Sun Corporate Events Group

Success at a Glance

Established in 1996, the JavaOne Conference provides Java technology enthusiasts the opportunity to learn about the latest Java technology innovations, get hands-on experience with the technology, network with their peers, and network directly with technology experts from Java technology industry leaders. At the JavaOne 2005 conference, Sun wanted to investigate whether radio frequency identification (RFID) technology could reveal additional insight into conference attendance.

Business Objects, a global business intelligence (BI) software company, provided BusinessObjects XI software that quickly and effectively analyzes RFID data such as daily customized reports on session attendance. The RFID software was hosted on a Sun Blade Workstation 2500, and the BusinessObjects XI software was installed on a Sun Java Workstation W2100z. Sun Java System RFID Software manages the processing of RFID data and events between RFID readers and tags, as well as back-end supply chain systems, providing the foundation for RFID applications. BusinessObjects XI is based on Java technology, and integrated quickly and easily with Sun's RFID environment. With approximately a day’s effort, BusinessObjects XI software and customized WebIntelligence and Crystal Reports were configured and loaded onto a dedicated server at JavaOne 2005.

RFID is used to track objects such as ID badges, identifying and locating where they are at any point in time, and providing detailed information about the tagged item. RFID tags are embedded in a microchip that has enough memory to store a unique EPC serial number. Passive RFID tags, like those embedded into JavaOne conference badges, consist of an RFID chip and an antenna. When the badge passes near an RFID reader, a minute electrical current induced in the antenna by the incoming radio frequency signal provides just enough power for the tag to transmit a response. The system forwards information from scanned badges to a central repository over the show’s network and into a middleware layer, which performs filtering, error correction, and protocol translation as required. Deployed on a large scale, RFID can generate large amounts of data. “Analyzing RFID data can provide valuable insights into your business and its operations,” says Russ Hill, Director, Retail, CPG, Distribution WW Industry Marketing at Business Objects.

Tests revealed information that enabled the conference managers to track performance, understand business drivers, and manage the conference better. “This was a learning experience for us, and we knew we would have lots of questions once we started to see data and the canned reports,” says John Wetherill of Sun Corporate Events Group. Over the course of JavaOne 2005, there were approximately 100,000 scans. In addition to learning what sessions were the most popular, conference organizers learned what other sessions were attended by those attending the most popular ones. “WebIntelligence was extremely useful to us,” adds Wetherill, “giving us the answers to our questions the very same day in almost real time.”