Sept 1998 Volume 2.5
Atlanta OAUG
Tips and Techniques
www.atloaug.org
System Administration
If sequence numbers are incrementing by a number more than one, ask you DBA to "pin" the sequence in the SGA of the database. Oracle support has a script for this procedure.
z
From: "Frost, Scott" <sfrost@noblestar.com>
You can install the Oracle Book software using the Oracle Installer. Typically I install the Oracle Book from the Oracle Documentation CD's that you can get from the training classes. There is a slight trick to installing it, in that you want to make sure you install it using your hard drive as the source drive, NOT your CD-ROM drive. This will enable you to use it without having to track down the CD which sometimes disappears.
z
From: rperumalla@uss.com
In 10SC, when you are on the Define Alert screen, go in to the SPECIAL menu you will see "Transfer Alert". Using this option you can copy the alert from one database instance to another database instance.
Upgrades
From: Dennis.Disney@pinnacle-brands.com
The pros for NCA are: end users seem to really like NCA and the speed is comparable to character. This is the architecture of the future, so your investment now will continue to pay down the road. With NCA, you are managing the forms on the server instead of on client machines, so product maintenance is much easier. The cons for NCA are: the users of NCA recommended at least a 17" monitor running at 1024x768 to run NCA. One company said they are buying 19" monitors for their people! Also, I got the impression that NCA, while far more stable than Smart Client was at this point in the product cycle, is still going through growing pains. Lastly, NCA requires either an additional server or quite a bit of disk space and horsepower on your current server.
z
From Jim Crum at BOSS Corporation
If you have finally upgraded to R10.7SC and are wondering what’s new, try reading help for your favorite application. For example, in AP if you look up new features help for Prod 16SC, you will see a discussion of EDI Gateway Integration, Web Employees Integration, Multiple Supplier Banks, a new profile option, seven new reports, tax calculations, and a hot link to the new features pages for every Prod release from Prod 8 to 15.
Financial Apps
GL
Q. How can we print the FSG reports just like the way we print the standard reports.
From: Keith Beddard <kbeddard@lightspeed.bc.ca>
A. You can submit FSG reports from Standard Request Submit, by adding the Run Financial Statement program to the GL report request group(s) that you're using. Once you've done so, all of the report items become parameters that you can select at runtime.
Q. We require the ability to limit inquiry/reporting of GL data based on the Company segment within out Accounting Key Flexfield. I believe that this may be possible through data groups. If anyone has used data groups to achieve this level of security I would greatly appreciate it if you could explain how.
From: Brad Fisher <Brad.Fisher@premsysi.com>
A. If you are trying to limit access to a particular segment of the accounting flexfield you can define a security rule to limit the access to a particular segment and then assign the security rule to an appropriate responsibility (be careful with FSG reports).
A. From: <rcunningham@noblestar.com>
Here are a few things you might want to look at before going to separate sets of books:
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From: "Carmen Ma" <CMA@futureshop.com>
Cross validation rules do not fire if the code combination already exist. In that case, the only way to prevent an entry is to disable posting to that combination manually.
AP
Q. When we are printing checks on our HPLJ4SI, a large exclamation mark Is appearing on the lower right hand portion of the check. This is not a desirable thing. We are using the Evergreen Long Laser format. Has any one experienced this anomaly?
From: Ken Heckbert <kpheckbert@ihis.org>
A. The format you are using is designed to be used with the Evergreen forms cartridge installed in your printer. The exclamation mark results from control codes which the cartridge will properly interpret. Since you don't have the cartridge installed, you're getting the exclamation mark instead. You need to either switch to a different cheque format, or you need to talk to Evergreen.
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Q. I would like to set my "Payables Transfer to General Ledger" program to run each day at the same time, unfortunately, the parameters require a "Post Through Date". This is a problem because if I set it up today to post through "07-MAY-1998", then each day it runs, it will only post through 07-MAY-1998. Does someone know how a workaround, or a way to modify the parameters of the report to allow for the SYSTEM DATE as the "Post Through Date"?
From: Mike Dennis <mdennis@mdp.com>
We schedule our Payables Transfer to General Ledger monthly with a "post through" date of the last day of the month.
AR
From: "Diane Bayes" <DBAYES@ca.oracle.com>
Subject: Re: Cash Management Setup - Set of Books not found
If you have AP and AR as 'Fully Installed' then you need to have the applications setup. This problem has occurred numerous times. Customer typically have AP setup nicely, but they will be setting AR up later. You cannot proceed in Cash management - SOB problem until AR is sufficiently setup to process a receipt. If you need more information please email. I do have some documentation on this.
Distribution Apps
OE
From Jim Crum at BOSS Corporation
There is an undocumented profile option in R10.7 called WSH: Invoice Numbering Method and the two choices are Automatic and Delivery Name. There is no mention of this option in the R10 reference manuals. The documentation in the R11 manuals doesn’t explain what it is for. But, we know when running the OE to AR Interface, Automatic lets you see only the automatically numbered invoice batch sources. Delivery Name lets you see only the invoice batch sources with manual numbering active. We used this feature for a pay on receipt customer where the picking/packing slip number had to be the invoice number.
INV
From: <dalepeterson@rocketmail.com>
You can change the Item Attribute Control at ANY time. It is easy to go from Item (Master controlled) to Item/Org (Organization controlled) since all the attribute settings for all items were the same since that attribute was Master controlled; it is more difficult to go from Item/Org to Item because now all Orgs individual attribute settings will be lost and will now have to live with the Master setting plus someone must ensure that the database setting for every Org is in sync otherwise the user's will be confused since they will think it is set to the master setting when in reality is set to the old setting; fortunately Oracle does give a Warning message (5215 - May cause Data Inconsistencies).
PO
Q. Could someone point me to information on the uses of catalogs and categories in Oracle?
From: "Cathy LaMarre" lamarreca@irctt.com
A. Categories: we prefix our raw material category with P (purchase) and F (FG) then have categories that are product lines. Examples of purchase categories might be Supply, Packaging, Wire, Paints, ... You assign items to categories.
Catalogs: we use multi-segment catalogs: Family, Size, Tolerance, Range, Package, .... Now catalogs are great because they can populate the item description. You define at the catalog level what elements are part of the catalog (family, size, tolerance, whatever,...) what order (if even used) in the parts description they appear in. A catalog is set up for a part in the master org and that part in all orgs will have the same description.
Pitfalls: Catalogs are not used in ANY oracle reporting. This has created hundreds of custom extensions to the Oracle Applications for us. Our bookings, sales, backlog, work order and inventory reporting is done from the catalog elements like Family, style, size, ... Most oracle reporting for inventory allows category as an option. Yes, you can report on item description, but that still does not meet our users selection criteria. You can do cost updates on Category, but not catalog. So one thing we ended up doing after the fact was to create Item categories with the same value as our catalogs.
Advise: Consider what your reporting needs are. If you have to report on catalog elements, you will be writing custom extensions.
Manufacturing Apps
PLN
Q. I am running the memory based planner on a DEC 4100 10.7SC prod16.1 GUI. Most of the time it completes normally. Occasionally it will just hang. The Snapshot Monitor and the memory Based Planner processes just continue to stay in a running state. the only way I have come up with to resolve the problem is to cycle the database. Has anyone else seen this and come up with a solution??
From: RussellJG <RussellJG@aol.com>
A. The memory based planner goes into what Oracle calls the energizer bunny mode, it just goes and goes and goes. One thing to check is the number of processes available to the planner. You will need at least 4 + 2 times the number of snapshot workers. That is if your profile option MRP: Snapshot Workers is 4, you will need at least 12 processes available to the planner the entire time it is running. The only way to guarantee this is to set up its own CC manager, exclude all the MBP programs from all the other managers and include them in their own manager, thus excluding all other programs.
Q. Can anyone explain how lead time percentage works in routings?
From: Kaushik Ghatak <kghatak@supply.mig.eds.com>
Look at the topical essay in the WIP and MS/MRP manual for an excellent discussion on lead time percentage. LT percentages are calculated automatically when you roll up lead times. They are used for scheduling planned order start dates in MRP if you chose the option of 'Operation Start Date' for scheduling. Lead time percentages are also used by Oracle Capacity to calculate capacity requirements for each operation. Check the topical essay on Oracle Capacity for a discussion.
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CST
From Doug Volz:
In Release 11, if you specify the same valuation account numbers by cost element, for your subinventories and WIP (accounting) classes, the cost processes no longer summarize the accounting entries. Instead, the entries are ALWAYS written by cost element, even though the elemental valuation accounts are the same (just like Release 9 did!). For example, if an assembly has a $5 cost for each cost element, material, material overhead, resource, (resource) overhead, and outside processing, a subinventory transfer would have 10 accounting entries instead of the 2 entries that you would find in Release 10. This problem was created when the Cost Team added the feature for recording Cost of Goods Sold by cost element - they ended up doing it for everything else as well! I'm working with the Costing OAUG SIG, to help deliver a message to the Cost Development Team that the user community considers this to be an important issue.
Multi-Org
Q. Should we run adadmin every time we add a new organization in order to add the seed data ????
From: "Michael" <mvowles@sprintmail.com>
No, you can only run it once and then the option disappears from the adadmin screen. If you want to set up more business groups etc., go to System Admin and run the Replicate Seed Data Report. We did it once and it worked.
From: Gary Wright <gary.wright@experian.com>
The replicate seed data program should run automatically after you add another operating unit.
From: GLENN HOFFMAN <ghoffman@mphna.com>
I have experienced first-hand in 10.7 character that Replicate Seed Data does NOT run automatically when adding new orgs. My experience was after having setup four orgs, I re-did the structure entirely, including setting the END DATE on each org I had created. Lo and behold! I was not seeing seed data being seeded. Running Replicate Seed Data (once for each new Operating Unit) from SysAdmin Standard Report Submission Screen took care of us.
Support
From: GLENN HOFFMAN <ghoffman@mphna.com>
We have a Bronze level support contract. Proactive patch info for Bronze level customers can be difficult to get.
Here are some resources I used to get patch info:
I found option #2 to be most time-consuming with least payback.
Call for Contributions
We need your contributions to keep the content of this news letter fresh and topical. Please, send me an e-mail to jcrum@sprynet.com or FAX to BOSS Corporation at 770-622-5400. Thanks!
Copyright Notice
Since this news letter is a cooperative and joint effort, no one has tried to own (or be responsible for) the material contained in these newsletters. Therefore, the reader is granted a right to copy and distribute these materials for educational use. We ask only that you attribute the Atlanta OAUG as the source. Use these materials at your own risk, and ATLOAUG or the authors make no representation about the suitability of this material at your site.
ATL-OAUG
Officers
Last Meeting Highlights
I
Presentation: "Web Enabled Apps and Network Computers" Robert Thackston, AnswerThink See www.atloaug.org for presentationII. Presentation: "Beyond Budgeting in Oracle Financial Analyzer" Ick-Chun Lee, Vanstar Corporation, Brian Novotny, AnswerThink Due to proprietary rights, presentation not available for posting to the website.
III. Presentation: "Applications Output Reformatting & Distribution" Optio Software, Jose Vargas See www.atloaug.org for presentation
IV. General Business - Brenda Carlton, KPMG
Future Meetings will be Sept 18 @ Oracle Corp and Nov 20 @ KPMG Peat Marwick
We need volunteers (hosts and speakers) in ‘99
Hosts: 1/15, 3/19, 4/16, 6/18, 8/20, 9/17, 10/15, 11/19
Speakers: Send an email to bcarlton@sprynet.com.
SEOUC – Southeast Oracle Users Conference – Feb 18-19
The 1999 conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Airport Sheraton. In 1998 there were 250 attendees with three speaker tracks. In 1999 the target is 400 with 5 tracks: three tracks for tools and two tracks for Apps.
Agenda and critical deadlines:
Sept 1 - Call for papers sent
Sept 3 - Web site complete at seouc.org and online submission possible
Oct 1 - Papers due
Dec 1 - All sponsors and tabletop vendors identified.
Cost of the conference will be $125 before Jan. 9th and $225 after Jan. 9th.
Contact Robert Moreland at 704-423-0220 or robert.moreland@tacticsus.com for sponsor information.
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Special thanks to Kathy Evans and Bill Pipkin of BellSouth who provided us with a wonderful conference space and refreshments.