Thursday, May 29, 2008

Communications, Data Governance, SQL Detective, OAS for OS, Winds of Change

Communications

I've noticed in my years working in IT that a lot of people with an engineering mindset have a great time communicating with computers, but don't do as well with people. But when you come right down to it, a whole lot of non-engineering types are in the same boat. Good article on Empathy vs. Sympathy at the Bex Huff Blog. Part of our job as Oracle Support is to put ourselves in the customers' shoes. It's not just about getting the problem fixed so we can fill in our statistics. We need to understand that there are real people and real careers on the line.

Data Governance

In spite of a title that makes me want to type Data Governess (stern, British, with a ruler for the fingers of those whose hands stray toward creating object oriented structures in a RDBMS), Data Governance is a key element in any organization. Data grows and evolves. It moves from legacy app to current cutting edge app, which in its turn becomes a legacy app. And at each redesign, each conversion, and all the batch runs in between, the data must be 'scrubbed'. Very useful new blog: Data Governance and Data Quality Insider.

SQL Detective

Over at the Momen Blog the SQL detective is in action, reducing the 'slow database' to a query, then crunching it down to size. An entertaining read, at least if you find SQL entertaining to read. I certainly do: The Momen Blog.

Oracle Authentication Services for Operating Systems

A journey through lands and languages, through memories and experiences, ending in a useful rundown on Oracle Authentication Services for Operating Systems at Roger Sullivan's blog.

The Wind Bloweth Where it Listeth

Mike Ault, laid off? Yes, as he says, there are changes afoot in IT, and even the rock solid world of DBA employment. The world is becoming better and better connected. That is good, as change usually is. When the winds blows, there are two ways to survive: solid as the oak and green and supple as the reed. Stiff reeds don't fare well, so it's a good time to review what you have and what the future will require of you.

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne

End of Premier Support for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.10 - Mark your calendars!
A global communication has been sent out recently from Oracle as a reminder of the upcoming expiration of Premier Support and start of Sustaining Support for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.10.

Key Items:
1. Premier Support for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.10 ends on June 21, 2009.
2. Premier Support for Tax, Regulatory and Legislative issues ends on July 21, 2010.
3. Tools release 8.98 will be the last certified Tools release for 8.10.

Important links to information for customers
1. Solution 201065530 posted on Customer Connection includes an FAQ link and a copy of the letter.
2. Frequently Asked Questions lists specifics on accepted SAR dates, V&V certifications and general guidelines.
3. Lifetime Support Policy details out Oracle, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards product support time frames.
4. Solution also posted on the EnterpriseOne Knowledge Browser.
5. Home page article posted on Customer Connection for the next few weeks.

Note: No new SARs (bug requests) will be accepted after June 21, 2009 unless they fall into the Tax, Regulatory and Legislative category.

Siebel

Check out the articles posted in the month of May on this popular Siebel blog - Siebel Unleashed
From simple articles on how to add object in Siebel Object Explorer to more detailed articles on how to use Siebel workflows in integration scenario.

Hyperion

Some new tips have been posted on Oracle BI- Hyperion Essbase blog by Venkatakrishnan.

If you use Essbase or Oracle OLAP as a data source, the common reporting tool that the end users would most probably use is the corresponding Excel Add-ins. Check this article on how this can be achieved: Oracle BI EE 10.1.3.3.3/2 - Reporting out of Multiple Levels in an Essbase Cube

Some other articles of interest are on Oracle BI EE 10.1.3.3.3/2 - Hyperion Essbase Alternate Hierarchies.
Oracle Database 11g
Contributed by Angela Golla

Learn about the top new features for DBAs and Developers in Oracle 11g: http://www.oracle.com/technology/pub/articles/oracle-database-11g-top-features/index.html?rssid=rss_otn_articles

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Advisor WebCast: Understanding integration of Oracle Forms in Application Server Control (EM)

This one-hour session is recommended for technical and functional users who are integrating Forms with Application Server Control (EM) to configure and manage Forms Services.
Target audience: This seminar is primarily directed towards all Forms developers, but all attendees are welcome.
The web seminar duration is about 40 minutes.

Agenda:
- About Enterprise Manager website
- Architecture- How Does It work?
- Forms Services Administration
- Manage User Sessions

Event details:
Seminar starts on:
4-June-2008 at 8:00 am GMT / 10:00 am CET
4-June-2008 at 4:00 pm GMT / 6:00 pm CET

To register for the event click the link in top left corner.
Advisor Webcast Scheduling of all Oracle Developer Forms Webcasts 2007 / 2008

Thursday, May 22, 2008

JD Edwards, Case Studies, Performance, Bug, R12 Infocast, PL/SQL, TDE

JDE

There are some new article on JD Edwards available referenced from the JD Edwards Advisor blog.

Support Case Studies

It's always interesting to look at train wrecks, housefires, and support case studies, if they aren't your own train, house or instance, that is. H.Tonguç Yılmaz - Oracle Blog brings us some links to support case studies.

Performance

Over at the Pythian Group Blog there is a nice technical rundown on Resolving High Water Enqueue Contention.

Bug

I don't often post references to specific bugs, but this was one of interest to AiX 5L users, and many of our PS customers use that OS. The Momen Blog has a reference to ORA-27061: waiting for async I/Os failed.

R12

Chris Warticki points out a very useful Metalink Infocast on R12 Support Resources for Installs and Upgrades.

Tom Kyte Answers a PL/SQL Question

When the master speaks, developers should heed (or risk the consequences). Good material on several flaws in programming PL/SQL with notes on how to do it right at the Tom Kyte Blog.

TDE

Two links from Peter Wahl, Senior Product Manager for ASO, on Transparent Database Encryption:

and

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Oracle MetaLink3: Essential Training Now Available for Hyperion Customers

Hyperion Customer Support: Transition of the Hyperion e-Support portal to OracleMetaLink 3 is scheduled for the weekend of June 6-8, 2008 at which time the Hyperion e-Support portal will retire. A communication was sent on May 16 to notify customers about available training to assist them with preparing for the upcoming transition. Hyperion transition training webcasts will detail the essentials of registration, personalization and navigation. A full list of available webcast dates and times can be found on the Hyperion Support Transition website. MORE
Gartner Report on Oracle Advanced Customer Services
Contributed by Angela Golla

Learn more about Oracle Advanced Customer Services. Gartner analyst Pat Phelan helps customers understand in detail the value Advanced Customer Services can bring to any mission critical IT operation at: http://www.oracle.com/support/library/analyst/gartner-acs-0408.pdf

Monday, May 19, 2008

Oracle RAC
Contributed by Angela Golla

Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) is an option to the award-winning Oracle Database Enterprise Edition. Oracle RAC is a cluster database with a shared cache architecture that overcomes the limitations of traditional shared-nothing and shared-disk approaches to provide highly scalable and available database solutions for all your business applications. Learn more about Oracle 10g and 11g RAC at: http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/clustering/index.html

HCM News and Events

NEWS

Oracle HCM Experts Answer Questions About Fusion, Upgrades, and More
This second in a series of columns offers a new set of frequently asked questions about Oracle human capital management products. This month, Steve Miranda, senior vice president, Oracle applications development; Annette Melatti, senior director, product marketing; and Mary Lou Dopart, senior director, user group management, offer pointers to important resources for developing near-term and long-range upgrade strategies and for connecting to the larger universe of HCM software users.
More

New Study Documents R12 Upgrade Advantages
Culminating a drive to install a more sophisticated and easier-to-use human resource management system across 23 agencies, the Scottish government is seeing a number of efficiency benefits with its implementation of Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12, according to a new analysis just released by the technology researcher Ovum Consulting.
More

Intelligent Workforce Management Helps Companies Navigate Economic Gloom
A steady stream of economic data suggests the U.S. economy is approaching or already experiencing a recession. However, the marriage of business intelligence and workforce management programs is making it easier than ever for managers to keep close control over staffing levels and productivity.
More

Customers Benefit from Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise Release 9.0
"The release of PeopleSoft Enterprise Release 9.0 demonstrated a milestone in Oracle's commitment to Applications Unlimited," said Doris Wong, Oracle group vice president of PeopleSoft Enterprise applications. "Today, customer adoption rates reveal that the next generation technology and enhanced functionality of the latest release are delivering the value organizations seek."
More

Oracle HCM Receives Strong Positive Rating in Gartner's Report for Large Enterprise HRMS
Gartner considers companies receiving a Strong Positive rating to be "solid providers of strategic products, services or solutions" and recommends that existing customers "continue investments" and potential customers "consider the vendor a strong strategic choice."
More

Hear Gretchen Alarcon, VP, Oracle HCM Fusion Strategy, speak online with Bill Kutik
The Bill Kutik Radio Show is a bi-weekly talk show featuring Bill Kutik, one of the leading independent analysts in the HR technology marketplace. The Bill Kutik Radio Show features unedited and unrehearsed conversations with some of the industry's key thought leaders including executives for some of the leading technology providers and practitioners. The Bill Kutik Radio Show airs at noon (12 p.m.) EDT every other Wednesday. On June 11 Bill will interview Gretchen Alarcon from Oracle HCM strategy.
More

EVENTS
Global 2008 OHUG Conference
The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada
June 22-25

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Windows Services, APEX Performance, SQL*Net break/reset

Services

Coskan's Approach to Oracle blog shares some good experience with Windows services and Oracle in this post.


Hotsos APEX

Scott Spendolini's Blog tells us that one of the folks at Hotsos, a leader in Oracle performance expertise, will be presenting on APEX performance tuning on May 28th. This is a webinar you won't want to miss if you are using APEX (and you should be. It's neater than sliced bread).

SQL*Net break/reset

Tanel Poder goes into how to deal with a very specific Oracle networking performance error: SQL*Net break/reset





PeopleSoft

Here is a quick link to the Platform Communications for the latest on the "Required Operating System, RDBMS & Third Party Product Patches Required for Installation" on Customer Connection. The required patches are listed as per the PeopleTools release.

JD Edwards

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Platform Statement of Direction

The latest JDE Platform Statement of Direction was posted in Feb 2008 on customer Connection. Check it here.

Upcoming Conferences and Events sponsored by User Groups:

Check the details for the following sessions here:

·Mid-Atlantic Regional Users Group (MARUG) - May 19; Richmond, VA
·Eastern Australia RUG - May 22; Sydney, AU
·JD Edwards Southeast UG - May 22 - 23; Charleston, SC
·Northwest RUG - May 28; Portland, OR
South Arkansas Northern Lousiana (SANLA) RUG - May 29; El Dorado, AR


Puget Sound Oracle Days

The challenge is not the technology. The challenge is solving business problems. The solution is attending Puget Sound OracleDays 2008 hosted by the Puget Sound's regional user groups in conjunction with the Oracle Applications Users Groups. The focus is End-to-End Integration with Oracle. The focus is on solutions. In the three days of training and a two day conference this program is designed to set a new standard for a regional technology event.

We are highlighting many of Oracle's technologies and Oracle Partners will find our audience is also theirs. Tracks will include the databases (Oracle and TimesTen), Fusion Middleware, Identity Management, Applications (E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and Siebel), Business Intelligence (Hyperion), Document Management (Stellent), Security and Governance, Maximum Availability, Infrastructure, and much much more. But more important than any single building block is their end-to-end integration and using them to meet real-world challenges. Click here for more information.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Hyperion, APEX Gadgetry, 11g

Hyperion

The Business Intelligence O
racle blog has a nice piece on Hyperion Essbase Connectivity - Handling Measures and Account Dimension.

Gadgets and APEX

Ok, not actually a physical gadget, but even better a service that allows you to use your phone to dictate into emails. Tyler Muth takes it one step further here.

11g Compression

An article recently out on data compression in 11g over at the Oracle Base Blog. Definitely worth a read.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Oracle On Linux Installation Menu
Contributed by Angela Golla

Check out this handy link for Oracle on Linux information: http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/linux/install/index.html


Oracle Advanced Customer Services
Contributed by Angela Golla

A recent Gartner report highlights Oracle Advanced Customer Services as a valuable investment. Learn more about Advanced Customer Services offerings from this brochure: http://www.oracle.com/support/library/brochure/advanced-customer-service-brochure.pdf

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

BI, OBI EE Plus, Blog Spotlight, Oracle ECM, Linux, DBMS_Utility

Oracle BI Discoverer 10.1.2.3 Release Details

As announced at the Oracle Business Intelligence Blog.

OBI EE

More BI, this time Oracle BI EE 10.1.3.3/2 - APEX Integration using Web Services - Triggering Ibots at the obi-ee-plus blog.

Blog in the Spotlight:

H.Tonguç Yılmaz


This is one of the best Oracle blogs out there. I was thinking of which of the three excellent postings to put in the Infogram. Well, they're all good, so why not just go to his blog and do some reading. He has lots of good, hands-on guidance and experience to share.

ECM

Some good links to resources for Oracle ECM, the Former Stellent, over that the Fusion ECM blog.

Linux Tips

One of the signs of a good DBA is comfort with the OS. They don't just know how to install the product, they KNOW the OS. Here are a few Linux pointers at the Tyler Muth Blog

DBMS_Utility

Finally, a note of caution about using DBMS_Utility to analyze at the Momen Blog.






Monday, May 5, 2008

Peoplesoft News and Webcasts

VISIT THE NEW PEOPLESOFT BEST PRACTICE CENTER ON OTN
PeopleSoft technology leads and PeopleTools experts can learn how to service-enable PeopleSoft business services, workflows, and business components. "How-to" sessions cover technology areas such as BPEL, ESB, BAM, ADF, and WebCenter. Visit today and bookmark it for constant updates and Webcasts

UPGRADE PLUS FOR PEOPLESOFT FMS AND 9.0 MP5 NOW AVAILABLE
Introducing the general availability of Upgrade Plus, which allows upgrading directly to FSCM 9.0 MP5. Upgrade Plus integrates the maintenance packs of 9.0 MP5 directly into the upgrade—simplifying the upgrade with no secondary patch needed. The FSCM 9.0 MP5 upgrade certification is the first deliverable of the Upgrade Plus program that Doris Wong announced at Open World 2007. This upgrade includes the following paths:
- FSCM 8.4x to 9.0 MP5
- FSCM 8.8x to 9.0 MP5
- FSCM 8.9 to 9.0 MP5
- EPM 8.8SCP to FSCM 9.0 MP5
More information available on Customer Connection

UPCOMING ADVISOR WEBCASTS FOR PEOPLESOFT ENTERPRISE
Expert information on services, products, and technologies comes straight to your desktop through Oracle Web Conferencing.

May 6: PeopleSoft Enterprise Campus Solutions (CS) 2008-2009 Financial Aid US Regulatory (Regs) 3

May 7: PeopleTools 8.4x LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) Troubleshooting

May 27: Tuning Application Server on UNIX

June 10: Procurement Cards in PeopleSoft Purchasing

Get more details on Advisor Webcasts (requires login ID and password)

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT EVENTS

Check out future events for HCM experts:
The Conference Board Employee Engagement and Retention Conference
May 7-9, San Francisco, California
American Payroll Association
May 13-17, Austin, Texas
Towers Perrin HR Service Delivery Forum
May 18-20, San Diego, California
IHRIM
June 1-4, Orlando, Florida

ORACLE LAUNCHES SOA, SECURITY, AND UI BEST PRACTICE CENTERS ON OTN

Oracle has launched a number of application-specific best practice centers on Oracle Technology Network. A library of self-paced, "Getting Started" briefings, how-to tutorials, Webcasts, and community links covering BPEL, SOA-based integration, Application Development Framework (ADF), and WebCenter are updated monthly.Visit the Fusion Middleware Best Practice Centers for Oracle E-Business Suite PeopleSoft Siebel today.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Don't Do That!, ID

Do and Don’t, Mostly Don’t

A bit thinner Infogram than usual this week, but this posting by Tom Kyte makes up for it by linking to some excellent blogs to peruse. If Tom Kyte recommends it, that’s good enough for me.

External Authentication

This posting at the Talking Identity blog is an engaging discussion of the industry trend (and demand for) external identification.


Premier Support for EBS

Premier Support for EBS Extended

Oracle Extends Premier Support for the Oracle® E-Business Suite

Posted by Dave Warhoe, 4/22/08 at 10:14:01 PM
COLLABORATE 2008, DENVER, CO 15-APR-2008 05:00 AM
  • During his keynote today at the COLLABORATE conference, Oracle President Charles Phillips announced the company has extended Premier Support for the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10 through November 2010.
For more, please visit Chris Warticki's blog.

JD Edwards

Upcoming Conferences and Events sponsored by User Groups:

Check the details for the following sessions here:

·South Australian Business Service (SABSUG) UG - May 13; TBA
·JD Edwards Southern California (SCUG) UG - May 14; Long Beach, CA
·Greater Philadelphia RUG - May 15; Philadelphia, PA
·Mid-Atlantic Regional Users Group (MARUG) - May 19; Richmond, VA
·Eastern Australia RUG - May 22; Sydney, AU
·JD Edwards Southeast UG - May 22 - 23; Charleston, SC
·Northwest RUG - May 28; Portland, OR
South Arkansas Northern Lousiana (SANLA) RUG - May 29; El Dorado, AR


JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Platform Statement of Direction

The latest JDE Platform Statement of Direction was posted in Feb 2008 on customer Connection. Check it here


Upcoming PeopleSoft Events

Click here for more information and registration to these free Web events sponsored by Quest user groups:

May 6, 2008 (11:00- 12:00 PDT)
Creating a World Class HR Shared Services/Call Center Organization

May 7, 2008 (11:00- 12:00 PDT)
Create a World Class HR Shared Services/Call Center Organization that Integrates with Your PeopleSoft HCM Platform

June 10, 2008 (11:00- 12:00 PDT)
Maximizing Self Service Effectiveness - Trends in HR Direct Access

June 17, 2008 (11:00- 12:00 PDT)
Creating a Dynamic Employee Portal with On-Demand HR Communications Technology

June 19, 2008 (11:00- 12:00 PDT)
ONBOARDING: How Web-Based Onboarding Engages New Hires and Speeds Up Time to Productivity


Everything Technical You Wanted to Know About Your Upgrade (But Were Afraid to Ask)

This is a complimentary webinar for the PeopleSoft users community. Click here for more information

Quest Northeast Conference -July 16-18, 2008

Location: MGM at Foxwoods Resort - Ledyard, Connecticut
Registration Cut Off Date is July 10, 2008

This conference is held by Quest International Users Group in partnership with many of our key affiliate user groups from the Northeast like Boston RUG, Financial Services IUG , Greater Philadelphia RUG, JD Edwards NorthEast User Group, Northeast PeopleSoft & NY/NJ JD Edwards RUG and Southern New England User Group.

You don't have to be a member of Quest or any of the affiliate user groups to attend this regional event, simply be a customer or vendor of Oracle. Some of the agenda items for this 3 day conference are:
- Roundtable and enhancement paper sessions for key industries selected
-The latest updates from Oracle
- A wide variety of exhibitors and vendor product demonstration sessions
- And of course the ever important networking opportunities to help build relationships with people in your area



Greater Philadelphia PeopleSoft JDEdwards Regional Users Group Meeting

Greater Philadelphia Regional User's Group will be meeting on May 15, 2008, at Dave & Buster's in Philadelphia, PA! Join your fellow PeopleSoft & JDEdwards users for timely and relevant information, Oracle updates and networking opportunities. Some of the Agenda items for this meeting are as follows:

PeopleSoft events :

Time and Labor for PeopleSoft Customers; Application Change Management for PeopleSoft; PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Release 9.0 and Beyond; Advanced Reporting Tips and Techniques; Aligning HR Systems, Processes and Overall Strategy; Advanced PeopleTools Tips and Techniques; Noetix reporting for PeopleSoft HR and Hoverboards; Applying Bundles (from a user perspective); CRM OnDemand

JDE EnterpriseOne events:

Cost Justifying your E1 Upgrade; How to sell an EnterpriseOne upgrade to upper management

Click here for registration and further information.

Charity Run

Reminder: Charity Marathon Run Seeking Contributions

Some time ago we reported that Lynn Davis, a long-time Oracle EBS guru who is now working for Ahmed Alomari at Cybernoor, is preparing to participate in a marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She's almost half way there on her donations goal, would you like to be the one to get her closer to the finish line? Please consider donating at this link. Many companies (including Oracle) have charity matching available, so make sure you see if your company has a program available (there's a lookup form on the second page of the contribution process).

Lynn sent me this update that I wanted to share with our readers:

My fundraising is moving in a positive direction thanks to everyone on this mail. Since my training began in late January, I have walked a total of 211 miles! Over the last month or so, Saturday’s training sessions comprise upwards of 10 miles and have a duration of 5-6 hours. Needless to say, I am done for the remainder of the day between long soaks in the bath and the nursing of my aching parts.

So the first event takes place this coming Sunday, 4May08, amongst the beautiful redwood forests in Northern California. I am very much looking forward to the 6 or 7-hour scenic drive on Saturday though I am not quite as excited about the return journey. I understand Humboldt, the nearby township, is a “hippie” town, the home of Berkeley retirees. I am sure I will be questioning my euphoria of choice by the time I have completed the circuit albeit for a good cause.

In the next update, I should have pictures of the event for your amusement .


10.2.0.4 RDBMS Available, JD Edwards, Forums, SQL Injection

New Patchset

The 10.2.0.4 patchset is now available for Sparc64 Solaris and others at Metalink.

JD Edwards

IBM’s Power Systems and i V6R1…Are They Ready for JD Edwards? a useful link over at the JD Edwards Advisor

OTN Forums

The I'm a Simple DBA blog reminds us of the value of the OTN forums in this posting. It's an old cliche that the best things in life are free. For once it may be true! Well, no, the best thing going is Priority Service, but if you already have that, why not use the forums too?

SQL Injection

It's good to remember SQL injection from time to time. Junior web developers (and even some incorrigible senior ones) love to use it because it makes their lives easy. It doesn't make life so nice for those with an interest in data security. Oracle Musings blog pointed out an excellent article at Oracle WTF on injections and their potential for damage.

Official, Youbetcha Legalese

This blog is provided for information purposes only and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This blog contains links to articles, sites, blogs, that are created by entities other than Oracle. These links may contain advice, information, and opinion that is incorrect or untested. This blog, links, and other materials contained or referenced in this blog are not warranted to be error-free, nor are they subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this blog, links and other materials contained or referenced in this blog, and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this blog, link or other materials. This blog may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission. The opinions and recommendations contained in this blog(including links) do not represent the position of Oracle Corporation.

Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, and Siebel are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.