Bonnie Baker, a consultant with over 18 years of information systems experience, concentrates on supporting the IBM DB2 product on the MVS platform. She performs as both consultant and architect on application development projects. She also performs design reviews, conducts performance and tuning consulting engagements, makes recommendations for performance improvements, and presents seminars for application designers, developers, and DBAs. She is best known for creating and presenting application performance seminars in a series entitled, "Things I Wish They'd Told Me 8 Years Ago."

Experience and Accomplishments

• Served as a consultant to more than 50 I.S. departments helping with DB2 design issues, performance problems, and programming standards.

• Developed more than 60 successful custom DB2 workshops for application developers, DBAs, end users, and marketing support.

• Conducted a requirements gathering and feasibility study for conversion of a VSAM credit card processing software package to DB2.

• Reviewed many application systems running under DB2 for performance considerations. Improved online response times and batch runtimes substantially.

• Monitored a water management district’s conversion from UNISYS to IBM including the development of all applications in CSP, COBOL, and DB2 to ensure that performance standards were met.

• Designed and developed a decision support application using QMF, DB2, ISPF Dialog panels, CLISTs, and PC graphics.

• Designed and developed a school textbook depository purchase order, receiver, and requisition system using Datacom, IDEAL, and COBOL.

• Designed, coded and maintained hundreds of programs using COBOL, RPG, IDEAL, and DB2, in application systems including Payroll, Inventory Control, Insurance processing, and Purchase Order processing.

Education and Background

• Bachelor of Arts degree in math and English, East Texas State University
• Graduate work in law, University of Florida, School of Law
• Speaker, 1992 through 1996, IBM DB2 Technical Conferences, U.S. and Europe
• Speaker, 1993 through 1997, IDUG Conferences, U.S. and Europe
• Speaker, 1995 Asia/Pacific IDUG Conferences
• Speaker, 1993 Canadian DB2 Technical Conference
• Speaker, 1993 SHARE Conference in Washington, D.C.
• Speaker, New York, Cleveland, New Orleans, Detroit, etc., DB2 Users Groups.

Areas of Expertise

• Conducts reviews for clients to identify areas for improving DB2 application performance.

• Provides skill transfer to Database Administrators, applications developers, and QMF end users.

• Serves as DB2 architect during logical and physical design, development, testing, and implementation of application systems, working with the DBA and the developers to create a successful application.

• Communicates technical information well, in understandable terms, for those just learning DB2.

• Develops custom workshops to be held at client sites to enable the client to tailor the class to its exact education needs.