ORACLE APPLICATIONS ARCHIVES

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Audit Trail

Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 15:17:35 PDT
From: Gary Hirsch garyhir@hotmail.com
Subject: Audit Trail

Hi,

Has anyone implemented audit trail in financials? Which tables did you audit? Are you still using the audit trail? What are the pros and cons of using the audit trail and do you have any advice about implementing it?

Thanks a lot

Gary Hirsch


Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 19:07:10 -0400
From: "Venkatesh, Masoor" mVenkate@wssc.dst.md.us
Subject: RE: Audit Trail

Gary: Check the article 'Enabling Audit Trail for Oracle Applications' on our corporate website www.mcsgroups.com This will give you specific information on what we have done on some of our projects with regards to Audit Trail.

Regards,
Tony Venkatesh
(301) 206-8452
(703) 793-0847
tonyv@mcsgroups.com


Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 07:59:42 -0500
From: "Danette Fedock"danette_fedock@ccmail.c-tec.com
Subject: Re: Audit Trail

We accidentally set audit trail on and it brought our system to its knees. I would be very careful.


Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 09:13:45 -0400
From: "Epp, Charles A" cepp@kpmg.com
Subject: RE: Audit Trail

We tended to stay with the "standard" audit traceability which provides for:

1) Created by
2) Date Created
3) Last Update by
4) Last Date Updated

This was due to concern over system performance which is affected if addtional audit capability is enabled. I'd be interested it what cases you would expand. If you have taken enough time on the front end in setting up user access, it would seem that tracking additional audit information is redundant.


Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 07:24:35 PDT
From: Mark Nelson mnelson_gs@hotmail.com
Cc: garyhir@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Audit Trail

Most consultants agree that implementing Audit Trail will slow system performance drastically. With this belief, there are very few people who have any experience with Audit Trail and it is usually never recommended.

The problem with Audit Trail is that when enabled, people try to capture too much information and therefore slow performance. The key is to identify what data you are interested in tracking and then only enable Audit for that specific information. With that said, I recommend tracking Application Setup Data and not trying to track Transaction level data. Applications Setups contain the sensitive data that control the Applications and tracking changes to this data is a key element in controlling and managing your Oracle Applications Environment.

If you enable Audit Trail for Setup Changes, you should not be having significant amount of changes to cause system performance. If there are so many changes to Setup Data that does cause system performance, you probably have larger problems with your environment than system performance.

The problem with Audit Trail is that you have to understand the entire Oracle Applications Table structure to ensure you are capturing the data you intended to. Additionally, Oracle does not supply any reports for the captured data. Each audited table needs a new custom report. Additionally, the shadow tables that store the Audit Trail data are not normalized and the data is in a raw format. (E.g. Code combination ID's) so the custom reports need to translate the data for a user to understand.

An alternative to Oracle's Audit Trail is a tool offered by Tickmark Solutions, called Tickmark Setup Reporter. This tool delivers a complete audit trail solution for tracking changes to Application Setups and automatically documents Application Setups. See www.tickmark.com for more information. A paper titled Tickmark Solutions - Documentation & Change Tracking of Application Setups will be delivered in Orlando at the Fall OAUG in September.

Mark Nelson



De-support of products by Oracle

Ellen Young wrote:

Does anyone know when 10.7 NCA is supposed to be de-supported?

Ellen L. Young
Oracle Applications Project Mgr.
Family Dollar Stores, Inc.
704-814-3365
eyoung@familydollar.com


Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 17:23:29 -0700
From: Kumar Subramaniam kumar.subramaniam@sanmina.com
Subject: Re: 10.7 NCA

Hi Ellen/Melanie,

Oracle hasn't announced the de-support date fr 107 NCA.

This is how Oracle de-support work:

- Once Oracle decides to withdraw support, they give one year of full support followed with two years of limited support. Then de-support

- They withdraw support by platform (Sun, HP/UX, NT, etc.) and not by product

However, when Oracle decide to de-support, they will send continuous mails, faxes, etc.

Rgds, Kumar



What one learnt on Oraapps implementation

Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 11:58:47 -0700
From: Eric Lucas Elucas@constellar.com
Subject: What did you learn?

Hi:

I have a philosophical question for you. What did you learn about running your business with Oracle Applications that you didn't know when you started the implementation? Feel free to reply to the list or to me directly. I was on an OraApps implementation and our business accounted for purchases at the delivery level. We got deep into the implementation before we learned that we can only do accounting at the line item level (r10.7). That is something we learned that we had to change the way we did business to accommodate. What about your experience?

Thanks!
Eric L. Lucas
elucas@constellar.com


Date: 19 Jun 99 09:34:30 EDT
From: Dinesh Chandra dchandra@usa.net
Subject: Re: What did you learn?]

Hi Eric,

I have been involved in implementation and development of various accounting packages for many companies, may be 30. My experience tells me though final results are the same but accounting practice is totally different and no common software will suite to anybody's requirements. Even, trial balance and final profit/loss and Balance Sheets are different, very difficult to develope software to cater to user's requirement. It costs money and time.

In this regard, I consider that Oracle has developed a very good software, caters to thousands of the company and they are continuously improving this with latest technology like character -- Graphic -- NCA based, really excellent.

To achive early implementation, it is the best choice, except some modifications to inhouse procedures have to be done. These are generally, discovered when product evaluation is made.

Cheers
Dinesh Chandra


Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 20:41:32 -0400
From: "Cunningham, Ronald" rcunningham@noblestar.com
Subject: RE: What did you learn?]

Eric,

My experience in more than a few implementations pretty much echo what Dinesh said and I agree wholeheartedly with those comments.

One very specific thing I have learned in my implementation experience is that a comprehensive business requirements to software (GAP) analysis at the pre-implementation (if not the pre-software purchase) stage will identify all of the major and most if not all of the minor business process issues. This eliminates surprises later on in the project when time becomes more critical.

Clients I have worked with have found this healthy review of business processes a substantial side-benefit of the implementation. In many cases this is the only analysis that has been done in many years and the opportunity to validate / invalidate has proven most valuable.

Ron
Ronald A. Cunningham
Oracle Consultant
Noble(star Systems Corporation
http://www.noblestar.com
Email: rcunningham@noblestar.com
Phone (Voice Mail): 703.464.4000
Phone (Home Voice/TDD): 803.732.1713
FAX (Home): 803.749.8878



How many companies are using Release 11 in Production ?

From: Peter Zierz, President PZierz@TeleConsultants.net
Sent: Friday, June 18, 1999 11:29 AM
Subject: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

Please respond directly to: mailto: pzierz@teleconsultants.net

I have the impression that there are several hundred companies already live in production on release 11, but would appreciate confirmation of this. If you're live, let me know.

Thanks in advance,
Peter
--
Charter Member, OARN (http://www.oarn.com)
Chairman, ESOAUG (http://www.esoaug.org)
Join ESOAUG now! Serving the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Quality Remote Oracle ERP Solutions
TeleConsultants Phone: (919)828-8090
Raleigh, North Carolina Fax: (919)828-4531
Email: mailto:PZierz@TeleConsultants.net
Web: http://www.TeleConsultants.net


Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 15:11:12 -0400
From: ?iso-8859-1?Q?Paul_VallE9e? pvlists@pythian.com
Subject: Re: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

Hi Peter,

DeLorme Mapping is definitely live with 12 modules on 11NCA.

Best,
Paul
--
The Pythian Group, Inc.
vallee@pythian.com / http://www.pythian.com / 613-841-3393


Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 16:12:06 -0400
From: Deborah Grodecka grodeckad@csps.com
Subject: Re: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

Peter,

In April of this year, we upgraded from 10.7SC 16.1 to 11.0.2. We're running PO, AP, INV, GL, FA. We did the upgrade in about 6 weeks, from testing to live production. We had some problems getting workflow up initially, but all in all it went pretty smoothly considering our short time frame.

Deborah Grodecka
The First Church of Christ, Scientist/Christian Science Publishing Society
Boston, Massachusetts
grodeckad@csps.com


Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 13:55:11 -0700
From: skirby@bco.com
Subject: RE: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

Bear Creek Gardens is live on Rel 11 (April 1). GL/ AP/ AR/ OE.

Steve Kirby
skirby@bco.com


Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 16:08:27 -0500
From: Bharat Patel bpatel@DOMINOAMJET.com
Subject: RE: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

Dominoamjet went live on the memorial day week ends on release 11.

Bharat Patel
D.B.A.
bpatel@dominoamjet.com
847-244-2501 ex 1249


Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 16:43:34 -0500
From: Terry_Woodson@taylorbigred.com
Subject: RE: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

We are in the Process of implementing release 11 at Taylor Machine Works in Louisville, Mississippi.


Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 17:40:34 -0500
From: Alan Hyland alan_hyland@saan.ca
Subject: Re: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

SAAN Stores went live in Feb/99 with a new install of 11 (AP,GL,CE).

--
Alan Hyland
Systems Programmer
SAAN Stores Ltd.


Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 12:06:13 +0530
From: Gopalakrishnan K gopalak@wiproge.med.ge.com
Subject: RE: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

We are going live this month end with 11.02

Regards !
Gopalakrishnan K
Database Administrator
GE Medical Systems Limited.
Pune 411014, INDIA


Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 06:36:50 -0500
From: Anantha K Balaji akbalaji@us.oracle.com
Subject: Re: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

Hello,

Texas Mill Supply is live with GL and AP and are ready to go live on other 9 modules. (AR, INV, PO, OE, EC, CE, FA, ICX and BOM) on 11.0.3

It is just matter of days as the training is in full swing.

Thanks
A K Balaji


Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 09:32:21 -0400
From: "Annette Anost" aanost@goodegg.com
Subject: Re: How many companies are using Release 11 in Production?

Hi Peter:

FYI - Rose Acre Farms in Seymour, Indiana will go live on release 11.02 NCA with GL, AP, PO, HR, and Payroll on July 5, 1999 and OE and AR by August 1, 1999.

Annette
Conley, Canitano, and Assoc.


Date: Sun, 20 Jun 1999 08:07:05 -0400
From: "Peter Zierz, President" PZierz@TeleConsultants.net
Subject: THE RESULTS: How Many Companies are live in Production on Release 11

All,

I was asked to provide my general findings to the group. As you all have probably guessed from the many responses to my original inquiry, there are quite a few companies who are already live on release 11.

I received approximately 20 responses. Most respondents appear to be small to mid-sized companies. The core Financials modules (GL, AP, AR) have been implemented by most of the respondents, though one company has rolled out 12 modules already. I also made an inquiry to Oracle - they claimed that over 100 mid-sized companies are currently live on release 11. This sounds reasonable.

I followed up with a few of the respondents asking if they had any performance problems. There does appear to be a performance hit if you move from release 10 to release 11, but beefing up the clients (CPU and RAM) appears to resolve any performance problems.

My thanks to all the respondents.
Peter


Erik Ritters wrote:

Peter,

Can you, or anyone else on the listserv, please provide specific client machine specifications as a result of your research below? We are just beginning a 10.7 SC to 11 NCA upgrade as well.

Thanks in advance!
Erik Ritters


Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 10:09:44 -0500
From: Alan Hyland alan_hyland@saan.ca
Subject: Re: THE RESULTS: How Many Companies are live in Production on Releas

We're using PII 350 machines with 128Mb RAM running Windows NT as our clients and don't have performance problems. This might be overkill, but this is what we jumped to when we experienced performance problems with our original client machines (Pentium 133, 32Mb RAM, Windows 95). We're using the JDK appletviewer to access Oracle Apps.

--
Alan Hyland
Systems Programmer
SAAN Stores Ltd.


Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 09:37:33 +0100
From: Graham Duggan gjduggan@mail.com
Subject: RE: THE RESULTS: How Many Companies are live in Production on Releas

The minimum spec we use is Pentium 166, 64MB ram. We used this as a baseline to evaluate against existing PCs in the field for upgrades or replacements. The applications run fine on slower machines but take longer to start up due to the compilation of the java.

We prefer NT4.0 as this proved much more stable in the earlier days. Later versions of the appletviewer seem to have fixed many of the stability issues.

Another hint is the swap file size. NT defaults to about 70MB. We increased this to a min and max of 250. We found this also helped with some of the stability issues on NT when the machine was used for other applications like word etc.

Graham.


Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 10:44:36 -0400
From: "Kurylo, Mary" Kuryma@consumer.org
Subject: RE: THE RESULTS: How Many Companies are live in Production on Re

I got this info from the last OAUG, although I'm not running NCA yet.
Client recommendations: Win95/WinNT or Win98
133MHz Pentium processors (minimum) 200MHz (recommended)
for Win95 32MB Ram (minimum, if nothing else is running on the machine)
for WinNT 48MB Ram (minimum, if nothing else is running on the machine)
they recommended 64MB Ram.

Basically I would do this: if you're planning on buying new hardware, then get the fastest processor out there with 64MB or Ram (or maybe more). Otherwise make sure that your current hardware is at least Pentium 133MHz and try for 64MB ram.

Mary Kurylo
Applications Development Analyst
Consumers Union of US Inc.


Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 12:12:07 -0500
From: "Logan, Ernie" Ernie_Logan@bmc.com
Subject: RE: THE RESULTS: How Many Companies are live in Production on Re

Take it from someone who is running NCA. 133Mhz Pentium is not sufficient. Try twice that as a minimum (266Mhz PII). WinNT makes for a much more stable client, and anything less than 64MB on NT means you don't do anything but Oracle. No mail, no word processing, nothing but Oracle Apps.



Implications of Corporate Acquisition

Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 13:34:06 -0700
From: Kalyani Velagapudi kalyaniv@mosaix.com
Subject: Merge Oracle GL and AR with another Oracle GL and AR ---Acquisiti

Here is the story: We are acquired by another company. I am having to merge our Oracle GL and AR with the other side. Anyone has experience in this area? Any pointers?

We are going to be setup as seperate org in their multiorg structure.
Kalyani velagapudi


Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 13:41:39 -0700
From: Kumar Subramaniam kumar.subramaniam@sanmina.com
Subject: Re: Merge Oracle GL and AR with another Oracle GL and AR ---Acquisiti

Hi,

- You may want to obtain the information, whether you need to provide historical information.

Following data may be required by your acquiring company.

Vendor Information
Customer Information
Open Invoices (Payables & Receivables)
Open P.O.s
Accounting Codes
Account Balances
Fixed Asset List
Transaction Types

Rgds, Kumar


Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 14:02:29 -0700
From: Kalyani Velagapudi kalyaniv@mosaix.com
Subject: RE: Merge Oracle GL and AR with another Oracle GL and AR ---Acqui

Kumar,
Thanks for the info. They do not want any of our historical data.

Kalyani velagapudi


Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 22:06:12 GMT
From: Ananth Swaminath ananth999@hotmail.com
Subject: Reply: Merge Oracle GL and AR with another Oracle GL and AR ---Acqui

Hi Kalyani

Apart from the issues Kumar has raised:

Will the shareholders of your company be given shares in the acquiring company on the basis of a pre-determined proportion? And if so, will the final reporting entity (acquiring company) have issues on whether to report on minority interest? You may want to look at consolidation needs.

Further, master data and open invoices do prove a gotcha sometimes. Concentrate on conversion issues for this will become crucial as time goes by.

Ananth Senior Applications Consultant



Tracking record modifications in Oracle

Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 15:40:56 -0400
From: "Epp, Charles A" cepp@kpmg.com
Subject: # - Tracking record modifications in Oracle

I curious as to what the "norm" might be for Oracle users when it comes to modification of Oracle records. The standard functionality is when accessing "About this record" to see the user and date of the original record and the last modifaction although it is possible to track all modifications made to a record. Do most users / companies not do this since the amount of space taken up in the system to do this makes it too cumbersome? And has keeping it with original record and last modification enough to satisfy the normal users need for information and security? Appreciate any input and have a nice Independence Day weekend!


Mid month closure

Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 18:02:19 -0500
From: debashish_bhattacharjee@vwrsp.com
Subject: Mid month closure **URGENT***

Hi all,
We are going through a merger and the requirement for that is to get a clean mid month closure on AP, AR and GL in oracle financials. Assume that 15-Jul-99 is the date when company A is bought over by company B. What company A would like to have is to be able to show all earnings as of end of business 15-Jul towards company A All taxation and answers for itself till for business till Jul-15 As of 16-Jul it becomes a subsidiary to company B.

I would highly appreciate any procedures , hints , suggestions anybody can give me so that we can get some idea on how to handle this technically. We have very few days to think

regds Debashish


Audit Trail Setup in Rel11.0.2

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 16:11:07 -0700
From: "Ashwin Ayancha" Ashwin.Ayancha@xilinx.com
Subject: Audit Trail Set up Info in 11.0.2 envi

Hi,

Has anyone setup the Audit Trail feature in 11.0.2 . If could you give some infomation on how to set this feature.

Thanks, Ashwin


Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 14:13:26 -0400
From: "Innamuri, Chakrapani" cinnamuri@btg.com
Subject: RE: Setting Up Audit Trails

Ashwin,

I got this from this forum longback. Hope this helps.

These are the things that have to happen in order for Audit Trail to be turned on:

* Select the oracle product username for which auditing needs to be turned on : APPS, GL...
* Create Audit Groups and specify the tables you want to Audit. In the Audit Group, make the status 'Enable Requested'
* Specify the columns within these chosen tables you want to audit.
* Run the concurrent process 'Audit Trail Update Tables.'

Once this process Completes Normal, create some transactions and do a select on the shadow table. This should have the audit records.

-chakrapani