From November 18 to 20, 2025, it was DOAG time again — essentially a pilgrimage to Nuremberg. Yet somehow it felt different from usual. Perhaps it was because there were fewer exhibitors, and I had never heard of around 50% of the companies present — admittedly “Google” rings a bell, but in connection with Oracle?
The reason for the presence of Google and other companies unfamiliar to me was the almost simultaneously held KI Navigator Conference 2025, also organized by DOAG, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday. Less conspicuous was the third conference, called Low-Code Creator, which also ran on Tuesday and Wednesday under DOAG’s organization.
Among the attendees, a mixed feeling was noticeable: on one hand, there were fewer familiar faces — though it could still be called a “class reunion” — but the audience was younger. Much to my delight, these attendees came not only for “Low Code” or “AI” but also for databases, PL/SQL, and other classic topics.
Database Topics
And what were the topics? Naturally, Oracle AI Database 26 AI. The shift to year-and-quarter versioning was addressed, as were the many new AI features in the database. Hasan Rizvi, Executive Vice President of Database Engineering at Oracle, outlined Oracle’s strategy for the coming years in his keynote, and the topic was explored further in several additional sessions.
However, attendees were relentless in pressing Oracle’s product managers — who had ventured to Nuremberg — about the availability of Oracle 26 on premises. What strategy Oracle is pursuing here remained unclear until the very end. Since the vast majority of attendees rely on their own hardware, i.e. “on premises”, innovations and new features were visible to them but, in a “look but don’t touch” fashion, not usable. The frustration was palpable throughout and came up repeatedly.
Takeaways
To the question “Was the DOAG Conference and Exhibition 2025 worth it for me?” I would answer NO. However, in saying that I am neglecting the second important part of the conference: networking. Alongside several product managers, other nationally and internationally recognized specialists were present, and one could discuss challenges or exchange the latest information.
Case in point: I was sitting comfortably in the “Mercator Lounge” — the epicenter of networking — when an employee from one of my projects approached me wanting to know how Oracle’s new multi-factor authentication works. I looked around and spotted Stefan Oehrli! Quick question: “Have you done this yet?” Answer: “No, it’s on the to-do list.” Same evening, around 5 PM: ran into Stefan on his way to his talk on “Oracle Data Safe” outside the Tokyo room. In the meantime he had tested MFA, and an hour later I received an email from him with the details — thanks, Stefan!
Conclusion
eeThe event was worth it — the sessions were somewhat of a distraction