What is a Pentaho User Group?

A Pentaho User Group (PUG) brings together users, administrators, developers, implementors, and anyone who is interested in sharing, networking and learning more about Pentaho Business Intelligence software. They are geographically based in order to facilitate regular in person meetups. The goals of the groups are to connect people around a common interest and foster conversation about business intelligence; data integration, reporting, dashboards, analysis, etc. You can find a list of all the known Pentaho User Groups here.

Why should I join a Pentaho User Group?

If you'd like to participate more actively in the community, find other like-minded open source business intelligence or data integration users, share your experience and hear best practices using Pentaho, network or have more visible in the Pentaho community, joining an PUG is a great idea.

How do I become a PUG leader?

Become a PUG leader by being a PUG leader. The field is wide open for people to step up and organize meetings in their local area. There is no criteria other than having set up successful meetings and gotten people to attend. You can email usergroups@pentaho.com for advice or ideas for setting up a group. Social media sites like linkedin, Yahoo!, meetup.com, facebook, XING, Skills Matter, etc can been used to find interested people and coordinate meetings. PUGs that have a small group or pair of leaders are typically more successful than groups with a single leader, as running a successful PUG can be a lot of work.

What does a PUG leader do?

A Pentaho User Group leader initiates and organizes PUG events, plans PUG meetings, moderates any private group discussion forums (ie, meetup groups, yahoo groups, google groups, flickr, linkedin etc), encourages group participation, keeps a contact list of all members in the group, receives occasional PUG Leader update emails from the Groups Coordinator, updates the groups wiki page on a regular basis. Most importantly, a good PUG leader delegates many of these tasks to members of the Group to help run the group smoothly.

How can I start a Pentaho User Group?

First check the list - to make sure there isn't already Pentaho User Group running in your area or on the same global topic. Also check the hashtag #PentahoUG on Twitter to see if there has been any interest in your area. If you'd still like to start one, add your group to the Pentaho Community Meetings and Local User Group Page. You can add your group information to the new group or proposed group section.

What can we post on our Pentaho User Group Profile?

Use the template below for information to post to your Pentaho User Group Profile page on the wiki. You can post links to places your Group organizes online such as Pentaho LinkedIn Subgroup, Google groups, MeetUp page, your Group's blog, LinkedIn Page, etc. These are important for helping your Group communicate and also good places for people to learn more about your Group. We reserve the right to remove non-relevant links – please do not post links to promotional pages, commerce sites or an individual's blog, for example, as these aren't really what Pentaho Groups are all about.

Name: Pentaho [area] User Group
Region: global or local? North America, EMEA, APAC, South America
Location: City, State, URL
Profile: a brief description of your group: what are your user groups goals? Is your group just focused on Pentaho or Pentaho and other technologies? Why is your PUG important? Who is in your PUG?
Contact: the Pentaho usernames of the people who organize the group, who someone can contact if they want more info
To Join: you must include instructions, like a contact person or link here to instruct people on how to join
Links: any sites your group has off Pentaho wiki – MeetUp Page? LinkedIN? Google Groups? Facebook Page? Blog?
Events: when do you meet and where? in person? how often? any sales or contests or in-person events coming up?
Add the keyword PUG to the labels so it will automatically show up in the list.
Email usergroups@pentaho.com when it is posted so we can add you to the PUG Leaders Group.

What kind of events can my Pentaho User Group plan?

Anything you can imagine! Events that PUGs plan should work toward achieving the Group's broader goals – education, networking, innovation, community building, etc. We encourage group members to present and share best practices of what they are developing and learning, invite outside speakers to attend, take time to watch a Pentaho demo or webinar, host a code-a-thon, the list goes on….

I have an idea for Pentaho User Groups. Who can I tell?

Everybody! Again, use any and all social media sites you participate in to find interested people in your area. There are Pentaho interest groups on most of them like linkedin, yahoo, meetup.com, XING, etc. You can also email usergroups@pentaho.com or post your ideas to the Community Discussion Forum for a broader audience.

My company would like to sponsor a Pentaho User Group.

That would be great. Groups need a place to meet, meetings need speakers and refreshments which make sponsors a critical success factor. The groups are a great way to make people aware of products and services that are available in their area. I caution against treating PUG meetings as a way to get a captive audience just for your sales pitch. Best case, that will work one time. Our desire for each group is to facilitate openness in education, networking and community. If the group members feel like the meetings are valuable to them, and keep coming back, then you are on the right track.

I am the premier Pentaho Partner in my area and I'd like to be the exclusive leader and sponsor for the local group.

Great! Then be the first to organize a meetup in your area and provide such tremendous value in your leadership that your group dominates. Since the groups and their members are not owned by Pentaho, and this is a community driven program, there is no exclusive anything to give out no matter how awesome we think you are as a partner.

Does Pentaho grant money to User Groups?

We don't have an official program in place but we do want to recognize successful PUGs. For groups that are proving successful, we will help sponsor meetings, send people to give talks, buy refreshments, etc. We are open to helping successful groups offset the costs of organization by paying for services like meetup.com. Contact usergroups@pentaho.com for more info or to let us know other ways we can help your group continue to grow and thrive.

Can PUGs charge dues?

Yes, a PUG can elect to charge dues. These dues might typically cover the cost of a particular event, web hosting fees, etc. It is up to each PUG whether or not they'd like to charge dues and how said dues are collected or spent.

Who should I email if I have questions about Pentaho User Groups?

Email usergroups@pentaho.com