Preparing for an Upgrade

Preparing for an Oracle R12 Upgrade Student Guide

Table of Contents

Oracle Applications R12 Architecture...........................................................................................................1-1 Oracle Applications R12 Architecture...........................................................................................................1-8 Business Architecture: Oracle Applications R12 ..........................................................................................1-11 Technical Architecture: Oracle Applications R12.........................................................................................1-13 Basic Technical Architecture of Oracle Applications R12............................................................................1-14 Desktop/Client Tier .......................................................................................................................................1-15 Applications Tier ...........................................................................................................................................1-17 Database Tier.................................................................................................................................................1-19 The Network..................................................................................................................................................1-20 Oracle Applications Technology Layer .........................................................................................................1-21 Oracle Homes ................................................................................................................................................1-22 Oracle Applications File System: Application Tier.......................................................................................1-23 Oracle Applications File System: Database Tier ...........................................................................................1-24 Oracle Applications Product Directories .......................................................................................................1-25

Multi-Orgs........................................................................................................................................................2-1 Multi-Orgs .....................................................................................................................................................2-3 What is a Multi-Org.......................................................................................................................................2-4 Basic Business Needs for People Management .............................................................................................2-4 Basic Business Needs ....................................................................................................................................2-5 Organization Types Supported in the Multi-Org Model................................................................................2-6 Business Group..............................................................................................................................................2-7 Ledger............................................................................................................................................................2-8 Legal Entity ...................................................................................................................................................2-9 Subledger Accounting (SLA) ........................................................................................................................2-10 Subledger Accounting in Oracle Financials ..................................................................................................2-11 Some Important Features of Oracle Subledger Accounting ..........................................................................2-13 Operating Unit ...............................................................................................................................................2-14 Balancing Entity ............................................................................................................................................2-15 Balancing Entity: Examples ..........................................................................................................................2-16 Inventory Organization..................................................................................................................................2-18 Sample Organization Structure......................................................................................................................2-19 Define the Organization Structure .................................................................................................................2-20 Adding to the Organization Structure............................................................................................................2-22 How Multi-Org Secures Data ........................................................................................................................2-23 Security Model ..............................................................................................................................................2-24 Data Security by Application.........................................................................................................................2-25 Global Registries ...........................................................................................................................................2-26 Cross Organization Reporting .......................................................................................................................2-27 Organization Reporting Options Ledger........................................................................................................2-28 Organization Reporting Options Legal Entity ...............................................................................................2-29 Organization Reporting Options Operating Unit ...........................................................................................2-30 Cross Organization Reporting: Key Benefits ................................................................................................2-31 Organization Naming Considerations............................................................................................................2-32

Trading Community Architecture .................................................................................................................3-1 Trading Community Architecture..................................................................................................................3-3 TCA...............................................................................................................................................................3-4 Representation of Suppliers in the Trading Community Architecture (TCA) ...............................................3-5 Customers Overview in TCA ........................................................................................................................3-6

E-Business Suite Reporting.............................................................................................................................4-1 E-Business Suite Reporting ...........................................................................................................................4-3 E-Business Suite Reporting Tools .................................................................................................................4-6

Operational Tools ..........................................................................................................................................4-7 Oracle Reports ...............................................................................................................................................4-8 FSG Reports ..................................................................................................................................................4-9 Tactical Tools ................................................................................................................................................4-10 Discoverer Report..........................................................................................................................................4-11 Tactical Tools ................................................................................................................................................4-12 Noetix Web Query Report .............................................................................................................................4-13 Noetix Dashboard ..........................................................................................................................................4-14 Strategic Tools...............................................................................................................................................4-15 Sample OBIEE Dashboard ............................................................................................................................4-16 Strategic Tools...............................................................................................................................................4-17 Information Formatting and Delivery Tools..................................................................................................4-18 Information Formatting and Delivery Tools Summary .................................................................................4-19

Technical and Functional Planning for your New Environment.................................................................5-1 Technical and Functional Planning for your New Environment ...................................................................5-3 Technical Planning for your New Environment in R12 ................................................................................5-4 E-Business Suite Diagnostics Overview........................................................................................................5-8 Oracle Applications File System: Application Tier.......................................................................................5-10 Oracle Applications File System: Database Tier ...........................................................................................5-11 Oracle Homes ................................................................................................................................................5-12 Preparing Custom Development for Next Oracle E-Business Suite Release.................................................5-13 Oracle Reports Server Reports ......................................................................................................................5-14 Oracle Graphics Integrations with Oracle Forms ..........................................................................................5-15 Functional planning for your new environment.............................................................................................5-16 Types of Organizations..................................................................................................................................5-18 Prerequisites for Setup and Implementation ..................................................................................................5-20 Develop the Organization Structure ..............................................................................................................5-21

Pre-Upgrade Patch List...................................................................................................................................6-1 Pre-Upgrade Patch List..................................................................................................................................6-3

Discussing New Features in Human Resources Release 12..........................................................................7-1 Discussing New Features in Human Resources Release 12 ..........................................................................7-3 Oracle Human Resources Release 12 (Core).................................................................................................7-4 Legal Entity Re-architecture..........................................................................................................................7-5 Operating Unit Re-architecture......................................................................................................................7-7 Checklists ......................................................................................................................................................7-8 Global Deployments Functionality................................................................................................................7-9 Global People Management...........................................................................................................................7-10 Access to Ex-Employee and Future-Dated Employee Records in User Based and Dynamic Security .........7-12 Use Search Criteria to Query Records in the People Window.......................................................................7-13 Ability to change the Final Process Date when it is set same as the Last Standard Process Date .................7-14 Oracle Payroll – Core ....................................................................................................................................7-15 Support for Sub Ledger Accounting..............................................................................................................7-16 Single Bank Account Bridge .........................................................................................................................7-17 Multiple Organization Access Control ..........................................................................................................7-18 Greater Precision and Flexibility in General Ledger Journal.........................................................................7-19 Upgrade of Historical Costing Data to Support Subledger Accounting ........................................................7-20 Purge Process for Pay events table ................................................................................................................7-21 Oracle Time and Labor..................................................................................................................................7-22 Blank Timecard Rows Retained while Saving Timecard ..............................................................................7-23 Define Number of Timesheet Line Rows to Pre-populate.............................................................................7-24 Summarize Regular/Overtime Hours Separately...........................................................................................7-25 Supervisor Report to Identify Missing Timesheets .......................................................................................7-26 Supervisor List of Timesheets Expected and Status Online ..........................................................................7-27 Audit Change Report - Identify Changes Made to Timesheets .....................................................................7-28 Audit Trail on Time Cards.............................................................................................................................7-29 Display Last Person Who Updated Timesheet ..............................................................................................7-30

Changes in Core HR and OTL to Support Services Procurement .................................................................7-31 Multiple Alias Support in Notification Layout..............................................................................................7-33 OTL User Interface Enhancements................................................................................................................7-34 Disabled Text Field Enhancement.................................................................................................................7-35 Enhancement to Preference Eligibility Criteria (Responsibility-based Preference) ......................................7-36 OTL Time Card integration with HR Absences ............................................................................................7-38

Discussing New Features in Financials Release 12 .......................................................................................8-1 Discussing New Features in Financials Release 12.......................................................................................8-3 Accounts Payable – Release 12 .....................................................................................................................8-4 Representation of Suppliers in the Trading Community Architecture (TCA) ...............................................8-5 New User Interface for Supplier Entry and Maintenance..............................................................................8-6 Introduction of Invoice Lines ........................................................................................................................8-8 Invoice Processing for Contract Financing, Retainage, and Progress Terms ................................................8-10 Enhancements to Payment Banks, Branches, and Accounts..........................................................................8-11 Payment Process Enhancements....................................................................................................................8-12 Accounts Receivable / Accounts Payable Netting.........................................................................................8-13 Business Intelligence Publisher Support for Selected Payables Reports .......................................................8-14 Revenue Management Enhancements Partial Period Revenue Recognition ................................................8-15 Revenue Deferral Reasons.............................................................................................................................8-16 COGS and Revenue Matching.......................................................................................................................8-17 Customer Standard User Interface Redesign .................................................................................................8-18 E-Business Tax..............................................................................................................................................8-19 Collections Workbench Obsolescence...........................................................................................................8-20 Bills of Exchange Obsolescence....................................................................................................................8-21 Trade Accounting Obsolescence ...................................................................................................................8-22 Cash Application Work Queue......................................................................................................................8-23 Enhanced Line Level Cash Application ........................................................................................................8-25 Enhanced Performance for High Volume Receivables Processing ...............................................................8-27 Business Intelligence Publisher Support for Selected Receivables Reports ..................................................8-29 Fixed Assets – Release 12 .............................................................................................................................8-30 Automatic Preparation of Mass Additions.....................................................................................................8-31 Flexible Reporting using XML Publisher......................................................................................................8-32 Automatic Depreciation Rollback .................................................................................................................8-33 General Ledger – Release 12.........................................................................................................................8-35 Accounting Setup - Simultaneous Accounting for Multiple Reporting Requirements..................................8-36 Centralized Accounting Setup .......................................................................................................................8-38 Enhanced Reporting Currency Functionality.................................................................................................8-39 Improved Processing Efficiency - Simultaneous Data Access to Multiple Legal Entities and Ledgers........8-40 Simultaneous Opening and Closing of Periods for Multiple Ledgers ...........................................................8-41 Cross-Ledger and Foreign Currency Allocations ..........................................................................................8-42 Simultaneous Currency Translation of Multiple Ledgers..............................................................................8-43 Financial Reporting Across Ledgers..............................................................................................................8-44 Automatic Journal Copy................................................................................................................................8-45 Streamline Automatic Posting .......................................................................................................................8-46 Streamline AutoReversal Criteria Setup........................................................................................................8-47 Streamline Consolidation Mappings..............................................................................................................8-48 Replacement for Disabled Accounts..............................................................................................................8-49 Data Security - Data Security across Legal Entities and Ledgers..................................................................8-50 Management Reporting Security ...................................................................................................................8-51 Control Accounts...........................................................................................................................................8-52 Definition and Setup Security........................................................................................................................8-53 Toolset for the Payment Manager..................................................................................................................8-54 Auditability Accounting and Reporting Sequencing .....................................................................................8-55 Intercompany Balancing Support for Encumbrances ....................................................................................8-56 Integration with Subledger Accounting.........................................................................................................8-57 Enhanced Intercompany ................................................................................................................................8-59 Account Analysis and Drilldown...................................................................................................................8-60

GL Standard Reports Integration With XML Publisher ................................................................................8-61 Oracle Subledger Accounting........................................................................................................................8-62 Historical Data Initialization for New Reporting Currencies and Secondary Ledgers ..................................8-63 Cash Management - Release 12...................................................................................................................8-64 Bank Account Model.....................................................................................................................................8-65 Bank Statement Accounting ..........................................................................................................................8-67 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................8-68

Discussing New Features in Manufacturing Release 12 ...............................................................................9-1 Discussing New Features in Manufacturing Release 12................................................................................9-3 Inventory – Release 12 ..................................................................................................................................9-4 Deferred COGS Recognition.........................................................................................................................9-5 Material Workbench Enhancements..............................................................................................................9-7 Dual Unit of Measure Control .......................................................................................................................9-10 Material Status Control..................................................................................................................................9-11 Advanced Lot Control ...................................................................................................................................9-14 Material Aging Workflow .............................................................................................................................9-16 Organization Parameter Changes...................................................................................................................9-18 Inventory Packing Slip ..................................................................................................................................9-19 On Hand Balance Material Status..................................................................................................................9-20 Bills of Material – Release 12 .......................................................................................................................9-22 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................9-23 MFG - Enhance BOM to Capture Inverse Usage ..........................................................................................9-25 MFG - Expanding OSFM into MES..............................................................................................................9-26 MFG – Fixed Component Usage on the BOM for WIP and OSFM..............................................................9-27 BOM – Batch Import Capability for Open Interface for Bills of Material ....................................................9-28 BOM – Material Control Attribute Updates for Common BOM...................................................................9-29 Work in Process – Release 12 .......................................................................................................................9-30 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................9-31 Dispatch lists .................................................................................................................................................9-32 Streamlined Lot and Serial Capture...............................................................................................................9-34 Fixed Component Usage Independent of Build Quantity..............................................................................9-35 Schedule over long time ranges in the Resource Workbench........................................................................9-36 Enhancements to Lot/Serial Entry during Backflush.....................................................................................9-37 Purchasing – Release 12 ................................................................................................................................9-38 Professional Buyer's Work Center.................................................................................................................9-39 Requisition Management ...............................................................................................................................9-40 Purchase Order Creation and Maintenance....................................................................................................9-41 Purchase Agreement Creation and Maintenance ...........................................................................................9-42 Enhanced Catalog Access..............................................................................................................................9-43 New Supplier Setup User Interface ...............................................................................................................9-44 Procurement for Complex Services ...............................................................................................................9-47 Support for Contractor Purchasing Users ......................................................................................................9-48 Compliance to Packaging Constraints ...........................................................................................................9-49 Auto-Approval Tolerance for Change Orders ...............................................................................................9-51 Model Complex Pricing for Blanket Line Items............................................................................................9-52 Position Hierarchy based Approvals..............................................................................................................9-53 Parallel Approvals .........................................................................................................................................9-54 Support for FYI Notifications........................................................................................................................9-55 Subledger Accounting for Budgetary Control Actions..................................................................................9-56 Dual Unit of Measure Control .......................................................................................................................9-57 Material Status Control..................................................................................................................................9-58 Sublot Control ...............................................................................................................................................9-59 PO and Requisition Mass Update ..................................................................................................................9-60 Deliverable Payment Holds ...........................................................................................................................9-61

How to Assess the Complexity of an R12 Migration.....................................................................................10-1 How to Assess the Complexity of an R12 Migration ....................................................................................10-3

Differences in Architecture between R11i and R12 ......................................................................................10-4 E-Business Suite Home Page Differences .....................................................................................................10-5 The Application Tier .....................................................................................................................................10-7 Web Servers...................................................................................................................................................10-10 HTML-Based Applications Architecture.......................................................................................................10-11 Applications Framework Architecture...........................................................................................................10-13 Forms Differences .........................................................................................................................................10-14 Forms Architecture ........................................................................................................................................10-15 Concurrent Processing Server........................................................................................................................10-17 R12 - Oracle Configuration Manager ............................................................................................................10-20 Oracle Applications Patch Nomenclature......................................................................................................10-21 Applications File System...............................................................................................................................10-22 Oracle Applications Environment .................................................................................................................10-24 Environment Settings ....................................................................................................................................10-32

Planning for an Upgrade.................................................................................................................................11-1 Planning for an Upgrade................................................................................................................................11-3 Overview of the Upgrade...............................................................................................................................11-4 The Upgrade Process .....................................................................................................................................11-5 Business Impact and Functional Changes .....................................................................................................11-6 General Information and Required Tasks ......................................................................................................11-7 Installed Components and System Requirements..........................................................................................11-9 Software Requirements..................................................................................................................................11-10 Input/Output (I/O) Subsystem .......................................................................................................................11-11 Database Size.................................................................................................................................................11-12 Release 12 Architecture.................................................................................................................................11-13 Scheduling Time for an Upgrade...................................................................................................................11-14 Determining Upgrade Tasks ..........................................................................................................................11-16 Review Upgrade Tasks and Apply 11i.AD.I .................................................................................................11-17 Database and System Administration Tasks..................................................................................................11-18 Applications Technology Tasks ....................................................................................................................11-20 Customer Relationship Management Tasks...................................................................................................11-21 Financials and Procurement Tasks ................................................................................................................11-23 Prepare for the Upgrade.................................................................................................................................11-32 Maintenance Mode ........................................................................................................................................11-34 Obsolete Columns..........................................................................................................................................11-35 NLS Upgrade Considerations ........................................................................................................................11-36 Customized Environments.............................................................................................................................11-37 Product-specific Considerations ....................................................................................................................11-38 Cross-Product Functionality ..........................................................................................................................11-39

Understanding Oracle R12 Integration Infrastructures ..............................................................................12-1 Understanding Oracle R12 Integration Infrastructures..................................................................................12-3 Adapter for Oracle Applications Features .....................................................................................................12-4 Support for Various Integration Interface Types ...........................................................................................12-5 Support for Oracle Integration Repository ....................................................................................................12-7 Oracle Integration Repository Overview.......................................................................................................12-12

Replacing Old Oracle Developer Tools..........................................................................................................13-1 Replacing Old Oracle Developer Tools.........................................................................................................13-3 Replacing Old Oracle Developer tools ..........................................................................................................13-4 DB and ORA Directories...............................................................................................................................13-5 Example of Oracle developer 6i form tools...................................................................................................13-6 Example of Oracle developer Oracle Reports 6i ...........................................................................................13-16 Notable features on Release 12 replacing on Release 11i .............................................................................13-19

Post Upgrade Tasks .........................................................................................................................................14-1 Post Upgrade Tasks .......................................................................................................................................14-3 Applications Technology...............................................................................................................................14-4

Oracle Reports Server....................................................................................................................................14-5 Alerts .............................................................................................................................................................14-7 Multiple Organizations ..................................................................................................................................14-8 Report Manager .............................................................................................................................................14-9 Web ADI .......................................................................................................................................................14-10 Workflow.......................................................................................................................................................14-11 Sales and Telesales ........................................................................................................................................14-12 Financials for India........................................................................................................................................14-13 Internet Expenses...........................................................................................................................................14-14 Payments........................................................................................................................................................14-15 Human Resources Tasks................................................................................................................................14-16 Approvals Management.................................................................................................................................14-18 Payroll ...........................................................................................................................................................14-19 Intelligence Tasks ..........................................................................................................................................14-21 Daily Business Intelligence – Marketing.......................................................................................................14-22 Daily Business Intelligence – Sales ...............................................................................................................14-23 Property Manager ..........................................................................................................................................14-24 Mobile Applications ......................................................................................................................................14-25 Mobile Field Service .....................................................................................................................................14-26 Process Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................14-27 Service Contracts...........................................................................................................................................14-28 Reducing Downtime ......................................................................................................................................14-31 Customer Relationship Management.............................................................................................................14-32 Financials and Procurement...........................................................................................................................14-33 Exceptions to be Fixed and Reloaded............................................................................................................14-35

Discussing Business Intelligence Options ......................................................................................................15-1 Discussing Business Intelligence Options .....................................................................................................15-3 E-Business Suite Reporting Tools .................................................................................................................15-4 Operational tools............................................................................................................................................15-5 Oracle Reports ...............................................................................................................................................15-6 FSG Reports ..................................................................................................................................................15-7 Tactical Tools ................................................................................................................................................15-8 Discoverer Report..........................................................................................................................................15-9 Strategic Tools...............................................................................................................................................15-10 Sample OBIEE Dashboard ............................................................................................................................15-11 Strategic Tools...............................................................................................................................................15-12 Information Formatting and Delivery Tools..................................................................................................15-13 Information Formatting and Delivery Tools Summary .................................................................................15-14 Overview Business Intelligence Publisher and Oracle EBS..........................................................................15-15 Limitations of Oracle Reporting Tools..........................................................................................................15-16 Overview of BI Publisher ..............................................................................................................................15-17 BI Publisher's Architecture............................................................................................................................15-20 XML Data Files and the BI Publisher Word Template .................................................................................15-23 Using BI Publisher with Pre-built Oracle Reports.........................................................................................15-25 Enhancing Oracle Reports from within Oracle E-Business Suite Applications ............................................15-26 Create the XML Template .............................................................................................................................15-40 Insert the Required Data Items and Formatting into the XML Template ......................................................15-47 Register the XML Data File ..........................................................................................................................15-63 Create and Register the XML Template File.................................................................................................15-67 Validate Your Work ......................................................................................................................................15-69 Publishing FSG Reports with XML Format ..................................................................................................15-73 OBIEE Architecture Overview......................................................................................................................15-75 Creating a Query and a Chart ........................................................................................................................15-77 Enter OBIEE..................................................................................................................................................15-78 Enter Answers ...............................................................................................................................................15-80 Add a Filter....................................................................................................................................................15-83 Create Totals and Format results ...................................................................................................................15-86

Formatting .....................................................................................................................................................15-89 Create a Chart ................................................................................................................................................15-92 Working with a Pivot Table...........................................................................................................................15-102 Create Interactive Dashboard ........................................................................................................................15-107 OBI Delivers..................................................................................................................................................15-108

R12 Support .....................................................................................................................................................16-1 R12 Support...................................................................................................................................................16-3 Supporting an Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Environment during & after go live ........................................16-4 Remote Managed Services vs. Hosting Off Site............................................................................................16-5 Lessons Learned from Successful Oracle R12 Upgrades and Reimplementations........................................16-6 Securing User Adoption and sustaining ROI.................................................................................................16-15 Getting to Know User Adoption Tools Oracle Tutor & UPK .......................................................................16-16 Business process documentation – why it is essential ...................................................................................16-18 Create Dynamic Material and Tutorials to Support an R12 Deployment ......................................................16-19 Two Categories of Documents ......................................................................................................................16-21 Model Documents..........................................................................................................................................16-22 What is Oracle Tutor?....................................................................................................................................16-23 Tutor Author Features ...................................................................................................................................16-24 Flowcharts .....................................................................................................................................................16-28 Importing a PPT ............................................................................................................................................16-29 Publisher ........................................................................................................................................................16-32 Student or Instructor Guides..........................................................................................................................16-33 Creating eLearning with UPK .......................................................................................................................16-34 eLearning Simulations...................................................................................................................................16-38 UPK Outputs .................................................................................................................................................16-39 Combining Tutor and UPK............................................................................................................................16-40

Copyright © IT Convergence, 2010. All rights reserved.

Oracle Applications R12 Architecture Chapter 1 - Page 1

Oracle Applications R12 Architecture Chapter 1



Oracle Applications R12 Architecture

Section Objectives

At the end of this section, you should be able to:

• Footprint of R12 E-Business Suite

• R12 E-Business Suite architecture

• Major components of the architecture

• File Systems and database architecture

• P Footprint of R12 E-Business Suite

• Footprint of R12 E-Business Suite




R12 E-Business Suite Footprint


You can access the following URLs for more information about the specific Oracle Applications products (listed in parenthesis):

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/e-business-suite.html (E-Business Suite

• Applications)

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/financials/intro.html (Oracle Financials)

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/cpm/index.html (Corporate Performance Management and Daily Business Intelligence)





R12 E-Business Suite Footprint (continued)


• http://www.oracle.com/applications/human_resources/intro.html (Human Resources Management System)

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/projects/intro.html (Projects)



Oracle Applications R12 architecture




• http://www.oracle.com/applications/scm/index.html (Supply Chain Planning)

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/order_mgmt/intro.html (Order Management)

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/maintenance/eam.html (Asset Lifecycle Management)





• http://www.oracle.com/applications/scm/index.html (Procurement)

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/manufacturing/intro.html (Manufacturing)







• http://www.oracle.com/applications/logistics/intro.html (Logistics)

• http://www.oracle.com/applications/plm/intro.html (Product Lifecycle Management)

• http://www.oracle.com/master-data-management/index.html (Master Data Management)







• http://www.oracle.com/applications/crm/index.html (Customer Relationship Management including Marketing, Sales, Service and Interaction Center Technology)




Understanding the Oracle Applications R12 Architecture

Understanding the Oracle Applications R12 Architecture

It is easy to talk about the technical architecture of R12 EBS at the very first. In fact, most presentations on R12 architecture do just that. However, the technical architecture is important to support the business needs of R12 E-Business Suite.

In fact, the business architecture supports the business needs of the company. Though it may seem to be just a marketing issue, in an integrated E-Business Suite, the software must support the business needs by being engineered to do so from the start.

It is only after the business needs have been addressed that the technical architecture can be determined. In most cases, the technical architecture will be dictated by the business needs. If you do not use this engineering approach, your technical architecture will dictate the business needs that you can fulfill.



Business Architecture: Oracle Applications R12

Business Architecture: Oracle Applications R12

The R12 E-Business Suite has five principles that drive its business architecture. The principles are as follows:

1. The R12 E-Business Suite is built on a “modern foundation.” Oracle has embedded all of its new R12 development into open, scalable standards. These standards include using Java/J2EE, HTML, JavaScript (JSP), Internet-accessibility, and centralized management.

2. The R12 E-Business Suite is a complete e-business system. The R12 E-Business Suite provides a comprehensive solution for Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Financials, Projects, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Sales, and Service processes, thereby providing a 360-degree view of the company.

3. R12 E-Business Suite provides a comprehensive solution through an integrated architecture. Crucial to the Oracle Applications R12 architecture, R12’s integration is engineered into the product, thereby providing a fully integrated package—one that is not realized through system integrations and customizations.



4. R12 E-Business Suite is fully globalized. R12 E-Business Suite is accessible via global networks. It accommodates multiple languages and currencies; supports international features, such as flexible date formats and multiple radix support; supports data in the Unicode Character Set (UTF-8); and has accounting and business localizations built into it.

5. R12 E-Business Suite brings considerable tools to the implementation task. These tools include a rapid installation tool, patch application tools, and a host of configuration files and customizable Help files to allow the customer to configure the system to meet their needs. All of these tools help to significantly reduce implementation time.



Technical Architecture: Oracle Applications R12

Technical Architecture: Oracle Applications R12

The R12 technical architecture is a direct response to the business needs of the customer. In support of these business needs, R12 has developed four architectural modes for users that are accessed and controlled through the Personal Home Page (PHP) or Portal.

PHP becomes the gateway through which the user has rights to access all the information to which they have been granted access. Thus, R12 administrative tasks are simplified while operations costs are reduced.

The architectural modes equate to common classes of users. Forms-based users are typically people involved in the transactional operations of an organization. They are full-time users who need and demand a robust, full-featured interface.

Self-service users are infrequent users who want their interface with R12 to be as simple and as quick as possible. Most users fall in this category.



Business intelligence users are senior executives who want an easy-to-use interface that can be used to reveal critical business information. By using a browser, the business intelligence products eliminate the need for users to learn a new system. If they are familiar with browsing, they know the basics of the business intelligence interface.

Finally, mobile users cover a surprisingly large range of users whose jobs are likely to keep them away from a readily available, network-connected computer. These users can range from sales representatives through inventory users. By utilizing the mobile interface, they are able to send and receive information at points where it is important and convenient for them.



Basic Technical Architecture of Oracle Applications R12

Basic Technical Architecture of Oracle Applications R12

A tier is a logical grouping of services, spread across more than one physical machine. Oracle

E-Business Suite consists of a three-tier architecture. The diagram in the slide represents the basic technical architecture of the R12 E-Business Suite.

• Desktop/Client tier: This tier provides the user interface that could comprise desktop computers, laptops, or mobile devices (such as PDAs). Its purpose is to capture and/or display information to the user.

• Application tier: This tier, sometimes referred to as the middle-tier, is responsible for holding the application logic that supports and manages the various Applications components.

• Database tier: This tier supports and manages the Oracle database and is responsible for storing and retrieving application data.



Note: The connection between the application tier and desktop tier can operate successfully over a wide area network (WAN), because the desktop and application tiers exchange a minimum amount of information—for example, field value comparison differences. In a global operation that has users at various locations; requiring less network traffic reduces the telecommunications costs and improves response times for users.



Desktop/Client Tier

Desktop/Client Tier

The client interface is provided through HTML for the newer HTML-based applications, and via a Java applet in a Web browser for the traditional Forms-based interface.

The desktop tier is responsible for forms that can only be displayed. They can be displayed using Java (forms-based access) or HTML/JavaScript (self-service, business intelligence, or mobile access).

The Web listener will download many Java Archive files (.jar files) to your computer, where they are cached. The first time these files are required, it will take longer to start the R12 session because these files need to be downloaded. Subsequently, the cache will greatly increase the speed of the startup.

You will need to download the JAR files again only when they have been updated and the copy in cache is no longer valid. For any of the additional modes, the browser is inherently capable of handling the HTML and JavaScript. No additional downloads are necessary.



Note: The forms-based mode can communicate to the forms server using sockets, HTTP, or HTTPS protocols. This allows the forms-based mode to be deployed in a number of circumstances. HTTP or HTTPS is also used for the other modes. However, they are not as efficient as sockets.

• Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is a non-persistent protocol that is the basis for a vast majority of Internet traffic. Therefore, each time you communicate with the server, you must open the connection, communicate, and then close the connection. This nonpersistent protocol is the source for many HTTP-related performance challenges.

• Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) adds encryption to HTTP and helps to secure information traffic, especially over the Internet. However, since encryption is added, the performance challenges may be further increased.

• Sockets are a persistent protocol in which a connection is opened for a session and stays open until the session ends. Therefore, communication can occur between a desktop and server without going through the OPEN/CLOSE steps each time. HTTP/HTTPS may be preferred over sockets when sending traffic over a public network, like the Internet, whereas Sockets may be the preferred protocol for forms-based traffic.



Applications Tier

Applications Tier

The applications tier is responsible for storing and executing most of the business logic associated with R12. It also provides all the non-database services required in an R12 instance (for example, Web listeners, Forms servers, Reports servers, Concurrent Processing, and so on). The application tier is the key tier consisting of a host of services within the R12 architecture.

It is simpler to state that all components that are not part of either the desktop tier (that is, Forms display) or the database tier are assigned to the applications tier.

Prominently, six servers comprise the application tier for Oracle Applications:

• Web server: The Oracle HTTP Server (powered by Apache) acts as the Web server. It processes the requests received over the network from the desktop clients, and includes additional components such as: − Web Listener − Java Servlet Engine



− JavaServer Pages (JSP)

The Web Listener component of the Oracle HTTP Server accepts incoming HTTP requests (for particular URLs) from client browsers.

• Forms server: The Forms server hosts the Oracle Applications forms and associated run-time engine that supports the professional interface. It is a component of the Oracle Developer 6i, which mediates the communication between the desktop client and the Oracle database server, displaying client screens and initiating changes in the database according to user actions. It caches data and provides it to the client as required—for example, when scrolling through multiple order lines that exceed the limitations of a single screen. The Forms server communicates with the desktop client using these protocols: − Standard HTTP network connection − Secure HTTPS network connection − TCP/IP connection

• Reports server: The Reports server is automatically installed on the same node as the Concurrent Processing server, and its reports are contained in the same directory as the concurrent processing reports. However, reports generated by the Reports server are monitored and administered separately from the concurrent processing reports. It dynamically selects the language of the report at run time, so that users see the reports in the language they prefer. Discoverer server (optional): The Discoverer server complements the Reports server by allowing performance of ad hoc queries and analysis of the resulting query output. It also allows users to perform projections based on possible changes to the business environment or other strategic factors.

• Concurrent Processing server: User interactions with Oracle Applications data are conducted via HTML-based Applications or the more traditional Forms-based Applications. However, there are reporting programs and data update programs that need to run either periodically, or on an ad hoc basis. These programs that operate in the background while users continue to work on other tasks, may contain a large number of data-intensive computations, and run using the concurrent processing architecture. To ensure that resource-intensive concurrent processing operations do not interfere with interactive operations, they are run on a specialized server, the Concurrent Processing server. Processes that run on the concurrent processing server are called concurrent requests.

• Administration server: The Administration server is located on the node on which you maintain the data model and the data in your Oracle Applications database. You carry out the following operations from this server:

• − Upgrading Oracle Applications

• − Applying database patches to Oracle Applications

• = Maintaining Oracle Applications data



Note: The Oracle HTML-based (formerly known as Self-Service) Applications:

• Do not use Oracle Forms for the interface

• Are designed in pure HTML and JavaScript

• Dynamically generate HTML pages by executing Java code

• Use a metadata dictionary for flexible layout

• Operate by direct connection to the Web server



Database Tier

Database Tier

The database tier contains the Oracle database server, which stores all the data maintained by Oracle Applications. The database also stores the Oracle Applications online Help information. More specifically, the database tier contains the Oracle data server files and Oracle Applications database executables that physically store the tables, indexes, and other database objects for your system. In general, the database server does not communicate directly with the desktop clients, but with the servers on the application tier, which mediates the communications between the database server and the clients.

The database tier is responsible for the storage, retrieval, and management of all of the data associated with your R12 instance. This means that any SQL or PL/SQL will ultimately be executed on the database tier machine. The database tier is involved in almost everything, because, regardless of the mode, all data is queried, inserted, updated, or deleted on the database tier.

The database tier can now significantly benefit from Oracle’s clustering technology, by spreading the database activity across a cluster of machines.



The Network

The Network

Most discussions about architecture make little, if any, reference to it. Yet, it can have a great impact on your performance. The network is the most important but the least visible component of the R12 architecture. The connection links themselves can vary from slow-speed dial-up connections to high-speed fiber optic channels.

For example, you can have a fast PC running on an R12 instance with a good applications tier and a clustered database tier, but still end up with bad results. If you are using a slow connection either directly from that machine (for example, a dial-up connection) or a shared connection with considerable traffic (a corporate T-1 line that already has considerable bandwidth usage), then you can experience poor performance. This problem cannot be attributed to a tier because it is network-related issue.



Oracle Applications Technology Layer

Oracle Applications Technology Layer

The Oracle Applications technology layer is an integrated collection of components whose functionality is applicable to all Oracle Applications modules. Components in the Oracle Applications technology layer include:

• Applications DBA (AD)

• Application Object Library (FND)

• Applications Utilities (AU)

• Common Modules (AK)

• Workflow (WF)

• Alert (ALR)



• OA Framework (FWK)

• Oracle XML Publisher (XDO)



Oracle Homes

Oracle Homes

Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) uses the latest database version, Oracle 10g. On the middle tier, Release 12 uses Oracle Application Server 10g and Oracle JDeveloper 10.1.3 for Web-based Framework applications. On the client, Oracle EBS uses version 5.0 of the Sun Java Plug-in.



Oracle Applications File System: Application Tier


Oracle Applications uses components from different Oracle products. The product files are stored in several top-level directories, including the following:

• The apps/apps_st/appl (APPL_TOP) directory contains the product directories and files for Oracle Applications.

• The apps/apps_st/comn or (COMMON_TOP or COMN_TOP) directory contains directories and files used across products.

• The apps/tech_st/10.1.2 directory contains the ORACLE_HOME used for the Applications Technology stack tools components.

• The apps/tech_st/10.1.3 directory contains the ORACLE_HOME used for the Applications Technology stack Java components.



Oracle Applications File System: Database Tier



• The db/apps_st/data (DATA_TOP) directory is located on the database node machine, and contains the system tablespaces, redo log files, data tablespaces, index tablespaces, and the database files.

• The db/tech_st/10.2.0 directory is located on the database node machine, and contains the ORACLE_HOME for the Oracle10g Database.



Oracle Applications Product Directories

Oracle Applications Product Directories

• Each product has its own subdirectory under APPL_TOP, and the Oracle Applications base release is typically reflected in the name of the subdirectory. For R12, the base release is 12.0.0.

• The directory path for a particular product is defined by the value of the environment variable <PROD>_TOP, where < PROD> is the name of the product schema. For example, the slide above displays three product directories. If the directory path to APPL_TOP is /d01/prodappl, the paths to these product directories would be specified in the <CONTEXT_NAME>.env file as follows:

• APPL_TOP=/u01/oracle/VIS/apps/apps_st/appl

• AU_TOP= /u01/oracle/VIS/apps/apps_st/appl/au/12.0.0

• FND_TOP = /u01/oracle/VIS/apps/apps_st/apps/fnd/12.0.0



• INV_TOP= /u01/oracle/VIS/apps/apps_st/apps/inv/12.0.0

All Oracle Applications products, regardless of the license status, are installed in the database and the file system. However, files for unlicensed products should not be removed. Conversely, multiple releases and product versions must not be installed in a single APPL_TOP directory.

Copyright ©IT Convergence, 2010. All rights reserved.

Multi-Orgs Chapter 2 - Page 1

Multi-Orgs Chapter 2



Multi-Orgs

Section Objectives


• Discuss Multi Org Features



What is a Multi-Org

What Is Multi-Org?

Multi-Org is a server-side (applications and database) enhancement that enables multiple business units in an enterprise to use a single installation of Oracle Applications products while keeping transaction data separate and secure. The Multi-Org enhancement uses native database views to build a security layer on top of a single installation of Oracle Applications. In Oracle Applications Release R12, the following products support Multi-Org capabilities:

• Cash Management

• Order Management, Shipping Execution and Release Management

• Payables

• Property Manager

• Projects

• Purchasing



• Receivables

• Incentive Compensation

• Sales and Marketing

• Service



Basic Business Needs

Basic Business Needs

The Multi-Org enhancement to Oracle Applications provides features necessary to satisfy the following basic business needs. You should be able to:

• Use a single installation of any Oracle Applications product to support any number of business units, even if those business units use different ledgers

• Support any number of business units within a single installation of Oracle Applications

• Secure access to data whereby user access is limited to information relevant to the user’s organization

• Procure products from an operating unit that uses one ledger, but receive them in another operating unit using a different ledger.

• Sell products from an operating unit using one ledger, but ship them from another operating unit using a different ledger, automatically recording the appropriate



intercompany sales by posting intercompany accounts payable and accounts receivables invoices.

• Report at any level of the organization structure



Organization Types Supported in the Multi-Org Model

Types of Organizations Supported in the Multi-Org Model

The Multi-Org model provides a hierarchy that dictates how transactions flow through different business units and how those business units interact. You define the organizations and the relationships between them. In the diagram in the slide, note the different shapes used for each organization type. The shapes are helpful when drawing multiple organization diagrams.



Business Group

Business Group

The Business Group partitions Human Resources information and the Purchasing Approval Hierarchy. A Business Group could be set up to model a consolidated enterprise, a major division, or an operating company—without any accounting impact. Multiple Legal Entities can relate to a single Business Group.

You must have at least one Business Group. For a new installation, Oracle Applications provides a default business group, Setup Business Group. You can define additional business groups as required for your enterprise.



Ledger

Ledger

A Ledger is a financial reporting entity, which implements the four “C”s and is a single repository of financial truth.

• Chart of Accounts (COA: Accounting Flexfield Structure)

• Functional Currency

• Financial Accounting Calendar

• Accounting Conventions

Here is an example of a Ledger implementing four “C”s: The balance on creditors (COA) is 4.2 million euros (Currency) on March 31, 2007 (Calendar), according to IAS/IFRS definition (Accounting Convention).



The Ledger concept is similar in a Multi-Org environment. General Ledger secures transaction information (journal entries, balances) by Ledger. When you use General Ledger, you select a responsibility that specifies a particular Ledger with information relevant to only that Ledger.



Legal Entity

Legal Entity

A Legal entity represents a legal company for which you prepare fiscal or tax reports. You assign tax identifiers and other Legal entity information to these types of organizations. A Legal entity is identified through the registration with Legal Authority.

Types of Legal Entities

GRE/Legal entity: Use this classification to represent the following organizations.

• Ultimate Legal entity (New in R12): Represents the enterprise and typically the highest (global) level of a business organization

• Legal entity: Represents the designated legal employer, recognized by the legal authorities in a country as a separate employer. In an organization hierarchy, a Legal entity may report to an operating company or to the ultimate Legal entity.



• Consolidated Legal entity (New in R12): Acts on behalf of multiple operating companies, which are either not legally registered or simply on the behalf of the enterprise in a country



Subledger Accounting (SLA)

Subledger Accounting (SLA)

Subledger Accounting is mainly a rule-based accounting engine that centralizes accounting for Oracle E-Business Suite products in R12. Subledger Accounting is not a separate product in itself, but is Oracle’s engine catering to the accounting needs of Oracle applications.

Benefits:

Together with the new ledger support, Subledger Accounting enables support of multiple accounting requirements concurrently in a single instance. Different accounting regulations can be satisfied by maintaining and applying different sets of rules to different sets of transactions; or accounting for the same transaction with multiple methods. By maintaining a full link between the transaction and accounting data, Subledger Accounting allows powerful reconciliation and auditing capabilities. Since Subledger Accounting provides the setup and inquiry user interface and data model for accounting across modules, Subledger Accounting enables consistency in reporting, analysis, and user experience.



Subledger Accounting in Oracle Financials Overview

Oracle Subledger Accounting is part of the Oracle E-Business Suite and is an accounting service that:

• Derives the appropriate accounts to use for individual business events, such as sales, expenses, purchases, and others.

• Is in accordance with accounting rules that you establish in line with your compliance requirements.

• By means of a broad toolset, allows you to manage the rules, review their effect, and study their application.

• Provides a standard means of posting subledger data to General Ledger.

• Provides standardized storage for subledger accounting entries and subledger balances.

• Is complete with the appropriate detail and in definable formats as needed for various local compliance reasons.

Oracle Subledger Accounting is an open and flexible service that defines and generates accounting for transactions captured by the transaction processing systems in the Oracle E-Business Suite. Each subledger transaction that requires accounting is represented by a complete and balanced subledger journal entry that is stored according to a common data model. Subledger Accounting can be used to support transactions processed in non-Oracle systems by using Oracle Financial Services Accounting Hub, a separately licensed product designed to account for non-Oracle input. Subledger Accounting includes a posting engine that sums the contents of the subledger tables and posts them to the general ledger to provide a clear audit trail.

Default Transaction Distributions

Each type of transaction in the Oracle Financials subledger products has default "distributions" associated with it, indicating how the transaction is distributed within your business. For example, a sales invoice might be distributed over several revenue accounts. You can edit the distribution defaults at the product level. Distribution tables in Receivables, Assets, Projects, and Procurement are populated by reference to the defaults. The default distributions are used by Subledger Accounting as a basis for the accounting of each transaction and are modified by the Subledger Accounting rules when you use Subledger Accounting to amend the accounting impact of the product-supplied defaults.

Subledger Accounting Rules

Oracle Subledger Accounting develops the accounting for each "accounting event" by applying a rule that you have defined for the event. We call the rules "accounting definitions"



• Accounting events represent transactions that have a financial accounting impact and require that accounting information is recorded. Examples of accounting events include issuing an invoice and disposing of an asset.

• Accounting events are not comparable to system events and programs that update transaction tables; accounting events are events in the real business sphere. Accounting events are captured when transactions are saved in the subledgers.

An accounting definition, or business rule, is similar to this example: If product 'A' is sold and is shipped to a distributor, then book it to account 'AB' with a description of 'ABC' on the journal entry lines. If the same product 'A' is shipped to a direct customer, then book it to account 'XY' with a description of 'XYZ' on the journal entry lines.

You can use virtually all data captured by the Oracle E-Business Suite as points of reference when drafting a rule. Subledger Accounting rules are date effective. The Oracle E-Business Suite, as shipped, includes rules for standard accrual accounting and for cash accounting. You can customize these rules as required or create your own.

Establishing an accounting method or convention for a ledger entails defining subledger accounting rules and clustering them together. Accounting conventions are set up for both primary and secondary ledgers. All subledgers assigned to a ledger inherit the accounting convention from that ledger.



Some Important Features of Oracle Subledger Accounting

Flexible Journal Entry Setup

Flexible journal entry setup enables users to control every aspect of the subledger journal entries that are generated for a subledger transaction. User defined rules, based on data drawn from the subledger transactions, control which types of journal lines are created, how account numbers (CCIDs or "accounting flexfields") are derived, and the contents of the journal entry descriptions.

Different subledger accounting methods are used to satisfy the conflicting requirements implied by corporate accounting policies, local fiscal regulation, and cash basis or business orientated analysis.

Multiple Accounting Representations

Oracle Subledger Accounting enables you to create multiple accounting representations from a single transaction. Using multiple accounting representations, you can populate more than one ledger with subledger journal entries for a single legal entity's subledger transactions. This is a powerful feature as each accounting representation represents an alternate accounting interpretation of the underlying subledger transaction. Each accounting representation can use different charts of accounts, calendars, currencies, and subledger accounting methods.

Multiple accounting representations enable corporations to design and implement global accounting policies independently from considerations that apply to subsidiaries operating in particular countries, or in highly regulated vertical markets. Corporate accounting policies can therefore be designed and implemented without prior knowledge of the wide range of local fiscal regulation encountered in these countries.

Of course, if you don't need complete ledgers for a particular overseas operation, you can use Subledger Accounting rules to design automatic adjusting entries and post them to an adjusting segment.

Inquiries, Drill-down, and Reporting

Detailed subledger accounting reports and inquiries that satisfy local fiscal and business requirements for detailed reconciliation between subledger transactions and accounting are provided.

Subledger Accounting uses Oracle XML Publisher extensively. Extracts are made from the Subledger Accounting tables and formatted with XML Protocol (XMLP) templates. For example, specific national day books are supported by an extract and a template delivered with the product.



Operating Unit

Operating Unit

An organization qualified as an operating unit can be used to model an autonomous business unit in an organization that has a business need to secure transaction data, set up and seed data. An

Operating Unit can be set up to support different business policies and workflow processes.

Generally, an Operating Unit could be a major division or separate company within the enterprise. Each user sees the information associated with the operating units to which they have access. An Operating Unit is linked to a Responsibility using the MO: Operating Unit profile option.



Balancing Entity

Balancing Entity

This is an entity for which you prepare a balance sheet, represented as a balancing segment value in the Accounting Flexfield structure. There can be multiple balancing entities within the same operating unit structure and each of these must balance within itself. All required intercompany entries will be automatically created within the Ledger to ensure that companies are never out of balance. A balancing segment could be a company or a division, for example.

It is important to keep in mind that a Government Reporting Entity (GRE) or Legal entity may comprise of one or more than one balancing segments. For example, you may have multiple companies defined in your chart of accounts that roll up to a single Legal entity for reporting purposes. Alternatively, each company you define in your chart of accounts may have multiple divisions for which you produce balance sheets. In that case, each company in the chart of accounts will most likely be set up as a Legal entity and each division will most likely be set up as an operating unit. Oracle does not automatically secure balancing segment values within your chart of accounts with specific legal entities or operating units. You can create security rules to do this. For example, you may want the Payables team to only be able to enter invoices for a specific division associated with a particular operating unit. If security rules are not defined, they



will be able to access all divisions regardless of the operating unit associated with their responsibility. The solution is to create a security rule that allows access to only the divisions that roll up into their operating unit.



Balancing Entity: Examples

Balancing Entity: Examples

While a balancing segment most often is associated with a single operating unit, it is not always the case. For each of the three examples, assume there is one General Ledger, the balancing segment value is the company segment, and there are three companies defined (10, 20, and 30).

Also, keep in mind that operating units are associated with responsibilities. That is, each responsibility is associated with one operating unit.

Example 1: Company is a Legal entity. Balancing segment value (company 10) is a Legal entity in and of itself. Two divisions have been defined as operating units and roll up to it. A flexfield security rule that allows access to company 10 has been created and associated with the responsibility that points to the Div1 and Div2 operating units. When users log in with either responsibility, they will only be able to enter transactions associated with company 10 (and not 20 and 30).

Example 2: Company is an operating unit. Balancing segments 10 and 20 are operating units in and of themselves. Both roll up to the same Legal entity. Two different security rules will be



defined. All responsibilities associated with the C1 operating unit will have a security rule that allows them to enter transactions associated with company 10. All responsibilities associated with the C2 operating unit will have a different security rule that allows them to enter transactions associated with company 20.

Example 3: Company is part of a line of business. Balancing segment 10 is associated with one line of business and balancing segments 20 and 30 are associated with a separate line of business. As in the earlier examples, security rules will be created to allow appropriate access to data.



Inventory Organization


An inventory organization represents an organization for which you track inventory transactions and balances. Examples include manufacturing plants, warehouses, distribution centers, and sales offices. The following products and functions secure information by inventory organization:

Inventory, Bills of Material, Engineering, Work in Process, Master Scheduling/MRP, Capacity, and Purchasing/Receiving functions. To run any of these products or functions, you must select an organization classified as an inventory organization.

With the Multi-Org enhancement, multiple Ledgers can use the same “global” item master organization, since the item master organization is used for item definition and not item accounting information. All accounting related attributes in the Item Master are controlled at the item or organization level.



Sample Organization Structure

Sample Organization Structure

With Oracle Applications accounting, distribution, and materials management functions, you define the relationships between inventory organizations, operating units, legal entities, and Ledger to create a multilevel company structure.

Legal Entities (LE) Post to a Ledger

Each organization classified as a Legal entity must specify a Ledger to post accounting transactions. A Legal entity can point to only one Ledger.

Operating Units (OU) Are Part of a Legal Entity

Each organization that you classify as an Operating Unit must reference a Legal entity. An Operating Unit can point to only one Legal entity.



Inventory Organizations (IO) Are Part of an Operating Unit

Each organization classified as an Inventory Organization must reference an operating unit. An Inventory Organization points to only one Operating Unit, but through standard functionality can be referenced by any Operating Unit having the same Ledger as the attached Operating Unit.

Items are defined in the master inventory organization (master parts list) and added to the appropriate child inventory organizations. Any inventory transactions are secured by the Inventory Organization.



Define the Organization Structure

Define the Organization Structure

Plan and define the entities in your organization structure.

A successful implementation of Multiple Organization Support in Oracle Applications primarily depends on correctly defining your organization structure in the hierarchy used by Oracle Applications. A careful analysis and design of a company’s organization structure is critical for future success. The following points describe how the Multi-Org model relates organizations:

• A Business Group is the highest level of the structure and does not have an accounting impact. The Business Group determines which employees will be available to Ledgers and Operating Units related to that Business Group.

• A Ledger is the highest level that impacts accounting.

• Ledger is associated with a single Business Group. Multiple Ledgers may be associated with a single Business Group.



• Each Ledger may have a different chart of accounts structure, calendar, or functional currency.

• Each GRE/Legal entity is associated with a single Ledger, multiple Legal Entities may be associated with a single Ledger.

• Each Operating Unit is associated with a single GRE/Legal entity, multiple Operating Units may be associated with a single Legal entity.

• An Inventory Organization may be associated with any Operating Unit within the same Ledger.



Adding to the Organization Structure

Adding to the Organization Structure

The Multi-Org enhancement allows you to add organizations at any time. Enterprises with substantial acquisition and divestiture activities, as well as businesses prone to reorganizations, are able to define new business units and disable old business units as required.

One approach for organizations that restructure frequently is to define new business organizations as required, while leaving the old organizations untouched. With this approach, it is easy to keep day-to-day business transactions recorded.

To add additional operating units:

• Create the operating unit

• Run the Replicate Seed Data concurrent request

• Create new responsibilities as necessary and set the MO: Operating Unit profile option



How Multi-Org Secures Data



Security Model

Security Model

As shown in the slide, users have responsibilities linked to operating units via a profile option.



Data Security by Application

Data Security by Application

Data is partitioned (secured) in Oracle Applications in many different ways:

• General Ledger and Fixed Assets are partitioned by GL Ledger. In addition, hierarchies of asset books may also be set up within assets that can effectively secure assets by asset book.

• Human Resources is partitioned by Business Group.

• Order Management, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Purchasing, Cash Management, Projects, Service, Incentive Compensation, Sales and Marketing are partitioned by Operating Unit.

• Manufacturing applications are partitioned by Inventory Organization.



Global Registries

Global Registries

For the global registries of both customers and suppliers, header level information is stored in an unpartitioned table for all entities within an instance. This allows for custom reports to consolidate information at either the Ledger or GRE/Legal entity levels.

Taxpayer ID, Federal and State reportable options are still at the customer or supplier level. In the above example, the supplier, ABC Corporation, is shared across the two Operating Units.

Each Operating Unit has its own groupings of address information. If two Operating Units share the same address for a supplier, they must currently enter the information separately.



Cross Organization Reporting

Cross Organization Reporting

The MO: Top Reporting Level profile option can be set to control the level of reporting access.

• Reporting Level: Users can choose at which level they want to report. The valid options are Ledger, GRE/Legal entity, and Operating Unit.

• Reporting Context: Users can choose an entity within the Reporting Level they have selected. Valid options are Ledger names, Legal entity names, or Operating Unit names.

Valid options are restricted based on the MO: Top Reporting Level profile option.

Note: Only select reports for each subledger are enabled for cross organization reporting. General Ledger Financial Statement Generators (FSGs) are not affected by the setting of this profile option.



Organization Reporting Options Ledger

Organization Reporting Options: Ledger

If the MO: Top Reporting Level profile option is set to Ledger, you can run your reports at Ledger level, Legal entity level, or operating unit level. Because the MO: Top Reporting Level is set to Ledger for the OU1 responsibility, users will be only able to select a reporting level of Ledger, GRE/Legal entity, or Operating Unit. In this example, the user will be able to see a consolidated subledger report of all operating unit activities that roll up to Ledger 1.



Organization Reporting Options Legal Entity

Organization Reporting Options: Legal Entity

If the MO: Top Reporting Level profile option is set to GRE/Legal entity, you can run your reports at the GRE/Legal entity level or operating unit level. Because the MO: Top Reporting Level is set to GRE/Legal entity for the OU2 responsibility, users will be only able to select a reporting level of GRE/Legal entity or Operating Unit. In this example, the user will be able to see a consolidated subledger report of all operating unit activities that roll up to LE2.



Organization Reporting Options Operating Unit

Organization Reporting Options: Operating Unit

If the MO: Top Reporting Level profile option is set to Operating Unit, you can run your reports at the operating unit level only. You are only allowed to view data in the operating unit assigned to your responsibility. In this example, the user will be able to see a consolidated subledger report of all operating unit activities for OU3.



Cross Organization Reporting: Key Benefits



Organization Naming Considerations

Organization Naming Considerations

Multi-Org naming conventions should be used to identify the Oracle organizations classification (for example, Ledger, Operating Unit, Inventory Organization) and its unique characteristics like country or currency, location name, and usage.

The following are general guidelines for creating organization names:

Ledgers, where:

Ledger_: An operational book that obtains journal entries directly from a subledger system (for example, accounts payable, inventory)

COB_: A consolidation Ledger

ROB_: A reporting Ledger when using the Multiple Reporting Currencies (MRC) feature

BG_: A Business Group



HR_: A Human Resources Organization

LE_: A GRE/Legal entity

OU_: An Operating Unit

Inventory Organizations, where:

IO_: An Inventory Organization intended to be a subledger in Oracle Applications or a planning entity. This organization will contain either inventory transactions or Master Demand Schedule entries, or both.

GM_: The Global Item Master. If more are than one Item Master is used (which is not advised) then follow with a currency designation (for example, USD).

VO_: An Inventory Organization used only for validation purposes (for example, for maintaining value-added tax rates by item) and is not an Inventory subledger. It will never contain inventory transactions.

PO_: Used for planning purposes only with no transactions. For example, a Distribution Requirement Planning (DRP) schedule, with planning processes, and related setups for particular product lines crossing many plants and distribution centers, could be established and controlled from this Organization.

Country Codes, Locations, Business Names, Functions, and (corporate) Proper Names are used in the Organization naming conventions to distinguish the actual site location and country ownership. For example:

Country Codes: Are abbreviations used to identify the Organization’s country of registration and residence. They usually have three characters followed by a sequentially numbered digit for the country. For example: USA1, USA2.

Locations: Are the City and State or Province address of the Organization. They are delineated by a “_” between the City and State and sometimes abbreviated to fit into the 30-character suggested Name length, for example, DALLAS_TX.

Example: Ledger_USA1_ABC; OU_USA1_MILWAUKEE_ABCCORP


Trading Community Architecture Chapter 3 - Page 1

Trading Community Architecture Chapter 3



Trading Community Architecture

Section Objectives


• Discuss Trading Community Architecture



TCA

LE and TCA

Legal Entities are still dependent on TCA. A party (supplier, customer, bank, student etc) is an entity that can enter into business relationships. As we know, the Oracle TCA's model supports four types of parties: organization, person, group, and party relationship. Under the TCA model, Parties (including Legal Entities) exist just once in our E-business Suite system for single maintenance and consistency. Legal Entities will be stored in TCA as Parties of party type 'ORGANIZATION'. A Legal Profile, containing specific Legal Entity attributes, will be associated to the TCA Party. In addition, other TCA components will be used for Addresses, Contacts, Party Information, etc.



Representation of Suppliers in the Trading Community Architecture (TCA)

The Trading Community Model is a highly flexible architecture that allows you to fully model real world entities in your trading community and accurately represent the complex relationships among those entities. It is the core data model for trading partners used by Oracle E-Business Suite applications. Representing Suppliers as part of the trading community, you have access to many of the features provided by TCA. These include:

• Data Librarian Function & Processes

• Integrated Enrichment Capabilities including D&B

• Address Validation

• Data Consistency

• Ease of Data Maintenance



Customers Overview in TCA

Use the Customers set of pages to manage customer information in Oracle Receivables.

You create customers so that you can properly record and account for sales transactions, as well as all other attributes of your selling relationships. Recording a sales transaction requires that a customer, stored as a party in Oracle Trading

Community Architecture, has an account as well as an account site. Consequently, to understand the role of a customer in the context of your trading community, you should also understand other concepts such as party, customer account, and account site.

• Party: An entity that can enter into a business relationship, such as buying and selling, and can be of the type Organization or Person. A party exists separately from any business relationship that it enters into with another party. For example, Vision Distribution could be a party within your trading community.

• Customer: A party, either an organization or person, with whom you have a selling relationship. This selling relationship can result from the purchase of products and services or from the negotiation of terms and conditions that provide the basis for future purchases. For example, a division of Vision Distribution could become one of your customers.

• Customer Account: A customer account represents the attributes of the business relationship that a party can enter into with another party. The account has information about the terms and conditions of doing business with the party. For example, you could open a commercial account for purchases made by Vision Distribution for its internal use and a reseller account for purchases made by Vision Distribution for sales. You can create multiple customer accounts for a party, to maintain information about different categories of business activities. For example, to track invoices for different types of purchases, you can maintain an account for purchasing office supplies and another account for purchasing furniture.

• You can also maintain multiple customer accounts for a customer that transacts business with more than one line of business in your organization.

• Information about a party such as profile, addresses, and contacts can be shared across a party's customer accounts. In addition, you can also maintain separate profiles and contacts, along with the contacts' contact addresses and contact points, for each customer account.of your products to end-users.


E-Business Suite Reporting Chapter 4 - Page 1

E-Business Suite Reporting Chapter 4



E-Business Suite Reporting

Section Objectives


• Discuss E-Business Suite Reporting



E-Business Suite Reporting Tools



Operational Tools



Oracle Reports



FSG Reports



Tactical Tools



Discoverer Report



Tactical Tools



Noetix Web Query Report



Noetix Dashboard



Strategic Tools



Sample OBIEE Dashboard



Strategic Tools



Information Formatting and Delivery Tools



Information Formatting and Delivery Tools Summary


Technical and Functional Planning for your New Environment Chapter 5 - Page 1

Technical and Functional Planning for your New Environment Chapter 5



Technical and Functional Planning for your New Environment

Section Objectives


• Discuss Technical and Functional Planning to your New Environment



Technical and Functional Planning for your New Environment in R12

Oracle Applications Release 12 Upgrade Sizing and Best Practices

The following document contains tablespace and schema sizing information, information on required post upgrade concurrent jobs, upgrade timing and some best practices to manage the upgrade of Release 12. The sizing data is based on upgrading an 11.5.10 CU2 internal volume database of 6.5 Terabytes in size.

Post Upgrade – Historical Financial Documents



The upgrade is a very IO intensive process; moving, updating and indexing large amounts of data, as such IO subsystem performance and bandwidth are critical to achieving the least amount of downtime possible. During the wave of 11.0 to 11i customer upgrades, poor I/O sub-system performance was one of the major sources of upgrade performance TARs.

During the upgrade testing process, you should monitor IO performance and act to correct any issues found. As a reference, we include here the IOPs rates and bandwith measurements obtained while testing the upgrade of the 6.5 TB ORAPROD database. The numbers were calculated based on data from AWR and OS monitoring utilities.

IOPS:

• Maximum IOPS value is 5491.8.

• During upgrade iops range is from 169 to 5491.8. Max value is reported during Large indexes creation phase.

• High IOPS value ( 1100 to 4500) is seen during UPG phases.

I/O Read bandwidth (in MB):

• Maximum I/O Read bandwidth (in MB): 151.56

• During upgrade I/O Reads ( in MB) per second range is from 1.55 to 151.56

• Max value is reported during Large indexes creation phase.

I/O Write bandwidth (in MB):

• Maximum I/O Write bandwidth (in MB): 67.46

• During upgrade I/O Writes (in MB) per second range is from 1.07 to 67.46 MB.

• Max value is reported during upg+80 phase.

I/O Response Times ( in milliseconds ):

• Below 20 ms for the vast majority of AWR snapshot periods. Higher values were present with spikes above 50 ms during the Large indexes create phase and some upg phases.

E-Business Suite Diagnostics Overview

• Oracle E-Business Suite Diagnostics is a free tool provided by Oracle to ease the gathering and analyzing of information from your E-Business Suite specific to a existing issue or setup

• Formatted output displays the information gathered, the findings of the analysis and



appropriate actions to take if necessary

• This tool is easy to use and is designed for both the functional and technical user

Oracle E-Business Suite Diagnostics are designed to improve:

• Problem Avoidance - resolving configuration and data issues that would cause processes to fail

• Self Service Resolution - resolving problems without the need to contact Oracle Support

• Reduction in Resolution Time - minimizing the time spent to resolve an issue by increasing support engineer efficiency

How Do I Get the Latest E-Business Suite Diagnostics?

The diagnostic tests are delivered in a standard Oracle patch and are applied using the adpatch utility.

Note: It is important to understand that all diagnostic patches may be safely and timely applied to any instance (production included) without months of integration and functional testing.

Key items to note:

• E-Business Suite Diagnostics do not alter the data or setup in your system

• E-Business Suite Diagnostics are organized into one of the following groups: − Setup Diagnostic tests are designed to assist in resolving product setup issues − Activity Diagnostic tests gather information about data and configuration relevant to

a particular functionality / issue, examine that information, provide feedback, and suggest appropriate actions

− Data Collection tests gather information relevant to a particular product / functionality / issue

− Functional Categories typically align with the product menu structure and include both activity and data collection tests

Security

Release 11i and Release 12 both use the Role-based Access Control (RBAC) security model. For a basic understanding of RBAC and how it relates to diagnostics, please click here

New to Release 12.0.6 security:

• user must have a diagnostics role assigned - 3 seeded roles are delivered that can be



used without additional setup

• the 'Application Diagnostics' responsibility is used to execute tests in the diagnostic framework

Additionally, output logs from previously executed tests can only be reviewed by the user who executed them or the system administrator.



E-Business Suite Diagnostics Overview

• Oracle E-Business Suite Diagnostics is a free tool provided by Oracle to ease the gathering and analyzing of information from your E-Business Suite specific to a existing issue or setup

• Formatted output displays the information gathered, the findings of the analysis and appropriate actions to take if necessary

• This tool is easy to use and is designed for both the functional and technical user Oracle E-Business Suite Diagnostics are designed to improve:

• Problem Avoidance - resolving configuration and data issues that would cause processes to fail

• Self Service Resolution - resolving problems without the need to contact Oracle Support

• Reduction in Resolution Time - minimizing the time spent to resolve an issue by increasing support engineer efficiency

How Do I Get the Latest E-Business Suite Diagnostics?

The diagnostic tests are delivered in a standard Oracle patch and are applied using the adpatch utility.

Note: It is important to understand that all diagnostic patches may be safely and timely applied to any instance (production included) without months of integration and functional testing.

Key items to note:

• E-Business Suite Diagnostics do not alter the data or setup in your system

• E-Business Suite Diagnostics are organized into one of the following groups: − Setup Diagnostic tests are designed to assist in resolving product setup issues − Activity Diagnostic tests gather information about data and configuration

relevant to a particular functionality / issue, examine that information, provide feedback, and suggest appropriate actions

− Data Collection tests gather information relevant to a particular product / functionality / issue

− Functional Categories typically align with the product menu structure and include both activity and data collection tests



Security

Release 11i and Release 12 both use the Role-based Access Control (RBAC) security model. For a basic understanding of RBAC and how it relates to diagnostics, please click here

New to Release 12.0.6 security:

• user must have a diagnostics role assigned - 3 seeded roles are delivered that can be used without additional setup

• the 'Application Diagnostics' responsibility is used to execute tests in the diagnostic framework

Additionally, output logs from previously executed tests can only be reviewed by the user who executed them or the system administrator.






• The apps/apps_st/appl (APPL_TOP) directory contains the product directories and files for Oracle Applications.

• The apps/apps_st/comn or (COMMON_TOP or COMN_TOP) directory contains directories and files used across products.

• The apps/tech_st/10.1.2 directory contains the ORACLE_HOME used for the Applications Technology stack tools components.

• The apps/tech_st/10.1.3 directory contains the ORACLE_HOME used for the Applications Technology stack Java components.






• The db/apps_st/data (DATA_TOP) directory is located on the database node machine, and contains the system tablespaces, redo log files, data tablespaces, index tablespaces, and the database files.

• The db/tech_st/10.2.0 directory is located on the database node machine, and contains the ORACLE_HOME for the Oracle10g Database.



Oracle Homes

Oracle Homes

Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) uses the latest database version, Oracle 10g. On the middle tier, Release 12 uses Oracle Application Server 10g and Oracle JDeveloper 10.1.3 for Web-based Framework applications. On the client, Oracle EBS uses version 5.0 of the Sun Java Plug-in.



Preparing Custom Development for Next Oracle E-Business Suite Release

In Release 12, Oracle E-Business Suite is migrating to new technologies in certain areas and deprecating the corresponding technologies that were formerly used. Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i customers who have built custom development on the deprecated technologies should migrate to the new technologies as part of the upgrade to Release 12. You can optionally begin this migration now to prepare your Oracle E-Business Suite instance and reduce the time required for the upgrade.

These technologies are disabled in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12:

• mod_plsql

• Oracle Reports Server Reports

• Oracle Graphics integrations with Oracle Forms

• AK mode

The most current version of this document is OracleMetaLink Note 374398.1. Please ensure that you have the most current version before you begin.

mod_plsql

If you have custom development on mod_plsql, you should migrate your Web pages to Oracle Application Framework. For more information, see the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide, available from Oracle Application Framework Release 11i Documentation Road Map (OracleMetaLink Note 275880.1).



Oracle Reports Server Reports

If you have custom development that uses reports run through Oracle Reports Server, the following migration alternatives are available:

• Convert the reports to Oracle XML Publisher. − This method is recommended as it has several advantages. It prepares your

application both for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 and for Oracle Fusion Applications. It also lets you take advantage of the benefits of Oracle XML Publisher, including superior ease of maintenance. Additionally, some automated tools are available to help you migrate from Oracle Reports to Oracle XML Publisher. For more information, see the Oracle XML Publisher User’s Guide, available from the Oracle Applications Online Documentation Library.

• Convert the reports to Oracle Application Framework. − Depending on your reporting needs, this method may be an appropriate alternative.

However, note that no automated migration tools are available for this conversion. You will need to rewrite any charts using the Oracle Application Framework Charting tool (BI Chart Bean). For more information, see the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide, available from Oracle Application Framework Release 11i Documentation Road Map (OracleMetaLink Note 275880.1).

• Run the reports through the Concurrent Manager. − With this method, if you follow Oracle E-Business Suite coding standards, then you

must modify your PL/SQL code to meet the Concurrent Manager standards. In particular, you will need to use some user exits. You will also need to rewrite any charts using the Oracle Reports Charting tool (BI Chart Bean). Note that this method will not be supported in Oracle Fusion Applications, because Oracle Reports is not part of the Oracle Fusion technology stack. For more information, see the Oracle Applications Developer's Guide, available from the Oracle Applications Online Documentation Library, and Oracle Reports: Building Reports, available from the Oracle Technology Network.



Oracle Graphics Integrations with Oracle Forms If you have custom development that uses Oracle Graphics (Charting) integrated with Oracle Forms, the following migration alternatives are available:

• Convert both the form and the chart to an Oracle Application Framework-based application. − This method prepares your application both for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12

and for Oracle Fusion Applications. For more information, see the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide, available from Oracle Application Framework Release 11i Documentation Road Map (OracleMetaLink Note 275880.1).

• Convert the chart to an Oracle Application Framework-based page that can be launched from Oracle Forms. − This method requires less time to prepare for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.

However, it will not be supported in Oracle Fusion Applications, because Oracle Forms is not part of the Oracle Fusion technology stack. For more information, see the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide, available from Oracle Application Framework Release 11i Documentation Road Map (OracleMetaLink Note 275880.1).

AK Mode

• If you still have personalizations of Oracle Application Framework-based pages in the AK repository, then when you upgrade from Release 11i to Release 12, your custom personalizations will automatically be migrated from AK to MDS, if the AK and MDS repositories are in the same database instance. − The upgrade will not automatically migrate your custom personalizations if the AK

and MDS repositories are in separate database instances. You will need to run the Personalization Migration tool manually to migrate your personalizations in this case. For detailed instructions on how to use this tool, see: Migrating AK Personalizations, Oracle Application Framework Personalization Guide, available from the Oracle Applications Online Documentation Library.

• If you have previously used AK/ICX Web Inquiries, you should use the Oracle Application Framework Search feature to recreate your personalizable search regions. For detailed information about the Search feature, see Implementing Specific UI Features in the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide, available from Oracle Application Framework Release 11i Documentation Road Map (OracleMetaLink Note 275880.1).



Functional planning for your new environment

Multiple Organizations

You can define multiple organizations and the relationships among them in a single installation of Oracle Applications. These organizations can be ledgers, business groups, legal entities, operating units, or inventory organizations.

Secure Access

You can assign operating units to a security profile and then assign the security profile to responsibilities or users. If multiple operating units are assigned to the security profile, then a user can access data for multiple operating units from a single responsibility.

With the ability to access multiple operating units from a single application responsibility, you can enter setup and transaction data and run concurrent programs for the operating units without switching responsibilities. All multiple organizations enabled setup and transaction data user interface, except some interfaces, include the Operating Unit field. The Operating Unit field in the setup and transaction data user interface allows the user to:

• Select the operating unit context for a transaction from a list of values, which displays the operating units the user can access.

Note: The Operating Unit field is displayed across products in Oracle E-Business Suite, such as Receivables, Payables, Purchasing, Order Management, etc. Refer to your product documentation for information on the user interfaces where the operating unit is displayed.

• Query setup and transaction data for one or all operating units that the user can access.

Note: If you do not partition the setup data for multiple organizations, then the operating unit does not appear when you access the setup step.

• • Enable faster data setup or transaction entry by copying a record from one operating unit to a different operating unit.

• • Default or derive the operating unit context from another operating unit sensitive attribute.

Data Security

You can limit users to information relevant to their organization. For example, you can limit access for order administration clerks to sales orders associated exclusively with their sales office.



Inventory Organization Security by Responsibility

You can specify the inventory organizations that are available to users in each responsibility. The Choose Inventory Organization window automatically limits available inventory organizations to those authorized for the current responsibility.

Access to Operating Units

Your responsibility determines which operating units you can access when you use Oracle Applications. If you want a responsibility to access only one operating unit, then set the profile option called MO: Operating Unit. If you want a responsibility to access multiple operating units, then define a security profile with multiple operating units assigned and assign it to the MO: Security Profile profile option. Additionally, if using the MO: Security Profile profile option, you can also set the MO: Default Operating Unit profile option to specify a default operating unit that will default in transaction entry pages.

Receive Goods into any Inventory Organization

You can enter purchase orders and assign for receipt any inventory organization. Your purchase order operating unit and receiving inventory organization can be in different ledgers to receive against a purchase order.

Automatic Accounting for Internal Requisitions

You can create an internal requisition (sales order) in one organization, then ship from another organization, with correct Intercompany invoicing.

Multiple Organizations Reporting

You can run your reports at the ledger level, or operating unit level. If you run reports at the ledger level, then the report will submit data for all operating units assigned to that ledger that you have access to as defined by the MO: Security Profile profile option.



Types of Organizations

You can define organizations and the relationships among them. You can define security for either an organization hierarchy or list of organizations.

Business Group

The business group represents the highest level in the organization structure, such as the consolidated enterprise, a major division, or an operation company. The business group secures human resources information. For example, when you request a list of employees, you see all employees assigned to the business group of which your organization is a part.

Note: This is true in all applications except the HR applications, which support more granular security by a lower-level organization unit, the security profile.

Multiple ledgers can share the same business group if they share the same business group attributes, including HR flexfield structures.

Legal Entity

A legal company for which you prepare fiscal or tax reports. You assign tax identifiers and other legal entity information to this type of organization.

You can define legal entities using Legal Entity Configurator or Accounting Setup Manager in General Ledger.

Operating Unit

An organization that uses Oracle subledgers, such as Oracle Cash Management, Order Management and Shipping Execution, Oracle Payables, Oracle Purchasing, Oracle Receivables, and related products. It may be a sales office, a division, or a department.

Operating units are not associated with legal entities. Operating units are assigned to ledgers and a default legal context. Information is secured by operating unit for these applications using responsibilities. Each user can access, process, and report on data only for the operating units assigned to the MO: Operating Unit or MO: Security Profile profile option. The MO: Operating Unit profile option only provides access to one operating unit. The MO: Security Profile provides access to multiple operating units from a single responsibility.

You can define operating units from the Define Organization window in Oracle HRMS or from Accounting Setup Manager in General Ledger.


An organization for which you track inventory transactions and balances, and/or an organization that manufactures or distributes products. Examples include (but are not limited to) manufacturing plants, warehouses, distribution centers, and sales offices. The following applications secure information by inventory organization: Oracle Inventory, Bills of Material,



Engineering, Work in Process, Master Scheduling/MRP, Capacity, and Purchasing receiving functions. To run any of these applications, you must choose an organization that has been classified as an inventory organization.

You can create ledgers using the Accounting Setup Manager in Oracle General Ledger and define organizations using the Define Organization window.

HR Organization

HR organizations represent the basic work structure of any enterprise. They usually represent the functional management, or reporting groups that exist within a business group. In addition to these internal organizations, you can define other organizations for tax and government reporting purposes, or for third party payments.

Organizations in Oracle Projects

Oracle Projects allows you to define organization hierarchies to reflect your company's organizations structure. You can add Oracle Projects-specific organization types to the organization hierarchy (for example, projects organizations or Expenditure organizations) to help you manage your project control requirements. You assign project and expenditure hierarchies to operating units.

Asset Organizations

An asset organization is an organization that allows you to perform asset-related activities for a specific Oracle Assets corporate book. Oracle Assets uses only organizations designated as asset organizations

Information Shared Across Organizations

The following information is global. It must be set up once for the enterprise:

• Flexfield definitions

• Customer Header (customer site is at the operating unit level)

• Supplier Header (supplier site is at the operating unit level)



Prerequisites for Setup and Implementation

Before beginning the setup, check that you have the following:

• Access to the Define Organizations and Define Legal Entity Configurator pages, or the Accounting Setup Manager page.

Note: Accounting Setup Manager is seeded in Oracle General Ledger's Setup menu.

• Access to the Define Security Profile and/or Define Global Security Profile windows that are seeded in Oracle HRMS responsibilities

• Access to the Security List Maintenance program, the Human Resources concurrent program.



Develop the Organization Structure

A successful implementation of Multiple Organization support in Oracle Applications depends primarily on defining your organizational structure in the multi-level hierarchy used by Oracle Applications. The levels are:

• Business groups

• Primary ledgers (as defined in Accounting Setup Manager)

• Legal entities

• Operating units

• Inventory organizations

The Organization Structure Example in the figure below illustrates the organization structure.

Deciding on the Organization Structure

First, you need to decide on the organizations you will use in your multiple organizations implementation. The figure below shows a corporation with two business groups, three legal entities, four operating units, and five inventory organizations. This example organization structure is used throughout most of this chapter.

Organization Structure Example

The business groups are U.S. and U.K. The U.S. business group consists of two legal entities - Western Division and Eastern Operations. These legal entities are assigned to the same ledger (US Operations) because they share the same ledger currency, accounting flexfield structure, and



calendar. The U.K. legal entity - UK Division – is assigned to a separate ledger (UK Operations) because its ledger currency is different from that of the U.S. legal entities.

The US Western Division legal entity consists of two operating units – Northwest Region and Southwest Region. The Northwest Region consists of two inventory organizations - Plant 1 and Plant 2. The Southwest Region has one inventory organization, named Plant 3. The US Eastern Operations legal entity is also an operating unit and inventory organization.

The UK Division legal entity has one operating unit, named UK Sales Office. The operating unit has one inventory organization, named UK Plant.

Define Accounting Setups

Use the Accounting Setup Manager in Oracle General Ledger to define accounting setups that include the following common financial components:

• One or more legal entities (optional)

• Primary ledger

• Reporting Currencies (optional)

• Balancing segment value assignments (optional)

• Subledger Accounting Options

• Operating Units (available if legal entities are assigned)

• Intercompany Accounts (available if legal entities are assigned)

• Intracompany Balancing Rules (optional)

• Sequencing (optional)

• Secondary Ledger (optional)

To use multiple organizations, you must define an accounting setup with at least one legal entity, a primary ledger that will record the accounting for the legal entity, and an operating unit that is assigned to the primary ledger and a default legal context (legal entity). It is also recommended that balancing segment values be assigned to the legal entity to help you identify legal entity transactions during transaction processing and reporting and to take advantage of Intercompany Accounting.

Note: If your enterprise structure requires that you define a business group, you should define accounting setups before business groups.

The following table explains the ledger parameters for our example.



Assign Balancing Segment Values by Legal Entity (optional)

Assign specific balancing segment values to legal entities using Accounting Setup Manager. This allows users to identify and secure transactions by legal entity. It also allows you to use Advanced Global Intercompany System to enter intercompany transactions between legal entities.

Organization Structure with Balancing Entity Example

The figure depicts a corporation with two business groups, three legal entities, four operating units, and five inventory organizations. Balancing entities are also shown. The business groups are U.S. and U.K. The U.S. business group consists of two legal entities - Western Division and Eastern Operations. These legal entities are assigned to the same ledger (US Operations). The Western Division is balancing entity 01 and balancing entity 04. Eastern Operations is balancing entity 02. The U.K. legal entity - UK

Division - is assigned to a separate ledger (UK Operations) because its ledger currency is different from that of the U.S. legal entities. The UK Division is balancing entity 03. The US Western Division legal entity consists of two operating units – Northwest Region and Southwest Region. The Northwest Region consists of two inventory organizations - Plant 1 and Plant 2. The Southwest Region has one inventory organization, named Plant 3. The US Eastern Operations legal entity is also an operating unit and inventory organization. The UK Division legal entity



has one operating unit, named UK Sales Office. The operating unit has one inventory organization, named UK Plant.

If you need to further secure balancing segment values for each operating unit of a legal entity, you can define segment value security rules and assign them to all responsibilities associated with the relevant operating units. If, for example, you need to restrict the Northwest Region operating unit to balancing segment value 01 and the Southwest Region to balancing segment value 04, because you have two sets of users who process data for each of the legal entities, you can add rules as described in the following table.

In addition to the previous rule assignments, you can assign the new rules to all responsibilities associated with the two operating units, as illustrated in the table below.

When you assign multiple rules to the same responsibility, only the overlapping values of the rules are available to users of the responsibility.

Define Locations

Use the Define Location window to define names and addresses for the locations you use within your enterprise. You define each location once only. This saves you time if you have multiple organizations with the same location. You should define locations for your legal entities and inventory organizations. Oracle Applications products use locations for requisitions, receiving, shipping, billing, and employee assignments.

Define Business Groups (optional)

Note: This only applies if you have more than one business group, or if you do not choose to use the predefined business group provided by Oracle Applications.

Oracle Applications secures human resources information, including organization definition, by business group.



You must have at least one business group. For a fresh installation, Oracle Applications provides a predefined business group, Setup Business Group. You can define additional business groups as required for your enterprise. We recommend that you modify the predefined business group rather than defining a new one. If you define a new business group instead of modifying the predefined business group, you need to set the Business Group profile option at the responsibility level for the new business group. Oracle Human Resources automatically creates a security profile with the business group name when you define a new business group.

You should define all your business groups before defining any other type of organization.

Note: If you plan to implement HRMS, you should consider its organization requirements when defining the organization structure. When considering multiple business groups, employee data will have to be entered and maintained for every business group using responsibilities linked to each business group. Consult your HR specialist for more information on HR organization considerations.

To define additional business groups:

1. Set the responsibility from which you define the organizations in the profile option HR: User Type to HR User, to get access to the Define Organizations window. This profile must be set for all responsibilities that use tables from Oracle Human Resources (for example, responsibilities used to define employees and organizations).

2. Define all of your business groups at this step from a responsibility. Do not define any new organizations or organization hierarchies until you have associated each business group with a responsibility. You do this by setting the HR: Security Profile profile option for each responsibility.

3. After you have correctly associated your business groups with a responsibility, sign off and sign on again using the correct responsibility for the business group you want to define. For example, if you have a U.S. business group and a U.K. business group, select the responsibility attached to the U.S. business group to define the U.S. organization structure.

Define Organizations

Use the Define Organization window to define organizations, such as operating units and inventory organizations. You can also define operating units and assign them to a primary ledger and default legal context using Accounting Setup Manager in General Ledger.

To define operating units and inventory organizations:

1. Log in using the responsibility associated with the business group.

2. Define operating units.

3. Define inventory organizations for each operating unit that will have an inventory organization.



If you have responsibilities for different business groups, switch responsibilities and define the organization structure.

The following table summarizes information about the different organizations for our example hierarchy.

Define Organization Relationships

Use the Define Organization window to define organization relationships by assigning classifications to each organization. The attributes of certain classifications relate organizations and the roles they play. You can classify an organization as any combination of legal entity, operating unit, and inventory organization. Specify your organization classifications in the following order:

1. Operating units

Attach the operating units to the correct ledger and a default legal context (legal entity).

2. Inventory organizations

Attach the inventory organizations to the correct operating unit, legal entity, and ledger.

The table below shows the information you must enter for each organization classification.



Classification Information Type Required Attributes

Special Considerations for Inventory Organizations

All the inventory organizations in the above chart have been set up with the minimal amount of information to enable them in the Multiple Organizations environment. This minimal amount is detailed in the table below.

If you plan to implement Oracle Inventory, you must follow the setup procedures for that product.

For a standalone Oracle Purchasing installation (without Oracle Inventory), specify the information shown in the following table:

Location: You must specify a location for an organization classified as an inventory organization. You can assign any location that is not assigned to a different inventory organization, or you can assign a location that is linked to the current inventory organization.

Receiving Information: When you select the Receiving Information type, you navigate to the Receiving Options window. Use the Receiving Options window to define options that govern



receipts in your system. You cannot receive items into an inventory organization until you specify receiving options for the organization.

Inventory Information: When you select the Inventory Information type, you navigate to the Organization Parameter window. You must define the control options and account defaults for one inventory organization, the item master organization. Then you can easily assign items to other inventory organizations without recreating all the item information. Use the Organization Parameter window to assign inventory organizations to the item master. The item master organization uses itself as the item master.

There is no functional or technical difference between the item master organization and other inventory organizations. However, we recommend that you limit the item master to just an item definition organization. If you set up new inventory organizations in the future, you can assign the new items to only the item master and the new inventory organization.

Define Responsibilities

Use the Define Responsibility window to define responsibilities for each operating unit by application. When you sign on to Oracle Applications, the responsibility you choose determines the data, forms, menus, reports, and concurrent programs you can access.

You should consider using naming conventions for the responsibility names in a Multiple Organization environment. It is a good idea to use abbreviations of the business function and the organization name to uniquely identify the purpose of the responsibility, for example, Payables Manager Northwest or Western Receivables Super User.


Pre-Upgrade Patch List Chapter 6 - Page 1

Pre-Upgrade Patch List Chapter 6



Pre-Upgrade Patch List

Section Objectives


• Discuss the Pre-Upgrade Patch List



Pre-Upgrade Patch List

This appendix lists the patches that are required as pre-upgrade steps for Release 12.0.4.

Patch List The following table lists the patches that are referenced as pre-upgrade requirements. The list includes a link to the task that requires the patch, and, where appropriate, the product associated with the patch. If a product is not registered in your Release 11i system, and you do not plan to implement it in this release, you do not have to download the patch.


Discussing New Features in Human Resources Release 12 Chapter 7 - Page 1

Discussing New Features in Human Resources Release 12 Chapter 7



Discussing New Features in Human Resources Release 12

Section Objectives


• Discuss New Features for Human Resources Release 12



Oracle Human Resources Release 12 (Core)



Legal Entity Re-architecture



Operating Unit Re-architecture



Checklists



Global Deployments Functionality



Global People Management



Access to Ex-Employee and Future-Dated Employee Records in User Based and Dynamic Security



Use Search Criteria to Query Records in the People Window



Ability to change the Final Process Date when it is set same as the Last Standard Process Date



Oracle Payroll – Core



Support for Sub Ledger Accounting



Single Bank Account Bridge



Multiple Organization Access Control



Greater Precision and Flexibility in General Ledger Journal



Upgrade of Historical Costing Data to Support Subledger Accounting



Purge Process for Pay events table



Oracle Time and Labor



Blank Timecard Rows Retained while Saving Timecard



Define Number of Timesheet Line Rows to Pre-populate



Summarize Regular/Overtime Hours Separately



Supervisor Report to Identify Missing Timesheets



Supervisor List of Timesheets Expected and Status Online



Audit Change Report - Identify Changes Made to Timesheets



Audit Trail on Time Cards



Display Last Person Who Updated Timesheet



Changes in Core HR and OTL to Support Services Procurement



Multiple Alias Support in Notification Layout



OTL User Interface Enhancements



Disabled Text Field Enhancement



Enhancement to Preference Eligibility Criteria (Responsibility-based Preference)



OTL Time Card integration with HR Absences


Discussing New Features in Financials Release 12 Chapter 8 - Page 1

Discussing New Features in Financials Release 12 Chapter 8



Discussing New Features in Financials Release 12

Section Objectives


• Discuss New Features in Financials Release 12



Accounts Payable – Release 12



New User Interface for Supplier Entry and Maintenance



Introduction of Invoice Lines



Invoice Processing for Contract Financing, Retainage, and Progress Terms



Enhancements to Payment Banks, Branches, and Accounts



Payment Process Enhancements



Accounts Receivable / Accounts Payable Netting



Business Intelligence Publisher Support for Selected Payables Reports



Revenue Management Enhancements Partial Period Revenue Recognition



Revenue Deferral Reasons



COGS and Revenue Matching



Customer Standard User Interface Redesign



E-Business Tax



Collections Workbench Obsolescence



Bills of Exchange Obsolescence



Trade Accounting Obsolescence



Cash Application Work Queue



Enhanced Line Level Cash Application



Enhanced Performance for High Volume Receivables Processing



Business Intelligence Publisher Support for Selected Receivables Reports



Fixed Assets – Release 12



Automatic Preparation of Mass Additions



Flexible Reporting using XML Publisher



Automatic Depreciation Rollback



General Ledger – Release 12



Accounting Setup - Simultaneous Accounting for Multiple Reporting Requirements



Centralized Accounting Setup



Enhanced Reporting Currency Functionality



Improved Processing Efficiency - Simultaneous Data Access to Multiple Legal Entities and Ledgers



Simultaneous Opening and Closing of Periods for Multiple Ledgers



Cross-Ledger and Foreign Currency Allocations



Simultaneous Currency Translation of Multiple Ledgers



Financial Reporting Across Ledgers



Automatic Journal Copy



Streamline Automatic Posting



Streamline AutoReversal Criteria Setup



Streamline Consolidation Mappings



Replacement for Disabled Accounts



Data Security - Data Security across Legal Entities and Ledgers



Management Reporting Security



Control Accounts



Definition and Setup Security



Toolset for the Payment Manager



Auditability Accounting and Reporting Sequencing



Intercompany Balancing Support for Encumbrances



Integration with Subledger Accounting



Enhanced Intercompany



Account Analysis and Drilldown



GL Standard Reports Integration With XML Publisher



Oracle Subledger Accounting



Historical Data Initialization for New Reporting Currencies and Secondary Ledgers



Cash Management - Release 12



Bank Account Model



Bank Statement Accounting



Overview


Discussing New Features in Manufacturing Release 12 Chapter 9 - Page 1

Discussing New Features in Manufacturing Release 12 Chapter 9



Discussing New Features in Manufacturing Release 12

Section Objectives


• Discuss New Features for Release 12



Inventory – Release 12



Deferred COGS Recognition



Material Workbench Enhancements



Dual Unit of Measure Control



Material Status Control



Advanced Lot Control



Material Aging Workflow



Organization Parameter Changes



Inventory Packing Slip



On Hand Balance Material Status



Bills of Material – Release 12



Overview



MFG - Enhance BOM to Capture Inverse Usage



MFG - Expanding OSFM into MES



MFG – Fixed Component Usage on the BOM for WIP and OSFM



BOM – Batch Import Capability for Open Interface for Bills of Material



BOM – Material Control Attribute Updates for Common BOM



Work in Process – Release 12



Overview



Dispatch lists



Streamlined Lot and Serial Capture



Fixed Component Usage Independent of Build Quantity



Schedule over long time ranges in the Resource Workbench



Enhancements to Lot/Serial Entry during Backflush



Purchasing – Release 12



Professional Buyer’s Work Center



Requisition Management



Purchase Order Creation and Maintenance



Purchase Agreement Creation and Maintenance



Enhanced Catalog Access



New Supplier Setup User Interface



Procurement for Complex Services



Support for Contractor Purchasing Users



Compliance to Packaging Constraints



Auto-Approval Tolerance for Change Orders



Model Complex Pricing for Blanket Line Items



Position Hierarchy based Approvals



Parallel Approvals



Support for FYI Notifications



Subledger Accounting for Budgetary Control Actions



Dual Unit of Measure Control



Sublot Control



PO and Requisition Mass Update



Deliverable Payment Holds


How to Assess the Complexity of an R12 Migration Chapter 10 - Page 1

How to Assess the Complexity of an R12 Migration Chapter 10



How to Assess the Complexity of an R12 Migration

Section Objectives


• Assess the Complexity of an R12 Migration



Differences in Architecture between R11i and R12

R11i (11.5.10.2) Oracle Applications Architecture



R12 (12.1) Oracle Applications Architecture



E-Business Suite Home Page Differences

R11i Example Oracle E-Business Suite Home Page

R12 Example Oracle E-Business Suite Home Page

R11i - Oracle JInitiator

The Forms client applet must run within a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on the desktop client. The Oracle JInitiator component allows use of the Oracle JVM on web clients, instead of the



browser’s own JVM. JInitiator is implemented as a plug-in (Netscape) or ActiveX component (Microsoft Internet Explorer)

In the traditional, Forms-based Oracle Applications environment, JInitiator was run as part of the standard Applications sign-on process. Now, with the move to a mainly HTML-based environment, JInitiator is only invoked when a user chooses to access functions that require it, such as running a form. If JInitiator has not been installed, the Web browser prompts the user to download the required installation executable. The Forms client applet and commonly used JAR files are downloaded from the Web server at the beginning of the client’s first session. Less commonly used JAR files are downloaded as needed. All downloaded JAR files are cached locally on the client, ready for future sessions. This eliminates the network traffic that would

be involved in downloading them whenever they were required. In 11.5.10, with JInitiator 1.3.1.18, the cache directory is of the form "<HOMEDRIVE>\Documents and Settings\<Windows User Name>\Oracle Jar Cache"; for example, "C:\Documents and

Settings\jsmith\Oracle Jar Cache"

Note: Selecting "Show console" on the "Basic" JInitiator tab will allow you to observe downloading of JAR files, to confirm they are being downloaded when they should be.

All updates to JAR files are installed on the application tier and downloaded to the client automatically, via the caching mechanism outlined above.

R12 - Desktop Java Client

The Forms client applet must run within a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on the desktop client. The Sun JRE Plug-in component allows use of the Oracle JVM on web clients, instead of the browser's own JVM. This component is implemented as a standard browser plug-in. In the traditional, Forms-based Oracle Applications environment, the JVM (Oracle JInitiator in Release 11i) was run as part of the standard Applications sign-on process. Now, with the move to a mainly HTML-based environment, the JVM (now the JRE Plug-in) is only invoked when a user chooses to access functions that require it, such as running a form. If the JRE Plug-in has not been installed, the browser prompts the user to download the required installation executable.



The Application Tier

R11i - The Application Tier

The application tier has a dual role: hosting the various servers that process the business logic, and managing communication between the desktop tier and the database tier. This tier is sometimes referred to as the middle tier. Oracle9i Application Server (9iAS) provides the technology used on the application tier. Six servers comprise the application tier for Oracle Applications:

• Web server

• Forms server

• Reports server

• Discoverer server (optional)

• Concurrent Processing server

• Admin server

R12 - The Application Tier

The application tier has a dual role: hosting the various servers and service groups that process the business logic, and managing communication between the desktop tier and the database tier. This tier is sometimes referred to as the middle tier.

Three servers or service groups comprise the basic application tier for Oracle Applications:

• Web services

• Forms services

• Concurrent Processing server

In Release 12, Web and Forms services are provided by Oracle Application Server (OracleAS) 10g. They are no longer servers in the sense of being a single process, as was the case in previous Applications releases.

Note: There is no concept of an Administration server in Release 12. By default, patching can be undertaken from any application tier node. It is advisable to avoid using a mixture of different platforms on your application tier.

This makes maintenance easier, since only one set of patches needs to be downloaded.



Only on R12: Use of Two Oracle Application Server ORACLE_HOMEs in Release 12

Two different Oracle Application Server (OracleAS) 10g releases, in separate ORACLE_HOMEs, are used in Oracle Applications Release 12. This enables Applications to take advantage of the latest Oracle technologies.

Figure 1-6 illustrates the functional usage of the two Oracle Application Server ORACLE_HOMEs.

Figure 1-6. Relationship between the two Application Server ORACLE_HOMEs

Notable features of this architecture include:

• The latest version of Oracle Containers for Java (OC4J), the successor to JServ, is included in Oracle Application Server 10.1.3.

• All major services are started out of the OracleAS 10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME.

• The Applications modules (packaged in the file formsapp.ear) are deployed into the OC4J-Forms instance running out of the OracleAS 10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME, while the frmweb executable is invoked out of the OracleAS 10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME.



Figure 1-7 illustrates the relationship of the two Application Server ORACLE_HOMEs

Figure 1-7 Database and Application Server ORACLE_HOMEs

Notable features of this high-level architecture include:

• The Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1.0.7) ORACLE_HOME replaces the 10g Release 2 (10.2) Oracle9i ORACLE_HOME used in Release 11i.

• The Oracle Application Server 10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME (sometimes referred to as the Tools, C, or Developer ORACLE_HOME) replaces the 8.0.6 ORACLE_HOME provided by Oracle9i Application Server 1.0.2.2.2 in Release 11i.

• The Oracle Application Server 10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME (sometimes referred to as the Web or Java ORACLE_HOME) replaces the 8.1.7-based ORACLE_HOME provided by Oracle9i Application Server 1.0.2.2.2 in Release 11i.



Web Servers

R11i - Web Server

The Oracle HTTP server (powered by Apache) acts as the Web server. It processes the requests received over the network from the desktop clients, and includes additional components such as:

• Web Listener

• Java Servlet Engine

• JavaServer Pages (JSP)

The Web listener component of the Oracle HTTP server accepts incoming HTTP requests (for particular URLs) from client browsers. If possible, the Web server services the requests itself, for example by returning the HTML to construct a simple Web page. If the page referenced by the URL needs advanced processing, the listener passes the request on to the servlet engine, which contacts the database server as needed.

R12 - Web Services

The Web services component of Oracle Application Server processes requests received over the network from the desktop clients, and includes the following components:

• Web Listener (Oracle HTTP Server powered by Apache)

• Java Servlet Engine (OC4J)

• Oracle Process Manager (OPMN)

The Web listener component of the Oracle HTTP server accepts incoming HTTP requests (for particular URLs) from client browsers, and routes the requests to the appropriate OC4J container. If possible, the Web server services the requests itself, for example by returning the HTML to construct a simple Web page. If the page referenced by the URL needs advanced processing, the listener passes the request on to the servlet engine, which contacts the database server as needed.



HTML-Based Applications Architecture

R11i - HTML-Based Applications Architecture



R12 - HTML-Based Applications Architecture

Between R11i and R12 on Java Servlet Access with HTML-Based Applications, the only difference in the architecture is the Servlet Engine is OC4J instead of Servlet engine (JServ) as it was in R11i.



Applications Framework Architecture

R11i - Oracle Applications Framework Architecture



R12 - Oracle Applications Framework Architecture



Forms Differences

R11i - Forms Server

The Forms server hosts the Oracle Applications forms and associated runtime engine that support the professional interface. It is an Oracle Developer 6i component that mediates the communication between the desktop client and the Oracle database server, displaying client screens and initiating changes in the database according to user actions.

The Forms server caches data and provides it to the client as needed, for example when scrolling through multiple order lines that exceed the limitations of a single screen. The Forms server communicates with the desktop client using these protocols:

• Standard HTTP network connection

• Secure HTTPS network connection

• TCP/IP connection

The Forms server communicates with the Oracle database server using the Oracle Net networking infrastructure.

R12 - Forms Services

By default, Forms services in Oracle Applications Release 12 are provided by the Forms listener servlet, which, as described further below, facilitates the use of firewalls, load balancing, proxies, and other networking options.

Benefits of using the Forms listener servlet include:

• Ability to re-establish dropped network connections

• Fewer machines and ports need to be exposed at the firewall

• Easier firewall/proxy server configuration

• More robust and secure deployment over the Internet



Forms Architecture

R11i - Forms Server Architecture

When a user initiates an action in the Forms client applet, such as entering data into a field or clicking a button, data is passed to the Forms server on the application tier. The user interface logic runs in the Forms server, and determines the appropriate user interface effect based on the user’s action. For example, a window may open, or another field value may be populated. If necessary, the database tier is contacted for any data not already cached on the application tier, or for data-intensive processing.

Figure 1-6 Forms Server Architecture

R12 - Forms Listener Servlet Architecture

The Forms listener servlet is a Java servlet that delivers the ability to run Oracle Forms applications over HTTP or HTTPS connections. It hosts the Oracle Applications forms and associated runtime engine, mediating the communication between the desktop client and the Oracle database server, displaying client screens, and initiating changes in the database according to user actions.

The Forms listener servlet caches data and provides it to the client as needed, for example when scrolling through multiple order lines that exceed the limitations of a single screen.

Forms listener servlet can communicate with the desktop client using these network protocols:

• Standard HTTP network connection



• Secure HTTPS network connection

• TCP/IP connection

The Forms listener servlet communicates with the Oracle database server using the Oracle Net networking infrastructure.

The Forms listener servlet manages the creation of a Forms runtime process for each client, as well as network communications between the client and its associated Forms runtime process. The client sends HTTP requests and receives HTTP responses from the Web services, which acts as the network endpoint for the client.

Note: Although the OC4J-Forms instance runs out of the OracleAS 10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME, the frmweb executable is invoked out of the OracleAS 10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME.

Forms Socket Mode Architecture

In the traditional Forms server socket mode architecture, when a user initiates an action in the Forms client applet (such as entering data into a field or clicking a button), data is passed to a Forms server on the application tier. The user interface logic runs in the Forms server, and determines the appropriate user interface effect based on the user's action. For example, a window may open, or another field value may be populated. If necessary, the database tier is contacted for any data not already cached on the application tier, or for data-intensive processing.

Figure 1-10 Forms Socket Mode



Choice of Mode

As stated, by default Oracle Applications Release 12 utilizes Forms listener servlet mode. However, socket mode is still fully supported, and may be required in a WAN environment to maximize performance.

Note: For more details of utilizing Forms Socket Mode, see My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 384241.1, Using Forms Socket Mode withOracle E-Business Suite Release 12.

R11i has more information related to Forms Listener Servlet Architecture, Reports Server Architecture, Discoverer Server while R12 does not any longer.



Concurrent Processing Server

R11i and R12 Concurrent Processing Server are mostly the same except for the following:

The Reports server is obsolete in Release 12. All reports are now run through the Concurrent Processing server manager via the rwrun executable, which spawns an in-process server.

R11i - Concurrent Processing Server

Figure 1-9 Viewing Concurrent Processing Output

R12 - Concurrent Processing Server

Figure 1-11 Viewing Concurrent Processing Output



R11i - Managing Concurrent Processing

The script for concurrent processing startup and shutdown is COMMON_TOP/admin/scripts/<CONTEXT_NAME>adcmctl.sh.

R12 - Managing Concurrent Processing

The script for concurrent processing startup and shutdown is INST_TOP/admin/scripts/adcmctl.sh.

R11i - Admin Server

The Admin (Administration) server is located on the node where you maintain the data model and data in your Oracle Applications database. You carry out the following operations from this server:

• Upgrading Oracle Applications

This process is conducted only when you are upgrading to a new release from an earlier one, such as 10.7 or 11.0. You use the AutoUpgrade utility (adaimgr) to upgrade Oracle Applications.

• Applying database patches to Oracle Applications

In general, Applications patches consist of files and scripts that update the file system and database objects. Most patches consist of a number of patch driver files that perform different functions. The copy (c) driver modifies Applications files, the database (d) driver modifies Applications database objects, and the generate (g) driver generates forms, reports, graphics, or message files. Newer patches combine the actions of the copy, database, and generate driver files



into a single unified (u) driver file. You use the AutoPatch utility (adpatch) to perform these updates. AutoPatch may also be used to apply cumulative patches such as mini-packs (for example, 11i.AD.H) and maintenance packs (for example, 11.5.10).

• Maintaining Oracle Applications data

Some features, such as Multiple Reporting Currencies, require regular maintenance to ensure that updates are propagated to the additional tables and schemas they use. The AD Administration utility (adadmin) enables you to carry out this and various other file system and database maintenance tasks.

R12 - Application Tier Administration

In Oracle Applications Release 12, any application tier node can be used to carry out the following operations:

• Applying database patches to Oracle Applications − In general, Applications patches consist of files and scripts that update the file

system and database objects. In Release 12, a single unified (u) driver file combines the features of the older copy (c), database (d), and generate (g) driver files.

− You use the AutoPatch utility (adpatch) to perform these updates. AutoPatch may also be used to apply cumulative patches such as mini-packs and maintenance packs.

• Maintaining Oracle Applications data

Some features require updates to the tables and schemas they use. The AD Administration utility (adadmin) enables you to carry out this and various other file system and database maintenance tasks. The concept of an Administration server is a historical one, and does not exist in Oracle Applications Release 12.

R12 - Using a Mixed Platform Architecture

The Oracle database server is sometimes available on platforms where Oracle Applications is not currently certified. In such a case, it may be possible to utilize a mixed platform architecture, where the database is installed on one platform and the application tier on another. (In Release 11i, this was referred to as a split configuration.)

This type of deployment can enable the database to utilize the specific features offered by a particular platform (such as a 64-bit architecture). It can also allow the application tier to be managed in a more cost-effective way.

Note: For up-to-date details of Release 12 support with mixed platform architectures, see Certify on My Oracle Support.



R12 - Oracle Configuration Manager

Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) is a component that is designed to facilitate support for your Oracle products. Use of Oracle Configuration Manager is optional, but recommended.

A lightweight agent that consumes minimal CPU resources, OCM supports automatic discovery of installed components and configuration information, and provides continuous tracking of key Oracle and system statistics of the machine it is running on.

Data collected is sent via HTTPS (secure HTTP) to Oracle Support, who can thereby maintain an up-to-date view of your Oracle installation, facilitating pro-active problem avoidance and helping to reduce the time needed for resolution of support issues.

To manage Oracle Configuration Manager OCM processes running on an Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 instance, refer to the documentation at http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/ocm.html. OCM processes are not managed by the standard service management scripts (such as adstrtal.sh and adstpall.sh) that are described in Chapter 5.



Oracle Applications Patch Nomenclature

Oracle Applications Release 12 includes numerous products that are designed to serve a wide variety of needs in a consistent and complementary way. All have abbreviated names or two or more usually three letters. These short names are used in special patch names (see below) and other places. In general, the short names relate to the full product name. Common examples include Applications Technology (ATG), Business Intelligence (BIS), Financials (FIN), Human Resources (HR), and Supply Chain Management (SCM).

You can search a list of product abbreviations and full names within Oracle Applications Manager, using the License Manager tool. From the License Manager home page, choose Reports > Licensed Products. From the List of Products, you can view

details of licensed, shared, or not licensed products, or search for a particular product abbreviation or name.

Note: For more information about the License Manager tool, see Oracle Applications Maintenance Procedures.

Patch Terminology

• A product family release update pack is an aggregation of patches created for a specific product family after the initial release, and designated by the release number followed by the product short name and a letter. For example, in R12.ATG_PF.A.DELTA.6, 12 is the major release number, ATG_PF.A stands for Applications Technology Product Family pack A on top of 12, and delta.6 means this is the sixth rollup patch on top of Applications Technology Product Family pack H.

• A release update pack increments the third section of the release number, for example

• 12.1.1, and consists of a cumulative aggregation of product family release update packs created across Oracle E-Business Suite since the initial (base) release. In Release 12, examples include 12.0.1 (RUP1), 12.0.2 (RUP2), 12.0.3 (RUP3), and 12.0.4

• (RUP4).

• A codelevel is essentially a rollup patch with a name that looks like a version number. Higher codelevels include more changes, and include all fixes from lower codelevels. For example, R12.AD.A was the initial release of AD in Release 12.

R12.AD.A.1 was a higher codelevel, which included all code in R12.AD.A plus additional fixes; R12.AD.A.2 was a higher codelevel again, which included all code in R12.AD.A.1, plus further fixes.



Applications File System

R11i - Figure 2-1 Applications Directory Structure

R12 - Figure 2-1 Top-Level Applications Directory Structure

• The db/apps_st/data directory is located on the database node machine, and contains the system tablespaces, redo log files, data tablespaces, index tablespaces, and database files



• The db/tech_st/10.2.0 directory is located on the database node machine, and contains the ORACLE_HOME for the Oracle10g database

• The apps/apps_st/appl (APPL_TOP) directory contains the product directories and files for Oracle Applications

• The apps/apps_st/comn (COMMON_TOP) directory contains Java classes, HTML pages, and other files and directories used by multiple products

• The apps/tech_st/10.1.2 directory contains the ORACLE_HOME used for the Applications technology stack tools components

• The apps/tech_st/10.1.3 directory contains the ORACLE_HOME used for the Applications technology stack Java components



Oracle Applications Environment

Oracle Applications makes extensive use of environment settings to locate executable programs and other files essential to Applications operation. These environment settings are defined when you install Oracle Applications. Many of the settings are defined by information you provide when running Rapid Install, while others have the same values in all installations.

The environment settings and their associated values are stored in environment files, which have a .env suffix on UNIX (.cmd on Windows). Environment files and settings are discussed in more detail later in this chapter.

Instance Home ($INST_TOP)

Oracle Applications Release 12 introduces the concept of a top-level directory for an Applications instance. This directory is referred to as the Instance Home, and denoted by the environment variable $INST_TOP. Using an Instance Home provides the ability to share Applications and technology stack code among multiple instances, for example a development instance and a test instance. Other benefits include support for read-only file systems and centralization of log files, both of which are discussed further below. The basic structure of the instance home is: <APPS_BASE>/inst/apps/<context_name>, where APPS_BASE (which does not have or need a corresponding environment variable) is the top level of the Applications installation, and <context_name> is the highest level at which the Applications context exists. For example, the setting of $INST_TOP might be <diskresource>/applmgr/inst/apps/testsys2, where testsys2 is the context name. All configuration files created by AutoConfig are stored under the Instance Home. This facilitates use of a shared application tier file system, as described below.



Figure 2-2 Instance Top

Note: For further details of shared file system usage, see Oracle MetaLink Note 384248.1, Sharing the Application Tier File System in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.

Read-Only File Systems

A key benefit of moving to the new Instance Home model is that as AutoConfig no longer writes to the APPL_TOP or ORACLE_HOME directories, both of these can be made into read-only file systems if required. In previous Applications releases, the adpatch utility wrote to $APPL_TOP/admin on an administration (patching) node.

Under the new model, $APPL_CONFIG_HOME/admin is used instead. $APPL_CONFIG_HOME will equate to a value such as /u01/oracle/VIS/apps/apps_st/appl.

Note: In a shared file system environment, Oracle recommends that the INST_TOP should be located on a local disk and not on a shared resource such as NFS, because of possible issues storing log files on shared resources.

Log Files

Another advantage of employing the concept of an Instance Home is that log files can be stored centrally for an instance, and therefore managed more easily.

Important: This is particularly significant from a security perspective, as log files may contain sensitive data that should not be accessible to general users.



The following diagram shows the directory structure used for log files in Release 12, with some of the subdirectories used to categorize the log files:

Figure 2-3 Log Files

The data Directory

The db/apps_st/data file system contains the data (.dbf) files of the Oracle database. Rapid Install installs the system, data, and index files in directories below several mount points on the database server. You can specify the directory names of the mount points on the database server during installation.

The db Directory

Oracle Applications supports employing an Applications database running out of one ORACLE_HOME, while running other Applications components out of additional ORACLE_HOMEs. This multiple ORACLE_HOMEs configuration allows Applications to utilize new features of the Oracle database and associated technologies in the most flexible manner.



Release 12 utilizes a 10g Release 2 (10.2) ORACLE_HOME, (Applications database home) whose files are located under the db directory. These files are needed for running and maintaining the Oracle Applications database.

Tip: Oracle E-Business Suite is always certified with database server patchsets (minor maintenance releases).

The comn Directory

The apps/apps_st/comn (COMMON_TOP) directory contains files used by many different Oracle Applications products, and which may also be used with third-party products.

Figure 2-4 COMMON_TOP Directory Structure

The admin directory

The admin directory, under the COMMON_TOP directory, is the default location for the concurrent manager log and output directories. When the concurrent managers run Oracle Applications reports, they write the log files and temporary files to the log subdirectory of the admin directory, and the output files to the out subdirectory of the admin directory.

You can change the location the concurrent managers write these files to, so that, for example, the log and output files are written to directories in each <PROD>_TOP directory. This may be more desirable in terms of disk space management, or the need to avoid a possible performance bottleneck on a system that has a high concurrent processing throughput.



Note: For further details, see Concurrent Processing Server in Chapter 1 of this book, and Chapters 6, 7 and 8 of Oracle Applications System Administrator's Guide - Configuration. The install subdirectory of the admin directory contains scripts and log files used by Rapid Install. The scripts subdirectory of admin contains scripts used to start and stop services such as listeners and concurrent managers.

The html directory

The OA_HTML environment setting points to the html directory. The Oracle Applications HTML-based sign-on screen and Oracle HTML-based Applications HTML files are installed here. The html directory also contains other files used by the

HTML-based products, such as JavaServer Page (JSP) files, Java scripts, XML files, and style sheets. Typically, the path will look like:

<diskresource>/applmgr/apps/apps_st/comn/webapps/oacore/html. Two new subdirectories are META-INF and WEB-INF, introduced to meet J2EE specifications.

The java directory

Release 12 introduces some significant changes to the locations in which the various types of Java files are stored. Rapid Install installs all Oracle Applications class files in the COMMON_TOP/classes directory, pointed cto by the $JAVA_TOP environment

variable. Zip and jar files are installed in the $COMMON_TOP/java/lib directory, pointed to by the $AF_JLIB environment variable (introduced with Release 12). The top-level Java directory, $COMMON_TOP/java, is pointed to by the $JAVA_BASE environment variable.

The util directory

The util directory contains the third-party utilities licensed to ship with Oracle Applications. These include, for example, the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), Java Development Kit (JDK), and the Zip utility.

The appl (APPL_TOP) Directory

Oracle Applications files are stored in the <dbname>APPL directory, which is known as the APPL_TOP directory.



Figure 2-5 APPL_TOP Directory Structure

The APPL_TOP directory contains:

• The core technology files and directories.

• The product files and directories (for all products).

• The main applications environment file, called <CONTEXT_NAME>.env on UNIX, and <CONTEXT_NAME>.cmdon Windows.

• The consolidated environment file, called APPS<CONTEXT_NAME>.env on UNIX, and APPS<CONTEXT_NAME>.cmd on Windows.

Note: CONTEXT_NAME is the Applications context, described further in Chapter 5. Its default value is <SID>_<hostname>. Rapid Install creates a directory tree for every Oracle Applications product in this APPL_TOP directory, whether licensed or not.

Warning: All Oracle Applications products are installed in the database and the file system, regardless of registration status. Do not attempt to remove files for any unregistered products.

Rapid Install installs a new Applications top directory when you upgrade. Rapid Install does not delete any existing product files from earlier releases, but unloads new product files into a new apps/apps_st/appl directory tree. Each Applications top directory is associated with a single Oracle Applications database on the Oracle database server. If you install both a Vision Demo system and a test system, Rapid Install will lay down two file systems, one for each of these Applications

Product Directories

Each product has its own subdirectory under APPL_TOP. The subdirectories are named in accordance with the product's standard abbreviation, such as gl for Oracle General Ledger. Within each product directory is a subdirectory that is named using the base Oracle Applications



release number, such as 12.0.0. This directory contains the various subdirectories for the product files.

<PROD>_TOP Directory

The <APPL_TOP>/<prod>/<version> path is known as the product top directory (<PROD>_TOP), and its value is stored in the <PROD>_TOP environment variable. For example, if APPL_TOP=/d01/oracle/prodapps, then the value contained in the

AD_TOP environment variable is /d01/oracle/prodapps/ad/12.0.0, and the AD_TOP environment variable points to the <APPL_TOP>/ad/12.0.0 directory. For the same APPL_TOP, the value of AU_TOP is /d01/oracle/prodapps/au/12.0.0, and the AU_TOP environment variable points to the <APPL_TOP>/au/12.0.0 directory. The same principle applies to all directories, apart for the admin directory.

Product Files

Each <PROD>_TOP directory, such as <APPL_TOP>/gl/12.0.0, co tains subdirectories for product files. Product files include forms files, reports files, and files used to upgrade the database. To display data entry forms for Oracle General Ledger, for example, Oracle Applications accesses files in the forms subdirectory under the 12.0.0 directory.

Figure 2-6 APPL_TOP Directory Structure

Within each <PROD>_TOP directory, the product's files are grouped into subdirectories according to file type and function. The next figure expands the inset to show the full directory structure for gl.



Figure 2-7 Detail of gl Directory Structure

Language Files

When you install Oracle Applications in a language other than American English, each product tree includes directories that use the relevant NLS language code. These directories hold translated data, forms, and message files. For example, the language

directory named D designates German. The data loader files in the D subdirectory of the admin directory contain the German translation of the product seed data.

The US subdirectory in the forms directory contains Oracle Forms forms in American English. The D directory in the forms directory contains the same forms, translated into German. However, the mesg directory contains message files in both American English and German.

Note: For further details, see the Oracle Globalization Support Guide.

Core Technology Directories

The admin, ad, au, and fnd directories are the core technology directories.

The admin directory

This directory and its subdirectories contain files and scripts used by the AD utilities during upgrade and maintenance processes.

These files and scripts include:

• The adovars.env environment file, which defines certain file and directory locations

• Scripts run during the upgrade

• <SID>/log and <SID>/out directories for upgrade, log, and output files respectively

• A <SID>/restart directory where AD programs create restart files

The ad (Applications DBA) directory

This directory and its subdirectories contain installation and maintenance utilities, including:



• AD Administration (adadmin)

• AutoConfig (adconfig.sh)

The au (Applications Utilities) directory

This directory and its subdirectories contain product files that are consolidated in a single location for optimal processing. These files include:

• PL/SQL libraries used by Oracle Forms, in the resource subdirectory

• Oracle Forms source files, in the forms subdirectory

• A copy of all Java files used when regenerating the desktop client JAR files, in the java subdirectory

• Certain reports needed by products such as Discoverer, in the reports subdirectory

The fnd (Application Object Library) directory

This directory and its subdirectories contain the scripts and programs that are used as the foundation for all Applications products to build data dictionaries, forms and C object libraries.

Sharing the Applications File System Across Disks

A traditional multi-node installation of Release 11i required each application tier to maintain its own file system, consisting of the APPL_TOP file system (APPL_TOP, COMMON_TOP, and a few related directories) and the application tier technology stack file system (8.0.6 ORACLE_HOME and iAS ORACLE_HOME). Subsequently, this was modified to allow the APPL_TOP to be shared across machines, and later to enable sharing of the entire application tier file system. Continuing this strategy, Rapid Install for Release 12 creates a system that shares not only the APPL_TOP and COMMON_TOP file systems, but the application node technology stack file system as well. Rapid Install sets up this configuration as the default for nodes that are running the same operating system. These files make up the Applications node file system, and can be shared across multiple Applications nodes (provided they are running the same operating system).

Note: A shared file system configuration is currently not supported on application tier server nodes running Windows.

With a shared application tier file system, all application tier files are installed on a single shared disk resource that is mounted from each application tier node. Any application tier node can then be used to provide standard services, such a serving forms or Web pages, or concurrent processing.



Figure 2-8 Shared Application Tier File System

As well as reducing disk space needed, there are several other benefits of a shared application tier configuration:

Most administration, patching, and maintenance tasks need be performed only once, on a single application tier node

• Changes made to the shared file system are immediately accessible on all application tier nodes

• Distributes processing tasks to run in parallel on multiple nodes (Distributed AD)

• Reduces overall disk requirements

• Makes adding additional application tier nodes easier

Note: For details of shared application tier file system usage in the context of high availability, see Chapter 9. For further details of shared application tier file system usage in general, see OracleMetaLink Note 384248.1, Sharing the Application Tier File System in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.



Environment Settings

Rapid Install creates several environment files that set up the Oracle database, the Oracle technology stack, the Oracle HTTP server, and the Oracle Applications environments. The location of these environment files is shown in the following table:

Table 2-2 Locations of Applications Environment Files

On UNIX, Oracle Applications includes a consolidated environment file called APPS<CONTEXT_NAME>.env, which sets up both the Oracle Applications and Oracle technology stack environments. When you install Oracle Applications, Rapid Install creates this script in the APPL_TOP directory. Many of the parameters are specified during the install process. On Windows, the equivalent consolidated environment file is called %APPL_TOP%\envshell<CONTEXT_NAME>.cmd. Running it creates a command window with the required environment settings for Oracle Applications. All subsequent operations on the APPL_TOP (for example, running adadmin or adpatch) must be carried out from this window.



More about Key Environment Settings” and “Other Environment files” at Oracle Applications Concepts R12 – Part No. B31450-04.


Planning for an Upgrade Chapter 11 - Page 1

Planning for an Upgrade Chapter 11



Planning for an Upgrade

Section Objectives

This chapter contains important overview information and system requirements for performing the Release 12.0.4 upgrade, including the following topics:

• Overview of the Upgrade

• Installed Components and System Requirements

• Release 12 Architecture

• Scheduling Time for an Upgrade

• NLS Upgrade Considerations

• Customized Environments

• Product-specific Considerations



Overview of the Upgrade

This guide provides a high-level view of an upgrade of Oracle Applications technology stack and products from (the supported) Release 11i versions to Release 12.0.4

Supported Upgrade Paths

This release includes a re-packaged Rapid Install that makes it possible to upgrade existing 11.5.8, 11.5.9 (base, CU1, CU2), and 11.5.10 (base, CU1, CU2) systems directly to Release 12.0.4 (Release Update Pack 4 functionality).

Oracle Applications Upgrade Paths

The following table lists the supported upgrade paths for Oracle Applications 11i, including releases that require an interim upgrade step. See Related Documents in the Preface for links to the documentation mentioned in this table, as well as in other sections of this book.

Database Upgrade Requirements

To complete the upgrade to Release 12, you must migrate or upgrade your database to Oracle 10g Release 2 (10.2.0).

Here is a summary of the database upgrade requirements:

Release 11.5.9 CU2 and 11.5.10 CU2

Upgrade your database either as described in Chapter 2 (before the upgrade downtime window) or as described in Chapter 3 (during the upgrade downtime window).

• Release 11.5.9 base, 11.5.9 CU1, 11.5.10 base, and 11.5.10 CU1

Upgrade your database as described in Chapter 3 (during the upgrade downtime window).

• Oracle Applications Release 11.5.8 systems

Upgrade your database as described in Chapter 3 (during the upgrade downtime window).

Additional Information:



See Oracle 10gR2 Database Preparation Guidelines for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade (Doc ID: 403339.1) for more information



The Upgrade Process

The upgrade process has been enhanced and streamlined. New features have been added to Rapid Install and AutoPatch to increase their capabilities. In addition, an upgrade no longer relies on AutoUpgrade processes. All upgrade functionality has been consolidated into a single unified upgrade driver that performs the upgrade without reliance on the information formerly captured on the AutoUpgrade screens.

Rapid Install provides the most up-to-date, certified version of Oracle Applications products, along with the certified technology stack components. In an upgrade, it creates the new file system for the application (middle) tier components and the new file system for the database. After the upgrade, you run Rapid Install again to configure servers and start services.

An upgrade also includes various manual steps, including those that direct you to run scripts or apply patches. You rely on AutoPatch to apply all patches, including the unified driver that performs the upgrade to Release 12.0.4.

In order to present a complete picture of the upgrade processes and the resulting system enhancements, this guide has been created in two main sections. The chapters are written for database administrators (DBAs), who are responsible for the technical aspects of a system upgrade. The appendixes are directed at the application specialists, who are responsible to understand and manage the business impact and functional changes inherent in an upgrade.

New in this release, the appendix portion of this guide contains information about functional changes for each product family, suggestions for reducing upgrade downtime, ways to verify data migration and manage data migration that is not automatically performed by the upgrade driver, and information about "by request" upgrade processes, which define specific sets of data that can be upgraded at a later date, or when there is a specific need.

It is very important that your DBA and your functional specialists work together to review this information carefully as a part of upgrade planning. Doing so will help eliminate unexpected holdups during and after the upgrade that could slow the process itself and cause confusion as your system users resume their functional tasks.

Note: A successful upgrade is a collaboration between the DBA and the application specialists. Both should understand and coordinate all aspects of the upgrade as a part of the planning process.



Business Impact and Functional Changes

An Applications upgrade alters both the technical and functional aspects of your Oracle Applications system. In addition to changes to the technology stack and file system, an upgrade also initiates specific changes that affect the way your existing products work after the upgrade, and the way they look and feel. These functional (business-related) changes have an impact on the way you use the products as you conduct daily business.

A common data model improves the quality of your data, simplifies its management, and makes it easier for shared service centers to work across worldwide operations and provide information about your business to decision makers.

Coupled with the common data model are enhanced integrations between Oracle Financials and Oracle Procurement products and other applications. Integrated applications enable pre-defined best practices and empower you to standardize your business processes across organizations and geographic regions. Benefits of standardization include common process methodologies and economies of scale.

Functional topics in this guide that pertain to a Release 12.0.4 upgrade include:

• Reasons for the change and areas that benefit from new functionality

• Functionality that is temporarily disabled or has been made obsolete

• Changes to user interfaces, terminology or concepts, and menu options

• Steps you can take to verify that all transactional data is upgraded as expected

• Suggestions for reducing downtime



General Information and Required Tasks

Before you prepare your system and product data, you should gather information about the upgrade process, the tools required, the number and types of tasks involved, and the way your system and products will look in Release 12.0.4. You can find a documentation roadmap on OracleMetaLink. See Oracle Applications Documentation Resources, Release 12 (Doc ID: 394692.1). Take special note of the Known Issues section.

Reference Information

It is very important that you read the documentation associated with this release. It is available either in the Oracle Applications Documentation Resources, Release 12 on OracleMetaLink, or from the OracleStore.

Application specialists and functional users should pay special attention to the Release Content Documents (RCDs), eTRMs, and Transfer of Information (TOI) documentation for the products that are active in your system. This information describes new features and functionality in Release 12.0.4. Additional Information

The Maintenance Wizard consolidates instructions from numerous manuals and other documentation and creates a step-by-step set of upgrade instructions. See Maintenance Wizard in this chapter.

Technical Upgrade Tasks

In general, DBAs perform the following tasks in an upgrade:

• Understand installed components, system sizing information, NLS considerations, how to manage customizations, and so on. This information is described in this chapter.

• Complete the tasks described in, "Preparing for the Upgrade" chapter. Pay special attention to the instructions about running The Upgrade Manual Script (TUMS). It generates a list that you can use to determine which tasks can be omitted from the upgrade process. Performing this task can substantially reduce the time it takes to complete the upgrade.

• To prepare the Release 12.0.4 environment, run Rapid Install. It creates the new file system for the application tier components (APPL_TOP) and the new ORACLE_HOME for the database.

• The tasks in "Post-upgrade Tasks" complete the upgrade process and prepare your system and products for user logon.

Functional Upgrade Tasks

In general, application specialists perform the following tasks in an upgrade:



• Understand the functional changes that your users will see and work with after the upgrade.

• Complete the (optional) tasks in the chapter "Reducing Downtime" in advance of the actual upgrade. You may be able to substantially reduce the amount of time that your system is offline during the upgrade process.

• Perform the tasks required to verify that your transaction data was upgraded or migrated as you intended.

• Determine the best way to upgrade historical data. Consider types of data that can be omitted from the initial upgrade process (critical downtime window) and upgraded at a later date, or when needed. For example, instead of upgrading all your Oracle Financials accounting data during downtime, you might include only the last fiscal year. If you want to upgrade other fiscal years — months or even years after — you can do so, at any time after the upgrade.

Release 12.0.4 Updates

Completing this upgrade brings your system to the 12.0.4 release update level of Release 12.0. You can continue to apply the latest release update pack (RUP) at any time to keep your system at the most current release level available. Each release update pack is made up of individual product family RUPs, which contain all the patches associated with that family. You can apply the entire release update pack, or you can apply the product family packs individually.

RUPs are released quarterly. Each one is cumulative — it delivers error corrections and system updates, not only for the most current release update pack, but also for all the RUPs that preceded it.

• You can keep abreast of the latest release information, as well as new RUP announcements and other updates that may affect your upgrade by reviewing the latest version of Oracle Applications Release Notes (Doc ID: 405293.1).



Installed Components and System Requirements

This section lists the certified components supplied by Rapid Install, and the general system requirements for an upgrade. Note that requirements for CPU, memory, and disk space (for log files and backup) are typically much larger during an upgrade than during normal operation.

Technology Stack Components

Rapid Install automatically installs and configures the required technology stack components for both the database tier and the application tier. The database tier technology stack for both a new installation and for a system upgrade is based on Oracle10g Release 2.

The technology stack installed on the application tier includes, among other components:

• Oracle 10g Application Server (AS) 10.1.2

• Oracle 10g Application Server (AS) 10.1.3

• Oracle Developer 10g (includes Oracle Forms)

• Java (J2SE) native plug-in 1.5.0_13

• Java Developer Kit (JDK) 5.0



Software Requirements

Some systems may require platform-specific release maintenance tools, and there are new versions of tools required for Release 12.0.4 for some platforms. Oracle Applications Installation and Upgrade Notes (for your platform) contains a list of these tools.

The upgrade requires Oracle 10g Release 2 (10.2.0). See Oracle 10gR2 Database Preparation Guidelines for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade (Doc ID: 403339.1) for instructions. CPU

The CPU requirements for an upgrade depend on many factors, including:

• The size of the database

• The amount of data in the primary product installation group

• The number and duration of long-running processes associated with products in this release

For example:

A test upgrade of the largest Oracle production system (oraprod) used the following CPUs:

• Database tier machine - 24 CPUs (900 MHz SUNW, UltraSPARC-III+)

• Application tier machine - 4 CPUs (3.05 GHz Intel Xeon)

A test upgrade of the Vision database and application tier machine used 4 CPUs (3.05 GHz Intel Xeon).

Memory

To calculate the memory requirements for an upgrade, consider the following:

• Number of concurrent users

• Infrastructure requirements for multi-tiered architecture

For example:

A test upgrade of the Vision database and application tier machine used 6 GB of memory.



Input/Output (I/O) Subsystem

Performance during an upgrade depends heavily on the speed of the Oracle database system input/output (I/O) subsystem. We recommend an average disk response time (average service time) below 10-15 milliseconds for better performance. Detailed information, including IOPs calculations, is available in E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade Tablespace Sizing and Best Practices (Doc ID: 399362.1).

To monitor the I/O performance, you should use OS tools like iostat or sar (Unix) during your test upgrade. Use similar tools for other operating systems, for example Performance Monitor for Windows. You can also monitor I/O performance on your production system during peak load to get an idea about your I/O subsystem performance before the upgrade. However, you should note that the I/O load and, therefore, the average service time on existing applications, is different from that of an upgrade.

While you are monitoring the I/O performance, you should focus on the average service time (the average of elapsed time in milliseconds that the disk drive takes to complete an I/O request) and the average wait (the average amount of time requests are left outstanding). Higher averages for these two indicators signal an I/O bottleneck. An average service time longer than 50 milliseconds is reason for concern if it lasts too long and/or it is continuously at a high level. Small intervals of high average service time should not be of concern.



Database Size

To estimate the increase in required disk space for upgrading, consider the products, the number of languages being installed, and changes in the data model.

Tablespace Sizing

Make sure you allocate sufficient tablespace. For guidelines based on an upgrade of the Oracle production system (oraprod), see E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade Sizing and Best Practices (Doc ID: 399362.1).

Block Size

This release requires an RDBMS block size of 8K. In addition to providing significant performance improvement, this setting accommodates the Oracle Applications indexes that require this block size.



Release 12 Architecture

The upgrade process affects system architecture and the way you use your Applications products after an upgrade. Oracle Applications Concepts contains a complete discussion of the architecture in this release, including information about the Oracle Applications multi-tiered architecture, enhancements, language support, file system structure, and the basic data model.

Tablespace Model

This release uses the Oracle Applications Tablespace Model (OATM), which is based on database object type rather than product affiliation. OATM uses 12 locally managed tablespaces for all products, including the temporary tablespace, system tablespace, and system-managed undo (SMU) tablespace. Each database object is mapped to a tablespace based on its input/output characteristics, including object size, life span, access methods, and locking granularity.



Scheduling Time for an Upgrade

In an upgrade, critical system downtime refers to the period of time when users cannot log on to the system or use Oracle Applications. There are several actions you can take to reduce this downtime period. For example, performing certain product-specific tasks before an upgrade can substantially reduce the downtime, as can using the Oracle cloning methodology and a test file system to upgrade your production system. This section describes briefly some of the issues that affect the amount of downtime required for an upgrade and some of the actions we recommend to reduce that downtime.

Backup

We strongly recommend that you back up your entire system before you begin the upgrade.

Database Initialization Parameters

Initialization parameters required at each stage of the upgrade may vary depending on when you upgrade your database. Review the requirements for these parameters before you begin. See Database Initialization Parameters for Oracle Applications Release 12 (Doc ID: 396009.1).

Managing Long-running Processes

Performance of some upgrade scripts can be significantly improved by changing the following database settings for the duration of the upgrade. The parameters in this section should be set as specified, and then (except as noted) can be reset as needed after the upgrade process is complete.

db_file_multiblock_read_count (init.ora parameter)

Specifies the maximum number of blocks read in one I/O operation during a sequential scan. Remove this parameter permanently from the init.ora file. If it is set to any value, it overrides the _db_file_optimizer_read_count default setting. DO NOT RESTORE THIS PARAMETER AFTER THE UPGRADE.

_db_file_optimizer_read_count (init.ora parameter)

This undocumented parameter is used by the Cost-based Optimizer. It represents the maximum number of blocks read in one I/O operation during a sequential scan for the purposes of calculating the cost of operations like full table and fast full index scans. The actual number of blocks read in one I/O operation during a sequential scan is independently controlled by this parameter. The default setting is 8. Do not change this parameter.

job_queue_processes (init.ora parameter)

Specifies the maximum number of processes that can be created for the execution of jobs. Oracle recommends a value equal to the number of CPUs.



parallel_max_servers (init.ora parameter)

Controls the maximum number of parallel query server processes running in the database. Oracle recommends a value equal to 2 times the number of CPUs.

pga_aggregate_target (init.ora parameter)

See Database Initialization Parameters for Oracle Applications Release 12 (Doc ID: 396009.1) for recommended value.

recyclebin=OFF (init.ora parameter)

Used to control whether the Flashback Drop capability is turned on or off. If the parameter is set to OFF, dropped tables do not go into the recycle bin. If set to ON, dropped tables go into the recycle bin and can be recovered.

Temporary Tablespace

Create tablespace (usually TEMP) as a locally managed tablespace using the temporary file option with a uniform allocation size. If the temporary tablespace is not defined in this way, drop the temporary tablespace and recreate it using the following example as a template: SQL> drop tablespace TEMP; SQL> create TEMPORARY tablespace TEMP tempfile ’ts_p_temp1.dbf’ size 2048M EXTENT MANAGEMENT LOCAL

UNIFORM SIZE 1M;

To verify that the temporary tablespace has been created, run the following: SQL> select CONTENTS,EXTENT_MANAGEMENT,ALLOCATION_TYPE from dba_tablespaces where tablespace_name=’TEMP’;

The query output should be: CONTENTS EXTENT_MANAGEMENT ALLOCATION_TYPE ------------ ----------------- --------------- TEMPORARY LOCAL UNIFORM

After the upgrade, restore the previous storage parameters for the temporary tablespace and lower the extent size for the temporary tablespace to a value that is less than 1 MB (for example, 128 K).



Determining Upgrade Tasks

This section discusses tools you can use to examine your system and determine which upgrade steps apply for your system.

The Upgrade Manual Script (TUMS)

The Upgrade Manual Script (TUMS) examines your current configuration and creates a report that lists upgrade tasks that do not apply to your system. This report contains information that is unique to your system configuration, so its output is relevant to your individual upgrade. Omitting the steps listed in the TUMS report can significantly reduce upgrade downtime.

You create the TUMS report by applying a Release 11i patch, which loads objects into your APPS schema that TUMS uses to examine your Applications configuration. Your current Applications environment is not affected. The patch uses the TUMS Step keys identified in this book to uniquely identify each task. The generated report lists the step keys, in addition to the type of step (for example, pre-upgrade) and step number, for each upgrade task.

Maintenance Wizard

The Maintenance Wizard is a tool provided by Oracle Support to guide you through the upgrade and code line maintenance process. It draws on instructions from numerous manuals and other documentation (including this document, the Oracle Applications Installation Guide: Using Rapid Install, and the Oracle Applications Release Notes) to provide you with a complete picture of the activities required for an upgrade.

The Maintenance Wizard helps you reduce upgrade tasks by dynamically filtering the necessary steps based on criteria it obtains from your Applications environment. The resulting report is a set of step-by-step instructions of exactly what you need to do to complete your specific upgrade, including any critical patches that your system may require. It can also automatically execute many of the tasks for you, so as to reduce the possibility of errors or accidental omission of vital tasks.

Specifically, the Maintenance Wizard:

• Presents a consolidated, personalized set of instructions in a step-by-step format

• Enables validation of important activities to prevent downstream issues

• Maintains log and status information for all tasks

• Enables a project administrator to assign different groups of upgrade tasks to different users

• Downloads, merges, and installs many required patches automatically



• Provides project management utilities to record the time taken for each task and its completion status



Review Upgrade Tasks and Apply 11i.AD.I

This section provides a general checklist of tasks that are required for the upgrade and describes The Upgrade Manual Script (TUMS), which examines your current configuration and creates a report detailing which of the tasks in these instructions you must complete and which ones you can ignore.

Step 1 Apply 11i.AD.I (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key:

If you have not previously done so, apply the 11i.AD.I minipack on all application tier nodes. It must be present in your system in order to upgrade to Release 12.0.4.

Step 2 Run TUMS utility (recommended)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: N/A

The TUMS report lists tasks that you can omit from the upgrade because they do not apply to your system (for example, a task required for a product that you do not use or for applying a patch that you have previously applied). TUMS is delivered in a patch, which supplies the scripts you need to examine your system and create the report. We strongly recommend you create and review the TUMS report before you begin the upgrade.

1. Download and apply TUMS patch.

Download patch 6727612 and apply it to the administration server node on your Release 11i APPL_TOP. It supplies you with the script (adtums.sql) you need to generate the TUMS report (tumsr12.html).

2. Generate the TUMS report.

To generate the report:

UNIX

$ cd $AD_TOP/patch/115/sql $ sqlplus <APPS username>/<APPS password> @adtums.sql <DIRECTORY>

Windows C:\> cd $AD_TOP\patch\115\sql C:\> sqlplus <APPS username>/<APPS password> @adtums.sql <DIRECTORY>

For the <DIRECTORY> value, enter the full path of the directory that you want the report to be written to. This directory must be listed in the UTL_FILE_DIR parameter of the init.ora file before TUMS can write the report and must have the appropriate WRITE permissions.

3. Review the report.



The tumsr12.htm report lists the steps (identified by the TUMS step key in this book) that do not apply to your installation. You may safely ignore any steps listed in this report.



Database and System Administration Tasks

These tasks pertain to all users. You must complete them before you continue with the product-specific tasks in this chapter. All the steps in this section can be performed while the system is up and running, and are performed on the Release 11i APPL_TOP. Step 1 Back up database, Applications, and customizations (recommended)


Make a cold backup of the Oracle Applications database. You can use it to restore the database should you encounter problems during the upgrade process.

Note: Shut down the database with the NORMAL option. You may not be able to restore it from the backup if you use the IMMEDIATE or ABORT option.

In addition to the database files, back up the APPL_TOP, product customizations, and customized help files (in HTML).

Note: The upgrade process does not save customizations. You should copy all your customized files and put them in a safe place so you can reapply the customizations after the upgrade.

Step 2 Prepare an upgrade plan for customizations (conditional)


You may have customized your system for business use. Take note of these important considerations before upgrading custom database objects:

• The Oracle Applications Developer’s Guide contains extensive instructions about naming standards and issues related to upgrading custom database objects. Familiarize yourself with this information before you begin the upgrade.

• Run several test upgrades and track their impact on your custom database objects.

• Rename any custom database objects with Applications prefixes that you have created so that they do not conflict with Oracle object names.

Note: Failure to test the impact on custom database objects before the upgrade can result in a loss of functionality.

At your discretion, and depending on the customizations in your system, you should also perform the following tasks:



• Preserve the CUSTOM library by making a backup copy of CUSTOM.pll. You can use this copy later in the upgrade process to migrate your CUSTOM library to Release 12.0.4.

• If you have customized forms with Oracle Forms 6i, upgrade them to Oracle Forms 10i after the upgrade.

Step 3 Convert to Multiple Organizations architecture (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: FND_ENABLE_MULTI_ORG

Multiple Organizations architecture supports performance improvements across all Oracle Applications. It also supports Multiple Organizations Access Control, which enables an Applications responsibility to access multiple operating units if desired. This release requires that Multiple Organizations be enabled. If you have not done so already, you must convert to this architecture now.

Converting to Multiple Organizations does not require the use of multiple operating units or sets of books — it does enable you to use this functionality at any time in the future. If you are converting from a Single Organization architecture to a Multiple Organization architecture, complete the following steps:

1. Create an operating unit.

2. Assign the operating unit you created to the profile option MO:Operating Unit.

Step 4 Drop event alert triggers in custom schemas (conditional)


To drop all event alert database triggers in custom schemas, run the alrdtrig.sql script, located in $ALR_TOP/admin/sql (in your Release 11i system). Re-create the triggers after the upgrade is complete.

Step 5 Review sizes of old and new tablespaces (required)


Make sure you allocate sufficient tablespace. For guidelines based on an upgrade of the largest Oracle production system (oraprod), see E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade Sizing and Best Practices (Doc ID: 399362.1).

Step 6 Run AD preparation scripts (required)


To prepare your system for the Oracle Applications Tablespace Model (OATM) functionality, you must run some preparation scripts. Download and unzip patch 5726010. Follow the instructions in the readme for running these scripts:



• adgncons.sql − The tablespace model for this release (OATM) is based on database object type

rather than product affiliation. The adgncons.sql script prepares adcrtbsp.sql, configures the database to hold the new products to be added during the upgrade, and switches your system to use the new tablespace model.

• adcrtbsp.sql − Generated by adgncons.sql, this script creates the new tablespaces, allocates

unlimited tablespace to all APPS users, updates fnd_product_installation table with correct data and index tablespace information, assigns default tablespace to all APPS users, and sets the new_ts_mode flag in fnd_product_groups to Y.

Note: Oracle has tested successfully an extent size of 128 K for small systems (for example, 100 GB database or the Vision database), and, for large multi-terabyte system, an extent size of 4-10 MB has been tested successfully.

• adgrants.sql (adgrants_nt.sql for Windows) − Grants SYS privileges needed by Applications, and creates required views in SYS.

Note: Running the preparation scripts creates tablespaces and prepares the database objects only for new products. To migrate existing products to OATM, follow the instructions in Oracle Applications System Administrator’s Guide — Configuration



Applications Technology Tasks

This portion of the upgrade applies to all users. Complete these tasks before you perform the product-specific tasks in this chapter.

Alert

Perform the following tasks for Oracle Alert.

Step 1 Convert Oracle Alert E-mail Processing to the Workflow Notification Mailer (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: FND_WORKFLOW_TASKS

Oracle Alert leverages the Workflow Notification Mailer to send alert e-mail messages and process responses, obsoleting the previous e-mail implementation. All incoming responses to alerts sent by the previous Oracle Alert E-mail implementation must be completed before the upgrade.

If you use response processing alerts and you have not already converted Oracle Alert to the Workflow Notification Mailer, convert now by applying Oracle Applications Technology 11i.ATG_PF.H Rollup 6 (patch 5903765) to your Release 11i APPL_TOP. This roll up patch causes Oracle Alert to use the Workflow Notification Mailer for new alerts, but allows you to continue to run the Alert Response Processor for incoming responses sent before the conversion. Continue to run the Response Processor until you have no more outstanding responses of this kind.



Customer Relationship Management Tasks

Complete the tasks only if you are using Customer Relationship Management products.

Marketing, Sales, or Trade Management

Perform these tasks if you are have Oracle Marketing or Sales products or Oracle Trade Management products active in your system.

Step 1 Create new product catalog (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: AMS_OSO_PLM_CHK

This release includes significant changes to the Product Lifecycle Management module, a hierarchical product catalog that expands the functionality and alignment among Oracle Sales, Oracle Marketing, and Oracle Intelligence products. There are several paths to creating the new product catalog, based on individual system configuration. For a description of all the options and the steps required to implement them, refer to Oracle E-Business Suite Sales & Marketing Product Catalog Upgrade (Doc ID: 396079.1).

Incentive Compensation

Perform these tasks if you are using Oracle Incentive Compensation.

Step 1 Verify completion of Sales Compensation processes (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: CN_PAYRN_REP_CHK

To verify that your Sales Compensation setup data is ready for the upgrade, download and apply patch 4963569 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP. This patch contains cnupgchki.sql (located in the first directory in utl_file_dir). Run this script manually. It creates a report that tells you what pre-upgrade steps are required. You can also view the results of the report in concatenated format in the AutoPatch log file (cnupgchki.log).

The following remedies are suggested for errors listed in the report:



TeleService

Perform these tasks if you are using Oracle TeleService.

Step 1 Set up profile option for TeleService (required)


Service upgrade scripts have been enhanced to allow you to choose the most appropriate upgrade path based on the value in the profile option Service: Upgraded Release (For Development User Only). The value in the profile option indicates the current Service version before the upgrade. Valid values are: 1157, 1158, 1159, and 11510.

Service upgrade scripts perform only the minimum upgrade logic required from the version specified in the profile option. If there is no value available for this profile option, the upgrade scripts execute all logics from 11.5.7.

If you don’t already have this profile option, you can create it with an internal name CS_SR_UPDATE_RELEASE. Set the appropriate value (such as 1159, 11510, and so on) at the System level.



Financials and Procurement Tasks

Complete these tasks only for the Financials and Procurement products that are active in your system.

Financials for India

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Financials for India

Step 1: Set minimum patch levels (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: Patch level lower than IN60105D2TUMS step key: JAI_CHECK_CUST

This step applies if you are not at the following patch levels. If you have already applied the patch set, or a later one, you can omit this step.

• Oracle Financials for India patch set IN60105D2 (included in Release 11i patch 4153130)

• Oracle Financials for India Service Tax Solution (Release 11i stand-alone patch 4239736)

• Oracle Financials for India Value Added Tax Solution (Release 11i stand-alone patch 4245089)

• Oracle Financials for India Tax Deduction at Source Solution (Release 11i stand-alone patch 4860026)

• If you have not applied patch set IN60105D2 and the three stand-alone patches, apply the patch set (included in patch 4153130), and the consolidated patch 4923208 for the stand-alone patches before you upgrade.

General Ledger

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle General Ledger.

Step 1: Run Accounting Setup Manager Diagnosis for MRC (optional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: GL_MRC_REVIEW_SETUP

The Accounting Setup Manager replaces many forms and user interfaces in this release. We recommend that you run the Accounting Setup Manager Pre-Update Diagnosis report to identify potential incompatibilities that would prevent you from using some new features. The report identifies Release 11i setup for Multiple Reporting Currencies, General Ledger, Global Accounting Engine, Assets, Payables, and Receivables. In order to run this report successfully, apply patch 5259121 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP.



To access the report, run the Accounting Setup Manager Pre-Update Diagnosis report in the Standard Request Submission form from a General Ledger responsibility. Review the report and fix any setup it identifies as problematic. Note that modifying setup configurations is not easily done after the upgrade is complete.

Note: You can run the upgrade successfully without running this report or modifying the setup. All the features will function similarly to Release 11i. However, you may not be able to take advantage of some new functionality.

The report also details what changes, if any, the upgrade will have on certain objects. The following areas of the report show details in a tabular format. The table columns show necessary information, such as the reporting set of books name, currency, and description for unassigned reporting sets of books.

• Sets of Books: Review Sets of Books To Be Upgraded to Secondary Ledgers

• Multiple Reporting Currencies: Unassigned Reporting Sets of Books

• Multiple Reporting Currencies: One Reporting Set of Books Assigned to Multiple Primary Sets of Books

• Multiple Reporting Currencies: Reporting Sets of Books With Translated Currencies

• Multiple Reporting Currencies: General-Ledger-Only Reporting Sets of Books

• Multiple Reporting Currencies: Inconsistent General Ledger Conversion Rules

• Multiple Reporting Currencies: Inconsistent Setup

• Multiple Reporting Currencies: Incomplete Setup

iPayments

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle iPayments.

Step 1 Prepare data for credit card encryption upgrade (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: See text for conditionsTUMS step key: IBY_SEC_UPGRADE

Complete this step only if you are using credit card encryption in Release 11i.

Oracle Payments (renamed from iPayments in Release 11i) handles credit card encryption, along with encryption of other payment cards and third-party bank accounts. If you are Credit Card Encryption in Release 11i, you need to prepare your data for the upgrade to the new encryption model.

Recommended: If you are using the Oracle Applications Credit Card Encryption feature that was introduced as a patch after Release 11.5.10, we recommend you complete all the historical credit card data migration programs provided with the patch. See the "Upgrade



Steps for Credit Card Encryption" section in Oracle Applications Credit Card Encryption (Doc ID: 338756.1) for more information.

Required: If you are using the Oracle iPayment encryption feature, and have not yet moved to the enhanced Oracle Applications Credit Card Encryption feature, you must apply patch 4607647 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP and complete the steps described in the Oracle Applications Credit Card Encryption white paper.

Internet Expenses

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Internet Expenses.

Step 1 Import expense reports into Accounts Payable (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: OIE_IMPORT_INTERCOMPANY_CHECK

Perform this step only if you have intercompany data in Internet Expenses (OIE) interface records that must be imported into Oracle Payables.

In this release, the Expense Report Import concurrent program is obsolete. Therefore, you must submit this program prior to the upgrade to ensure that all intercompany data in Internet Expenses interface records is imported into Oracle Payables. Fix any rejections and resubmit the program until all records are imported successfully.

Payables

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Payables.

Step 1 Import all invoices from Payables Open Interface (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: AP_IMPORT_INVOICES_CHECK

In this release, global descriptive flex fields (GDFs) are obsolete and are moved into tax and payment columns. Several validations are performed based on the country the invoice is imported from on these GDFs. They are not upgraded in the open interface tables.

Import all invoices that have not yet been imported by running the Open Interface Import program on the 11i APPL_TOP. Resolve any rejections and resubmit the program until all invoices are imported.

Step 2 Confirm or cancel all Un-confirmed Payment Batches (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: AP__CNFM_PAY_BATCH_CHECK

With the introduction of Oracle Payments, the new payment batch model is not compatible with 11i payment batches. To ensure that there are no in-process payment batches included in the upgrade processing, either confirm or cancel all payment batches before you begin.



Subledger Accounting

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Subledger Accounting and any of the associated products (see list included in Step 1).

Step 1 Set range of periods (optional)


During the upgrade, existing accounting data from the subledgers is upgraded into the new Oracle Subledger Accounting data model. By default, the upgrade updates the data for the current fiscal year, as well as the necessary periods of the previous fiscal, to ensure that there are at least six periods included in the upgrade (occurs when the upgrade is performed in the first half of the fiscal year).

You may need to run the SLA Pre-Upgrade program if you are using Oracle General Ledger and at least one of the following subledgers: Assets, Cost Management, E-Business Tax, Payables, Receivables, or Projects Accounting. This optional program allows you to change the default number of periods of historic data to be upgraded.

You can define a larger range of periods to be upgraded, and you can decide to perform the upgrade for all or most of the data during the downtime phase. This is an important decision because some of the Oracle Subledger Accounting functionality, such as accounting reversals and business flows, rely on the existence of previous accounting data.

If you do not perform a complete upgrade of the accounting data, Oracle Subledger Accounting allows you to perform an additional upgrade of the data by running the SLA post-upgrade process whenever the missing data is required. This program is executed at the same time as daily operations. As a result, it may have an impact on overall system performance.

If you need to change the default number of periods of historic data to be upgraded, you must apply patch 5233248 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP and submit the SLA Pre-Upgrade program. When submitting this program, you can enter the following parameters:

• Migrate all sets of books: Possible values are Yes (SLA Pre-Upgrade program updates the periods in all sets of books) or No (SLA Pre-Upgrade program updates the periods that belong to the selected set of books).

• Set of books: Set of books to be upgraded where you have selected to upgrade one set of books.

• Start Date: Date to be used to determine the first period to be upgraded. Does not have to be the starting date of a period — the initial period is determined as the first period in which this date falls.

Projects Tasks

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Projects.



Step 1 Complete distribution, transfer, and tieback of expense reports (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PA_COMPLETE_DIST_TIEBACK_EXP

If you create expense reports using Pre-Approved Expenditure Entry or import unaccounted expense reports from external systems, run the following concurrent programs for each operating unit that uses Oracle Projects as a source entry point for expense report creation and adjustment or both:

• PRC: Distribute Expense Report Costs

• PRC: Interface Expense Reports to Payables

• Expense Report Import (must be run from the Payables responsibility)

• PRC: Tieback Expense Reports from Payables

Your Projects application specialist should ensure that all transactions are successfully interfaced and that no exceptions remain.

Step 2 Complete transfer and tieback of cost, cross charge, and revenue (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PA_JRNL_IMPORT_TIEBACK_REV

Run the following concurrent programs for each operating unit implemented in Oracle Projects and Oracle Grants Accounting. Ensure there are no exceptions.

• ■Journal Import: Complete Journal Import in General Ledger for all project journal sources

• ■PRC: Tieback Labor Costs from General Ledger

• ■PRC: Tieback Usage Costs from General Ledger

• ■PRC: Tieback Total Burdened Cost from GL

• ■PRC: Tieback Cross Charge Distributions From General Ledger (does not apply to Grants Accounting)

• ■PRC: Tieback Revenue from General Ledger

Public Sector/University Tasks

Complete these tasks only for the Public Sector/University products that are active in your system.



Student Systems

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Student Systems.

Step 1: Modify the key flexfield structure for Product Catalog (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: IGS_UNV_CHECK_CUST

If you plan to use Student Recruiting in subsequent releases of Oracle Applications, follow the instructions in this task to set up the key flexfield related to the Product Catalog as a single, unverified, alphanumeric segment to enable the upgrade scripts to migrate Academic Interests (Entry Status, Program, and Unit Set Code Data) to Product Catalog. Perform the steps on your Release 11i APPL_TOP.

Determine flex structure:

To determine the flex structure associated with the product catalog, complete these steps.

1. From the Development Manager responsibility, open the Default Category Sets form (Setup > Item Categories) and query all records.

2. Navigate to the record with the Functional Area Value of Product Reporting (FUNCTIONAL AREA_ID = 11) and make a note of the Category Set and Description values.

3. From the Development Manager responsibility (Setup > Setup Workbench > Catalogs), search for the Catalog with the name Category Set or Description that you noted in the previous step.

4. Click the retrieved record to find the flex structure associated with it.

5. From the Development Manager responsibility, navigate to Setup -> Setup Workbench -> Catalogs (tab) -> Categories (sub-tab) -> Create Category (side navigation bar).

6. On the Create Category page, enter the flex structure value that you obtained in the previous step. Click Continue.

7. On the next page, enter Product Cat and description EXACTLY as follows: OSS Academic Interest. Click Apply.

Modify the flex structure:

To modify the flex structure, complete these steps.

1. From the System Administrator responsibility, navigate to the Key Flexfield Segments form (Application > Flexfield > Key > Segments), using the Inventory and Flexfield Title: Item Categories filter.



2. In the list, find the structure associated with the one that matches the ID_FLEX_STRUCTURE_CODE retrieved in your query.

3. Uncheck the Freeze Flexfield Definition check box, if required, and click Segments.

4. Ensure that there is only a single segment associated with the Flex Structure assigned to the SEGMENT1 column. Click Value Set to examine the Value Set associated with the single segment.

5. Ensure that the format type is Char, the maximum size is 40, the validation type is None, and that none of the validation check boxes are enabled (for example, Numbers Only). The easiest way to accomplish this is to assigned the seeded 40 Chars Value Set to the segment.

6. Save the flexfield information, freeze the definition, and compile it.

Note: The data is not migrated when the Entry Status is closed. Entry Status and its relationship to Test Types and Organizational Units are obsolete. Therefore, no data is migrated from old Recruitment tables (IGS_RC_I_E_ORGUNITS and IGS_RC_I_E_TESTTYOS to the new Student Recruiting tables IGR__I_E_ORGUNITS and IGR_I_E_TESTTYPS, respectively.

Supply Chain Management Tasks

The tasks in this section are required only if you are using Oracle Supply Chain Management products.

Depot Repair

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Depot Repair.

Step 1 Identify and resolve problem data (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: 11.5.8 and 11.5.9TUMS step key: CSD_DATA_CHECK

Apply Data Verification patch 5382135 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP. You can apply it as a hot patch by setting options=hotpatch when you run AutoPatch. If you apply it as a hotpatch, DO NOT merge it with any other patches.

The patch runs a script (csdpremr.sql), which generates an output file (csdpremr.lst) in the first directory defined in the utl_file_dir parameter. The output file lists problematic data and describes a resolution.

After you complete the necessary corrective action, rerun csdpremr.sql under the $CSD_TOP/patch/115/sql directory using SQL*Plus and continue to correct data until no further errors are reported.

Mobile Field Service

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Mobile Field Service.



Step 1 Synchronize data for Mobile Field Service (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: CSM_SYNC_DATA

All Mobile Field Service users with changes pending in their mobile device should synchronize the mobile server. Do not make any additional changes using the Mobile Field Service application until the upgrade is complete, and all users have successfully re-synchronized.

Process Manufacturing

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Process Manufacturing.

Step 1 Prepare to migrate OPM data (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: GMA_PREP_MIGRATE

To successfully migrate Oracle Process Manufacturing (OPM) Inventory data to Oracle Inventory, you must complete data cleanup and setup steps before the upgrade.

Perform the steps in the order listed, and before you continue with other tasks in subsequent sections.

1. Map data (all releases)

Map the data using the Convergence Migration Setup user interface in the OPM system Administration responsibility. Apply patch 4563075 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP for the user interface. See the OPM Migration Reference Guide in Doc ID: 376683.1 for details.

2. Run SQL validation scripts (all releases)

Apply patch 4699061 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP for the SQL validation scripts. See the OPM Migration Reference Guide in Doc ID: 376683.1 for details.

3. Migrate OPM organization and items (all releases)

Apply patch 4582937 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP and follow the instructions in the readme file. You can migrate OPM organizations and items discretely before the upgrade to reduce downtime.

4. Run the original OPM QC to QM migration validation (11.5.8 or Family Pack I)

Apply patch 5102439 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP and follow the instructions in the readme.

5. Update Forecast headers in Forecast Set (all releases)

For 11.5.9 or Family Pack K and lower, apply patch 4268525 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP and follow the instructions in the readme.

For all other releases, update Forecast headers to have a value entered in Forecast Set. Only those forecasts that have a value in this field are migrated.



Step 2 Finish migration preparations for OPM (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: GMA_PREP_MIGRATE_FINISH

Make sure you have completed all the steps in the previous task prior before you begin this task. Perform the steps in the order listed. Users must be logged off the system.

1. Review, act on, and dispose of information in Oracle ASCP tables. (required for all releases that use ASCP)

Review, act on, and dispose of information provided in the Oracle Advanced Supply Chain Planning application tables: GMP_APS_OUTPUT_TBL and GMP_APS_OUTPUT_DTL.

2. Review, act on, and dispose of information in OPM MRP table. (all releases that use OPM MRP)

Review, act on, and dispose of the information in the OPM table: MR_ACTN_TBL.

3. Prepare for the batch snapshot (if there are open batches)

You must take a snapshot to recreate all the open batches.

11.5.8 and Family Pack I: Apply patch 5579359 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP.

11.5.9 or later, and Family Pack J or later: Apply patch 4458024 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP.

4. Close all batches with a status of Completed (all releases)

Navigate to the Migration Setup User Interface Batches tab. Choose Mass Batch Close from the Action menu. See the OPM Migration Reference Guide in Doc ID: 376683.1 for details.

5. Capture snapshot (all releases)

Click the Process Batches for Migration button on the Convergence Migration Setup user interface to capture a snapshot of the open batches to be used during the post-migration process (that recreates the batches). See the OPM Migration Reference Guide in Doc ID: 376683.1 for details.

6. Complete or cancel pending transfer (11.5.10, or Family Pack K and later)

See the OPM Inventory Management User’s Guide for details about how to complete a pending transfer. Or, apply patch 4350832 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP to cancel pending transfers.

7. Back order or ship OPM Order Management Fulfillment sales orders that are pick-confirmed or staged prior to migration (all releases)

If these order lines are not shipped prior to the migration, the only way to make them visible for updates to Oracle Inventory is to back order them prior to the migration.



8. Run Preliminary Inventory Close Process for all warehouses under all the OPM Companies (all releases). Do not run Final Inventory Close for the period in which you are running the upgrade.

Refer to the following table for instructions:

9. Run the GMF validation scripts (all releases)

Refer to OPM Release 12 Migration (Doc ID: 376683.1) for details.

10. Migrate OPM Order Fulfillment to Order Management (all releases that use OPM Order Fulfillment)



Refer to the OPM Migration Reference Guide in Doc ID: 376683.1 for details.

Service Contracts

Perform these tasks only if you are using Oracle Service Contracts.

Step 1 Update Currency Code setup in Global Contracts defaults (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: OKS_VALIDATE_GCD

In Release 11i, the global contracts default (GCD) setup had three different currency codes for each of the three threshold amounts: Active, Credit Card, and Electronic Renewal. In this release, only one currency (Base Currency) code is used for all the three amounts.

If there are different types of currency codes specified for these amount fields in the Global Contracts Defaults user interface the upgrade does not populate the base currency code. If the three currency codes are the same, the currency code for Active threshold becomes the new Base currency.

If the codes are different, populate the Global Contracts Defaults user interface with a single type of currency code before migration. Go to the Navigator and choose Setup > Service Contracts > Global Contracts Defaults to update contract defaults.

Step 2 Validate data for Rules and Time values migration (recommended)

Applies to 11i release level: 11.5.8, 11.5.9TUMS step key: OKS_VALIDATE_RULE

This step is not required if you have already followed the downtime reduction technique steps mentioned in Service Contracts 12.0 Rules and Time Values Migration (Doc ID: 372469.1). See Appendix E, "Reducing Downtime" for more information.

Before Oracle Applications 11.5.10, Oracle Service Contracts used a set of Rules and Time Values tables to store contract attributes that were not included in base Oracle Core Contracts or Oracle Service Contracts header and lines tables. In Oracle

Applications release 11.5.10 and later, new architecture eliminates the generic rules and time values data structures.

To validate the data, follow these steps:

1. Apply patch 4684603 to your Release 11i APPL_TOP. Follow the instructions in the readme file.

2. Log in to Oracle Applications and choose the Service Contracts Manager responsibility.

3. Run the Service Contracts Validate Rule Data concurrent request for the header level. (You can select the level from the concurrent request parameters screen.)

4. After the request is successfully completed, check the Output Log file for records that may have failed validation due to data issues. Click the View Output button after selecting the



row corresponding to the main request to view errors. If there are no errors, you can move directly to Step 6.

5. If there are errors in the Output log file, navigate to View/Show navigator on the menu, and choose the Rules Migration Utility form to view fields with data validation issues. Enter correct values for these records directly on this form, and save the changes. Ensure that all errors identified are corrected.

6. Run the concurrent request for the Header history level, the Line level, and the Line history level. Correct all errors and re-run the request until all errors have been corrected.



Prepare for the Upgrade

In this section, you complete final preparation tasks for your existing Release 11i system and create the new environment for Oracle Applications Release 12.0.4. Step 1 Gather schema statistics for CBO (required)


This release employs cost-based optimization, which examines FND table statistics to determine the most efficient access paths and join methods for executing SQL statements. These statistics are gathered by the FND_STATS process, which you initiate by running the Gather Schema Statistics concurrent program.

Note: You should gather schema statistics on a regular basis to fully utilize the cost-based optimization feature. In preparation for an upgrade, this should be one of the last tasks you perform for initiating the upgrade downtime so that the statistics are current.

From your Release 11i APPL_TOP, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to Oracle Applications with the System Administrator responsibility.

2. Navigate to the Submit Request window (Request > Run).

3. Submit the Gather Statistics program.

Set the schema name to ALL to gather statistics for all Oracle Applications schemas (having an entry in the FND_PRODUCT_INSTALLATIONS table). In addition to gathering index and table-level statistics, the program gathers column-level histogram statistics for all columns listed in the FND_HISTOGRAM_COLS table.

Note: If your database is already at Oracle 10g, we recommend that you use the Gather Auto option for this concurrent program. This option gathers statistics for objects that are either lacking statistics or whose rows have changed significantly (default 10%) since the last time you gathered statistics.

Step 2 Back up the database (recommended)


Make a cold backup of the Oracle Applications database. If you encounter problems during the upgrade process, you can use this backup to restore your system to the same state as before you began the upgrade.

Note: Shut down with the NORMAL option. You may not be able to restore the database from the backup if you use the IMMEDIATE or ABORT option



Step 3 Run Rapid Install (required)


You use the Rapid Install wizard to lay down the file system and install the new technology stack for your Release 12.0.4 Oracle Applications system. The wizard collects configuration parameters and stores them in a configuration file (config.txt) in the Applications database. When you run Rapid Install, it uses these values to lay down the file system structure and technology stack components for your configuration. As it runs, it creates a context file (<CONTEXT_NAME>.xml) that contains all the parameters that describe your system. This context file is created and managed by AutoConfig.

Be prepared to supply basic information about your system such as port specifications, existing and new database node descriptions (including mount points), user names and passwords, product license types, internationalization and language settings, and mount points for other nodes in your system.

1. Follow the instructions in Chapter 1 of Oracle Applications Installation Guide: Using Rapid Install to prepare your environment for the new system. Then, start Rapid Install by typing rapidwiz on the command line. The Welcome screen lists the components that are included in, or supported by, this release of Oracle Applications. Click Next.

2. On the Wizard Operation screen, select Upgrade to Oracle Applications Release 12.0.4. Click Next.

3. On the Select Upgrade Action screen, select Create Upgrade File System.

4. In the associated screen flow, enter the parameters required to set up your new environment. Then, run Rapid Install.

Note: Rapid Install (as it runs AutoConfig) records errors in the AutoConfig log file. These errors occur because the database has not yet been upgraded. They can be safely ignored

You run Rapid Install again after the upgrade to configure and start the servers and services. Rapid Install also delivers the unified upgrade driver that you will use later to perform the upgrade.

Step 4 Migrate or upgrade your database to Oracle 10g Release 2 (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: 11.5.9 (CU2), 11.5.10 (CU2)TUMS step key: N/A

Oracle Applications Release 11.5.9 (with CU2 applied) and Release 11.5.10 (with CU2 applied) are certified for use with Oracle 10g Release 2. If you have not already done so, you can upgrade your production database to 10g now, before the upgrade downtime. Follow the instructions in Oracle 10gR2 Database Preparation Guidelines for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade (Doc ID: 403339.1).

Note: A database upgrade at this point in the upgrade process applies only to the Oracle Applications release levels cited.



Maintenance Mode

To ensure optimal performance and reduce downtime when applying a patch, you must shut down the Workflow Business Events System and set up function security before you initiate an AutoPatch session. This provides the security needed to ensure that no Oracle Applications functions are available to users while you are applying a patch. The Maintenance Mode feature provides a clear separation between the normal runtime operation of Oracle Applications and system downtime for maintenance.



Obsolete Columns

During the upgrade process, the Oracle RDBMS DROP COLUMN command marks Oracle Applications columns as unused in the data dictionary, making it possible for the database administrator to drop the columns and reclaim the associated space. It is a good idea to plan this reclamation ahead of time because the process locks the associated tables. Once the space is reclaimed, the upgraded data model looks more like a fresh install (except for customizations). Note that DROP COLUMN has no effect on custom columns.

Test Upgrade

To provide a baseline for upgrade execution times and an opportunity to work out any upgrade issues ahead of time, we suggest you perform a test upgrade using a copy of your existing system, and hardware that is similar to what you use for your production system. A test upgrade is especially important if your system has been customized.

User Preferred Time Zone Support

User Preferred Time Zones are still supported for a number of products. No special upgrade steps are required.

Upgrade by Request

For some Oracle Applications products, upgrade planning includes choosing the most active set of data for upgrade processing. Then, you can upgrade historical data that was omitted from the upgrade at a later date, or when it is needed. For example, you might include only the last fiscal year in the upgrade and upgrade the remaining data outside of the upgrade downtime window.



NLS Upgrade Considerations

This section discusses some important considerations for managing your translations, languages, and character sets during the upgrade.

Languages

Additional space for each non-American English language will be required in the database to complete the upgrade. It is not possible to predict the amount of additional space your system will need because the space depends on factors such as the number of active non-American English languages and the database character set — and it depends largely on the volume of customer-created data in the system.

Note that the additional space for languages must be available throughout the upgrade process.

Language Status

You must retain your existing Applications Release 11i language status until the entire upgrade process is complete — including the post-upgrade and finishing steps. The base language must also remain the same, and new languages cannot be activated.

After the upgrade process is complete, you can change your language status as required, and activate new languages.

Character Sets

You cannot change the database character set during an upgrade.

Depending on whether your Applications system connects to the database during the upgrade process, you may be able to select a new character set for the Release 12 APPL_TOP on the Rapid Install wizard upgrade screens. However, if you do, the new set must be either identical to, or compatible with, the existing database character set.

Caution:

If you change the character set in the APPL_TOP to one that is not compatible with the current database character set, the upgraded system will be corrupted.



Customized Environments

Customized environments require special attention during an upgrade. The instructions in this guide assume that you have followed the standards for customizing Oracle Applications exactly as described in the Oracle Applications Developer’s Guide and the Oracle Applications User Interface Standards for Forms-based Products. To preserve customizations and minimize the impact during the upgrade:

• Follow the Oracle Applications Developer’s Guide instructions for customizing your system and upgrading your customizations

• Maintain complete documentation for customizations

• Back up customizations before the upgrade

Caution: Customizing any concurrent program definitions, menus, value sets, or other seeded data provided by Oracle Applications is not supported. The upgrade process overwrites these customizations.

Protecting Data in Renamed Files

Because files can be renamed by various people for a variety of reasons, it is good practice to protect them during the upgrade. Therefore, if you have renamed files using the <filename>old, <filename>new, or any other generic designation, rename them before you begin the upgrade to prevent them from being accidentally overwritten.

Customized Help Files

The help files in this release are in HTML format, making them easy to modify using a commercial Web browser or editor. You cannot reapply previously customized help files to your upgraded system. Therefore, it is important that you save the pre-upgrade customized help files as a reference.



Product-specific Considerations

The information in this section applies to specific Applications products in this release. See the Release Content Documents for information about other products that are active in your system.



Cross-Product Functionality

Changes to the products described in this section affect many Oracle Applications products. Your application specialists should be completely familiar with this information and should have made appropriate plans to accommodate the associated changes before you begin the upgrade.

Legal Entity Configurator

The Oracle Legal Entity Configurator is a new module in Release 12. It is populated with data that is migrated from a number of Release 11i sources. Its purpose is to provide a consistent definition of the legal structure of your enterprise and relate it to other structures within Oracle E-Business Suite.

With the Oracle Legal Entity Configurator, you can manage your legal corporate structure and track data from the legal perspective. This enables detailed reporting at the legal entity, establishment, and registration level.

The concept of Legal Entity has an impact on all customers who use the Human Resources model to define legal entities. Legal entities exist as Trading Community Architecture parties with legal information stored in the Legal Entity (XLE) data model. Subsidiaries of the legal entities are defined as establishments, which are also defined as parties with legal information stored in the Legal Entity data model.

GRE/Legal Entity Migration to Legal Entities in Trading Community Architecture

HRMS organizations with a classification of GRE/Legal Entity and with accounting information (for example, Set of Books) assigned are migrated to the new Legal Entity in this release. For each Legal Entity migrated, an Establishment of type (Main Establishment) is created using the same data.

Upgrade Assumptions for Operating Units and Inventory Organizations

HRMS organizations with an operating unit or inventory organization classification are migrated to establishments in the new Legal Entity model. No other classification of organization other than operating unit or inventory organization classification is migrated as establishment.

Country-specific Information

For some countries (such as Argentina, Greece, Korea, Chile, Italy, Colombia, and Taiwan), VAT Registration Number was entered in Release 11i through the Human Resources Define Organization form, or a registration number was entered in country specific setup fields. These values are migrated to the Legal Entity Identifying Jurisdiction Registration Number. If no valid registration numbers exist, a dummy value of Sys + <Sequence number> is upgraded as the registration number and associated with the seeded Identifying Jurisdiction.



Legal Associations

To enable tax calculation based on existing parameters, the association between a GRE/Legal Entity and an operating unit, inventory organization, ship to location, bill to location are migrated. After the upgrade, you must maintain these associations through the Legal Entity Configurator.

Multiple Organizations (Multi-Org)

In this release, Multiple Organizations Access Control (MOAC) has made significant enhancements to the Release 11i Multiple Organizations architecture. If your company has implemented a Shared Services operating model, Multi-Org Access Control allows you to process business transactions more efficiently. You can access, process, and report on data across multiple operating units from a single responsibility without compromising data security or system performance.

Multi-Org Security Profile

The Multi-Org Security Profile allows you to access, process, and report on data for an unlimited number of operating units from a single applications responsibility. To take advantage of Multi-Org Access Control, you should set the following profile options:

• MO: Security Profile: Assign your Security Profile to this profile option for each application responsibility to allow that responsibility to access multiple operating units.

• MO: Default Operating Unit: If the MO: Security Profile is set, then you can assign a default operating unit for defaulting purposes.

The Release 11i MO: Operating Unit profile option setting is preserved, and applies if MO: Security Profile is not set.

Enhanced Cross-organization Reporting

Cross-organization reporting has been enhanced to be more consistent with the new Multi-Org Access Control. You can run reports across multiple operating units that belong to a user’s security profile that share the same ledger. You can also run reports for any operating unit that belongs to a user’s security profile.

Setting Up Operating Units

Setting up operating units is more streamlined with the integration with Accounting Setup Manager, a new feature in General Ledger that centralizes the setup and maintenance of common financial components, such as legal entities, operating units, and ledgers within an accounting setup.

All Release 11i HR Organizations classified as Operating Units are preserved during the upgrade. If operating units are assigned to a set of books, they are associated to a primary ledger in an accounting setup. You can now view all operating units assigned to an upgraded primary ledger using Accounting Setup Manager.



Student System and Student Recruiting

Oracle Student System (IGS) and Oracle Student Recruiting (IGR) are not functional in this release. Customers using IGS and IGR should not upgrade at this time. Upgrades for IGS and IGR will be available in a post-Release 12 update.

Copyright © Oracle, 2009. All rights reserved.

Understanding Oracle R12 Integration Infrastructures Chapter 12 - Page 1

Understanding Oracle R12 Integration Infrastructures Chapter 12



Understanding Oracle R12 Integration Infrastructures

Section Objectives

At the end of this section, you should be able to discuss:

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Adapter for Oracle Applications User's Guide (E10537-01)

• API guides vs. R12 Oracle integration Repository. (note id: 462586.1)

• Where to find the Oracle Integration Repository.

• Introduction to Oracle Integration Repository (from Oracle Integration Repository – User’s guide R12. (B25999-01)

• An example of the Oracle R12 responsibility for Oracle integration.



Adapter for Oracle Applications Features

Overview

Adapter for Oracle Applications enables you to orchestrate discrete data into a meaningful business process and creates WSDL Web services for various interface types within Oracle E-Business Suite. It plays the role of service provider for Oracle E-Business Suite to allow seamless integration between business partners, processes, applications, and end users in heterogeneous environment.

Adapter for Oracle Applications provides the following features that are further discussed in this chapter:

• Support for Various Integration Interface Types.

• Support for Oracle Integration Repository

• Support for Custom Integration Interfaces in Various Versions of Oracle E-Business Suite



Support for Various Integration Interface Types

Adapter for Oracle Applications acts as a highly flexible integration interface for Oracle Applications. The adapter supports the following interface types for integrating with Oracle Applications:

• Oracle XML Gateway − XML Gateway enables bidirectional integration with Oracle Applications. It helps

you to insert and retrieve data from Oracle Applications. XML Gateway is a higher-level interface that exposes OAGIS-formatted XML documents for commonly used Oracle Application business objects and business interfaces. XML Gateway integrates with interface tables, Oracle Workflow Business Event System (BES), and interface views to insert and retrieve data from Oracle Applications. It maps the underlying table data to XML and back.

• Business events − A business event is an occurrence in an internet application that might be significant

to other objects in a system or to external agents. An example of a business event can be the creation of a new sales order or changes to an existing order.

− Oracle Workflow uses the Business Event System that leverages the Oracle Advanced Queuing (AQ) infrastructure to communicate and manage business events between systems. The Business Event System consists of an Event Manager and workflow process event activities. The Event Manager lets you register subscriptions to significant events; event activities representing business events within workflow processes let you model complex business flows or logics within workflow processes.

− When a local event occurs, the subscribing code is executed in the same transaction as the code that raised the event. Subscription processing can include executing custom code on the event information, sending event information to a workflow process, and sending event information to other queues or systems.

• Concurrent programs − Concurrent programs enable you to move data from interface tables to base tables or

execute any application logic.

• Interface tables − Interface tables enable you to insert or update data into Oracle Applications. The

associated concurrent program should be running to move the data from the interface tables to base tables.

• Interface views − Interface views help you to retrieve data from Oracle Applications using the

application tables.

• PL/SQL APIs



− These APIs enable you to insert and update data in Oracle Applications using PL/SQL.

• Oracle e-Commerce (EDI) Gateway − Oracle e-Commerce Gateway provides a common, standards-based approach for

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) integration between Oracle Applications and third party applications.

Please note that Adapter for Oracle Applications also supports the following custom integration interface types that are exposed by the Oracle Applications Module Browser, not by Oracle Integration Repository:

• Customized XML Gateway maps

• Customized PL/SQL APIs

• Customized Business Events

Note: Business events integration interface type is also exposed by Oracle Applications Module Browser, not by Oracle Integration Repository.



Support for Oracle Integration Repository

Oracle Integration Repository, an integral part of Oracle E-Business Suite, is a prebuilt catalog of information about the numerous public integration interfaces delivered with Oracle applications, known as business interfaces. It provides a comprehensive view of the interface mechanisms available for Oracle E-Business Suite's business interfaces. These interfaces are exposed because their definitions were annotated at design time as required by Oracle Integration Repository.

Oracle Integration Repository can only provide information about an integration interface that has been specifically annotated by the developer to make it public. Adapter for Oracle Applications takes advantage of the annotations that have already been created to make the following business interface types visible in the Oracle Applications Module Browser:

• XML Gateway message maps

• PL/SQL APIs

• Concurrent programs

• Open Interface tables

• Interface views

• e-Commerce Gateway EDI messages

These business interfaces are exposed as Web services, and are available for process orchestration through the Oracle BPEL Process Manager.

For more information about Oracle Integration Repository, see Oracle Integration Repository User's Guide. This guide is part of the Oracle Applications documentation library. Oracle Applications documentation can be accessed with the following link:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/applications.html

Support for Custom Integration Interfaces in Various Versions of Oracle E-Business Suite

Adapter for Oracle Applications leverages Integration Repository for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i10 and Release 12 as the source of truth for the integration content. However, the implementation is based on the version of Oracle E-Business Suite. For pre-Release 11i10 instances, Adapter for Oracle Applications connects directly to the application database for information on integration interfaces. Adapter for Oracle Applications also supports selecting custom integration interfaces and the design-time navigation steps to reach to these custom interfaces depending on the following versions of Oracle E-Business Suite:

• Release 12

• Release 11i10



• Pre-Release 11i10 (we will not discuss this topic in our workshop)

Important: Please note that the support for various versions of Oracle E-Business Suite has the following conditions:

• Adapter for Oracle Applications supports only those versions of Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i which work with OWF.G.Rollup 7 applied.

• Adapter for Oracle Applications version 10.1.3.3 onwards supports Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.0.

• To enable the "Native E-Business Suite Connectivity using J2EE Data Sources" feature, the minimum requirement for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i is FND Rollup 6 and for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 is 12.0.4 release. − See "Oracle Fusion Middleware Adapter for Oracle Applications, Release 11g,” My

Oracle Support Knowledge Document 787637.1 for details.

From the business service creation and run-time perspectives, Adapter for Oracle Applications supports customized PL/SQL APIs as far as the packages are available in the APPS schema. The Oracle Applications Module Browser can expose these customized PL/SQL APIs for integration purposes during the design time.

Support for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12

From Release 12, Oracle Integration Repository is shipped as part of the E-Business Suite which enables Adapter for Oracle Applications to directly connect to the live database of Oracle Integration Repository querying for the public interfaces and then displaying the list of customized PL/SQL APIs under the Other Interfaces node in the Oracle Applications Module Browser.



Supporting Custom Integration Interfaces in Release 12

Please note that Adapter for Oracle Applications allows you to extract the Integration Repository data file from the live database you connect to Oracle Applications and create a local copy of the Integration Repository in your workplace. Next time when you look for public interfaces, the system can retrieve data from the cache backend connection in your workplace.

For detailed information about connecting to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12, please refer to the Creating a Partner Link or Adding a Partner Link design-time task for each integration interface.

Support for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i10

To support the Release 11i10 version of Oracle E-Business Suite, Adapter for Oracle Applications provides the Integration Repository data file bundled as part of the product in xml format. At the design time, Adapter for Oracle Applications queries public interfaces from the native XML data file of the Integration Repository located in the Adapter and displays the list of custom integration interfaces under the Other Interfaces node in the Oracle Applications Module Browser.



Supporting Custom Integration Interfaces in Release 11i10

The publishing of API guides is being phased out for many modules with the availability of the Integration Repository. We have come up with something much better in R12 via the Oracle Integration Repository.

Goal

Cannot find product specific Oracle® R12 API documentation

Where to find the updated documentation for R12?

Solution

The publishing of API guides is being phased out for many modules with the availability of the Integration Repository. We have come up with something much better in R12 via the Oracle® Integration Repository.

Oracle® Integration Repository, an integral part of Oracle E-Business Suite, is a compilation of information about the numerous interface endpoints exposed by Oracle applications. It provides a complete catalog of Oracle E-Business Suite's business interfaces, and a comprehensive view of the interface mechanisms available. You can use this tool to easily discover and deploy the appropriate business interface from the catalog for integration with any system, application, or business partner.



Features

• A unified repository from which all integration interface types are exposed

• Updates are automated and documented

• Catalog is searchable on keywords and navigable by product family

• A powerful user interface to help you find the data you are looking for from the repository

Accessing Oracle Integration Repository

You can invoke the repository like any other Oracle E-Business Suite application, provided that you are logged in as a user with sufficient permissions, such as sysadmin. From the Navigator menu, select the Integration Repository responsibility, and then click the Integration Repository link that appears.

Oracle Integration Repository has two main user interfaces:

• Browse interface ( default)

• Search interface

Note: With appropriate registration, you can also use Oracle's hosted instance of Integration Repository [http://irep.oracle.com/]

Please review at the Oracle® Integration Repository User's Guide Release 12 Part No. B25999-01 from the R12 documentation Library page for more information.

To find the latest information about iRep please go to: http://irep.oracle.com/index.html



Oracle Integration Repository Overview

An important element of the Oracle E-Business Suite of applications is the ability to access an individual application through a business interface. A business interface is a collection of functions provided for transferring data from one computerized system to another to achieve a specific goal. An Oracle application might include one or more business interfaces, which enable you to use other Oracle software or third party programs to transfer data to or from the application, or to invoke some aspect of the application's functionality.

Interfaces can be used from application-to-application (A2A), or from business-to-business (B2B) - for example, a purchase order acknowledgement interface receives an acknowledgement from a trading partner in response to an outbound purchase order request or change - a B2B transaction.

Oracle business interfaces are built using a variety of technologies, with each technology appropriate to different environments and tasks. These constitute the available interface types. For example, one interface type is the Java service interface.

Oracle® Integration Repository, an integral part of Oracle E-Business Suite, is a compilation of information about the numerous interface endpoints exposed by Oracle applications. It provides a complete catalog of Oracle E-Business Suite's business interfaces, and a comprehensive view of the interface mechanisms available. You can use this tool to easily discover and deploy the appropriate business interface from the catalog for integration with any system, application, or business partner.

Features

• A unified repository from which all integration interface types are exposed

• Updates are automated and documented

• Catalog is searchable on keywords and navigable by product family

• A powerful user interface to help you find the data you are looking for from the repository

Getting Started

Accessing Oracle Integration Repository

You can invoke the repository like any other Oracle E-Business Suite application, provided that you are logged in as a user with sufficient permissions, such as sysadmin. From the Navigator menu, select the Integration Repository responsibility, then click the Integration Repository link that appears.



Note: With appropriate registration, you can also use Oracle's hosted instance of Integration Repository [http://irep.oracle.com/]. Oracle Integration Repository has two main user interfaces: The Browse interface, page 2-1 (the default) and the 'Search interface, page 2-3.

Using Oracle Integration Repository

Following are links to some of the commonly requested information about using Oracle Integration Repository:

• Included interface types,

• Integration standards

• Searching for a specific interface

• Information included for each interface

Related Information

The integration repository is linked to the Oracle E-Business Suite Applications Help Library.

Here’s an example of the Oracle R12 responsibility for Oracle integration


Replacing Old Oracle Developer Tools Chapter 13 - Page 1

Replacing Old Oracle Developer Tools Chapter 13



Replacing Old Oracle Developer Tools

Section Objectives


• Discuss Old Oracle Developer Tools



Replacing Old Oracle Developer Tools

Class trainer

Ownership

The class trainer is responsible for ensuring this document is necessary, reflects actual practice, and supports corporate policy.

Section Objectives


• DB and ORA Directories (old version information)

• Example of Oracle developer 6i form tools

• Example of Oracle developer Oracle Reports 6i

• Notable features on Release 12 replacing on Release 11i:



DB and ORA Directories

Oracle Applications supports employing an Applications database of one version, while linking Applications programs using the tools from a second or third version of the database. This multiple ORACLE_HOMEs configuration allows new features of the database to be supported, while maintaining compatibility with earlier releases.

Release 11i utilizes three ORACLE_HOMEs: • The 9.2.0 ORACLE_HOME (Applications database home) is located in the

<dbname>DB directory. It contains the files needed for running and maintaining the Oracle Applications database.

• The 8.0.6 directory contains the ORACLE_HOME for the Developer 6i products (Forms, Reports, and Graphics). The product libraries in the 8.0.6 ORACLE_HOME are used to relink Oracle Applications executables.

• The iAS directory, also under the <dbname>ORA, contains the ORACLE_HOME for Oracle9i Application Server. Oracle E-Business Suite is always certified with database server patchsets (minor maintenance releases). For example, an E-Business Suite release that is certified with the Oracle9i Release 2 database will also be certified with database patchset 9.2.0.5.



Example of Oracle developer 6i form tools

Oracle Apps 11i: Template Form in Oracle Apps 11i This document provides an overview of the template form. This form derives its importance from the fact that this form is the starting point of all development involving forms. The document highlights the importance of Template.fmb in forms development and also provides a detailed explanation of the various components of the Template form.

Figure -1 Template.fmb

Overview of the Template Form

The TEMPLATE form is the starting point for all development of new forms. The first step in creating a form for use in Oracle Applications is to copy the template form from $AU_TOP/forms/US, to a local directory and renaming it.

Oracle Apps 11i Tutorials: Creating New Forms

This document describes the process of creating new forms in oracle applications. In this tutorial we will discuss about Creation of new Block.



Template.fmb

Download the template.fmb from your oracle applications server. Open template.fmb through forms builder.

You will see the following screen:

Creation of new Block: Click on Data Blocks and select + icon on the left toolbar. You will get following pop up window.



1. Click on OK button and you will see following screen.

2. Click on next button and you will see following screen



3. Base your block on table, Click next and you will see following screen

4. Give the table name on which you want to base your block. Columns of that table will appear in Available Columns Section. Click on >> button to move the columns from Available columns section to Database items.



5. Click next, you will see following screen


Choose the first option to create the form layout through database block wizard. Click Finish, you will see following screen.




8. Choose a new canvas or any of the existing content canvas. Click Next, you will see following screen.



9. Move the items which you want to display on the canvas to the list of displayed items. Click Next, you will see following screen.



10. You can change the width and height of the displayed items through above window. Click Next, you will see following screen.

11. Click Next, you will see following screen.



12. Click Finish button and you will see following screen.

13. Enter the name of the frame and number of records you want to show in the block. Click Finish and the database block are complete with the layout.

14. Open the layout editor to check the canvas and items.



15. Change the First Navigation Block property in the form to test_detail_block

16. Save the form. Transfer the fmb file to $AU_TOP/forms/US on oracle applications unix server.

17. Compile the form using following command: f60gen @



Example of Oracle developer Oracle Reports 6i

Introduction to Oracle Reports Builder

Oracle Reports Builder is a powerful enterprise-reporting tool used to build reports that dynamically retrieve data from the database, format, display and print quality reports. Reports can be stored in File or Database (Report Builder Tables).

Report file storage formats

• .rdf Report − Binary File Full report definition (includes source code and comments) − Modifiable through Builder. Binary, executable Portable if transferred as binary. − PL/SQL recompiles on Open/Run

• rep Report − Binary Run-Only File − No source code or comments. Not modifiable binary, executable. − Report Executables

• RWBLD60 Report Builder − RWRUN60 Report Runtime − RWCON60 Report Converter/Compiler [File => Administration => Compile (rdf to

rep)/Convert]

Oracle Reports Builder Tools

• Oracle Reports Builder comes with the following components − Object Navigator − Property Palette − Data Model Editor − Layout Model Editor − Parameter Form Editor

Object Navigator

The Object Navigator shows a hierarchical view of objects in the report. Each item listed is called a node and represents an object or type of object the report can contain or reference.

Property Palette

A Property Palette is a window that displays the settings for defining an Oracle reports object.



Data Model Editor

To specify data for a report, a data model should be defined. A data model is composed of some or all of the following data definition objects.

Queries

Queries are SQL Select statements that fetch data from the oracle database. These statements are fired each time the report is run.

Groups

Groups determine the hierarchy of data appearing in the report and are primarily used to group columns selected in the query. Oracle report automatically creates a group for each query.

Data Columns

Data columns contain the data values for a report. Default data columns, corresponding to the table columns included in each query’s SELECT list are automatically created by oracle reports. Each column is placed in the group associated with the query that selected the column.

Formula Columns

Formulas can be entered in formula columns to create computed columns. Formulas can be written using PL/SQL syntax. Formula columns are generally preceded by CF_ to distinguish from other columns.

Summary Columns

Summary columns are used for calculating summary information like sum, average etc. This column uses a set of predefined oracle aggregate functions. Summary columns are generally preceded by CS_ to distinguish them from other columns.

Data Links

Data links are used to establish parent-child relationships between queries and groups via column matching.

Layout Model Editor

A report layout editor contains the following layout objects

Frames

Frames surround other layout objects, enabling control of multiple objects simultaneously

Repeating Frames

Repeating frames acts as placeholders for groups (I.e repeating values) and present rows of data retrieved from the database. Repeating frames repeat as often as the number of rows retrieved.



Fields

Fields acts as placeholders for columns values. They define the formatting attributes for all columns displayed in the report.

Boilerplate

Boilerplate consists of text (label of the column) and graphics that appear in a report each time it is run.

Parameter Form Editor

Parameter form is a runtime form used to accept inputs from the user.

Parameters

Parameters are variables for a report that accept input from the user at runtime. These parameter values can then be used in the SQL select statements to retrieve data conditionally. Oracle reports creates a set of system parameters at runtime namely report destination type, number of copies etc.

Report Wizard

• When we create a default Tabular Report using report wizard, the wizard will take you through the below mentioned pages

• Report Style Tabular, Form-Like, Mailing Label, Form Letter, Group Left, Group Above, Matrix, Matrix with Group

• Query Type Choose whether to build a SQL query or an Express query.

• Data Enter a SELECT statement to retrieve the report data

• Displayed Fields Select the fields that you want to display in the output.

• Fields to Total Select the fields that you want to summarize.

• Labels for Fields Alter the labels that appear for each field and the width of each field.

• Template Select the template that you want to use for this report. A template contains standard information such as company logo, date, and so on.

Note: The above steps are different for each report style. − Group Left & Have an additional page: ‘Groups’ − Group Above styles − Matrix Reports styles Have 3 additional pages: ‘Matrix Rows’ ‘Columns’ ‘Cells’ − Mailing Label & Have 4 pages: ‘Report Style’ ‘Data’ − Form Letter styles ‘Text’ ‘Template’



The difference between Mailing Labels and Form Letters is the following: Mailing Label shows multiple records on one page while Form Letter shows one record on each page.



Notable features on Release 12 replacing on Release 11i

• The Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1.0.7) ORACLE_HOME replaces the 10g Release 2 (10.2) Oracle9i ORACLE_HOME used in Release 11i.

• The Oracle Application Server 10.1.2 ORACLE_HOME (sometimes referred to as the Tools, C, or Developer ORACLE_HOME) replaces the 8.0.6 ORACLE_HOME provided by Oracle9i Application Server 1.0.2.2.2 in Release 11i.

• The Oracle Application Server 10.1.3 ORACLE_HOME (sometimes referred to as the Web or Java ORACLE_HOME) replaces the 8.1.7-based ORACLE_HOME provided by Oracle9i Application Server 1.0.2.2.2 in Release 11i.

Developer 6i Patch 19 was the latest Oracle developer tool (as January 10th, 2010) this includes Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports, while Oracle Designer 6i version was Release 4.11 for EBS R11i.

Upgrading Developer 6i with Oracle E-Business Suite 11i (Metalink Note 125767.1)

http://oracle-apps-dba.blogspot.com/2008/08/developer-6i-patch-set-19-upgrade-with.html


Post Upgrade Tasks Chapter 14 - Page 1

Post Upgrade Tasks Chapter 14



Post Upgrade Tasks

Section Objectives


• Discuss Post Upgrade Tasks



Applications Technology

Tasks

Complete the tasks in this section before you complete the product-specific tasks.

System Administration

These tasks pertain to all users regardless of the products that are active in your system.

Step 1: Verify completion of concurrent programs (recommended)

The upgrade process creates numerous concurrent program requests. Once you bring up the application tier, these programs run automatically to complete tasks such as data cleanup and upgrades to historical data, among others. You can run these programs in the background, while your system is up and running and users are active, unless otherwise instructed in the product-specific sections of this book.

Before you continue, be sure all the concurrent programs generated by the upgrade have run successfully. In the Required Post Upgrade Jobs section of E-Business Suite Release 12 Upgrade Sizing and Best Practices (Doc ID: 399362.1), you will find a list of the distinct concurrent programs included in the upgrade process. The Best Practices section includes a recommendation on how to isolate these programs (and all their executions) into a separate concurrent manager queue, which you can use for processing.

Step 2: Install online help (recommended)


To install the American English online help, run the database portion of the online help patch (u6530400.drv). It is located in $AU_TOP/patch/115/driver directory. Set the AutoPatch options=hotpatch,nocopyportion,nogenerateportion.

If you have languages other than American English registered in your system, download and apply the NLS version of the online help patch for each active language. Follow the instructions in the Post-installation Tasks section of the Oracle Applications NLS Release Notes, Release 12.0.4 (Doc ID: 550206.1).

Step 3: Update/verify custom responsibilities (conditional)

Verify that all custom responsibilities use the correct menu. From the System Administrator responsibility, navigate to Security > Responsibilities. Query each custom responsibility and update as necessary.

Step 4: Migrate custom development to new technologies (recommended)




In this release, Oracle Applications is migrating to new technologies in certain areas. If you have built custom development on the out-dated technologies, you should migrate to the new technologies as part of the upgrade.

If you have custom development on mod_plsql, migrate your web pages to Oracle Application Framework.

mod_plsql:



Oracle Reports Server

Reports

If you have custom development that uses reports that are run through Oracle Reports Server, the following migration alternatives are available.

Oracle Graphics Integrations with Oracle Forms

If you have custom development that uses Oracle Graphics (Charting) integrated with Oracle Forms, the following alternatives are available.

AK Mode

Personalizations

Personalized Oracle Applications Framework-based pages in the AK repository, are automatically migrated from AK to MDS during the upgrade — if the AK and MDS repositories are in the same database instance.

The upgrade does not automatically migrate custom personalizations if the AK and MDS repositories are in separate instances. In this case, you must run the Personalization Migration tool manually to perform the migration.

• AK/ICX Web Inquiries

If you have previously used AK/ICX Web Inquiries, use the Oracle Application Framework Search feature to recreate search regions that can be personalized.

Step 5: Migrate the CUSTOM library (conditional)

Before you copy custom code in the CUSTOM library to the new directory structure, refer to the backup you previously created and verify that the customizations are valid for the new version of Oracle Applications.

For valid customizations, place a copy of the new CUSTOM library (CUSTOM.pll) in a safe place. It is located in the $AU_TOP/resource directory (UNIX), or the %AU_TOP%\resource directory (Windows). Then, make a copy of the old Oracle Forms CUSTOM library and place it in the new directory. Upgrade to Oracle Forms Developer 10g by regenerating the library. Alternatively, you can cut and paste the existing custom code into the new library, and then regenerate it.

Step 6: Copy and re-customize modified scripts or reports (conditional)

Copy custom shell scripts or reports to the custom application directories and re-customize the copy as necessary.

Additional Information: See Product Customization Standards in Oracle Applications Developer’s Guide.



Step 7: Copy existing custom start scripts (conditional)

If you have customized the concurrent manager startup script (startmgr), copy the script from the old environment to the new environment. Then, verify that the customizations are valid for the new environment.

Step 8: Review user responsibility assignments (recommended)


Although user/responsibility assignments are preserved during the upgrade, the effective permissions granted by the seeded responsibilities, menus, functions, and report security groups might have changed. Use the information on the Forms or Security reports in the System Administrator responsibility to confirm that permissions granted by responsibilities continue to meet the requirements of the job roles (without granting more privileges than are necessary).



Alerts

These tasks apply to Oracle Alerts.

Step 1: Associate organization names with custom Alert definitions (conditional)

Manually update custom alerts that you want to assign to a particular organization:

1. As the Alerts Manager, navigate to the Alerts form (Alert > Define) and query the definition.

2. Choose Alert Details, then display the Installations tabbed region in the Alert Details window.

3. Enter the ORACLE ID and organization name that you want to run this alert against.

4. Make sure you check Enabled before saving the changes.



Multiple Organizations

These tasks apply to Multiple Organizations for Oracle Applications.

Step 1: Set operating unit mode for customizations (conditional)

With the introduction of multiple organizations In this release, an applications

responsibility can access multiple operating units. Some concurrent programs have been enhanced to be able to process multiple operating units simultaneously, whereas for most others, the operating unit must be specified when you run the program.

To support this new functionality, concurrent programs are defined with an operating unit mode of S for single operating unit or M for multiple operating units. This mode is set automatically during the upgrade.

However, if you have modified the definition for any concurrent programs, the upgrade will not set the operating unit mode in order to preserve the customization. Depending on how you run the customized program, you may need to set the operating unit mode manually.

1. Run the following SQL command to set a concurrent program for a single operating unit:

2. Enter M instead of S for multiple operating units.

3. If you want to know which setting is appropriate for a given program, you may review the setting in the appropriate .ldt file.

UPDATE FIND_CONCURRENT PROGRAMS SET MULTI_ORG_CATEGORY=’S’WHERE CONCURRENT_PROGRAM_NAME = ’<your program name>’



Report Manager

Report Manager Release FRM.G changed the database location of reports and security rules. To migrate your data to the new location, perform the tasks in this section.

Step 1: Assign the Report Manager Data Migration Program to a request group (required)


Add the concurrent program Data Migration Program (Application: Report Manager) to a request group. See the Oracle Applications System Administrator’s Guide — Configuration if you need more information.

Step 2: Run the Data Migration Program


The data migration program moves your existing user to value security rules and published reports to the new schema. It also updates existing form functions to point to the new report locations.



Web ADI

These steps apply to Web ADI and to products that use Web ADI to generate spreadsheets.

Step 1: Recreate existing spreadsheets (conditional)


Spreadsheets created in previous versions of Web ADI do not interact with Oracle Applications products after the upgrade. You must replace existing spreadsheets with ones that you create using the new technology stack. Follow the procedures in your product-specific documentation to create the new spreadsheets.



Workflow

These steps apply only to Oracle Workflow.

Step 1: Update Status Monitor URLs (required)


Oracle Workflow provides URL access to the Status Monitor through the Application Framework Agent, rather than through the PL/SQL Web agent used in Release 11i. Run the Workflow Plsql Cartridge Dependency Removal From Data concurrent program to update the Status Monitor URLs that appear in existing workflow attribute values to the new Web agent structure. The program updates item attribute values for active workflow processes and message attribute values for open notifications.

Step 2: Synchronize Product License and Workflow BES license status (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: 11.5.8TUMS step key: N/A

If you upgrade from an Oracle Applications release earlier than Release 11.5.9, run the Synchronize Product License and Workflow BES License (FNDWFLIC) concurrent program after the upgrade. It updates the license status of the existing events and subscriptions in your Event Manager so that Oracle Workflow can automatically update the license status for relevant events and subscriptions if you subsequently license another product.

Customer Relationship Management Tasks

Complete the tasks in this section before you allow users to use Oracle Customer Relationship Management (CRM) products.

Email Center

These tasks apply only to Oracle Email Center.

Step 1: Migrate Email Center data (recommended)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: IEM_PROD_CHK

You can migrate Email Center data to the new architecture in two phases: live messages and historical messages. To accommodate the migration, a set of migration tools is delivered with Email Center in this release. They consist of a Download Processor, concurrent programs, and a Migration Console.

If you opt to perform the data migration, which includes both configuration and email data, these tools are available to help with this process. Before you launch the migration process, you must:

• Stop the Email Server middle-tier process (IMAP, Postman, and so on)



• Stop or cancel pending Email Center concurrent requests

• Stop all Apache servers

• Log out of Email Center while the data migration is running

• Make sure there are no live messages in the pre-processing queue or pending outbound requests for the Outbox Processor. The migration tools check for these conditions and display the data on the Migration Console.



Sales and Telesales

These tasks apply only to Oracle Sales and Telesales.

Step 1: Run concurrent programs (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: AS_DENORM_CP_CHK

Perform the following steps to update and refresh the AS_ACCESSES_ALL and AS_SALES_CREDITS_DENORM tables:

1. From the Oracle Sales Administrator responsibility, navigate to Concurrent Requests > Run.

2. Run the "Update as_accesses_all denorm flag" request set.

3. Run the "Refresh of as_sales_credits_denorm" concurrent program.

Step 2: Migrate Sales methodologies for opportunities (required – application specialist)


This step must be performed by the Sales and Telesales application specialist before you allow users to log on.

This release requires you to set a sales methodology if a sales stage is specified in an opportunity. Once specified, you cannot change to any other sales methodology. To avoid errors and improper migration, your application specialist must follow the instructions in the "Migrate Sales Methodologies for Opportunities" section of Sales and Telesales in Appendix G, "Upgrade by Request" of the Oracle Applications Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.0.04, Part No. E12011-02..

Step 3: Migrate Sales credits (required – application specialist)


This step must be performed by the Sales and Telesales application specialist before you allow users to log on.

In this release, only one sales person per opportunity line receives the entire revenue credits for that line. The Release 11i Sales feature that allowed multiple sales people to receive credits on a single opportunity line is obsolete.

Before you can use the upgraded Sales and Telesales products, your application specialist must follow the instructions in the "Migrate Sales Credits" section of Sales and Telesales in Appendix G, "Upgrade by Request" of the Oracle Applications Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.0.04, Part No. E12011-02..



Financials for India

These tasks apply only to Oracle Financials for India.

Step 1: Apply custom logic for Projects functionality (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: JAI_CHECK_PA_CUST

In this release, Oracle Financials for India (JAI) supports a Projects Costing/Billing solution, which includes a custom version of the Projects commitment view and creates a pre-processing extension registration in the transaction source definition for Purchase Receipts. Because this custom logic applies only to customers who want to use the Projects functionality provided by JAI, the customized files are released as a standalone patch (6278479).

Refer to the following table to determine whether to apply this patch to your system:



Internet Expenses

These tasks apply only to Oracle Internet Expenses.

Step 1: Ensure that document categories have valid sequences (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: OIE_DOC_SEQUENCE_CHECK

Internet Expenses creates employee invoices using the document category Expense Report Invoices (EXP REP INV). You should ensure that a valid sequence is assigned to this document category.

In addition, Internet Expenses no longer creates credit card provider invoices using the document category Mixed Invoices (MIX INV). Instead, it uses the Payment Request (PAY REQ INV) document category. You should ensure that a valid sequence is assigned to the Payment Request (PAY REQ INV) document category as well.



Payments

These tasks apply only to Oracle Payments (renamed from iPayments in Release 11i).

Step 1: Enter encryption key for Payments (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: IBY_WALLET_SETUP

If you used Oracle Applications Credit Card Encryption in Release 11i, enter the same value you used for your system security key (also known as private key) in the Oracle Wallet Manager configuration. Then, complete the encryption setup on the System Security Options page. You must complete this setup before you begin any payment processing or new transactions will fail.

Step 2: Complete payment profile options for Netherlands (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: IBY_PMT_FILE_FORMAT_NL

If you used global descriptive flexfields to control payment file formatting in Release 11i, edit the Oracle Payments EFT payment format template to pass required EFT values or create the values as a bank instruction on the Payment Process Profile in Oracle Payments.

You must complete this task before you begin any invoice or payment processing. If it is not complete, you cannot track the required attributes for your transactions.

Step 3: Complete Danish payment means and channels (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: IBY_PMT_MEANS_DK

If you used global descriptive flexfields to control payment means and channels in Release 11i, edit the Oracle Payments Danish payment format template to pass payment means and payment channel information before you begin any invoice or payment processing. Also, enter required payment validations for each payment method (migrated from payment categories) in Oracle Payments.

You must complete this task before you can track the required attributes for your transactions.

Step 4: Complete remittance advice controls for Italy (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: IBY_REMIT_ADV_CONTROL_IT

If you used global descriptive flexfields to control the remittance advice controls (Profile Option for Company Details) for Italy in Release 11i, edit the Oracle Payments EFT payment format template to control whether the company details are printed.

If you do not complete this task before you begin any invoice or payment processing, you cannot track the required attributes for your transactions.



Human Resources Tasks

Complete the tasks in this section before you allow users to log on to Human Resources Management products.

Step 1: Apply latest HRMS Legislative Updates (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PER_HRGLOBAL

To maintain required legislative compliance, you must apply all legislative data updates. The updates are maintained regularly to be in line with government- and country-specific legal requirements. See the latest HRMS (HR Global) Legislative Data Patch (Doc ID: 145837.1) for information and instructions on how to ensure that your system is up to date.

Step 2: Verify Labor Distribution tables (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PSP_TASKS

If you currently use Oracle Labor Distribution and have not previously applied HRMS Family Pack H (or later), there may be Labor Distribution tables that contain invalid data. Run the concurrent program PSP: Post Upgrade Bad Data Report from the Labor Distribution Superuser responsibility to determine whether any Labor Distribution tables have invalid data.

The report lists the Labor Distribution tables where the Human Resources Management business group and GL set of books could not be updated. You cannot access these records through the application itself. To help identify the records, the report process marks each one that could not be updated with a value of -999.

Perform the actions indicated, and re-run the report until no further action messages are reported.

Step 3: Re-seed custom salary components (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PER_HRU_SAL_PROPOSALS

If you previously created customized salary components (as described in Oracle Human Resources Management Systems Implementation Guide Release 11i), you may need to re-run the associated SQL script to re-seed custom salary components. You can determine if this action is necessary by referring to the Release 12 version of the implementation guide to ensure that your customizations in the salary component area are re-implemented as expected.

Step 4: Migrate Training Administration to Learning Management (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: OTA_DATA_MIG_REP

The upgrade automatically updates Oracle Training Administration to enable new functionality and changes the product name to Learning Management. During the upgrade, a concurrent request was submitted to determine what further action is required. See Guide to the OTA Classic Upgrade Report (Doc ID: 269571.1) for a description.



If you currently use the integration between OTA and Oracle iLearning, follow the instructions in OTA-iLearning Integration Migration to Oracle Learning Management (OLM) (Doc ID: 271719.1).

Step 5: Complete HRMS Configuration Workbench Setup (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PER_RIW_WINRUNNER

If you currently use HRMS Configuration Workbench with Winrunner, you need to apply an additional patch (5441645), which contains updated Winrunner files for this release. The patch readme describes how to apply the patch and any post-patch verification checks that may be necessary.

Step 6: Verify Time Zone conversion for Learning Management (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: OTA_TIMEZONE_CONV

OTA.J.Rollup.1 and Release 12 include the Time Zone conversion for Oracle Learning Management upgrade. It requires you to examine the Update Time Zone concurrent manager log file that is automatically generated during the upgrade process. For additional information, or if you encounter any errors, follow the instructions in Guide to the Time Zone Update (Doc ID: 371179.1).

Step 7: Check downtime reduction report (recommended)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PER_ R12_DTR

Log on as System Administrator and submit the Data Update Process Status Report concurrent request. It identifies a number of data update tasks, which may run for an extended period of time if you have a large volume of data that requires manipulation.

Examples of some updates that run during the upgrade (and are present in the downtime reduction report) include:

• Unmerge contacts from TCA (Doc ID: 279449.1)

• PSP: Migrate to OAFramework Effort Reporting (Doc ID: 302304.1)

Step 8: Migrate stored names to new and revised formats (required)

Applies to 11i release level: Earlier than Family Pack KTUMS step key:

Family Pack K supplies definitions of standard person-name formats to define the structure of person names. You can use this feature to:

• Define the format of the Full Name that appears in the HRMS forms-based interface (for example, in the Find Person window)

• Change other supplied formats (Display Name and List Name) for use in custom code



• Define your own name formats for use in custom code

If you upgrade from an Oracle Applications release earlier than Oracle HRMS Family Pack K, you must run the Update Person Names concurrent program to update stored person names in the specified legislation or in all business groups. If you do not, HRMS does not populate or update stored person names. Therefore, names may be null or appear in an unexpected format.



Approvals Management

These tasks apply only to Oracle Approvals Management.

Step 1 - Attach new responsibilities to existing users for AME (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: AME_NEW_RESP

After the upgrade, you must migrate new responsibilities to existing Approvals Management Engine (AME) users. From the System Administrator responsibility, attach the Approvals Management Post-Upgrade Process concurrent program to the System Administrator Reports request group. Then, run the concurrent program to attach the new responsibilities.



Payroll

These tasks apply only to Oracle Payroll.

Step 1: Install or update Vertex for Payroll (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PAY_VERTEX

Oracle Payroll uses the Vertex Quantum Payroll Tax Series in the United States and Canada. The HRMS data in this release contains version 2.7 of this 3rd-party product. If you run Oracle Payroll in the United States or Canada, see the information about advanced configuration steps allowed by Payroll, and the information about installing or updating the Vertex software, in Installing Quantum for Oracle Payroll (Doc ID: 224273.1).

Step 2: Run the QuickPay Exclusions Data Upgrade process (recommended)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PAY_QUICK_EXCL_UPG

If you have not previously run the QuickPay Exclusions Data Upgrade process, you should do so now. From the System Administrator responsibility, run the Generic Upgrade Mechanism concurrent program from the Processes and Reports menu. It

accepts a single parameter (the name of the data update process to be executed). Set the parameter to QuickPay Exclusions Table Upgrade.

Step 3: Create translated Database Item names for Japanese Localizations (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PAY_QUICK_EXCL_UPG_JP

If you currently use, or plan to use, Oracle Payroll in an NLS environment, apply the consolidated hrglobal translation patch to deliver translated names for Element Types, Element Input Values, Balance Types, Balance Dimensions, and Global Values. Then, run the Generate Payroll Dynamic Database Item Translations concurrent program and check the log file for errors.

This program invalidates Customers’ Formulas if they contain variables whose names clash with the new Database Item names. Any invalidated Formulas are listed in the concurrent program log. You must correct and re-compile them before they can be used. If a seeded Formula contains a variable whose name clashes with a new Database Item name, that new name will not be applied in order to maintain seed data consistency.

When running the concurrent program, selecting Yes for the parameters Element Types, Element Input Values, and Balances causes translated Database Items to be created using the corresponding translations. Select Yes for the Localization parameter only if you run payrolls for countries that provide localized database item translation code (see New and Changed Components section of the About Doc for each country). If you select No for all parameters, the program logs any errors for Global Value translated Database Items.



Step 4: Compile Japanese flexfields after generating messages (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PAY_COMPILE_FLEX_JP

A number of the Japanese Flexfields have value sets with translated prompts for some of the Quickpick columns. These values must be seeded in the NLS language for the flexfield to compile cleanly. The seeding occurs when the messages are compiled. You may see some Japanese flexfields that appear as invalid. Resolve this issue by using AD Administration first to generate messages, and then to re-generate flexfields that failed to cleanly compile.

Step 5: Enable Subledger Accounting (SLA) (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PAY_ENABLE_SLA

If you intend to enable Subledger Accounting for Oracle HRMS in the first available version of Release 12, you must perform a manual upgrade sequence to support your transfers to SLA. The manual sequence includes these steps:

1. Set up Journal Line Definitions

2. Set up the Application Accounting Definition

3. Set up the Method for each chart of accounts

This manual upgrade sequence is required only for the current Release 12 software. However, an automated version is planned for a future release. When it is made available, the manual upgrade sequence will not be necessary.

See Performing a Manual Upgrade to Enable Subledger Accounting (SLA) for Oracle HRMS Release 12 (Doc ID: 399632.1) for details about releases that require you to run the upgrade sequence manually.



Intelligence Tasks

Complete the tasks in this section before users log on to Oracle Intelligence products.

Step 1: Perform additional steps for Embedded Data Warehouse (required)


This release includes Embedded Data Warehouse (EDW) Release 4.3, which requires post-installation steps to complete the implementation. See the Oracle Embedded Data Warehouse Install Guide (A90299-05) for instructions.

Step 2: Perform additional steps for End User Layer (conditional)


This release supports the use of Discoverer 10g (10.1.2.0.2) End User Layer (EUL). If you are using any of the following products, you must implement Discoverer EUL.

If you are a new Discoverer EUL customer, proceed to the implementation steps. If you are an existing Discoverer 4.1 customer, you must upgrade to Discoverer 10g. See Using Discoverer 10g with Oracle Applications R12 (Doc ID: 373634.1) for instructions.

Step 3: Perform additional Daily Business Intelligence steps (required)


This release includes Daily Business Intelligence Release 8.0. See the Oracle Daily Business Intelligence Implementation Guide for information.

Step 4: Perform additional Balanced Scorecard steps (required)


This release includes Balanced Scorecard Release 5.0. See the Oracle Balanced Scorecard Install Guide for information.



Daily Business Intelligence – Marketing

These tasks apply only to Oracle Daily Business Intelligence for Marketing.

Step 1: Verify Initial Load, Incremental, and Dashboard reports (recommended)


To verify your upgraded data, make sure you can complete a request set for Initial Load and Incremental without any errors. In addition, all Dashboard reports and links should be accessible.



Daily Business Intelligence – Sales

These tasks apply only to Oracle Daily Business Intelligence for Sales.

Step 1: Run Initial Request Set (required)


Set the BIL: Oracle Sales Implementation Date (mm/dd/yyyy) profile option to the date on which Oracle Sales is installed.

Then, from the Daily Business Intelligence Administrator responsibility, click Run Request Sets from the Data Summarization portion of the screen. From the pop-up window, select Request Set. Search for the Sales initial request set and click Submit.

The request set must run without any errors.

Step 2: Verify Initial Load, Incremental, and Dashboard reports (recommended)


To verify your upgraded data, make sure you can complete an Initial Load request set without any errors. In addition, all Dashboard reports and links should be accessible.

Projects Tasks Complete the tasks in this section before users log on to Oracle Projects products.



Property Manager

These tasks apply only to Oracle Property Manager.

Step 1: Create accounts distribution for leases (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: PN_CREATE_ACCT_DIST_LEASE

If a lease with normalized payment terms does not contain a liability and accrued liability account or normalized billing terms, create an accounts distribution. Navigate to View > Requests > Submit a new request > Create Accounts Distribution. Supply the following information:

• Lease Class: Create accounts distributions for revenue leases, expense leases, or subleases

• Lease Number range: Range of leases for which you want to create the accounts distribution

• Location Code range: Location or a range of locations if you want to create accounts distributions for leases with tenancies for the specified location range

• Account information: Appropriate Receivable, Accrued Asset, Liability, and Accrued Liability accounts depending on whether you are creating an accounts distribution for expense leases, or revenue leases and subleases



Mobile Applications

These tasks apply only to Oracle Mobile Applications.

Step 1: Review MWA Server Administration task changes (required)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: MWA_SERV_ADMIN

The Mobile Applications (MWA) Server administration configurations, command scripts, and security enhancements for the command scripts used to manage mobile server startup and shutdown Services are in a new location. Also, MWA Services can be managed using the Oracle Applications Manager (OAM) AutoConfig utility. See Oracle Mobile Wireless Application: Release 12 Server Procedure Changes (Doc ID: 394495.1) for more information.



Mobile Field Service

These tasks apply only to Oracle Mobile Field Service.

Step 1: Migrate to the new Mobile Field Service application (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: CSM_SYNC_DATA_POST

Oracle Mobile Field Service has been redesigned for this release. If you use this product, complete the steps described in Oracle Mobile Field Service Post-upgrade Instructions for Oracle Applications Release 12 (Doc ID: 386682.1).



Process Manufacturing

These tasks apply only to Oracle Process Manufacturing.

Step 1: Complete Inventory Convergence for OPM (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: GMA_INV_CONVERGENCE

If you do not have OPM enabled in your system, you can omit this step.

Perform the following steps in the order listed. Complete all the steps before you proceed to the next task.

1. Review and correct migration error messages (all releases)

Use the View Migration Log user interface that is available in OPM System Administration to view the messages. You must correct all errors before you proceed to the next step.

2. Run transformation migrations for OPM data (all releases)

Apply patch 6677022 to your Release 12.0.4 APPL_TOP. It runs the following migrations:.

• Transformation of organization_id, inventory_item_id, lot_number, and uom columns in these OPM application tables: Quality Management, Product Development, Process Execution, and Process Planning. It also transfers the same columns in the Order Management and Shipping tables.

• Migration of forecast data

• Transformation of purchase order and receiving tables

3. Run transformation migrations for OPM Financial data (all releases)

4. Apply patch 4690072 to your Release 12.0.4 APPL_TOP. It runs the following migrations:.

• Transformation of organization_id, inventory_item_id, uom, lot_number, and uom columns in the OPM Financials tables.

• Migration of OPM financials data

5. Migrate OPM Regulatory data (all releases)

6. Apply patch 4688012 to your Release 12.0.4 APPL_TOP (if you use OPM Regulatory Management).

7. Recreate open batches (all releases)



8. Run the Process Execution Migration Recreate Open Batches concurrent program (if you took a snapshot before the upgrade).

9. Migrate OPM Edit Text to attachments (all releases)

10. Run the GMA: Edit Text Migration concurrent program to migrate the OPM Edit Text to attachments for the organizations, items, lots, grades, and reason codes.



Service Contracts

These tasks apply only to Oracle Service Contracts.

Step 1: Monitor deferred upgrade tasks (conditional)

Applies to 11i release level: AllTUMS step key: OKS_VALIDATE_CONCURRENT_PROGS

Certain tasks were initiated by a series of concurrent programs that were launched during the upgrade. To reduce downtime, the completion of those

tasks was deferred until the system came back online. They are executed when the concurrent manager starts after the upgrade.

The programs are as follows. You should monitor the completion of the tasks and re-submit any of the programs that may error out.

• Launch Process Workflow for existing Service Contracts

• Service Contracts Update Base Annualized Factor Manager

• Service Contracts Update History Annualized Factor Manager

• Service Contracts eBTax Migration

• Service Contracts ASO Queue Migration

• Service Contracts Update Base Tax Columns Manager

• Service Contracts Update History Tax Columns Manager

• Concurrent program to create contract header text index

System Maintenance Tasks

After you have verified that the system and the product upgrades are complete, perform the "clean-up" tasks described in this section.

Step 1: Delete obsolete product files (recommended)


Delete the product files for the previous release (if you have not done so already). You may want to retain report output files or customized programs. Output files are stored in the old log and output subdirectories under each product’s top directory, under the log and output directories you created, or under a common directory.

To remove obsolete files for an old release, change to the top directory of that release and enter the following command:

UNIX:



Step 2: Drop obsolete columns (recommended)


During the upgrade process Oracle Applications marks columns in the data dictionary that are unused. You can safely drop these columns now.

Step 3: Register new products (conditional)


New products added since Release 11i was initially made available (May 2000) are not automatically

registered in the database. If you intend to use new products, register them using License Manager. See Oracle Applications System Administrator’s Guide —

Maintenance for instructions.

Step 4: Update Java Color Scheme profile option for selected users (conditional)


By default, the Java Color Scheme profile option should be set to "swan" for all sessions for optimal system response time. The upgrade process sets the value this default value for all instances. However, setting this profile option to a different value may work better for some systems. See Oracle Applications System Administrator’s Guide — Maintenance and Oracle Applications User’s Guide for more information.

Additional Tasks

This section points to additional tasks that may be necessary, and suggests documentation that describes those tasks.

Review System Updates

Release update packs (RUPs) are released a regular intervals, generally quarterly or twice a year. Each RUP is cumulative — it delivers error corrections and system updates, not only for the most current release update pack, but also for all the RUPs that preceded it. You can apply the latest release update pack (RUP) to keep your system at the most current release level available.

Understand Oracle Applications Maintenance Tasks

Make sure you are completely familiar with the information in the Oracle Applications System Administrator’s Documentation Set. In addition, you should understand the information in Oracle Applications Maintenance Utilities, Oracle Applications Maintenance Procedures, and Oracle Applications Patching Procedures. These volumes contain important details about AD utilities, as well as instructions on how to patch your system and perform manual maintenance tasks.

$ rm -rf <old APPL_TOP>

Here is an example:

$ rm -rf /d01/appl/r10

Windows: C:\> del /s /q <old APPL_TOP>

Here is an example:

C:\> del /s /q \APPL110



Migrate Existing Objects to New Tablespace Model (OATM)

During the upgrade, your system was converted automatically to the new Oracle Applications Tablespace Model (OATM). This model is based on database object type rather than product affiliation, making it simpler to manage and requiring far fewer tablespaces and operating system files.

The upgrade process created tablespaces for all new products, configured the database for the new tablespace model, and created new objects. However, it did not automatically migrate your existing objects. We strongly recommend that you perform this migration now. For more information, see Oracle Applications System Administrator’s Guide – Configuration for migration information.

Implement New Product and Country-specific Functionality

Refer to the implementation or setup guides (or implementation or setup section of the user’s guides) associated with the Oracle Applications products in your system for instructions on implementing or setting up new products and features. Refer to Oracle Applications Release 12 Documentation Resources (Doc ID: 394692.1) for other product-specific issues.

Resize the Database

The size of the production database depends on the products that you have licensed and the additional features (such as multiple languages or multiple organizations) that you have configured in your system. Refer to the product-specific documentation.

Back Up Oracle Applications

Have the operating system administrator back up the Oracle Applications product files, including COMMON_TOP and the technology components. Have the database administrator back up the Oracle Applications database and Oracle Home components.

Review Security Practices

Review the recommended security processes documented in Best Practices for Securing Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (Doc ID: 403537.1). In particular, if you have any computers requiring direct access to the database that are not registered nodes in AutoConfig (such as OAM clients), you must explicitly grant access.

Log On to Oracle Applications

To start Oracle Applications and access all Oracle Applications products, go to the Oracle Applications Login page, located at the following URL:

http://<host name>.<domain name>:<HTTP port>/OA_HTML/AppsLogin

For example:



http://oraapps1.oracle.com:8000/OA_HTML/AppsLogin

The system administrator should log on the first time using the sysadmin logon account that is pre-configured in the Applications installation. Use the System Administrator responsibility to launch an Applications Forms session where you can complete the required implementation steps.



Reducing Downtime

This section discusses tasks that you can perform in advance of the upgrade. By completing these optional tasks in advance of the actual upgrade, you may be able to substantially reduce the amount of time that your system is offline during the upgrade process. It contains the following sections:

• Customer Relationship Management

• Financials and Procurement Tasks

• Supply Chain Management



Customer Relationship Management

The steps in this section are suggested only if you are using Customer Relationship Management products in your system.

Leads Management

Completing these tasks for Leads Management could substantially reduce the downtime required for the upgrade.

Migrate data

If you use Leads Management and are currently running Release 11.5.9 or Leads Manager minipack A, review the strategies outlined in Leads Management 11.5.10 Data Migration (Doc ID: 365367.1) to determine how to best migrate your Leads Management data.



Financials and Procurement

The steps in this section are appropriate only if you are using Financials and Procurement products in your system.

Assets

Completing these tasks could substantially reduce the downtime required for your upgrade.

Depreciation

If you have a large volume of depreciation data in the current open period in the books that are in use, and you are experiencing a long running time with facpupg.sql, consider running depreciation with or without closing the current period as permitted by business prior to the upgrade. Doing so can potentially reduce downtime by processing additions, back-dated transfers, and pending retirements and reinstatements in the current open periods in the books that are in use.

Post Mass Additions

If you have a large volume of pending mass addition lines from Payables and Projects that are for books in Assets with reporting books, and you are experiencing a long running time with faumamcr.sql, you can substantially reduce downtime by preparing and posting these pending Mass Addition lines before the upgrade.

General Ledger


Posted Journal Entries Pre-upgrade Stand-alone Upgrade

TUMS Step Key: GL_CREATE_JE_SEGVALS

Review this section if you use General Ledger with a large number of posted journals and you are experiencing a substantial running time when running glrsgup2.sql.

The General Ledger Journal Entries Pre-Upgrade is an optional program that can reduce the duration of downtime while upgrading. It upgrades posted General Ledger journal entries before the planned downtime, leaving only unposted journals and newly posted journals to upgrade during downtime.

The GL Journals Entries Pre-Upgrade consists of the Program - Prepare Posted Journals Before Upgrade concurrent program, which you run from the Standard Request Submission form. Since this program is resource-intensive, it should be scheduled to run during non-peak times, such as evenings or weekends. It can, however, be terminated at any point, and, when restarted, it resumes from the point where it left off. Even after the program is complete, you can run it again at a later time. It processes only journal entries posted after the last time it was run.



In order to install the functionality necessary to run the Program – Prepare Posted Journals Before Upgrade concurrent program, apply patch 4685497.

iProcurement


The Catalog Data Pre-upgrade Process

TUMS Step Key: ICX_CATALOG_MIG

This pre-upgrade process is strongly recommended if you are upgrading iProcurement from 11.5.9 or 11.5.10. It pre-processes bulk-loaded content to reduce the actual time required for the upgrade and to ensure the upgrade process runs smoothly. You can run it multiple times. If exceptions are found, make corrections and re-run the program until no exceptions are noted. Running this program does not require your users to log off the system.

Specifically, this program shortens the time it takes to run these upgrade scripts:

• icxiftug.sql: updates POR_TEMPLATE_INFO

• icxr12in.sql: general setup upgrade script needed for iProcurement

• poxujpoh.sql: updates PO_HEADERS_ALL (for example, create_language)

• poxukpol.sql: updates PO_LINES_ALL (for example, ip_category_id)

• poxukrt.sql: updates PO_REQEXPRESS_LINES_ALL (for example, ip_catetory_id)

• icxr12ug.sql: migrates iProcurement data model to PO

• icxr12rt.sql: populates the requisition templates in iProcurement intermedia index tables

• icxr12pd.sql: populates the Purchasing documents in iProcurement intermedia index tables: blanket purchase agreements (BPAs), global blanket agreements (GBPAs), and quotes

• icxr12mi.sql: populates the master items in iProcurement intermedia index tables

• poxukfi.sql: purchasing script to approve the GBPAs created during iProcurement migration

• poxukat.sql: purchasing script to update the attachments

• icxr12fi.sql: final upgrade script, which upgrades favorite lists, purges the BPAs and GBPAs that are not approved, and creates the intermedia index

To run the pre-upgrade, perform the following steps:

1. Run the extractor to ensure that the iProcurement extracted catalog data is updated.



2. Apply the pre-upgrade patch (4914492). It inserts a new entry in the eContent Manager menu called Release 12 Data Migration, which you can use to run the data exceptions report and/or the pre-upgrade.

3. Run the exceptions report prior to the pre-upgrade. The report lists data that cannot be automatically upgraded and must be fixed before the upgrade. The pre-upgrade processes the catalog data to the new data model to reduce upgrade downtime. If there are still exceptions, it also updates the exceptions report.

The exceptions report divides exceptions into two categories: those to be fixed using an XML file and reloaded into the catalog, and those to be fixed by correcting system default values.



Exceptions to be Fixed and Reloaded

Whenever possible, an XML file is provided to help you fix the catalog data. You can download the XML file, fix data issues, and reload data back into the catalog using the loader feature in eContent Manager. Examples of these exceptions are:

• Bulk-loaded items without Supplier Site – prior to this release, you could load items in bulk without a supplier site. In order for the pre-upgrade/upgrade to move bulk-loaded items to GBPAs, you must provide a supplier site.

• Bulk-loaded items assigned to "all buyers"– prior to this release, you could load items in bulk without a supplier site. To re-load these items after the upgrade, you must provide the operating unit in the loader options user interface. You load the same file into multiple operating units, if necessary.

• Bulk-loaded items with invalid data such as category, category mapping, or unit of measure (UOM).

The following table lists exceptions for which you can download an XML file. It also indicates the file Type — price or item. The Delete? column indicates whether a delete file is provided to eliminate old data.

To fix exceptions using the XML files, perform the following steps:

1. Download the XML file.

The download link provides a compressed file called ItemException.zip for each supplier/supplier site/contract/language combination. This file contains two XML files: one for the SYNC and the other the DELETE action. There may be multiple SYNC files (for multiple languages), but there will always be only one DELETE file.

SYNC files are named ItemException_Language_SYNC.xml. They are in Release 11.5.9 or 11.5.10 format, which allows you to later re-load these items (after the SYNC action). The DELETE file is named ItemException_DELETE.xml. It is also in Release 11.5.9 or 11.5.10 format that deletes the old file from the system (DELETE action).

2. Fix the data. Refer to the table to see the appropriate changes in the SYNC file.

3. Re-load the data. First, re-upload the items using the SYNC file.

4. Delete old data. Use the DELETE file, if provided.

5. Run data exceptions report. Re-run the data exceptions report to verify that the fix was successful. Repeat the process until no exceptions are noted.

Exceptions to be Fixed by Correcting System Defaults



In order to create GPBAs, you must fix other exceptions that are due to invalid default values. In these cases, you fix the system setup. The exceptions should not be listed when you re-run the pre-upgrade or data exceptions report.

The following table lists these default value exceptions:

The following rules govern the way the migration process defaults values to the new GBPA attributes listed in the preceding table.

Bulk-loaded items that refer to a contract purchase agreement (CPA)

The migration uses the CPA information as default for the new GBPA.

Bulk-loaded items that do not refer to a contract purchase agreement (CPA)

The migration relies on Oracle Purchasing to default values for Rate, Ship/Bill to Location, Terms and Conditions, and Shipping Options. For more details, see the Oracle Purchasing Guide.

For the buyer in the GBPA header, the migration tries to source a document to obtain a buyer. It looks for the most recently created document in any status in the following order. Matching is based on Supplier, Supplier Site, Currency, and Operating Unit.

• Matching BPA/GBPA

• Matching CPA

• Matching purchase order

• Matching Release

• If no document matches from the operating unit, obtains the last created active buyer for the business group

Agreement Summary

The agreement summary provides a list of all newly created agreements for bulk-loaded items. There is one table for agreements that refer to contract purchase agreements and another for agreements that do not refer to any CPA. In the first case, the system uses CPA information to create the GBPA. In the second case, it uses Oracle Purchasing defaults to create the GBPA. You do not have access to the newly created GBPAs until the upgrade is complete.

Supply Chain Management The steps in this section are suggested only if you are using Oracle Supply Chain Management products in your system.



Service Contracts

Completing these tasks for Oracle Service Contracts could substantially reduce the downtime required for the upgrade.

Migrate Rules and Times values

Applies to 11i release level: All releases prior to 11.5.10TUMS step key: OKS_R12_MIGRATE

Oracle Service Contracts (OKS) architecture eliminates the generic data structure for rules and time values by storing the relevant attributes in specific OKS/OKC tables. If OKS is registered in your system and you are upgrading from a release prior to 11.5.10, the rules and time values are migrated to the new architecture during the upgrade.

If you want to significantly reduce downtime, perform the main part of the migration now, before the upgrade. See Service Contracts Release 12 Migration (Doc ID: 372469.1) for instructions.


Discussing Business Intelligence Options Chapter 15 - Page 1

Discussing Business Intelligence Options Chapter 15



Discussing Business Intelligence Options

Section Objectives

At the end of this section, you should be able to discuss:

• E-Business Suite Reporting Tools

• Overview Business Intelligence Publisher and Oracle EBS

• Overview of BI Publisher

• Using BI Publisher with Pre-built Oracle Reports

• Using the Oracle E-Business Suite XML Publisher framework for creating a report using the BI Publisher Template Builder for Word

• Publishing FSG Reports with XML Format

• OBIEE Architecture Overview (OBI Delivers and OBI Answer)



E-Business Suite Reporting Tools



Operational tools



Oracle Reports



FSG Reports



Tactical Tools



Discoverer Report



Strategic Tools



Sample OBIEE Dashboard



Strategic Tools



Information Formatting and Delivery Tools



Information Formatting and Delivery Tools Summary



Overview Business Intelligence Publisher and Oracle EBS

This training shows how Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher) can enhance report formatting and distribution capabilities for existing Oracle reporting tools. Note that XML Publisher was an earlier version of BI Publisher and the XML Publisher name is still present in some of the documentation and forms currently used in the Oracle Applications.

Users of Oracle Standard Reports have been limited in available display formats and distribution options. With BI Publisher, users can transform the output from Oracle Reports, including FSG Reports, to overcome the traditional limitations in formatting and distribution. BI Publisher provides for both custom designed report formats and custom designed content. In addition, BI Publisher allows distribution options such as e-mail or web content. This training will focus on how BI Publisher’s capabilities enhance the traditional tools used for reporting with Oracle’s E-Business Suite.



Limitations of Oracle Reporting Tools

To fully understand the benefits of BI Publisher, we will first review the reporting limitations of Oracle Reports.

Oracle Reports Limitations

Oracle Reports is the traditional report writer tool used to create the standard reports provided in Oracle E-Business Suite Applications. It has also been used extensively to create custom reports in an Oracle database environment. While Oracle Reports does provide a GUI interface for report development, it has not been considered an end user reporting tool. Information Technology (IT) resources were needed to create or modify reports using the Oracle Reports software tool. Most companies using Oracle’s E-Business Suite have their own reporting requirements. This required an IT resource to make even minor changes to a report. Not being an end user tool has always been a significant limitation of Oracle Reports.

Each Oracle E-Business Suite Application comes with a large number of Oracle pre-built reports. While these reports typically provide detailed and summary reporting options and provide various run time parameters and sorting options, users typically want modifications to Oracle’s pre-built reports and/or completely different reports.

Using Oracle Reports, both the data to be selected and the format of the report are defined together. Many pre-built reports do contain logic to allow run time parameters to change the selected data and some of the formatting specifications such as sorting. However, modifying this complex logic is difficult. In addition, Oracle Reports layout tool is not easy to use and usually requires a number of iterations to successfully change the report layout. Oracle Reports does not provide flexibility to easily change the data items or report formatting of a pre-built report.

As an example, below is an example of the Oracle Standard Accounts Payable Invoice Aging report. BI Publisher will be used to convert this report to make it much easier to modify the format and to some extent, the data content of this report.



Overview of BI Publisher

Oracle’s marketing literature describes BI Publisher as an “enterprise reporting solution to author, manage, and deliver all types of highly formatted documents.” This description covers a broad range of functionality including creating brand new reports. However, this presentation will focus on BI Publisher’s ability to enhance, manage, and deliver existing Oracle E-Business Suite Application pre-built reports. A very high-level view of this process is that BI Publisher has the ability to reformat, reposition, filter, and add calculations using the data generated from an Oracle Standard or FSG report. Rather than recreating a report from scratch, BI Publisher uses the existing Oracle or FSG report as a data source. BI Publisher was architected to separate the report data from the report format definition. The intent was to allow technical resources to focus on getting the correct data while end users could focus on how the data should be reported with respect to formatting the layout and determining the output formats. BI Publisher’s capabilities allow users to easily transform these data sources into enhanced reports that can be delivered in a variety of formats to a variety of destinations.

BI Publisher’s Capabilities

Listed below are some of BI Publisher’s key capabilities with respect to enhancing pre-built Oracle reports.

• Report editing capabilities − Filter, sort and hide columns − Grouping data into multiple sections on a report

• Formulas and Functions available to enhance data analysis

• Graphing and Charting functionality

• Cross-tab format support

These and additional capabilities allow the creation of a wide variety of business documents as shown below.



Below is a sample report produced by BI Publisher based which Oracle now provides as a standard report.



The key to generating this report is creating the Word template that formats the data as needed.

GroupinSections



BI Publisher’s Architecture

BI Publisher is the reporting component within the BI Foundation layer in Oracle’s Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) system.

As Oracle’s designated reporting tool, BI Publisher is integrated with the other Oracle toolset as shown in the following diagram.



BI Publisher combines an XML data file with a Data Template to produce an output file. As the figure indicates the XML data file can be generated from a number of data sources. This presentation is focused on using pre-built Oracle Reports and Oracle Discoverer to generate an XML file from data sources such as Oracle E-Business Suite or a custom application on an Oracle 10g database.

With the BI Publisher plug-in module, Microsoft Word is one of the easiest tools to use to create a data template. It creates an RTF file that is linked to an XML data file or a schema. The Word functionality is then used to create the template. Data formats, tables, headings, etc can all be created in the desired format.

Below is a diagram of the steps involved in using BI (XML) Publisher to create a report based on an existing Oracle Standard report.



• Use XML Publisher (aka BI Publisher) − Integrated with Oracle Reports

• Task List Summary − Create XML version of the standard report − Add the new XML report to a Request Group − Create the XML Template

− Create the XML Data File − Create the BI Publisher Template using Word − Insert the data items and formatting into the template

− Register the XML data file − Create and register the template file in Oracle APPS

• Run the XML version of the report - VERIFY YOUR WORK



XML Data Files and the BI Publisher Word Template

Both the pre-built Oracle and FSG reports can generate an XML Data File to be used as a data source for BI Publisher. This XML file contains the actual content for the report including headings, text, and numeric data. XML embeds each piece of data within HTML codes. Below is a sample of the beginning of an XML Data File representing the Invoice Register report previously shown.

The start and end of each data item is delimited by a specific XML code that uniquely identifies the data item. The BI Publisher template software can then map each data item with unique characteristics such as position on the report, font size, etc. Below is a sample of a Microsoft Word BI Publisher template.



Oracle BI Publisher provides the template builder plug-in software to install as part of Word. This software allows you to create and maintain BI Publisher Templates. The XML Data Items are shown as shaded with the actual XML code identifying the data item (Category, Batch, etc). The template software will automatically create column headings based on the data item name but you can modify these as needed. You can position data items as needed anywhere on the report. You can also add FOR-EACH logic to group data items together. In the above example, the journal entry data items have been defined as group.

The template software provides the capability for manipulating the data within the XML file as needed. Data items in the XML data file will be ignored if they are not positioned somewhere in the report. IF-THEN-ELSE conditional logic can be added to filter data. You can also create calculations to modify a data item or create a new data item. Charts can also be created and placed as needed on the report. The ability to easily generate an XML Data File and use Word to integrate the XML data with the template software makes BI Publisher a very functional and easy to use tool.

Data Items Grouping

XML Data Items

XML Column Headings



Using BI Publisher with Pre-built Oracle Reports

There are two options for using BI Publisher with Pre-built Oracle Reports

• Convert a pre-built Oracle Report to a report within the BI Publisher environment.

• Use the Oracle E-Business Suite framework for creating a report using a BI Publisher Template Builder such as the plug-in for Word.

For the first option, Oracle does provide a tool to convert an existing Oracle Report to a report within BI Publisher. This tool is documented in the Oracle Business Intelligence New Features Guide manual. Installing and using this tool requires using IT technical resources. There are some functions used in complex reports that will not be automatically converted and will require a manual conversion.

For the second option, the only additional software needed is the template layout plug-in for Word. Loading the BI Publisher desktop edition on a PC will automatically install the BI_Template software as part of MS-Word. This option retains the Oracle Report within the Oracle E-Business Suite framework so a conversion is not necessary. This option can be implemented quickly and used by end users with minimal support from IT technical resources.



Enhancing Oracle Reports from within Oracle E-Business Suite Applications

BI Publisher is based on an earlier product provided by Oracle known as XML Publisher. With respect to using Oracle Reports and the Oracle E-Business Suite, there is a still a component named XML Publisher Administrator within the Oracle E-Business Suite. This component allows Oracle E-Business Suite users to take advantage of some of the BI Publisher benefits while just using XML Layout Template plug-in tools such as the one for Word.

Oracle has begun the process of creating XML templates for the pre-built reports. Based on an Oracle BI Publisher presentation on Oracle’s website, there are 500 templates available in release 11i and 900 templates available in release R12. For these, the work has been done.

The “XML Publisher Administrator” responsibility must be granted to the Oracle user who will be creating the XML version of the report. This allows access to the application that creates and maintains the XML Data Templates and XML Data Definitions in the Oracle E-Business Suite. An Oracle user with the System Administrator responsibility can grant this access. The following steps need only be completed once to grant this access.

1. Login to Oracle APPS with the System Administrator responsibility.



2. Ensure the Oracle Applications user that will be assigned the tasks of creating the XML version and running this report has the XML Publisher Administrator responsibility. In the example used in this presentation, the user is “OPERATIONS.”

Select Responsibility



3. Enter CTL+F11 to execute the Query By Example.



4. Scroll and select the XML Publisher Administrator responsibility

Highlight one of the existing Responsibilities and click the “New” icon with the “+” sign to add a new Responsibility.



5. Click OK

6. Save your work.

Using the Oracle E-Business Suite XML Publisher framework for creating a report using the BI Publisher Template Builder for Word

The steps for creating a template for an existing report are provided below. These steps create a copy of the concurrent program that creates the Standard Report and modify the copy to generate the XML data file and then use the XML data file to create a template.



1. Create an XML version of the standard report

• Navigate to the concurrent program that generates the Oracle Standard Report. − Create concurrent program – Concurrent > Program > Define

− View > Query By Example > Enter or F11



− Enter the name of the standard report in the Program box. Note, you can use partial

text and the wildcard percent sign % to find reports when you do not know the exact name.

− This example uses the “Invoice Aging Report” as the Program. − Enter CTL + F11 to retrieve the record for “Invoice Aging Report ”



• Ensure the Output Format is set to “Text.”

• Ensure the Allow Disabled Values option is checked.

• Click the Copy To button and fill in the Program and Short Name fields.



− Check: Include Incompatible Programs − If the XML version of the report will have a parameter(s), check: Include Parameters − Click OK

Define the new report created by the copy function



• Ensure the new report has the Enabled option checked

• Change the Format to “XML.”

• Update the description as needed.

• Note that the Executable program remains the same.

• Save your work!

• Close the form.

2. Add the new XML report to a Request Group for the functional user responsibility that will be used to run the report. In the example used in this training, the “FA Inquiry” Request Group in the “Motel6 Assets” Application is assigned to the “IBL FA Inquiry” Responsibility that will be used when running the report. Note that the “Asset Additions by Cost Center Report” was also assigned to this same Request Group.

• To check the Request Group for a Responsibility, − Navigate Security > Responsibility > Define



• Enter the Responsibility name that will be used to run the XML report. This is usually the same responsibility hat ran the original version of the report used to crate the XML version. For this example, the Responsibility will be “Purchasing, Vision Operations (USA).”



• Enter CTL+F11 to retrieve the specified Responsibility.

• Note the Request Group and Application names for the next steps. For this example, the Request Group is “All Reports” and the Application is “Payables.”

• Close the form.

3. Navigate to the desired request group

• Security > Responsibility > Request



• View > Query By Example > Enter or F11

• Enter the “Request Group” name in the Group field and the “Application” name in the Application field that were identified in the previous step.

• View > Query By Example > Run or CTL+F11 to retrieve the Request Group and assigned Programs.

• Scroll as needed to find the original version of the XML report to be created to verify it is in this Report Group.



• Insert the newly created report in the Request list. − Click the “New” icon with the “+” sign in the upper left hand corner to insert a new

record in the requests list. − Use the Find function to select the XML report.



• Select the XML report created by and click OK to add it to the Request Group.



• Save your work

• Close the form.



Create the XML Template

1. Create the XML Data File using the Report XML output to help define the template.

• Login to Oracle APPS or switch responsibilities as needed to get to the appropriate responsibility that has access to the Report Group where the XML version of the report is assigned.

• Navigate to the Submit Requests screen − Other > Requests > Run



• Click OK to run a Single Request

• From the Submit Request form, use the Find option to select the XML version of the report to be run.



• Click OK

• Enter Parameters as needed.

• Click ok



• Click Submit to run the report.

• Note the Request ID and click “No” to not run another request.

• From the Top Menu Bar, click View - > Requests to navigate to the Find Requests screen.



• Click Specific Requests and Find to view the submitted request.

• If the Request has been completed, click “View Output” to see the generated XML data file.



• Save the XML output as an XML file.

2. Create the BI Publisher Template using Microsoft Word



• Ensure the Oracle BI Publisher plug-in module for Word is installed. You should see an “Oracle BI Publisher” item in Word’s top menu line.

• Open a blank Word document and save it as a Rich Text Format (rtf) file.

• Select the XML Data Output file created from the Oracle Report output

− Navigate to Data > Load XML data − Browse to select the XML output file



− Click Open. You should get a text box message that the data was loaded

successfully



Insert the Required Data Items and Formatting into the XML Template

At this point, BI Publisher plug-in functionality is used to select the data needed for the report. It allows inserting data items, tables, charts, calculations, etc all based on the data in the XML Data output file. The MS-Word functionality is used for formatting this data (i.e. fonts, font size, Page Headers and Footers, etc).

There are many strategies available for creating the template. The process described here will be to create the template starting with the most detailed data and then adding higher-level data groups as needed. For the example used, individual AP Invoices data is the most detailed. A table will be created for this level. Grouping levels will be created so invoice totals can be provided at the Vendor Site and Vendor grouping levels. Finally, Page Header and Page Footer information will be added to the template.

1. Insert the detailed table for each Invoice − Oracle BI Publisher > Insert > Table Wizard

− Select Table > Next



− Select the bottom detail grouping data set

− Transfer the data items needed for each invoice. These will typically be based on the

Oracle Standard Report used as the starting point for this XML report.



• Click Next. No additional Grouping is needed since the data in the XML Data Output file is already grouped as needed.

• Click Next. No additional Sorting is needed since the data in the XML Data Output file is already sorted as needed.

• Enter the Labels to be used and click Finish.



• The table is now displayed. Use Word functionality to set the Page Layout to landscape and reduce the font size to 10 point so the table displays better for reporting purposes.



• The table is a Repeating Group delimited at the beginning with an “F” and at the ending with an “E.” Make the following changes to provide better documentation of where the Repeat Group starts and ends. − Right click on the “F” and select Properties.

2. Select the Advanced tab



3. Change the Text to display to “for-each:G_Detail”

4. Click OK. Note the “F” is now displayed as “for-each:G_DETAIL”.

5. At the end of the table, right click on the “F” and select Properties.



6. Change the “Text to display” to “End for-each:G_Detail”.

7. Click OK.

8. Insert the Repeating Group table for each Vendor Supplier Site



• Create a row about the Invoice table

• Select Oracle BI Publisher > Insert > Table Wizard

• Select Table > Next

• Select the middle grouping data set for G_VENDOR



9. Transfer the data items needed for each vendor. These will typically be based on the Oracle Standard Report used as the starting point for this XML report.




• The Vendor Repeating Group table is now displayed above the Invoice Repeating Group table. Use Word functionality to move the data items from the Vendor Repeating Group table as shown in the following figure. − Note that you should change the display values for the “F” and “E” For-Each

delimiters similar to what was done for the Invoice Repeating Group table. − Make sure you move the For-Each delimiters to the positions shown in the figure

below.



• In Word, select Oracle BI Publisher > Preview Template > PDF to display the template with the data from the XML Data Output file.

10. Insert the Repeating Group table for each Vendor



• Create a row about the Vendor Site table

• Select Oracle BI Publisher > Insert > Table Wizard

• Select Table > Next

• Select the top grouping data set for G_PRMBRK



• Transfer the data items needed for each vendor. These will typically be based on the Oracle Standard Report used as the starting point for this XML report.





• The Vendor Repeating Group table is now displayed above the Vendor-Site Repeating Group table. Use Word functionality to move the data items from the Vendor Repeating Group table as shown in the following figure. − The Vendor grand totals are at the top followed by each Vendor Site detailed data. − Note that you should change the display values for the “F” and “E” For-Each

delimiters similar to what was done for the previous Repeating Group tables. − Make sure you move the For-Each delimiters to the positions shown in the figure

below.



• In Word, select Oracle BI Publisher > Preview Template > PDF to display the template with the data from the XML Data Output file.



11. Use the Word formatting capabilities for defining fonts, sizes, text direction, bold, italics, etc.

12. Use the BI Publisher template functions for further modifications as needed.

13. When you are satisfied with the way the data is formatted, save the rtf file.



Register the XML Data File

1. Ensure you are logged in with the XML Publisher Administrator responsibility

2. Navigate to the XML BI Publisher Home Page and select Data Definitions

• Home > Data Definitions



3. Click Create Data Definition

4. For the XML Data Definition, enter:

• Name – Data Definition Name typically matches the name from the XML version of the report.

• Application – Must match the Application from the XML version of the report.



• Code – Must match the Short Name from the XML version of the report.

• Click APPLY



5. In the Preview Data section, click the Add File button to browse and select the XML output file previously saved when viewing the report output.

• Click Apply to add the data file to the Data Definition



• Check the Confirmation Message, Code, Start Date and Preview Data file name to verify the Data Definition was created accurately.



Create and Register the XML Template File

1. Click the Templates tab

2. Click Create Template

3. For the XML Template, enter:

• Name – Template Name typically matches the name from the XML version of the report.

• Application – Must match the Application from the XML version of the report.

• Type - Select “RTF” as the Type to identify it as an MS-WORD RTF Template file

• Code – Must match the Short Name from the XML version of the report.

• Data Definition – Select the name of the XML Data Definition previously created

• Description – Enter documentation for the Template

• Use the Browse function in the Template File section to select the BI Publisher Template rtf file created using Word.

• Language – Select “English”



• Territory – Select “United States”

4. Click Apply

• Verify the Template was created successfully.



Validate Your Work

1. Login as the Functional User who can run the report

2. Navigate to the Requests Submittal screen

3. Select the report and enter any parameters.

4. Enter any parameters.



5. Submit the report. Note that the Layout is the name of the XML Template previously created.

• Note the Request ID for the submitted request



6. Navigate to the Find Requests screen

• View > Requests

.

7. Enter the parameters needed to find the submitted request.

• Click Find



8. Select the Request ID and click View Output.

You should now have a report based on the data from the original Oracle Standard Report using the formatting defined by the template created with the BI Publisher Add-In for MS Word.



Publishing FSG Reports with XML Format

This documents how to run an FSG Report and generate XML formatted output in Oracle E-Business Suite R12.

Oracle provides the program “Program – Publish FSG Report.” This program will run an existing FSG report but create XML formatted output.

Ensure the “Program - Publish FSG Report” Program is available.

If Needed, add the “Program - Publish FSG Report” Program to a Request Group for the functional user responsibility that will be used to run the XML formatted FSG reports. In the example used in this Vision Instance, the Responsibility “General Ledger Vision Operations USA has access to the “Program - Publish FSG Report” Concurrent Program

a. To check the Request Group for a Responsibility, login as System Administrator.

i. Navigate to Security > Responsibility > Define

This documents how to run an FSG Report and generate XML formatted output in Oracle E-Business Suite R12.



Oracle provides the program “Program – Publish FSG Report.” This program will run an existing FSG report but create XML formatted output.

Ensure the “Program - Publish FSG Report” Program is available.

If Needed, add the “Program - Publish FSG Report” Program to a Request Group for the functional user responsibility that will be used to run the XML formatted FSG reports. In the example used in this Vision Instance, the Responsibility “General Ledger Vision Operations USA has access to the “Program - Publish FSG Report” Concurrent Program

• To check the Request Group for a Responsibility, login as System Administrator. − Navigate to Security > Responsibility > Define



OBIEE Architecture Overview

One of the most important and valuable services OBIEE provides is a single, enterprise information model that we previously mentioned. This model provides several benefits:

• It provides a simplified “business view” of information available to all BI tools and all users in the organization regardless of physical data locations or structures. In this way, you can almost think of the business model as a sort of firewall between the users of the information and all the mechanics of the physical data access layer.

• Data is separate from the model. For example, an organization may have data on inventory in a certain operational data store that is mapped in, and then someone decides that system is going to be retired. This requires using a different source to get that inventory data. You can simply remap to the new schema, and it won’t impact all the end user reports because there is a separation or abstraction layer between the physical data layer and the logical business model layer. This allows a high degree of flexibility for IT to make changes to data structure without breaking thousands of end user reports, dashboards, etc.

• It provides a place where business metrics and calculations are defined, enabling more consistency and alignment in the organization. For example, an organization may have a particular way in which they define customer value, or product profitability. These calculations and metrics can be defined in the metadata and made available to users – define once, deploy everywhere.

The enterprise information model presents itself as a single logically modeled database of information. Complex calculations and time series analysis like “% Change vs. Year Ago Revenue” does not need to be calculated by end users, but simply selected for analysis just like any other column (dimension or measure) in the model.

Below is an overview of the Oracle Business Intelligence components.

Below is another view of the OBIEE architecture focused on the OBIEE functionality. This includes the components for the ETL processes. The DAC (Data Administration Center) component administers the extracting, transformation and load processes used in migrating data into the OBIEE Data Warehouse.



While OBIEE can report directly against operational source tables, OBIEE is designed to report against a data warehouse with the data transformed into physical tables designed to allow quick querying of large volumes of data. The ETL Processes extract data from the Oracle E-Business Suite tables and reformat the data as part of the data warehouse used by OBIEE. The Oracle BI Presentation Services then uses the Oracle E-Business Suite data stored in the Data Warehouse as the data sources for analytical dashboards, reports, etc provided the information needed to manage the organization. Note that the bottom portion of the diagram shows a variety of Federated Data Sources that allows combining Oracle E-Business Suite data with other data in the same dashboard, report, etc.



Creating a Query and a Chart

In this topic you build and format a business intelligence request using Oracle BI Answers, and create and format a chart. You will perform the following tasks:

• Create a query

• Add a filter

• Create totals and format results

• Create a chart

Create a Query

To create a query, perform the following steps:



Enter OBIEE

1. Open your web browser, and enter the URL supplied by the instructor for your OBIEE dashboard, and press enter to navigate to the Login screen.

2. Enter your username and password supplied by your instructor, and press enter to log in.

3. Log in, and after your Dashboard loads, select Answers:



Enter Answers

Answers has a list of Subject Areas, which can be a long list depending on the metadata that is defined in the Oracle Business Intelligence repository, Subject areas are sets of related information with a common business purpose. For this exercise, click on Financials – AR Overview:

In the left-hand selection pane of the Answers interface, click the Plus icon next to Time to expand it. Click the Fiscal Month column to add it to your query criteria, which appears in the right pane. Next, click the Plus icon next to Profit Center, and click on Profit Center Name to add it to your query. Next, click the Plus icon next to Facts – AR Balance, and click on Closing Local Amount to add it to your query. Your window will look like this:

You can re-order the tabs in your report by clicking and dragging them. Try dragging Profit Center Name to the left of Fiscal Month.



Now, drag it back to its original position.

Add a saved filter to the query to limit the data to the last 12 months Under Filters in the left-hand selection pane, expand the Financials folder and click the Trailing Twelve Fiscal Months. The Apply Saved Filter dialog box is displayed.

Click OK to add the filter to your query.

Click the Advanced tab. The Advanced tab can be made available only to specific users. The XML fully defines the query (including chart formats in case of charts). The SQL defines the content of the query. Note that any query or reporting tool that can issue SQL over ODBC connection, can issue a query to the BI server, just like Answers. Examine the request XML that defines the view and the logical SQL that will be issued for the query.



The Request XML defines the whole analysis, including logical SQL and views for the query. The SQL Issued field contains only the logical SQL that will be issued to the Oracle BI Server for processing. Note the saw X column aliases, which are added automatically. Editing the logical SQL will change your view definitions.



Add a Filter

To add a filter for a specific Fiscal Year, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Criteria tab. Using the selection pane, add Time > Fiscal Year to your query criteria:

2. In the criteria pane, click the Filter button on the Fiscal Year column to add a filter on that column:

3. In the Create/Edit Filter dialog box, click the All Choices link to display all values for the column.

You can also limit the list of choices by setting a match criteria using the Match drop-down menu and entering a string, then clicking the All Choices link. The Limited Choices link will limit choices to those that are consistent with any pre-existing filters.

4. Verify that the Operator for the filter is set to is equal to / is in and then click the 2006 value in the list of choices. 2006 is added as a value in the filter. Click OK to create the filter.



5. Click the Delete button (with and X) on the Fiscal Year column to delete it from the criteria. You are filtering on the channel, but you don't need the column in your query.

6. Your query criteria should look like this:

7. Click the Results tab to view the results of your query:



Other ways to view results are by clicking the view buttons below the tabs in the Criteria pane, or by clicking the Display Results button below the columns in your query criteria. By default, the results are displayed in the Compound Layout view, which contains two other views, a Title view and a Table view. As you will see, you can delete these default views and add other views to the Compound Layout. Later, you will add these different types of views to a dashboard.



Create Totals and Format results

To create totals and format results, perform the following steps.

1. Click on the Results tab. Click on the Edit View icon for the Table view in the Compound Layout.

2. Make sure that Display Header Toolbars with Results is selected:

The column controls for each column are displayed with the results. Using the view-level controls, you can also set table-wide formatting properties, import formatting from other queries, and set grand totals for the entire table.

3. Click the Total By icon above the Fiscal Month column to add subtotals by month to your results.



4. This adds Total amounts for each Fiscal Month:

The measure is totaled each time the value in Fiscal Month changes. In this case, the default aggregation rule (SUM) is applied. The default aggregation rule is set in the Oracle BI repository metadata, but can be overridden using controls in the Edit Formula dialog box accessed through the Edit Formula icon in the Edit Table view or the Criteria tab.

5. Click the Grand Total button at the view level to add a grand total to your results.

6. In the Display drop-down menu, select Results Only to eliminate the Header Toolbars. Click on the All Pages icon to display all the results, including the Grand Total:



7. Your results should look like this:



Formatting

1. In the Display drop-down menu, select Header Toolbars with Results to access the Header Toolbars. Click the Column Properties icon above the Closing Local Amount column.

2. In the Column Properties dialog box, click the Data Format tab, select the Override Default Data Format option, then select Treat Numbers as Currency, , select Negative Format as Minus (red) -123, change Decimal Places to 2, check the Use 1000’s Separator box, and click on OK. This will display the cents part of the amounts to 2 decimals, and continue using a comma separator in the number results for the column.

3. The resulting format is as follows:



4. To save this report, select the Save Request icon, and complete the dialog:



5. Click OK to save the report.



Create a Chart

To create a chart, perform the following steps:

1. Pick Chart in the View menu.

2. By default charts are displayed as a Vertical Bar graph.



3. Select Line from the Graph drop-down menu and 2D from the Type drop-down menu.



4. Under the Legends icon in the column area of the left side of the Chart view, select Profit Center Name to create a separate line in the chart for each profit center. Click the Redraw button at the bottom to confirm the change.



The column area of the chart view shows the columns that are included in the request. You can select the columns to display as the different axes in the chart. You can also indicate whether measure labels appear for factual data plotted on an axis. The available axes can change depending on the type of chart selected from the Graph drop-down list.

5. Now, click the Axis Titles and Labels icon.

6. In the Left tab of the Axis Titles & Labels dialog box, select Custom Title and change the custom title to Closing AR Amount. In the Bottom tab, change the custom title to Month.



7. The result will look like this:

8. Click the Additional Charting Options icon.



9. In the Additional Charting Options dialog box, click the Borders & Colors tab and set the background color to light gray. Click the color box for Background Color and, in the Color Selector dialog box, select light green from the palette, and click OK.

10. In the Additional Charting Options dialog box, click the Grid Lines tab and set the major grid line color to black and the minor grid line color to light gray, using the same method as above. After you've set both colors, click OK to apply your changes.



11. Your chart will look like this:

12. Sort the legend by sorting the data. You want to sort by Profit Center in ascending order:

13. Click the Order By button in the Profit Center column. The arrow points up to indicate an ascending sort.



14. Click the Results tab to verify that your sort has been applied to the legend in your chart. The legend is sorted to match the order of the Profit Center name.

15. Select Compound Layout from the View drop-down menu.

16. Click the Add View link and select Chart to add the Chart view to the Compound Layout view.



17. Scroll to the bottom of the Compound Layout view and drag the Chart view above the Table view in the Compound Layout. A blue line will appear when you have a valid insertion point.



18. To save this report, select the Save Request icon, and complete the dialog:



19. Click OK to save the report.



Working with a Pivot Table

In this topic you create a pivot table to examine your results and add calculations and formatting.

• Create and set basic layout for a pivot table

• Add calculations and formatting to the pivot table

1. Pick Pivot Table in the View menu. This opens the Pivot Table Layout page.

2. Examine the default pivot table that's created and displayed below the layout controls. Measure labels for the measures in your query appear in blue as columns in the pivot table. Row headings for the dimensional attributes in your query are displayed in light blue as rows by default. The measures are displayed at the intersection of the rows and columns.

3. Drag the Profit Center Name column to the Measure Labels in the Columns area in your layout controls. When you see a blue line appear, you have a valid insertion point and can drop the column.



4. Your report will look like:

5. Click and drag the Profit Center Name to the Rows section, and click and drag the Fiscal Month to the Columns section.

6. Here is your new result with the rows and columns reversed from the first example:



7. Now, put things back the way they were:

8. To add calculations and formatting to the pivot table, perform the following steps:

9. You need to add a measure to your pivot table to display the percentage of total monthly closing amounts for each profit center. Duplicate the Closing Local Amount measure. Click the More Options icon in the Closing Local Amount measure and select Duplicate Layer.



10. Click the More Options icon in the duplicate Closing Local Amount measure and select Format Headings.

11. In the Edit Format dialog box, change the caption to Percent of Month and click OK.

12. Click the More Options icon in the duplicated measure and select Show Data As > Percent of > Row.



This setting means that the measure will be displayed as a percentage of the row, which is Month. Note the other options that are available; you can present a measure as a percentage of the total amount for any dimension present in the pivot table layout, for example a row or a section. You can also set alternate aggregation rules for the measure using the Aggregation Rule option (the default is Sum).

Here is the resulting report:



Create Interactive Dashboard

In this topic you build a new shared Interactive Dashboard and add content you've saved in previous steps.

To create an Interactive Dashboard, perform the following steps.

Click the Settings link and select Administration.



OBI Delivers

Oracle Business Intelligence Delivers is the interface used to create alerts based on Oracle Business Intelligence Answers results. Oracle Answers is an extremely powerful, ad hoc data query tool that enables you to perform multidimensional analysis in a pure Web architecture. You can use Delivers to detect specific results and notify the appropriate person or group through Web, wireless, mobile, and other voice communication channels.

Delivers works in tandem with Oracle Business Intelligence Scheduler. iBots deliver reports and alerts to end users. iBots are configured and submitted for execution using Delivers. Scheduler is an extensible application and server that manages and schedules jobs. Oracle BI Scheduler supports two kinds of jobs:

Scripted Jobs: Scripted jobs are set up and submitted, using the Job Manager feature of the Oracle Business Intelligence Server Administration Tool. For example, a scripted job can periodically load Oracle BI Server usage statistics into a back-end database. For scripted jobs, Oracle BI Scheduler communicates with Oracle BI Server.

Unscripted Jobs: Unscripted jobs are called iBots. iBots deliver reports and alerts to end users. iBots are configured and submitted for execution, using Oracle Business Intelligence Delivers. Oracle BI Scheduler communicates with Oracle Business Intelligence Presentation Services for unscripted jobs and must be installed and configured to deliver iBots.

This lab covers how to use Delivers and Scheduler to create iBots based on Answers results and build alerts that can be sent to user's dashboards or other delivery devices.

In the simplest format, an Oracle BI Delivers iBot automatically performs a specified Presentation Catalog request (created with Oracle BI Answers) based on a defined schedule, and examines the results for a specific problem or opportunity. If the specific problem or opportunity is detected in the results, an alert is generated and passed to people who are subscribed to the iBot, using the delivery options specified for each person. The content of the iBot can be tailored for an associated delivery device. For example, content sent to a pager might include only a telephone number, and content sent to a Blackberry device might include an email with more detailed information such as a chart.

When Oracle BI Delivers is enabled, an Alerts section is automatically added to the first page of My Dashboard if one is not manually placed there. In this lesson, you create an iBot that delivers an alert to your Interactive Dashboard and email account.

1. To open Oracle BI Delivers, click the More Products link and select Delivers from the drop-down menu.



2. The Delivers page appears.

3. In this step, you setup the device profile for the iBot. Click Edit My Account.

4. The My Account page appears. On this page, you specify devices to receive the content. Click the Add Email Device link.

5. In the Device dialog box, enter Email as the Device Name, select HTML eMail as the Device Type, and enter “[email protected]” for the Address.



6. Click Finished. The email device appears.

7. Now setup the delivery profile for the iBot. Click the Add Delivery Profile link.



8. In the Delivery Profile dialog box, enter Dashboard as the profile “Name” and select Normal as the Content Priority.

9. Click Finished. The profile is complete.

10. Click Finished again to close the My Account window.

11. Now you create the iBot that delivers the request to your dashboard based on a specified schedule. Click Create New iBot.

12. The “Overview” page appears.



13. Click the General tab (or the General link).

14. You use the General tab to specify the priority of the iBot and how to send the delivery content. You can set the priority to low, normal, or high. The priority works with the delivery profile for a user to determine the destination for alerts of different priorities.

15. Select Normal from the Priority drop-down list, Personalized (individual data visibility) from the Data Visibility drop-down-list, and leave Run As blank.

16. Click the Conditional Request tab.

17. You use the Conditional Request tab to select a request to trigger the iBot. If you have filters from originating iBots applied to subsequent iBots, filter values are generated by the conditional request specified on this tab.

18. Click Select Condition.



19. The Choose Request window appears. Click My Folders > New Report 1 and click OK.

20. The Conditional Request window reappears with your specified request.



21. Click the Schedule tab.

22. You use the Schedule tab to determine when the iBot runs, how often it runs, and when to discontinue running it.

23. iBots can execute based on a specified schedule. You can define a starting date and time for the iBot, a recurrence schedule, and an ending date. You can also create a nonscheduled iBot. This is useful when you want to create an iBot that runs only as part of an iBot chain, or an iBot that is initiated by an external process.

24. Select the Set Schedule check box. Additionally, select Start Immediately and Recurrence – Once radio buttons.

25. Click the Recipients tab.

26. You use the Recipients tab to select the users and groups to receive the delivery content of the iBot.

27. Select the Me check box.

28. Note that if you wanted to allow others to subscribe to the request, you would select Publish for subscription.



29. Click the Delivery Content tab.

30. You use the Delivery Content tab to specify the type of content to deliver with the iBot, such as a dashboard page or a saved request. You can also specify the delivery format for the content, such as HTML, PDF, XLS, CSV, or text.

31. You can include a short, descriptive headline with the content. The headline appears as the subject when the iBot is delivered. You can add a text message to provide context for an iBot attachment. You can personalize this headline or text message by using a repository variable, a session variable, or a presentation variable. If the delivery content is blank (no records are returned), you can add an explanation for this condition (only applies for conditional requests).

32. Enter My First Report in the Headline text box and then click Select Content.



33. The Choose Delivery Content window appears. Select the My Folders > New Report 1, and press OK.

34. The Delivery Content window reappears with your request specified.



35. Click on the Destinations tab.

36. You use the Destinations tab to specify a range of desired devices and destinations for iBots. There are two User Destinations: Interactive Dashboard and Active Delivery Profile.

37. If you choose Interactive Dashboard, the active iBots will appear in a Dashboard Alerts! section as well as on the Alerts! page. A link to this summary appears together with the application navigation links when new iBots are delivered.

38. If you choose Active Delivery Profile, iBots will be sent to specified devices in the active delivery profile. The active delivery profile is configured through the My Account page. The available devices include: email, pager, digital phone, handheld device, and other devices.

39. For the purposes of this lab, we will choose the Interactive Dashboard as the destination for this iBot.

40. Click the Interactive Dashboard check box.



41. Finally, you need to save the iBot and verify that the request has been delivered to your dashboard and to your email account.

42. Click the Save button and name your iBot, My Request iBot, and press OK to continue.



43. Click the Dashboards link.

44. Your request appears in the Alerts! area of the Interactive Dashboard and an Alerts link appears in the My Dashboard banner.

45. Click the Alerts! link to view the Alerts screen.



46. Click the “View” this Alert link to view the “Categories Declined Last Month” request.

47. Congratulations! You have successfully created and delivered your first iBot!


R12 Support Chapter 16 - Page 1

R12 Support Chapter 16



R12 Support

Section Objectives


• Discuss R12 Support



Supporting an Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Environment during & after go live

During Go Live, All new R12 features must have been fully tested and these items must have been considered:

• Test canceling, voiding and adjusting upgraded data

• Enter, cancel, void and adjust new invoices and payments

• Go through a mock close with that test data

• High Priority customizations must be tested and successful to go for the new R12 environment

• High Priority Reports should have been developed with the Oracle BI Publisher (Former XML Publisher)

• Reexamine User Roles and Responsibilities and Business Processes

• MOAC, e-Business Tax and Subledger Accounting has been tested and validated.

• To accomplish Go-Live transition plan times and activities

• Legacy data has been collected and validated for the new environment.

After Go-Live, things to be considered:

• Keep Your Project Team in Place through Your First Financial Close

• Keep an issues log with priorities for solution. High priority issues are the first to be solved and should be the ones to focus all team efforts to solve.

• Validate all results in GL and process to work as tested.



R12 Support

Remote Managed Services

Benefits of the Remote Managed Services include system monitoring on a 24 X 7 X 365 basis and the availability of 'round-the-clock Oracle resources.

Additionally, Core performs Assessment and Evaluation services, such as reviewing a client's environments and making recommendations for improvements, which help clients anticipate future database needs in order to meet expected growth demands.

Benefits include:

• Accessing an entire team of highly-experienced DBA's and Oracle Apps-Tech Specialists for less than the cost of hiring just one resource

• Paying only for the services you really need

• Reducing the hiring and training costs resulting from turnover

• Establishing consistent and reasonable costs that can be budgeted each year

• Ensuring timely and consistent review of your database environment

• Creating a partnership with a leader in database consulting services

Hosting Off site

This model establishes a service provider to host your ERP applications in a centralized data center over an Internet / intranet connection for a monthly fee.

Important considerations among this model are similar to the issues and concerns you would have with any outsourcing arrangement:

• The application implementation should meet the needs of your business

• The support expertise of the service provider must exceed the expectation of the users

• Data center management must be better than your own data center

• The cost of the service should be reasonable

Advantages:

• Single Vendor Solution



• This architecture moves complexity off the desktop and on to the managed server located in a professionally managed data center

• No need for investment in hardware, software, and implementation costs.

• No support cost (20% of the Software costs)

• No need for technical staff to support these systems.

Cons:

• Restriction on the types of extensions available

• Application performance issues

• Business data becomes shared with the provider.



Lessons Learned from Successful Oracle R12 Upgrades and Reimplementations

Lesson #1 – Allocate Enough Time for Your Project

Release 12 is a major new release with significant changes in data model and functionality, especially in the Financials product area. It introduces centralized functionality to handle accounting, taxation, and access to data across organizations, and offers more flexible implementation options than were available in Release 11i to meet a wider variety of business needs.

Set a clear and realistic schedule for your Release 12 adoption project. A Financials upgrade to Release 12 involves significantly more changes than the Financials upgrades between Release 11i point releases, such as 11.5.8 to 11.5.9, or 11.5.9 to 11.5.10.

Lesson #2 – Determine the Appropriate Project Scope

You may be thinking about combining your Release 12 adoption with related systems projects, such as upgrading your hardware or your operating system or merging multiple instances into a single global instance. Since adopting Release 12 of Financials involves a substantial amount of change, consider whether keeping your project as simple as possible is the best option for your business.

The standard upgrade moves you from Release 11i to 12 with the same setups and functionality, plus some additional, default functionality around tax, subledger accounting, ledgers and payments. You then have the option to implement additional new functionality either immediately, as part of the same project, or in a subsequent project.

In general, consider whether to scope your Release 12 adoption as a single project that fully encompasses all the changes you are targeting, or to divide your adoption into multiple projects. For example, you could separate an upgrade to your hardware platform from your upgrade to Release 12. You could further simplify your project by performing a minimal upgrade, versus upgrading and fully implementing new features to the target state.

The advantage of phasing your Release 12 adoption across multiple projects is that you minimize the risk and changes to your business undertaken in any one of those projects. However, depending on your circumstances, you may want to scope your adoption to include all the features that support your return on investment as a single project.

Lesson #3 – Determine Your Upgrade Approach

If you are moving from an existing release of Oracle E-Business Suite to Release 12, you should consider whether to perform a standard upgrade versus a reimplementation. A standard upgrade allows you to take advantage of supported tools, scripts, and documentation to move your existing Release 11i setups and historical data to Release 12. A reimplementation, on the other hand, allows you greater flexibility in your setup and in how you migrate your historical data using supported public interfaces. It is a project that you would generally undertake with the



support of a professional services provider, such as Oracle Consulting. You would consider doing a reimplementation under circumstances such as:

• You wish to change configurations that are not easily changed, such as your chart of accounts definition, costing method, or calendar.

• Your enterprise has undergone significant change in the number and structure of its business units and organizations since your original Oracle implementation. For example, you have grown through acquisition and you want to establish a new standard applications setup for all of your business units, which are currently running disparate application systems. You could freshly implement Release 12, and then migrate historical data from your existing businesses, even if some of those businesses were running E-Business Suite.

Lesson #4 – Plan for Required Financials Setup Steps

Even a minimal upgrade requires some setup of the new Financials features that come by default, such as Trading Community Architecture (TCA) for supplier data, Payments and E-Business Tax.

Some accounting entities (such as taxes, banks and suppliers) that were modeled by several Financials products in Release 11i have moved to a common implementation in Release 12. If you have setup inconsistencies among Release 11i products for setups that are centralized in Release 12, then you should try to resolve them before you upgrade. For example, since supplier data moves from individual product tables in Release 11i to common TCA tables in Release 12, you should review your 11i supplier data and remove any duplicates.

Furthermore, the upgrade scripts that move Release 11i Financials setups to Release 12 are based on assumptions, detailed in the Oracle Financials and Oracle Procurement Functional Upgrade Guide, of what is appropriate for most business situations. If those assumptions would lead to an outcome that is inappropriate for your business situation, plan on modifying your Release 12 Financials setups.

You can run the Accounting Setup Manager Pre-Update Diagnosis Report to view your Release 11i setup for Multiple Reporting Currencies, General Ledger, Global Accounting Engine, Assets, Payables, and Receivables. This report identifies setups that are potentially problematic. While you can upgrade successfully without running this report and without modifying your setup, you may find it more difficult to take advantage of new Release 12 functionality.

Lesson #5 – Look for Opportunities to Simplify Your Project

Many successful projects have taken the approach of simplifying the project to reduce risk.

For example, during Oracle’s adoption of Release 12, we completed as many tasks as we could ahead of the actual upgrade. For example, we reviewed and standardized our setups, and we eliminated obsolete reports, alerts, responsibilities, and other data to reduce our testing and upgrade effort.



We replaced custom functionality with standard product while still at the 11i.10 level. For example, we started moving our consulting organization onto the Oracle Time and Labor module a year before we upgraded to Release 12, finishing the moves for the last group of countries at the time of the upgrade.

We identified features we could enable prior to Release 12. For example, we moved Receivables users off of the Collections Workbench and onto the newer Advanced Collections module. (In Release 12, users assigned to the seeded Collections menu are automatically redirected to the Advanced Collections forms.)

Lesson #6 – Inventory Your Customizations and Prioritize Them for Upgrade

Inventory your customizations and determine which functions could be replaced by standard product in Release 12. For any customizations that remain, validate with your business users which customizations are most critical to them so that you can prioritize your upgrade effort. It may be possible to defer the implementation of some customizations until after the initial upgrade project.

You should review the impact of changes to database objects on your custom code. In particular, note that with Release 12, the backward-compatible views RA_CUSTOMERS and RA_ADDRESSES are no longer available, so you should change any custom code that references them to reference the relevant Trading Community Architecture (TCA) tables instead.

It might be necessary to engage Oracle Consulting or an Oracle partner to execute a detailed CEMLI (Customization, Extension, Modification, Localization, and Integration) framework review. This should be done to assist in properly planning your upgrade program.

Lesson #7 – Consider Migrating Your Reports to Business Intelligence Publisher

Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (Oracle BI Publisher), formerly known as XML Publisher, is an enterprise reporting solution for authoring, managing and delivering all types of highly-formatted documents. End users can easily design report layouts using familiar desktop tools, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Adobe Acrobat. BI Publisher can query or accept data from practically any data source – databases, packaged applications, web services, HTTP feeds, or file data sources.

BI Publisher was used in Release 11i.10 for high-fidelity formatting of many external documents. With Release 12, many more standard reports use BI Publisher. For BI Publisher-based reports, an XML data extract is provided along with a default layout (template) that you can easily modify.

Custom reports based on Pasta or mod_plsql are not supported in Release 12, and should be converted to BI Publisher. Consider converting your custom Oracle Reports to BI Publisher, as well. If you move your custom reports to BI Publisher before upgrading to Release 12, you may need to adjust the queries you use to produce the report output, but your formatting will remain valid for Release 12.



Lesson #8 – Assemble a Project Team that Combines Technical and Functional Skill Sets

Consider including the following people on your Release 12 project team:

• A dedicated project manager

• An executive steering committee

• Application business owners – in particular, a tax specialist who knows the tax policies in regions where you do business

• Technical applications specialists – technical specialists who work closely with business owners

• Technical team – one or more people who can function as a technical upgrade specialist, an operating system administrator, a database administrator, an applications server (middle tier) specialist, a performance specialist, a change management specialist, and a customization developer

• Testers – both technical and functional. You will also need someone to log and track service requests (SRs), and a DBA to apply patches.

• A training lead – to assist in the rollout to end users

If you decide to retain outside consultants to provide expertise that is lacking from your in-house team, prefer consultants with prior Release 12 experience.

Lesson #9 – Involve Your Business Users at Every Project Phase

Involve business users from the start of your project so that they are prepared for Release 12 changes in look and process flow. Identify the functional areas where users will see the biggest changes and concentrate your training efforts there. For example, in Oracle Payables, the payments process uses a new Payments dashboard, and the Invoice workbench is significantly reworked.

Plan to reinforce end user learning even after your production cutover with internal documentation and job aids.

Lesson #10 – Keep Your Project Team in Place through Your First Financial Close

Keep your Release 12 project team in place at least through your first financial close. Your project team can monitor the health of your system, logging service requests as needed and notifying end users through broadcast e-mails of any significant issues. The project team can serve as a backup to the smaller in-house support team that normally handles end user queries.



Lesson #11 – Reexamine User Roles and Responsibilities and Business Processes

You should reexamine user roles and responsibilities due to business process changes introduced by Release 12. For example, who should be responsible for any issues related to the new tax and subledger engines? Who will read and interpret the related exception reports? As part of Oracle’s upgrade project, global process owners reviewed Release 12 process changes with business users, and redefined roles and responsibilities accordingly.

Lesson #12 – Consider Using Oracle’s Process Documentation and End User Training Tools

Oracle Tutor is a Microsoft Word-based tool for documenting business processes, policies, and procedures. You can start with the model business processes delivered with Oracle Tutor and customize them to reflect your Release 12 implementation. With Tutor, you can also generate end user desk manuals and a variety of job aids.

Oracle User Productivity Kit (UPK) is a valuable tool for training end users on how to use the system to accomplish your business processes. UPK allows you to record the flow through application screens, creating UI simulations with which users can interact.

Oracle offers pre-recorded UPK content modules for Release 12 products. Using these as a starting point, you can create training on how to use Release 12 to accomplish your business processes. UPK allows you to train current users on Release 12, and it facilitates the training of new users at any point after the initial rollout.



Lesson #13 – Acquire Release 12 Knowledge

If you are upgrading from a prior E-Business Suite release, you should review Release 12 enhancements module by module, understanding new features and process changes that come by default, along with optional new features that you may want to implement.

For an overview of new and changed features since Release 11.5.10, see the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12: Release Content Documents (RCDs), Note 404152.1. If you are upgrading from a release earlier than 11.5.10, you can get the intervening RCDs as well.

Transfer of Information (TOI) online training modules are another source of “what’s new” information, accessible from Oracle MetaLink Note 403349.1. Organized by application or major feature, TOIs present either functional changes (setup and use), or technical changes (to database objects, profile options, code objects, and so on.)

Project team members new to Oracle E-Business Suite or those needing a refresher should consider enrolling in instructor-led training at an Oracle training facility. These courses allow you to get hands-on with Release 12 before you start your project.

Lesson #14 – Fully Utilize Available Upgrade Documentation

The Oracle Applications Upgrade Guide, Release 11i to Release 12.x, documents mandatory, recommended and optional tasks you should perform before, during, and after an upgrade. The appendices in the back of the guide describe data verification procedures as well as upgrade impacts to existing products. For a more detailed discussion of Financials and Procurement upgrade impacts, see the Oracle Financials and Oracle Procurement Functional Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.



Lesson #15 – Use the Maintenance Wizard

The Maintenance Wizard is a free tool (available on OracleMetaLink via Note 215527.1) that provides a step-by-step, graphical user interface for performing upgrade tasks. It consolidates instructions from the upgrade guide with other relevant documents to present a complete picture of the upgrade process.

The Maintenance Wizard can help you reduce upgrade tasks by filtering out those that do not apply to you. It also indicates critical patches that your system requires. It can automatically execute upgrade tasks for you, and maintains a log with status information for all executed tasks.

Lesson #16 – Stay Current with Latest Code

Take advantage of the latest available Release 12 code. For example, stay current with Release Update Packs (RUPs), which consolidate the latest maintenance fixes for the release. It is particularly important for Financials customers to keep current with latest code. To that end, we publish a document called "EBS: R12 Oracle Financials Critical Patches", OracleMetaLink Note 557869.1.

Oracle appreciates that customers are sometimes reluctant to apply the latest RUP or critical patch because they are concerned about the time needed to apply and test these recommended fixes. Since the alternative may be to cycle through the time-consuming process of identifying, reporting, qualifying, fixing, and testing fixes for what ultimately are found to be known issues, customers should consider whether it is more efficient to proactively apply RUPs and critical patches at their earliest maintenance opportunity.

Lesson #17 – Stay Current with Latest Information

Monitor the E-Business Suite R12 Information Center (on Oracle MetaLink, click the Headlines tab, E-Business Suite sub-tab, E-Business Suite R12 Information Center button) for the latest



information on certifications, Release Update Packs, diagnostics, documentation resources, and so on.

Lesson #18 – Clear Your Interfaces and Any Processing Exceptions

Before you upgrade, clear your interfaces and any processing exceptions so that after the upgrade, your interfaces are clean, with nothing “stuck” in them. For example, just prior to upgrade:

• Import all invoices from the Payables open interface

• Confirm or cancel all Unconfirmed Payment batches

Pay particular attention to the 11i interface table between Projects Accounting and General Ledger (PA_GL_INTERFACE) because it becomes obsolete during the upgrade.

Lesson #19 – Review your Pending Concurrent Requests

Review all of your pending concurrent requests prior to the upgrade and decide which to cancel or put on hold. By preventing concurrent requests from automatically running after the upgrade completes, you allow yourself a window for doing setup and validation without interference from production activities.

Cancel any pending concurrent requests that would not be appropriate in Release 12 due to process changes. Place on hold any other valid concurrent requests so that you can run them at a time you choose after the upgrade. For example, you may want to run post-upgrade reconciliation reports before allowing any new transactions to be created.



Lesson #20 – Run Key Reports Before and After Your Upgrade

Run key reports just before your upgrade and again just after your upgrade to allow for data verification and reconciliation. For example, run the Payables Trial Balance report in Release 11i, and then again in Release 12 for the same period or month.

Lesson #21 – Review Your Custom Concurrent Program Incompatibilities

Review your custom concurrent program incompatibilities after the upgrade to ensure that they are appropriate. You may need to define new incompatibilities or eliminate existing ones due to new programs and new program interactions in Release 12.

Lesson #22 – Review Concurrent Programs to Ensure Proper Multiple Organizations Access Control Settings

With Release 12, Multiple Organizations Access Control (MOAC) allows a single Applications responsibility to access multiple operating units, if desired. During the upgrade, some concurrent programs are automatically enabled for MOAC so that they will run for all organizations. Review your concurrent programs after the upgrade to verify that any meant to run only for specific organizations are set up to reflect this.

Lesson #23 – Develop a Robust Testing Strategy

As with any new release, you should formulate a testing strategy that details the number of test rounds, types of testing, and who will be involved, with an overall goal of performing end-to-end testing of all business flows and scenarios. In addition to conference room pilot testing to validate setups, ensure that you do full functional testing with business users.

Perform multiple rounds of testing, focusing on new and changed functionality. The number of test rounds and your acceptance criteria should be carefully considered at the outset of your project, and then reconsidered before and after each test round.

The timeframe for your testing rounds needs to be clearly stated. Issues and slow turnaround on resolutions may affect your testing period; make sure you budget enough time for issue resolution. Agree in advance what types of issues should be considered as show-stoppers to putting Release 12 into production, or even to advancing to the next test round.

Your testing should be guided by detailed test scripts that you prepare in advance. You can start with the test scripts used in your original implementation, updating them to reflect the new Release 12 functionality and process changes that you intend to implement.

Well before your go-live, begin performing test upgrades to establish that the upgrade will fit into your downtime window, and to allow for tuning of upgrade scripts as needed. Also, track any upgrade impacts on your custom code.

You can use Maintenance Wizard to record the outcome of your various test upgrades, annotating individual upgrade steps with hints, lessons learned, or advice that will help you during the actual upgrade. You can even create custom steps at the appropriate spots in the tool so that custom actions will not be forgotten on subsequent upgrade attempts. The Maintenance



Wizard also keeps logs for each execution of each step, so you have documentation of what happened, when it happened and who did it.

Lesson #24 – Test with Upgraded As Well as New Data and at Full Volumes

Test all of your business scenarios with documents upgraded from Release 11i as well as those created in Release 12. Test performing operations in Release 12 on documents that were created in Release 11i. For example, test that an invoice created in Release 11i can have a credit memo issued against it in Release 12 with matching tax calculations. Alternatively, create a payment in Release 11i, then void it in Release 12. This would validate that setup differences between Release 11i and 12 do not create inconsistencies in a business document as it completes its flow.

In-progress workflow items should, in general, upgrade smoothly. However, validate this with testing, especially where you have customized Release 11i pre-seeded workflow processes or activities. You could consider reducing the number of in-progress workflow items by turning off applications such as iExpenses and iProcurement for some interval prior to your upgrade, and encouraging your managers to respond to pending workflow notifications.

While your initial conference room pilot testing may validate setups based on sample or demonstration data, it is critical that you do full, end-to-end testing on the complete data set that you intend to run in production. Release 12 data validation is even tighter in than in prior releases, so you need to find whether there are any data conditions that would fail Release 12 validation. In particular, Oracle recommends that you test your month-end close and reconciliation with full data volumes, and that you resolve any exceptions.

Lesson #25 – Do Load and Volume Testing

Because new reports and business processes may be sensitive to your data distribution, and to ensure that your system has the expected performance characteristics, make sure you do load and volume testing.



Securing User Adoption and sustaining ROI

Ensure the success of your enterprise applications, accelerate user adoption, and prepare your organization to be productive from day one with Oracle UPK and Tutor.

Maximize your applications investment, increase employee productivity and mitigate risk through all phases of the project lifecycle with Oracle UPK and Tutor. These complementary products provide a simple and comprehensive content development, deployment, and maintenance platform specifically designed for project team members and line of business owners. With these tools, the project team will dramatically reduce the time to deployment and ensure end user adoption - the single biggest barrier to enterprise application success. Supporting applications from Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft as well as all other enterprise applications, Oracle UPK and Tutor will help you achieve the highest return on your enterprise application investment.

Oracle Tutor provides organizations with powerful tools to easily create, modify, and maintain business process documentation - process flows, policies, and procedures - the "People to People" documentation. By using Tutor during the inception or blueprinting phase, project teams can quickly document the current state business processes, ensuring all aspects of each process are addressed. In addition, Tutor's pre-built model business procedures allow your project team to quickly customize generally accepted business practices to reflect how your company will use the application. This will dramatically reduce the time to document each process as well as the time to deployment.

Oracle UPK provides a collaborative development environment to create system related assets - the "People to System" documentation -, which are used throughout the rest of the project lifecycle. With the ability to produce multiple outputs through a single recording session, Oracle UPK reduces content development time and cost. You can rapidly produce interactive transaction simulations, classroom and web based training materials, and in-application performance support. With the creation of user test scripts, the system transactions can be defined and tested before go-live, providing the necessary materials to ensure user adoption. Oracle UPK is key to increasing productivity and reducing overall software implementation costs.

Benefits by using Oracle UPK and Oracle Tutor

• Maximize ROI and Mitigate Risk—Fast recovery of upfront investment through accelerated user adoption.

• Streamline Implementation—Pre-built model business process documents and pre-built content for Oracle applications speed time to deployment.

• Drive user adoption and productivity—Application training enhances competency and compliance with multiple learning methods and just-in-time performance support.

Used together, Tutor and UPK can be instrumental to companies who are:



• Implementing new enterprise applications

• Upgrading to newer releases of their enterprise applications, or just expanding functionality in current applications

• Documenting business practices for various compliance initiatives

• Consolidating systems due to merger or acquisition

• Reducing IT spend due to the current business environment



Getting to Know User Adoption Tools Oracle Tutor & UPK

Oracle Tutor

Oracle Tutor is used to develop end user process and procedure documentation. As a documentation tool, it is unparalleled for Oracle implementations, partly because of its integration with AIM and Oracle Business Models, but also because of the large volume of prewritten model procedures available for core business practices.

As an implementation tool, Tutor can be instrumental: • in a migration from a legacy system to Oracle Applications,

• an upgrade to newer releases of Oracle Applications, or

• a stand-alone documentation method for procedure and process changes for formal regulatory requirements such as ISO9000, Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA, and SAS70.

As a document delivery tool, Tutor can be fully integrated within a company's paper- or browser-based standards, making it fast and easy to update information when changes are required.

Oracle Tutor enables you to quickly create, customize, and maintain process documentation, training, and reference materials related to Oracle Applications. You can dynamically personalize a repository of procedural and instructional content according to your unique business processes, and then intelligently deploy documents across your enterprise. As a result, you reduce training and implementation costs, increase adoption rates, and ensure adherence to policies and procedures.

Oracle Tutor integrates seamlessly with all Oracle Applications and Oracle Collaboration Suite for workflow driven, access controlled, secure document management in the Oracle Database.

Oracle Tutor Benefits

• Streamline Implementation: Accelerate the writing process by modifying a pre-existing online repository of model business process documents rather than building them all from scratch.

• Support Intelligent Self-Service: Place role based desk manuals directly into your Applications Online Help System giving users one click access to information specific to their role.

• Provide a Graphic of Procedure Tasks at a Glance: Enable end users to stay on track by providing a visual flowchart of the entire procedure. To access procedure task details, users simply click on any task in the flowchart.

• Build Job-Specific Courseware: Reduce training time and improve success rates by teaching employees to use applications in the context of their individual job roles.



Oracle UPK

Oracle UPK provides a collaborative development environment to create system related assets - the "People to System" documentation. With the ability to produce multiple outputs through a single recording session, Oracle UPK reduces content development time and cost. You can rapidly produce interactive transaction simulations; classroom and web based training materials, and in-application performance support. With the creation of user test scripts, the system transactions can be defined and tested before go-live, providing the necessary materials to ensure user adoption. Oracle UPK is key to increasing productivity and reducing overall software implementation costs.

With UPK enterprises can:

• Maximize the return on your enterprise application investment

• Mitigate the risk associated with change management and compliance

• Drive user adoption and productivity

• Reduce costs associated with software implementations

Oracle UPK Benefits

• Improve productivity—Multiple learning methods educate and remediate learning for effective knowledge transfer and user adoption.

• Increase business efficiency—Live, in-application performance support decreases help desk support costs and increases user competency.

• Accelerate time to deployment—System process documentation for fit-gap analysis provides time and cost savings, jump-starting your implementation or upgrade project.

• Reduce content creation time—Rapid content creation tools produce multiple assets through a single authoring session saving content development time and cost.



Business Process Documentation – why it is essential

By documenting policies and procedures, you will be able to:

• Help solve critical software implementation issues.

• Have complete documents, including flowcharts reflecting complete business process flows

• Customize your business practices in a simple manner.

• accelerate the writing process (you don't start with a blank screen)

• fully integrate different processes and / or business areas (e.g. purchasing is mapped to AP)

• reflect a standard, easy-to-read format

Process documentation plays a critical role in the growth of any company. Without standard methods for implementing procedures, a company will soon find that expansion brings complications that can literally be crippling. Establishing standard processes, particularly to meet outside regulatory requirements (such as ISO9000 and Sarbanes-Oxley), through the use of model documents and flowcharts is made simple with Oracle Tutor. In addition to the prewritten procedures, the model document repository also contains user documentation on the overall Tutor method and implementation process.



Create Dynamic Material and Tutorials to Support an R12 Deployment

How to Use Oracle’s Documentation Tools

Take a closer look at these tools and what they can do for you not only from a regulatory compliance perspective, but also from a training and business process documentation perspective.

Oracle Tutor enables you to quickly create, customize, and maintain process documentation, training, and reference materials, and this benefits your business in a number of ways.

You can Streamline your Implementation with Tutor because it gives you model business process documents meaning that you do not have to build them from scratch.

Tutor supports Intelligent Self-Service by integrating role-based desk manuals directly into your Applications Online Help System. This gives your users one click access to information specific to their role.



You can also use Tutor to provide “Tasks at a Glance” procedure graphics. These are dynamic flowcharts that help users stay on track by mapping out a visual flowchart of an entire procedure. When they need more procedure detail, they simply click on the corresponding segment of the flowchart.

Tutor also helps build Job-Specific Courseware: Reduce your training time and improve success rates by teaching employees to use applications as they relate to their individual job roles.

With the Universal Productivity Kit or UPK you can quickly produce interactive transaction simulations, classroom and web based training materials, and in-application performance support.

UPK improves productivity because it gives you multiple learning methods to educate and remediate learning.

Likewise, in-applications performance support increases business efficiency with live, in-application performance support, improving user competency and reducing help desk support.

Accelerate the time to deployment cycle by creating system process documentation.

Reduce content creation time can costs with rapid content creation tools that produce multiple assets through a single authoring session.



Two Categories of Documents

Usually, each segment of a project team develops and maintains their own versions of system documentation.

The functional team documents system configurations, and includes screenshots detailing how each field is used, process flows and process steps, and procedure documents.

The testing team creates test scripts and documents key steps required to navigate through the system and complete a transaction.

Finally, the training team develops end user training material and help documentation, which usually includes gathering details on the steps required to navigate and complete a transaction in the system.

Consider how much more efficient this process would be if you had a single solution that each team could rely on to create, locate, maintain, and update their documentation efforts.

With Tutor you can document all of these document types once and then reuse the content multiple times in multiple manuals. While with UPK just one recording can generate multiple outputs. Using these tools together gives you a single solution that supports all of the documentation requirements for all of your teams.



Model Documents

Tutor and UPK give you model process documents, and this example demonstrates why this is important. If you need to create materials that document how to enter Supplier Information into Oracle Financials, Tutor gives you a starting point by allowing you to download the AP model documentation. You will obviously need to tweak the document so that it matches your business, but you will not need to go through the tedious process of starting from scratch. You can also download a set of AP topics for UPK that demonstrate how to enter a supplier.

Model documents are available for most Oracle modules including Financials, HRMS, and Manufacturing.

Moreover, with Tutor and UPK you can link the Tutor documentation to UPK simulations so that your learners have access to everything in one place.



What is Oracle Tutor?

Tutor has two tools; Tutor Author for creating and editing documents and Tutor Publisher for compiling individual documents into powerful devices in the form of manuals which you can produce in Word, PDF, or HTML format, with hyperlinks to other documents.

Tutor Author is Microsoft Word with built in macros to make consistent formatting and authoring or editing of documents simple and easy. If you know Word, you can Author in Tutor. In addition, Tutor Publisher is a DOS program that combines many of the Word documents from Tutor Author into specific business manuals. The key is that Tutor Author’s contents are reusable. The organization only needs to write a document one time to be used in many manuals. For example, if you are upgrading to R12, R12’s Trading Community Architecture is used in Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, as well as Cash Management. Tutor let’s you avoid the need to write procedures or instructions on TCA 3 times, you simply write it once and re-use the document in 3 or more places.



Tutor Author Features

The graphic above shows several Tutor Author features.

Tutor Author is all about standardization. The Tutor Author toolbar adds to your standard Word toolbars and lets you write and quickly format documents. You can use the toolbar for automatic flowcharting, creating hyperlinks, and converting to HTML to name a few. Tutor’s predefined styles and templates ensure that you use a consistent format with documents that all have the same look, feel, and organization.

In addition, you have an Author menu option in your menu bar. The Author menu has additional features such as saving and replacing Header and Footer text automatically to make putting the finishing touches to your documents quick and easy.

Notice that we have only entered the steps and have not numbered all of our tasks. We can use the toolbar to easily number our tasks by clicking the number symbol.




The tasks are numbered and any time you add a task you can renumber using the same tool.

To adhere to regulatory compliance, you can add the audit function to identify that this task is a control point to a possible risk in the process.




Tutor’s auditing function allows companies to document the mitigated risks and controls that exist within their business processes. This functionality also integrates with Oracle’s Internal Control Manager (ICM) module allowing you to become compliant with corporate governance regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002 and International Accounting Standards (IAS).

Within Tutor Author, there is an audit function on the toolbar that allows the writer to identify an application, manual or exception control in the process. You can see here at Step 8 there is an MC in parenthesis indicating that at this step, there is a manual control in place. This is the process map identifier that integrates with Oracle's Internal Controls Manager for auditing compliance. Notice in the flowchart that the Manual Control is also shown at Step 8.

With these audit features, your Auditors will see that you recognize where in your process you have risks and controls.




How did you get the flowchart on the previous slide you ask? Again, use the Author toolbar to create the flowchart.

Tutor Author will look at each numbered task and divide up the flowchart based on the responsibilities after we click the Flow icon on the toolbar.



Flowcharts

The flowchart is magically created and added to the end of our document. The two sections of our flowchart match the two responsibilities and the tasks entered above.



Importing a PPT

To import a PowerPoint presentation into the document can be very helpful if you already have a presentation documenting your business processes. Use the toolbar again and click the Import PPT tool.



Importing a PPT

Tutor Author will go and retrieve the presentation and import the slides.



Importing a PPT

All of the slides from the presentation have been inserted. However, Tutor hasn’t just imported them into your document, it has done that dynamically.



Publisher

Now that you have your documentation created what do you do with it? The easiest answer is you publish it using Tutor Publisher.

There are four types of manuals that can be produced from Tutor Publisher.

Owner Manuals = pulls all documents with the job title in the Ownership section of the document into a single manual

Desk Manuals = combines the procedures and other business documents into a book for a reference per job role

Student Guides = training material created by job role or by module. Uses a curriculum document to build the guide from

Instructor Guides = same as a Student Guide, except it contains notes that only the instructor will see

Remember, you create the document only once and use it over and over in multiple publications.



Student or Instructor Guides

This is a sample of the Table of Contents you can expect in a Student or Instructor Guide. The individual creating the manual will create a Curriculum document (on the left) which lists out each Education document to be included and in the order in which they should appear in the manual. Publisher does all of the work from there. It looks at the Education document and finds all of the references to the other document types within that Education document. It then builds the manual based on the macros and the output is the TOC with the chapters combined (on the right).

Basically, Tutor gives you one set of documentation with one format, kept in one single repository with revision control, that meets all ISO, SOX and other regulatory business requirements and User Training needs, and links directly to system instructions for Online Help reference.



Creating eLearning with UPK

UPK is a tool for creating eLearning software simulations that demonstrate software navigation and software functions. You can also use UPK to create quizzes to ensure users have learned their job functions.

In simple terms, what UPK does is it records the screen shots of any Oracle software screen. Then you can edit the topic and publish it in multiple formats. UPK will also record other product screens that are web-based. Although, with those screens, may need additional editing due to the fact that UPK may not be able to correctly identify icons versus links, versus buttons, etc. UPK’s layout is based on an outline structure. You can create an entire curriculum with modules and topics within UPK’s outline. In UPK, simulations are recorded at the topic level. Therefore, you’ll choose a topic, in this case, Creating a Favorites List and click the record button.




UPK minimizes and the Recorder appears in the upper right corner of the screen as you are recording a transaction. You just have to click on the screen to set the start screen and then press Print Screen to initiate the recording and capture the screenshot.

The lights will appear green when UPK is ready to record and change to red when it is recording.

The Recorder provides information on the next event to be recorded and the last event that was recorded. This allows you to ensure that you have recorded the correct action and are preparing to record the correct action.

The Recorder functionality includes a button to undo the last recording and a button to finish the recording and open the Editor.




The beauty of UPK is that, while recording, UPK automatically adds basic navigation instructions called template text. Notice that the onscreen text reads “Begin by navigating to the Shop Stores page. Click the Procurement tab.”

If you look at the bubble properties the basic navigation instructions, of “Click the Procurement tab,” are not displayed there. That’s because those instructions are part of the template text added automatically by UPK. UPK adds the learner interaction to the bubble and places the specific instruction in blue text. This directs the learner’s attention to the text.




On frames where more detail or business processes are needed UPK allows you to add what’s called an explanation frame. UPK does not add any text to an explanation frame and there is no specific learner interaction except to read the text and press Enter to continue. You can add as much or as little explanation as necessary to the bubble properties.

Once you have completed the editing of the topic you can save and view your topic.



eLearning Simulations

The simulation can be viewed in multiple ways from any internet browser.

See it, which is essentially a movie where no learner interaction needs to take place. The movie plays based on timings setup in the editor.

Try it mode allows the user to follow the onscreen instructions and complete the transaction using the learner interactions.

Know it mode allows the learner to test their knowledge of the transaction.

Do it mode provides performance support to the learner while they are in the live system. They can complete their work functions with the help of the simulation to prompt them or display tips.

Print it mode allows the learner to create a hard copy of the simulation.



UPK Outputs

In addition to UPK eLearning simulations you can also publish the topic to a Word format job aid, training guide, process, test script and even a document for uploading into HP Quality Center, the old Mercury Quality Center.



Combining Tutor and UPK

You can easily add a link in the Tutor document to your UPK simulations.

Then you can publish your desk manual and have a complete set of dynamic documentation as well as online training topics for your entire organization to access.

Preparing for an Upgrade

Documents

Transcript of Preparing for an Upgrade