Setup WebADI Budget Wizard in Oracle Applications 11.5.10.2

Some may have already discovered that WebADI Budget Wizard does not work out of the box. In order to get budget functionality in WebADI, one must perform a few additional steps. The steps below should be done on a Oracle Applications 11.5.10.2 instance.

1. First apply patch - 6898666. This patch is available via Metalink. As always, please review the prereqs. If you are patched up to 11.5.10.2, you should be fine.

2. In order to upload budgets with Excel, you will need to create the profile option, "GL: Default Desktop Viewer". You can find more information pertaining to the steps for setting up this profile option in Metalink note 556280.1.

3. When trying to upload a budget for the first time, you may encounter the error: "You do not have permission to access this functionality". This error is normal. It can be corrected by setting the profile option: "BNE Allow No Security Rule" to Yes at the Responsibility level. You can find more information pertaining to this error in Metalink note 559924.1.

With the three steps above you will be uploading budgets via WebADI in no time.


Bonus Tip: How to setup WebADI for multiple sets of books.

1. First create a new responsibility for WebADI, similar to the WebADI responsibility seeded. (Copy the menu name and data group seeded in the responsibilities setup form.)
2. Associate the new responsibility with the SOB via the "GL: Set of Books Name" profile option at the responsibility level.
3. Assign the responsibility to a user.
4. Ask the user to use it!

Oracle Acronyms FMW, PIP, and AIA

I just read a great document on Fusion, but had to pull out my Oracle Acronym dictionary to get through it. Thought I would post these acronyms on my blog to educate others.

FMW - Fusion Middleware
PIP - Process Integration Pack
AIA - Application Integration Architecture
HCM - Human Capital Management

Oracle's response to Cloud Computing and SAAS

Charles Phillips shares Oracle's direction on cloud computing and software as a service (SAAS.) Click here to view the video.

This event was hosted primarily by the Atlanta MIT Enterprise Forum and the Oracle Applications User's Group. In summary, Oracle has some customers using the cloud computing roadmap. In the forum, it is evident there is still some confusion between cloud computing and hosting.

• The pricing model is still undefined.
  
• There are no true standards (therefore the cost of on-boarding or off-boarding can be expensive.)
• The privacy and data security models are undefined.
  
• The service is best for "throw-away" business functions. (Those functions that are not a company's core competency and may be potentially short-lived; not requiring a large investment.)

Top 10 Features in the Release 12 Credit-to-Cash Process Flow

Feature 1: Revenue Contingency Life Cycle
Feature 2: Revenue Recognition Accounting Standards
Feature 3: Flexible Billing Cycles

• Billing cycles can be selected ad-hoc during invoice creation.
• Consolidated Billing (Balance Forward Billing) can also be generated via BPA in R12.

Feature 4: Enhanced Late Charges
Feature 5: More Accurately Apply Customer Payments

• Line level cash application. Apply cash to a invoice line or group of lines
• New Receipt Workbench

Feature 6: Attachment Printing in BPA

• This feature is enabled with a new system profile option. ‘AR: BA Print Attachment Document%’ Set the category for printing.
• This allows you to print attachments that are associated with the invoice

Feature 7: Make better credit decisions with credit management
Feature 8: Interest calculation in the cash management module

• Interest rate schedules
• Notional cash pool (Euro)
• On-line calculator

Feature 9: Refund Automation

• Automatic refunds for Auto Invoice credit memos
• Simplified manual refund process
  
• Refund approval workflow (AP)

Feature 10: Credit Card Chargeback Processing

• In this process, you are responsible for sending the funds back to the bank on behalf of the customer.
• Simplified credit card chargeback processing

Reference: Oracle OpenWorld Session: Top 10 Features in the Release 12 Credit-to-Cash Process Flow that Can Make Your Job Easier Today

Oracle Projects Release 12 New Features

Oracle Projects Release 12 New Features:

• Daily Business Intelligence enhanced
• Project Portfolio Analysis
• MOAC - Multi-Org Access Control
  
• Removal of supplier cost adjustment restrictions. (These no longer go back to AP; they now go directly to SLA.)
• New reconciliation report between AP and Projects
• Enhanced “redesigned” expenditure inquiry with batched adjustments

Oracle Projects Release 12.1 New Features:

• MSP 2007 Certification
• Improved Services Procurement Integration
• Enhanced integration between HR and Project Resource Management
• UPK content for EBS
• BI Publisher reporting
• Setup Automation
• Project Manager Reporting Pack
• Self Service Expenditure Inquiry (You can drill down to the detailed transactions from the PM Workbench.)
• Secure Enterprise Search

Some of the features included in the reporting pack

• Get info in a disconnected method
• Allow customers to configure the look and feel
• There are templates setup for reporting out of the box.
• Projects Analytics
  

Reference Oracle OpenWorld Session: Oracle E-Business Suite Projects Release 12, What’s New in 12.1 and Beyond

Oracle Accounts Payables R12 New Features

Major initiatives enhancing Payables in R12:

• SLA - Sub-ledger Accounting
  
• Enchanced TCA model
  
• Multi-org Access Control - MOAC
  
• New Payments and Bank Model
• Ebusiness Tax

Sub-legder Accounting (SLA)

• Centralized accounting engine and data model
  
• Full drill down capabilities
• Draft and Final accounting from the invoice workbench. (You can accept create post accounting from the invoice workbench.)

TCA is a centralized data model:

• TCA is now part of the supplier integration
• You can also use the geographically within TCA to validate and calculation tax based on the hierarchy.

Oracle Payments

• Stores all of the payments related to a party
• Centralized bank model
• Centralized payment model
• Complete payment and receipt processing engine
• Supports multiple tranmission protocols
• Payment batch can pay across ou's
• Ability to configure as many payment methods as required based on rules
• Enhanced disbursement process

E-business Tax

• Tax is not longer based on tax codes
• A tax simulator we allow you to confirm the rate/setups
• Self-service for tax managers

Payables Module enhancements:

• Invoice lines table is added to join with invoice distributions
• Track complex contracts execution (used for large projects.)
• It will account for any advances when trying to Pay an invoice. (Research how this is different from AR/AP netting.)
• Also handles any retainer amounts entered into the applications.
• Workflows are atvailable to handle hold dispues

Reference: Oracle OpenWorld 2008 Session: Accounts Payables Get a Makeover in R12

How CMU uses Framework Personalizations

In this presentation, Carnegie Melon showed the personalization options they used with Internet Expenses. These personalizations can be used with any SSWA.

CMU implemented OIE because of Pcards. They setup separate templates for PCards and Expense Reports.

There were a 4 profile options that needed to be set. (Download presentation for full list)

Have to be on the page to customize the page by clicking the 'Personalization' link. The presenter did a demonstration of the following:

• Removing a button.
• Changed the button name
• Rename column labels
  
• Hide columns
• Changed field column names
• You can also hide train links (You can remove steps along the process)
• Had to add plsql to manage the train link when the user navigates backward.
• Reorder the columns
• Add items

Miscellaneous items:

• CMU has users upload their receipts to the expense report. They are using the attachment functionality in OIE.
• You can deactivate personalizations to troubleshoot issues.
• There is a report you can use to view Personalizations from the functional administrator responsibility.

Reference: Oracle OpenWorld 2008 Session: Using Oracle Application Framework Personalizations to Give Your Self-Service Applications a Custom Look and Feel

Presenters:
Ryan Jackson
Financial Systems Manager
Carnegie Mellon University
ryanj@andrew.cmu.edu

Don Riggs
Consultant, Oracle Financial Applications
Solution Beacon
ddriggs@solutionbeacon.com

Oracle's new E-Business R12 Tax Engine

Key business drivers for using Oracle E-business Tax (aka. ebtax)

• Globalization of tax decisions
• Centralization of tax rules
• Sharing tax setup across different segments of the organization

An HTML-based user interface and a unified architecture for global centralized sharing (CGS)

Key Features:

• Comprehensive transaction tax calculation, tax rules management, and tax reporting engine
• Configuration owners allow to share rules amongst OU's
• Tax reports are XML-based: Tax reports are 1 data set: 10 layout templates: 30 translation files
• TCA Geographical Hierarchy is used to valid addresses in HR, AR, and AP

Sabrix functionality will need to be tested in R12 because it is not supported or certified by Oracle.

Reference: Oracle OpenWorld 2008 Session: Oracle E-Business Suite Oracle E-Business Tax Key Features and Strategic Benefits

Presenter:
steven.chi
steven.chi@oracle.com

Reconcilation Simplified with R12 Sub-ledger Accounting

Many accountants and bookkeepers are continuing to use spreadsheets outside of the system to reconcile items. R12 hopes to stop this emerging tread with R12 sub-ledger accounting (SLA).

Process and Approach

• All SLA data is stored in SLA and is imported into GL via GL transfer processes.
• Standard reports pull information based on the data in SLA data
• Upgrade maintains AP and AR accounting rules
• Invalid ccid's can be corrected using the 'alternate code combination' form

SLA Best Practices:

• Have a published timetable that communicates the month close schedule and the 'workdays' on which each process is to be completed.
• Run the create accounting process daily and review the exceptions report
• Determine who fixes what errors that are indentified in the period close exceptions report
• The GL group owns the process, but will need to communicate with the other areas.

Lessons Learned:

• All reconciling items should be documented
• Train the team to understand the steps required to perform the SLA close process
• Review the subledger exceptions report and identify who is responsibile for fixing the errors
• Adopt practices to maintain consistency across your subledgers
• Run create accounting to move data to SLA and immediately import the data to GL
  

Identify and Resolve Reconciliation Differences:

• Reconciliation is simplified in R12. More functionality and reports to help with reconciliation
• Subledger Journal Entry Inquiry. You can save the queries and export the data to Excel
  
• Journal Entries Report (All based on XML-based reports.)
• Third Party Balances Report (Supplier or Customer is associated with this report.)
• Open Account Balances Listing (can be defined by segment or accounting flexfield.)

Payables Reconciliation:

• Open Account Balances Listing report shows you the total outstanding balance for your suppliers
• The Third Party Balance Report shows the outstanding balance for customers
• SLA Account Inquiry form offers drill down to the invoice
  

Summary

• Increase data quality and accountability; improve reporting capabilities; reduce reconciliation efforts; streamline period close
  
• Centralized repository for subledger accounting entries; new subledger reports; exceptions reporting and subledger accounting inquiry; period close exceptions report
  
• Easy to analyze subledger data from a single place; faster identification of differences; lower risk of misstatements; enable staff to focus on other areas.

Obtain more information from search.oracle.com Search on....

• Subledger Reconciliation
• Period End Procedures
• Period Close

References: Oracle OpenWorld 2008 Session: Oracle E-Business Suite Improve Subledger Reconciliation for the Period End Close

Lessons Learned - Oracle Internal Upgrade to R12

Background:

• Oracle upgraded to R12 in January 2008 after the books were closed.
• It took 3.5 days to do the upgrade.
• Winrunner scripts were used for automated testing.
• Manual testing was done for the more complex modules.
• The upgrade added 1.3 terabits of data.
• Upgraded to R12 from Sep 07 - Mar-08.; Version 12.01 RUP2 and RUP3.
  
• Rehearsed pre and post upgrade steps.
• Oracle upgraded AP, AR, AP, OIE, GL, CM, Procurement, Workflow, AME, OM, etc...CRM apps were also moved from the CRM Suite e-Business Suite to Siebel.
  

R12 Upgrade Approach:

• Considered the project as a technical upgrade
• Only implemented mandatory functionality
• Migrated 8 years of SLA data
• Updated test plans
• Parallel testing
• Identify features that can be implemented prior to R12
• New features (TCA for customers) is mandatory in R12
• Implemented Multi-org access control
• Setup Ledger sets
• Replaced custom code with standard code
• Copy of the database prior to the upgrade

Project Management and Testing Strateg:

• Identified a Project Manager to oversee all of the upgrade activities
  
• Program office to work with both the functional and technical teams
• Full end to end testing
• Weekly meetings and status reports

Lessons Learned:

• Close out any open Workflow transactions. No transactions can be in transit.
• Make sure the interfaces are cleared
• Stop any pending or scheduled concurrent manager processes
• Update request sets
• Print off any reports used for reconciliation, print off before the upgrade. (IT should take the lead on doing this.)

Sub-ledger Accounting (SLA):

• SLA sits between the sub-module and the GL
• All sub-ledger data is stored in SLA
• SLA holds the true accounting and passes the summary to the GL
  
• Reconciliation reports will need to be redone based on the SLA tables.
  
• AR and PA autoacccouting rules will remain intact (except intercompany.)
• You can store alternative accounting in the SLA tables for transactions
• R12 has a feature for updating invalid code combinations
• Run Create Accounting (or Sub Accounting in AR) move the data from the sub-ledger to the SLA and the SLA to the GL.
• Oracle also suggests running the create accounting process throughout the month into SLA.
• Consider parallelization (multiple threads) with the create accounting process
• sub-ledger period close exceptions report (provides clear view of the exceptions.)

The Global Accounting engine (AX)

• All statutory SOB's become secondary ledgers
• Need to setup sequences
• Reports are all XML based in R12. Oracle suggested ramping up XML knowledge.
  

EBtax

• Tax setup is migrated from 11i to R12
• Clean-up your tax setup before the update
• Single global tax engine for AP and AR

Payments (AP)

• All payments format files are now XML. Any payment format files will not upgrade
• The 11i files will not upgrade
  
• New user interface

TCA (AR)

• Remove all code dependent on backward compatible views in R12
• New web-based interface for maintaining parties and party sites
  

Procurement and iexpense

• Cleanup catalog, supplier data
• Consider any 11i per Diem and mileage schedules
  
• Remove any expenses that are in transit. They should all be paid or withdrawn.
  

Intercompany Accounting:

• Clean-up Intercompany rules
• Setup distribution accounting and clearing rules using R12 transaction account functionality

Customizations:

• Review your customizations and ensure they are still needed.
• R12 has many XML reports that can be easily updated by the user

Other considerations

• Ensure there is a monthend protocol
• Run create accounting daily
• Ensure a request set is created to include create accounting and the transfer to the GL as well as the exception report
• Ebtax and SLA are new shared modules
• PA: Post upgrade run the UPG: Upgrade transaction attributes program for historical transactions.
• IN AP, remember the Payments module is completely reworked.
• Volume test to find performance issues
• Scrambling of credit card data

Critical success factors

• Buy in from all stakeholders
• Detailed project planning and communications
• Multiple practice rounds of performing the upgrade
  
• Detailed inventory of patches
• Proper tracking of status and issue reporting
• Strong user involvement in all phases of the project. There are changes in business process and new forms. User should know how to use these forms.
• Focus on testing
• Robust end to end testing
• Document any reconciling items prior to the R12 upgrade

There is a white paper on Metalink called "R12 Best Practices." The presenter highly recommends this white paper.

Reference: Session: Oracle E-Business Suite Lessons Learned in Upgrading to Oracle E-Business Suite Financials Release 12: Oracle Internal Upgrade

Oracle R12 Web ADI New Features

Web ADI - New Features

• Comes with integrators for application modules (download the presentation for the complete list of enhancements.)
• Ability personalize style sheets
• Roadmap R12 (not currently in Production.): Web ADI will allow custom integrators. Presenter provided a demo of using a custom integrator.
• Integrated with the business flows

Report Manager - New Features

• Enables e-reporting with self-service financial reports
• Customize the look and feel of the reports
• Roadmap: advanced scheduling options for future date and recurring periods
• Report bursting to emails and printers.

The newest Web ADI features will be available in patchset G.

Reference: Session: Oracle E-business Suite Leverage Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator for Oracle E-business Suite Desktop Integration Needs

Opening Keynote: Complete. Open. Integrated.

OpenWorld Day 1: Monday, September 22, 2008

Keynote: Complete. Open. Integrated.
Oracle, Charles Phillips, President
Oracle, Chuck Rozwat, Executive Vice President, Product Development

Michael Phelps was introduced by Charles Phillips. Asked about his 14 gold medals of which 8 medals he captured in a single year in 2008. The a record for all Olympics athletes.

Deep drive in Oracle's Technology Stack:

Applications
Industry Applications

• Areas of specialty, they have their own P&L's.
• Application Integration Architecture
• Integrates with any application
• Easy change
• Built on open standards

ERP and CRM Applications

Oracle Product Strategy.

• Application Unlimited
• Fusion Applications
  
• Comlete and Integrated Middleware Suite (Best of breed technology, Open, and a unified Suite of applications)
• Continued fusion middleware
• New releases (Oracle WebLogic Suite, Oracle Coference, BPM Suite, WebSuite Center)
• First releases of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g available
• Cloud computing. Amazon integration
• Oracle Beehive (Integrated and Secure). Beehive is a collaboration server (communicate and coordinate)
• Oracle Software as a Service

My Metalink (the new Metalink portal was introduced in the session.)

Oracle Credit Management R12 New Features

Oracle OpenWorld 2008 has kicked off and I am registered as a blogger. The focus of my blog posts will be Oracle Financial Applications. I will post my learning pertaining to R12, Fusion and SOA.

Lets get started....

After landing in San Francisco on Sunday, September 19 (the official conference preceding officially starting tomorrow) I found myself in my first session. I attended the OAUG AR SIG presentation on Credit Management.

Oracle AR, Credit, and Collections SIG:

The presenter did a demo of Credit Management (OCM 11.5.10.2)

Points of interest:

• Credit scores and approvals can be done at various levels. (Party, org, customer, etc.)
• Customer Online is used to query customer information
• The Dun and Bradstreet Interface can automatically create parties and attach the credit score via a paid service.
• Customer Party Sites remain in the database to either become leads or cash in advance customers.

An Oracle Financial Strategy project manager suggested attending the following sessions for other Financials applications presentations: eBusiness Suite sessions to attend at Oracle World 2008

Release Content Documents are available on Metalink. These documents list the the new functionality introduced with Release 12 in each product module. To get to these documents, log into Metalink and navigate to e-Business Suite / Release 12 / Release Content Document.

In summary (a theme I expect to hear throughout the week, Oracle Applications Strategy is to build Complete, Open, and Integrated Applications.