11i Enhancements ..

AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ORACLE APPLICATIONS USERS GROUP
FALL 2003
SPECIAL CONFERENCE ISSUE
11i Enhancements ...

If You Could Choose Other Flavors Would You Still Pick
Vanilla?
s Conquer the Data Growth Beast: Application Data Lifecycle Management for High Performance and Storage Savings s Solving the Security Puzzle for Your Organization s Creating Web Reports in Oracle 11i s Whats Between a Report and a Query? s Enhance Your Project Documentation Process with Oracle Applications Implementation Methodology (AIM)
Address Service Requested OAUG 415 E. Paces Ferry Rd. NE, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30305
PRESORTED STANDARD US Postage PAID Permit #127 KENNESAW, GA
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2003 Evergreen Data Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Evergreen and the Evergreen logo are trademarks of Evergreen Data Systems. The On Oracle logo is a trademark of Oracle Corporation.
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11i Enhancements . . . If You Could Choose Other Flavors Would You Still Pick Vanilla?
by Richard Goddard and Kevin Fukuda
Many organizations have delayed their 11i upgrade plans due to the costs and complexity of reworking the customizations made to their existing environments. Understanding how to properly handle enhancements critical to a business, but not being addressed by Oracle 11i, is key to realizing the full potential of the applications.
34 Creating Web Reports in Oracle 11i

by Michael Christ
Among the many improvements available in Oracle Applications Release 11i, those that involve custom reporting rank near the top. This article presents the advances in Oracle 11i reporting by reviewing the two interconnected areas: tools and launch points.
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41 Whats Between a Report and a Query?

by Haim Kravitz
Ever wonder what the difference is between a report and a query? Is the number of records returned the differentiator? Is a report returning only 15 rows really a report? . . . In the new reality of information systems, with data on demand, real time information, and mobile data, these issues are no longer academic. This article will establish these claims and their impact on operation costs and productivity.
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Data Growth Beast: 22 Conquer theData Lifecycle Management Application for High Performance and Storage Savings
by Anne Skamarock and Michael Karp
Every morning, application and IT management walk through their ofce door in anticipation of the next great battle with application data growth. Discover how to control storage and hardware expenses associated with growing application databases while increasing application performance.
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Your Project Documentation 44 Enhancewith Oracle Applications Process Implementation Methodology (AIM)
by Richard Byrom
Having supported many software implementations including those of ERP systems, it seems that project documentation is one area that requires signicant improvement. Learn to smoothly implement projects with AIM, Oracles powerful project management methodology that includes underlying documentation templates.
28 Solving the Security Puzzle for Your Organization

by Raja Chatrathi and Donna Easterday
Proven solutions and recommended methodologies for analyzing and choosing an appropriate security approach for your environment, a major management concern when implementing Oracle R11i HRMS, is addressed in this in-depth article.
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47 Diagnostics: Apps Check

by Josh Scheumann
Oracle Support continues to expand its offering of diagnostic scripts that are available for customer use in order to assist in validating setups, checking version control, and detecting issues. The provided scripts are designed to check setups as well as provide version information per module.
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Also Conferences
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OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference Invitation................ 5 EOUG-OAUG Applications Oracle User Forum Invitation ........... 9 Enjoy Beautiful San Diego at OAUG Connection Point 2003......................................... 52 OAUG Connection Point 2003 Exhibitors ............................... 54 Thanks to Our Sponsors .......................................................... 55 Maximize Your Experience at OAUG Connection Point 2003......................................... 56 OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference Invitation Letter .................................................................. 58 Highlights ............................................................................ 59 Registration Form ................................................................ 61
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Case Study: Optika Acorde/Oracle Payables Integration Transforms Airborne Express Payables Processing
by Christopher Ryan
Professional Development
An Exercise in Group Dynamics by Erick Burton........................ 10
With the volume of invoices and other documents owing through Airborne and the resources involved in maintaining and operating microlm equipment, the company needed the imaging and workow solutions that Acorde Context and Acorde Process from Optika offered to streamline its A/P processes.
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Organizational
OAUG Board of Directors .......................................................... 6 OAUG Presidents Letter ............................................................ 7 Letter from OAUG Executive Director........................................ 8 Vendor Product Awareness Seminars ...................................... 14 Optimize Your Oracle Applications with OAUG e-Learning ....................................................... 15 Update on Geographic User Groups (Geos) ........................... 62 Update on Special Interest Groups (SIGs) ............................... 64 New SIGs Introduced ............................................................. 68 New Members ........................................................................ 70 Online Oracle Applications Resources...................................... 72 One Voice. Many Benets. OAUG Membership. ..................... 74 Advertisers Index.................................................................... 80 OAUG Mission Statement........................................................ 80
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Case Study: Noetix Meets ERAUs Complex Reporting Needs

by Mike Kinnaman
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University had mission-critical information locked up in Oracle Applications that needed to be dispersed around the globe. Knowing this information could be used to make important decisions for the university, Embry-Riddle turned to Noetix for a solution.
Vendor Corner
Redene Job Scheduling With a Powerful Automation Tool ........................................ 76
w w w. o a u g . o r g
A T
Volunteer for OAUG! Please contact OAUGs membership ofce (membership@oaug.com) if youre interested in volunteering for any of these committees: Enhancement Committee Each Oracle Application or group of related applications has an enhancement chair who tabulates enhancement votes, assists in communicating results to Oracle Corporation, and communicates enhancement status and voting results to OAUG membership at sessions during conferences. Volunteers must have expertise in the specic module. See the OAUG Web site for current openings. Membership Committee The Membership Committee develops and enforces membership policies, develops and implements new membership benets, and develops programs for marketing OAUG to prospective members. Conference Committee The Conference Committee is responsible for the successful implementation of OAUG conferences (detailed conference logistics, such as registration, hotels, meals, etc., are handled by OAUGs meeting planners, Meeting Expectations). Committee members change with each conference to provide diversity in conference planning and activities. Subcommittees include Paper Selection, Agenda, and Panels. Some of these subcommittees need volunteer help (to review the preliminary agenda or help with paper selection, for example). Communications Committee The Communications Committee oversees and provides assistance with OAUGs print and Web communications. OAUG needs volunteers to help with OAUGs Web site (soliciting content, writing and uploading content, or reviewing the paper database) and to assist with editing, writing, reviewing, or soliciting content for OAUGs publication, OAUG Insight. Geographic/SIG Committee The Geo/SIG Committees objective is to serve the global interests of OAUG-afliated groups. The Geo/SIG Committee supports international, national, and regional member companies throughout the world, and strives to provide consistent quality services and support to all afliated groups regardless of their nature or location. It is responsible for setting policy and establishing guidelines that will assist Geo/SIGs in their missions, objectives, and purposes within the parameters of the mission and purpose of OAUG. Education Committee The objective of the Education Committee is to develop, implement, and monitor educational offerings, separate from annual conferences, for the OAUG members. One of the primary missions of OAUG has been to provide members with learning resources to optimize their Oracle Applications. Online seminars known as e-Learning advances post implementation learning as needed. Affordable learning with no costly travel or inconvenient time away is the goal. OAUG e-Learning offers a supplement, not a substitute, for education-rich programs such as User Conferences and other face-to-face knowledge sharing. See the OAUG Web site for current e-Learning offerings.
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OA UG
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A Publication of the Oracle Applications Users Group 415 E. Paces Ferry Rd., NE, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30305 phone: +1 404.240.0897, fax: +1 404.240.0998 email: membership@oaug.com www.oaug.org Steven R. Hughes, Executive Director Robin E. Dahlen, Managing Editor ONeill Communications, Inc., Graphic Design To contribute to OAUG Insight, to send letters to the editor, or obtain advertising information, contact: Robin E. Dahlen, Managing Editor 415 East Paces Ferry Road, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30305 rdahlen@oaug.com Photographs appearing throughout OAUG Insight courtesy of Meeting Expectations. OAUG Insight is designed to provide members of the Oracle Applications Users Group with organizational and other information. The opinions and viewpoints published herein are not necessarily those of OAUG. OAUG, its article writers, directors, ofcers, employees, agents, and members and Oracle Corp. make no warranty for the accuracy, veracity, or completeness of any information herein, nor do they have any responsibility or liability for any losses or damages incurred as a result of reliance on any information provided herein or from the use of any program or program segment discussed herein. OAUG assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear herein. The information published herein is subject to change without notice. Acceptance of advertising is for the benet and information of the membership but does not constitute ofcial endorsement of the product or service by OAUG. Copyright Oracle Applications Users Group 2003. All rights reserved. OAUG is a registered trademark of the Oracle Applications Users Group. Oracle and Oracle Applications are trademarks of Oracle Corporation, Redwood Shores, CA. Any other trademark cited herein is the property of its owner. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without the prior written consent of OAUG. Recruiting Policy Contact information (on OAUGs Web site or elsewhere) is provided to OAUG members for the sole and express purpose of enhancing members ability to network with other members. Unauthorized copying or redistribution of this information or use of company or contact names for recruiting or direct marketing purposes is strictly prohibited and could result in suspension of OAUG membership. This restriction applies to information in the Online Membership Database, lists of volunteer coordinators, lists of attendees at OAUG conferences, and any other member contact data. Recruiting in any form during conferences is strictly prohibited.
OAUG INSIGHT
CONNECTION POINT
2003
San Diego Convention Center San Diego, California September 14-17
O R A C L E A P P L I C AT I O N S U S E R S G R O U P
Network with fellow applications users and share knowledge on implementing, integrating, using and customizing Oracle Applications. Learn how Oracle Applications Preview complementary vendor can help with issues that affect products and services. your company. Attend your choice of over 200 Earn CPE Credits for Financial white paper presentations, Q&As, and Human Resource track sessions. Panels and R11i Training Sessions. Test drive Applications and Attend Special Interest & complementary solutions. Geographic User Group meetings.
REGISTER TODAY www.oaug.com
OAUG 2003 Board of Directors

Up-to-date contact information and board biographies are available on OAUGs Web site at www.oaug.org/public/key_contacts.html
Arthur Hunt OAUG President Yale University arthur.hunt@yale.edu
Pat Dues OAUG Vice President City of Las Vegas pdues@ci.las-vegas.nv
Carol Conine OAUG Secretary Carnival Cruise Lines crconine@carnival.com
Peter Gee OAUG Treasurer Ryerson Polytechnic University pgee@ryerson.ca
Karen Browneld OAUG Past President Solution Beacon kbrown@earthlink.net
Sandy Butt BioReliance Corporation sbutt@bioreliance.com
Gary Concannon Sandia National Laboratories concan@sandia.gov
Holly Heil Greyhound Lines hheil@greyhound.com
Anne Ristau Donna Rosentrater Solbourne Biogen, Inc. O anne@ristau.com Z A T I O donna_rosentrater@biogen.com R G A N I N A L Not Pictured: Mark Clark O2Works LLC mclark@o2works.com Marc Hebert Sierra Atlantic, Inc. mhebert@sierraatlantic.com
Cyndie Sutherland Xerox, Ofce Printing Business cyndie.sutherland@opbu.xerox.com
Jeremy Young DHL jeremy.young@gis.dhl.com
Mark Linton BorgWarner Emissions/ Thermal Systems mlinton@cs.bwauto.com
Warren Orlandi Australian Prudential Regulation Authority warren.orlandi@apra.gov.au
OAUG INSIGHT
Arthur Hunt 2003 OAUG President
Presidents Letter
Connection Point 2003 Promises Extensive Educational and Networking Opportunities
application user groups. While we enjoy a close working relationship with Oracle, we are volunteers who are all Oracle Applications users. We do our best everyday to represent the interests, successes and concerns of Oracle users worldwide. Visit us at www.oaug.org for more information. We very much value your participation, feedback, and suggestions, because you are the U in OAUG! When did you rst become a member? What motivated you to join? What value do you receive from the OAUG every day? What can we do for you today that we are not already doing? How are you taking advantage of the networking, education and Oracle Applications knowledgebase the OAUG provides? Would you like to volunteer your energy, talents, and time to the OAUG? Please email us at membership@oaug.com or email me directly at art@oaug.com. We would love to hear from you today. We are always looking for ways to strengthen the value of your membership in the OAUG. As such, we have planned or already held several smaller educational and networking opportunities this year. The Oracle Applications & Technology
he Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) is somewhat unique in the world of enterprise
Symposium (OATS) in Worcester, Mass., in June was well attended and very well received. Oracle User Forums will be held in The Netherlands on October 23 and at other European locations in the future. In December, we will host Connection PointAustralia in Melbourne. Our annual conference, Connection Point 2003, in San Diego, September 14-17, is shaping up to be our best conference yet. Pat Dues and Mark Linton, conference cochairs, along with a host of volunteers and our conference planners at Meeting Expectations have a terric event planned. This year, we are adding professional development sessions to our impressive list of GEO and SIG meetings, educational sessions, panels, Q&As, hands-on demos, workshops, and training sessions. Plan to arrive in time to take advantage of the Project Management for the IT Professionals workshop, Unlock the Mysteries of Technical Project Management, on Saturday, September 13. Although there is a slight additional charge for this oneday session, I think you will nd it is well worth your time. In addition, there will be other professional development sessions in the regular conference agenda. If project management is not enough of an incentive for you to arrive a little early, ClearOrbit will also be holding a
free Supply Chain Boot Camp on Saturday, September 13. As a bonus, you will be in San Diego for the Sunday SIG meetings. On Sunday, our SIG leader volunteers have a full complement of SIG meetings planned. Most of these application-specic SIGs will have an Oracle Development Manager speaking to the group on new features and future directions of various applications in addition to their always-informative programs. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet your counterparts at other organizations, learn how they are using the Oracle Applications, and ask Oracle questions. If you are considering implementing a new module, this is a great opportunity to evaluate it and meet users who can answer your questions based on real-world experience. Finally, be sure to visit the conference vendor area for hands-on demos of the Oracle Applications, the latest in Oracle Applications tools and complementary products, implementation support, and application hosting. This is a great way to compare prices, services, and features. I look forward to seeing you in San Diego in September. Thank you for your continued support of the OAUG.
Arthur Hunt OAUG President

7
Steven R. Hughes OAUG Executive Director
Serving Members Through Strategic Alliances

This year, OAUG has formed a number of important alliances to enhance the value of membership. We have aggressively sought out these relationships in response to requests from our members for additional educational and networking opportunities. These alliances have also helped OAUG to expand our membership base and enhance OAUGs role in the Oracle community. In late 2002 and early 2003, members asked OAUG to provide educational resources to help them transition to Oracles release 11i. In response, we formed an alliance with Solution Beacon, a leading provider of expert-level resources to Fortune 1000 companies and government and education entities, to provide a series of workshops on this topic in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Dallas from March through May. June was a very busy month for OAUG. During this time, we co-hosted the Oracle Applications & Technology Symposium (OATS) with OAUG Northeastern and formed an alliance with the United Kingdom Oracle Users Group (UKOUG) to share online resources and expand our global knowledgebase by uniting real-life users from our respective membership bases. This fall we have been working with the Europe, Middle East, and Africa Oracle User Group (EOUG) to co-host workshops and training sessions on Oracle Applications in Amsterdam and two other European countries, which will be announced in early fall. Sincerely, Steven R. Hughes OAUG Executive Director And nally, to round out this year, OAUG is working with Oracle and Special Interest and Geographic User Groups to host Connection Point 2003. The conference is the largest annual event for Oracle Applications users in the United States and provides attendees with many benets, including: white paper presentations; workshops; hands-on training sessions; previews of vendor products and the latest Oracle Applications; and opportunities to attend or join Special Interest and Geographic User Group meetings. OAUG has sought out these alliance partners to help us offer more to members. Throughout the year, we have leveraged these alliances to provide members with the additional educational and networking opportunities they have asked for and to help expand our organizations membership base at the same time. Many of these relationships emphasize OAUGs growing international role as an organization representing Oracle Applications users and strengthen OAUGs position as the worlds largest user knowledgebase for Oracle Applications users. If you have any suggestions on potential new alliances or have questions or needs that OAUG should address, I welcome your feedback. Feel free to contact me directly at shughes@oaug.com or 404.760.4244. Thank you for your continued support of OAUG.
OAUG INSIGHT
The OAUG and EOUG are coming together for the first time in Europe to provide Oracle users with the Oracle User Forum.
The event will highlight sessions focused on Applications. This is an event that you do not want to miss. For more information visit www.oracleuserforum.com.
Erick Burton
An Exercise in Group Dynamics

Last year an insurance company hired an innovative vice president for its Midwest region. One of his rst goals was to create a corporate culture that emphasized direction and destination. To do that, he had to help the 36 executives who reported to him change from managers to leaders. The executives had been with the company an average of 10 years some up to 25 years and it was clear that the transformation was going to take hard work. Preparing for Leadership
To get the process started the vice president arranged a ve-day management retreat at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The rst two days were devoted to strategic planning and exploring what leadership, direction, and destination meant in the context of the organization. As a facilitator of the leadership sessions, I asked the executives to focus on the preparation phase of the leadership. We discussed the characteristics of successful leaders and the importance of knowing ones own leadership skills. I encouraged participants to assume the name of the leader they admired and during the workshop try to act the way they thought the leader would act. The vice president chose Winston Churchill for his tenacity. The human resources manager chose Oprah Winfrey because of her compassion. Another executive chose Jesus because of his ability to lead all people and immediately change their lives. Others wanted to emulate Margaret Thatcher, Michael Jordan, Mary Kay Ash, or their parents. One chose Colonel Potter, the character from the television show MASH because of his sense of humor in tough times.
Strategic Planning
On Wednesday we traded the meeting rooms for an adventure on the lake designed to challenge the leadership skills we had been discussing intensively for two days and put theory into practice. It was a beautiful summer morning when the three dozen executives gathered at the dock and eagerly eyed the six waiting speedboats. We reviewed the leadership traits they wanted to develop. The days goal was for each executive to practice the chosen traits and to grow as a leader. There were six teams of six participants each. The vice president had arranged for those who worked closely together every day to be on different teams. Each team selected a driver to go to the ofce near the boat dock to get the keys and safety information. Generally, this was the person who had already established a dominant position. The intent was to remove these people from the group at the crucial initial stage so one person would not control the planning process. The participants in each boat had assigned roles in the adventure. Besides the drivers, there were navigators, timekeepers, journalists, photographers, and facilitators. The navigators responsibility was critical to the success of the mission. He had to plot the course through 25 marker points on a lake with a serpentine, 96mile main channel, 1,375 miles of shoreline, and thousands of virtually indistinguishable coves. Twenty-two of the markers were stationary on the water and the shore. There were three mobile markers, each of which had to be located within a ve-minute window. The navigator had the benet of the latest technology a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. GPS units use satellites and ground equipment to precisely determine locations anywhere on earth.) If the navigator read the instruction manual and used the device properly, he could know where the boat was at all times.
continued on page 12
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OAUG INSIGHT
An Exercise in Group Dynamics

The teams had three hours to nd the markers and return to the dock. It was the timekeepers responsibility to log the time at each marker and to be sure the team reached the mobile markers during the time window. Although there was a point penalty for exceeding the allotted time, there was no bonus for nishing early and the teams were not competing against each other. The journalist kept notes and commented on group behavior. The photographer recorded the experience in pictures. The job of the facilitator was to use the guidelines to streamline the process and remind the participants of the leader qualities they wanted to practice. Each team had a resource kit. Besides the GPS, the kit contained a ve-mile communications radio, a map of the lake, a camera, and guidelines for the exercise. The teams had 30 minutes to explore their resources and develop a strategy that would take them through the course in the allotted time. When they received their kits, the teams separated into tight huddles, lowering their voices so others could not hear. After about 20 minutes, the drivers returned with the keys. The possession of the keys seemed to have an electrifying effect. Planning was forgotten. Thirty-six men and women sprinted to the dock and scrambled into their boats tossing equipment kits in the back. They cast off, revved their engines, maneuvered frantically for position as they pulled away from the dock, pushed the throttles full speed ahead and roared out onto the lake. Coughing from the thick exhaust fumes hanging over the dock, I got into my own boat and followed them.
Loss of Focus
All six boats arrived at the rst marker, a Styrofoam buoy in a remote cove. A tower made of Tinkertoys was perched on the buoy. The object was to move the Tinkertoy construction to a point on the shore about 20 yards away. After a lot of yelling across the cove, the groups devised a way to work together to recreate the tower. The communication and cooperation was short-lived, however. After the rst task was completed, the boats took off in different directions, each group pursuing its own strategy. At several points on the course, the markers consisted of written quotations attached to survey ags set on the edge of the cove. The drivers task was to nd each ag and the reporter was to record the quotation in the teams journal. Even though the GPS accurately located positions to within 20 feet, none of the teams used it consistently or to full effect. One team went more than 50 feet inland trying to nd the marker. They used the GPS to get into the correct cove, but then wandered randomly over a vast area to nd the 12-inch-high marker. The mobile marker my boat presented even more of a challenge. I waited at different points at three time intervals. The rst interval produced one boat. The second produced two boats. The third produced the same two boats. The drivers in these two boats reasoned that there was one more mobile marker point and they were sure to locate it if they followed me. So they never let me out of their sight. But this strategy caused them to lose precious
12
OAUG INSIGHT
time. They could have selected ve to seven additional marker points and still rendezvoused at the mobile marker.
Competition vs. Cooperation

Three boats returned to the dock with more than 10 minutes to spare. They had found only a few markers and were frustrated and discouraged, so they quit early. Two boats arrived with less than one minute left. Even though they hadnt found all the markers, these teams were enthusiastic because they had done some strategic planning and had achieved some of their goals. And one team arrived ve minutes past deadline. In our follow-up discussion I said, During the past two days youve been intensively studying and writing strategic plans. Today you were challenged to practice what you learned. What would you have done differently? Their answers provide some valuable insight into the problem of putting leadership theory into practice. q Eisenhower said, I would have liked to have known that we had a color map of the whole lake. All teams had a detailed map in their resource kits and half an hour to examine the contents of the kit and plan how to use each item, yet no team integrated their resources, and this failure was a fundamental cause of much of their confusion and frustration. For instance, they were all so enthralled by the GPS that they ignored the simple familiar map. If they had used the two together, they could have gotten the full benet of both. q Winfrey said, It would have helped if the radios had worked. When I tried to use mine, I got no response. In fact, the radios worked perfectly. The teams just didnt coordinate their use. They didnt turn them on at the same time and they always set them on send never on receive. q Thatcher said, We could have developed a strategic plan at the dock before launching the boats. Then we could have easily covered the course and had time to go swimming. The course was q
Its easy to lose sight of the benets of the organization. We should have had a common destiny and a common strategy. . . . If we had stayed on course, we would have been successful.
designed so that it couldnt be completed in the allotted time by one boat. But instead of coordinating their efforts to achieve a common goal, they followed the fastest boat, tracked my boat, and wandered randomly on the shore until they happened to come across a tracker. Potter said, We had a common destination, but we didnt cooperate. We should have plotted the coordinates for the marker points on the map and then assigned each team four or ve markers. We could then have used the radios to communicate changes in direction based on the reality of what was working and what was not working. Instead of cooperating and communicating, they treated the exercise as a competition. Although they all had the same resources and goals, they were secretive. Each team was so eager to get on the lake ahead of the others that they didnt use their full planning time. Once they were in their boats, they challenged one another at speeds far exceeding the 35-mph stipulated in the guidelines. Even after seeing the benets of cooperation at the rst marker, they returned to competitive mode. At the end of the discussion, Churchill observed, Its easy to lose sight of the benets of the organization. We should have had a common destiny and a common strategy. We disregarded the strategic directions we charted. If we had stayed on course, we would have been successful. Erick Burton has partnered with hundreds of corporations and associations as a professional speaker, facilitator, executive coach, and author. He equips people with practical tools that enable their organization to succeed.
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Vendor Product Awareness Sessions

A Learning Opportunity for OAUG Members
OAUG members have the opportunity to participate in FREE educational sessions that are held twice per month. These interactive teleconference/Webcasts provide information about a variety of products and services that complement Oracle Applications. Information on upcoming sessions is available at www.oaug.org/VendorAwareness.shtml. Vendors that have participated in this program include:
TimeVision Datavision-Prologix, Inc. TIDAL Software Insession Technologies Infosys Technologies Limited Merant Noetix Corporation 170 Systems, Inc. KBACE Technologies Optio Software, Inc. Vertex, Inc. OuterBay Technologies, Inc. DataRoad, Inc.
If you are an associate member of OAUG and are interested in hosting a Vendor Product Awareness session, please visit www.oaug.org/VendorAwareness.shtml, or contact Lynne Weil at lweil@oaug.com, 404.240.0897, ext. 228.
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OAUG INSIGHT
Optimize Your Oracle Applications with
OAUG e-Learning
Efcient, Effective Education in an On-site Environment
In todays environment, education is not an option . . . only how you get it!
Knowledge is the fuel that drives technology and its many applications. This is why so many resources are dedicated to educating users, from installation training to manuals, telephone help centers, seminars, and conferences of all types on a variety of subjects. One of the primary missions of OAUG has been to provide members with learning resources to optimize their Oracle Applications. This is why we are especially pleased to formally introduce a major new services platform . . . OAUG e-Learning.
Affordable learning with no costly travel or inconvenient time away.

Online education eliminates most of the barriers of other training alternatives. The per-session cost for members is only $100 and $150 for non-members. With virtually no lost time, OAUG e-Learning makes it practical to provide deeper educational opportunities to your staff; therefore, you will enjoy broader productivity. E-Learning is also the answer to deep budget cuts that have been so common in these recessionary times.
More than a series of seminars; an education system thats right for its time.
Processing that moves with the speed of light demands quick, accessible knowledge. Getting a user up to speed and maintaining a knowledge edge often cannot wait for an annual meeting or remote seminars. OAUG recognized the need for timely and easily accessible seminars dedicated to a specic applications that will supplement user conferences and training meetings. To that end, a series of online learning seminars was launched in 2002. The success of these online seminars clearly revealed the need for a permanent education resource, thus OAUG e-Learning was born.
Learning as you need it; comprehensive, concise and convenient.

Now you can look for a permanent program of learning opportunities throughout the year. These learning seminars will be available as scheduled 90-to-120 minute interactive sessions. Seminars will be conducted by an authority on the subject.
Log on and Learn.

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11i Enhancements
If You Could Choose Other Flavors Would You Still Pick
Vanilla?
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OAUG INSIGHT
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by Richard Goddard and Logical Apps rgoddard@logicalapps.com
Kevin Fukuda Logical Apps kfukuda@logicalapps.com
Many organizations have delayed their 11i upgrade plans due to the costs and complexity of reworking the customizations made to their existing environments. Numerous users of the earlier versions of the applications chose to heavily customize their Oracle Applications Forms to meet specic business requirements, and are now faced with monumental development efforts and decisions on how best to handle these unique requirements as they proceed down the upgrade path. Understanding how to properly handle enhancements critical to a business, but not being addressed by Oracle 11i, is key to realizing the full potential of the applications. Methods to extend forms have advanced substantially, and the latest allow for Oracle Applications that are tailored to meet changing business needs without compromising Oracle support or being impacted by patches and future upgrades.
Impact of the Upgrade to Existing Forms Customizations

Customizing Oracle Forms was often considered to be a necessity by most early users of the applications. Organizations either customized, or were forced to live with an inexible application that was not designed for their specic business processes. While its true that companies that remained vanilla had fewer issues when it came to upgrades and patches, these very same organizations were often disillusioned with the applications not fully meeting their changing business needs.
The whole fault with Oracle is its inexible out of the box, says Hollis Bischoff, vice president, Technology Research Service for consultancy Meta Group. Its one size ts none. It really is the lowest common denominator, and most companies dont run themselves as the lowest common denominator.
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On the other hand, companies that made the decision to customize their forms are now faced with the questions of how these modications would be affected during an upgrade. Depending on the method of implementation, the most likely scenarios are: changes made directly to Oracle Forms (.fmb les); changes made to copies of Oracle Forms and registered as a new form; new forms written using Oracle Applications template form; and changes implemented using the Oracle Custom Library. In each case the impact on and approach to upgrade may be slightly different. The following discusses each method:
q Creating new forms new forms that are developed

using the Forms 4.5 TEMPLATE.fmb form should be upgradeable to Forms 6i; however, certain features may no longer be supported by later versions of forms or the database. When opening a Form in 6i Developer, the programmer is warned of situations where the nonsupported features are used and need to be modied. All forms should be tested as part of the upgrade cycle. Prior to upgrading, the system administrator should ensure that new and modied forms are registered as part of a custom module, or the upgrade process may delete them.
q Changes made directly to Oracle Forms and

copies of Oracle Forms when modications are
made directly to the FMB le and the form is not renamed, there is a high probability that the upgrade will overwrite the customization. Although its possible to upgrade a modied Release 11 form from Forms 4.5 to 6i and re-register it, this is considered a high-risk strategy as the post-upgrade base form may perform additional data manipulation, which is not readily apparent from user testing. Subsequent patches and upgrades to an upgraded form developed originally for an earlier release in Forms 4.5 may create additional problems. In most cases the recommended approach is to re-create the customization after the upgrade.
q Changes implemented via the Custom Library

the CUSTOM.pll library allows the extension of Oracle Applications without modication to the Oracle Applications code. Oracle Forms make calls to the Custom Library during particular forms events and execute any custom code associated with that event. Changes made via the library will require testing but should continue to function if not impacted by a schema change or a change to the eld, block, or form name. Oracle continues to support the event calls made to the Custom Library after upgrades. The library call events that were available in Release 11 are all available in 11i. In addition to the documented, supported event calls, many 11i forms make additional undocumented calls to the library that can also be used to call custom code.
While its true that companies that remained vanilla had fewer issues when it came to upgrades and patches, these very same organizations were often disillusioned with the applications not fully meeting their changing business needs.
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Many companies are nding that success relies on a balance between keeping their Oracle Applications Forms vanilla and implementing the necessary enhancements to better reect their actual business needs. Improvements in security to specically restrict access to sensitive elds, blocks, and forms are common and desirable customizations. Additionally, for many, the latest release of the applications does not adequately provide the level of data integrity necessary to meet compliance standards mandated internally, or by regulatory agencies. Once again enhancements must be made to accommodate these elevated standards.
Is all this Really Necessary?

Since the introduction of 11i, Oracle has continued to heavily emphasize the idea of product implementations remaining vanilla, and taking advantage of the improved application functionality to eliminate previously developed customizations. Within the R.11 to 11i upgrade, signicant schema changes have been made to Order Management, but in most other modules functionality has been enhanced without any major schema changes. Oracle has made a few improvements to its forms security; however, the ability to restrict user access to specic data is still mostly limited to prohibiting access to the entire form with the HR modules template functionality being a notable exception. While there is no denying that enhancements can complicate any system implementation or upgrade, the question one must ask is whether 11i out of the box is robust enough to accommodate true business needs. For most organizations, one of the most compelling selling points of the Oracle Applications was the promise of increased corporate efciencies and the creation of a true competitive advantage within their industry. However, if a business dictates rapid change and requires a exible application, will it be able to successfully meet these challenges and remain vanilla? Moreover, if the competition is better equipped to quickly respond to business driven changes, has this business surrendered its competitive advantage? So, what are the options currently available to help a business handle the enhancements that theyve deem necessary for their organization?
Organizations need to give different
people inside and outside the company different levels of access. A project planner, for example, needs to see lead times, but for data integrity reasons shouldnt be able to alter delivery dates. Likewise, business partners need to see parts availability but suppliers dont want to reveal the items actual cost, just its retail price. Unfortunately, in many Oracle modules security is all or nothing, writes Mathew Schwartz, in a recent Enterprise Systems article on improving Oracle security.
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Customization Worst Practices . . .

As mentioned previously, many organizations chose to customize the applications to meet specic business requirements. The path of least resistance often involved direct alteration of the applications code. While these solutions seemingly provided an immediate cure, the real issues became readily apparent as Oracle issued new patches and upgraded versions of the application. The IT developers then found it necessary to redo the changes every time a new release came out.
the Custom Library allows businesses to change the properties, functionality, and operation of a form as if actually making changes directly to the source code itself. The most obvious benet to this approach is that enhancements made will mostly be unaffected by future patches and upgrades issued by Oracle. For many organizations, this method proves to be a satisfactory solution for a majority of their business needs. However, others have begun to recognize shortcomings, such as the amount of complex coding required, the lack of centralized visibility to changes, and the large amount of time necessary for IT to develop and maintain ongoing changes. Until recently, the Oracle Custom Library was, however, the most acceptable method for modi-
Organizations are forced to do system surgery go into the application and reverse-engineer it to alter it, says Chris Capdevila, founder and CEO of Logical Apps. That surgery faces two challenges: often theres no lasting record of what was done, and changes frequently break when the underlying application or database gets upgraded.
fying the applications to meet business requirements.
Best Practices . . . Powered by Business Rules

Building on Oracles Custom Library, the latest methods speed the enhancement process through the elimination of most required complex coding. Instead, User-dened business rules are created to control a forms properties and functionality without having to alter the underlying Oracle code. Business rules represent dened actions that are called upon by the application to solve a particular decision task. One rule might validate a particular data value; another may determine whether to restrict critical information to an individual user. Business rules enable businesses to dene and control daily operations. Recently, Cymer Inc., a semiconductor equipment manufacturer in San Diego, California, wanted to upgrade its Oracle Applications to 11.5.8 with the stipulation: security and business rules customizations shouldnt break from upgrade to upgrade. Previous customization efforts were very labor intensive. Although utilizing the Oracle Custom Library to enhance their applications, their developers spent lots of time writing and testing before taking the SQL code live.
Customization Common Practices . . .

Within the applications, many users have discovered the Oracle Custom Library. Originally introduced in Production 13 of the Oracle Applications Smart Client release, the Custom Library is provided by Oracle to facilitate augmentations and extensions (customizations) without directly modifying the applications code. In other words,
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This time however, Cymers methodology for correctly handling necessary customizations was based on a meta-data driven, business rules approach. Taking advantage of new tools available to the Oracle Applications marketplace, Cymer now implements their customizations through easily dened business rules. Leveraging a business rules engine and a GUI front-end interfaced to the Oracle Custom Library allows them to add new rules in a fraction of the time previously required.
through the developer cycle, thus relieving some of the burden placed on IT and allowing them to focus on more mission-critical issues. Fully integrated with the Oracle E-Business Suite, these business rules-driven methods target the customizations most companies nd they still require as they upgrade to 11i. These new approaches allow for an application that is tailored to meet their changing business needs without creating an expensive maintenance nightmare, compromising Oracle support, or being impacted by future upgrades and patches. Leveraging meta-data driven engines enables 11i users to rapidly implement business rules to enhance their application forms, especially in the areas of data integrity and security. Most organizations have been able to reduce the burden placed on IT to create form enhancements, allowing them to concentrate on more pressing issues relating to their upgrade process. As companies struggle to manage overall project costs during their 11i upgrade, this new breed of solutions would appear to be especially timely.
This solution allows us to make rapid changes to our business without the heavy customization to business applications that is normally required, said Jeff Wolf, senior business analyst at Cymer, Inc. Weve reduced the time it takes to make a business rule change by more than 70 percent, which is a major cost and time saver. It also gives us auditing capabilities for tracking changes to our Oracle Forms and monitoring exactly what was changed, who made the changes, and when they were made. This is maintained in a centralized repository that provides immediate visibility into all the rules that we have deployed.
Additionally, since most code is automatically generated, Cymer is nding that their Business Analysis group can actually make the changes themselves rather than going
However, if a business dictates rapid change and requires a exible application, will it be able to successfully meet these challenges and remain vanilla?
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CONQUER THE DATA GROWTH BEAST:

Application Data Lifecycle Management for High Performance and Storage Savings
OAUG INSIGHT
by Anne Skamarock, Senior Analyst Enterprise Management Associates askamarock@enterprisemanagement.com and Michael Karp, Senior Analyst Enterprise Management Associates mkarp@enterprisemanagement.com
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Its a battle.
Every morning, application and IT management walk through their ofce door in anticipation of the next great battle with application data growth. Do they have the necessary weapons to do battle and win? Increasingly, application managers, database, systems, and storage administrators nd themselves engaging the data growth beast.
Application data growth devours server, storage, and personnel resources at an astonishing rate Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) found that business data continues to grow at 50 to 100 percent a year. Today, most application managers and IT shops havent found a solution that allows them to deal with the impact of processed data. It sits in their most critical applications, degrading performance while rarely being accessed. Their only recourse to control data growth is to continue to feed the application more storage, CPU, and other assets at the cost of millions per year. One innovative and increasingly popular approach to winning the perennial data growth battle is to implement application data lifecycle management as a business best practice. Application data lifecycle management provides a means to control the storage and hardware expenses associated with growing application databases, meet the plethora of regulatory requirements, and provide a smoother transition during database software upgrades, while also delivering increased application performance.
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Even though the price of disks has fallen dramatically in the last ve years, the cost to own and manage a modern storage installation is now often between four and eight times the cost of the hardware investment.
Regulatory Statutes A growing number of industries now must comply with new government regulations specifying how long data must be retained, and information that once could be discarded after a few years must now be maintained for much longer periods (for example, Sarbanes/Oxley requires ve-year data retention, and HIPAA requires 30 years or more). Many companies in the nancial, aeronautical, and pharmaceutical industries have similar or even more stringent data retention requirements.
Functionality Upgrades New application

functionality often means additional data requirements. For example, the Oracle 11i E-Business Suite adds 200 modules and 17,500 tables to the application infrastructure, with future releases expected to further increase data requirements.
Day-to-Day Business Of course, one expects data

growth to increase in a thriving business as more customers are served, broader product lines are created, and more personnel are hired. However, even companies with at or negative revenue growth experience an increase in
The Problem: Unmanaged Data Growth

The often quoted study by the University of California at Berkeley School of Information Management and Systems projected that between 1 and 2 exabytes (10 18 bytes) of unique information are produced each year, of which nearly 80 percent is estimated to be stored on magnetic media (disk and tape) 1. This study illustrates the magnitude of the problem of storing the huge amounts of unique data being created each year to place all that information on disk, unprotected, would take about 6.6 million drives, using the largest drives available today. The problem of managing data throughout its lifecycle is even greater. Application and IT managers must also consider the following demands:
the amounts of data they must manage. In addition to storing basic transaction data, several copies of data are required to develop and test new environments and to train personnel before going live with production.
The Result: Data Growth

Whatever an enterprises expansion rate, unwieldy data growth clearly has an enormous effect on IT. Even if business data increases at an annual rate of only 50 percent (the minimum, according to EMAs survey), the need for copies to support business continuance will often drive a 300 percent growth in mass storage. The complexity of modern storage environments can have a devastating effect on budgets. Even though the price of disks has fallen dramatically in the last ve years, the cost to own and manage a modern storage installation is now often between four and eight times the cost of the hardware investment. Uncontrolled growth in data impacts more than storage it has performance consequences for the applications and
Data Assurance For business-critical data, most

companies retain six or more copies of the data, as insurance, in case something goes wrong. The technologies involved usually include some form of RAID, local and remote business continuance mirrors, and backups.
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for the business processes the applications serve. Sun Microsystems , for instance, found that within a year of going
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with their implementation of Oracle. Both Sun and Applied Materials determined that unmanaged data was the root cause of their performance problems, so their IT organizations had to address that problem rst.
live with their Oracle-based ERP and MRP Applications to support worldwide order fulllment and manufacturing, performance degraded signicantly and impacted their entire operation. Worse yet, dramatic increases in data can do more than just degrade performance. They can be expected to stress every aspect of the IT organization. Supporting services are impacted to the extent that service windows are threatened. Upgrade requirements become more frequent and more
Who is Impacted?
The unmanaged growth of application data impacts everyone associated with the data: the customer, the application manager and IT staff, and the business as a whole.
The Customer: As application data grows, accessing

that data takes longer. These delays, especially in an ebusiness environment, can mean the difference between a happy customer and a lost customer.
The unmanaged growth of application data impacts everyone associated with the data: the customer, the application manager and IT staff, and the business as a whole.
The Application and IT Staff: Both have enough

stresses without the ramications of unmanaged data growth such as missed service levels due to performance sinkholes, rising storage infrastructure, and management costs.
The Business: No one in todays economy can afford

to lose customers due to operational delays resulting from IT inefciency, and yet few businesses can afford an investment level for infrastructure hardware, software, and maintenance that keeps up with their application growth. CIOs are squeezed they must manage growth, minimize costs, and increase performance to give their operations a competitive edge. After all, they support the processes that allow a business to deliver its goods and services in an efcient manner, and to close the books on time.
The Solution: Proactive Application Data Lifecycle Management

Proactive application data lifecycle management undercostly. More expensive licenses are often needed. Data proliferates. Test and development times increase. As database service levels drop, IT often throws more expensive computing power at the problem. But what happens when the biggest system made runs out of CPU cycles? This happened to semiconductor giant Applied Materials
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stands the business, application, and legal requirements for data. It delivers a unied view of all enterprise data, incorporating the ability to monitor, forecast, and manage data growth across applications, databases, and the whole storage infrastructure according to the datas value to the company at any point in the data lifecycle.
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As data begins to accumulate, it creates a signicant performance

Understanding Application and Legal Requirements
Not all data is created equal, and the value of any piece of data is likely to change over time. The rst step in creating application data lifecycle management as a business best practice is to map the lifecycle of the data with respect to application and regulatory requirements. The following questions are important to consider:
drag on the application, frequently decreasing the efciency of the business processes that use the data.
q How long does the data remain active? How long

does the business process use the data?
q What are the legal requirements affecting the data

retention time periods?
q How does the application expect to access the data,

and what other data may be linked to it? For example, many companies close nancial transactions on a monthly basis. Even though the monthly data is no longer actively updated once the month is over, some business processes may still require quick access to the information: analysis and trending processes may need up to fteen months of data, and auditing may require 24 months of data. Furthermore the law may require that data be accessible for at least seven years.
ti rea on ifie d
ple previously mentioned above and illustrated in Figure 1, the data is never updated after the rst month and is essentially inactive after 15 months. Nonetheless, it is a part of the nancial database and takes up storage space. As data begins to accumulate, it creates a signicant performance drag on the application, frequently decreasing the efciency of the business processes that use the data. Proactive application data lifecycle management involves identifying both current active and inactive data.
ta Da
Data Activity
ing e - be los ger C n se o th Clo on no l ar M ta Ye hs Da nt o 5M -1 12 Da

1m ont h 1 ye ar 2 ye ars
d mo
Creating policy that Maximizes the Efciency of the Data throughout its Lifetime
Data policy must balance the growth of data against
t O aE L
application performance. As data becomes inactive, it should be moved out of the primary database to a separate database with the same user interface. This would require an automated move of the business application data, intact, from the primary storage and database to a more cost-effective device. The business policy and procedures would then automate the access and management of that data through the end of its life. With this approach, IT retains an identical user interface for seamless access of the inactive data while focusing
Time
7 ye
ars
Figure 1: Example of a Data Lifecycle
The Lifecycle of Application Data

Understanding the lifecycle of application data is imperative to maximizing storage efciency. For the simple exam26
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resources on maintaining high-performance access to the active data. The OuterBay ADM Suite includes the Application Resource Monitor (ARM), which monitors data growth for the establishment of policies; LiveArchive, which identies inactive application data and automatically moves it to a more cost-effective storage device while maintaining a consistent user access interface; and Instance Generator, which creates relationally intact, smaller subsets of the database for development and test environments.
effective and non-disruptive solution possible, one that provides the greatest efciency in terms of hardware, software, and stafng levels. A logical rst step for these shops will be to ensure that corporate information, wherever it resides, is properly managed throughout the entire data lifecycle. Proactive application data lifecycle management will prove to be one of the efcient methodologies for attaining this goal. It is in every sense a best practice, one that can be brought to bear on the problems caused by unmanaged data growth and can lay the groundwork for efcient, procient, and purposefully focused data management strategy to conquer the application data growth beast once and for all.
More with Less: ADM as a Business Best Practice

An application-aware approach to data lifecycle management is essential to any business. Additionally, any application data lifecycle management solution must be non-disruptive to the business user and must support the entire enterprise, including both production systems (business applications and databases) and development systems (test and development environments). Using an automated, policy-based approach to set, preview, and enforce the management of data lifecycles will provide:
q Increased application performance Sun Microsystems

gained a 40 percent system-wide performance improvement after implementing ADM 2
An application-aware approach to data lifecycle management is essential to any business. Additionally, any . . . solution must be nondisruptive to the business user and must support the entire enterprise, including both production systems and development systems.
q Reduced infrastructure costs Applied Materials

realized a savings of $2 million on storage in the rst year of using ADM, with a $1 million annual storage savings thereafter.3
q Increased business application stability q Automated regulatory compliance

A few enterprises may be comfortable with next years budget, and with its ability to provide for amounts of data and increased storage service levels. The rest of the business world at least that part of it with an interest in increasing the competitiveness of their IT operations must look to improve existing operations by better means than simply throwing money at the problem. They will look for the most
3 1
How Much Information?, the University of California at Berkeley School of Information Management and Systems, 2000. Consistent Performance: The Key to Competitive Business Advantage. A Case Study: Sun Microsystems, OuterBay whitepaper, Fall 2001. Out of Gas on the Biggest Box Made, Now What?, OuterBay whitepaper, Fall 2001.
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by Raja Chatrathi BearingPoint, Inc. rchatrathi@bearingpoint.com and Donna Easterday BearingPoint, Inc. deasterday@bearingpoint.com
Solving the Security Puzzle

for Your Organization
A major management concern when implementing Oracle R11i HRMS (HRMS) is how the organization will assure proper security of employee personal, salary, and related information throughout the system based on a variety of business and security rules. HRMS provides a myriad of tools and techniques for controlling security of this data, but because of Oracles tremendous exibility, it is not always easy to determine the best approach for every environment.
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OAUG INSIGHT
Before selecting a security model, it is recommended to thoroughly assess organizational security requirements as well as the variety of security options Oracle has provided including, but not limited to, Responsibilities, Menus and Security Proles (using Taskows, Custom Forms, and Templates). This article provides proven solutions and recommended methodologies for analyzing and choosing an appropriate security approach for your environment. Discussed are considerations, benets, challenges, and potential impacts related to each model while also referencing experiences and proven best practices in both centralized and decentralized environments.
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Editors Note: This article also appears in the Summer 2003 edition of UKOUGs Oracle Scene magazine and is reprinted with permission. The OAUG would like to thank the UKOUG for contributing this article.
SECURITY TERM
Custom Form
DEFINITION
A Custom Form provides the ability to exclude information that a user can view/access and is based on a delivered Form. Forms Configurator is a tool that can be used to design Forms to closely meet business processes of an enterprise. Every task carried out in the application through different screens is called a Function. A Function can be defined by using a Standard Form, Custom Form or Taskflow. While defining Custom Forms, Oracle provides different options to exclude information based on different restriction types identifying person information uniquely. (Refer to Table 2) A Menu controls which screens a user can access to perform his/her duties in an organization. A Menu is part of the Responsibility definition. Predefined Templates are provided by Oracle to create Custom Forms. These can be modified to meet business requirements and can be saved as Custom Templates to attach to a Menu. A Request Group represents the group of reports a user can access and is part of the Responsibility definition. A Security Profile controls the degree of data a user can access based on his/her role in the organization. Using the Standard Security model, a Security Profile is attached to a Responsibility which controls the list of employees a user can access. Responsibilities and Security Profiles are attached by using the System Profile Window. A Profile is a changeable option that controls the behavior of the application based on the value entered. Using the System Profile Window, the profile values can be set at four (4) different levels including Site, Application Responsibility, and User levels. A Responsibility controls the degree of information a user can view and/or access. A Responsibility includes a Menu and Request Group and is attached to the Security Profile using the System Profile Window. A Taskflow represents a number of linked windows that control the degree of data a user can access based on his/her role in the organization. A Taskflow can be used to build a system Responsibility. A Custom Taskflow is defined following the creation of Custom Forms one using Data Restriction Security and the other using Forms Configurator. A Taskflow is independent of a Security Profile, but is linked via the definition of a Responsibility.
Forms Configurator
Functions
Data Restriction
Menu
Predefined Templates
Request Group
Security Profile
System Profile Window
Responsibility
Taskflow
User Profile
A User Profile is a set of changeable options that control how the application behaves. (Refer to System Profile Window definition above).
Table 1: Denition of Commonly-Used Security Terms Using Oracle R11i

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WINDOW NAME Adjust Balance
RESTRICTION TYPE Element Set Element Processing Type
VALUES User Defined Recurring Non Recurring User Defined Recurring Non Recurring Override User Defined List of Action Types (Run, Quick Pay, Pre-Payments, Costing etc.) Enter Employee, Enter Applicant, Hire Person User Defined
Request Group (the group of reports the a user can access). A Security Prole identies a list of employees a user can access. Responsibilities and Security Proles are linked by using a System Prole Window. To further introduce security for HRMS, Table 1 (on the previous page) represents a chart listing various security-related terms and denitions.
Element Entries
Element Set Element Processing Type Entry Type
Extra Assignment Information Payroll and Assignment Processes People and Assignment People and Assignment
Extra Information Type Action Type
Introduction of HRMS Security-Related Tools and Features

Highlighted below are various security-related tools and features that can be used to provide security of HRMS information and should be considered when developing a security approach for your environment. Many of these can be combined to provide a greater degree of security for personal information.
Person Function Person Type
Table 2: Sample Windows and Security Options Available Using Custom Forms
An Oracle R11i HRMS Security Overview

Security in HRMS is based on what information a user can access as well as whose information a user can access. HRMS provides various security options to control user access based on user Roles and Responsibilities. It is helpful to know that HRMS provides two security models: 1) the Oracle Standard Security model where a Responsibility can be linked to one Business Group; and 2) new to R11i, the Security Groups-Enabled Security model in which multiple Business Groups can be linked to a Responsibility, but still enables the
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user to view records for one Business Group at a time. The Security Groups-Enabled model is an enhancement to the Standard Security model. It is helpful to know that you can switch from the Standard to the Security Groups-Enabled model. However, once doing this, it is not possible to return to the Standard model again. The combination of Responsibilities and Security Proles controls how much data a user can access based on his/her role in the organization. The denition of a Responsibility includes a Menu (the screens that the user can access), and a
Custom Forms Using Data Restriction:

Oracle HRMS provides the option to create Custom Forms based on Data Restriction. For most Oracleprovided Forms, there is the option to create a Custom Form to exclude information based on your security requirements. For example, consider a business rule where a recruiter should have the ability to access and modify only applicant information, but not other people in the system. In this case, this permission can be dened in
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Security in HRMS is based on what information a user can access as well as whose information a user can access. HRMS provides various security options to control user access based on user Roles and Responsibilities.
the Person Form by dening a Custom Form to include only applicant in formation. Table 2 highlights frequently accessed forms and security options available using the Custom Form Denition Window.
Assignment information while not having the ability to enter or view salary information. In this case, a Custom Template (Form) can be created by using Forms Congurator in order to exclude salaryrelated columns.
Taskow is to dene Taskow nodes. Taskow nodes can be dened using Custom forms that are created using the Custom Forms Screen or Forms Congurator.
Responsibility Menu
Custom Templates (Form) Using Forms Congurator

Forms Congurator is a new tool in R11i that can be used to modify base/delivered Forms in order to better meet the business processes of an organization. With R11i, unless there is a requirement that cannot be met using Forms Congurator, there is no need to customize forms anymore. For example, consider a business rule where an HR specialist has the permission to enter new hire personal and
Taskow
Taskow is a mechanism used to link multiple Windows. As a result, a user has the ability to click a button, which is included within Menus, and a Responsibility can be created to include a specic Taskow. Another advantage in using Taskows is that it is useful to restrict a user access to some screens but not others. The rst step in establishing a
T Taskflow
User Prole Options

A User Prole is a set of changeable options which control how the application behaves by setting proper
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values based on a Responsibility. For example, if there is a requirement while using Self Service applications for a supervisor not to access information for an employee under another supervisor, then we can set HR: Display Person Search Prole Value to No at the site/responsibility level.
Request Groups
Request Groups control the access of reports via a Responsibility. Based on different Responsibilities, Custom Request Groups can be dened to control user access to various reports.
should be dened before creating Position-Based Security.
Payroll-Based Security:
Payroll-Based Security enables users to access information attributed to the payroll in which the Security Prole is based. As a result, this type of security can be used to prevent payroll managers from viewing employee information belonging to another payroll.
Security Proles Functions

Functions are denitions that identify a task/function in the system. Functions are dened using Standard Forms, Custom Forms, Custom Templates, and Taskows. Using the function denition, Custom Forms can be dened as query only. Once Functions are dened, they are used to dene a Menu structure. A Security Prole is attached to a Responsibility and determines the degree of information a user can view/access. Below are several Security Prole options that can are commonly used with HRMS.
Employee/Supervisor Relation:
Employee/Supervisor Proles are dynamic. An employee list is generated with updated subordinate information ensuring that the Supervisor is accessing correct employee information at the time he/she logs into the system. This list is generated considering that the Supervisor/User is a toplevel hierarchy person and includes all other lower level employees reporting to him/her and reporting to his/her subordinates. One caution in using this option, however, is the risk of system performance issues, particularly when incorporating many levels. As a result, it is recommended to consider limiting the number of levels in the hierarchy.
Department-Based Security:
A Security Prole can be created for users to access information belonging to an appropriate Organization in which the Security Prole is based. In order for this to occur, an Organization/Department hierarchy should be dened before creating Department-Based Security.
Menus
Menus control screens a user can access. Users can access Standard Windows, Congured Windows, and the rst window in a Taskow through the menu displayed in the Navigation Window. Custom Menus can be dened based on business requirements and then attached to Responsibilities.
Position-Based Security:
A Security Prole can be created enabling users to view information belonging to the Position that the Security Prole is based. In order for this to occur, a Position hierarchy
Custom Restriction Security:

Custom Restriction Security can
Security Profile
be used to provide access to meet
Responsibility
custom requirements using SQL code. For example, if there is a requirement for certain users to access specic categories of employees (such as only part-
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HRMS provides two security models: 1) the Oracle Standard Security model where a Responsibility can be linked to one Business Group; and 2) new to R11i, the Security GroupsEnabled Security model in which multiple Business Groups can be linked to a Responsibility.
time employees), a Custom Restriction option can be used.
attribute level security, which allows for the exclusion of items that certain users should not maintain. For example, if there is a requirement to restrict managers access to certain employee information during the use of Self Service, this can be accomplished with the Responsibility dened. Using Self Service applications, supervisors can release their subordinate information to other supervisors, and as a result, it can be used in effectively managing the workforce. Mr. Chatrathi has been involved
He is employed at BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting). Mr. Chatrathi has presented a white paper related to Oracle HRMS at the OAUG Asia Pacic Conference in 2000. Donna Easterday possesses more than 15 years of experience providing managerial human resources services to the private and public sector and has been involved in the implementation of Oracle HRMS Applications since 1996. She is employed at BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting) and has presented white papers at the Asia-Pacic OAUG Conference in 2000. References used in the development of this presentation include various Oracle manuals and hands-on experience.
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Responsibilities
Responsibilities are used as a primary means of dening security, and without them, users cannot access the system. A Responsibility is composed of a Menu Structure, Request Group, and Extra Information Types. As highlighted in the Oracle R11i HRMS Security Overview section, Responsibilities are linked to Business Groups and Security Proles.
Self Service
Self Service security is based on security dened in the base application. Self Service applications provide
with the successful implementation of Oracle HRMS Applications at six (6) organizations and has served in both technical and functional roles.
by Michael Christ Corporate Solutions mchrist@corporsolutions.com
Creating Web Reports

in Oracle 11i
Among the many improvements available in Oracle Applications Release 11i, those that involve custom reporting rank near the top. Oracle 11i packs a rich environment for custom reporting options that allows the creation of true Web-enabled reports. Toss aside the limited, xed-width fonts of pre-11i reports. Web reporting offers multiple fonts, colors, and hyperlinks.
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Imagine creating a summary report of Purchase Order data. The user clicks on a Purchase Order number and they drill down to the lines, with links to drill down or out to more information. Certainly, third-party packages with this capability have existed for sometime, but these required abandoning Applications security. Now all of the components for exciting and valuable Web reporting are part of the Oracle 11i tool set and stay within Applications security. This article presents the advances in Oracle 11i reporting by reviewing the two interconnected areas: tools and launch points. A high-level review is offered to whet the users appetite, and along with two brief examples, enough information to get started with Web reporting in Oracle 11i.
Hyperlink
This property converts the object into a hyperlink, using the value found here as a URL. For example, this could contain a value made up of a report server, the name of another report, and the value of a customer number. The user clicks on the object and launches another report, passing the customer number as a parameter.
TOOLS
Experienced Applications developers will glide into Oracle 11i reporting using Oracle Reports 6i and PL/SQL. Creating Web reports with 6i requires setting item properties through a palette or programmatically in triggers. With PL/SQL, standard packages are used to generate the HTML tags for Web reports.
Certainly, thirdparty packages with this capability have existed for sometime, but these required abandoning Applications security.
Hyperlink Destination
An HTML page can contain a tag, which is simply a place marker. The Hyperlink Destination property will convert the report object into a hyperlink that will navigate to an HTML tag within the same report. For example, the top part of a report may show header information and by clicking on a report eld, the user would navigate to a tag further down in the page.
Reports 6i
Oracle Reports remains the primary Applications reportdevelopment tool, with 6i now the certied version. The standard installation of Oracle 11i includes two 6i components: the development tool and a reports server. The server makes possible Web reporting with 6i. The server executes a report, communicates with the database, and returns the results in HTML or PDF format to a browser. Dont confuse the 6i reports server with a Concurrent Manager; they have different purposes and methods for processing report requests. Most objects in a 6i report, but primarily boilerplate text and eld items, contain Web properties. These optional properties let the user control the Web characteristics of an item. To see these properties, nd a eld item in a report and double-click on it. Then, expand the Web Settings node. The most useful properties are:
Contains HTML Tags

This property tells Reports 6i that the value displayed in the object contains HTML tags. For example, under a specic circumstance the user may make visible the text item: <B>NO DATA FOUND</B>. By setting the Contains HTML tags property for this text item, Reports 6i will ensure that the report output will contain the label NO DATA FOUND in bolded text. Other 6i properties let the user insert custom HTML before report, after report, before page, and after page for
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creating headers and footers for the report and for each page. For example, the user could include a hyperlink at the bottom of each page to send an email. Property values can be set either programmatically or through a property sheet. Setting values programmatically gives extraordinary exibility.
PL/SQL Web pages that Oracle 11i uses for serving up the Personal Home Pages. The Oracle database contains several PL/SQL packages for creating PL/SQL Web pages. The HTP and HTF packages contain procedures and functions for creating individual HTML tags. For example, the procedure HTP.HTMLOPEN will create the tag <HTML>. Users have the choice of using a procedure or function specic to a tag (such as HTP.HTMLOPEN), or they can use a print procedure that lets them enter the tags on their own (HTP.PRINT(<HTML>). Figure 1 below shows an example of a PL/SQL package that contains 2 procedures:
s
PL/SQL
Several years ago, Oracle equipped their procedural language, PL/SQL, with the capability for generating HTML. That is, the standard language of the Oracle database can create Web pages, combining the power and exibility of PL/SQL with the layout formatting of HTML. To use this technique, a Web server must be in place. Today users can employ the same Web server to manage
Display creates a HTML table of custom names and numbers Detail shows information for one customer
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE Web_Customer_Pkg IS PROCEDURE Display; PROCEDURE Detail (p_customer_number IN VARCHAR2); END Web_Customer_Pkg; / CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY Web_Customer_Pkg IS PROCEDURE Display IS --get all active customers CURSOR C IS SELECT c.customer_name, c.customer_number FROM ra_customers c WHERE c.status = 'A' ORDER BY c.customer_name; BEGIN Htp.HtmlOpen; --creates <html> tag Htp.BodyOpen; --creates <body> tag Htp.TableOpen; --open table Htp.TableRowOpen; --open table row Htp.TableData(cvalue=>'<B>ACTIVE CUSTOMER LIST</B>'); Htp.TableRowClose; Htp.TableOpen; --open nested table
Htp.P(sqlerrm); END Display; --the Detail procedure takes a customer number and --displays the customer detail PROCEDURE Detail (p_customer_number IN VARCHAR2) IS CURSOR c IS SELECT c.customer_name ,c.rst_name ,c.last_name ,c.address1 ,c.city ,c.state ,c.postal_code FROM AR_CUSTOMER_FIND_V c WHERE c.customer_number = p_customer_number; BEGIN Htp.HtmlOpen; Htp.BodyOpen; Htp.TableOpen; FOR R IN C LOOP Htp.TableRowOpen; Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.customer_name) ; Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.rst_name); Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.last_name); Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.address1); Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.city); Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.state); Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.postal_code); Htp.TableRowClose; END LOOP; Htp.TableClose; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN Htp.P(sqlerrm); END Detail; END Web_Customer_Pkg; /
--loop through all customers and put data --into html table FOR R IN C LOOP Htp.TableRowOpen; --use the html anchor to create a link that calls --another procedure in this package Htp.TableData(cvalue=>htf.anchor ( curl=>'WEB_CUSTOMER_PKG.DETAIL?P_CUSTOMER_NUMBER='|| r.customer_number, ctext=>r.customer_name ) ); Htp.TableData(cvalue=>r.customer_number); Htp.TableRowClose; END LOOP; Htp.TableClose; Htp.TableClose; EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN
Figure 1
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When users call the Applications HTTP Web server and place the procedure WEB_CUSTOMER_PKG.DISPLAY at the end of a URL, the server diverts the call to the database. The database executes the procedure and lls a buffer with the output. At completion of the procedure, the output is sent to the Web server, which returns it to the browser where it is interpreted and displayed. Using PL/SQL for Web report-creation requires a more thorough knowledge of HTML than if one were using a tool, such as Reports 6i. Those unfamiliar with HTML can learn it in no time by picking up a book or just reviewing a few online tutorials. OracleOASIS.RunReport and pass the name of the report as a parameter. 3. Assign the function to a new or existing menu. 4. Assign the menu to a new or existing responsibility that is dened as Available From: Oracle Self Service Web Application. 5. Assign the responsibility to a user. Each menu item for the responsibility appears as a hyperlink. When the user clicks on the hyperlink, they execute the report. The standard procedure, OracleOASIS.RunReport, will create the URL that will launch the report. This procedure uses the prole values, ICX_REPORT_LAUNCHER and ICX_REPORT_SERVER, typically completed during installation. Ensure that these prole values contain values.
PL/SQL, the standard language of the Oracle database, can create Web pages, combining the power and exibility of PL/SQL with the layout formatting of HTML.
Launching Points
Concurrent programs remain an integral method of launching a report, but Oracle 11i offers two new launch points: the Personal Home Page (Portal) and the Applications Navigation List. Understanding each launching point will help one work with users when devising reporting strategies.
Personal Home Page

Oracle 11i users can customize their Personal Home Page by adding new tab pages with one or more regions and place specic items from Self Service Web Applications responsibilities into the customized regions. For example, lets say a Self Service Web Application, called Sales Web Reports, contains 20 reports. User Jim runs reports 1 through 10, while User Betty runs reports 3, 17, 18, and 20. Both users can create a new tab page, each populating the page only with the reports they want to see. This allows a user to organize their reports to their preferences, even putting reports from multiple responsibilities into one custom region. In order to make a report accessible to a user on their Personal Home page, follow these steps. 1. Create a report and move it to a location accessible by the report server. 2. Dene a form function that calls a standard procedure
Applications Navigation List

As current users know, Applications presents a list of items that allow navigation to a form for a specic task. Typically the items in the Navigation List are forms or submenus. Now, in Oracle 11i one can launch reports directly from the Navigation List, without submitting a concurrent request. A menu structure can be created with sub-menus, just as the system administrator groups related forms. Users navigate to a specic report and double-click to execute it. Functionally, the Personal Home Page launch point and the Navigation List launch point do not differ.
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Heres how to set this up. Follow the steps listed in the Personal Home Page section. In Step 4 dene the responsibility as Available From: Oracle Applications. Its that easy. Also, one can assign the function dened in Step 2 to an existing menu.
2. Create a second report with the following detail: a. Create a user parameter with the following: Name: p_customer_number Type: character Length: 30 b. SQL Query Statement:
SELECT c.customer_name ,c.FIRST_NAME ,c.LAST_NAME ,c.ADDRESS1 ,c.CITY ,c.STATE ,c.POSTAL_CODE FROM AR_CUSTOMER_FIND_V c WHERE c.customer_number = :p_customer_number
Examples
The examples here should help users get started with Oracle 11i Web reporting. Initially, the reports will be launched from the Personal Home Page. Later these examples will be assigned to the Applications Navigation List.
Reports 6i
In this example two simple reports will be created. The rst will display a customer name and customer number. The second will display detail information for a customer. 1. Startup Reports 6i and create a report with the following detail: a. SQL Query Statement:
SELECT c.customer_name, c.customer_number FROM ra_customers c WHERE c.status = A ORDER BY c.customer_name
c. In the Layout Model create a single repeating frame and layout elds for each eld in the SQL statement. Make sure the repeating frame is referencing the data group created with the SQL statement. d. Save the report as WEBCUSTOMERDETAILS.rdf 3. FTP the two reports to $AU_TOP/reports/US. The standard installation of the report server sets this as one of its default paths. See the DBA or System Administrator for other paths available to the reports server. 4. Now go into Oracle 11i and set up this report. Unlike a concurrent program, this report is called a Form Function. To do this, access will be needed to the Application Developer or System Administration responsibilities. This example assumes that one will use the System Administration responsibility. a. Navigate: System Administration->Application>Function. Enter the following:
b. In the Layout Model create a single repeating frame and two layout elds, one each for the customer name and customer number. Make sure the repeating frame is referencing the data group created with the SQL statement. c. Add a format trigger to the customer name eld and type in the following:
function F_1FormatTrigger return boolean is v_report_launcher VARCHAR2(80) := Fnd_Prole.Value('ICX_REPORT_LAUNCHER'); v_report_server VARCHAR2(80) := Fnd_Prole.Value('ICX_REPORT_SERVER'); begin SRW.SET_HYPERLINK(v_report_launcher||'?'||v_report_server|| '&report=WEBCUSTOMERDETAILS&p_customer_number='||:customer_number); return (TRUE); end;
d. Save the report as WEBCUSTOMERS.rdf.
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Function: WEBCUSTOMERS User Function Name: WEBCUSTOMERS Type: WWW Parameters: report=WEBCUSTOMERS HTML call: OracleOASIS.RunReport Save the record b. Navigate: System Administration->Application>Menu. Enter the following: Menu: WEBCUSTOMERS User Menu Name: WEBCUSTOMERS Seq: 10 Prompt: Web Customer Report Function: WEBCUSTOMERS Save the record c. Launch the Web Customer report from the Personal Home Page. To do this, create a new Self Service responsibility. Navigate: System Administration>Security->Responsibility->Dene. Enter the following: Responsibility Name: WEBCUSTOMERS Application: Choose a custom application or an existing one, such as Oracle Receivables Responsibility Key: WEBCUSTOMERS Available From: set to Oracle Self Service Web Applications Menu: WEBCUSTOMERS Data Group Name: Standard Data Group Application: same as the responsibility application Save the record d. Assign the responsibility to the userid. 5. Now, return to the Personal Home Page and refresh the browser window. Within the Self Service section of the Main Menu page, the WEBCUSTOMERS responsibility will be seen. a. Click on the WEBCUSTOMERS responsibility. A new page with all of the Self Service responsibilities on the left and the WEBCUSTOMERS menu on the
right will be seen. Currently one menu item shows: Web Customer Report. b. Click on the item, Web Customer Report. The report will run. The customer name will appear as a hyperlink (typically as an underlined value). c. Click on a customer name and the Web Customer Detail report will appear.
Typically the items in the Navigation List are forms or submenus. Now, in Oracle 11i reports will be launched directly from the Navigation List, without submitting a concurrent request.
PL/SQL
In this example the Web_Customer_Pkg found in Figure 1 will be used. This package will create a simple table of active customers. As with the Reports 6i example, the customer name will be a link. Clicking on a customer name will call the Detail procedure, passing the customer number. 1. Compile the Web_Customer_Pkg package from the code in Figure 1. 2. Ensure that the user APPS has execution privileges. 3. The setup steps for a PL/SQL procedure are similar to those for the Report 6i example. a. Navigate: System Administration->Security->Web PL/SQL. Enter the following: Name: WEB_CUSTOMER_PKG Type: Package Enabled: checked (default) Save the record b. Navigate: System Administration->Application39
c. Click on the customer name and the detail report will appear.
The many ways of creating and launching Web reports in Oracle 11i . . . allow the creation of many new and useful reports. Most critically, though, they remain within Applications security.
Navigation List
To launch the examples from the Navigation List, all that is needed is to create a new responsibility. 1. Navigate: System Administration ->Security>Responsibility-Dene. Enter the following Responsibility Name: WEBCUSTOMERS_NAV Application: Choose a custom application or an existing one, such as Oracle Receivables Responsibility Key: WEBCUSTOMERS_NAV Available From: Oracle Applications Menu: WEBCUSTOMERS Data Group Name: Standard Data Group Application: same as the responsibility application Save the record 2. Assign this new responsibility to the userid. 3. Return to the Personal Home Page and refresh the browser window. The WEBCUSTOMERS_NAV responsibility will be seen in the Applications list. Click on this responsibility and the standard Applications navigation form will be seen. The left window will contain the two customer report examples. Click on either of them to run.
Function. Enter the following:PL/SQL. Enter the following: Function: WEB_CUSTOMER_PLSQL User Function Name: WEBCUSTOMERPLSQL Type: WWW HTML call: WEB_CUSTOMER_PKG. DISPLAY Save the record c. Navigate: System Administration->Application>Menu. Query the WEBCUSTOMERS menu created for the Report 6i example. Once displayed, enter the following: Seq: 20 Prompt: Web Customer PL/SQL Report Function: WEBCUSTOMERPLSQL Save the record 4. Now, return to the Personal Home Page and refresh the browser window. a. Click on the WEBCUSTOMERS responsibility. The new function will be seen in the right window. b. Click the Web Customer PL/SQL Report. The report will run.
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Conclusion
In this brief article, a few of the many ways of creating and launching Web reports in Oracle 11i have been presented. These exciting features allow the creation of many new and useful reports. Most critically, though, they remain within Applications security. Oracle 11i has other tools and strategies for creating Web reports. These include Oracle Discoverer, PL/SQL Serve Pages, JavaScript, Java Server Pages, and Java, as well as launching reports as Concurrent Requests.
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Whats Between a Report and a Query?

Ever wonder what the difference is between a report and a query? Is the number of records returned the differentiator? Is a report returning only 15 rows really a report? What about a query returning 2,000 records? . . . In the new reality of information systems, with data on demand, real time information, and mobile data, these issues are no longer academic. This article will establish these claims and their impact on operation costs and productivity, as well as clearly dening the two
by Haim Kravitz Top Team, Inc. hkravitz@top-team.com
entities: queries and reports.

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The E-Business Phenomenon

The Internet is rapidly becoming the backbone for all business applications. As a result, companies are facing the following E-Business Phenomenon:
often generated when only a very small fraction of it, if any, is relevant to the job. There must be a better way to work within the business applications framework a solution that will give the applications users the same options and capabilities they get on Yahoo, MSN, etc.!
While data volumes increase Internet and mobile devices is
exponentially, and the use of the
proliferating, it causes a conicting devices capability to handle such volumes in a timely manner.
effect with the Webs and the mobile
The increase in data volumes already impacts companies by requiring larger storage devices, faster processing machines, etc. For reporting applications in particular, the main bottleneck is the Webs capacity to effectively handle the data volumes. Continuously adding more hardware is a solution doomed to fail. It is not only costly. Its also a reactive and non-creative solution.
? ?
A report is
Here are the characteristics of this query: q Highly focused. should be able to do so. becomes obsolete. characteristics of the report are: relevancy of the data is still there. observation:
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Whats Between a Report and a Query?
the ultimate admission
of our inability to create a useful ad hoc query.
Here are a couple of examples to clarify this question. Query Example: Checking ones bank account balance.
q Returns a very limited and specic data volume. q Will usually not save the information anywhere but q Time is critical. If the response isnt immediate, it Report Example: Need to see all Booked Sales Orders, by Country/by Year since the beginning of 2000. The q Will usually return a large volume of data. q Needs to be saved and stored in the database. q Time may be important, but not critical. Whether the user will get it later today or tomorrow morning, the q Very often, it will be used for further data processing. Based on the above, one can further make the following
Work Smarter Not Harder

I can recall the days when I was checking the weather report in the paper before a trip, and followed up on my stock in the morning papers business section. But how many of us still do that? If Im about to travel to Kalamazoo and need to know what to pack, a nationwide weather report wont do me any good. How likely is it that Kalamazoo will be in the report? So instead, I log onto Yahoo and post a query for the weather at my destination. The same applies to my stock portfolio, etc. The Web provides me with specic and relevant personal information. Unfortunately, this way of getting information is not available in the Oracle Applications. In the present reality, inventory status reports are run just to nd the few items in shortage. Receiving reports are generated when only the late shipments are of interest. Three hundred pages of hard-coded reports are
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While reports are good for decision support purposes, queries are primarily an execution support tool.
Queries and reports are two different utilities, and should not be considered as mutually exclusive. A recent Meta Group article makes the following statement: . . .
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Management by Exception
The Web capability, or lack of it, to handle volumes of data in a timely manner is the main obstacle to implementing Web-based execution support systems. To make it possible requires changing the way users go about performing work, hence implementing a management by exception system. This is one of the most effective ways to control and manage volumes of data, and the idea is to identify and focus only on items that need special attention vs. watching all those available on the system. Users need to endorse this paradigm, where each of the end users have the ability to dene their own exception rules, based on their work requirements, and translate these rules into ad hoc queries and/or reports. Management by exception is not only a productivity booster; it is also a proactive way of handling the daily workload, and most suitable for Web-based applications as it controls data volumes. The next step will be to dene suites of queries that look for the exceptions, and when events meeting the rules occur, have email alerts sent to the owners. Due to low volumes, these queries are fast; require minimal system resources; and, can be easily attached to emails. The material planner no longer has to look for shortages by going through stock status reports. When shortages occur, they will practically look for him, so to speak, as he will be automatically alerted with just the exceptions. The same holds true for the buyer, who no longer has to check shipment status reports. He/she can dene a rule that will have the system alert him/her of any shipment that is late by more than x days, etc.
organizations need to select vendors from four categories enterprise reporting, ad hoc query and analysis suites, OLAP servers, and analytic dashboards to meet requirements, In my years as a user and as a consultant, Ive seen companies with hundreds and even thousands of canned and custom reports, yet most users were not satised with their reporting system. This is primarily due to the lack of differentiation between reports and ad hoc queries, and completely missing ad hoc querying capabilities.
Ad Hoc Query Key to Execution Support

The vast majority of users of any application are not analysts or high-level decision makers, but they do have responsibilities for specic operational tasks, on a daily basis. They are the ones who keep the wheels turning vs. those who are in charge of the directions. Materials planners need to make sure the company does not run out of raw materials, while the buyers make sure they get the shipments in on time. They all need to make sure that the business operates uninterruptedly, and for that purpose, they need current information with any potential cause of problems. As in the weather report analogy, a buyer is not interested, most of the time, in all the purchase orders details in the system. All the buyer needs is a way to nd just his/her POs that have delivery problems, etc. If the buyer could be alerted in some way by the system each time there is a problem, this would be even better, as it would make it possible to implement a management by exception system.
Summary
Dening the difference between a query and a report is the foundation for providing end users with a powerful execution support system, for improved productivity, efciency, and at the same time, enhance utilization of the hardware infrastructure. It allows users to implement management by exception methods that are effective in addressing the EBusiness Phenomenon and are key to harnessing the Web to the business applications. Last, but not least, it provides companies with means to improve bottom lines, and get the highest and fastest ROI possible.
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META Group Finds Large Organizations Require Three to Five Business Intelligence Tools by Samantha Finnegan, META Group, Inc. April 2, 2003 43
Enhance your Project Documentation Process
Having supported many software implementations, including those of ERP systems, it seems that project documentation is one area that requires signicant improvement. Often just nding the project documentation is difcult enough, and once this frustrating process is completed, the documentation is found to be inadequate. This makes it very difcult
with Oracle Applications Implementation Methodology (AIM)
to support such implementations and any new users of such software have to rely on learning from previous users whose availability is often in question.
by Richard Byrom RPC Data Limited richard@rpcdata.com
Although poor documentation can be attributed to poor project management, in many instances the documentation is not done simply due to the effort involved and the lack of awareness as to which tools are available to facilitate the process. This article highlights how Oracle AIM simplies the documentation process and can be used to effectively manage Oracle Applications project implementations.
AIM Overview
In communicating with a number of Oracle Applications implementers, it is surprising to nd that there is very little awareness surrounding AIM and it is very rarely used for implementations. However, I have personally found it to be very useful in managing and documenting Oracle Applications projects. I also believe it compares
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Navigation: Main
Definition
Operations Analysis
Solution Design
Build
Transition
Production
Project Management Business Process Architecture Business Requirements Definition Business Requirements Mapping Application and Technical Architecture Module Design and Build Data Conversion Documentation Business System Testing Performance Testing Adoption and Learning Production Migration
Figure 1: The AIM Main Screen Displaying Project Phases and Processes
favorably, and in many instances betters, project management tools being used for other ERP system implementations. AIM consists of a project management methodology together with the underlying documentation templates that support the tasks performed within this methodology. This combination of a methodology together with documentation templates makes AIM a powerful tool for assisting implementation participants in running and managing projects successfully. The methodology can be used for any other software implementations, but obviously the true value of AIM will be only be realized when it is used in conjunction with the Oracle-specic document templates.
4) Build build and test the physical software system. 5) Transition deploy the nished solution into the organization. 6) Production go LIVE! Within these phases are the various processes see the horizontally listed processes in Figure 1. Each process is made up of a number of tasks. Each task has a deliverable for which there is normally a documentation template. A process such as Application and Technical Architecture may span across more than one phase, while Project Management stretches across all of the project phases. The level of work required for each process within each phase can immediately be ascertained by looking at the length of the bars for each process within the phases as displayed in Figure 1. To allow customization of the methodology according to user requirements, core and optional tasks have been dened. The core tasks in AIM dene the minimum set of steps necessary to implement Oracle Applications. Depending on the circumstances, a number of optional tasks may be included. For example, where there are interfaces to third-party systems, AIM tasks can be incorporated to help examine, update, and test those interfaces to work with the new system. Once familiar with AIM, implementation participants can customize the implementation plan based on their knowledge of the tasks needed for a particular project.
The Methodology and Structure

The methodology used is similar to traditional software project management methodologies. There are six phases within the project: 1) Denition establish the business objectives and related requirements. Dene the project work plan. 2) Operations Analysis analyze the operations and determine the t between organizational requirements and standard application functionality. 3) Design develop detailed designs for the optimal solutions to meet the future business requirements.
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sheets, and MS Project les. Each of the document templates follows a standard coding convention that corresponds
One should always assess whether the GUI enhances the functionality of the software or whether it is there to simply dazzle the users without providing the underlying utility.
to the codes used in the template of the MS Project plan. Information on how to use each template can also be found in the comprehensive help system provided. The document templates can really be divided up into two types. First, there are generic project management documents. Examples of these include the project work plan, change request documents, quality control documents, status monitoring, and reporting documents. These templates should be edited and adopted as standard documents for the organisation so that they can be reused for subsequent implementations. Second, there are documentation templates designed specically for Oracle Applications implementations. This feature of AIM makes the documentation of the system setup and conguration relatively easy. Each of the setup
Graphical User Interface (GUI)

An aesthetically pleasing GUI is always a plus for any software. However, one should always assess whether the GUI enhances the functionality of the software or whether it is there to simply dazzle the users without providing the underlying utility. In AIMs instance, the interface has been crafted in such a way that it clearly illustrates the structure of the implementation methodology as well as provides easy access to the relevant deliverables for each particular task. The GUI allows users to drill down to the necessary deliverables as well as view the implementation plan in multiple different views. The very rst view that a user is presented with is shown in Figure 1 the relevant phases and the processes within these phases. By clicking on the word for each project phase, the user can look at all the tasks within that particular phase which are also split according to process. Clicking on a particular process will show all the tasks for that particular process divided up according to the relevant project phase.
documents is designed in accordance with the layout of the elds within the various forms contained in each module. Hence, capturing setup information merely involves transferring the data contained in the forms directly into the Word documents provided.
Conclusion
Using Oracle AIM in the early stages of the implementation helps establish what kind of solution the customer wants and how Oracle Applications need to be congured in response to customer demands. Thereafter, it becomes very useful in monitoring and documenting the entire implementation process. It is particularly useful in ensuring that deliverables have been signed off at the end of each phase. As with all project management tools, however, it is only effective to the extent that it is used and understood by those involved in the implementation. Richard Byrom is an Oracle Applications consultant with RPC Data, an Oracle Certied Advantage Partner located in Botswana. He has spent the last seven years consulting with various professional rms within the Southern Africa Region. He has also presented papers at numerous national and international conferences and contributes to leading journals. Richard can be contacted at richard@rpcdata.com.
Documentation Templates
By far the most important feature and indeed the guts of AIM are the documentation templates that it provides. There are more than 150 templates that come in a variety of formats such as MS Word documents, MS Excel spread46
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DIAGNOSTICS: APPS CHECK

by Josh Scheumann CIBER Enterprise Solutions (a division of CIBER) jscheumann@ciber.com
Oracle Support continues to expand its offering of diagnostic scripts that are available for customer use in order to assist in validating setups, checking version control, and detecting issues. Metalink note 167000.1, E-Business Suite Support Diagnostic Support Pack, is one of the more recent examples. The pack delivers a series of tools that are designed to increase customer problem avoidance, customer self-service, and support engineer efciency. The provided scripts are designed to check setups as well as provide version information per module. Oracle has also created this support offering in such a way that it can be run in either standalone mode (via SQL*Plus) or via the supplied Oracle Diagnostics tool. The latter requires a series of setup steps that the DBAs would need to perform up front. Either way, it is a great tool to quickly detect problems as well as assisting in the logging of iTARs and supplying support with information that can speed up TAR resolution. Now, with release 11.5.8 and/or Procurement Family Pack H, Oracle Support has taken this to yet another level. One piece of the diagnostic tool above (setup check) has been added to the application so that it can be run directly out of the Submit Request form.
The Diagnostics: Apps Check process basically runs the scripts that many of us recognize as pocheck.sql and/or omcheck.sql (two common scripts that have been around a while that support commonly asks to be run during iTAR generation). It can be run for any module even though it is run out of Purchasing (Navigation: Reports > Run > Single Request). The generated output le breaks the data into sections such as Installation Information (installed modules and latest patch sets), Database Parameter settings, Patches applied (for the module for which it was run), Prole Options and their values, Database Triggers and Indexes, and File Versions. Users not on a version to get to this latest tool, can alternatively download PO interim patch 2428504. This will give them the Diagnostics: Apps Check utility even if they are on Procurement Family Pack G or lower. The greatest benet is that the applications users can help troubleshoot issues, check setups, and provide greater assistance in iTAR creation/maintenance by being able to gather information that in the past has been reserved to DBA/technical resources. The generated output les (by module) supply valuable information that can now be readily obtained.
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by Christopher Ryan VP of Marketing Optika cryan@optika.com
Optika Acorde/Oracle Payables Integration Transforms Airborne Express Payables Processing
Business Challenges for Airborne Express

Airborne Express is the third largest delivery company in the United States, delivering more than one million shipments each day. The Seattle-based company has over 300 main ofces located in most major cities and airports. Each Airborne location sends in its invoices and requisitions to the corporate headquarters. In a typical month, the Accounts Payable (A/P) department processes 50,000 to
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80,000 invoices, amounting to more than $700 million in annual payments to more than 30,000 suppliers. Until 1999, all invoices were microlmed for archival storage. Manual ling, retrieval, operating, and tracking expenses were weighty. For a short time, the company outsourced its imaging, but that option was also not cost-effective. With the volume of invoices and other documents owing through Airborne and the resources involved in maintaining and operating microlm equipment, the company needed
OAUG INSIGHT
imaging and workow solutions to streamline its A/P processes. Airborne found that Acorde Context and Acorde Process from Optika offered the best solution for several key reasons: integration with the companys Oracle Financials 11i system; a concurrent pricing model that provided an affordable way to allow a large number of occasional users to access documents; compatibility to work with Microsoft Ofce and other applications; and scalability for use in additional departments down the road.
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Increasing Process Efciency

Upon implementation of Acorde and integration with Oracles EBusiness Suite for Payables (Oracle Payables), Airborne Express immediately realized benets. The Acorde Suite eliminated the need to le hard copies of incoming invoices and allowed all Airborne departments with access to the system to view documents online. This step brought signicant efciency to the entire A/P process and has addressed a number of other problems, including lost invoices, missing information, incorrect P. O. numbers, invoice coding mistakes, unclear chains of invoice approval, and erroneous payments. Because Optika offered a concurrent license option, Airborne acquired enough licenses to accommodate all regular users of Acorde, as well as all occasional users. Up to 1,000 Airborne employees in a range of departments can access documents when needed, including Finance, Treasury, Travel, Claims, Collections,
Human Resources, Fleet, and a few operations departments. This allows Airborne to have most invoices come directly to A/P for imaging and routing rst, ensuring they arent delayed in other departments. Optika assisted Airborne in integrating Acorde with Oracle Payables using the Acorde Oracle ApplicationLink from Optika. This integration offers users a single source for all transaction content. Once documents are brought into Acorde, the link makes them automatically accessible in Oracle, eliminating double entry.
documents, preparing for external tax audits takes just a few minutes. Inefcient document retrieval also previously deterred Airborne from performing its own internal audit reviews of A/P. Now with the ability to review les quickly and easily online, the company discovers $50,000 to $100,000 in erroneous, duplicate, or over-payments every month that they are able to correct. Original projections forecast a 14-month ROI and the ability to eliminate one full-time position. Airbornes actual results with Acorde showed a return on its investment in less than one year. And today, Acorde, working in conjunction with Oracle and other applications, has helped Airborne reduce its A/P department from 21 to 16 full-time employees. Christopher Ryan has over 20 years of technology and marketing experience. As vice president of marketing for Optika, Chris is responsible for the direction, strategy, and promotion of Optikas Acorde family of solutions, including worldwide marketing programs and strategic alliances. He currently serves as the chair of the North American
Realizing True Business Benets

Automating workow procedures have allowed Airborne to cut its A/P and data entry staff by 15 percent and are expected to further increase Airborne efciency. Formerly, preparing for tax audits from various government entities consumed days or weeks of the staff s time. Now, with the ease of retrieving
Automating workow procedures have allowed Airborne to cut its A/P and data entry staff by 15 percent and are expected to further increase Airborne efciency.
Advisory Trade Member Board for the Association for Image and Information Management (AIIM), the global authority on Enterprise Content Management (ECM). Prior to joining Optika, Chris was vice president of worldwide product marketing at FrontRange Solutions and chief marketing ofcer of Deuxo, Inc., a developer of marketing automation and lead management software.
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Noetix Meets ERAUs Complex Reporting Needs

by Mike Kinnaman Director of Marketing Noetix Corporation Mike.Kinnaman@noetix.com
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious aviation and aerospace university in the world, teaching the science, practice, and business of the world of aviation and aerospace. Since it was founded just 22 years after the Wright brothers rst ight, the university and its graduates have built an enviable record of achievement in every aspect of aviation and aerospace.
Reporting Environment
s Enterprise Applications: Oracle Financials: General Ledger, Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets, HR, and Payroll modules as well as benets reporting s Primary Report Users: 400 located throughout North America s Size of IT Department: 70 s Noetix Solution: q Noetix Enterprise Technology Suite Noetix Views for Oracle Financials Noetix Views for Oracle Projects Noetix Views for Oracle Human Resources Noetix Views for Oracle Payroll s Third-Party Query Tools: q Microsoft Excel s Length of Noetix implementation: One week. However, report generation took place in just four days.
Problem
With residential campuses in Florida and Arizona, an extensive network of more than 120 teaching centers throughout the United States and Europe, plus a Web-based distance learning program serving civilian and military working adults, EmbryRiddle had mission-critical information locked up in Oracle Applications that needed to be dispersed around the globe. ERAUs centers throughout the U.S. and Europe all tie back to an Oracle installation in Daytona Beach, Florida. Knowing this information could be used to make important decisions for the university, Embry-Riddle turned to Noetix for a solution. More specically, the challenge was to provide a solution that enabled budget managers including academic deans, department heads, and executive assis-
NETS is a great out-ofthe-box, anytime, anywhere, ad-hoc reporting tool.

Phil Ledbetter, Director, Administrative Systems
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OAUG INSIGHT
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NETS is a time-saver; without it wed

tants to create their own reports in order to better run the university. Previously, these customers were dependent on the IT department for the data and reports. ERAU originally considered Oracle BIS and compared Noetix with Oracles solution. In doing this, they found that Noetix was much easier to use, cost tens of thousands of dollars less than Oracle BIS, and most importantly, required much less administrative work. Also, Oracle BIS would have required two months to implement, while the Noetix solution can be up and running in as little as a day and a half. We wanted the universitys decision makers to have access to data and reports to ensure they were on track, said Phil Ledbetter, director, administrative systems. Noetix had what ERAU wanted to accomplish its goals and also had a lower total cost of ownership than other solutions we explored, such as Oracle BIS. needs, with hundreds of customizable query templates for accelerated report development. And Noetix immediately mapped to ERAUs customizations and also gave them the opportunity to export reports into the Excel formats users are comfortable with. One of the biggest benets of the product is the learning curve. The product is very intuitive and easy-touse. Noetix allowed our users to get up and running with little IT involvement, said Michael Clarke, systems analyst, administrative systems. NoetixViews for Oracle saved us the time and resources of one IT staff member over the course of two months. Noetix is the only solution to programmatically generate a set of IT reporting objects and business user query templates based on a companys unique conguration of Oracle Applications. Other solutions require a deep technical understanding of the applications data structures and are based on a generic model. With Noetix, users can quickly develop and distribute reports with easy-to-use reporting objects and query templates that reect the congured meta-data, business rules, and security of the enterprise application. The biggest advantage was that it gives users of the product within nance and human resources a simple, ad-hoc tool that allows them to interact with their customers, the budget managers, without having to involve IT, said Ledbetter.
be looking at needing a lot more tools and a lot more resources.

Michael Clarke, Systems Analyst
Results
ERAU now enables its users to build reports online through Noetix WebQuery, which contains a list of out-of-the-box report views that can be exported into Microsoft Excel. ERAU has linked Noetix WebQuery to its corporate portal, so users can visit one location to access all the tools they need to make business decisions. Today, ERAU is implementing new ight system software from Dallasbased Talon that will enable them to gather data on equipment, maintenance, students, training, etc. Because the software will be based on Oracle Applications, ERAU plans to use NETS to gather data from this system and integrate it into other reports to give a more complete enterprise-wide view of the business. This means that instead of just viewing a line item that says they spent a certain dollar gure on plane maintenance, they will be able to drill down to see exactly what that cost entailed. One of the goals at ERAU is to continue to give top management a more complete view of the business, and Noetix is enabling them to do this. This system will be implemented in the summer of 2003 and reports will be available toward the end of the year.
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Solution
After considering other solutions, Embry-Riddle chose the Noetix Enterprise Technology Suite (NETS) based on the projects tight timeframe and budget. NETS was also very appealing because of its reach; it was able to connect users nationwide and across the world. In less than two days, the Noetix solution was up and running enabling ERAU decision makers to access and use a reporting platform specic to their unique
Enjoy Beautiful San Diego at OAUG Connection Point 2003

With a beautiful view of the Pacic Ocean to the west and breathtaking mountains to the east, San Diego provides the perfect backdrop for the OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference. The city offers a variety of leisure activities from shopping and performing arts to beaches and the famed San Diego Zoo.
Beaches of San Diego

San Diego provides a temperate climate making the 70-mile stretch of beaches safe and pleasant virtually year-round. The sandstone bluffs and ne beaches of the North County coast reach from Torrey Pines to San Onofre. La Jolla, Point Loma, and Mission Bay make up the Central Coast beaches. In the South Bay, Coronado and the Silver Strand provide a natural barrier that has made San Diego one of the worlds great seaports.
San Diego Zoo

The world-famous San Diego Zoo is a mustsee for everyone. Giant pandas Bai Yun, Shi Shi, and their cub, Hua Mei, are visiting the zoo on a 12-year research loan from the Peoples Republic of China. Guests can also journey into the depths of Ituri Forest, a central African jungle habitat teeming with okapis, hippos, forest buffalos, colorful birds, and acrobatic monkeys. The Polar Bear Plunge, Gorilla Tropics, and Tiger River are always crowd favorites.
La Jolla Cove
Balboa Park
Balboa Park is home to museums, art galleries, theaters, sports facilities, and the San Diego Zoo. Deemed the cultural heart of the city, the architecture is reminiscent of a 17th century Spanish town, rich with ornamentation, swaying palms, colorful gardens, and majestic eucalyptus tress. The San Diego Aerospace Museum, Art Institute, and Miniature Railroad are all within the 1,000 acres of the park.
Old Town San Diego

In a prominent corner of modern San Diego, Old Town, Californias birthplace, remains a constant, colorful reminder of the Old West and the heritage San Diego proudly shares with Mexico. This state historic park features interpretive displays, restored homes, points of historic interest, quaint shops, and early California-style restaurants. A wide variety of imported and handcrafted items is available at galleries and specialty shops in the area.
OAUG INSIGHT San Diego CVB / Brett Shoaf Photo
San Diego CVB / Zoological Society of San Diego Photo
Plaza de Panama, Balboa Park
Cultural Arts
San Diego boasts two Tony Award-winning theatres and more than 90 museums. The inuence of nearby Mexico can be seen in numerous art galleries and the citys architecture. Throughout the year various festivals show the ethnic diversity of the area.
Giant Panda
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San Diego CVB / Brett Shoaf Photo
Horton Plaza
The centerpiece of San Diegos revitalized downtown is Horton Plaza, an 11.5-acre multi-level shopping and entertainment complex, with shops, restaurants, three major department stores, a 14screen cinema, and a performing arts theatre.
Historic Gaslamp Quarter

San Diegos hottest dining and entertainment district features more than 70 restaurants and nightclubs within the 16 1/2-block historic area. The Gaslamp Quarter highlights history, museums, and art galleries, as well as unique shopping boutiques.
San Diego CVB / Zoological Society of San Diego Photo
LEGOLAND California
Created by Danish toy manufacturers, the 128acre LEGOLAND is the rst park of its kind in the United States. With 40 hands-on, minds-on, interactive attractions, family rides, shows, restaurants, shopping and landscape features, there is fun for the whole family.
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala

Four of the best reminders of San Diegos Spanish heritage can be found in its beautiful missions. In 1769, seven years before the Declaration of Independence, Padre Junipero Serra established the rst link in his 21-mission chain at Mission San Diego de Alcala. The other three missions are: Mission San Luis Rey near Oceanside, Mission San Antonio de Pala near Mt. Palomar and Mission Santa Ysabel, near Julian.
Wild Animal Park
San Diego Wild Animal Park

Over 3,500 animals representing 260 different species inhabit the San Diego Wild Animal Park, which is also an accredited botanical garden. Visitors can see exotic animals as they would be seen in their native habitats, Asia and Africa, in this 1,800-acre park. Condor Ridge, Lorikeet Landing, and the Kilimajaro Safari Walk are among the main attractions.
View of San Diego Skyline from Point Loma

Nestled between the mountains on the east and the Pacic Ocean on the west, San Diegos modern skyline is an imposing contrast to its surroundings. San Diego is the second largest city in California, but still retains its natural beauty.
Legoland
San Diego CVB / Joanne Dibona Photo
San Diego CVB / Seaworld San Diego Photo
These are just a few of the places you can visit while in San Diego for the OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference. For more information, visit the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.sandiego.com. Information and photos provided courtesy of San Diego CVB.
Shamu at Seaworld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego

Home to Shamu, SeaWorld San Diego is a 150acre marine zoological park. Shipwreck Rapids and Wild Arctic, the parks adventure ride, add to the fun. The new show, Cirque de la Mer, occurs each summer night, combining mysterious creatures, acrobatics, music and special effects. Feed sea turtles, touch sharks and come face to face with dolphins, polar bears, and penguins on the Behind-the-Scenes Tours.
w w w. o a u g . o r g San Diego CVB / James Blank Photo
San Diego Skyline from Point Loma
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OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference Exhibitors

170 Systems, Inc. www.170systems.com Abaris, Inc. www.abaris-inc.com Applimation, Inc. www.applimation.com Appshop, Inc. www.appshop.com AppWorx Corporation www.appworx.com AST Corporation www.astcorporation.com BASE Consulting Group, Inc. www.baseconsulting.com BOSS Corporation www.bosscorporation.com The Burton Group www.burtongroup.com C3 Business Solutions www.c3bizsolutions.com Captaris www.captaris.com Casco Development, Inc. www.cascodev.com CIBER Enterprise Solutions www.ciber.com/ces ClearOrbit www.clearorbit.com Computer Associates www.ca.com Core Services Corporation www.coresys.com Creative Consulting Solutions, Inc. www.ccs-i.com DARC Corporation www.darc.com Datavision-Prologix, Inc. www.datavision.com DAZ Systems, Inc. www.dazsi.com DecisionPoint Applications, Inc. www.dpapplications.com EMC Corporation www.emc.com Evergreen Data Systems, Inc. www.evergrn.com EZ Commerce Global Solutions, Inc. www.ezcommerceinc.com Fast-Tax www.fasttaxtrust.com Federal Liaison Services, Inc. www.sinc.com Feith Systems and Software, Inc. www.feith.com Futurion www.futurcast.com High Line Corporation www.highlinecorp.com HighJump Software www.highjumpsoftware.com iGATE Corporation www.igatecorp.com IT Convergence www.convergence.com Kaba Benzing America www.kaba-benzing-usa.com KBACE Technologies www.kbace.com Logical Apps www.logicalapps.com MDB Technology Solutions www.mdbconsulting.com Mercury Interactive Corporation www.mercuryinteractive.com Mercury Technology www.mtgsupport.com MHC Companies www.mhccom.com More4apps NZ Limited www.more4apps.com Nascent Systems, Inc. www.nascentsystems.com Noetix Corporation www.noetix.com Optika, Inc. www.optika.com OSI Consulting www.osius.com OuterBay Technologies, Inc. www.outerbay.com Output Solutions, LLC www.outputsolutions.com Patni Computer Systems www.patni.com Perceptive Vision, Inc. www.imagenow.com Princeton Softech www.princetonsoftech.com Project Partners, LLC www.projectp.com Protege Software Services, Inc. www.protege.com Psion Teklogix www.psionteklogix.com QAS Ltd. www.qas.com Quest Software, Inc. www.quest.com
List current as of 7/17/03
Radiant Infotech www.radisoft.com Radley Corporation www.radley.com Rapidigm, Inc. www.rapidigm.com RingMaster Software Corporation www.ringmastersw.com RWD Technologies, Inc. www.rwd.com Search 5 Stafng, Inc. www.search5stafng.com SofTec Solutions, Inc. www.softecinc.com Solbourne www.solbourne.com TaxAutomation, Inc. www.taxautomation.com TAXWARE International, Inc. www.taxware.com TimeVision, Inc. www.timevision.com TopTeam www.top-team.com TruTek www.trutek.com TUSC www.tusc.com Vertex, Inc. www.vertexinc.com Xcelicor, Inc. www.xcelicor.com
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OAUG INSIGHT
CONNECTION POINT
2003
San Diego Convention Center San Diego, California September 14-17
Thanks To Our Sponsors

OAUG would like to give a special thanks to the companies who helped sponsor the OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference. Sponsors are: Bean Bag Sponsor: email Reminder Sponsor: Notebook Sponsor:
O R A C L E A P P L I C AT I O N S U S E R S G R O U P
Network with fellow applications users and share knowledge on implementing, integrating, using and customizing Oracle Applications. Learn how Oracle Applications Preview complementary vendor can help with issues that affect products and services. your company. Attend your choice of over 200 Earn CPE Credits for Financial white paper presentations, Q&As, and Human Resource track sessions. Panels and R11i Training Sessions. Test drive Applications and Attend Special Interest & complementary solutions. Geographic User Group meetings.
Colibri
CD Proceedings Sponsor:
Applimation
General Session Keynote Sponsor:
DecisionPoint Applications, Inc.

PDA Sponsor:
Solution Beacon
Conference Bag Sponsor:
REGISTER TODAY www.oaug.com
Noetix
HODA Sponsors:
ClearOrbit
Training Sponsor:
Sponsor list current as of 7/17/03
Mercury Interactive
CyberCafe Sponsor:
AQS
DARC Project Partners, LLC TopTeam, Inc.
Appshop
OAUG e-Learning Courses

Are you facing tight training budgets? Are travel expenses dictating whether or not you and your staff receive the necessary training and practical solutions youll need to wrestle your pressing Oracle Applications issues? OAUG has developed a new series of e-Learning courses covering various Oracle Applications modules, providing ready-to-implement solutions that will save time and money for your organization. With presentation over the Web and voice through telephone conference call, OAUG e-Learning courses allow you to stay in your ofce, while experiencing leading content from respected industry users and trainers. This format offers you the exibility to learn together and further discuss key questions from your organizations point of view. Visit the OAUG Web site at www.oaug.org for more information and course schedules. Questions? Contact OAUG at +1 (404) 240-0897.
Log on and Learn.

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Maximize Your Experience at OAUG Connection Point 2003

San Diego, California September 14-17, 2003
With over 200 sessions, 10 session tracks, 12 presentation rooms, and more than 2,500 attendees, how can you maximize your conference experience? The OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference is designed for both the rst-time attendee and the veteran conference guru. We have provided a breakdown of the conference day by day to assist you prior to your arrival in San Diego. The OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference committee began the plans for the upcoming conference months ago. The committee reviews all previous conference surveys for feedback to ensure your needs are being met. At each conference we aim to enhance services, presentations, and general networking opportunities. The conference agenda is organized by the committee and posted to the OAUG Connection Point Web site four weeks prior to the conference to assist you in making your travel arrangements. Day One: The OAUG Connection Point Conference will kick-off the event with OAUG-afliated Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings. SIGs run the gamut from product-specic (like Account Receivable or Process Manufacturing) to specic interest areas (such as Higher Education Applications or Applications on the NT Platform), and provide attendees an excellent opportunity to network with other users and share knowledge in their area of interest. Day One will conclude with a Welcome Reception that is hosted by OAUG and Connection Point exhibitors. Join us for hors doeuvres and drinks in the exhibit hall, map out your course to meet many companies that provide complementary products and services, and network with fellow users and conference attendees. Take a moment to review the conference agenda for HODA (Hands-On Demo Area) sponsors that will provide you with the latest software releases to test-drive. Day Two: Start your morning off right and join us for a General Session that will feature Gartners Bill Hostmann, research director; sponsored by Noetix. This is a session you wont want to miss! Stop by one of the Nearspace kiosks (sponsored by ClearOrbit) to download the OAUG Connection Point 2003 agenda, select your must see presentations, and review the list of exhibitors. Look for a presentation from OAUG on How to Get the Most Out of Your Conference. Dont forget to schedule time to walk through the exhibit hall from 1:15 - 2:00 PM (with no competing sessions). Lunches will be served daily in the hall. Before you leave us for the day, remember the Geographical User Groups (Geos) will host meetings from 4:30 - 5:30 PM in various rooms. Dont miss this opportunity to network with other users in your region. Day Three: Day Three will feature another morning General Session, followed by your choice of over 60 presentations. Solution Beacon will host its second day of Release 11i training workshops; these sessions are always highly rated by attendees. Want to ask the OAUG Board questions about your user group? Join the 2003 OAUG Board of Directors at 3:00 PM to Ask OAUG. The day does not end with the sessions; get ready to rock the night away as OAUG hosts "Cruise Through the Decades" with Elvis and James Bond as you remember the days of peace, love, and happiness. Day Four: Its another full day of applications training, panels, Q&As, and many more presentations. Stop by the OAUG session, How to Become an OAUG Presenter, and learn how you can be in the spotlight at OAUG Connection Point 2004. Remember to turn in your presentation surveys, so that you can be eligible for CPE credits for Financial and Human Resource track sessions. Maximize your knowledge, experience, and understanding of Oracle Applications at OAUG Connection Point 2003. Dont worry about packing a notebook and pen, well provide that for you. Just spend your time at OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference networking, gaining knowledge, and having fun!
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OAUG INSIGHT
Dear OAUG Members and Prospective Members, The time is now for you to strengthen your knowledge, experience and understanding of Oracle Applications by attending OAUG Connection Point 2003. In todays fast-paced world of information technology, you need access to the latest tips and training to make you more valuable to your employer and successfully run your business. The Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG), the knowledgebase for Oracle Applications users worldwide, invites all Oracle Applications users and prospective Oracle customers and Partners to participate in its upcoming annual conference, OAUG Connection Point 2003, held in San Diego, California, September 14-17, at the San Diego Convention Center. OAUG Connection Point 2003 will provide attendees with an unparalleled educational and networking environment, and will be attended by users of Oracle Applications who are seeking to maximize the value and efciencies that can be obtained by having an in-depth understanding of the applications they employ. As an attendee of OAUG Connection Point 2003 you will have the opportunity to: q Attend your choice of presentations, Q&As, Panels, and R11i Workshop and training sessions. q Preview complimentary vendor products and services in the expansive Exhibit Hall. q Test drive applications and complementary solutions in the Hands-On Demo Area. q Attend (or join) Special Interest and Geographic User Group meetings. q Earn CPE credits for Financial and Human Resource track sessions. q Attend pre-conference training workshops to be held on September 13: RFID Timeline to Adoption: A Wave or a Ripple in Automatic Data Collection, and Technical Project Management: Boot Camp for IT Professionals. OAUG Connection Point 2003 is the place where you can learn and gather comprehensive user-to-user information that is specically relevant to maximizing the business benets of Oracle Applications. This conference is your chance to take advantage of a highly focused, targeted event where you can meet with Oracle personnel and Partners while networking in an environment committed to meeting your professional development needs. Registration materials for the conference can be found on page 61 of this edition of Insight or on the OAUG Web site at www.oaug.org/Conferences/2003/index.shtml. When you stop to consider the sessions offered at the conference, which are worth hundreds of dollars alone, your investment in attendance is truly money well spent. Make a signicant impact on your value to your employer take the time now to register for this critical investment in your future. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego in September!
Sincerely, Oracle Applications Users Group
Oracle Applications Users Group 415 East Paces Ferry Rd., NE, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30305 Phone: +1 404.240.0897 Fax: +1 404.240.0998 Web: www.oaug.org
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OAUG INSIGHT
OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference Highlights

Attend your choice of presentations, Q&A panel discussions, training/education sessions, and online demos. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits will be given for specic sessions.
DECISION SUPPORT TRACK Ishwar Bharbhari & Robert Engel, Image Entertainment Marrying Oracle 11i Implementation & Data Warehousing to Maximize Return on Investment Stan Choet, Jaros Technologies Corp. & Dean Theobold, Minuteman Int. Using Discoverer for Analysis Across the Enterprise Michael Christ, Corporate Solutions Creating Web Reports for 11i Anna de Lapparent, George Washington Univ. Implementing Reporting Attributes to Enhance Reporting & Cut Costs David Fuston, The Michael Taylor Group Using Business Intelligence with Oracles E-Business Suite Rob Griebel, Noetix Corporation Centralizing Data Access & Management of the Reporting Environment Bert Scalzo, Quest Software, Inc. Optimizing Data Warehouse Ad-Hoc Queries against Star Schemas eBUSINESS/CRM TRACK David Alkhazraji, Utility Service Co. Inc. Service Information Silos in Oracle CRM Lisa Barthel-Daluge & Antonio Bernal, Creative Consulting Solutions, Inc. CRM Footprint: How to Decide the Path to Walk Timothy Boisvenue & Mary Elliott, BearingPoint, Inc. & Mark Leimbeck, Underwriters Laboratories Enabling Customer Guided Selling of Highly Technical Services Bibhuti Bhusan Chand, Rapidigm, Inc. Credit Check in Oracle Order Mgmt R11i Bill Dunham, BOSS Corporation Designing CRPs for a Successful Upgrade to Oracle Apps 11i Scott Fitzgerald, Protege Software Services The Good, Bad & Ugly: Understand Your Customer with the eBusiness Center Basheer Khan, Vertex Systems, Inc. & Bill Kinman, World Minerals, Inc. Using InterConnect to Establish EDI Troy Spencer, BearingPoint, Inc. Trading Places: A Roadmap to a Trade Management Implementation Judith Veatch, Black & Veatch iProcurement Public Lists: A Success Story Jessica Witt, BearingPoint, Inc. Oracle Customer Mgmt Tools: TCA, DQM & OCO Lisa Barthel-Daluge, Jill Lorenz & Cary Young, Creative Consulting Solutions, Inc. Oracle 11i Incentive/Sales Compensation Faun deHenry, FMT Systems, Inc. The New (& Improved) iSupplier Portal Lisa Barthel-Daluge, Creative Consulting Solutions, Inc. Oracle Incentive Compensation: Implementation Experiences from Business & Functional/Technical Consultants Hans Kolbe, Celantra Systems The Intercompany Gap in Oracle Applications: How to Resolve Missing Oracle Functionality FINANCIALS (includes Public Sector) TRACK CPE Credit Available Richard Baird & Donna Chavez, Sandia National Laboratories Using PL/SQL Web Pages to Allow Line Customers to Approve Reqs & Invoices Okey Bess, Bess Consulting, Inc. Using OFA for Budgeting & Forecasting: Considerations & Impacts Rajakumar Gedela, Intuit, Inc. Automatic Refunds in Oracle Receivables Marcia Michalik, Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Fixed Assets: Well Do that Later Seamus Moran, Oracle Corp. & Nigel King Assessing the Effectiveness of Internal Controls in Oracle Applications Lydia Murray, City of Chicago City of Chicago Pre-Go-Live Testing Strategy for Oracle 11i Financials David Roberts & Bryan Eckle, FullNorth Technology Group Transform the Global Intercompany System into the Global INTRAcompany System Andy Sahai, MTSI, Inc. Tips & Tricks Implementing Multi-Org, Localization (EMEA, ASIA) in 11i Amit Shankar, Granite Services, Inc. Streamlining, Automating & Standardizing Your Expenditure to Cash Cycle Bridget Sherick & Keith Bloom, Select Medical Corporation The Controllers Paper Reduction Act: How Document Management Helped Francois Strydom, Audio Visual Services Corp. Assets Entry in Oracle Fixed Assets: An Automated Solution Karen Browneld, Solution Beacon, LLC Locations, Leases & Invoices: The Basics of Property Manager Richard Byrom, RPC Data Its Month End, Now Comes the Reconciliation Crunch Andy Diamond, DARC Corporation Using FSGs & ADI to Create & Review Financial Statements David Fuston, The Michael Taylor Group Oracle Financial Analyzer (OFA) & GL Link Hans Kolbe, Celantra Systems & Ian Jones, Foresight Global Oracles Statutory Compliance Tools Revisited: Global Accounting Engine, MRC & Consolidations
TRACK DESCRIPTIONS
DECISION SUPPORT This track will cover Business Intelligence, Noetix Views, Discoverer and Data Warehousing. eBUSINESS/CRM The face of business is changing and so are peoples roles and responsibilities. This track will cover B2B, C2B, C2C and analysis of order management information including Webbased customer focused tools and products. FINANCIALS (includes Public Sector) The presentations and panel discussions within this track focus on AP, GL, AR, Sales Analyzer, Assets, and OFA. Other topics may include Oracle Express tools, FSGs, and other nancial applications. GENERAL General track presentations are related to Oracle Applications, but are not specically covered under another track. Various topics and subject matters are discussed such as project management. HUMAN RESOURCES Within the HR (Human Resources) track you will nd presentations and panel discussions that cover HRMS, Payroll, Benets, Web Benets, Recruiting, and other topics centered on Human Resources. INTEGRATION Users are looking for a better way to leverage their application software and technology investments, not only with the Oracle Applications, but using third-party software solutions. These presentations will provide the attendee with an opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the integration tools, applications, and services that compliment Oracle Applications. Other topics covered will include interfaces and conversions. MANUFACTURING & DISTRIBUTION Presentations within this track will focus on INV, MRP/MPS, APS, Cost Management, and Purchase Orders. Other topics that could be discussed are WIP, ENG, and Order Management. OTHER (includes Multi-National, General Implementation, MultiOrg and Documentation) Topics covered in this track are those that overlap multiple functional areas within the applications, such as Tutor, Discoverer, General Implementation experiences, and Multi-Org. PROJECTS The Projects track encompasses topics such as Oracle projects, implementations and upgrades, and project management. TECHNICAL & SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION This track is technically focused and will cover topics such as System Administration, Workow, Discoverer, software installation, upgrades, database administration, and customizations.
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OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference Highlights

Michele Overall, Solbourne Setup & Transactions of the Global Intercompany System Okey Bess, Bess Consulting, Inc. Oracle Financial Analyzer Implementation & Solution Panel Mark Cawi, ThinkFast Consulting, Inc. Oracle Enterprise Planning & Budgeting (EPB): Upgrade Concerns Josh Scheumann, CIBER Enterprise Solutions Financial Reporting FSGs & the Application Desktop Integrator (ADI): Client & Web-Based GENERAL TRACK Faun deHenry & Dorothy Sheets, FMT Systems Inc. & David Fuston, Michael Taylor Group Vision Demo Database/Vision Corporation: Behind the Scenes & Under the Covers Alicia Hoekstra & John Stouffer, Solution Beacon, LLC To Patch or Not to Patch: Not a DBA Question! Kiran Karanki & Sukandha Ram, Infosys Technologies Limited & Otis Williamson, Ikon Ofce Solutions, Inc. Automated Testing: Achieving Complete Coverage Kirk Williams, Frontier Consulting Oracle iSetup: One of Oracles Best Kept Secrets HUMAN RESOURCES TRACK CPE Credit Available Mark Austin, HR BOAS, Inc. Getting to ROI: Implementing Oracles Latest Self-Service Human Resources Suzanne Becker, & Tamara Mills, Xcelicor Compensation Workbench (CWB): Implementation Tips, Tricks & Advice Michael Clarke, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University & Colleen Egan, Noetix Corp. Faster Oracle Payroll Reporting: A Case Study John Grifth, Pemco Aeroplex, Inc. Workow with HRMS: What Can It Do For You? Myron Lai, City of Oakland Speed Up Your Payroll Reports Timothy Lavery, HRIS Consulting Conguring & Modifying OTL Self Service Timecards Chuck Oberfranc, Xcelicor, Inc. Oracle Approvals Management Setup for SelfService HR Bruce Rieks, Univ of No. Iowa; Bill Stratton, BOSS Corp. & Ken Carpenter, KMC Services Faculty Pay, LD Encumbrance, Payroll: Cant We All Just Get Along? Melissa Sider, DARC Corporation Alec Shapiro, JDA Uniphase Oracle iLearning & You! Kim Sowers, Rochester Inst. of Technology & Walter Reinoehl, SBI & Co. Exploiting the Power of the Standard HR Audit Functionality Bill Stratton, BOSS Corporation Oracle Projects & HR/Payroll Can Accommodate Your Changing Organization Structure Shannon Whalen & Casey Moyer, KBACE Open Enrollment Using Self-Service Benets Mark Silverstein, Xcelicor, Inc. HRIS Panel INTEGRATION TRACK Tapas Das & Harold Butler, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Integrating Oracle 11i Using ETL Tool Mohamed Haseeb, Vertex Systems, Inc. Aramazd Davidian, Jacobs Engineering Successfully Integrating Rel 11.03 & Rel 11i Using Oracle Interconnect Basheer Khan, Vertex Systems, Inc. Using Designer 6i to Customize Oracle Applications Janette Lockhart, IMPAC Open the Gate to the XML Gateway Ramesh Nayakanti, Delta Consulting, Inc. Web Services Primer Joan Scott, Solbourne; Carolyn Garner, Dallas ISD & Kathleen Essig, Oracle Corp. How to go from OTL to GA & GL Using Labor Distribution! Louise Abdulkader, Project Partners, LLC How to Integrate Primavera to Oracle In Under One Week--No Programming! Jon Moll, DARC Corporation Workow Account Generator Teresa Norbraten, Noetix Corporation Get Your Oracle Reporting Up & Running in a Day MANUFACTURING & DISTRIBUTION TRACK Bob Biondi & Jonathan Schimmel, MJ Research Managing & Accounting for Customer Repairs Chris Capdevila, Logical Apps & Jeff Wolf, Cymer Workow to the Rescue: Ensuring Complete Item Conguration Carol Dutchak & Wendy Reid-Everett, Calgary Health Region & Daniel Knoch, Impac Consignment Inventory: A Streamlined Approach Jerry Edwards, Independent & Rajeev Handa, Marvell Semiconductor Manage Outsourced Manufacturing via Rosettanet & Oracle Shop Floor Manager Brian Feugill, Protege Software Services Shipping Execution: Integrating with UPS Basic & Beyond Srikanth Kallakuri, Solix Technologies Inc. Lisa Schulze, Solectron Corporation Re-engineering ATO Workow: An Implementation Case Study at Solectron Rich Sherman, ClearOrbit Collaborative Supply Management by Extending the Oracle e-Business Suite Kurt Nuehring, Imation Corporation Durga Vanamala, Imation Corporation Save Dollars with Foreign Trade Zone Using Oracle Applications Nat Parameswaran, BearingPoint, Inc. Advanced Pricing: What You Need to Know to Make it Work for Your Business Teresa Purdy, Datavision, Inc. Implementing Oracle MSCA (Mobile Supply Chain Apps) & Barcode Label Printing Robert Smith, SBI & Company Its OPM Family Pack J: Do You Know Where Your AAP Is? Eric Cencer, DARC Corporation iProcurement Features & Functions Faun deHenry, FMT Systems, Inc. Managing Local & Remote Content in iProcurement Ariel Hernandez, Radley Corporation e-Commerce Gateway, Release Mgmt & the Trading Partner Arch. ToolKit: An EDI Solution Wendie McKnelly, Solbourne Sourcing OTHER (Includes Multi-National, General Implementation, Multi-Org & Documentation) Kannan Gopalan, Allstream IT Services & Magesh Raj Repeat & Make Perfect Implementation with Oracle iSetup Jeff Kost, BearingPoint, Inc. & John Aber & Chris Nolan, NYCHA Implementing Oracles Public Sector Budgeting for Position & Non-position Costs in a Large Public Sector Entity Haim Kravitz & Jeb Zahn, Top Team, Inc. Harness the Web for Oracle Apps Queries & Alerts Douglas Volz, BearingPoint, Inc. Dont Forget Your Business Processes! Oracle Cant Do it All for You! Kim Autrey, CNL Restaurant Properties, Inc. Upgrade Dilemma: Objectives, Impact & Opportunity to Exploit Your Investment Chad Nester, CIBER Enterprise Solutions 11i Upgrade Panel PROJECTS TRACK Louise Abdulkader, Project Partners, LLC The Oracle Projects Suite: Order of Implementation Precedence Antonio Castro, Allstream IT Services 360 Degree View of Projects through Oracle Projects, Connect 3 & MSProject Dominique Desroches, Trecata Corp. Its the End of the Month: Lets Close & Reconcile Oracle Projects! Suzana Ferrari, Maritz, Inc. Project Accounting: Autoaccounting Setup & Prerequisites Nancy Sieber, British Columbia Ferry Corp. Integrate Project Management Apps with OPA: Create a Complete (inc. timephased data) Project Management Toolset Scott Pow, DARC Corporation Invoice Integration Between Projects (PA) & Accounts Receivable (AR) Louise Abdulkader, Project Partners, LLC Set Up & Use Oracle Project Contracts Duane Wright & Daniel Knoch, IMPAC & Mike Clarke, Power Engineers, Inc. Oracle Projects: Plug & Play Integration with Primavera Julian Kozicki, Julian P. Kozicki & Assoc. Oracle Projects Q&A Patty McGrath, BT Americas Multi-National Implementation Challenges TECHNICAL & SYSTEM ADMIN TRACK Paul Brunskow, Logical Apps Insecure About Application Security? Implement Security Rules in Minutes! Donna Campbell & John Jeunnette, PatchWork Sys The Patch Work Curve: Estimating the Real Cost of Your 11i Application Randy Giefer, Solution Beacon, LLC R11i Apps DBA: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks
OAUG INSIGHT
Ram Gopalan, BAX Global & Raman Batra, GE Medical Recipe for Automated & Instant 11i Clones Gerald Kendrick, Black & Veatch Something From AOL Tables You Always Wanted To Know, But Did Not Have Applets to Ask Peter Koletzke, Quovera Top Tips for Web-Deployed Forms Dan Matasek, DARC Corporation Using Single Sign-On Functionality with Oracle Mark Matson, BV Solutions Group What Have I Done? How to Find & Manage Customizations Lynne Paulus, Fair Isaac Company Tips for Supporting & Preparing for 11i John Peters, JRPJR, Inc. Converting Oracle Alerts to Oracle Workow Craig Shallahamer, OraPub, Inc. Forecasting Oracle Performance Using Simulation John Stouffer, Solution Beacon, LLC & George Somogyi, BearingPoint Robin Walker, BearingPoint Upgrading to Release 11i Lessons Learned Maggie Tompkins, Defense Finance & Accounting Service Oracle Software Conguration Management & Repository Versioned Objects Richard Buttereld, OuterBay Technologies Data Migration Strategies for 11i Upgrades Eric Cencer & Dan Matasek, DARC Corp. Workow 2.6: An Expanded Lesson Cindy Cline, Cline Consulting & Training Solutions Using & Maintaining Prole Options David Fuston, The Michael Taylor Group 9i Discoverer Admin: Not a DBA Function! Jerry Ireland, Rightsizing, Inc. Customizing Workows Deborah Lunsford, ThinkSpark Extending Financials with the CUSTOM Library Rich Niemiec, TUSC Query Tuning Tips Used by the Experts Anne Ristau, Solbourne Technical Foundation Paper Selection You Decide: Projects, Payables, Receivables, General Ledger, Purchasing or AOL Maggie Tompkins, Defense Finance & Accounting Service Top Techniques for Data Models: The Million Word Picture Bill Dunham, BOSS Corporation Customization Alternatives Mark Farnham, Rightsizing, Inc. Applications Database Performance Panel Chad Nester, CIBER Enterprise Solutions Concurrent Manager Panel Jeffrey Slavitz, Computer Creations, Inc. Tips & Tricks for Upgrading to Financials 11i Sandra Vucinic, VLAD Group 11i Cloning Panel Gary Piper, Quest Software, Inc. Concurrent Manager 101 & 202 John Stouffer & Alicia Hoekstra, Solution Beacon, LLC Upgrading to Release 11i: Lessons Learned
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OAUG Conference Registration Form - Fall 2003

Register online at OAUGs secure Web site, at www.oaug.org. Please type or print clearly with a ballpoint pen. A separate form must be completed for each attendee. You may make copies of this registration form. This form can also serve as an invoice. Attendees email (Registration conrmation will be sent to the senders email address.) Attendees First Name (as you wish it to appear on badge) Company Name (Company name listed must be the same as member name.) Title (i.e., Manager, DBA, Technical Advisor) Attendees Address City State/Province MS/Suite/Room ZIP/Postal Code Ext. Last Name/Surname Company Check Money Order Diners Club Country Fax Attendees Last Name/Surname
Daytime Phone (country code) (area code) (number) Spouses/Guests First Name (as you wish it to appear on badge) Check: Please make checks payable to OAUG. Credit Card Information Please charge conference registration only to my Card Number Personal Check Visa
MasterCard
American Express Expires
Card Holders Signature Credit Card Billing Address (if different from above) City
Print Name (as it appears on the card) State/Province ZIP/Postal Code Country
Advance Registration Late Registration On-Site Registration before or on: before or on: after: August 13, 2003 September 10, 2003** September 10, 2003 Amount OAUG Member US $825 US $900 US $975 $ ________ Non-Member+ US $950 US $1025 US $1100 $ ________ Exhibit Staff US $425 US $500 US $575 $ ________ One Day US $500 US $500 US $500 $ ________ Attending Spouse/Guest* US $40 Welcome Reception US $60 Evening Event US $100 Both Events $ ________ Saturday, September 13 Workshops $ ________ Project Management for IT Professionals US $395 (OAUG member) US $545 (non-member) 0 RFID Timeline to Adoption FREE $ ________ Total Due: $ ________ Registration Fees + Save $125 by completing the membership application at www.oaug.org. * Evening food and beverage functions only ** After September 10, 2003, you must register and pay on-site. No, I do not wish to receive mailings from organizations other than the OAUG.
Electronic Funds Transfer: (Please add US$15 to registration fee.) To be sure your bank transfer is processed properly, include: Your name Company name Conference name: OAUG Connection Point 2003 Account name: Oracle Applications Users Group Conference Account number: 000 4800 298844 Routing number: 061 000 227 Send to: First Union National Bank of Georgia, 3235 Peachtree Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30305-2432, USA Return completed registration form and payment in full to: OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference c/o Meeting Expectations, 415 East Paces Ferry Rd., NE, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA, 30305-3306 USA Phone +1 404.240.0999 Fax +1 404.240.0998 email address: oaugreg@meetingexpectations.com Web site: www.oaug.org
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Update on Geographic User Groups (Geos)

What is a Geographic User Group (Geo)?
OAUG now has 41 Geographic User Groups (Geos) in the United States, Canada, AsiaPac, and EMEA regions. Geo members reside within a dened geographic region and meet to facilitate networking among local and regional applications users. Members discuss and share ideas concerning many diverse topics. There are many benets to participating in a Geo, including: Get direct access to local Oracle management. Find immediate results and solutions that work. Learn tips and tricks from your fellow OAUG members on installing, integrating, upgrading, and using Oracle Applications. Capture best practices and lessons learned from colleagues that have experienced them. Attend local meetings and training sessions. Discover the latest complementary Oracle Applications products and services that will help you become more effective and efcient. A complete listing of current Geo groups, upcoming meetings, Web site, and contact information is available at www.oaug.org/publicGeos.shtml. Many Geos are meeting at OAUG Connection Point 2003, so be sure to attend the one in your area.
2003 Geographic User Groups

Arizona OAUG Atlanta OAUG Aus-OAUG (Australia) British Columbia OAUG Calgary OAUG Canada OAUG Central States OAUG Colorado OAUG DC-OAUG Denmark OAUG Eastern States OAUG Florida OAUG Indiana OAUG Israel OAUG Japan OAUG Michigan OAUG Mid Atlantic OAUG Nebraska OAUG Netherlands OAUG Nevada OAUG New England OAUG New Jersey OAUG New South Wales OAUG New York OAUG North Central OAUG Northern California OAUG Northern Ohio OAUG Northwest OUG NYC-OAUG (New York City) Ohio Valley OAUG Pittsburgh OAUG Quebec, Canada OAUG Queensland OAUG San Diego OAUG South Central OAUG Southern Ontario OAUG Southwest Regional OAUG Upper Central OAUG Utah OAUG Victorian OAUG Western Michigan OAUG
Atlanta OAUG
The Atlanta OAUG was formed for the functional user to hear topics specic to their needs and to network with other users in the local area. The price is right (free!), the distance is near (local!), and the time commitment minimal (3 1/2 hours x six meetings per year). This is an opportunity to involve many users who would not otherwise be able to attend national or regional meetings but have needs that can be met in the local area. This group offers a lowcost, convenient, educational, networking opportunity.
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OAUG INSIGHT
Remaining meetings in 2003 are October 17 and November 21. Check www.atloaug.org to obtain agendas, directions, previous presentations, newsletters, and other networking opportunities. To keep informed, register on our list server by clicking on the register as a member button on the Web site. October 17, 2003 Host: Motion International Location: TBD, see www.atloaug.org Reservations: Libby Vernon, libbyv@motion-international.com, 877.605.4442 X 14 Agenda: Member Spotlight: Motorola (Marge Olmstead, Manisha Patel, Dan Lichter) Cycle Counting The Secret to Inventory Accuracy Giving Yourself Options Using Oracle Assemble to Order (ATO) (Bob Collins, SSI North America) Product Life Cycle Management (Oracle) Technical Understanding and Leveraging Oracle 9i Advisories (Azeem Mohamed, Quest Software) November 21, 2003 Host: Noetix Location: TBD, see www.atloaug.org Reservations: Sally Hicks, Sally.Hicks@noetix.com, 425.372.2688 Agenda: NCR Global Project (Jay Patel, Bearing Point) Member Spotlight: Atlanta Housing Authority (Tony Siebert, AHA) Create Overhead Cost Pools through Oracle MassBudgets and AutoAllocations (Michael Anenen & Paul Kraskiewicz, SSI North America) Projects Resource Management Contracts, Manager, Collaberation, Intelligence (Oracle)
New York City Metro OAUG

The New York City Metro Oracle Applications User Group (NYC-OAUG) is a regionalized group of the OAUG. It is open to all Oracle Applications software users and meets several times a year to provide a forum for sharing ideas and experiences, introducing Oracle third-party vendors, and networking of members. Our goal is to reach out to a larger user base to share information pertaining to Oracle software, hardware, etc., that will be useful to companies in their future endeavors with Oracle. We thrive on assisting companies in connecting to discuss the challenges involved in Oracle projects. There are ve board members who work hard to put together one meeting each quarter where companies and vendors can speak on ways to enhance their Oracle experiences. The board members are: Sharyn Milkes, president; Rob Lepanto, vice-president; Cristin Steyn, treasurer; Mark Nelson, VP of communications; and Luc Lafontan, VP of membership. Our events typically have at least two key speakers and a panel of experts set up to address questions from the audience. During our May 2003 meeting, presentations included: Thought Digital, Reducing Costs through Consolidation: Comcast and ATT Broadband Merge Oracle Financials; Sceptre, EDI on a Budget Fast Implementation for the Smaller Supplier; and Oracle Corporation speaking about Oracle Corporation on Web Applications and Security. Our next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2003, in the New Yorker Hotel alongside our meeting partners Oracle and NYCOAUG. This will be a free, day-long event with the agenda to be announced shortly. Please visit our Web site for updated meeting information nycgeo.oaug.org/. If you are interested in being added to the NYC Metro OAUG email distribution list, send an email with your contact information to oaug_nyc@yahoo.com.
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An Update on Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

What is a Special Interest Group (SIG)?
SIG members share a common interest concerning specic Oracle Application products, such as Procurement, Data Warehousing, Global HRIS, etc. SIGs may also represent a specic industry, such as the government sector, utilities, or higher education. SIG members may be geographically dispersed and typically meet at OAUG conferences. A complete listing of current SIG groups, upcoming meetings, Web sites, and contact information is available at www.oaug.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/oaug.woa/wa/sigs. Many SIGs are hosting meetings at Connection Point 2003, so be sure to attend the ones in your area of interest.
Multi-National/Multi-Org SIG Supports International Companies

The aim of the Multi-National SIG is to address many of the challenges faced by international companies in using Oracles EBusiness Suite. The OAUG is fortunate to have many members who form special interest groups that provide Oracle users with a focus in specic applications and geographical areas. The aim of the MultiNational SIG is to provide a focus across those modules and across countries for the multi-national user. The move toward the use of Oracle 11i as a global single instance produces many challenges. The Multi-National SIG aims to provide users with a group that is able to focus on key areas, to pro-
2003 Special Interest Groups

ADI SIG AP SIG AR SIG Archive & Purge SIG Business Intelligence/Data Warehouse SIG Change Management SIG Congurator Management SIG Cost and Performance SIG CRM Sales SIG CRM Service SIG Customization and Extension SIG Database SIG Discrete Manufacturing SIG EDI SIG EMEA Process SIG European AP/PO SIG European Financials SIG European Fixed Assets SIG Federal SIG Fixed Assets SIG Global HRIS SIG Government SIG Higher Education SIG Incentive Compensation SIG Internal Control & Security SIG K-12 Education SIG Learning Management Life Sciences SIG Linux SIG Migration and Integration SIG Multi-National/Multi-Org SIG NT SIG Oracle Workow SIG Order Management Order Fulllment SIG Outsourcing SIG Portal SIG Process Manufacturing SIG Procurement SIG Projects SIG Publishing Industry SIG Quality SIG Release Management SIG Supply Chain Collaboration SysAdmin SIG Twin Cities Financial SIG Twin Cities Manufacturing SIG Upgrade SIG Utilities SIG WMS/MSCA SIG
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OAUG INSIGHT
vide a mechanism for the sharing of issues and solutions, and to work with Oracle to bring user needs to the forefront. Some of the key areas in which the SIG aims to assist members are: Language Multi-Org Currency Globalisations Inter-company Legal compliance issues Multiple Reporting Currencies (MRC) Global Consolidation System (GCS) The interests of the group are quite broad and reect the challenges faced by many multi national companies. One of the goals of the SIG is to share the specialized knowledge of other application and geographical SIG members to help resolve the issues that affect international companies. The SIG and its members have been very active at recent OAUG conferences and has met at both the OAUG and European OAUG and has a presence in Asia Pacic. SIG members have also been active in presenting on key areas. Recent highlights include: Toronto 2002 SIG Members Rome 2002 SIG Members Multi-national panel on global implementation Global design in a single instance Members panel Global accounting engine (AX) Legal compliance tools Rxi reporting tool Commissionaire models Members panel Revenue recognition Oracle globalisations Legal compliance tools Members panel Inter-company panel
The topics outlined show the international focus of the group. The SIG board is made up of users and consultants who have broad international and multi-application experience. The board also has representation on the Customer Advisory Board (CAB), who works with Oracle on user issues and requirements. However, as with all SIGs, the effectiveness of the group is dependent upon its members. The SIG has been greatly assisted by members from many international companies and other SIGs. We are always looking for new members to help ensure that international users of Oracle have a mechanism to present their views to Oracle. The SIG is keen to work with all SIGs on those issues which have an international inuence, to ensure that Oracle moves in a direction for all its users around the globe. We are always keen to hear how users have met the challenges of international implementations, whether through formal presentations at conferences, sharing of white papers, or informal chats.
Want to know more?

If you would like to join our mailing list, join the SIG, or just share some of your experiences please contact one of our board members: Chairperson Coordinator EMEA Region APAC Region Enhancement Chair Board Member Hans Kolbe hanskolbe@celantrasystems.com Mohan Iyer iyermohan@comcast.com Ian Jones ianjonesncl@yahoo.co.uk Mike Sheehan Michael_Sheehan@mckinsey.com Patty McGrath patty.mcgrath@concert.com Brigit Sambor brigit_sambor@agilent .com
San Diego 2002 SIG Members
AppsWorld London 2003
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Outsourcing SIG
Work done for a company by people other than the companys full-time employees A recent study showed that companies outsourcing Oracle Applications could save 40 to 60 percent compared with related in-house IT expenses by lowering technology costs, enhancing productivity, and streamlining business processes. Outsourcing also provides increased availability and scalability, reduced risk of loss, improved system performance, and greater access to the latest technology. Over the last few years, outsourcing has taken on a completely new meaning, encompassing the old denition and now including offshore development and offsite development, as well as any work performed at any place other than the client place. In such a dynamic environment, the mission of the Outsourcing SIG is to provide a forum to exchange outsourcing practices, experiences, and views, and to provide to OAUG members and participants tools and guidelines to make calculated, balanced, and wise decisions. Join the Outsourcing SIG to share your views and experiences with your peers and vendors as well as industry benchmarking rms to address issues, discuss avenues, and debate on topics like: q Is Outsourcing Right for me? The Feasibility of Outsourcing q When to Outsource? - Now or Later? q Do I Outsource Technology or also Business Processes? Viability q Who is the Right One for You? Evaluating Outsourcing Vendors q What to Outsource? Implementation, Development, Support q Which Application to Outsource? ERP, Call Center, Etc. q How Much Do you Save by Outsourcing? Cost Matrix q What are the Pitfalls?
Our Web site at www.o-sig.org will provide a comprehensive view on outsourcing, participation in meetings, interaction with peers and vendors, and downloads of whitepapers and presentations from industry leaders on outsourcing.
Procurement SIG
Please join the Procurement SIG (PO SIG) meeting at OAUG Connection Point 2003 to learn more about SRM. The topic will be SRM: Supplier Relationship Management = Save Real Money. Listen to Oracle experts on how to spend less and do more with your procurement modules. The PO SIG addresses Oracle Purchasing, Oracle Sourcing, Oracle iProcurement, Oracle iSupplier Portal, Oracle Purchasing Intelligence, Oracle Supplier Scheduling, and Oracle Marketplace Exchange modules of Oracle E-Business Suite. Join the PO SIG Industry Focus Groups. For more details, please visit: posig.oaug.org.
Release Management SIG (formerly the Automotive SIG)

The Release Management SIG (formerly the Automotive SIG) held its spring meeting on April 24 in San Antonio. The meeting drew 34 participants from seven different companies, including Alcoa Fujikura, ArvinMeritor, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, ClearOrbit, Dana Corporation, Motorola, and Radley Corporation. Danny Brown started the meeting by explaining the SIGs recent name change from the Automotive SIG to the Release Management SIG. The move was actually requested by the OAUG to align the SIG away from an entire industry and toward a single Oracle product. This benets the SIG by narrowing its focus to the industrys differentiating functionality while expanding beyond the automotive industry to other release management users (such as telecommunications). The meeting also included discussions on Oracles new enhancement request process, updates on current Oracle activities by all companies represented, and presentations by ArvinMeritor,
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OAUG INSIGHT
Apply a patch in Accounting.
ClearOrbit and Radley Corporation. All involved found the meeting to be productive and informative. The Release Management SIG is currently planning its next meeting, which will coincide with the OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference. If you would like more information or have any questions about either the San Antonio meeting or the upcoming September meeting, please contact the president of the Release Management SIG, Danny Brown at Danny.Brown1@dana.com. Additional information regarding the San Antonio meeting, including the presentations from ArvinMeritor and ClearOrbit, can be found on the Release Management Web site, autosig.oaug.org.
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Supply Chain Collaboration SIG

The Supply Chain Collaboration SIG (SCC) will meet at the OAUG Connection Point 2003 Conference on Sunday, September 14. This Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed in 2002 as a discussion panel to address topics relevant to the need of creating a collaborative-commerce model, and continues to pursue this goal. The SIGs main topics are: q Supplier Collaboration (Sub Contractors, etc.) q Customer Collaboration q Vendor Managed Inventory (Consignment) q Planning and Increased Visibility We provide a forum for sharing information between users and discussing new development and enhancement needs with Oracle. For the upcoming meeting at Connection Point 2003 in San Diego, the SCC SIGs agenda will consist mainly of presentations by Oracle development team members. A detailed agenda will be posted on the SIG Web site by August 22: supplychainsig.oaug.org/. We are looking forward to meeting our members again and welcome all Oracle users who are interested in these topics to join us in San Diego.
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67
New SIGs Introduced

OAUG is pleased to announce the recent formation of several new Special Interest Groups (SIGs). The SIGs, along with a brief description and contact information, are listed below. We encourage you to become involved in not only the OAUG SIGs, but also in a Geographic User Group (Geo). Additional information is available on our Web site at www.oaug.org. be up and running in the near future. In the meantime, please email Donna Rosentrater at donna_rosentrater@biogen.com for additional information.
Oracle Workow SIG

This SIG is dedicated to discussing, understanding, and sharing best practices with Oracle Workow. Members learn how to best leverage technology to enable automation and continuous improvement to business processes. For additional information, please contact Chris Capdevila at ccapdevila@logicalapps.com.
Archive & Purge SIG

Because this SIG focuses on archiving and purging of historical data in various modules of Oracle Applications Versions 10.7 (Char, SC, NCA), 11.0.3, and 11i, it would be of interest to both Application Administrators and Finance Users who are prime users of historical data. For additional information, please email Dinendra Joshi at dinendra.joshi@solix.com.
Outsourcing SIG
This SIG is a peer-to-peer exchange for enterprise applications and business process management professionals. Member benets include access to dedicated Outsourcing SIG news, case studies and articles, free downloads of white papers and research, private peerto-peer discussions, member-only newsletter, dedicated O-SIG news gathered and linked on one Web page, discounted/complimentary meeting registration, solution locator directory, access to archived presentations from live events, and roundtable meetings with industry experts and analysts. Free membership is available until August 15, 2003; join at www.o-sig.org/join.html. Please feel free to email the SIG coordinator at rkar@hcltech.com with any questions, or visit the Web site at www.o-sig.org.
Customization & Extension SIG

This SIG focuses on using the Oracle Internet Developer Suite (Reports and Forms) and the Custom Library to customize Oracle Applications. For additional information, please visit the Customization & Extension SIG Web site at ebizsig.oaug.org.
Incentive Compensation SIG

This SIG will focus on the Oracle Compensation Incentive Module, with secondary focus on Sales Online and CRM Foundation. For additional information, please contact the group coordinator at tmbarthel@ccs-i.com.
Portal SIG
The focus of this SIG is to discuss and share how to use Oracle Portal for data/content integration within the Applications, review integrating Portal Architecture with Oracle Applications, and share best practices and recommendations. For additional information, please contact Rajeev Sethi at rajeev.sethi@kenexa.com.
K-12 Education SIG

The purpose of this SIG is to provide an open forum where the K-12 users of Oracles E-Business Suite discuss, recommend, and mold the product set into a more viable and K-12 friendly suit of tools for running their business. For additional information, please contact the group coordinator at norma.comer@risd.org.
Publishing Industry SIG (PUB SIG)

This vertical SIG focuses on the Publishing, Media, and Direct Mail Industries. They are currently seeking members and welcome anyone interested in learning more about PUB SIG to please contact Steve Derivan at steve.derivan@rd.com. Additional SIGs in the process of forming at press time are: eAM; Trading Community Architecture; Contracts; Product Development; Financial Services; Time & Expense; and Real Estate Management. If you are interested in volunteering for one of these SIGs, please send an email to geo-sig@oaug.com.
Learning Management SIG

Formerly the Tutor SIG, this group has expanded to include Oracle iLearning, Training Administration, and Tutor modules. Please visit the Web site at lms.oaug.org for additional information.
Life Sciences SIG (LiSci SIG)

A vertical SIG with direct alignment to the Oracle OPM Life Sciences modules, the specic focus of this SIG is on education, communication, and networking. A new LiSci SIG Web site will
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OAUG INSIGHT
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New Members
ABN AMRO Accuride International Inc. ACI Worldwide ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety American Chemistry Council American Megatrends Inc Andover Controls Corporation Antares Management Solutions APICORP APJ, Oracle Applications Consultancy Applied Materials Applimation Ascential Software Astec America Inc. AstraZeneca AB BAE SYSTEMS Australia Ltd Baneld The Pet Hospital Barrick Goldstrike Mines Inc. Black Diamond Business Solutions Blackwell Consulting Services Brewer Science, Inc. Brio Software British Defence Staff (Washington) Brunswick Outdoor Recreation Group Cable and Wireless Cabot Microelectronics California Eastern Laboratories Casco Development Celantra Systems Centrix Financial LLC Chase Brass & Copper Co. Chromalloy New York Chugai Pharma USA LLC. Cigna/FMS City Assets LLC CMGI, Inc.
OAUG welcomes the following new members who joined between
August 1, 2002, and June 20, 2003.
CNL American Properties Fund CodeSoft International, Inc. Communication Planning Corp. Conservation International Foundation Core Apps, Inc. Cosmo Computer Business Co. Ltd. Coty US LLC Cymer, Inc. D & E Telephone Co Dallas County Dallas Market Center DE CLERCQ ENGINEERING Dell Computer Corporation Deloitte Consulting Dendrite International Department of the Mouscot Representatives E-TOYOU Eaton Steel Bar Company Efcient Networks EMC Corp. Empirix EMSI Estee Lauder Evangelical Christian Credit Union Extreme Networks Forsythe Technology Foster Concepts Inc. Futurion Gates Corporation GE Transportation Systems Genencor International Inc. - IT GL Associates Glimcher Realty Trust Global Healthcare Exchange Golden Gate Software Goodrich Corporation Goodrich, Sensor Systems Division
Graebel Companies Grupo Industrial Sultillo (GIS) Guilfoyle & Park Consulting Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Hitachi Construction Machinery Engineering Co. HNTB Corporation Hologic, Inc Honeywell IAC Hq Air Force Personnel Center ( AFPC/DPDX) IBM Business Consulting Services KK ILOG, Inc. Image Entertainment, Inc. IMMI (aka Indiana Mills and Manufacturing, Inc.) Inniswitch Corporation Inovis Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineering Intelligroup InterPharm Laboratories IT Solutions, Inc. Jabber Inc Jammin Software Solutions Johnson Controls Inc. King Provision Corp. Kravet Inc. Legion T, Inc. Leyland Trucks Ltd Lifecell Corporation Lion Apparel Lockheed Martin Naval Electronic & Surveillance Loftware, Inc. London Borough of Havering LPL Financial Services Marvell Semiconductors Inc Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
Matsushita Electric Asia Pte Ltd Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. MDB Technology Solutions Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division Mentor Group Mentora Group Merkur Group Merrill Lynch Australia Metropolitan Water District of S. CA Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Microtune Milliman USA Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken MJ Research, Inc. Mmdevaux Consulting Moody Bible Institute Mountaire Farms MSC.Software Ltd. MTSI Inc. Multicraft International Museum of Fine Arts Boston Mykrolis Corporation Myriad Genetics, Inc. Navigator Consulting, Inc. Nihon Mykrolis Limited Nike, Inc. NJHMFA Nortel Networks Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation NS Solutions Corporation OTN Overture Oxy USA Parametric Technology Corporation Perceptive Vision, Inc.
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OAUG INSIGHT
Perot Systems HPHC Account Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited Platts Polaris Pool Systems Polaris Software Lab Ltd. Portex Inc. PR Newswire Primarion Prudential Financial Prudential PRERS Psion Teklogix Rad Data Communication RADIANT IT Ramsey Industries Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc. Rural Ambulance Victoria S2 Systems, Inc. Salo USA, Inc. Savantage Solutions, Inc. Scania CV AB Shared Services, LLC Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd. Sinclair & Rush, Inc. Sleeman Breweries Soltre Technology, Inc. Solutions Thru Technology SonicWALL, Inc. Southern Pacic Group SPL WorldGroup Sprint State of California, Department of General Service STAYWELL StorageNetworks, Inc. Summit Properties SurroMed SUSS MicroTec Inc Symantec Corporation TABCORP Holdings LTD TaxAutomation, Inc.
Taylor-Made Consulting, LLC Technicolor Ted Dasher, Inc. Tektronix, Inc. Texas Petrochemicals LP The Macerich Company The Maple Gas Corporation The University of Melbourne The Zenith Insurance Company Thomson Fast-Tax Thornton Inc. Thought Digital LLC TIBCO Software Inc TIGI Linea, Inc. TLCW Group, Inc
Townsville City Council U. S. Pharmacopeia Ulticom Inc. Underwriters Laboratories Inc., United Defense LP- GSD Univance Telecommunications, Inc. University Hospitals Health System University of Chicago Hospitals University Of Waikato UPS US Filter Utility Service Co. Inc. Vita-mix Corporation
Voltek, Division, Sekisui America Corporation Wake County Public Schools Wallace Warnock Tanner & Associates Westpac Banking Corporation Williamson County Workscape, Inc. World Vision Xansa YSI, Inc.
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Online Oracle Applications Resources

OAUG Web Page www.oaug.org Sponsor: Oracle Applications Users Group The OAUG Web page provides news and resources on Oracle Applications, a membership database, a conference paper database, upcoming Geographic and Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings and key contacts, the most current conference information, updates to product enhancements, and much more. OAUG e-News www.oaug.org/public/enews/ Sponsor: Oracle Applications Users Group OAUG e-News includes OAUG news, conference updates, information on Geographic and Special Interest Groups, Oracle Applications news, and more. OAUG e-News comes directly to your email box twice a month. To subscribe, send a blank email: TO: subscribe-oaugenews@lists.ksinet.com OAUGnet www.oaug.org/public/ oaugnet/oaugnet.html Sponsor: Oracle Applications Users Group OAUGnet provides a listserver forum for discussing all aspects of implementing and using Oracle Applications. Post your questions or advice here and benet from the experience of thousands of Oracle Applications users worldwide. OAUGnet offers constant monitoring, prompt communication
72
of any listserver problems, an easy-to-use Web interface, and an archive updated daily. To subscribe, send a blank message: TO: subscribe-oaugnet @lists.ksinet.com To provide additional security, the subscriber must conrm the subscription request via email. OAUGnet-DBA www.oaug.org/public/ oaugnet/oaugnet.html Sponsor: Oracle Applications Users Group OAUGnet-DBA provides a listserver forum for discussing the technical aspects of using Oracle Applications. Post your questions or advice here, and benet from the experience of Oracle Applications users worldwide. OAUGnet-DBA offers constant monitoring, prompt communication of any listserver problems, an easyto-use Web interface, and an archive updated daily. To subscribe, send a blank message: TO: subscribe-oaugnetdba@lists.ksinet.com To provide additional security, the subscriber must conrm subscription request via email. Oracle Development Tools User Group www.odtug.com The Oracle Development Tools User Group (ODTUG) facilitates communications among all Oracle professionals by providing a variety of electronic lists. There are several different subtopics, including:
Oracle Designer Oracle Developer Oracle Discoverer JDeveloper, JDBC, and Java-related Data warehousing and OLAP-related Methodology and process SQL*Plus, PL/SQL, and general SQL WebDB, WSG, OAS, OWAS, and other Web-related To subscribe, visit the ODTUG Web site at odtug.com. From the home page, click on the link for electronic mailing lists. Oracle AppsNet www.oracle.com/appsnet/ Sponsor: Oracle Corporation Oracle AppsNet provides online applications information on Oracles latest release. Resources include: Release 11i documentation Self-service access to technical and functional information Implementation and usage tips for Oracles E-Business Suite Release 11i product overviews Release 11i white papers Release 11i upgrade information Registrants receive a monthly newsletter with useful tips and applications information on Release 11i. Registration also provides access to Oracles other online communities, including the Oracle Technical
Network (OTN), the e-Business Network (EBN), and Club Oracle. Oracle CRM Service SIG Listserver Sponsor: OAUG CRM Service Special Interest Group This listserver discusses issues relevant to Oracle CRM Service. To subscribe: TO: Oracle_Service_SIGsubscribe@yahoogroups.com SUBJ: <leave blank> This listserver requires conrmation of your subscription request. Eastern States OAUG Listserver Sponsor: Eastern States OAUG The Eastern States OAUG listserver puts ESOAUG members in contact with each other. ESOAUG serves North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. To subscribe, visit the ESOAUG Web site at www.esoaug.org and sign up as a member. Michigan OAUG Listserver Sponsor: Michigan OAUG The Michigan OAUG listserver puts MI-OAUG members in contact with each other. To subscribe, visit the Yahoo Groups Web site at http://groups.yahoo.com, enter MI-OAUG in the search eld, and select Michigan OAUG in the search results.
OAUG INSIGHT
Utilities SIG Listserver Sponsor: OAUG Utilities SIG The OAUG Utilities SIG listserver puts SIG members in contact with each other. To subscribe, visit the Yahoo Groups Web site at http://groups.yahoo.com, enter oaug-usig in the search eld, and select oaug-usig in the search results. OAUG EDI SIG Listserver Sponsor: OAUG EDI SIG The OAUG EDI SIG listserver puts SIG members in contact with each other. To subscribe,
visit the Yahoo Groups Web site at http://groups.yahoo.com, enter edisig in the search eld, and select edisig in the search results. OAUG Database SIG Listserver Sponsor: OAUG Database SIG The OAUG Database SIG listserver puts SIG members in contact with each other. To subscribe, visit the Yahoo Groups Web site at http://groups.yahoo.com, enter oaugdbsig in the search eld, and select oaugdbsig in the search results.
Higher Education SIG Listserver Sponsor: OAUG Higher Education SIG The OAUG Higher Education SIG has a variety of listservers to discuss issues related to Higher Education, including development issues, possible problems, enhancement requests, and Oracle Government Financials. To subscribe, visit their Web site at www.oaug.org/hiedoaug/ List_Servers/list_servers.html
Oracle Process Manufacturing SIG Listserver Sponsor: Oracle Process Manufacturing SIG This listserver provides an opportunity to discuss issues related to Oracle Process Manufacturing. To subscribe, send an email message: TO: imailsrv@doug.org SUBJ: <leave blank> SUBSCRIBE oraopm <your email id here> To post a message, send email to oraopm@doug.org
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One Voice. Many Benets. OAUG Membership.

Oracle Applications Users Group is dedicated to serving the needs of Oracle Applications users by sponsoring in-depth conferences that feature extensive educational opportunities, as well as presenting a unied voice to Oracle Corporation on issues that affect users. In addition to great discounts on conferences, OAUG offers a wide variety of benets to members, including:
Updated information on Geographic and Special Interest

Groups, their meetings, and Web sites
Online archive of articles from OAUG Insight Enhancements updates Selected conference presentation visuals Archive for OAUGnet and OAUGnet-DBA, OAUGs listservers for discussions of Oracle Applications
Subscription to OAUG Insight mailed to up to 10

mailing contacts per member organization. This quarterly magazine provides proven tips and tricks that can be implemented immediately, as well as in-depth articles on implementing, integrating, and customizing Oracle Applications.
Surveys submitted to Oracle or OAUG committees OAUG e-News, a semi-monthly e-newsletter with news,
conference updates, Oracle Applications news and information on Geos and SIGs. To subscribe, send a blank email to subscribe-oaug-enews@lists.ksinet.com.
Access to OAUGs Customer Support Council and Pricing Advisory Council. Participation in Geos & SIGS Geographic Groups
(Geos) meet at the local level and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) cover particular areas of interest.
OAUGnet listserver that discusses all aspects of implementing

and using Oracle Applications. More than 4,500 users subscribe to this list. To join, send a blank message to: subscribeoaugnet@lists.ksinet.com.
Participation on Committees that communicate

directly with Oracle and shape the direction of OAUG.
OAUGnet-DBA listserver that discusses the technical aspects

of implementing and using Oracle Applications. More than 1,800 users subscribe to this list. To join, send a blank message to subscribe-oaugnet-dba@lists. ksinet.com. For more information about the benets of OAUG membership, or to join, visit www.oaug.org or email membership@oaug.com.
Full Access to the OAUG Web Site: Complete conference information, including secure
online registration
Conference paper database Membership directory Vendor directory Regular Oracle Applications user community news
and information updates
Conference proceedings CD sales Membership information
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OAUG INSIGHT
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Editors Note: The Vendor Corner section of OAUG Insight provides information on products from OAUG vendor members. OAUG does not specically endorse any product or service from any of our vendor members.
Redene Job Scheduling

With a Powerful Automation Tool
by Tim Kramer Marketing Director AppWorx Corporation tkramer@appworx.com
When most people think of job scheduling they think CRON traditional calendar-based scheduling that is heavy on scripting, short on functionality. In Oracle Applications, Concurrent Manager takes the place of CRON, but remains a tool that is limited to simple scheduling within Oracle Applications alone.
AppWorx Corporation is working to redene the job scheduling marketplace in terms of its vision of enterprise automation, an all-encompassing view that allows dependencies between jobs in different applications, on different platforms, across the distributed IT environment. AppWorx Corporations agship product, the AppWorx Enterprise Scheduler, is a powerful, yet exible, automation tool that uses an object-oriented approach to eliminate scripting, and a Java-based Web GUI to allow access from any Web browser on the network. Ranked by Gartner the Most Visionary product in the job scheduling arena for the second year in a row, AppWorx has proven that this vision is the way of the future.
continued on page 78
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OAUG INSIGHT
ment solution that provides enterprise-caliber job scheduling, application workload balancing, and output management capabilities. Administrators gain a proactive ability to manage interactive processing via our GUI, which allows at-a-glance assessment of the entire enterprise, and the ability to start, stop, or restart jobs with the click of a mouse. As a single point-of-control to manage multiple Concurrent Managers, applications, and machines, AppWorx eliminates the need to maintain multiple scheduling solutions in complex environments. And since AppWorx can work with so many different business applications, including CRM, data-warehousing, and home-grown applications, AppWorx can be used to integrate and consolidate the scheduling environment. Since AppWorx is tightly integrated with the Oracle Applications at the database level, a secure With the addition of the AppWorx Oracle Applications Extension (OAE), AppWorx provides automated job scheduling, application workload balancing, and output management for Oracle Applications. OAE is a single point-of-control for even the most complex Oracle Applications installations, including any number of Concurrent Managers, application modules, and enterprise servers. Tested and certied by Oracle Corporations Cooperative Applications Initiative (CAI), AppWorx/OAE interfaces directly with Oracle Applications to offer unprecedented visibility and control of Oracle Applications processes. AppWorx/OAE extends the functionality of Concurrent Manager to deliver a complete manageproduction control environment is established and requires no modications to Concurrent Manager. And since AppWorx is an object-oriented product, once a process is dened in AppWorx it can be reused innitely, with no scripting. AppWorx/OAE automates the processing of difcult to handle, non-standard inputs. These inputs include general ledger journal importing and posting, nancial statement generators (FSGs), mass allocations, and MRP planning. Non-standard inputs have frustrated Oracle Applications users who have been unable to nd a reliable way to automate these jobs, and as a result have been stuck with manual intervention and the possibility of manual error. With AppWorx/OAE, these jobs run automatically,
Administrators gain a proactive ability to manage interactive processing via our GUI, which allows at-a-glance assessment of the entire enterprise, and the ability to start, stop, or restart jobs with the click of a mouse.
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OAUG INSIGHT
using dynamic values from a database, or prompt operators for parameters. For those Oracle Applications customers with extensive reporting needs, AppWorx enables automated migration of existing Oracle Applications reports and report sets (including both programs and parameters) into AppWorx without coding or scripting. Only AppWorx/OAE offers this feature, enabling faster implementation and allowing for easy updates or changes to the reporting schedule. Furthermore, AppWorx/OAE is the only solution that manages both complex batch processing and the interactive load placed upon the system by multiple end users. Even reports submitted automatically to Concurrent Manager through the closing of process-specic forms can be captured, prioritized, and managed by AppWorx. What this means is that end-users will no longer slam the system at peak business hours with low-priority report requests. AppWorx/OAE provides real-time monitoring of both Concurrent Manager reports and nonConcurrent Manager jobs through its unique ability to capture intermediate status codes. These codes are available to drive conditional processing within AppWorx, and using these codes, AppWorx can trigger jobs. For example, AppWorx can hold the job stream until it detects a success code from the current job, at which point the next job in the queue will be released to run. But if an error code comes back, AppWorx can re-run the failed job, send an alert to an operator, or launch a remedial process. True branching logic is a powerful addi-
tion to Concurrent Manager. To facilitate data distribution, AppWorx/OAE provides extensive output management features including the ability to route reports to any output device on the network, view reports by multiple users, and view both logs and reports online from one screen. All outputs are kept secure at all times through AppWorx role-based security controls. For more information on AppWorx, call 1.877.APPWORX or visit us on the Web at www.appworx.com.
What this means is that end-users will no longer slam the system at peak business hours with low-priority report requests.
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Advertisers Index
BY PAGE
BOSS Corporation Back Cover TimeVision Inside Front Cover Evergreen Data Systems, Inc. Page 1 Logical Apps Page 57 RingMaster Software Page 67 Quest Software Page 69 LinOra Corporation Page 71 Solbourne Page 73 170 Systems Page 75 AppWorx Corporation Page 77 Noetix Corporation Inside Back Cover
BY COMPANY
170 Systems Page 75 AppWorx Corporation Page 77 BOSS Corporation Back Cover Evergreen Data Systems, Inc. Page 1 LinOra Corporation Page 71
Logical Apps Page 57 Noetix Corporation Inside Back Cover Quest Software Page 69 RingMaster Software Page 67 Solbourne Page 73 TimeVision Inside Front Cover
OAUG Mission
OAUG represents the interests of Oracle Applications users worldwide in promoting the optimal use and ongoing development of the Oracle Applications products by: 1. Providing a forum for sharing information and experience on the selection, implementation, and effective use of the Oracle Applications products. 2. Maintaining a mechanism for establishing OAUG members collective priorities for the future development, direction, and enhancement of Oracle Applications products and communicating those priorities to Oracle Corporation to ensure continuous improvement. 3. Maintaining a robust and effective worldwide communications channel with Oracle Corporation regarding the Applications. 4. Promoting the optimal benet-in-use of Oracle Applications, supporting education and training programs and events associated with their use, and developing conferences, publications, and electronic meeting places dedicated to the Oracle Applications products.
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OAUG INSIGHT

11i Enhancements ..

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AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ORACLE APPLICATIONS USERS GROUP

SPECIAL CONFERENCE ISSUE

11i Enhancements ...

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34 Creating Web Reports in Oracle 11i

41 Whats Between a Report and a Query?

28 Solving the Security Puzzle for Your Organization

47 Diagnostics: Apps Check

Case Study: Noetix Meets ERAUs Complex Reporting Needs

San Diego Convention Center San Diego, California September 14-17

REGISTER TODAY www.oaug.com

OAUG 2003 Board of Directors

Arthur Hunt OAUG President Yale University arthur.hunt@yale.edu

Pat Dues OAUG Vice President City of Las Vegas pdues@ci.las-vegas.nv

Carol Conine OAUG Secretary Carnival Cruise Lines crconine@carnival.com

Peter Gee OAUG Treasurer Ryerson Polytechnic University pgee@ryerson.ca

Karen Browneld OAUG Past President Solution Beacon kbrown@earthlink.net

Sandy Butt BioReliance Corporation sbutt@bioreliance.com

Gary Concannon Sandia National Laboratories concan@sandia.gov

Holly Heil Greyhound Lines hheil@greyhound.com

Cyndie Sutherland Xerox, Ofce Printing Business cyndie.sutherland@opbu.xerox.com

Jeremy Young DHL jeremy.young@gis.dhl.com

Mark Linton BorgWarner Emissions/ Thermal Systems mlinton@cs.bwauto.com

Warren Orlandi Australian Prudential Regulation Authority warren.orlandi@apra.gov.au

Arthur Hunt 2003 OAUG President

Arthur Hunt OAUG President

Steven R. Hughes OAUG Executive Director

Serving Members Through Strategic Alliances

An Exercise in Group Dynamics

An Exercise in Group Dynamics

Competition vs. Cooperation

Vendor Product Awareness Sessions

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If You Could Choose Other Flavors Would You Still Pick

by Richard Goddard and Logical Apps rgoddard@logicalapps.com

Kevin Fukuda Logical Apps kfukuda@logicalapps.com

Impact of the Upgrade to Existing Forms Customizations

q Creating new forms new forms that are developed

q Changes made directly to Oracle Forms and

q Changes implemented via the Custom Library

Is all this Really Necessary?

Organizations need to give different

Customization Worst Practices . . .

fying the applications to meet business requirements.

Best Practices . . . Powered by Business Rules

Customization Common Practices . . .

CONQUER THE DATA GROWTH BEAST:

Functionality Upgrades New application

Day-to-Day Business Of course, one expects data

The Problem: Unmanaged Data Growth

The Result: Data Growth

Data Assurance For business-critical data, most

The Customer: As application data grows, accessing

The Application and IT Staff: Both have enough

The Business: No one in todays economy can afford

The Solution: Proactive Application Data Lifecycle Management

As data begins to accumulate, it creates a signicant performance