practical experience with oracle ebs setup automationstep 3: document the setup •use...
TRANSCRIPT
2019 Flowserve Corporation :: Proprietary & Confidential
Practical Experience with Oracle
EBS Setup Automation
ConfigSnapshot Application
EBS
Database
CSS
Repository
Temporary
XML File
Report output
HTML
Excel / Word
PC Application on Terminal Server
Setup XML
Files
Setup Download
to Excel & Upload
Why Automate Setup?
• Time– Significant reduction in setup times
– Allow more test cycles on fresh clones
– Reduce initial setup time
• Consistency– Same setup every time
– Eliminate fat fingers
– Eliminate missed steps
• Control– Easily documented
– Visibility
– Separation of duties
– Not impacted by cloning
– Accountability (who dunnit?)
What setup steps can it do?
• 1500+ steps covered
– Most of the commonly used steps
• Launching Concurrent Programs
– eg: Compile Security Menu
What setup steps can’t/doesn’t it do?
• Rarely executed steps with complex navigation
• Steps which cannot be fully navigated from the
keyboard
• Form personalisations (HTML & Forms)
• Alerts – Oracle provides a mechanism for this
How does it migrate the setups?
• Public API– Where available and sufficiently capable
– No use of private API
• Forms Playback– Same functionality as Dataload Pro but dynamically determines
insert or update
– Generates playback script, sFTP to server, reads log file
• Browser Control (HTML setup forms)– Takes control of browser and does all the clicking and typing
• Dataload Classic– Generates a spreadsheet containing Dataload commands
• NOT using FNDLOAD
Setting up to migrate setups
• Create ConfigSnapshot Repository Database– Be nice to your DBAs
– See Rookery Software for advice
– Flowserve’s is in a database shared with other applications
• Create DB roles & Users– Scripts generated by ConfigSnapshot
• Create sFTP accounts– Be nice to your OS admin
– Needs to have read/write on $FORMS_TRACE_DIR
• Create ConfigSnapshot users & Roles– Instance & module level controls
Setting up to migrate setups
• Configure instances
in the
ConfigSnapshot
Repository
Environment Name CP1PROD
Description GSSPROD
Database Unique Name cp1prod
Global Name CP1PROD.FLOWSERVE.NET
Reporting User CONFIG_SNAP
Reporting User Password ********
Migration User CSS_MIGRATE
Migration User Password ********
FTP Host Name gilap136.flowserve.net
FTP Port 21
FTP Host Key Fingerprint ********************
FTP User xxcssftp
FTP User Password **********
Playback Directory /xxcssftp/forms
Playback File UTF8 Yes
Samba Drive No
E-Business Suite Logon URL http://servername.company.net:8001/OA_HTML/AppsLogin
Redirected E-Business SuiteURL
Patch Log Directory
External Table Out Directory
Single Sign-On No
SSO Username Tag
SSO Username Attribute
SSO Username Attribute Value
SSO Password Tag
SSO Password Attribute
SSO Password Attribute Value
SSO Logon Tag
SSO Logon Attribute
SSO Logon Attribute Value
SSO Logon Submit Form
SSO Frame Tag
SSO Frame Attribute
SSO Frame Attribute Value
Process
Create a Config Set
Create the Plan
Document the Plan
Migrate to target
Step 1: Create a Configuration Set (optional)
• Contains all the setup steps across any module
• Can hold filters to select the data to be included
– May include child data which is not being updated
• Create templates
– All possible steps for a setup process
– Remove unwanted ones at next step
Configuration Set: New Responsibility & Menu
Configuration Set: VES Currency & iExpense
Step 2: Create a Plan
• Can be created from a Configuration Set or using the Plan form– Source data from …
• manually set up DEV instance
• Copy & Modify:– Manually or Find/Replace to edit the plan
– Download to spreadsheet, edit, extend & upload
• Only include data being changed/deleted/inserted– May have to load data then delete unwanted child data from the plan
• Setup not in the plan is not touched – master or child level
• Organise in the sequence the setup needs to be done
• Generates a set of XML files– Best Practice – keep them in a sub-folder
– No need to edit the XML files –ConfigSnaphot provides tools to do all the edits you need
– No need to save the files, done automatically
XML Files – Do Not Touch!
Editing the plan
Step 3: Document the setup
• Use ConfigSnapshot to create the Setup
Document (BR100) from the plan
– Use Configuration set with XML files as data source
– Output in Word/Excel or HTML
• Create Migration Instructions (MD120)
– Tells the migrator what to do
• Live demo to follow …..
Step 4: Migrate to the target instance
• Try out on a SIT/TEST instance
• Resolve any issues/prerequisites
• Can be repeated if necessary (within reason)
– Dynamically determines whether to insert or update
• Migrate to the SIT/TEST instance again after
cloning!
• Migrate to UAT/QA
• Migrate to PROD
Document the setup
Successes
• R12 upgrade– 300+ profile option adds & changes in under 2 minutes
– New menus, request groups, responsibilities, profiles & add users in less than 30 seconds
– Repeated several times during trial upgrades
• Re-platform Project– Update Concurrent Program & Request Set parameters in
less than 30 seconds
• Lots of smaller setup migrations
• New SoB/Ledger & iExpense Rollout– Still in progress, already had to reapply setup after clone
Challenges
• Acceptance by Business Analysts– Can’t be bothered to learn
– Too complicated
– Takes longer for quick changes
– I don’t use it often enough to remember
• Forms Playback setup– sFTP account configuration
– Security concerns
• Drinking too much coffee
Good Practice
• Start using it on small setups
– Gain experience useful for the big projects
• Insist on it
– Make it part of the expectation for consultants &
business analysts
• Train local enthusiasts
– Local experts who can guide others or do the work for
them