Hi all,
today let us discuss something on the instances which a consultant normally work on...
Instance is an address for a location where Applications database is stored.
We might have heard of many instances such as Vision, Test, Development,CRP I, CRP II, UAT, Production etc.... but apart from the name there is no change in the behaviour of any of the Instances.
All instances carry the same technical features and functional setups, no difference what so ever in any of them, but why we call it by different names then ?
The different instance names are given based on the purpose for which it is used. Every instance is created with the same features and specifications, only naming is done based on the usage or the purpose.
We will see the standard or common purposes for which different instances are used in
an implementation.
Test Instance
It is a fresh instance which is used by the Implementation team to try out new setups and work arounds as per the clients business specifications and arriving at final solutions. Apart from that test instance is used for testing the performance of installation as well as other factors. The life of this instance starts from the first day of kick off and ends when the production begins or system has gone live.
Development Instance
It is also a fresh instance when installed, but more or less it replicates the test or Production instance (normally cloned). The purpose is to make constant development in the current business process and the system performance and working out new methods in solving critical bottlenecks with the current system. The life of this instance is infinity, since there is no end to development, it is an ongoing process, it continues even after the system has gone live.
Production Instance
It is a fresh instance installed with an intention to share it with all the users of the client with fine tunning. This instance is different from Test and Development with respect to the number of users, size of the database, security features etc. The life of the production instance begins when the User Acceptance testing is done, and it continues till the company is in existence.
Vision Instance
It is different from all other instances because the installation comes with the data, whereas all other instances are Fresh. Even though there is no particular necessity to have this instance in an real time scenario, but it is better to have a vision instance always for the following reasons:
1) It serves as a practice for the DBA to find out the installation problems that occurs due to hardware failures.
2) Functional consultant often try out a small business scenarios to find out solutions, in order to try out these scenarios, they need to do all the mandatory setups in an instance then only they can perform it. If they had vision instance, they can use the existing setups to try out thier business scenarios
3) It also acts as a tutor to the Functional Consultants in case they are lost in performing critical setups.
Regards
Karthikeyanp1981@gmail.com
Monday, February 18, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Data Migration
Hi All,
today we will discuss on an important area in any implementation, which is migration of data in to Oracle Applications Database. First data migration means moving of data from one place to another. Moving of data does not mean a mere copy paste work, it means moving of Clean data (uncorrupted) in to proper database tables.
Which data is going to be migrated?
When we are going to implement a new ERP like Oracle Financials, setups are carried out based on the current business processes and policies, after setting up, we need access to past data in the application.
Why we need access to past data?
It may be a statutory requirement or companies requirement. Apart from which , it could be a normal business requirement. Assume that you have customer who bought goods or services from you on March 2007 and he need to pay you 1000 USD by end of June 2007. And if we have implemented Oracle Applications by May 2007, without past data, we will certainly loose the track of that customer, since the new system will not say that how much needs to be received due to previous transactions. So in order to account for Outstandings and Accruals one need to have access to past data. Apart from that , your opening balances are a resultant figure of Past data.
At which stage of the project this data migration will come in to picture?
It happens before Go Live or one could say after User Acceptance Testing.
Who has to decide on what data should be migrated ?
It is the client who needs to decide what are the data that needs to be migrated since he is the one who is going to access it. Client must also decide on how many years of data needs to be migrated. Assume that if a company is doing manual accounting for 20 years and now they are moving in to Oracle Apps, they need to decide whether they want access to all 20 years of data or they can decide a cut off date beyond which all data will be migrated.
How data will be migrated ?
Depending on the volume of the data, the consultant will decide on the suitable methodology. He can go in for data load or SQL scripts.
How data will be presented ?
Client must provide the consultant will the data in the prescribed format. It is the responsibility of the client to authenticate the data which he gives to the consultant for migration, consultant is more interested on how to move the data in to Applications, he is not expected to audit the data which you are giving. So client must take effort to provide a Clean data.
How it will be ensured, that data migration is successful ?
After data migration, enough testing will be carried out to find the accuracy and completeness. After migrating data, reports will be drawn out of the Oracle Applicaitons system and matched with the existing figures based on the current system followed by the client. Only after 100% satisfaction, of both the client and the consultant, data migration will come to an end.
How long this data migration will take to get complete?
It depends on the volume of data, if its going to be a newly started company the volume of data will be less, hence migration may take only months, where as for companies wanting years of data to be migrated, requires years including testing.
Who will migrate the data ?
Normally it will be a role of a Technical Consultant, if the data is very less, then a Functional consultant can perform it by using dataload. Also it can be outsourced to any other firm apart from the consulting company which implements oracle apps. There will be many companies which specialize in this area alone, one can make use of them to perform this job.
Regards
Karthikeyan P
Karthikeyanp1981@gmail.com
today we will discuss on an important area in any implementation, which is migration of data in to Oracle Applications Database. First data migration means moving of data from one place to another. Moving of data does not mean a mere copy paste work, it means moving of Clean data (uncorrupted) in to proper database tables.
Which data is going to be migrated?
When we are going to implement a new ERP like Oracle Financials, setups are carried out based on the current business processes and policies, after setting up, we need access to past data in the application.
Why we need access to past data?
It may be a statutory requirement or companies requirement. Apart from which , it could be a normal business requirement. Assume that you have customer who bought goods or services from you on March 2007 and he need to pay you 1000 USD by end of June 2007. And if we have implemented Oracle Applications by May 2007, without past data, we will certainly loose the track of that customer, since the new system will not say that how much needs to be received due to previous transactions. So in order to account for Outstandings and Accruals one need to have access to past data. Apart from that , your opening balances are a resultant figure of Past data.
At which stage of the project this data migration will come in to picture?
It happens before Go Live or one could say after User Acceptance Testing.
Who has to decide on what data should be migrated ?
It is the client who needs to decide what are the data that needs to be migrated since he is the one who is going to access it. Client must also decide on how many years of data needs to be migrated. Assume that if a company is doing manual accounting for 20 years and now they are moving in to Oracle Apps, they need to decide whether they want access to all 20 years of data or they can decide a cut off date beyond which all data will be migrated.
How data will be migrated ?
Depending on the volume of the data, the consultant will decide on the suitable methodology. He can go in for data load or SQL scripts.
How data will be presented ?
Client must provide the consultant will the data in the prescribed format. It is the responsibility of the client to authenticate the data which he gives to the consultant for migration, consultant is more interested on how to move the data in to Applications, he is not expected to audit the data which you are giving. So client must take effort to provide a Clean data.
How it will be ensured, that data migration is successful ?
After data migration, enough testing will be carried out to find the accuracy and completeness. After migrating data, reports will be drawn out of the Oracle Applicaitons system and matched with the existing figures based on the current system followed by the client. Only after 100% satisfaction, of both the client and the consultant, data migration will come to an end.
How long this data migration will take to get complete?
It depends on the volume of data, if its going to be a newly started company the volume of data will be less, hence migration may take only months, where as for companies wanting years of data to be migrated, requires years including testing.
Who will migrate the data ?
Normally it will be a role of a Technical Consultant, if the data is very less, then a Functional consultant can perform it by using dataload. Also it can be outsourced to any other firm apart from the consulting company which implements oracle apps. There will be many companies which specialize in this area alone, one can make use of them to perform this job.
Regards
Karthikeyan P
Karthikeyanp1981@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Different Stages in an Oracle Application Implementation Project.... !
Hi All,
today we will be seeing the different stages that are available in an implementation project. A Project is not a short term activity to be completed in matter of days, it requires intensive analysis, thoughtful thinking and serious decision making in core and critical business activities. There decisions taken at every stage is critical and irreversible, there is no going back after
performing final step. We have to understand how a long term project is broken up in to phases and completed smoothly. We will see what are the different stages in an Oracle Application Implementation project in real time. i have taken AIM standards as the base for further explanations.
Application Implementation Methodology has laid out various stages available in a project.
Stage 1 - Definition of Project Management
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
The success to any project is a well thought of PROJECT PLAN at the very beginning considering the requirements and available resources. A Normal Contention of many people is that Project Plan should normally stage the Start Date and End Date and the Consideration, but in real time it is actually many more that, the whole project is broken in to different phases and
for each phase a detailed plan is laid out which in turns account for the overall project plan. Project Plan must be revised whenever there is a Change in the contract or requirement of the client
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
Project Plan (Finalized or Draft)
Write up about the Client and the Consultant.
Stage 2 - Operational Analysis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
This is the very very Critical stage of the Project. One must devote the maximum possible time to this stage. Any compromise on this stage may prove critical at later stage of the project. In this stage a Consultant, who is a total stranger to the client so far is going to make an effort to become an expert in understanding the client business every inch. Only when he masters the
clients business, he will be in a position to think beyond it and provide solutions considering the impact it can have on overall business. In this stage a consultant must carryout following activities:
-- Clearly understand the contractual obligations made between the client and the consultant with respect to the work to be performed.
-- Detailed study on the Client business and Organisation Structure
-- Capture the current business process as they are following ( Also known as AS IS documentation)
-- Collect the requirements from the client, managers, end users as to what they expect from the Oracle Product
-- Requirements with respect to Functional Side as well as Technical Side is collected
-- Document the bottlenecks faced with the existing system in place
-- Most important point is that get the document signed from the client
( Note: Normally speaking once a requirement is expressed at this stage , it will be taken care by the consultant, however in real time, requirements gathering becomes a day to day activity in many clients place, which is highly unprofessional way of working )
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
RD 10 --> Current Financial and Operating Structure
RD 20 --> Current Business Baseline
RD 50 --> Business Requirements Scenario
Stage 3 - Solution Design
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
After making serious understanding and analysis on clients current business practices and future requirements, consultant must begin the process of providing solutions to each and every aspect. If an straight forward solution is not possible , think about the possibility of workaround. Enough analysis has to be one in drafting the new business process of the client which is going to be followed here after, it is also known as To Be Process.Once the solution is decided on, the same must be communicated to the client seeking acceptance. when the client is satisfied with the solution, consultant can put an end to his research work on providing alternate solutions.
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
BP 80 --> Business Process Design ( To be process )
BR 10 --> High Level Gap Analysis
BR 30 --> Business Requirements Mapping
MD 50 --> Application Extension Functional Design
MD 70 --> Application Extension Technical Design
Stage 4 - Building Stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
Only at this stage the work of performing setups and access to the instance begins. Based on the Solutions and new business process ( To Be) designed at the previous stage, the consultant starts performing setting up of the Application. In case of a functional requirement, it will be setups from the front end, in case of technical requirements, sql scripts, customizations will be performed. Document all the setups that has been carried out at this stage, since it will be useful when the production Instance is configured or when there is a system crash or corruption of data or any hardware failure. After performing all required setups, the system has to be tested for its readiness to carry out operations
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
BR 100 --> Application Setup
TE 20 --> Unit Test Script
TE 40 --> System Test Script
TE 50 --> System Integration Test Script
TE 120 --> System Integration Test Plan
Stage 5 - Transition Stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
In this stage, client is exposed to the Applications for the first time to get the comfort level. In order to make the client to get a feel of the system, user guides, training manuals and training may be given in understanding how thier business is completly taken care by the product. Once the client is exposed to the Applications, they normally tend to show some interest in learning
new things, which can be used for testing the system. Once the client is satisfied with the Solutions and the way in which the system performs, he can express his willings to accept the system. In real time, acceptance will be taken up at two levels,
First Level - CRP - Conferance Room Piloting - Where the consultant gives a preview of the new system to the selected members of the client and get thier feedback.
Second Level - UAT - User Acceptance Testing - Here the consultant gives detailed demonstration on the new system to the users ( Super and End ), and get the acceptance from the users that the new system meet thier expectations.
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
TE 130 - User Acceptance Test Report
Stage 6 - Production Stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
Once CRP and UAT is approved, it is the duty of the consultant to replicate the same in a new environment which will be used solely and exclusively for the Production purposes only. After making the production server ready with all setups, it is advised to clone the production server to an development or test server, so that any value addition or future testing can be carried out
separately in future. Once the production server is ready, it is given to the client to begin thier operations, which is termed as GO LIVE . In order to assist the client in adopting to the new system, consultant will provide them with User Manuals and also a support consultant for a short period of time if needed.
Once the production server is ready and used, the implementation gets over, and the client should give it in writing that he is satisfied with the implementation taken place, which is termed as sign off ( A Big Good Bye ) !!
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
User Manuals
Client's sign off on the Acceptance Certificate
NOTE:
=====
Documentations suggested in this post is recommended when AIM is adopted. Instead of the recommended documents, users can prepare documents based on thier methodology.
Nothing stated above is mandatory, every aspect is recommendatory in nature.
today we will be seeing the different stages that are available in an implementation project. A Project is not a short term activity to be completed in matter of days, it requires intensive analysis, thoughtful thinking and serious decision making in core and critical business activities. There decisions taken at every stage is critical and irreversible, there is no going back after
performing final step. We have to understand how a long term project is broken up in to phases and completed smoothly. We will see what are the different stages in an Oracle Application Implementation project in real time. i have taken AIM standards as the base for further explanations.
Application Implementation Methodology has laid out various stages available in a project.
Stage 1 - Definition of Project Management
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
The success to any project is a well thought of PROJECT PLAN at the very beginning considering the requirements and available resources. A Normal Contention of many people is that Project Plan should normally stage the Start Date and End Date and the Consideration, but in real time it is actually many more that, the whole project is broken in to different phases and
for each phase a detailed plan is laid out which in turns account for the overall project plan. Project Plan must be revised whenever there is a Change in the contract or requirement of the client
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
Project Plan (Finalized or Draft)
Write up about the Client and the Consultant.
Stage 2 - Operational Analysis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
This is the very very Critical stage of the Project. One must devote the maximum possible time to this stage. Any compromise on this stage may prove critical at later stage of the project. In this stage a Consultant, who is a total stranger to the client so far is going to make an effort to become an expert in understanding the client business every inch. Only when he masters the
clients business, he will be in a position to think beyond it and provide solutions considering the impact it can have on overall business. In this stage a consultant must carryout following activities:
-- Clearly understand the contractual obligations made between the client and the consultant with respect to the work to be performed.
-- Detailed study on the Client business and Organisation Structure
-- Capture the current business process as they are following ( Also known as AS IS documentation)
-- Collect the requirements from the client, managers, end users as to what they expect from the Oracle Product
-- Requirements with respect to Functional Side as well as Technical Side is collected
-- Document the bottlenecks faced with the existing system in place
-- Most important point is that get the document signed from the client
( Note: Normally speaking once a requirement is expressed at this stage , it will be taken care by the consultant, however in real time, requirements gathering becomes a day to day activity in many clients place, which is highly unprofessional way of working )
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
RD 10 --> Current Financial and Operating Structure
RD 20 --> Current Business Baseline
RD 50 --> Business Requirements Scenario
Stage 3 - Solution Design
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
After making serious understanding and analysis on clients current business practices and future requirements, consultant must begin the process of providing solutions to each and every aspect. If an straight forward solution is not possible , think about the possibility of workaround. Enough analysis has to be one in drafting the new business process of the client which is going to be followed here after, it is also known as To Be Process.Once the solution is decided on, the same must be communicated to the client seeking acceptance. when the client is satisfied with the solution, consultant can put an end to his research work on providing alternate solutions.
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
BP 80 --> Business Process Design ( To be process )
BR 10 --> High Level Gap Analysis
BR 30 --> Business Requirements Mapping
MD 50 --> Application Extension Functional Design
MD 70 --> Application Extension Technical Design
Stage 4 - Building Stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
Only at this stage the work of performing setups and access to the instance begins. Based on the Solutions and new business process ( To Be) designed at the previous stage, the consultant starts performing setting up of the Application. In case of a functional requirement, it will be setups from the front end, in case of technical requirements, sql scripts, customizations will be performed. Document all the setups that has been carried out at this stage, since it will be useful when the production Instance is configured or when there is a system crash or corruption of data or any hardware failure. After performing all required setups, the system has to be tested for its readiness to carry out operations
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
BR 100 --> Application Setup
TE 20 --> Unit Test Script
TE 40 --> System Test Script
TE 50 --> System Integration Test Script
TE 120 --> System Integration Test Plan
Stage 5 - Transition Stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
In this stage, client is exposed to the Applications for the first time to get the comfort level. In order to make the client to get a feel of the system, user guides, training manuals and training may be given in understanding how thier business is completly taken care by the product. Once the client is exposed to the Applications, they normally tend to show some interest in learning
new things, which can be used for testing the system. Once the client is satisfied with the Solutions and the way in which the system performs, he can express his willings to accept the system. In real time, acceptance will be taken up at two levels,
First Level - CRP - Conferance Room Piloting - Where the consultant gives a preview of the new system to the selected members of the client and get thier feedback.
Second Level - UAT - User Acceptance Testing - Here the consultant gives detailed demonstration on the new system to the users ( Super and End ), and get the acceptance from the users that the new system meet thier expectations.
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
TE 130 - User Acceptance Test Report
Stage 6 - Production Stage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Description
========
Once CRP and UAT is approved, it is the duty of the consultant to replicate the same in a new environment which will be used solely and exclusively for the Production purposes only. After making the production server ready with all setups, it is advised to clone the production server to an development or test server, so that any value addition or future testing can be carried out
separately in future. Once the production server is ready, it is given to the client to begin thier operations, which is termed as GO LIVE . In order to assist the client in adopting to the new system, consultant will provide them with User Manuals and also a support consultant for a short period of time if needed.
Once the production server is ready and used, the implementation gets over, and the client should give it in writing that he is satisfied with the implementation taken place, which is termed as sign off ( A Big Good Bye ) !!
Documentation to be Prepared
======================
User Manuals
Client's sign off on the Acceptance Certificate
NOTE:
=====
Documentations suggested in this post is recommended when AIM is adopted. Instead of the recommended documents, users can prepare documents based on thier methodology.
Nothing stated above is mandatory, every aspect is recommendatory in nature.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
" DOCUMENTATION " - The way to Success !
Dear all,
Ever since computers came in to use widely, most of the offices follow a PAPERLESS POLICY
, which means they store all official information as a soft copy and not as a hard copy. Its all digital in todays world... be it your leave application, payslip, companies policies and procedures, presentations, etc.. !
Let us see How essential is Documentation for an Oracle Application Implementation project.
As we know performing an implementation takes longer duration of time ... ( If not years, it will certainly take a minimum of 3 months )
During this long duration of time, there is going to be consistent communication between the Client and the Consultants. And there are chances that the Clients management may change the personnel involved in the implementation project and appoint a new person for communicating with the client. And the same can happen to the Consultant also, a consultant can be taken out of a project at any time by his consulting company and a new or a different consultant can be placed to continue with the operations from where the previous person left.
Now imagine that you are the new person who has taken the responsibility to handle the project from now onwards, what are the things that you will be wanting to know ?
You would first like to know what is the Project Plan
And in which stage of project we are in right now
Status on the work performed so far
Communication between the client happened so far
What is your role in the project
etc.. etc...
Now that you have the list of information which you wanted to know, how you are going to get the answers? It is highly impractical to expect the previous consultant to explain all the things to the new consultant who takes over the job. There are Chances that the previous consultant may not be looking in to the key issues and might have overlooked on areas which are non critical in nature. So believing on words may not show the true picture most of the times...
So whats the best way out of it......
The best way out of it is to refer the documentations that has been prepared on the day to day happenings from the very first day (kick off) of the project till the end of the project ( Go Live) !
Most of the consultants would disagree on documenting all the information, since documentation is not an easy job, it eats time.... but every one has to remember it saves our ass most of the times, when things are messed up !
Not many people voluntarily take up documentation jobs involved in the project.... Infact my fellow Technical consultant expressed that he hated documentation so much, thats why he became a technical consultant instead of functional... !
Now that we know how vital a documentation is needed for a project... we will see how the documentation needs to be carried out in a implementation project in future posts !
Ever since computers came in to use widely, most of the offices follow a PAPERLESS POLICY
, which means they store all official information as a soft copy and not as a hard copy. Its all digital in todays world... be it your leave application, payslip, companies policies and procedures, presentations, etc.. !
Let us see How essential is Documentation for an Oracle Application Implementation project.
As we know performing an implementation takes longer duration of time ... ( If not years, it will certainly take a minimum of 3 months )
During this long duration of time, there is going to be consistent communication between the Client and the Consultants. And there are chances that the Clients management may change the personnel involved in the implementation project and appoint a new person for communicating with the client. And the same can happen to the Consultant also, a consultant can be taken out of a project at any time by his consulting company and a new or a different consultant can be placed to continue with the operations from where the previous person left.
Now imagine that you are the new person who has taken the responsibility to handle the project from now onwards, what are the things that you will be wanting to know ?
You would first like to know what is the Project Plan
And in which stage of project we are in right now
Status on the work performed so far
Communication between the client happened so far
What is your role in the project
etc.. etc...
Now that you have the list of information which you wanted to know, how you are going to get the answers? It is highly impractical to expect the previous consultant to explain all the things to the new consultant who takes over the job. There are Chances that the previous consultant may not be looking in to the key issues and might have overlooked on areas which are non critical in nature. So believing on words may not show the true picture most of the times...
So whats the best way out of it......
The best way out of it is to refer the documentations that has been prepared on the day to day happenings from the very first day (kick off) of the project till the end of the project ( Go Live) !
Most of the consultants would disagree on documenting all the information, since documentation is not an easy job, it eats time.... but every one has to remember it saves our ass most of the times, when things are messed up !
Not many people voluntarily take up documentation jobs involved in the project.... Infact my fellow Technical consultant expressed that he hated documentation so much, thats why he became a technical consultant instead of functional... !
Now that we know how vital a documentation is needed for a project... we will see how the documentation needs to be carried out in a implementation project in future posts !
Thursday, January 10, 2008
What are the Options available when it comes to providing Solutions ?
The responsibility of meeting the clients requirements lies with the Functional Consultants and the Subject Matter Experts in the field. Even though most of the requirements are well thought
of by the client at the very beginning.... it is not the end of the list in the real time scenario.... !
There are implementations where client changes or brings in new requirement just before the
Production... So Consultant has to be capable of handling the last minute requirements and
changes which may arise from the client.
The suggested measure to put an end to the clients requirements is by providing them a Cut
off Date , beyond which no requirements will be taken care.
But certain changes need to fit in to the implementation even if it arises after the cut off date,
else it would not make sense to the whole project..
Let us take an example to find out what i was speaking above...
Assume that Anil Passi Ltd ( Client ) has approaced Richary Byrom ( Consultant ) for
implementing oracle financials for his company. His company and operations are located in a
location assume some where in middle east, where there is no taxation worries. So Richard
Byrom made through and detail understanding of business and given all the best solutions and
implemented a perfect system for working... just before they are about to hit the production
date... Government has made that particular country in the middle east as Taxable with
immediate effect..... now what ever solutions which Richard Byrom provided were without
taking in to account taxations.... he cannot deny this new requirement, since without taxation
what ever figures that are getting recorded are of no use, since it is not the true state of
affairs of the business. So Richard Byrom has to carefully include the new requirements in to
the solutions desgined by him previously with immediate effect.. !
Now from the Consultant point of view, let us see what are the type of solutions that one should
adopt?
Solutions can be many types, for the sake of understanding, let us take the major categories
of solutions:
1) Best Business Practices - This is a standard solution given by oracle by default for many
common requirements faced by different industries
Example: Client requirement is that they spend many hours in preparing month end accrual
and closing entries and reversing the same in the next month beginning. How oracle can help
them? - For which Consultant can suggest them to use Recurring Journals and Auto reverse functionality which will result in reduction of Substantial time.
2) Work Arounds - Work arounds are nothing but making best use of all available oracle
functionalities to bring out a solution for the requirements. For providing Work arounds, one
must possess strong business skills, and know the limitations of oracle applications from the
front end.
Example - Client wants to make payments in Cash using oracle Payables module. But
whereas making payments in cash is not a seeded functionality provided by oracle. - For
which Consultant can suggest, to create a bank named CASH A/C without Cheque Numbers,
and use this bank when ever you want to make cash payments.
3) Customization - If a particular requirement is not taken care by Oracle applications with the
available functionalities, one can think of customizing the applications by altering or inserting
new coding in to it, so as to make it perform in the way in which clients want it. For performing
an Customization, sound technical knowledge and the knowledge on how oracle applications
is built needs to be known. Customizations are not mostly preferred since it involves the work
of technical consultants resulting in additional cost. And when you customize Oracle
Applications or the Database, you will loose the Support from oracle (i.e Metalink) !
Example - Client after looking at all the available standard forms which an end user will be
using for his day to day operations, wants that, there are too many unwanted fields that are
getting displayed at every form which will not be touched by the users. So he wants all other
fields which are non mandatory to disapper from the form.
For which a technical consultant can customize the form and disable the fields or hide the
fields with a default value.
When a consultant himself is not sure on how to treat a particular requirement, he can get in
touch with oracle support ( as a last option/hope ) to get thier feedbacks as well !
of by the client at the very beginning.... it is not the end of the list in the real time scenario.... !
There are implementations where client changes or brings in new requirement just before the
Production... So Consultant has to be capable of handling the last minute requirements and
changes which may arise from the client.
The suggested measure to put an end to the clients requirements is by providing them a Cut
off Date , beyond which no requirements will be taken care.
But certain changes need to fit in to the implementation even if it arises after the cut off date,
else it would not make sense to the whole project..
Let us take an example to find out what i was speaking above...
Assume that Anil Passi Ltd ( Client ) has approaced Richary Byrom ( Consultant ) for
implementing oracle financials for his company. His company and operations are located in a
location assume some where in middle east, where there is no taxation worries. So Richard
Byrom made through and detail understanding of business and given all the best solutions and
implemented a perfect system for working... just before they are about to hit the production
date... Government has made that particular country in the middle east as Taxable with
immediate effect..... now what ever solutions which Richard Byrom provided were without
taking in to account taxations.... he cannot deny this new requirement, since without taxation
what ever figures that are getting recorded are of no use, since it is not the true state of
affairs of the business. So Richard Byrom has to carefully include the new requirements in to
the solutions desgined by him previously with immediate effect.. !
Now from the Consultant point of view, let us see what are the type of solutions that one should
adopt?
Solutions can be many types, for the sake of understanding, let us take the major categories
of solutions:
1) Best Business Practices - This is a standard solution given by oracle by default for many
common requirements faced by different industries
Example: Client requirement is that they spend many hours in preparing month end accrual
and closing entries and reversing the same in the next month beginning. How oracle can help
them? - For which Consultant can suggest them to use Recurring Journals and Auto reverse functionality which will result in reduction of Substantial time.
2) Work Arounds - Work arounds are nothing but making best use of all available oracle
functionalities to bring out a solution for the requirements. For providing Work arounds, one
must possess strong business skills, and know the limitations of oracle applications from the
front end.
Example - Client wants to make payments in Cash using oracle Payables module. But
whereas making payments in cash is not a seeded functionality provided by oracle. - For
which Consultant can suggest, to create a bank named CASH A/C without Cheque Numbers,
and use this bank when ever you want to make cash payments.
3) Customization - If a particular requirement is not taken care by Oracle applications with the
available functionalities, one can think of customizing the applications by altering or inserting
new coding in to it, so as to make it perform in the way in which clients want it. For performing
an Customization, sound technical knowledge and the knowledge on how oracle applications
is built needs to be known. Customizations are not mostly preferred since it involves the work
of technical consultants resulting in additional cost. And when you customize Oracle
Applications or the Database, you will loose the Support from oracle (i.e Metalink) !
Example - Client after looking at all the available standard forms which an end user will be
using for his day to day operations, wants that, there are too many unwanted fields that are
getting displayed at every form which will not be touched by the users. So he wants all other
fields which are non mandatory to disapper from the form.
For which a technical consultant can customize the form and disable the fields or hide the
fields with a default value.
When a consultant himself is not sure on how to treat a particular requirement, he can get in
touch with oracle support ( as a last option/hope ) to get thier feedbacks as well !
Work of an Oracle Functional Consultant !
Hi all,
in the previous post, you might have seen how an implementation project is carried out as a whole picture. Now let us see in detail about the work that will be handled by an Oracle Applications Functional Consultant.
We will start from the stage where the Client has brought the product from oracle and now looking for a Consultant who can implement it for them.
For discussion purposes, we will take up the Client Name as Anil Passi LTD and Consultant Name as Richard Byrom, and the product to be implemented is Oracle Financial Modules ( AP,AR,GL,CM,FA)
Lets assume that Anil Passi Ltd has appointed Richard Byrom to implement Oracle Financials, we will see the work which Richard Byrom will be perfoming...
>> Find out the reason as to why they want to go for ERP. If they have any bottlenecks in thier software which they have been using, what was it?
>> Understand the Business Process of Anil Passi LTD and find out the operations that are performed and the line of business, and other statutory compliances
>> Document the Current Business Process
>> Document the requirements from the Client or the Key users in modifying the existing Process or building new process ( This step is important, since in future client will always point it out)
>> Map the Current Business process and Clients Requirements in to Oracle Application Business Flows and Set ups
>> Collect Sample data from the client and carry out the setups in application
>> Demonstrate to the client and Key users how Oracle Application will help them in solving thier problems
>> When any requirement is not met by oracle directly, do think about the possibility of Workarounds and Customizations
>> Once the client is satisfied with your solutions, then collect complete data from the client and perform the complete real time setup and test it
Job Well Done !!
It is the Functional Consultants job to make sure that all requirements are taken in to account before the production begins !
in the previous post, you might have seen how an implementation project is carried out as a whole picture. Now let us see in detail about the work that will be handled by an Oracle Applications Functional Consultant.
We will start from the stage where the Client has brought the product from oracle and now looking for a Consultant who can implement it for them.
For discussion purposes, we will take up the Client Name as Anil Passi LTD and Consultant Name as Richard Byrom, and the product to be implemented is Oracle Financial Modules ( AP,AR,GL,CM,FA)
Lets assume that Anil Passi Ltd has appointed Richard Byrom to implement Oracle Financials, we will see the work which Richard Byrom will be perfoming...
>> Find out the reason as to why they want to go for ERP. If they have any bottlenecks in thier software which they have been using, what was it?
>> Understand the Business Process of Anil Passi LTD and find out the operations that are performed and the line of business, and other statutory compliances
>> Document the Current Business Process
>> Document the requirements from the Client or the Key users in modifying the existing Process or building new process ( This step is important, since in future client will always point it out)
>> Map the Current Business process and Clients Requirements in to Oracle Application Business Flows and Set ups
>> Collect Sample data from the client and carry out the setups in application
>> Demonstrate to the client and Key users how Oracle Application will help them in solving thier problems
>> When any requirement is not met by oracle directly, do think about the possibility of Workarounds and Customizations
>> Once the client is satisfied with your solutions, then collect complete data from the client and perform the complete real time setup and test it
Job Well Done !!
It is the Functional Consultants job to make sure that all requirements are taken in to account before the production begins !
Monday, January 7, 2008
How an Oracle Implementation Project is carried out in real time !
Dear All,
many would have been working in the field of oracle Applications on various specializations without knowing the whole cycle of a project. Most of the professionals are asked to do only what they are told to do with a limited period of time....due to which the learning process on other areas are completely blocked out. He carries out his routine job for years without any knowledge upgrade and value addition.
Just in case if some one is interested in knowing, how a Project is practically Carried out in real time Scenario, you can continue reading further...
In order to make the whole picture easy and understandable, let me give it as an Scenario first :
Assume that you are owning a Company called " ABC Limited " and you are running a Business ( Can be any industry ) . You have been using a Customized software for recording your financial transactions of the company.
After few years, your business have grown, and you got expanded geographically through out the world. The customized software which you have been using so far is not compatible enough to handle your requirements at this stage and future requirements that may arise...
You decide with the top management that we should implement an ERP for the company, to save time and cut down costs, and to increase profitability.
Now that you have got the approval from the managment to implement an ERP, you got to select the ERP package which suits your line of business . There is nothing called as best or worst, since every package is intended for a specific purpose.
Assume that by doing a competitive analysis, finally you have decided that you will go for Oracle Applications !
Now having decided that your need to implement Oracle Applications, the next step is that you need to buy this product from ORACLE by paying the required licence fee.
After having the product in hand, you need experts to implement that product, so that it can be put in to optimum usage !
(For sake of Discussion let us assume that we have paid licence fee for Oracle Financials Product and we are looking for experts in that area to implement it for our company )
Those experts are called Consultants or Consulting Agencies. You can approach an Consulting agency and sign up a contract to implement the product by so and so date.
After Signing the agreement, the Consulting agency will send thier consultants to the Clients place to carry out the the implementation work. Here the consultants sent by the consulting agency can be thier regular employees or contract employees from some other concern or people doing freelance.. ! During the course of implementation, the Consulting agency and client will provide consistent support to the Consultants at the Site to facilitate them in completing the implementation successfully.
Once the consultants job is done, he will demonstrate the work perfomed by him so long, and get it accepted and signed by the Client, since that moment the consultant dissappers from the picture.
The consulting agency then will provide another consultant to the client called a Support Consultant, who will be in the clients place for some time till the client gets a comfort level in usage of applications.
After a specific period of time, support consultant will also be taken away from the client, from that moment , client is on thier own and they can get in touch with Oracle Support for future queries.....
Will write more about an Implementation Consultants Work in the Project in my future posts !
many would have been working in the field of oracle Applications on various specializations without knowing the whole cycle of a project. Most of the professionals are asked to do only what they are told to do with a limited period of time....due to which the learning process on other areas are completely blocked out. He carries out his routine job for years without any knowledge upgrade and value addition.
Just in case if some one is interested in knowing, how a Project is practically Carried out in real time Scenario, you can continue reading further...
In order to make the whole picture easy and understandable, let me give it as an Scenario first :
Assume that you are owning a Company called " ABC Limited " and you are running a Business ( Can be any industry ) . You have been using a Customized software for recording your financial transactions of the company.
After few years, your business have grown, and you got expanded geographically through out the world. The customized software which you have been using so far is not compatible enough to handle your requirements at this stage and future requirements that may arise...
You decide with the top management that we should implement an ERP for the company, to save time and cut down costs, and to increase profitability.
Now that you have got the approval from the managment to implement an ERP, you got to select the ERP package which suits your line of business . There is nothing called as best or worst, since every package is intended for a specific purpose.
Assume that by doing a competitive analysis, finally you have decided that you will go for Oracle Applications !
Now having decided that your need to implement Oracle Applications, the next step is that you need to buy this product from ORACLE by paying the required licence fee.
After having the product in hand, you need experts to implement that product, so that it can be put in to optimum usage !
(For sake of Discussion let us assume that we have paid licence fee for Oracle Financials Product and we are looking for experts in that area to implement it for our company )
Those experts are called Consultants or Consulting Agencies. You can approach an Consulting agency and sign up a contract to implement the product by so and so date.
After Signing the agreement, the Consulting agency will send thier consultants to the Clients place to carry out the the implementation work. Here the consultants sent by the consulting agency can be thier regular employees or contract employees from some other concern or people doing freelance.. ! During the course of implementation, the Consulting agency and client will provide consistent support to the Consultants at the Site to facilitate them in completing the implementation successfully.
Once the consultants job is done, he will demonstrate the work perfomed by him so long, and get it accepted and signed by the Client, since that moment the consultant dissappers from the picture.
The consulting agency then will provide another consultant to the client called a Support Consultant, who will be in the clients place for some time till the client gets a comfort level in usage of applications.
After a specific period of time, support consultant will also be taken away from the client, from that moment , client is on thier own and they can get in touch with Oracle Support for future queries.....
Will write more about an Implementation Consultants Work in the Project in my future posts !
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