We've added a new discussion group board for users of ISybase PowerDesigner  As with our other boards, this group is moderated.  You can participate via the Web, Mailing Lists, RSS, or Newsgroups.

Join the PowerDesigner User Discussion Group

If you currently have a discussion group account for one of our other boards, that same account will work with the new PowerDesigner group.

As this is a brand new group, any assistance you can give us in letting PowerDesigner users that a new community has been established would be greatly appreciated.  We also invite Sybase staff who work with PowerDesigner to join our group.

If you are helping to recruite members, you probably want to share with them that:

1. All posts are moderated, so there's no spam or junk
2. We allow you to choose your participation format -- Web, E-mail, RSS, IM, Chat or Newsgroup
3. We welcome vendor paricipation
4. We have been hosting these boards for more than a decade, so our communities are experienced and helpful
5. All levels of users are welcome
6. It's Free!

As a reminder, group policies and a group FAQ are available.

We've added a new discussion group board for users of IBM's Rational Data Architect.  As with our other boards, this group is moderated.  You can participate via the Web, Mailing Lists, RSS, or Newsgroups.

Join the Rational Data Architect User Discussion Group

If you currently have a discussion group account for one of our other boards, that same account will work with the new RDA group.

As this is a brand new group, any assistance you can give us in letting RDA users that a new community has been established would be greatly appreciated.  We also invite IBM staff who work with RDA to join our group.

As a reminder, group policies and a group FAQ are available.

Karen will be leading this Tuesday's CA Summer Webcast on Starting with more than a Blank Page: Modeling with Industry Standard Data Models.  NEW - Watch a RECORDING of the webcast.

21 August 2007, 1 PM to 2 PM Eastern

If you've ever been asked to evaluate, use, or review third party data models, you'll want to attend this one hour event.

She will talk about the costs, benefits, and risks of working with these specialized type of pattern models, as well as 10 myths associated with using them.  Finally she will highlight the steps you should take if you are working with industry models.

Registration is required, but the session is free of charge.

A question and answer session will be offered at the end of the presentation.  InfoAdvisors subscribers are especially welcome to ask questions and debate - just as you do on our discussion groups.

Thank you for attending the CA Summer Webcast on Starting with More than a Blank Page.  At InfoAdvisors.com you'll find articles and videos about ERwin Data Modeler as well as tool-independent content.

You can sign up for our user discussion groups and create a member profile, if you'd like.

I was helping a friend check out job listings at Amazon.com when I came across this listing for a Business Analyst:

Qualifications

The successful candidate must demonstrate the following:

• Outstanding attention to detail, problem solving, and analytical skills  - Check
• Excellent written and spoken communication  - Check
• Excellent communication skills at all levels with the ability to present information in a professional and mature manner - Check
• Ability to work effectively to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment - Check
• Understanding of Linux or Unix operations systems desired. - Check
• 3-5 years of demonstrable experience in at least one of the following financial processing areas:  procurement, asset management, accounting, accounts payable, and/or lease management. - Check
• Knowledge of Information Technology, including computing, storage and networking equipment. - Check
• Strong skills in Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Excel, Word, and Outlook) are required. - Check Experience working with ERP software systems (i.e. Oracle/Remedy) is a plus, as is the ability to mine data and maintain essential metrics using these applications. - Check
• Track record of success in a fast-paced environment. - Check
• Ability to lift and move up to 75 lbs and assist team members as needed in the receipt, transfer and disposal of assets, with accommodation. - Uh....No

I'm not sure my friend could lift and move up to 75 pounds, unassisted.  I'm hoping this is an error...or is that that BAs at Amazon are expected to pitch in and help move skids of books around on their down time?  I can see some recruiter busy screening candidates against that last one, rejecting all kinds of excellent candidates because they don't look strong enough.

I've laughed at insane requirements in job postings -- you've all seen them - "5 to 10 years deploying Windows Vista in corporate environments", "5 years hands-on experience with EA/Studio", etc.  But what's the weirdest/most outlandish requirement you've seen?