Contributions by Angela Golla, Infogram Contributor

E-Business Suite 12.1
Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1 Helps Customers Reduce Customizations, Consolidate Instances and Achieve Faster and More Simplified Reporting. This press release highlights companies that have successfully moved to 12.1.

Oracle Priority Service Infogram for 25-JAN-2012

Important Planned Outage

My Oracle Support Outage Planned for Weekend of January 27, 2012

A 5 hour outage is planned for My Oracle Support on Friday January 27, 2012 starting at 9:00 PM Pacific Time (Saturday January 28, 5:00 AM GMT/UTC) for system maintenance.
All My Oracle Support functionality will be inaccessible for approximately 5 hours starting at 9:00 PM Pacific Time. We encourage you to plan accordingly and to download any information that you may need ahead of time. Please write down your Support Identifier so that you will have it available if you need to call.
For urgent issues during the outage, please call your local Oracle Support center. Phone numbers globally may be found on the Oracle Global Customer Support Contacts Directory page.

		Complete My Oracle Support Outage
Scheduled Start		Friday January 27, 2012 / Saturday January 28, 2012
Orlando		Friday/Saturday 12:00 Midnight
San Francisco		Friday 9:00 PM Pacific
London		Saturday 5:00 AM
Paris		Saturday 6:00 AM
Bangalore		Saturday 10:30 AM
Tokyo		Saturday 2:00 PM
GMT/UTC		Saturday 5:00 AM
		Duration: 5 Hours

Thank you in advance for your patience and we apologize for any inconvenience.


Oracle Documentation


I've been a Kindle fan since day one, and I'm always encouraged to see others take the extra effort to make it easier to read important items on the Kindle. What could be more important than Oracle documentation? Precious little, that's what! Martin Widlake's Yet Another Oracle Blog has the instructions: Oracle documentation on a Kindle.



Bugs


One of our favorite blogs, Upgrade your Database - NOW!, weighs in on the SCN bug that is fixed in the latest quarterly patchset: Fundamental Oracle flaw revealed??? Really ...? 


MySQL


Some of the basics on MySQL if you already have a background as an Oracle DBA: MySQL: An Introduction for Oracle DBAs over at the Oracle's MySQL Blog.


PeopleSoft 


Interested in OVM and PeopleSoft? There's a whitepaper on that: New PeopleSoft OVM Red Paper over at the PeopleSoft Technology Blog.


Check out this upcoming Advisor Webcase: Why use BI Publisher? New Features in PeopleTools 8.52 (Doc ID 1348987.1).


EBS


The latest from the Oracle E-Business Suite Technology blog:


WebCast Replay Available: Personalize, Customize, and Extend Oracle E-Business Suite User Interface


ATG Live Webcast: Oracle E-Business Suite Secure Configuration


Oracle Magazine


Have you read Oracle Magazine lately? The January issue is out there, and you don't even have to rush to your newstand to get one. It's right here online: Oracle Magazine January/February 2012.


Performance


The Oracle Optimizer blog clears up one of those great philosophical questions that depress teenagers and keep middle aged people awake at night (well, alright, mostly the latter): My cursor wasn’t shared because of STB_OBJECT_MISMATCH. What does that mean? 


Also in the wonderful world of performance is this item about Non-Specific Index Hints over at Charles Hooper's Oracle Notes blog.


Oracle Linux


Technet, by way of YouTube, talks about how to attain Zero Downtime OS Updates with Ksplice.


WLS 12c


This is a very useful article if you've been kicking the tires on 12c: VirtualBox for WebLogic 12c, Coherence 3.7.1, NetBeans 7.1, OEPE 12c and more  at the Cloud Application Foundation blog. 

Enterprise Manager


This week the Proactive Support EPM and BI blog is running a good guest article: Tips and Tricks with Enterprise Manager - troubleshooting EPM/BI.


APEX


There are a lot of blogs, docs, in fact whole sites that will tell you about installing EBS, but the Dimitri Gielis Blog goes into installing APEX to combine it with EBS in this posting: E-Business Suite and APEX installation.


Corporate Life


Cary Milsap tweeted an article at Inc. that will raise a smile (or perhaps a bit of a shiver) as you recognize some of the 6 Phrases You Should Never Say Again from the speech of managers and co-workers or, heaven forfend, your own words.

Contributions by Angela Golla, Infogram Contributor

New My Oracle Support Interface
My Oracle Support is migrating from a Flash based end user interface. Learn more about this change and preview the new interface at Note:1385682.1.

Oracle Priority Service Infogram for 18-JAN-2012

Quarterly Patch


It's that time again, and this one from the Oracle Security Team is very important (as always). 


Oracle Critical Patch Update - January 2012
The Oracle Critical Patch Update for January 2012 was released on January 17th, 2012. Oracle strongly recommends applying the patches as soon as possible. Please note that Sun products are included in this Critical Patch Update.

The Critical Patch Update Advisory is the starting point for relevant information. It includes a list of products affected, pointers to obtain the patches, a summary of the security vulnerabilities, and links to other important documents. Supported Products that are not listed in the "Supported Products and Components Affected" Section of the advisory do not require new patches to be applied.

Also, it is essential to review the Critical Patch Update supporting documentation referenced in the Advisory before applying patches, as this is where you can find important pertinent information.

Critical Patch Update Advisories are available at the following location:

Oracle Technology Network:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/alerts-086861.html

The Critical Patch Update Advisory - January 2012 is available at the following location:

Oracle Technology Network:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/cpujan2012-366304.html

The next four Critical Patch Update release dates are:

• April 17, 2012
• July 17, 2012
• October 16, 2012
• January 15, 2013

Performance


Over at Real Life Database / SQL Experiences (a little while ago, but I've been meaning to link to it), is Vivek Sharma's contribution on the subject of How Challenging is the task of a Performance Optimization Expert ? A real life example….



UNIX


Some people are just lucky. They get to be the DBA AND the Sysadmin. Others are luckier still. They get paid for both. Whatever your karma, the OTN Garage has some useful links to New Documentation for Common Sysadmin Tasks.


Also in the realm of Unix is this posting from Using kexec for fast reboots on Oracle Linux with UEK at Wim Coekaerts Blog. 

Relational Theory, Legends and Guru Division


Chris Date is presenting, as tweeted by Cary Milsap, on February 2nd: C. J. Date “SQL and Relational Theory: How to Write Accurate SQL Code”.



Exalogic 


Cristóbal Soto's Blog points out a good white paper on Exalogic Disaster Recovery.



EBS


The latest from the Oracle E-Business Suite Technology blog:


Quarterly E-Business Suite Upgrade Recommendations: January 2012 Edition 


ATG Live Webcast: Personalize, Customize, and Extend Oracle E-Business Suite User Interface


Enabling Case-Sensitive Passwords with E-Business Release 12



RAC


Over at Alejandro Vargas' Blog, a useful posting on RAC11.2.0.2 redundant interconnect and the Cluster Health Monitor.

SOA


The A-Team - SOA blog fills us in on how to get through one of those awkward social situations...well, not really, they discuss How should I generate an external reference to a composite instance? 


Bugs


Oracle related stuff delves into the bugs of Dynamic Sampling On Multiple Partitions.


Read the Lovely Manual


One of Tom Kyte's favorite spots when a new version comes out is the new features guide. Great minds think alike and Eddie Awad recently tweeted us all in that direction for 11g release 2.

MySQL


The January 2012 issue of the MySQL Newsletter is out.


Work


The economy and labor parts of our current reality are like the old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times (I’ve never seen that curse in Chinese, by the way, so it may be a pseudo-proverb. If anyone knows the original Chinese for the phrase please let me know). Here’s a link to a very useful and thoughtful article at LifeHacker on what many hiring managers look for (and some good replies in the comments from people with a lot of experience on the other side of the desk). One item I agree with in general, but would amend, is the length of resume. A non-IT should fit on one page, maximum two. But if you are looking at a technical person you sometimes want to know EXACTLY what they can do and what they have worked with, and that can take a few pages. My advice to friends I've helped with IT resumes in the past is to structure the resume with a summary page up front that boils it all down to a 30 second summation and then go through work background in subsequent pages.

Oracle Priority Service Infogram for 11-JAN-2012

Security


We've thrown the protective barrier out further: Oracle Database Firewall extends support to MySQL, over at Help Net Security.


Speaking of MySQL and security, the MySQL on Windows blog brings us a posting on Using MySqlClientPermission Class on Connector/Net 6.5 to restrict data access.



Last but not least in security is this posting at Security Inside Out entitled Is Your Organization Susceptible to a Data Breach? I don't think you're going to like the answer.


Better Life Through Clouds


So there you are, 3 AM, the stores are closed, you're bored, you have a pile of unmapped genes as big as your couch and you want to map them. But you don't have a supercomputer and that makes you bored and resentful. No more! You can rent one now, and it willl come to exist long enough for you to map that genome, cure cancer, and finish in time for the package stores to open: Amazon takes supercomputing to the cloud, from c|net.



Essbase


The entirely technically named blog: EPM / OBI - Product Assurance Engineering (/PAE) fills us in on Essbase 11.1.2 - Commit Block Tuning.

Blast from the Past

The wonderful command line world of Oracle 5 and Forms 2, now available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube as tweeted by Kyle Hailey: Oracle 5 and Forms 2 on DOS.

The People Behind the Screens


A couple of interesting items in the press of late about the people who speak with the machines, that would be us if you are reading this blog:


First a fairly scary but interesting item from Pulp Tech about: 


Tech’s Relationship With Depression, Suicide and Asperger’s.


Next, someone finally explains why it is most companies should try to keep their developers on an island somewhere in South Pacific with big-pipe internet but no cable TV or email:


Why programmers work at night (from the A geek with a hat blog).


PeopleSoft


The PeopleSoft Apps Strategy blog discusses how to Extend Business Processes with New PeopleSoft Forms and Approval Builder Capabilities.


Oracle Gurus


Cary Milsap speaking live, and you can listen, and it's free? That can't be beat. All Things Oracle tweeted it from Redgate: Oracle Database Webinars - Real Developers DO use Tools, presented by Cary Millsap on Tues 24th Jan 2012 @ 16:00 (UK time).


Oracle Support


It looks to me like Chris Warticki is trying to become to Oracle Support questions what Tom Kyte is to Oracle RDBMS and development questions - a central source, and I applaude the effort. Here's a really useful answer he gave to an enquiry about notifcations in MOS: Ask that Support Blogger...he'll know (Notifications).


Fusion Middleware


Did you miss the advisor webcast: How to plan for a new installation of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g? Well there is a recorded version available (along with lots of others ).


Performance



The Oracle related stuff blog discusses: Dynamic Sampling On Multiple Partitions - Bugs.

Contributions by Angela Golla, Infogram Contributor

Oracle Newsletter Index
Oracle has a wide range of technical newsletters for many of our products and technologies. Check out the complete list at Note:222.1.

Oracle Priority Service Infogram for 04-JAN-2012

MOS


My Oracle Support is in the process of change, moving from Flash and HTML to an ADF-based solution, as I understand it. Also made available recently is a great App/site for mobile access:


Mobile Clients for My Oracle Support at the My Oracle Support blog.


Security


Randomize your hash functions. In this, as in many computing matters, the less hard wired and predictable a face you present to the Net, the better. Check out this posting at Cryptanalysis: Effective DoS attacks against Web Application Plattforms – #hashDoS [UPDATE3]


Coding


At the blog with the curiously crafted name of: Triggers Considered Harmful, Considered Harmful is a posting about those pesky mutating tables and why they may be a friend in disguise: The mutating table error prevents non-deterministic behavior of your code.


OATS


Ah, the possibilities for tasteless and silly puns on OATS are endless, but all I'm going to do is link you to a posting from Giri Mandalika's Repository on using it: Oracle Application Testing Suite (OATS): Few Tips & Tricks.


WLS


More news and tips coming in on the new WLS 12c:


From the Java / Oracle SOA blog, Using Bean Validation together with ExtVal in JPA and JSF 


Over at Middleware Magic: WebLogic 12c in Action


RDBMS Design


An outstanding posting from someone sharing wisdom clearly acquired over a long time:  
Do You Make These 5 Database Design Mistakes? at SQL Rockstar Thomas Larock.


OBIEE


Looking for the default ports on OBIEE? Sunil S. Ranka's Weblog comes to the rescue: Default OBIEE 11G Ports

SOA


Antony Reynolds' Blog discusses bloat, both that caused by holiday eating and that caused by debugging: Too Much Debug 

Exadata


Pythian fills us in on availability: Oracle 11.2.0.3 is now available for Exadata


and please remember that there is a range of ACS services available for Exadata: Oracle Advanced Customer Support Services for Exadata


EBS


The latest from the Oracle E-Business Suite Technology blog: 


Oracle Database 10gR2 10.2.0.5 Certified with EBS 11i on Tru64, Linux on Power, Linux Itanium


WebCast Replay Available: Desktop Integration Beyond Client ADI


Limited Extended Support Available for Oracle Single Sign-On through 2012


WebCast Replay Available: Advanced E-Business Suite Architectures


EBS R12 Certified with Database 11gR2 on SLES 11


Support


More cool stuff at Chris Warticki's Blog - Oracle Support: Oracle-Xcerpts from the Experts Vol #1 


New Hyperion Book Out


There's a new book on the market, and I haven't seen any reviews yes, so if someone has it, please comment here (comments are moderated, so give the comment a few minutes/hours to post): Oracle Hyperion Interactive Reporting 11 Expert Guide

Human Capital Management News

New Feature Pack Adds Efficiency Tools to Oracle’s PeopleSoft HCM
In a move that signals Oracle’s continuing investments in Oracle’s PeopleSoft human capital management solutions, the company announced the availability of PeopleSoft HCM Feature Pack 2 capabilities.Read More

Roadmaps Revealed: Enterprises Discuss Why They’re Adopting Oracle Fusion HCM
Oracle Fusion Human Capital Management has been designed from the ground up to be a fully integrated HR and talent management system that can run on-premise or in the cloud. It allows organizations to align their HR business to the rest of the organization and be more strategic with their talent. Oracle Fusion HCM also includes game-changing functionality such as actionable talent reviews, predictive analytics, and social networking.Read More

Survey Reveals Widespread Misalignment of HR and Business Strategies
Human resources executives overwhelmingly see talent retention as the top business challenge for their organizations, but most say their HR organizations lack a formal talent management strategy. The reason: siloed business practices, created in part by the use of niche technologies, make it difficult to coordinate compensation, promotion, succession planning, and other key talent development activities.Read More

Contributions from Angela Golla, Infogram Contributor

Oracle Open World HA Presentations
Many of the Oracle Open World (OOW) presentations have been posted on TechNet. Check out the presentations on High Availability (HA) and Backup / Recovery best practices available here.