The latest OneStream Splash (that would be 2025’s) is behind us and interesting it was.

While I’ve typically live-ish blogged Splash (and what was once Open World and of course ODTUG Kscope), I was largely (completely0 unable to attend sessions because I was ensconced in a fancy suite in the Nashville Westin conducting Black Diamond Advisory’s BDA Splash Podcast (yes, Celvin and I are on multiple podcasts – it’s a tough life). The show is a series of interviews with OneStream customers and employees in a talk show format. I like to pretend I’m a significantly geekier Dick Cavett.

What I and my objectively taller, younger, smarter, and subjectively better looking brother from completely different parents did was record our thoughts each night in the hotel lobby.

While – maybe – our thoughts will pique your interest (I hope you’re ready to hear Artificial Intelligence again and again and again interleaved with a mild amount of scepticism and yes there are other products in the OneStream world), I’m sorry to share that the sound in a marble hotel lobby can be quite dramatically variable. Regardless, we think you’ll be able to understand our conversation.

Join us, won’t you?

Tim and his company, Applied OLAP, has been in the Performance Management space for 26 years. That’s longer that many of the people in this space have worked, longer even than some of the people in this space have been on God’s green earth. That longevity isn’t accidental, but rather the result of a vision, a not unmeasurable amount of determination, a focus on continual product improvement, and oh yes – a pretty damn cool product – Dodeca.

I think so highly of the product, I wrote a chapter about it in my second book, Developing Essbase Applications: Advanced Techniques for Finance and IT Professionals. I will also note that this book is out of print and Amazon are pricing it at $170. Perhaps the Dodeca chapter is partially responsible?

Tim has been the visionary, developer (in the beginning, although he now claims he “does no work” which I am pretty skeptical of), and constant cheerleader for Dodeca and Applied OLAP’s other products.

Tim is always at ODTUG’s Kscope and holds ongoing events where new and existing customers – if you haven’t been to one of them or indeed Kscope, you owe it to yourself to do so.

In the meantime, have a listen to Tim in this episode and the one to come.

Join us, won’t you?

I have been characterized by some (my coworkers, my friends, my family, me) as being a tad cynical. Part of that cynicism is borne from experience, part of it is seemingly intrinsic to my nature. I find that I am often not disappointed when it comes to a certain level of disbelief.

At the same time, I am beyond pleased and maybe just a little bit less jaded when I see people not behave in a self-interested way and instead come together for the benefit of all, even if the “all” is our little world of Performance Management. That is exactly and precisely what this podcast contains. It is heartening.

Three recruiters, three companies, three varied (and that is understating the case) backgrounds, in just one podcast. Maybe I don’t hang around mature adults enough? Maybe these are just special people? Both?

In alphabetical order, Freya Bull of Codex, Patrick Cronan of WorkTrust, and Austin Perez of Specialized Solution Services, all came together to talk about who they are, what they do (and how it affects you, Gentle Listener), and the value they bring to all of us. Connecting the dots indeed.

I think Performance Management geeks are just that – geeks. We plow the same furrows year after year, seemingly content in our little world, coming from a functional finance or technical world. I’ve met an awful lot of people in this space and the origin story, while interesting, is often quite similar.

The guests of this podcast are anything but: national level athlete, politics (no, not what goes on in your company, but real US politics), and restauranteur. You’ll have to listen to understand their journey.

You’ll also have to listen to understand the value that these three recruiters bring to the podcast and their perspectives on work. It really is a very different and very interesting episode.

Join us, won’t you?