ACL is offering FREE training as part of their bootcamp series, which started in September 2011. The training consists of a video presentation that includes ACL demos. The best part is that you do NOT have to be a current ACL customer or even have a copy of ACL.
The purpose of the series, according to ACL, is to teach basic skills and deal with common problems that ACL users encounter. Each session lasts about 30-40 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. The bootcamp is led by Shane Grimm (see his blog comment here).
Training Available
As of this writing, the following topics are posted for viewing:
- Script n’Stretch: Creating scripts in ACL. Describes where to start and the basic steps required.
- High Impact Analysis: Introduces combining tables using Joins and Relations in ACL.
- Data Access Drills: Using ACL’s ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) data access capabilities to extract data from applications directly.
The topics are presented live and then posted to the bootcamp website for viewing later (you can even download the presentation video to your PC and watch it offline) in Windows Media Player format (.wmv). Apparently, ACL is going to produce a new topic every month.
Unfortunately, these webinars do not qualify for CPE credit, but they are still worth your time.
Why Start with Scripting?
It’s interesting that the first topic was about scripting, which many ACL users seldom do, and is not a beginner topic. I’m guessing that this presentation was ready, so they launched it first. Even so, I strongly suggest that even beginners watch it, as you will no doubt learn some tricks that have nothing to do with scripting.
Also, as the presentation notes, writing scripts is NOT THAT HARD, and this presentation proves it. I’ve taught others to write simple scripts using the methods demonstrated in the presentation. Troubleshooting scripts is the hard part, but you only learn that as you build scripts.
By the way, if you need help troubleshooting your script, just grab your friendly, neighborhood DBA or developer, and show them your script and explain your problem. Although they won’t know ACL scripting, they understand scripting logic and can often spot your errors.
Even if you’re not interested in scripting, this presentation gives you a quick introduction to the ACL log (and the info and commands hidden in it), which could change your ACL life forever (literally).
Joining Tables
If I were new to ACL, I’d start with topic #2, High Impact Analysis. This presentation describes how to:
- Combine multiple tables into one table.
- Add a field from one table to another table.
- Determine which records don’t exist in both tables (and which do exist in both).
- Determine the differences between 2 tables.
Be a Bootcamper
Anyone can be a bootcamper; you do NOT have to be an ACL customer to participate.
To access ACL’s previous bootcamp exercises, click here.
To register for the upcoming live exercise, click here.
Other ACL posts:
Get FREE Audit Work Plans at AuditNet (if you have ACL support agreement)
ITauditSecurity 
So glad to read this! The recording for “Computed Fields Cross Training” is also now available: http://www.acl.com/bootcamp/previous.aspx
I’m always happy to hear ideas for Bootcamp topics if you have any suggestions.
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