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A d d r e s s S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d

O A U G
3 5 2 5 P i e d m o n t R o a d
B u i l d i n g F i v e , S u i t e 3 0 0
A t l a n t a , G A 3 0 3 0 5
FALL 2014
Top 10 Database
Administrator Challenges
in an EBS Environment
Application Performance
Management Tools Proof
of Concept
Submitting Successful
Conference Papers
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ORACLE APPLICATIONS USERS GROUP
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OAUG ME MB E R BE NE F I T
44 eLearning Webinars Bring the
Education to You

FALL 2014
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
OAUG L E ADE RS HI P
F E ATURE S
OAUG GE OS & S I GS
28 SIG Update
30 OAUG Geographic (Geo) and
Special Interest Group (SIG)
Meetings at Oracle OpenWorld 2014
34 Geo Update
14
GL OB AL US E RS
36 New and Returning Members
38 OAUG Member Snapshot:
Sangeeta Sameer
OR ACL E DI RE CTI ONS
42 Next Best Action
An emerging engagement paradigm can
elevate customer experience to the next
level. by Mark A. Stevens
GL OB AL S OL UTI ONS
24 Submitting Successful OAUG Conference Papers
Inviting User-Submitted Content to Exchange Real-World
Knowledge and Expertise. by Kaberi Nayak, Lissa English and
Melissa Sider
26 The OAUG Young Professionals Forum
Six Reasons to Take a Look
40 Vendor Corner: Harlequin Replaces Oracle
Financial Statement Generator with GL Wand
for Fast Reporting of Real-time Data
Find out how GL Wand gave Harlequin the ability to extend
Oracle around the world, without reservations about its
financial reporting limitations.
oaug. org 1
2 OAUG 2014 Star Partners
4 OAUG 2014 Board of Directors
6 Presidents Perspective
8 OAUG Viewpoint
10 Pricing Made Easy
In 2012, Centric Group started the arduous task of migrating its old AS400-based ERP
system to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3 for our largest operating unit. The
business is customer contract based, and fulfillment requirements by customer are
maintained on the customers price list. To begin the migration, we converted more than
2400 price lists averaging 250 lines of pricing per customer. by Matthew Lechner
14 Top 10 Database Administrator Challenges in an EBS Environment: Part 2
In 2010, CNO embarked on a Finance Transformation project to consolidate their
financial reporting systems around Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS). Part 2 of this article looks
at five challenges DBAs face in an Oracle EBS environment. by Jon Walthour

18 Application Performance Management Tools Proof of Concept:
Measuring the End-User Experience
Application Performance Management (APM) tools attempt to untie the knot and
enhance support capabilities by providing a broad, single truth that reaches into the
application to capture the end-user view. by Danny Carrizosa, Jeff Budge and Biju Thomas 18
10
$
$
$
O A U G L E A D E R S H I P 2
oaug star partners
#####
THREE-STAR PARTNERS

FIVE-STAR PARTNERS
TWO-STAR PARTNERS
FOUR-STAR PARTNERS
####
###
The OAUG Star Partner program gives Associate members a bundled
approach to active, integrated participation in the OAUG community. The
program combines membership, advertising and conference benefits
into a value-priced package that delivers recognition, premium advertising
opportunities and outstanding conference visibility.
For more information on the OAUG Star Partner Program, please
contact Christine Hilgert at +1 404.760.4234, or via e-mail at
chilgert@oaug.com.
RISING-STAR
PARTNERS
FulcrumWay
FXLoader
SPECIAL THANKS
Oracle Validated
Integration
(list updated as of press time)
TWO-STAR ELITE PARTNERS
##

API Wizard
Collabro Limited
Data Communications
Solutions
Dimensional Insight
interRel Consulting
KAYGEN
Q Software
SmartDog Services
SoftArt Solutions Inc.
oaug star partners
O A U G L E A D E R S H I P 2 O A U G L E A D E R S H I P
O A U G L E A D E R S H I P 2
oaug star partners
#####
THREE-STAR PARTNERS

FIVE-STAR PARTNERS
TWO-STAR PARTNERS
FOUR-STAR PARTNERS
####
###
The OAUG Star Partner program gives Associate members a bundled
approach to active, integrated participation in the OAUG community. The
program combines membership, advertising and conference benefits
into a value-priced package that delivers recognition, premium advertising
opportunities and outstanding conference visibility.
For more information on the OAUG Star Partner Program, please
contact Christine Hilgert at +1 404.760.4234, or via e-mail at
chilgert@oaug.com.
RISING-STAR
PARTNERS
FulcrumWay
FXLoader
SPECIAL THANKS
Oracle Validated
Integration
(list updated as of press time)
TWO-STAR ELITE PARTNERS
##

API Wizard
Collabro Limited
Data Communications
Solutions
Dimensional Insight
interRel Consulting
KAYGEN
Q Software
SmartDog Services
SoftArt Solutions Inc.
3 oaug. org
The OAUG Star Partners
are a vital force in supporting the OAUGs
mission of providing Oracle Applications users
the tools required to enhance their productivity,
maximize their investment, and inuence
the quality, usability, and support of Oracle
Applications. Participants in the OAUG Star
Partner Program represent some of the
most experienced and most successful providers
of services and solutions to the Oracle users
community.
Visit COLLABORATE.OAUG.ORG to apply
to be a COLLABORATE 15 speaker.
Registration opens fall 2014.
Follow us at:
@OAUG1, @COLLAB_OAUG, #C15LV
Presented By:
Save the Date
April 12-16, 2015
Mandalay Bay Resort
& Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
4
4 O A U G L E A D E R S H I P
oaug board of directors

2014 Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) Board of Directors. First row (seated):
Joe Imbimbo, Patricia Dues, Donna Rosentrater, Alyssa Johnson, Melissa English, Peter
Gee, Dana Bartolf, Ketan Thanki. Second row (standing): Karen Brownfield, Tammy
Norton, Daniel McGarry, Steven Hughes, Rob Tudor (former), Mark Clark, John Bushell,
Margaret Wright. Not pictured: Karl Kirsch.
Alyssa Johnson,
OAUG President
ROLTA
Melissa English,
OAUG President Elect
Alticor
Peter Gee,
OAUG Treasurer
Ryerson University
Donna Rosentrater,
OAUG Secretary
Individual Associate
Member
Steven R. Hughes
Executive Director
Karl Kirsch, CAE
Chief Operating
Officer
Dana Bartolf
CH2M Hill
Corporation
Karen Brownfield
Infosemantics, Inc.
John Bushell
JT&M Bushell
Mark C. Clark
O2Works
Dr. Patricia Dues
City of Las Vegas
Joseph Imbimbo
PPG Industries, Inc.
Daniel McGarry
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Tammy Norton
Alvarez & Marsal
Business Consulting
LLC
Ketan Thanki
Geokinetics, Inc.
Margaret Wright
Southern Company
A Publication of the
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Visit COLLABORATE.OAUG.ORG to apply
to be a COLLABORATE 15 speaker.
Registration opens fall 2014.
Follow us at:
@OAUG1, @COLLAB_OAUG, #C15LV
Presented By:
Save the Date
April 12-16, 2015
Mandalay Bay Resort
& Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
presidents perspective
t
The annual COLLABORATE
conference is a solution-
filled educational event that
highlights the experiences of
others to help Oracle users
develop strategies and apply
fresh, practical ideas in their
own workplace.

The learning opportunities extend beyond the
actual COLLABORATE conference event, however.
For employees of OAUG member organizations,
convenient, always-accessible resources make the
conference content available year-round:
l The OAUG Conference Paper Database
archives thousands of conference white papers
and presentation slide decks. You can search
for topics of interest and access papers and
presentations using your OAUG member login.
l The Best of COLLABORATE 14 OAUG
eLearning series is going on now. OAUG
members have free, easy access to some of the
top-rated conference presenters and their valuable
knowledge and how-to recommendations.
l The Best of COLLABORATE 14 OAUG
eLearning series concludes with two presentations
on October 15. But dont worry if you missed
the previously presented webinars; you can access
the recorded sessions with your OAUG member
login at any time that is convenient for you.
Participate in all the sessions; theres no limit.
Or divide and conquer with your colleagues.
Become a COLLABORATE 15
Presenter
As this edition of OAUG Insight magazine
is reaching you, the COLLABORATE 15
OAUG Forum call for papers is underway.
Have you ever considered becoming
a COLLABORATE speaker? Even if
youve never presented at a conference, your
unique experiences, lessons learned and best
practices might be indispensable to other
members of the Oracle users community.
If you and your team have implemented a unique
product configuration, thought outside the box to
resolve a specific challenge or simply streamlined
a process through trial and error, consider the
COLLABORATE: Delivering Educational
Opportunities all Year Long
O A U G L E A D E R S H I P 6
Al yssa J ohnson
OAUG Presi dent
aj ohnson@oaug. com
Twi t t er: @al yssaEBS
positive impact that achievement had in your
organization. Now, consider the impact your insights
might have for a peer in a similar situation.
You dont have to be a big-name presenter or
expert consultant to have a tip or trick that makes
an impact. See the article on page 24 in this issue
of OAUG Insight magazine for some tips on how to
identify your topic and organize it for consideration
for the COLLABORATE 15 OAUG Forum.
Ive presented at numerous OAUG conferences
and can share with you the many benefits of
presenting. In addition to the enjoying the
satisfaction of sharing information that others find
valuable, Ive grown professionally and personally
from the experience. Ive developed wonderful
connections with others and learned through the
interactions with them. Ive left the conference
feeling refreshed and reinvigorated for my day-
to-day work as well as for my activities with the
OAUG. Im sure you would enjoy similar benefits.
The deadline for COLLABORATE 15
presentation submissions is October 10, 2014.
Visit collaborate.oaug.org for details and updates.
Not ready to present in person? Consider offering
your topic through a virtual OAUG eLearning
presentation. Email info@oaug.org to request
information about presenting an OAUG eLearning
session.
Be sure to save the date for COLLABORATE
15: April 12-16, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Registration opens later this autumn. Whether you
are presenting as a COLLABORATE speaker
or attending to take advantage of the exceptional
educational lineup, everyone is welcome.
Alyssa Johnson
Why Become a
COLLABORATE 15
Speaker?
l Invest in your professional development
l Raise your visibility
l Multiply your connections
l Accelerate your learning through interaction
with others
l Enjoy the satisfaction of sharing your
knowledge
l Savor an energizing experience
l Receive free registration to the best conference
of the year for Oracle Apps users.
oaug. org 7
oaug insight l fall 2014
?
i
In July this year, the Cleveland
Indians baseball team completed
a triple play during a game
against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A rare feat indeed.
While the triple play is one of the most
uncommon, laudable occurrences in baseball, it can be
an everyday achievement for members of the OAUG.
Just like in baseball, preparation and skill make
all the difference when youre playing the Oracle
Applications
game and
responding to
the unexpected
challenges and
opportunities
that present themselves. The OAUG helps empower
individual enrichment and growth while enabling
your entire teams success. The lineup may change,
but the strategy remains the same: Position your team
to turn a triple play with education, networking and
influence from the OAUG.
Study the game. Practice the drills.
OAUG education offers numerous opportunities
to sharpen your skills. For example, the Best of
COLLABORATE 14 OAUG Forum eLearning
series is going on now through mid-October. Rally
your team to take advantage of training they can apply
immediately on the job. If you missed the beginning
of the series, dont worry, you can catch up with the
recorded sessions.
The OAUG Conference Paper Database archives
thousands of white papers and presentation slides.
You can quickly and easily search by topic or key word
or browse papers from a particular OAUG conference
event. OAUG members have free access to download
resources using their member login.
OAUG eLearning and the OAUG Conference
Paper Database are free for all employees of OAUG
member organizations. Find them under the
Education & Events tab on oaug.org.
Learn from the best coaches.
Some of the best coaches are those whove
been there, done that. Networking with peers and
experts allows you and your team to learn from their
experiences, share best practices and find solutions.
If youre attending Oracle OpenWorld 2014, be
sure to stop by the Users Group Pavilion in Moscone
South or booth 3131 in the exhibit hall in Moscone
West to connect with the OAUG. If you have a
particular question or specific tip or trick to share,
well help you start the interactive dialogue to connect
with other users in the community to explore the
topic. If you wont be attending Oracle OpenWorld in
person, you can still be part of the conversation; watch
for your chance to network online.
Triple Play
oaug viewpoint
O A U G L E A D E R S H I P 8
St even R. Hughes
OAUG Execut i ve Di rect or
shughes@oaug. com
Also during Oracle OpenWorld 2014, dozens
of OAUG Geographic (Geo) and Special Interest
Groups (SIGs) will meet on Sunday, September
28. These specialized users communities facilitate
education and networking among Oracle Applications
users in a defined geographic region or who share
a common interest related to an industry or Oracle
products / product lines.
Information about the interactive dialogue and
on-site connections with OAUG Geo and SIG
groups is posted to the Oracle OpenWorld page
under the Education & Events tab on oaug.org.
This issue of OAUG Insight magazine brings you
the new OAUG Buyers Guide. Find out whos who
and who can help in this go-to catalog of solutions
and solutions providers for your Oracle Applications
environment. Networking with these knowledgeable
folks is sure to bring you great ideas.
Make your mark on how the game is played.
OAUG members have influence with Oracle.
Oracle recently announced the release of Oracle
E-Business Suite 12.2.4, citing the customer-driven
enhancements incorporated into this version of the
product. Oracle reaches out to its users groups to
inform product development, and OAUG members
have a significant, collective voice in expressing their
concerns and wishes to Oracle.
In addition to networking with fellow applications
users, those attending many of the Geo and SIG
meetings during Oracle OpenWorld 2014 will
also be able to interact with Oracle employees who
support specific product lines. Share your thoughts
and suggestions with Oracle another good reason to
attend the OAUGs Geo and SIG meetings during
Oracle OpenWorld.
The OAUG Customer Support Council meets
regularly with a dedicated team from Oracle
Support to share OAUG members support-related
concerns, questions and challenges. Through these
two-way conversations, OAUG members have a
unified voice for communicating priorities for the
future development, direction and enhancement of
Oracle Applications products. Stay up to date on the
councils activities with the quarterly OAUG Support
in Focus newsletter at oaug.org/supportinfocus (member
login required). If you have a question or suggestion
related to Oracle Support, submit it to the OAUG
Customer Support Council at support@oaug.org.
Contact me at shughes@oaug.com with general
questions or suggestions about how the OAUG can
help you up your game.
Regards,
Steven R. Hughes
oaug. org 9
oaug insight l fall 2014
To make matters more interesting,
we had to figure out how to make Oracle
communicate with the businesses proprietary software. Our
solution was to create a custom pricing table and use the price lists as a means
to update the table via a custom request. We utilized a third-party tool by More4Apps
in order to easily make the hundreds of price list updates that are needed on a daily
basis.
The first challenge was to figure out how we could get the orders from our
proprietary software to Oracle, ensuring all data elements that the orders required
were included. We needed a way to store and pass the data the same in Oracle as in
the AS400 system so that we did not have to make drastic changes to the way the
proprietary software works.
In order to accomplish this, we created a custom table that stores all of the data in
one place. This table stores the following information about the customer:
l Price.
l Tax rates.
l Default shipping warehouse.
l Default shipping sub inventory.
l Rebate rates for items sold to facilities.
l Item alias numbers.
The alias number is a four-digit number (GTIN cross reference) that is assigned to
each item. The purpose of this number is to make ordering easier for our customers.
Another important feature of the table was to be able to keep historical data. Our
business is unique in that the tax rate must be based on when the order was taken rather
10 O A U G F E A T U R E
In 2012, Centric Group
started the arduous task
of migrating its old AS400-
based ERP system to
Oracle E-Business Suite
Release 12.1.3 for our
largest operating unit.
The business is customer
contract based, and
fulfillment requirements by
customer are maintained
on the customers
price list. To begin the
migration, we converted
more than 2400 price
lists averaging 250 lines
of pricing per customer.
The business made the
decision to do data cleanup
after the conversion.
oaug feature
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the interface from the proprietary software, all validation
and data elements needed for the order are taken from
the custom table.
An additional challenge emerged from the need to
have a limited number of alias numbers that could be
unique for a customer so that a specific alias number is
tied to a certain item for one customer, but that same
alias number may also be used for an entirely different
item number for another customer. We accomplished
this by using the Customer Item Cross Reference
feature in Items. We were able to set up the alias for a
customer, refer it back to the item for that customer, and
then define the warehouse, sub inventory and unit of
measurement (UOM) for the item using the DFF fields.
The items that are set up in the Customer Item Cross
Reference are not a part of the custom table; they are
added to a secondary price list for the customer so the
items can be ordered. Since the pricing engine is turned
oaug. org 11
oaug insight l fall 2014
than when the order was keyed in Oracle. An order form
may be filled out on Monday, then mailed or emailed
to the customer service representative in order to key it
directly into Oracle, which may happen later in the week.
The tax table looks at the date that the order was taken,
not the day that the order was keyed, and will return
all of the correct pricing and tax data from the date the
order was taken.
Once the design of the table was complete, we had
to figure out a way to get the data from Oracle to the
table. We decided that we would store the needed
information on the customers unique price list. We used
the descriptive flexfield (DFF) at the header and the
line level as well as the pricing attributes functionality
in order to get the needed data stored on the price list.
The header DFFs are used on orders to apply a value to
all items on the price list. The list line DFFs are used to
apply a value to a specific line (see Figures 1 and 2). The
DFFs work in a hierarchical manner, with the line level
DFFs overriding a header level DFF.
The following data is stored at header level DFFs:
l Rebate rate.
l Warehouse.
l Sub inventory.
The line level DFFs contain the following:
l Rebate rate.
l Rebate on portion.
l Warehouse.
l Sub inventory.
l Tax rate.
Using pricing attributes, we created a custom pricing
context/pricing attribute to define the alias to the item
number. This was necessary as there can be two different
alias numbers that point to a single item number/unit of
measure combination, and the tax table needs to know
which to use. The data was then converted from the
AS400 system to its final destination in Oracle.
The next step was to get the data from the price lists
to the custom table. A custom request job was created
to take the data from the price list and send it to the
table. The job is scheduled to run at a specific time each
night, picking up all of the deltas for all price lists. The
job can also be run on an ad-hoc basis, just copying the
changes from a single customers price list. The pricing
engine was then turned off so that when an order is
placed in Oracle, either manually or imported through
Figure 1. Price List Header DFF
Figure 2. Price List Line DFF
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O A U G F E A T U R E 12
off, the interface looks to the secondary price list instead
of the custom table to get the information that is needed.
We are required to accept anything that is sent to
us from our customers, so even if an item does not exist
on the table or in the Customer Item Cross Reference,
the item sent in needs to get to the order. An additional
secondary price list was created, consisting of a generic
item number that will override any items that are not
recognized by the table or the other secondary price list.
The code will keep the sent pricing information as well as
the item description.
All pricing changes, as well as any changes to the
elements on the price list, are sent from the
sales people to a central pricing
administrator at
the
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Figure 4. Price List Wizard Header
Figure 5. Price List Wizard Lines
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corporate headquarters. At the time of go live, we started
to take a look at the volume of changes that were being
made on a daily basis and came to realize that the number
of updates being sent in was staggering (see Figure 3).
The pricing administrator was able to make updates on
the price lists, but using standard Oracle forms took way
too long and she was falling way behind.
There was also a need to be able to make a price
change for a single item number across multiple price lists,
which was not available using the standard forms. We
started looking at solutions to the pricing update dilemma,
evaluating both Oracle solutions and third-party solutions.
We took a look at the Price List Maintenance function
in the Oracle Pricing Administrator responsibility and
realized that it would do what we needed as far as being
able to update a single item number across multiple price
lists and make changes to a single price list, but it
was even more cumbersome than the standard Oracle
forms. We talked about using the Oracle pricing
API to create a custom pricing update form, but were
concerned about the cost to develop what we needed.
The setup of the Customer Item Cross Reference is also a
very cumbersome process, and we knew that we needed a
solution for that as well.
In looking at third-party solutions, we found
the Price List Wizard from More4Apps. This tool
works with a Microsoft Excel front end and is easily
configurable to only use the needed fields. Data
can be easily downloaded using a single price list or
downloaded using a single item number across multiple
price lists. A full price list as well as select items on a
price list can be downloaded (see Figures 4 and 5). New
price list lines can also be created easily. The changes,
and/or new lines, are made in the Excel spreadsheet, and
then, using standard Oracle API, uploaded back into
Oracle Price Lists.
We were able to configure the form to contain
the fields that we needed and then sent the tool to
the pricing administrator. Today, she is able to make
between 800-1000 updates and additions on a daily basis.
She then either immediately applies the changes to the
table using the custom request or lets them get picked up
in the overnight process. We also created a custom report
(see Figure 6) that our sales representatives (CSRs) can
run for a specific customer, allowing them to see the
items for a customer on a price list in the More4Apps
format. The CSR can then take the report that is in
Excel format, make the necessary pricing changes and
email them to the pricing administrator. Once received
by the pricing administrator, it is as easy as copying and
pasting the changes from the custom report into the
More4Apps application and uploading the changes/
additions into Oracle, again speeding up the process.
Our items team had for some time been using another
product from More4Apps called the Item Wizard and
realized that one of the functions of this application
was the ability to set up the Customer Item Cross
References. Again, this tool works with a Microsoft
Excel front end and is easily configurable to only use the
needed fields. We were able to configure the form to
contain the fields that we needed and then send the tool
to the pricing administrator to create the Customer Item
Cross References. This tool is not used as much as the
Price List Wizard, but does speed up a very cumbersome
process.
We were able to overcome many of the issues that
we were facing by thinking outside the box in our design
(see Figure 7). We created a custom pricing table in
order to store all of the data elements needed for the
placing of sales orders. We used the price lists as a
means to update the table via a custom request, as well as
created a report for our sales force that enables them to
13 oaug. org
Figure 6. Custom Report
communicate
changes very easily
to the pricing administrator. And
finally, we utilized a third-party tool by More4Apps
in order to make the hundreds of price list updates that
are needed on a daily basis as well as create all of the
Customer Item Cross References that are needed.
Matthew Lechner (mlechner@centricgroup.com) is an
Oracle Business Analyst for Centric Group in St. Louis,
MO. He started working with Oracle Applications in 2010
as an implementer, and is currently in support and project
development. His applications expertise includes Order
Management, Advanced Pricing and Telesales.
About the Centric Group
The word centric in Latin means the source from
which ideas originate. At Centric Group, weve built our
success by cultivating good ideas. We specialize in finding
niche markets, then leading in those markets by offering
superior products and unmatched service.
Today we employ more than 2,300 people, have offices
nationwide and our annual sales exceed $750 million.
Our companies include Keefe Group, the nations leading
supplier of food, personal care products, electronics and
clothing to the correctional commissary market; TRG
Group, a manufacturer of luggage, backpacks, travel gear
and accessories; and Courtesy Products, a distributor of
hotel guest room coffee and operating supplies.
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14 O A U G F E A T U R E
oaug feature
Database
Administrator
Challenges
in an EBS Environment
CNO
Financial is a
holding company
based in Carmel,
Indiana, and the parent company of seven
insurance companies, including Washington
National, Bankers Life & Casualty and
Colonial Penn. CNO Financial provides
affordable life insurance, annuity and
supplemental health insurance products
to more than four million mostly middle
income and senior customers in the United
States. These products are distributed
through independent agents and directly
to customers through television advertising
and direct mail. (Yeah, were the company
for which Alex Trebek does commercials.)
By Jon Walthour, CNO Financial
This article concludes a two-part series. Part
1 explored five challenges DBAs face in an
Oracle EBS environment. Part 2 concludes the
article with a look at five additional challenges.
Part 1 appeared in the summer 2014 OAUG
Insight magazine. OAUG members can
download Part 1 at oaug.org/publications.
In 2010, CNO embarked on a Finance
Transformation project to consolidate its financial
reporting systems around Oracle E-Business Suite
(EBS), Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise
Edition (OBIEE) and Oracle Business Intelligence
Analytics (OBIA). With that as our centerpiece, we
also have implementations of Oracle Governance,
Risk and Compliance Suite, Oracle Access Manager,
Hyperion Financial Close Management (FCM) and
Oracle Master Data Management/Data Relationship
Management (MDM/DRM). Managing all this, we
use Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle Applications
Management Pack. This is running on a variety of
operating systems including IBM AIX, Red Hat
Enterprise Linux and Microsoft Windows 2008. CNO
Financial reported a net income of $478 million on sales
of $4.48 billion in 2013.
This article concludes a two-part series. Part 1 in
the summer 2014 OAUG Insight magazine explored five
challenges DBAs face in an Oracle EBS environment.
Here, the author discusses five additional challenges.
PART 2
In line with the first challenge of patching is this
one: Trying to keep up with Release Update Packs
(RUPs), Critical Patch Updates (CPUs) and Patch Set
Updates or Security Patch Updates (PSUs/SPUs) that
Oracle releases on regular intervals. These patches can
do several things:
l Upgrade features.
l Provide new functionality.
l Fix security vulnerabilities.
l Provide other bug fixes.
Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) functionality is
expected to be affected with the application of RUPs,
CPUs, PSUs and SPUs.
In a large shop where there are many production
instances that are expected to run 24x7, it is often
difficult to justify downtime up to four times a year
to apply these patches. All database SPU fixes are
included in the PSU patches, which are safe to apply
to any EBS instance. Database SPU and PSU patches
as well as 11i CPU patches from January 2010 onwards
are cumulative.
The database SPU/PSU patches require little, if
any, testing. Testing of all of the critical pieces of your
functionality is definitely required for the R12 RUP
patches to ensure that previous features continue to
function as needed. It is best to combine application of
the database and application patches in one bundle so
that end users can test and verify that these patches do
not affect functionality.
As previously mentioned, database SPU patches
are included in PSU patches. SPU/PSU patches are
especially critical if your instance is exposed to the
Internet or if you are governed by PCI laws. Some, if
not all, of the Oracle database weaknesses and exploits
that these patches fix are easily searchable and freely
available (with actual code examples!). The important
thing to note here is that once you apply a PSU, you
need to continue to apply PSUs; you cannot switch
between applying PSU and SPU patches.
oaug. org 15
oaug insight l fall 2014
Database
Administrator
Challenges
in an EBS Environment
Keeping Up With RUPs & PSUs/SPUs
6
CHALLENGE #6
Performance Tuning
7
CHALLENGE #7
The EBS landscape is vast, and tuning opportunities
abound. This challenge encompasses all types of tuning in
an EBS environment: database query tuning; forms and
Apache tuning; multi-tier tuning where apps services are
distributed among multiple servers; integration tuning
where apps are integrated with other software like OID/
SSO and Discoverer, etc.; tuning for custom code, etc.
Each of the various scenarios requires different skills and
tuning techniques, all of which the EBS DBA must be
knowledgeable in. The solutions in each of these cases are
as varied as the problems themselves.
Database query tuning is the most frequently
encountered scenario. Oracle provides mandatory and
recommended init.ora parameters for various database
versions to ensure that EBS databases perform well. Oracle
also provides guidelines on gathering various database
statistics to ensure that the Cost-Based Optimizer (CBO)
chooses an optimal path when executing a query, along
with best practices on troubleshooting performance issues
in Apps. Statspack is a common tool used to troubleshoot
performance issues in the 9i database version, while AWR
is used in 10g and above.
Over the years, query performance issues with base
apps code have dropped considerably. Most database
query performance issues these days are typically due to
inefficient custom code. At CNO, we have a strict software
development process that requires code reviews (with
necessary traces) to verify that custom code is as efficient
as possible before it is migrated to Systems Integration
Testing (SIT), User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and
Production instances.
Tuning is also performed outside the traditional
database query realm, given that technologies such as
Forms, Java/Apache, OID/SSO, Discoverer, SOA
Middleware, etc., have various tuning parameters that may
need to be tweaked depending upon specific requirements.
Tuning each of these technologies requires some knowledge
of how they are architected and how they function, along
with the various tunable parameters and what effect they
have upon performance.
PART 2
O A U G F E A T U R E 16
Over the years EBS has been around, it has become
apparent that EBS is not a silo as it was in the past.
Integrations with both Oracle and non-Oracle solutions
are becoming a bigger and bigger part of the daily EBS
DBAs work. Examples of such integrations include
but are not limited to SOA/Middleware, GRC, AIA/
PIP/MDM, other ERP or legacy databases, third-
party software like Noetix/Vertex, etc. DBAs need to
have a good understanding of these technologies, their
architectures, how they integrate with EBS and how to
troubleshoot issues with these integrations.
The nature and scope of the EBS DBAs duties is
ever expanding. Given that all of these technologies have
a release cycle independent of the EBS release cycle,
EBS DBAs need to keep up with the various integration
certifications and de-certifications that are updated
almost on a weekly basis to ensure that they keep current
and understand the implications of these certifications
and de-certifications.
Again, there are no easy solutions here. EBS DBAs
need to keep up with technology and trends and must
make time to learn and educate themselves. Having a lab
environment where these integrations can be installed
and tested without affecting end users is a requirement.
The various Oracle and non-Oracle blogs that provide
integration information are a must-read for EBS DBAs
and technical staff on a weekly, if not more frequent,
basis. EBS DBAs also need to thoroughly document all
of the setups and settings required for integrations when
they are implemented, as this information will become
vital when it becomes necessary to upgrade one or more
of these technology components.
Given the ubiquity of concurrent requests and
workflows in todays EBS environments, EBS DBAs
are constantly challenged to determine the status of a
concurrent request or a workflow, why a concurrent
request is not running or why a workflow is stuck, or
what may have happened to cause a concurrent request
to fail in error. They must do all this along with trying
to load balance and tune concurrent requests and queues
and figure out why workflow notifications are not being
sent or received.
Out of the box, Oracle provides some standard
managers and queues to run various concurrent requests.
The settings on these queues like the number of threads,
sleep time and workshifts, etc., will need to be fine-
tuned based on requirements in order to maximize batch
request throughput. Creating custom managers/queues
to handle custom concurrent programs is also common
in an EBS environment. Incompatibility settings at the
concurrent program level also need to be considered to
ensure different programs or separate calls to the same
program do not adversely affect one another.
At the workflow level, Oracle also provides various
queues out of the box to process various workflow
transactions. These also can be tuned as per requirements.
The notification mailer plays a key role in sending out
workflow notifications and needs to be monitored closely
to ensure all is flowing as it should.
There are several tools available to troubleshoot issues
with concurrent managers and/or concurrent requests and
workflows. The built-in Oracle Applications Manager or
the tools in the AMP in OEM are typically the starting
point to ensure that necessary services are up and running
and to view any manager or workflow logs.
Oracle provides various scripts to determine the status
of concurrent managers and workflows and other scripts
to clean concurrent manager queues and determine the
status of a workflow or to retry/skip a step in a workflow.
The Workflow Monitor tool is also used to diagnose
workflow issues as it provides a graphical representation
of the workflow and can provide information on why a
certain workflow is stuck.
Managing expectations is another challenge that we
EBS DBAs face more often than not. It is somewhat
related to keeping up with technology and patches as
Oracle Marketing does a good job of selling features
that are either not completely available or do not work as
described. The reality of the features in the application or
technology sometimes does not live up to the marketing
fanfare. Users then come to the product or module
Integration
8
CHALLENGE #8
Concurrent Manager & Workflow Issues
9
CHALLENGE #9
Managing Expectations
10
CHALLENGE #10
with high expectations of its capability based on a
demonstration that makes it look easy by hiding all
of the complexity underlying that feature. The EBS
DBA team then has the unenviable job of level-
setting expectations and managing or tempering
enthusiasm by painting a more realistic picture of the
challenges that the product, technology or feature
brings. In this capacity, the EBS DBA team plays an
almost referee-like role between the end users and
Oracle.
Having a long and symbiotic relationship with
Oracle helps alleviate some of these issues. Treating
Oracle as a partner in your IT goals/challenges
gives them a buy-in to help solve your companys
issues. When either of these is not possible, it is
best to obtain very detailed technical and functional
information about the product, technology or feature
that your company is interested in. Then, conduct a
proof of concept (POC) with specific product goals
and features in mind so as to document and verify
that the product, technology or feature truly meets
your companys needs and provides value.
Other Challenges?
This list of challenges is culled from my own
personal experiences as an Oracle EBS DBA over the
past fifteen years. I am sure, however, there are other
challenges other EBS DBA teams have faced in other
shops, depending upon many factors such as how big
an EBS footprint the shop has, how their resources
and tools are structured, which modules are used, etc.
The thing to remember is that there is no magic
bullet. All of these challenges can only be overcome
by methodically setting up tools and processes so as
to make an EBS DBAs job much less difficult than
it needs to be. These tools and processes will make
sure that IT resources are used wisely and efficiently
and that the company gets the best return for every
IT dollar being spent.

Jon Walthour has been working as an Oracle
E-Business Suite DBA for more than sixteen years,
supporting versions 10.7 through 12.2 in addition to
Oracle Enterprise Manager, Applications Management
Pack, Governance, Risk & Compliance, Oracle BI
Enterprise Edition and BI Applications. Email:
jon.walthour@cnoinc.com.
oaug insight l fall 2014
oaug. org 17
THE COMPLETE
TOP 10 DATABASE
ADMINISTRATOR
CHALLENGES
IN AN EBS
ENVIRONMENT
CHALLENGE #1
Apps Patching
CHALLENGE #2
Query Access
CHALLENGE #3
Learning Continuously
CHALLENGE #4
Customization Standards
CHALLENGE #5
Cloning
CHALLENGE #6
Keeping Up With
RUPs & PSUs/SPUs
CHALLENGE #7
Performance Tuning
CHALLENGE #8
Integration
CHALLENGE #9
Concurrent Manager
& Workflow Issues
CHALLENGE #10
Managing Expectations
18 O A U G F E A T U R E
oaug feature
Measuring the End-User Experience
By Danny Carrizosa, Jeff Budge and Biju Thomas, OneNeck IT Solutions
Application Performance Management
Tools Proof of Concept:
Application Performance Management (APM) tools attempt to untie
this knot and enhance support capabilities by providing a broad, single
truth that reaches into the application to capture the end-user view.
This article presents the results from an APM Proof of Concept (POC)
in an Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) 11i environment.
The Evolution of Application Systems and
Subsequent Monitoring Problems
Original application systems were designed against mainframe and two-
tier client-server models. These models provided centralized processing
with simple infrastructure architecture that directly connected the user
interface with the business logic and data management component.
Likewise, monitoring approaches were data center focused, where
dedicated probes were applied against the most fundamental processing
and logic units. Pretty simple.
Applications increasingly tap
heavily into all technology
segments, i.e., Oracles
red stack. While improving
software capability, complex
technology integrations like
this make it difficult to pinpoint
the root cause of an incident
or proactively monitor the
infrastructure for bottlenecks.
did just a few short years ago. Computing and network
advancements have combined to drive a shift in
architecture to a distributed model where pieces of the
application are segmented into discrete, autonomous
units. Todays network, OS, database, storage, UI and
other solutions are intelligent, sophisticated and high-
performing subsystems, each with an ecosystem of its
own. The result has been an application model centered
on the distribution of computing services connected
together by fast networks.
The effect on application monitoring and
management has been significant. The new levels of
complexity and breadth of the distributed model have
created a gap between application components and
the end-user experience that traditional data center
monitoring cannot fill.
One key area of concern is software growth in
each discrete segment. The smart capabilities of the
technology stack and application require a deeper code
interrogation to correctly instrument and monitor
the targeted area. The simple checks of traditional
component monitoring are no longer sufficient to
measure health and identify problem sources. Even with
improved component monitoring, end-user experience
monitoring suffers mainly because these isolated views of
distributed applications now only represent a small piece
of the transaction. For EUE monitoring to be effective, it
must provide a holistic view of the transaction, following
it through its complicated path and measuring its health
at each turn.
For multiple reasons, this monitoring model was
sufficient to correlate system component health to
application health. First, the functionality of applications
was simple and straightforward; it wasnt difficult to
locate a negative signal from a server and translate its
impact on the application as a whole. Well-placed basic
probes against the database or application logic helped
to complete the application monitoring suite. Also, the
proximity of the administrator to the user played an
important part in effectively monitoring the application.
With a thin and simple infrastructure layer, it wasnt
difficult for experienced administrators to see up through
the stack and gain a reasonable perspective of what the
user was experiencing.
In many situations, technical administrators also
served as application subject matter experts (SMEs)
and/or business analysts due to the application
knowledge they acquired over time. It was advantageous
to have application systems supported by a single, do-it-
all administrator. These individuals were often the IT
support staff and maintained a big picture perspective,
working with and coordinating multiple applications
across the enterprise. All of these factors, contributed to
a well-understood, tightly-knit application system and
support environment which was conducive to effectively
managing the end-user experience (EUE).
With recent significant technology advancements,
however, weve witnessed the explosion of application
capabilities. Todays applications deliver functionality
in greater orders of magnitude than their predecessors
19
oaug insight l fall 2014
oaug. org
Figure 1. Simplified Mainframe, C/S Application Architecture
20 O A U G F E A T U R E
Figure 2. Complex Distributed Application Architecture
Additionally, the distributed model has resulted in
human resource segmentation. Todays support model
typically mirrors the network architecture where teams
(often large) of specialized administrators focus on their
specific competencies. This has negatively impacted the
EUE support model by creating isolated teams who are
unable to generate meaningful dialogue toward locating
root cause and resolving incidents quickly because they
are unaware of transactional activity in complementary
areas.
The Scope of APM and the Value It Aims
to Bring to End-User Experience
Due to the proliferation of vendors attempting to fill
the gap in application monitoring, the market is deluged
with APM tools. In the absence of a standardized APM
definition, vendors have taken liberty to define it with
respect to their specific niche, expertise and bias in
the market. As a result, there is no single, commonly
accepted definition of exactly what APM encompasses
and, more importantly, what minimum capability
any given tool should provide. As APM evolves,
corresponding standards and definitions evolve as well,
and therefore, are currently fluid.
Gartner has attempted to bring clarity to this issue
by publishing a framework for APM scope, Gartners 5
Dimensions of APM
1
, which it uses to measure vendor
solutions. This framework has been accepted by the
industry and serves as a good foundation for qualifying
any APM tool and implementation. The five dimensions
are:
1. End-user experience monitoring The capture of
data about how the end-to-end application availability,
latency, execution correctness and quality appear to the
end user.
2. Runtime application architecture discovery, modeling
and display The discovery of various software and
hardware components involved in application execution
and the array of possible paths across which those
components could communicate that together, enable
that involvement.
3. User-defined transaction polling The tracing of
events as they occur among the components or objects
as they move across the paths discovered in the second
dimension, generated in response to a users attempt to
cause the application to execute what the user regards
as a logical unit of work.
4. Component deep-dive monitoring in an application
context The fine-grained monitoring of resources
consumed by and events occurring within the
components discovered in the second dimension.
5. Analytics The marshaling of a variety of techniques
(including behavior learning engines, complex-event
processing platforms, log analysis and multidimensional
database analysis) to discover meaningful and actionable
patterns in the typically large datasets generated by the
first four dimensions of APM.
Within these dimensions, very practical and valuable
gains can be made toward improving application health
and EUE monitoring. A few of these features and their
attendant benefits are summarized on the next page.
1. Jonah Kowall, Will Cappelli. Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Performance Monitoring. August 2012. Print.
21 oaug. org
Single Source of Truth
Presenting one single, common view of the
application as a whole, from which the entire support
organization can then view, interpret and determine the
appropriate response.
l Operational efficiencies are gained by identifying
the problem quickly as HERE.
l Lost time out of the gate is significantly reduced
or eliminated by providing the entire team the all-
too-often elusive starting point.
l Communication barriers between teams are
reduced, thus facilitating meaningful discussion
toward resolution.
l A significant reduction in Mean Time to Repair
(MTTR) creates hard dollar savings.
Drill Down, Consolidate Up, Spin Sideways
The ability to drill down, aggregate and rotate data to
reveal meaningful aspects of the application.
l The large volume of data captured allows technical
experts to work quickly throughout the stack.
l Data aggregation facilitates performing quickly at
multiple layers to provide the ah-hah moment.
l Good APM tools provide flexible repositories
that allow for twisting the cube and looking at
the problem from many perspectives. This often
exposes hidden patterns.
l Useful information can be customized and
delivered in actionable and comprehensible
forms to the appropriate audiences (executives,
application managers, technicians, etc.).
l Increased value through reduced MTTR and
altogether problem elimination, supporting
continuous improvement.
Session Forensics
The ability to reach into the past to retrieve diagnostic
evidence of previous incidents that otherwise would not
be available.
l Historical playback capabilities allow for click-by-
click review of activity in the past.
l Evidence that used to be gone by the time we
arrived at the scene of the crime is now preserved
for analysis.
l Greatly assists in diagnosing incidents with tricky
intermittent, non-reproducible issues.
l Provides high perceived customer value for
Priority1 issues. Your customer pays you to dig
them out of the ditch.
Objectives and Findings from an APM POC
As a full-stack enterprise application service provider,
we at OneNeck IT Solutions are very interested in
facilitating a quality EUE for the critical business
applications with which we are entrusted. With respect
to the limitations of traditional data center monitoring
and the potential value of APM, we saw a need to take a
step into this space and begin a discovery and evaluation
effort. This effort was conducted in the form of a six-
month POC with multiple vendors invited.
While our long-term goals include applying APM
against all aspects of the application stack to effectively
monitor all major ERP solutions (Oracle EBS, Microsoft
Dynamics AX, SAP, etc.), for the purpose of the POC,
we targeted an Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) 11.5.10.2
environment using an 11.2.0.3 Oracle RDBMS running
on a 64-bit Solaris 10 platform.
Vendor selection for the POC was based on collective
input from Gartners Magic Quadrant for APM, internal
vendor/tools experience and customer references and
recommendations. Selected vendors were either listed
in the Leaders Quadrant in the August 2012 Gartner
report or were recommended based on internal and/
or client experience with their products. The following
vendors were invited to participate in the POC:
New levels of complexity
and breadth of the
distributed model have
created a gap between
application components and
the end-user experience
that traditional data center
monitoring cannot fill.
oaug insight l fall 2014
O A U G F E A T U R E 22
l Computer Associates APM (Wily Introscope
and Nimsoft Monitor).
l Dell Software (formerly Quest Software)
Foglight.
l Precise - TPM (Transaction Performance
Management).
l Oracle Enterprise Manager, Application
Management Suite for EBS and Real User
Experience Insight.
l Riverbed/Opnet AppInternals Xpert and
AppResponse Xpert.
Each of the invited vendors was asked to provide
an initial briefing and demonstration of their products
capabilities based on both the short-term POC focus in
an Oracle EBS environment and the long-term focus
in heterogeneous enterprise application environments,
including major ERP players, supporting technologies
(databases, middleware, portals, etc.) and complementary
edge applications such as demand planning, e-commerce,
sales and use tax packages, and project management
tools. All of the vendors were provided with similar
information regarding environment details, application
and technology version, unweighted selection criteria,
evaluation timelines and more.
After the initial briefings, all vendors were then
invited to participate in an on-site installation and POC
in our evaluation environment. We were careful to select
an environment that was more than just a simple Vision
install of EBS and in fact leveraged a non-production
instance from one of our more complex customer
environments. This helped to ensure we had good data
volume and complexity, enough user activity to allow
the monitoring data to be meaningful and helped to
include some characteristics of our long-term goals of a
heterogeneous environment as opposed to a completely
vanilla EBS instance.
The response to our invitation to participate on-site
surprised us in that not all vendors chose to proceed
forward with the installations and POCs. The common
thread in their explanations of why they were bowing out
of the evaluation related to the ability of their tools to
meet the long-term goals and selection criteria. This left
us with three vendors who proceeded forward with their
installations.
The installation process for each vendor for the
POC was fairly straightforward, with each vendor either
choosing to ship an appliance with all of their requisite
products installed and ready for configuration or the
delivery of virtual appliances that were then installed
on our existing infrastructure. This installation process
began to open our teams eyes to what APM had in
store for us in the bridging of our IT organization. Even
at the point of installation and initial configuration,
significant collaboration between our network, system
administration, DBA and application administration
teams was required to provide all of what the APM tools
required.
Once installed and configured, we put each of the
tools through its paces in our EBS environment. One
particular challenge we faced in the EBS environment
was the ability for any of the tools to fully interrogate
the Oracle Forms components. Each of the tools had
the ability to see a lot of the database activity (SQL
executions, user access, locking, etc.), but none of the
tools were able to provide the depth of diagnosis inside
the Forms UI that we were looking for. What this
shortcoming ended up revealing was which of the tools
had done a better job of data correlation, allowing us to
piece together data based on activity, timestamps, apps
users and database schemas.
One of the most interesting observations by our
team was how the vendor landscape is split in the APM
market. There have been two main approaches to the
APM space by these vendors. Many vendors, such as
Application Performance
Management (APM) tools
attempt to untie the
knot and enhance support
capabilities by providing a
broad, single truth that
reaches into the application
to capture the end-user view.
23 oaug. org
CA and Riverbed/Opnet, have developed their tools to
provide a consistent picture across many technologies,
with specific focus on standards frameworks such
as J2EE, .Net and Spring. This approach provides
consistent capabilities, depth and correlation across
these standards. The vendors then leverage these
capabilities against other technologies in an attempt
to provide similar depth wherever they are able. Many
other vendors, such as Dell/Quest and Precise, started
with focusing on specific enterprise applications such as
EBS or SAP, developed very deep capabilities relative to
those applications and then expanded outward to provide
visibility into other technologies and products.
Another key focus area was the quality of the analysis,
reporting, dashboarding and publishing capabilities of the
tools. All of these APM solutions gather a large amount
of data, and the real value in APM is in data correlation
and pattern identification presented through an intuitive
visualization. APM may be one of the first true Big Data
efforts your company will implement.
Following the round of on-site POCs, we selected
two vendors that scored the best against our selection
criteria. We requested licensing options (perpetual, term,
pay-per-use, lease) and pricing based on our planned
pilot environments. We then moved forward to make a
selection and proceeded with purchasing the product.
As noted earlier, all of these vendor tools are industry-
leading products, and we cannot emphasize enough the
importance of defining your APM priorities, developing
selection criteria that align with those priorities and
proceeding through research and due diligence before
making your selection. In our case, with our priorities
as an enterprise application management and hosting
provider, our criteria led us to choose the Dell Software
(formerly Quest Software) Foglight product suite as
our APM platform. We are now proceeding with the
implementation of the Foglight products in our pilot
environments and hope to provide more information on
the implementation process and operational use of these
products in the future.
Overall we were successful in accomplishing
the objectives of the APM POC, gaining a firm
understanding of how APM could be implemented
successfully to provide value to both our operation and
customers. Here is a summary of our findings:
l The majority of tools employed an architecture that
includes:
- Packet capturing span port appliance.
- Server deployed agents/collectors.
- Data repository and management server.
l Agents required moderate configuration for
instrumentation.
l Tools generally fell into two camps:
- Generic, Web-application framework (JEE,
.NET) centric.
- Application and supporting technology focused.
l No native support for proprietary, higher-port
technologies such as Oracle Forms.
l All tools provided both active (synthetic) and
passive transaction monitoring.
l Tools varied in the representation of EUE
total round-trip time to identify infrastructure
bottlenecks.
l Reporting and publishing capabilities varied greatly
among vendors.
l Organizational impacts of APM must be
understood and acted upon to achieve the value
anticipated.
l Priorities, selection criteria and due diligence
are vital.
About OneNeck IT Solutions
OneNeck IT Solutions LLC provides customized
solutions for Oracle hosting and management applications
including E-Business Suite, Hyperion, OBIEE and JD
Edwards. OneNeck leverages Oracle Applications to help
companies improve business processes, reduce costs and
provide better support for management decision making.
OneNeck delivers tailored, end-to-end enterprise-class IT
solutions. Visit oneneck.com.
Todays applications deliver
functionality in greater
orders of magnitude than
their predecessors did just a
few short years ago.
oaug insight l fall 2014
24
O A U G S O L U T I O N
1
24
global solutions
Some of the valuable feedback we
received following COLLABORATE
14 indicates that attendees want to see
more presentations delivered by their peers
fellow users of Oracle Applications.
Although the OAUG typically accepts
more than half of the user papers that are
submitted to the call for papers, less than
20 percent of all papers submitted come
from users.
We want to increase the number
of user-presented sessions at
COLLABORATE 15 and encourage
everyone to consider submitting a
presentation. As a conference presenter,
you will:
l Have the opportunity to give back
to the users community by sharing
ideas, tips and tricks, or lessons
learned
l Enhance your professional develop-
ment, visibility and connections
l Receive a free conference registration
As members of the OAUG conference
leadership team, each of us has valuable
experience to share to increase the
chances your paper is selected for
COLLABORATE 15. The following
information outlines the selection process
the OAUG follows and is not necessarily
followed by the IOUG or Quest paper
selection committees.
Tips and Tricks for Successful
Paper Submissions
Start With a Solid Idea. Consider how
your knowledge and experience can help
other users solve a problem; develop your
presentation idea with that in mind. Be
specific about how attendees will benefit
and what they will learn. Try to select a
topic with broad appeal that is not too
narrowly focused. Remember, there are
lots of new users at these events, so basic
topics can be very appealing.
Conference educational tracks are
determined by the COLLABORATE 15
Strategic Education Council (SEC), which
includes representatives from the OAUG,
IOUG and Quest. The OAUG publishes
a wish list of topics that are of interest to
each educational track. Choosing a topic
from the wish list increases your chances
of acceptance. Seek input from your peers
when formulating your title and abstract.
Submit Early, Submit Often. If you
have several ideas, it can be beneficial
to submit multiple topics to the call for
papers.
Create a Catchy or Descriptive Title.
A catchy, descriptive title shows that you
can be clever and will attract attention
By Kaberi Nayak,
Lissa English and
Melissa Sider
Inviting User-Submitted Content
to Exchange Real-World
Knowledge and Expertise
Submitting Successful
OAUG Conference Papers
25 oaug. org
during the paper voting process. Be
sure that your clever title still accurately
describes the objective and content of your
presentation.
Proofread Your Entry. Grammar
and spelling count. Poor grammar
and incorrect spelling can disqualify
your paper from being accepted. The
selection committee will wonder what the
presentation and paper will be like if the
abstract is poorly written.
Co-present with Others. Finally,
consider co-presenting with other people.
Preference is given to user-submitted
content to maximize the opportunities
for user-to-user learning and networking.
However, if you are a user working with a
systems integrator or contractor, consider
presenting together. Identify topics that
emphasize the value of the presentation
for other users (not a sales presentation).
Always give the user top billing to
highlight that it is a user presentation.
The paper selection process (Figure
1.) is unique to the COLLABORATE
conferences and the OAUG, however
there are similarities across all conference
paper processes. Once the call for papers
opens, you will have about 10 weeks to
draft and submit your title, abstract and
learning objectives. These are the only
pieces that are needed for submission.
There is no need to write a presentation or
white paper until your idea is accepted.
For COLLABORATE, the call for
papers is followed by a voting period,
during which any OAUG member
company in good standing can elect a
representative to vote on papers. Voting is
blind, which means that voters can only
see the title, abstract and objectives of the
presentation; this is why these elements
are critical in the selection process. Voters
cannot see the author or the authors
company. Once all the votes are tallied,
each room (or track) is built by a team
of people who understand the topic area.
These teams are made up of OAUG
Geographic (Geo) and Special Interest
Group (SIG) leaders and Education
Committee members. The teams meet
via conference calls to discuss the slate of
papers that will be scheduled into each
timeslot for their room. Once the rooms
have been built, submitters are notified of
the status of their submissions. Hopefully
you receive a congratulatory message,
and then the fun really begins. You will
receive specific, detailed instructions from
the speaker coordinator at the OAUG,
oaug insight l fall 2014
TIMELINE:
P
R
E
S
E
N
T
E
R
S
O
A
U
G

M
E
M
B
E
R

U
S
E
R
S
O
A
U
G

S
T
A
F
F
T
R
A
C
K

L
E
A
D
(
S
)
A
G
E
N
D
A

C
H
A
I
N
(
S
)
- 9 MONTHS
Work with Strategic
Education Council (SEC)
to Finalize Tracks
Open
Call for
Papers
Solicit
Voter
Names
Submit Paper
Titles and
Abstracts
Close
Call for
Papers
Perform Track
Authentication
Vote on
Available
Papers
Send Out
Room Build
Material
Notify
Speakers
Finalize
Agenda
Finalize
Schedule
Sign
Compliance
Agreement
Submit
Papers and
Presentations
Deliver Free
Registration
Codes
Deliver Papers at
COLLABORATE
Event
Deliver
Voter
Credentials
- 8 MONTHS - 6 MONTHS - 5 MONTHS - 8 WEEKS - 6 WEEKS EVENT
Create
Wish Lists
by Track
Build
Rooms
Important steps for those submitting conference abstracts. Key steps for the conference committee and paper selection team.
Figure 1: Paper Selection Process
O A U G S O L U T I O N 26
global solutions
highlighting expectations for the submission of your
presentation and white paper. Once your presentation
is submitted, you will receive your free conference
registration!
The COLLABORATE 15 call for papers
opens August 19, 2014. This year, the OAUG will
be sponsoring additional opportunities to assist
Oracle users with identifying, drafting, refining and
submitting paper abstracts. Watch for this additional
COLLABORATE 15 information.
Kaberi Nayak is a lead applications DBA with more
than 20 years experience. She has served on the OAUG
Board of Directors and in the role as chair on both the
Education and COLLABORATE Agenda Committees.
Melissa Sider is Director of Communications at AST
Corporation. She has served the OAUG in several roles over
the past 15 years, including Education Committee Chair
and COLLABORATE Agenda Chair.
Lissa English is Global Training Manager at Amway.
She has served the OAUG in multiple roles over the past
18 years, including COLLABORATE Agenda Co-Chair,
Education Committee member and currently serves as the
OAUG President Elect.
2
OAUG Young Professionals meet to discuss and learn.
Tips and Tricks for Successful
Paper Submissions
l
Start with a Solid Idea
Solve a problem
Be specifc about the beneft
and learning outcome
Appeal to a broad audience
Align with the wish lists for the
conference tracks
Seek input from peers
l
Submit Early/Submit Often
l
Create a Catchy or
Descriptive Title
l
Proofread Your Entry
l
Co-present With Others
27
oaug insight l fall 2014
oaug. org
THE OAUG YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS FORUM
Six Reasons to Take a Look
The new OAUG Young
Professionals Forum will
make it easier for you to
get work done.
With the new group, other young
professionals from around the world can
collaborate to answer the same tough
questions youre facing. Whether you have
questions about a system upgrade or your
own individual retirement account, other
members are facing the same challenges
and can help get you the answers you need.
In the new OAUG Young
Professionals Forum, there
is no such thing as a silly
question.
Lets say your boss asks you to do
something and you have no idea how to
do it. If Googling got you nowhere, our
closed LinkedIn group allows you the
opportunity to ask another professional in
your field.
We wont take up a lot of
your time, and youll find
value in the time you do
share with us.
Every two months, you can join a
one-hour conference call where well hear
from experts in the Oracle Applications
community, leaders in personal
development and peers who will discuss
new projects and ideas.
Its easy to get involved,
and youll be a part of it at
the ground floor.
Were starting the OAUG Young
Professionals Forum because you asked
for it, and your involvement at the
beginning will help you shape the young
professionals community in a way that
benefits you and your career.
Your company
can benefit.
Managers, this group will give young
professionals the tools they need to be
successful through outlets to talk to other
young professionals about mutual interests
and opportunities to promote the great
things your company is working on.
Investing in yourself
early in your career
is smart.
Those of you just getting started in
your career have an advantage many
professionals dont have: time to shape
your career into the one you want! In
the OAUG Young Professionals Forum,
youll meet other young professionals with
the same goals and skills, and together,
youll have an opportunity to give
yourself a leg up on the average young
professional who isnt involved in any
industry groups.
Every day, you invest in products and
services that you find valuable. Today,
make the decision to invest in yourself by
joining the OAUG Young Professionals
Forum! You wont regret it. For more
information, check out our webpage
at http://oaug.org/membership/young-
professionals or contact Anna Groce at
AGroce@oaug.org.
If you no longer consider yourself a
young professional, be sure to tell your
junior colleagues about the formation of
this new group.
1
2
3
4
6
5
Are you a young professional looking for a way to make your life easier
at work? Have you been meaning to figure that out? Do you wish you
could meet like-minded professionals in the industry who also share your
goals and talents? If you answered yes to any of these questions or you
know someone who would, a new OAUG Young Professionals Forum
invites your participation. Here are six reasons why:
28
S
What is a Special Interest
Group (SIG)?
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are
user groups that bring together members
that share a common interest with specific
Oracle Applications products. SIGs
may also bring together members that
represent a specific industry, such as the
public sector or manufacturing. Additional
SIGs are affiliated in response to the
development and expansion of the family
of Oracle Applications. SIGs are open for
worldwide membership and operate online
communities, with many hosting meetings
at the annual COLLABORATE or Oracle
OpenWorld conferences.
A complete list of SIGs, upcoming
meetings, website addresses and contact
information is available at oaug.org under
the User Communities tab.
Update on
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
l ADI SIG
l AP SIG*
l AR, Credit & Collections SIG*
l Archive & Purge SIG
l Assets SIG*
l BI Publisher SIG
l Change Management SIG
l Channel Revenue SIG
l Communications
Billing and Revenue
Management (BRM) SIG
l Communications MetaSolv
Solution SIG
l Configurator SIG*
l Consumer Goods SIG
l Contracts SIG
l Cost Management SIG*
l Customer Experience
Community (CXC)
CRM On Demand SIG
Siebel SIG
l Customization and
Alternative SIG
l Database SIG
l Demantra SIG
l Discrete Manufacturing SIG
l E-Business Applications
Technology SIG*
l E-Business Suite SIG
l E-Business Suite User
Management SIG
l EDI (e-Commerce Gateway) SIG
l Endeca SIG
l Energy & Utilities SIG
l Engineering & Construction SIG
l Enterprise Asset
Management (EAM) SIG*
l Enterprise Manager SIG
l Federal SIG
l Financial Services Industry SIG
l Fusion Middleware SIG
l General Ledger (GL) SIG*
l Governance, Risk &
Compliance SIG
l Government Contractor SIG
l Higher Education SIG
l Hyperion SIG*
l Incentive Compensation SIG
l K-12 Education SIG
l Logistics SIG
l Master Data Management SIG
l Migration and Integration SIG
l Multi-National SIG*
l Oracle Business Intelligence
Big Data SIG (OBI-BD SIG)
l Oracle Primavera SIG (OPSIG)
l Order Management &
Advanced Pricing (QP) SIG
l Oracle Tax Management SIG*
l OTM SIG
l Process Manufacturing SIG
l Procurement SIG
l Projects SIG
l Public Sector SIG*
l Quality SIG
l SysAdmin SIG
l UPK SIG
l Upgrade SIG
l Value Chain Planning SIG
l Workflow SIG
2014 Special Interest Groups
* Special Acknowledgement 2014 OAUG Geo/SIG
Certificate of Distinction Award recipient
oaug sig update
O A U G G E O S & S I G S
28
29
A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
OAUG associate members have the
opportunity to host educational sessions,
which are held several times each month.
These interactive webcasts provide
information about a variety of products
and services that complement Oracle
Applications. Visit oaug.org and click
on the Partners tab for details.
If you are an Associate member of the OAUG and
would like to host a Vendor Awareness session, visit
oaug.org and click on the Partners tab, or send an
e-mail to mnessing@oaug.com, or call +1 404.760.8179.
OAUG Vendor
Awareness Sessions
Reserve your session today!
A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
OAUG associate members have the
opportunity to host educational sessions,
which are held several times each month.
These interactive webcasts provide
information about a variety of products
and services that complement Oracle
Applications. Visit oaug.org and click
on the Partners tab for details.
If you are an Associate member of the OAUG and
would like to host a Vendor Awareness session, visit
oaug.org and click on the Partners tab, or send an
e-mail to mnessing@oaug.com, or call +1 404.760.8179.
OAUG Vendor
Awareness Sessions
Reserve your session today!
30 O A U G G E O S & S I G S
Oracle OpenWorld 2014
User Group Sunday - September 28, 2014
OAUG Geographic (Geo) and
Special Interest Group (SIG) Meetings
at Oracle OpenWorld 2014
Search the Session ID in the Oracle OpenWorld 2014 Content Catalog to
add sessions to your schedule. www.oracle.com/openworld
Session ID Geographic User Group (Geo) Session Title
SIG9188 Atlanta OAUG Meeting
SIG9185 Central States OAUG Meeting
SIG9076 DC OAUG Meeting
SIG9103 Eastern States OAUG Meeting
SIG9178 Florida OAUG (FLOAUG) Meeting
SIG9183 LatinOAUG Meeting
SIG9080 Michigan OAUG (MI OAUG) Meeting
SIG9192 Mid-Atlantic OAUG Meeting
SIG9082 New England OAUG Meeting
SIG9150 North Central Oracle Applications User Group (NCOAUG) Meeting
SIG9186 Northern California OAUG (NorCal OAUG) Meeting
SIG9101 Northern Ohio OAUG Meeting
SIG9179 Northwest Oracle Users Group (NWOUG) Meeting
SIG9193 Ohio Valley OAUG Meeting
SIG9194 Pittsburgh OAUG Meeting
SIG9066 San Diego Oracle Applications User Group (SDOAUG) Meeting
SIG9200 Southern Ontario OAUG (SOOAUG) Meeting
Session ID Special Interest Group (SIG) Session Title
SIG9104 OAUG Accounts Payable (AP) SIG Meeting
SIG9072 OAUG ADI SIG Meeting
SIG9069 OAUG AR, Credit and Collections SIG Meeting
SIG9075 OAUG Archive & Purge SIG Meeting
SIG9154 OAUG Asset SIG Meeting
SIG9151 OAUG Business Intelligence-Big Data SIG (OBI-BD SIG) Meeting
SIG9087 OAUG Channel Revenue SIG Meeting
SIG9071 OAUG Confgurator SIG Meeting
SIG9105 OAUG Cost Management Special Interest Group Meeting
SIG9181 OAUG CRM On Demand SIG Meeting
SIG9086 OAUG Customer Experience Community Meeting
SIG9074 OAUG Customizations & Alternatives SIG Meeting
SIG9102 OAUG Database SIG Meeting
oaug geos & sigs
oaug. org
31
Session ID Special Interest Group (SIG) Session Title (continued)
SIG9368 OAUG Demantra SIG Meeting
SIG9067 OAUG Discrete Manufacturing SIG Meeting
SIG9081 OAUG E-Business Suite SIG Meeting
SIG9106 OAUG EBS Applications Technology Stack Meeting
SIG9068 OAUG EBS User Management SIG Meeting
SIG9182 OAUG EDI SIG Meeting
SIG9019 OAUG Endeca Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting
SIG9083 OAUG Energy & Utility SIG Meeting (OAUG E&U SIG)
SIG9073 OAUG Enterprise Asset Management Special Interest Group (eAM SIG)
SIG9177 OAUG Enterprise Manager for Applications SIG Meeting
SIG9155 OAUG Fusion Middleware SIG Meeting
SIG9191 OAUG GL SIG Meeting
SIG9180 OAUG Governance, Risk & Compliance SIG Meeting
SIG9100 OAUG Government Contractor Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting
SIG9107 OAUG Hyperion SIG Meeting
SIG9187 OAUG Incentive Compensation SIG Meeting
SIG9156 OAUG Logistics SIG Meeting
SIG9184 OAUG Migration and Integration SIG Meeting
SIG9084 OAUG Multi-National SIG Meeting
SIG9070 OAUG OM/QP SIG Meeting
SIG9018 OAUG Process Manufacturing SIG Meeting
SIG9195 OAUG Projects SIG Meeting
SIG9202 OAUG Public Sector SIG Meeting
SIG9065 OAUG Siebel CRM Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting
SIG9196 OAUG SysAdmin SIG Meeting
SIG9152 OAUG Tax Management SIG Meeting
SIG9190 OAUG Upgrade SIG Meeting
SIG9153 OAUG UPK SIG Meeting
SIG9201 OAUG Value Chain Planning SIG (VCP SIG) Meeting
SIG9176 OAUG Workfow SIG Meeting
SIG9189 Oracle Primavera SIG (OPSIG) Meeting
Visit the OAUG in booth 3131 in Moscone West
or in the Users Group Pavilion in Moscone
South during Oracle OpenWorld 2014.
oaug.org/education-events/oracle-open-world
oaug insight l fall 2014
The Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) oaug.org info@oaug.org +1 404.240.0897
why belong to the
OAUG?
Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG)
members are equipped to improve
efciency, enhance problem solving, and
spark innovation through opportunities for
education, networking and infuence.
One of the greatest strengths of the OAUG
is connecting members with others who
can provide tips, ideas, best practices and
real-time solutions. OAUG members are
connected with thousands of colleagues
and counterparts in hundreds of other
companies who are facing the same issues.
Through OAUG involvement, members can:
Share best practices.
Learn from others users challenges,
successes and lessons learned.
Stay current on patches, upgrades
and new functionality.
Find quality education and training
on new products or versions.
Discover answers through thousands
of case studies and presentations from
real users and expert consultants.
{
Discover the benefts of
OAUG membership today:
oaug.org/membership
membership@oaug.org
+1 404. 240.0897
{ }
}
96% of OAUG members would
recommend membership. Heres why:
O
A
U
G
AUG is THE group for the Oracle
user community. Opportunities
abound for education and
networking among your peers.

bargain and essential


membership for anyone
who uses Oracle Applications.
sers of Oracle Applications
should all participate in the
organization due to the
beneft in networking
and education.
reat users group for
anyone who uses, develops
or manages any of the
Oracle product line.

33 oaug. org
why belong to the
OAUG?
Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG)
members are equipped to improve
efciency, enhance problem solving, and
spark innovation through opportunities for
education, networking and infuence.
One of the greatest strengths of the OAUG
is connecting members with others who
can provide tips, ideas, best practices and
real-time solutions. OAUG members are
connected with thousands of colleagues
and counterparts in hundreds of other
companies who are facing the same issues.
Through OAUG involvement, members can:
Share best practices.
Learn from others users challenges,
successes and lessons learned.
Stay current on patches, upgrades
and new functionality.
Find quality education and training
on new products or versions.
Discover answers through thousands
of case studies and presentations from
real users and expert consultants.
{
Discover the benefts of
OAUG membership today:
oaug.org/membership
membership@oaug.org
+1 404. 240.0897
{ }
}
96% of OAUG members would
recommend membership. Heres why:
O
A
U
G
AUG is THE group for the Oracle
user community. Opportunities
abound for education and
networking among your peers.

bargain and essential


membership for anyone
who uses Oracle Applications.
sers of Oracle Applications
should all participate in the
organization due to the
beneft in networking
and education.
reat users group for
anyone who uses, develops
or manages any of the
Oracle product line.

See Whats New


on OAUG.org
Now its easier than ever to get the answers you need. The enhanced search
on oaug.org quickly and easily connects you with best practices, case studies,
and real user experiences. Visit oaug.org today!
Everyone can search the OAUG website for
quick access to answers, but only OAUG
member company employees can:
Download problem-solving papers and presentations from
real users and expert consultants.
Listen to eLearning webinar recordings on relevant topics.
Read thought-provoking articles in OAUG Insight magazine.
If your organization isnt an OAUG member yet, join today!
Contact membership@oaug.org or +1.404.240.0897 for more information.
O A U G G E O S & S I G S 34
oaug. org
Update on
Geographic User Groups (Geos)
2014 Geographic User
Groups
l Atlanta OAUG*
l AUSOUG (Australia)
l British Columbia OAUG
l Calgary OAUG
l Central States OAUG
l Colorado OAUG
l DC-OAUG
l Eastern States OAUG
l Florida OAUG
l German Oracle Users Group (DOAG)
l Heartland OUG
l India OAUG*
l Japan-OAUG
l Latin OAUG
l Michigan OAUG*
l Mid-Atlantic OAUG*
l Middle East OUG
l Netherlands OAUG
l Nevada OAUG*
l New England OAUG*
l New Jersey OAUG
l New South Wales OAUG
l North Central OAUG*
l Northern California OAUG*
l Northern Ohio OAUG*
l Northwest OUG
l NYC Metro OAUG (New York City)
l Ohio Valley OAUG*
l ORAUG-Brazil
l Pittsburgh OAUG
l Queensland OAUG
l San Diego OAUG
l South Texas OAUG
l Southern Australia OAUG
l Southern Ontario OAUG
l Southwest Regional OAUG*
l Texas/Louisiana OAUG
l Twin Cities Financials OAUG*
l Twin Cities Manufacturing OAUG
l Victorian OAUG
l Western Australia OAUG
* Special Acknowledgement 2014 OAUG
Geo/SIG Certificate of Distinction Award
Recipient
Geos and SIGs serve the grassroots of the Oracle
community and offer additional educational
opportunities and new product enhancements through
their links with Oracle Corporation.

oaug geo update
G
What is a Geographic User Group (Geo)?
Geographic user groups (Geos) are independent OAUG affiliated user
groups that bring together a variety of Oracle Applications users within
a defined geographic region. Geos create opportunities for members to
discuss a variety of applications and share ideas. Currently, the OAUG has
Geo affiliates in the continental United States, Canada, AsiaPac, Latin
America and EMEA.
There are many benefits of membership and participation in a users
local Geo. These benefits include:
l Communication with OAUG members to learn tips and tricks for
installation, integration, utilization and maintenance of Oracle
Applications.
l Knowledge of best practices from colleagues utilizing Oracle
Applications.
l Local meetings and training sessions featuring Oracle experts.
l Direct access to local Oracle management and much more.
A complete list of Geo groups, upcoming meetings, website
addresses and contact information is available at oaug.org under the
User Communities tab.
T
h
e

a
l
l
-
n
e
w
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a
p
e
r

D
a
t
a
b
a
s
e
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o
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r
e
n
c
e
m
a
k
e
s

g
e
t
t
i
n
g

a
n
s
w
e
r
s
e
a
s
i
e
r

t
h
a
n

e
v
e
r
.
The OAUG Conference Paper
Database includes thousands
of white papers and presentations
from dozens of OAUG
conferences over the past
several years.
Everyone can search the OAUG
Conference Paper Database, but only
employees of OAUG member companies
can download the presentations. If your
organization is not a member yet, please join
online or contact the membership staf at
+1.404.240.0897 or membership@oaug.com
to learn more about the many
benets of OAUG membership.
View the re-designed
and enhanced Conference
Paper Database on
oaug.org and see how
easy it is to nd:
Best practices
Productivity tips
Real user experiences
36 O A U G M E M B E R S H I P

Returning Associate
Members:
Accenture
Apps Associates
Atherio Inc
BIAS Corporation
Business & Decision
CedarCrestone
Centric Consulting
Edgewater Ranzal
Experis
Lucidity Consulting Group LP
MOD43
NTT Data, Inc.
Rhapsody Technologies, Inc.
Solution Beacon
Thirdware Solution
Returning Individual
Associate Members:
Douglas Volz Consulting, Inc.
Dynamique Solutions LLC
Fiteni International, LLC
ICE Associates, LLC
JRPJR, Inc.
Neopoint Consulting, Inc.
Sai Super Software Solutions Inc.
Yash Software Solutions Inc.
Returning User
Members:
AAI Corporation
Accellent, Inc.
ACI Worldwide
Alkermes Inc.
Alpha Natural Resources
Altec, Inc.
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
AmeriCredit Corp.
Amerifit Brands, Inc
AMS Baeshen & Co.
ANZA, Inc. (Holien, Inc.)
APT Management Services
Associated Wholesalers, Inc. (AWI)
ATI-Wah Chang
Atmos Energy Corporation
Atrium Medical Corporation
AXIS Capital
BC Liquor Distribution
Branch (BCLDB)
Black & Veatch Corporation
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners
British Columbia Ferry
Services (BCFS)
Broadridge Financial Solutions
Browning
Bunnings Pty. Ltd.
Bureau of Engraving & Printing
Bureau of Meteorology
Burns & McDonnell
Caresoft Inc.
Carnival Corporation & PLC
CDM Smith Inc.
Celgene Corp.
Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services
Central Florida YMCA
Charles River Associates
Chase Brass and Copper Co. LLC
Citizens Energy Group
City of Chandler, Arizona
City of Lakeland
City of Las Vegas
City of Salem, Oregon
City of St. Petersburg
Clinical Reference Laboratory
Cochlear Limited - Australia
Colonial Pipeline Company
Correctional Service Canada
Credit Acceptance Corporation
Creighton University
Cretex Inc.
CSX Technology
Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Cymer, Inc.
Denso International America
Department of Transport WA
Dept. of Agriculture & Food
Development Dimensions Intl. (DDI)
Easter Seals UCP North Carolina
Eaton Corporation
Enterprise Products
Experian
Extendicare Health Services, Inc.
Fair Isaac Company
Federal-Mogul Corporation
Federated Investors Inc.
Financial Management Authority
Flinders University
Florida State University
Fortune Brands Windows and Doors
Fujitsu Computer Products
of America
Gander Mountain
Gates Corporation
General Dynamics Land
Systems (GDLS)
Genpak LLC
Government of Ontario
Government of Saskatchewan
Graco Inc
Group Publishing, Inc.
Hansen Corporation
Harvard Vanguard Medical
Associates
Hazelden
Home Retail Group.
Horton Holding Inc.
Hotsos Enterprises, Ltd.
IAEA
Illuminat (Trinidad & Tobago) Limited
Interval Holdings, Inc.
Intuit, Inc.
iRobot Corporation
JEA
Kaba Australia Pty. Ltd.
Kensey Nash Corporation
(DSM Biomedical)
Keurig Green Mountain Inc.
Kinetic IT
Landcorp
Landgate
Las Vegas Valley Water District
Legislative Data Center
Logan Aluminum Corp.
Loudoun County Government
Luminex
M. A. Mortenson Company
Manitowoc Company
Mark Gurry & Associates
Marquette University
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
MEGTEC Systems, Inc.
Memphis Light, Gas and
Water Division
Mercury Marine
Mitsui E&P USA LLC
MKS Instruments, Inc.
Mood Media
Mutual Materials
NABP
National Board of Medical Examiners
National Industries for the Blind
National Lime and Stone
New Flyer Industries Limited
Newpark Resources, Inc.
NISource Inc.
Northern Tier Energy
NOW Health Group, Inc.
NSF International
NYC School Construction Authority
Ohio University
OReilly Media, Inc.
Organization for Security and
Co-Operation (OSCE)
Origin Energy
Orscheln Farm &.Home
Orthofix, Inc.
Oshkosh Corporation
Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office
Paradigm
Parker Drilling
Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc.
Pellerin Milnor Corporation
Pinellas County Government
Pixar Animation Studios
Princess Cruises
ProQuest LLC
Province of Prince Edward Island
PTI Technologies, Inc.
Queensland Health
Quest Diagnostics
Rack Room Shoes
RACWA
Rand Corporation
Realogy Corp.
Research Foundation of SUNY
RGIS
Rheem Manufacturing
Rockefeller University
Rogers Group Inc.
San Diego State University
Santos Ltd.
Sealed Air Corporation
Select Medical Corporation
Snap-on Business Solutions
Source Interlink Companies
Southwestern Power Administration
New and Returning Members
global users
oaug. org
The OAUG welcomes the following new and returning
members who joined April 1, 2014, through June 30, 2014.
Stanford University
Stemilt Growers LLC
Stryker SA
Sunflower Electric Power
Corporation
Swinburne University of Technology
Talent2
TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
Terracon
Textron
The Macerich Company
The Washington Post
Towers Watson
Toyota Boshoku America (TBA)
Transport Canada
U. S. Pharmacopeia (USP)
UniFirst
United States Steel
University of Bergen/Uni Research
University of Pennsylvania
University of Virginia - ISDS
Valspar
ViaSat
Virginia Department of
Motor Vehicles
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission (WSSC)
Welchs
Wesco Distribution, Inc.
Western Union
Westpac Banking Corporation
World Wide Technology
New Associate
Members:
Midtown Consulting Group
TurnKey Solutions Corp.
New Individual
Associate Members:
Aerie Bridge Solutions, Inc.
Dennis Nelson
Far Beyond Contacts
Highpoint Solutions Inc.
JoMax Consulting LLC
Richard Byrom Consulting
Synchroniz
Vantage Solutions LLC
Wolnski Scheduling Services, Inc.
New User Members:
BMC Software Inc.
City of Chicago
City West Water
Crane Aerospace and Electronics
Foresee Consulting
Genpact
Laser Spine Institute LLC
Lincoln Financial Group
LinkedIn Corporation
Louisville Water
Montgomery County
Motorola, Inc.
NYC Health and Hospitals Corp.
Parkway Corporation
Synaptics

oaug insight l fall 2014
38 O A U G M E M B E R S H I P
38
global users
I
In this issue of OAUG Insight
magazine, we focus the spotlight
on Sangeeta Sameer, a veteran
implementer and user of Oracle
Applications and long-time member
of the OAUG. Currently an IT leader
at General Electric (GE), Sangeeta
has been actively involved in the
OAUG since 1998. She has also
been heavily involved in the larger
Oracle community, having worked for
Oracle Corp. as a senior principal
consultant from 1996 to 2002.
To punctuate her active OAUG
involvement, Sangeeta has delivered
at least one OAUG conference
presentation during each decade
since the OAUG was founded in
1990. She has been a key speaker
at OAUG conferences in 1999, 2006
and this year at COLLABORATE 14.
Her participation does not stop
there. Prompted by her curiosity
to learn more about the issues
faced by multinational corporations,
Sangeeta joined the Multi-National
Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2006
and has been an active member
since. This year she increased
her role in the SIG by becoming
an associate board member.
Sangeetas involvement with
the OAUG continues to grow as
she shares her expertise through
a series of informative conference
and webinar presentations. She
co-presented an education session at
the COLLABORATE 2014 conference in
April with David Haimes of Oracle Corp.
titled, Case Study: Balancing by 2
Segments in Release 12.1.3 of Oracle
E-Business Suite, which describes the
custom solution that GE implemented
in collaboration with Oracle to achieve
Balancing by 2 segments in
Release 12.1.3 of Oracle
E-Business Suite (EBS). The
presentation was so well
received by the audience
that it was reproduced as
a webinar for the Multi-
National SIG on June 11.
As added proof of the
presentations popularity, it will also
be presented on Oct. 15 in the Best
of COLLABORATE 14 OAUG Forum
eLearning series, which profiles 60
of the highest rated sessions from
COLLABORATE 14 live via webinar
between July and October.
Sangeeta co-presented another
webinar for the Multi-National SIG on
July 23, 2014, titled, OAUG Multi-
National SIG: Customer Use Cases
Multi-Country Operating Units &
Ledgers in Release 12.1.3 of Oracle
E-Business Suite, which presented
different use cases on how multi-
national customers are simplifying the
EBS Structure with R12 functionality.
When asked what she appreciates
the most about her experience with
the OAUG, Sangeetas voice betrayed
a smile. She highlighted the benefits
of staying abreast of constant software
developments and the accessibility
of timely educational materials. In
addition, she greatly appreciates how
inclusive she finds
the opportunities
offered through
OAUG knowledge-
sharing events. She
has always enjoyed
the opportunity
to network and
exchange ideas,
stating that the information she
gains always finds a way to positively
impact her experience with Oracle
Applications, and her work at GE.
Sangeeta added, the OAUG Conference
Paper Database on the OAUG website
is an extremely useful resource to
further enhance understanding of
the changing Oracle Applications
atmosphere, and she regularly points
coworkers and friends to this resource
to help further their knowledge.
She encourages members to
attend and present at the OAUG
conferences, stating that the
rewards from this experience are
always significant. The OAUG gives
everyone a chance to present,
no matter what background they
come from, said Sangeeta. When
professionals with diverse experiences
and with different credentials, from
different nations come together,
it creates a highly collaborative
environment and a focused
avenue for knowledge sharing.
Aside from her noteworthy role
with the OAUG and her involvement
in the Multi-National SIG, Sangeeta
enjoys reading and traveling. Ever the
curious one, she attempts to visit
new destinations to explore historical
sites and different cultures for
vacation with her husband, in addition
to visiting family and friends.
OAUG Member Snapshot:
Sangeeta Sameer


The OAUG gives everyone a
chance to present, no matter what
background they come from.


oaug. org

OAUG
E-Business Suite
V E N D O R C O R N E R 40
Rescue Your Month End
& Save Time Using GL Wand
Learn More go.excel4apps.com/products/Oracle/GL-Wand-5
Shorten Your Month End by 2-7 Days:
Quickly building adhoc reports
Real-time report refreshes within Excel
Drilling to subledger or SLA details
End users becoming self suffcient
Filling the gap left by loss of Client ADI
Effectively replacing Discoverer
vendor corner
EDITORS NOTE: The Vendor Corner section of OAUG Insight provides
information on products from OAUG vendor members. The OAUG does not
specifically endorse any product or service from any of our vendor members.
By Chris Meyer, President Americas & Europe, Excel4apps
Special Advertising Section
s one of the worlds leading
publishers of womens
fiction, Harlequin Enterprises
sells books in 34 languages on
six continents. Given its complex
business structure and goals, the
Toronto-based company needed
a clear picture of its finances.
A
LEVEL FIVE
excel4apps is a
2014 OAUG
Star Partner
Harlequin Replaces
Oracle Financial
Statement Generator
with GL Wand for
vendor corner
FAST REPORTING OF
REAL
-
TIME DATA
The company installed Oracle
E-Business Suite (EBS) in North
America to provide such data, but when
it implemented Oracle R11 and then
R12 at larger overseas offices, it became
obvious that more was needed to
capture a better view of financial details.
A year into having our German
and Japanese offices on Oracle,
the biggest complaint was that
reporting was extremely frustrating,
said Kirk Marshall, director of
overseas finance for Harlequin.
On top of being unattractive, these
reports from the Oracle Financial
Statement Generator (FSG) were
difficult to create and maintain.
Users Save 10-15 Minutes
on Each Query
As Harlequin began searching
for another financial reporting tool,
Marshall heard how GL Wand from
Excel4apps empowers end users with a
powerful Microsoft Excel front end to
live Oracle data. He was so impressed
with the softwares capability to
create attractive reports and drill into
transactional details that in September
2012, Harlequin became a beta
implementation site for GL Wand 5,
a new version of the software.
Today, Harlequins GL Wand
users produce attractive, readable
financial reports faster than ever. The
tool is used for standard month- and
year-end financial reports, as well
as management reports. Users save
10-15 minutes on each account
query. Because we can perform a
drill down on a number as opposed
to going into Oracle and performing
account inquiries each time theres a
question, we are seeing considerable
time savings, Marshall said.
Quick Installation,
More Details
With its Java-based framework, GL
Wand 5 was quickly installed too
easily to be called an implementation,
Marshall said, a fact that was
appreciated by the IT department.
Also, a simple update of GL Wand 5
on the server upgrades all PCs, making
deployment even more convenient.
For users, learning the Excel-
based system was easy, and Marshall
especially appreciates the fact that
GL Wand works off live data and
not a static cube. This access to real-
time data is especially important
during the financial close process.
Another benefit GL Wand 5
provides is better service levels for
Harlequins business managers.
Financial users send snapshots of
relevant reports to non-financial
executives, with advanced drill downs
into data of the greatest interest to
them.
GL Wand also enables easy isolation
of detail through Chart of Accounts,
a feature that helps meet Harlequins
unique business requirements.
In the Chart of Accounts, we have
a business channel segment, product
segment, geography segment and then
natural accounts, said Marshall. We
can isolate any level of detail through
GL Wand because it reads the Chart
of Accounts hierarchies in Oracle.
Also, although existing FSGs can
be exported into GL Wand 5 where
they populate quickly with minimum
repetitive work, Harlequin chose instead
to build new reports in GL Wand 5.
Its just a very easy process, and the
format could be much improved over
existing FSGs, Marshall described.
Reporting: Now the Best
Thing about Oracle
After Tokyo and Hamburg, the
companys Madrid office implemented
Oracle EBS R12 with GL Wand 5 in
January 2014. Word of GL Wands
success spread quickly, so Harlequin
bought licenses for its North American
offices. For Harlequin, the best news
is that GL Wand gives the company
the ability to extend Oracle around the
world, without reservations about its
financial reporting limitations.
Excel4apps is a provider of Excel-
based reporting, inquiry and budget
uploading solutions for Oracle. Contact
Chris at chris.meyer@excel4apps.com or
visit www.excel4apps.com/oracle to access
a free trial of the GL Wand solution today.
Special Advertising Section
He was so impressed with the softwares
capability to create attractive reports
and drill into transactional details that in
September 2012, Harlequin became a
beta implementation site for GL Wand 5,
a new version of the software.
vendor corner
41
oaug. org
42 O A U G C O N N E C T I V I T Y
Next Best Action
An emerging engagement paradigm can elevate
customer experience to the next level.
oracle directions
Examples of next best action include presenting
customized brand imagery to a prospect based on
personal interests, providing a unique offer to a
customer who is close to achieving a loyalty reward,
proactively notifying customers of a potential problem
with their purchased product, responding to customers
via their preferred channel, or making a special offer to
a customer who had a bad service experience.
Companies that are adopting this paradigm are being
rewarded with improved customer acquisition, increased
loyalty and greater share of wallet. For example, a major
telecommunications company implemented next best
action across Web, contact center and in-store channels
and reported increased sales conversions, faster service
response and a 20 percent reduction in customer churn.
A major cruise line was able to increase on-shore
excursions and use of on-board amenities by 14 percent
by dynamically delivering the most-relevant imagery and
offers to prospects.
Next best action strategies require a holistic approach
encompassing the systems necessary to organize
the data, the tools to effectively analyze it and the
applications and business processes to translate insight
into action. Here are the key elements of successful next
best action strategies.
Business strategy alignment. Next best
action strategies start with a clearly defined business
strategy. Is it more critical to acquire new customers or
grow existing ones? Where is the business struggling the
most? Where are the biggest opportunities? Answering
these questions helps guide the most impactful next best
action use cases. Align use cases with the business need
and focus on situations where there are high volumes of
repeatable interactions.
Modern data platform. A modern data platform
is critical to ensure real-time access to structured
and unstructured customer information. Datasources
useful for next best action strategies include customer
demographics, purchase and service history, click stream,
brand sentiment, channel preferences and personal
interests and affiliations. The first step is to establish an
integrated view of this data, identify interrelationships
42
s customer interactions
increase across an
expanding number
of communication channels,
business leaders are struggling
to understand and engage with
each customer effectively. To
address this challenge, leading
organizations are adopting
strategies around next best
action, a decision-support
model that systematically
identifies the next best step
to take in the customer
conversation whether that
action is providing additional
information or targeted
services, presenting a unique
offer or taking no action at all.
By Mark A. Stevens
A
oaug. org
43
and make the information securely available for analysis
on a real-time basis.
Predictive analytics. Predictive analytics
are necessary to analyze historical trends and assign
probabilities to different customer scenarios. For example,
what is the likelihood that a customer will accept an
upsell offer? Predictive analytics are the secret sauce of
next best action because they help inform what is best or
optimal within defined constraints.
Business rules. Business rules define the type of
communication a specific customer receives at a specific
point. For example, if a customer owns one product and
there are no pending customer service issues, provide a
related offer. Once defined, these rules can be deployed
across channels.
Speed. The speed of analyzing and responding to
information is critical. Customers do not want to wait for
a response while a system performs complex algorithms
and permutations. Systems must be able to deliver the
next best action at the speed of conversation or click.
Ultimately, success with next best action strategies
requires adopting a new mindset that shifts the very idea of
marketing and service from one-to-many initiatives to one-
to-one dialogue. For companies with outstanding customer
experience as a goal, this is your next best action.
Mark A. Stevens is vice president, Insight and
Customer Strategy, at Oracle.
From Oracles Profit magazine, reprinted with permission.
Be sure to ask your software vendors with integration to Oracle
Applications if they have Oracle Validated Integration.
With Oracle Validated Integration, Oracle Applications customers
can be confident that a partners integration has been tested and
validated by Oracle as functionally and technically sound, that the
partner solution is integrated with Oracle Applications in a reliable,
standards-based way, and that the integration operates and performs as
documented.
For the most current list of Oracle Validated Integrations, please
visit http://www.oracle.com/us/partnerships/solutions/index.html.
An Excel Front End to
E-Business Suite Data
Learn More go.excel4apps.com/insight14
Save your fnance users 3-4 days
per month with GL Wand
Next best action strategies
require a holistic approach
encompassing the systems
necessary to organize the data,
the tools to effectively analyze
it, and the applications and
business processes to translate
insight into action.
44 O A U G M E M B E R B E N E F I T S 44
According to the recent OAUG
member survey, access to education
and training is one of the most
valuable aspects of belonging to
the OAUG and one of the primary
reasons people join the OAUG.
With OAUG eLearning webinars,
you can get the answers you
need without leaving your desk.
OAUG eLearning webinars are
short, targeted sessions on relevant
topics presented by real users
and expert consultants. When you
participate in a live OAUG eLearning
webinar, youll be able to hear the
presentation, follow along with
the slides and ask questions.
Plus, recordings of each session
are posted on the OAUG website
following the presentation.
The Best of COLLABORATE
14 OAUG Forum eLearning
series, featuring 60 of the best
sessions from the COLLABORATE
14 conference, is going on
through mid-October. And, of
course, the recordings from all
sessions are available online.
If youre using EBS Release
12.1.3, youll want to mark your
calendar for this webinar on
October 15: Case Study: Balancing
by 2 Segments in Release
12.1.3, presented by Sangeeta
Sameer of General Electric.
Or, if youre an OBIEE user, dont
miss the October 10 webinar: Best
Practices in Tuning and Monitoring
Oracle Business Intelligence
Enterprise Edition, presented
by Raghav Venkat from
the City of Las Vegas.
OAUG eLearning webinars
on Primavera and Hyperion
are coming soon. Visit the
OAUG eLearning page on
oaug.org/education-
events/elearning to
learn more about
the upcoming
webinars in your
area of interest.
Registration for OAUG eLearning
sessions is free but limited to
OAUG members only. If your
organization is not an OAUG
member, join today so that you can
participate in these valuable, no-cost
educational opportunities.
MEMBER BENEFIT SHOWCASE
eLearning Webinars
Bring the Education to You
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