Like Finnegan's Wake, I'm starting this story in the middle. We've converted 2 huge SAP systems from MDMP to Unicode and are beginning the other huge R/3 system and a growing SCM system.
I want to outline ideas for a Unicode session during Community Day in Las Vegas:
- What are proactive developers doing to prepare for Unicode conversion?
- What do business content owners do when preparing to enter new markets?
- How does IT best support the business with the FUD that comes with Unicode?
Later in the week at Tech Ed, I'll be presenting on how Black & Decker is managing our Unicode conversions (session id LCM300).
I'll point you to SAP resources who have helped us:
Of course others from SAP may wander in.
One of my ASUG colleagues who will likewise present on Unicode is Atul Patankar.
As background, large SAP customer shops have been struggling with Unicdoe conversions since SAP set the direction to move to a single code page for all of their applications. Multi-terabyte databases that support global corporations 24x7 are not trivial to get downtime for technology work. However, ASUG members including Microsoft, Dow Corning, Chevron and others have exchanged ideas over the past several years. I can provide references to the best practices we've learned.
A lot of these concepts will apply to technology changes such as database, operating system and chip family migrations.
So, what do you want from Community Day? If you want heavy developer content, then we'll have some tips & tricks ready. If you want information life cycle management, the Basis, database and archiving gurus will gravitate. If you're a business process expert and just want to know what the heck this all means, we'll have some 101 on hand.
And maybe some buttons. 
Updated 12-Feb-2008
All Unicode Epsiodes
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