the things to which the combination is MCP. So what it basically does it it basically offers a documented standardized way for a computer program to integrate from external sources. What I can just say is like, you might be building some, cloud services, you might be building some of the stuff in the real time applications, and there are customers who are going to use your services, right, that you can see. 00;03;10;17 - 00;03;36;14 Right? They are customers. And you wanted to like those people wanted to use your services, how they can use it so they can use it as well as some public API. Why some tools? So that is where I'm coming here as a part of like external source through which you can integrate it. It also supports as integrate. So it integrated like when you see a normal you put a normal prompt, you get a response that's any a stuff. 00;03;36;14 - 00;03;58;24 Right. But once you get the response and over the top of the response, you for if you perform a certain actions right, that comes as an as integrate. So yeah. So I wanted to give an a real time example. So whenever let's say you are going with your friends family for a dinner. Now you wanted to book some restaurant, right? 00;03;58;27 - 00;04;18;25 So what you basically do is like you will try to search the restaurant phone number online, okay, over the web, and then you try to connect to all them, right. And then you will ask it make a reservation for this table. And how many members are coming there. So there is an external source which you need it so that you can connect. 00;04;18;26 - 00;04;42;28 So MCP is a way which it provides a tool or what I consider a V through which are outside that all the external sources can communicate with you. So that was the example of restaurant phone number. And last but not the least is like MCP, was developed by a company called anthropic okay. And later it had become open source. 00;04;43;01 - 00;05;08;16 It was in like, 2024. MCP has repeatedly like, becoming an industry standard, which is basically, making more widespread use of AI agents. So I'll move to the next slide. Yeah. So how does MCP messaging work? State assist works. So firstly like the request. So you will have MCP client which are some information from MCP server. 00;05;08;19 - 00;05;37;28 Then MCP server provides a desired response rate with the proper information that is called as a results list. Let's say there are some request to the MCP client you are sending to the MCP server, and it may not be give you a reply that may you can cause it a call an error okay. And then at the end for the notification kind of thing, let's say you got a notification from the server side that suddenly it's going to restart within five minutes. 00;05;38;01 - 00;05;57;26 So that is what you can see that a notification right. It will be like one way message. No response is needed. Only one message. So like you are announcing or some cloud service or some public service inside you, you are building some clouds, then you are doing an announcement. So that is like a broadcasted to everyone, but there is no response needed for that. 00;05;57;28 - 00;06;27;26 So, so yeah, that's the part of MCP messages work. So I'll move to the next slide. It's called what is MCP server. So we talk you what is MCP model context protocol. Now what do you mean. So MCP server is a program which is basically hosted on a cloud. Right. It exposes the capability of AI agents. So using MCP server you can communicate to any of the like establish say Oracle database. 00;06;28;00 - 00;06;51;19 We have come up with our own MCP stuff, MCP tools. So we wanted to communicate Oracle database. We can communicate using MCP server. You can build your own AI application and you want it to communicate to some other application. Right. Let's say I want you to communicate to Oracle Database or I want to communicate Microsoft GitHub pilot or I want to communicate some other services like cloud or a client, some services. 00;06;51;19 - 00;07;14;12 So there are certain tools which may be available. So MCP server is like a kind of program which basically does provide these tools through which you can communicate to other services. For example, an email service like agent can send emails on the behalf of human use it. That means there is an agent which uses MCP so it can send an email. 00;07;14;12 - 00;07;40;01 Right. Similarly. So yeah. So in the industry there are a lot of questions, which are coming on a daily basis, like what other MCP security we should use it or not use it. So yeah. So MCP basically does not use any authentication authorization mechanism which is natively built in. So the company who is going to build who is going to provide this MCP server, they have to implement for themselves. 00;07;40;03 - 00;08;06;19 It doesn't require any use of Http. Instead of that it basically runs over the Http. Many implementation. So it basically, if you are using a step it may lack encryption authentication. Right. These things may lack. So what what you basically can do is like you can build your own your own certificate data, things through which they should be, like attack which can not be, which can be avoided actually. 00;08;06;22 - 00;08;37;19 So if you are not using TR less than attack can be done. So you can build your own network like have your own mechanism security mechanism through which like, whenever you are going to build your own MCP. So through which, like, attackers may not be able to attack you similarly. It also like, as I already said, in my previous slide, you have some cloud services and, there are customers who wanted use that cloud services, how they can use it. 00;08;37;19 - 00;09;06;05 So basically what they will do is they they will try to see your and public service announcement and they will see what all the APIs are, which are available outside. And they will try to invoke those GPUs. Right, for that cloud services thing like that. Terms. So what if it is available like if it is hosted somewhere, it will provide you certain tools which an application can use it and try to communicate it thing like that. 00;09;06;07 - 00;09;29;21 Okay. So yeah, so if you are using excessive so the like MQ also provide a way where you can actually do a rate limiting. Also we can also make sure that let's say Oracle Database I'm giving you an MCP for Oracle Database. And you are trying to go via admin privilege and trying to delete some of the database or tables, do some nasty operations. 00;09;29;21 - 00;09;48;27 Right. So those type of things also we need to we should make sure that the from the security point of view, we should not expose publicly. So yeah. So user based v we have to do not give the permissions on the admin based. So yeah, those things are, there. 00;09;49;00 - 00;10;08;02 Moving to the next slide. Yeah. So here is the MCP server. What does it consist of. It basically consists of prompts. It basically consists of the tools and the resources from this something. When you are building an MCP, sorry, you have to prompt in such a way that your MCP server, you are a database like you are telling to them. 00;10;08;02 - 00;10;38;25 So if you are a database admin, you have to perform system operations. You have to perform DML operations, you have to perform these operations. So everything you have to give into the prompt, then the tools which you are making available, publicly available to everyone. Right. So those tools you have to build it and then the resources. So this also in my what I'm trying to say here is you have some config file you wanted to use, some let's say related things or you are trying to do a database connection. 00;10;38;25 - 00;10;57;13 So you need a wallet configuration. So those are our resources which you have to provide. So MCP server basically consists of these three things. When you build a MCP server you make sure what all the tools you are making exposed. What are the way you are prompting is what all the behaviors MCP will have. And the resources. Right. 00;10;57;13 - 00;11;31;14 Whether you know every resources do, whether you are using a database or some other things, right. You need to provide some configuration of those stuff. So now the topic is like how the MCP client server works. So MCP client server, if you you see it here right there is an application which has a prompt. We identify a need to perform an action, such as retrieving the data or interacting with the system, say so if you have a little application you are sending a request. 00;11;31;14 - 00;12;00;02 We call that as a request. Okay. When a client write MCP client, which is embedded within the within the application, this tries to connect to the MCP server that MCP is hosting. The tools and resources, right? That is something we are MCP client and server connections have been set. Now as soon you send a request this is something called tool discovery. 00;12;00;04 - 00;12;20;04 So what I am just trying to say is like you have a cloud services, it has multiple APIs. I'm just giving an example and you are trying to connect to, you are trying to perform some operation, or you have some Json payload or API payload, and you are trying to invoke certain tools or certain operations. 00;12;20;04 - 00;12;44;04 What you will basically do is you will call that API, right. But the tool discovery here, right? Once the MCU client use you send some from MCP client based on that prompt, it basically tries to discover that tool which it has to invoke, and then it caused a tool. So that tool, you can think like a public API or something else, right? 00;12;44;11 - 00;13;11;21 You can correlate with some your projects. So that's the way. So you will generate a tool called and that tool call using this MCP would get executed. Right. So basically what will happen like you build your application an alarm client is embedded within the application. It will call that a little server or it will call the MCP server. 00;13;11;23 - 00;13;22;19 MCP server basically does the a tool discovery and then you execute it. Right. And based on that it. 00;13;22;22 - 00;13;45;03 Basically send you the response so it performs certain actions. And then the result will be sent to the. So basically, what I am just trying to say like MCP client, basically it basically delivered the result from the server back to the application. It allows them to provide a grounded and accurate response to the user. So nowadays people basically use the technique mostly, right. 00;13;45;09 - 00;13;57;07 The development generation for the real time is to through which they can get the result. Do these MCP operations. Moving to the next slide. 00;13;57;09 - 00;14;26;18 Okay. So here is a MCP architecture. So if you see in this architecture you have a MCP host. You have MCP client MCP. So and MCP tools right. So if you see MCP hosting like a you have built an AI application. Okay. You build one application thing like that. That application has embedded MCP client which is inside the application. 00;14;26;21 - 00;14;57;02 Then you send a request. That request goes to the MCB server. Right. And then MCP server does that tool discovery find the actual tool, invoke the to execute the actual tool and get the response back to the MCP client. So that's a highly overview. And breaking down the components how it basically looks state. So you have an application, you come you up, type some prompts that application. 00;14;57;02 - 00;15;24;21 It basically handles those. You connect to the servers. So within that application you have inbuilt MCP client MCP client. Basically send will help you sending the prompt okay. The prompt will the request will go to the MCP server MCP server. As I already explained, it has a tool resources and prompt. So it basically tries to invoke the tool which it has to invoke it. 00;15;24;21 - 00;15;48;07 It try to do the tool discovery using the prompt. Right. What are the prompt you sent. And then it invokes the tool. Execute the tool and get the response back to the MacBook. Right? So here is the one which or I could has built it like few months back. Like we have released our own SQL, MCP server. 00;15;48;09 - 00;16;16;29 So if you see here, you have any of the model says you build one application, that application can be built in OpenAI cloud or Gemini. You build an application in any of the model. Your alarm application. When you are sending the request, it goes via MCP client. MCP client is inbuilt within the application. Okay. For Oracle we are using Http protocol. 00;16;17;01 - 00;16;46;21 So basically the MCP protocol will go to the like MCP server using the MCP protocol data. And then the request will go to the MCP server. MCP server has these many tools. If you can see connect list connect the running SQL but then a SQL disconnect connection helper okay. So based on your prompt these tools, one of the tool will get invoke and it will get executed. 00;16;46;23 - 00;17;17;06 So and the execution will happen inside the Oracle database okay. So you will get the response back. Once you get the response back end user will be able to see it. So that's the way basically this SQL server works okay. So now I'm just, showing you a high level flow of MCP working. This is for the demo purpose, which, we have built it just to show everyone like how you can also build your own MCP server. 00;17;17;08 - 00;17;43;00 Okay, so here, if you see, there is a MCP client, which we have, we have an application we have built inside that we have inbuilt MCP client users is sending a prompt. Right. It goes to the that it goes to MCP client. There's an MCP server. It which we have built it MCP server has these many tools. 00;17;43;02 - 00;18;10;28 List tool connect this SQL experience schema and explain table. These are the tools which we have. Build it for our database so that if anyone wants to use this tool, they can basically invoke using their application by connecting our MCP. So the way you can build it, and even we have built you like you can build your own orchestrator inside your own, orchestrator. 00;18;10;28 - 00;18;39;24 You can have an alarm planner like, which allow them to use it. Okay. And for us. Right. We built like OpenAI. We built OCI. So there are two elements which we have like, used it using this orchestrator. So once your connection comes. Right. You already know that MCP will consist of configuration. It's it consists of the resources, tools and the prompts. 00;18;39;26 - 00;19;13;09 So the resources in the config file, we you can change your alarm provider. Anyone can come, they can build they can change their LLN provider using the orchestrator. They can plan the things right one by one. So once the request comes via MCP client, MCP client, basically goes to the MCP server. Already we have provided context of the whether we are wanted to use OCI element or we want to do go for open element. 00;19;13;11 - 00;19;39;06 The content is already provided. MCP server invokes the tool discovery. Call it try to get the actual tool. It execute the tool, get the response back to the MCP client using this Lem. So if you are going to open the open, the context will already provide in your MCP stuff, right? Once you start the server, context will already be there that this is going to use this similarly. 00;19;39;06 - 00;20;04;11 Okay. So I'll just show that in the the practical demo. Then I'm going to show you, you will see how you can build your own LSM provider. And you can connect using MCP server. So these are the models which are available inside the OCI. Like you can see command leaders plus metal armor, metal armor, 70 billion Maverick Scott Rock three four. 00;20;04;12 - 00;20;27;29 So yeah. So these are all the models which we tried when we were building our own MCP stuff using Oracle database. So here you can see the token size eight which we tried like query tried gold model for 600 token size coral command. Let us also 600. So 600 block three also 600 tokens eight and grab four. 00;20;28;01 - 00;20;50;25 Then we had a 20,000 token size. And we found a very good response with the output it works seamlessly. Fine. Okay, using this Oracle database. So yeah. So because it has a huge token size 20,000 token, then we want to give it, giving the prompt it was trying to do the actual tool discovery, invoking the tool. 00;20;50;27 - 00;21;18;22 And, executing it and sending back as to the response. Yeah. So now I wanted to, also emphasize on like how you can come with your own genetic approach of MCP server for database operations. So, if you have already built a orchestrator which has the alarm provider, which you want to use, you do not want to use, then as I was saying earlier, agent. 00;21;18;22 - 00;21;42;24 Right? Once you get the response, you can perform certain actions over that response. That's where the agent plays a major role. So you have a user, you have a orchestrator service already there. You have inbuilt MCP client. As you can see on the right side, you have a tool execution site. So you can build your own feedback loop mechanism. 00;21;42;26 - 00;22;07;13 So how the feedback loop mechanism you can build it is like let's say you give some prompt and the first thing is like your s once the alarm tries to convert your normal English into the SQL query, it basically says, oh, there's a SQL syntax error. And the tool execution did not happen because SQL syntax did not generate it properly. 00;22;07;16 - 00;22;31;27 And then there is an error. So you can actually calculate the score. Whether that's good syntax is proper to execution is proper or the error handling. Let's say this good syntax is not up to the mark. Right. What you see in the feedback loop mechanism that your score is less like you can define your own square, score like splice square syntax one two. 00;22;31;27 - 00;22;58;17 The execution like 101 hundred. And the score is lesser than 100 like 60. You said it. Try to invoke again. You can again try to invoke that another element and you can make it correct. So that's the way using existing approach you can do a scoring of your stuff. You can try to perform certain actions. Let's say there's an error of SQL and the tool which you are using. 00;22;58;17 - 00;23;21;16 That tool doesn't have the proper, syntax and you did not get executed. Now let's say you ordered the problem right. What do the SQL you got that is queries. What's the proper. Well it was proper but the tool execution was not proper. What you will do, you will change your tool. You'll go to another tool or you will go to another tool. 00;23;21;18 - 00;23;40;29 And if you go to the another tool and it get executed. So that's the way feedback loop mechanism, you can build it. Here's one more slide. Like if you have a distributed database and you have you wanted to build an MCP server. So in that distributed database you have a catalog database you have a shard database shard is something like across the globe, right. 00;23;41;01 - 00;24;06;18 You have one in the Mumbai region. You have one in the Singapore or Chicago or somewhere else. So these are the shards. You are the catalog database you can build for each database, your MCP server. You can build one application which has been built client. And you can communicate these MCP servers. So that's the highly overview. Okay. Now I will be moving to the next section of the live demo. 00;24;06;21 - 00;24;21;15 Like how MCP server works okay. Using the below prompt. And these are the prompt which I am going to use like connect to the database and list user tables, list user table standards and even keywords. So these are the things. 00;24;21;18 - 00;24;28;06 That wraps up this episode. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for the next Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast.
January 14, 2026Episode 921 min
Building a Tech Career in Financial Services
In this episode of Oracle Academy Tech Chat, we welcome Shashika Ramsany, Oracle Consulting Sales Director for Banking & Insurance in the Africa Region. Shashika shares insights from her career journey at the intersection of technology and financial services, offering a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of fintech. Listeners will gain valuable firsthand knowledge about the pathways, challenges, and opportunities available to tech professionals in the dynamic world of financial services. ------------------------------------------------------------ Episode Transcript: 00;00;09;02 - 00;00;28;29 Welcome to the Oracle Academy Tech Chat. This podcast provides educators and students in-depth discussions with thought leaders around computer science, cloud technologies, and software design to help students on their journey to becoming industry ready technology leaders of the future. Let's get started. 00;00;29;02 - 00;01;06;00 Hello! Welcome to Oracle Academy Tech Chat, where we discuss how Oracle Academy prepares the next generation's workforce. I'm your host for today, BigQuery Amazon. In this episode, we will be discussing building a tech career in financial services. Our guest, Shashi Karam Saini, is consulting sales Director, Banking and Insurance for the Africa Region in Oracle, and she will be sharing valuable insights on the most exciting and in-demand roles in the sector today. 00;01;06;02 - 00;01;36;25 And she would also discuss how these positions as shifted with technological advancements. She explores the essential technical and soft skills students and aspiring professionals need to succeed, and offers actionable advice to educators aiming to prepare the next generation for trends such as artificial intelligence and blockchain in finance. I guess Shikha has deep experience in the financial services industry. 00;01;36;27 - 00;02;26;05 She has supported commercial and retail banks in rethinking their operations, customer engagement and decision making processes through strategic data and AI transformation initiatives. How work has spanned process optimization, customer analytics and regulatory reporting, which enables institutions to unlock the value of their data assets and move towards intelligent, insights driven operations. She has helped bridge the gap between business objectives and emerging technologies, guiding clients through complex transformations and in an increasingly data centric world which is now being led by idiotic AI for various business objectives. 00;02;26;08 - 00;03;02;20 As a consultant in synergy, which is a line of business in Oracle that is laser focused on the financial services industry. Shashi specializes in crafting and implementing overarching solutions across enterprises, which includes data and AI strategies that creates measurable impact from designing enterprise data architectures to enabling predictive analytics, machine learning, intelligent automation to driving operational efficiencies, governance and regulatory requirements. 00;03;02;23 - 00;03;38;01 Her approach combines industry knowledge with hands on understanding of technology ecosystem, thereby helping clients navigate change while remaining compliant, competitive and customer focused. Whether she's advising on data governance, I use cases of scalable implementation frameworks. She brings clarity and momentum to transformation programs within the financial services sectors. So join me to welcome Shikha, who has, by the way, such a rich profile and we are so glad to have you join us. 00;03;38;05 - 00;03;42;23 Shikha, thank you for being a guest on the Awful Academy Tech Chat. 00;03;42;26 - 00;03;44;03 Thank you so much for joining me. 00;03;44;07 - 00;03;51;19 Can you share your career journey and what led you to work at the intersection of technology and financial services? 00;03;51;21 - 00;04;17;04 Man, when you ask me, that's that's quite an interesting question because my journey over the past 40 years of my career has brought experiences that were not only overwhelming, but stuff that I hadn't even envisaged. So where I landed up was not what I had anticipated or even seemed to be in an at times, situations that presented themselves to me seemed to be overwhelming and I stayed focused and persevered. 00;04;17;10 - 00;04;43;09 You know, when you think about where I started, I actually started working at a bank fresh out of school. And and that's where that's where my career started. Being in a state in that industry for at least about 18, 19 years and then found myself going into, into technology, starting off in a very focused, technology platform, solutions for contact centers and customer experiences. 00;04;43;11 - 00;05;10;15 And then 2 or 3 years later, just kind of moving into a space that covered all of technology solutions. When I joined IBM and, and, and the rest of history, you know, I'd never seen myself moving into a space, you know, we I'd be advising customers on how to leverage their technology architectures and platforms to drive business outcomes. 00;05;10;18 - 00;05;25;25 So so a very interesting turn of events in my life where I thought I, I studied psychology and ended up being in IT consulting for financial services. Very interesting turn of events. 00;05;25;27 - 00;05;47;07 Well, that's interesting to know. From psychology to I.T. consulting. Thank you for sharing your background with us, Jessica. Now, what are some of the most exciting roles for tech professionals in the financial services industry today? And how have these roles evolved over time? 00;05;47;09 - 00;06;15;12 Yeah, I tell you, we're at the cusp of change at every turn, and the industry is putting pressure, or customers are putting pressure on the industry to rise up to the challenge in terms of what the triggers are from a customer perspective, a regulatory perspective. So some of the most exciting roles for technical professionals in financial services, I would I would look at where the trends are now and then and see with confidence. 00;06;15;17 - 00;07;05;18 Data scientists, cybersecurity analyst, cloud engineers AI, machine learning specialists I mean, these roles are at the forefront of transformation and actually will play an active role in how financial institutions operate, how they operate. They offer new innovations in personalized banking, how they respond to fraud detection capabilities, and automated digital experience capabilities for customers across the value chain. And over time, we've also seen these positions have evolved significantly from traditional IT support roles that are focused on maintaining infrastructure to strategic and innovative, driven roles that directly impact business outcomes. 00;07;05;21 - 00;07;46;06 And with the rise of fintech, blockchain and digital assets, tech professionals are now driving competitive advantage. They are reshaping customer experiences and they are ensuring regulatory compliance through advanced technologies with a changing AI capabilities. Blazing the trend in the space. So lots of exciting things happening in the technology space. And you know, I'm sure everyone will agree with me that this evolution reflects the industry's shift towards digital first strategies in an increasing reliance on real time data automation and resilient infrastructures. 00;07;46;08 - 00;08;10;16 So I mean, that's what I've seen. And as we move into, the adoption of, of AI capabilities and creating very flexible and scalable, resilient technology infrastructures, those are the rules that are going to be playing a huge role in ensuring that we step change this industry to where it needs to be. From a banking perspective. 00;08;10;18 - 00;08;29;22 Thank you for sharing. Shashi Cloud, it's very interesting to hear the evolution of tech roles in financial services industry. Now, what key technical and soft skills you believe are essential for students aspiring to enter the financial technology sector? 00;08;29;24 - 00;09;01;12 In all of my career in leadership roles, even when I was in the financial services sector and managing operations and customer experience environments, the most critical, critical skill that I would, I would say everybody should have is a positive attitude. Attitude surpasses everything. If you have a positive attitude and you look at everything from a positive mindset, everything falls into place and everything you touch turns into gold. 00;09;01;14 - 00;09;38;11 So off the cuff that that is a it's a non-negotiable for me. But also, you know, to talk to, to other areas, the students that are aspiring to enter the financial services technology fintech sector, they need a strong blend of technical and fast skills to succeed in this fast paced, innovation driven industry. On the technical side, you need proficiency in programing languages like Python, Java, SQL, a solid understanding of data analytics, familiarity with blockchain, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. 00;09;38;13 - 00;10;07;11 I think those are essentials from a technology standpoint, because they also tend to have in driving customer transformation strategies, cloud adoption strategies, data transformation strategies, and then of course, AI capabilities that sit on top of that knowledge of financial systems and algorithms, particularly in areas like digital payments, risk modeling and algorithmic trading, is also a highly valuable skill to to. 00;10;07;13 - 00;10;39;05 And equally important, like you mentioned, soft skills such as problem solving, adaptability, communication, collaboration as a fintech professional often works in a cross-functional team because you know, even though all of the financial institutions that I've worked with and in enterprise accounts and they have various lines of businesses that need to collaborate across those pennies. So you need to be able to collaborate. 00;10;39;07 - 00;11;07;06 Communications have got to be strong. Listening skills have got to be equally strong because you need to be able to analyze, to listen carefully, understand what the requirements are. Analyze it in a way that that you can then effectively translate translated to a technology solution and technology concepts into business solutions. So you know that that goes without saying. 00;11;07;13 - 00;11;42;01 And then a curious mindset is also important. And a willingness to continuously look is just as critical. Because when you look at it, given the sector's rapid evolution and constant technology, technological disruption, I mean, I heard years back that we're talking about disruptive technologies. We are being up. We are there now. It's on us. How do we how do we face that and say, hey, I'm ready and I can take on this challenge and drive the outputs that my that the bank that I'm working for is looking to achieve. 00;11;42;03 - 00;12;11;18 Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing. Shashi. Yeah, I know how you mentioned about how positive attitude is one of the strongest, skills that's essential for students you know who want to enter into the field of financial technology. You also mentioned technical skills such as risk management, cloud computing, also blockchain as some of the important skills for students to acquire when entering into the financial technology sector. 00;12;11;21 - 00;12;21;25 How can educators help prepare students for emerging trading, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain in financial services? 00;12;21;27 - 00;12;55;03 Yeah, that's that's that's a double loaded question. Very, very interesting. However, educators can play a pivotal role in preparing students for these emerging trends like artificial intelligence, blockchain in financial services. And the way they can do this is by integrating these technologies into the curriculum through hands on, industry relevant learning experiences. And that's what I found. You know, you can you can have almost all of the knowledge in your head coming out of textbooks. 00;12;55;05 - 00;13;23;21 But if you haven't learned the skill to apply that knowledge in a in a real life situation, it really means nothing. And I always focus on experiential learning. So educators that now start focusing on experiential learning, taking real life situations from the banking industry, what customers are looking for, what regulators are looking for, what business operations are looking for and embed that into the curriculum. 00;13;23;23 - 00;13;55;09 Giving students an opportunity to put their knowledge into play and actually see it play out in real life, that that could be one way. And this also includes offering interdisciplinary courses that blend finance, computer science and data analytics, as well as incorporating real world case studies, simulations and projects that reflect the current market challenges that will really give. 00;13;55;12 - 00;14;26;01 Because, you know, a lot of these students are learning and then they try and get into the industry and they say, well, you don't have experience. And that's only because they have knowledge and not experience. And these these if the educators incorporate experiential learning, these can be some of the experiences that they can talk to us, be it within a learning environment, but it gives them that insight into what is what is happening out there. 00;14;26;03 - 00;14;59;04 Another way of looking at it is we, educators can partner with some tech companies who get lectures for internships and mentorship opportunities. They can also expose students to cutting edge tools and practices. Additionally, what they can also do is focus on fostering critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and adaptability, which will help students navigate the complex regulatory and societal implications of AI and blockchain. 00;14;59;06 - 00;15;34;22 Because these are new concepts, they are taking the world by storm. And if we don't provide the context to why this is happening, how it's happening and how banks can respond to it, the students are going to be very overwhelmed without having that that context. And it's important to emphasize both technical proficiency and strategic thinking. Educators can equip students with the skills and the mindset needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. 00;15;34;24 - 00;16;03;28 It's all on us and and these are the small things that the educators can do that would have a huge impact not only on how the students experience the learning so through the institutions, but how they utilize these case studies to adapt it and to understand exactly and even experience it, or be it from a second hand perspective, experience those real life cases. 00;16;04;00 - 00;16;08;06 I believe, you know, going through the institutional phase of the offline learning. 00;16;08;08 - 00;16;32;19 Thank you very much, Jessica. Thank you for sharing very valid points around how educators can help prepare students. But I particularly like the point you made around experiential learning, which is very critical for, you know, students to have in this time, an age. So now, very quickly, I know that time runs so fast. We are having great conversations like this. 00;16;32;22 - 00;16;57;23 And I tell you the this conversation has been very eye opening for me, and I'm sure that it would be the same for our listeners. So lastly, I would like to ask, what advice would you give students on building a global career in financial services, including navigating cultural and regional differences? 00;16;57;25 - 00;17;43;13 The first thing that I would that I would say to anybody that's that's looking to embark on a a journey first, take some time to understand yourself, find out who you are, know who you are, understand what it is that drives you, that motivates you, that excites. What is it that you enjoy doing? Then find something in in any career and stuff that people like don't only exist in one career path because it's so diverse culturally and in so many ways that your passions can be explored in various career paths. 00;17;43;16 - 00;18;17;10 So when you're looking at a technology career path within financial services, there are specific things that drive you and tell me, who doesn't appreciate, seeing a project go go life and things turning out to be successful. So whatever you do, find something about that career that lights a fire with you, that propels you to want to be a part of it, to want to be contributing to the success of the organization that you just choose to work for. 00;18;17;13 - 00;18;44;22 Don't see it as a job. See it as a career, an opportunity for growth in every aspect of your life, not only financially, but in maturity from a psychological perspective, an emotional perspective, something that that keeps your mind busy, something that that's really enlightened for you and inspires. But stay true to who you are when you choose these career paths. 00;18;44;24 - 00;19;15;01 Because remember, you are going to be the catalyst for driving innovation, for for ensuring that the banks are constantly, consistently aligning to the trends out in the market. And can you know that these are the things that that drive you, that make you excited? The other thing that I'd like to to also highlight is be grateful for the opportunities that you face, even though they are presented to you as challenges. 00;19;15;04 - 00;19;45;12 It's an opportunity to learn and grow as you constantly evolve into the best version of yourself. That's the journey that you will take a lot of people when you look at it. And culturally we are shifting. Mindsets are shifting. People are starting to look at themselves more critically. They are starting to want to, you know, so take that first, which is great because if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone around you. 00;19;45;14 - 00;20;15;10 So do that. Be mindful of things that drive, that excite you, that help that inspire you, that you can also use to inspire others and make choices that serve you. Do what makes you feel good. Focus on the outcomes and not always on the challenge. Because in a career, and when you look at where we are with technology within financial services, it's such an exciting place to be. 00;20;15;13 - 00;20;48;06 We not only are, you know, solving socio economic issues in countries, we are we are incorporating a cultural diversity into the organizations. There are various skills when we talk about diversity. It's not just about race kind of in creed. It's about diversity, the knowledge, diversity and backgrounds, diversity in ways of thinking. And all of that coming together makes for an awesome race that can only bring assets to the financial services industry. 00;20;48;12 - 00;20;55;20 Reflect, assess, and grow. Here's what I'd like to leave you with. Thank you. 00;20;55;23 - 00;21;09;13 Thank you for a time, Shikha. You have been a fantastic guest. It's such a pleasure to have you share from your wealth of knowledge. Thank you very much. Once again. 00;21;09;16 - 00;21;10;05 Thank you. Became. 00;21;10;12 - 00;21;38;11 Yeah. You're welcome. And our listeners, thank you for tuning in. Remember to visit our website academy.oracle.com to learn more about Oracle Academy's linear resources. Subscribe to our podcast, share with your friends and you can also follow Oracle Academy on X, Instagram and Facebook. Till next time, bye for now. 00;21;38;13 - 00;21;45;03 That wraps up this episode. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for the next Oracle Academy Tech Chat podcast.
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