January 1998
This is the third edition of the tips and techniques newsletter. Thank you for your comments and compliments. We had planned for publication during the first week in December so this issue is about four weeks late. To start off the new year, we will reset the publication schedule for every other month starting with Jan, Mar, May, etc. Please send in your contributions to jcrum@sprynet.com. Thank you for your support.
Happy New Year to all of you. May you have a healthy and prosperous new year.
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In case you don't have the OAUG proceedings, I have posted the GLDI 'Quickstart' paper on our website www.hestacorp.com.
Although Oracle ships about 220 countries and territories with the system, sometimes you may need to create a new country or territory. The individual applications responsibilities cannot create new country records, but the system administration responsibility can add to this table.
Q Does anyone know how to control how long a report can run? We need to do this in order to keep from having run away reports slow down the system.
A
From: Agrawal, Rajat Rajat.Agrawal@HBC.honeywell.com
Here's what you can do (in brief): Define a specific
concurrent manager for long running reports and define a work
shift for this conc. manager such that it can run only during
off-peak hours. Then in the define conc. program screen, you can
assign this conc. manager to the conc. program, so that any conc.
request for long running reports gets handled automatically by
this specific conc. Manager
From: John Hendrickson jhendrickson@princesscruises.com
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Q Has anyone ever tried to turn on server's archive log for Applications? We have an Oracle consultant to help us install/setup our applications, he strongly recommends us to TURN OFF archive log. Any opinions?
A From: chitti chitti@concordnc.com
It is not recommended to turn archive log on while installing or applying patches. In these cases the archive log files may fill up the file systems and installation or application of patches stalls. Once everything is complete, then you can turn archive log on.
Oracle provided the following answer in the Applications Q&A:
Q When and how will Oracle provide a supported migration path from multiple product installs (such as multiple sets of books) to the single install multiple organization architecture? When will customers be required to migrate to the multiple organization architecture?
A Oracle plans to provide utilities to help customers with multiple installs merge data into a single installation. These utilities are currently under development, and they will be available sometime after Release 11 is shipped.
Customers with multiple installs will need to merge their data into one multi-org install before migrating to Release 12.
Q Our DBAs are trying to perform the upgrade to 16.1, and he gets a lot of invalid objects, mostly because "FND_MESSAGE" is missing - has anybody else come across this ?
A From: chitti chitti@concordnc.com
In $AD_TOP/sql there is a script adcompsc.pls which is the best script to compile all invalid objects. You may need to copy this and modify this to compile all invalid objects at once.
FYI If all JE data is for one company but out of balance due to [currency] rates, Oracle corrects at JE posting time by adjusting largest JE line. -- Anon
Q We have some FSG reports which we need to run weekly. The submit FSG report request form does not have any resubmission options. Is there a way of automating this?
A From: Subramanian, Thiru& SubramT@mps.bellhowell.com
There is an alternate way of running FSGs. You can run FSGs through the Standard Report Screen. The concurrent program name is 'Program - Run Financial Statement Generator' under 'Oracle General Ledger' application. You can add this report to your Report Sec. Group, and then run your FSGs through SRS, where you have the facility of resubmission.
From the AP on line help screen R10.7
If you update the payment terms on an invoice, Payables recalculates the scheduled payment for the invoice. Thus, you must reenter any manual adjustments you made to the previous scheduled payment. For example, if you updated the payment priority on a particular scheduled payment and then changed the payment terms, Payables would recalculate the scheduled payment using the same payment priority defaults as before and you would need to redo your updates.
From Jim Crum - BOSS Corporation
AP support tells me AP patchset (MEGAPATCH) "D" for prod 16 and 16.1 will be available on 12/19. The revision level on the Invoice work bench is up to 8.5.199 as of 12/11. 80% of the 6 pages of bug descriptions look like they would apply to all AP installations.
Q It would appear that ORACLE 10.7 AP does not allow the user to enter vendors with the same name. We would really like to be able to do this. Is there a workaround?
A From: Ken Heckbert kpheckbert@ihis.org
The only way around it is to make the names slightly different. Can you add an initial, or some other character to one of the names? We have to deal with the same problem, since we have to set up a lot of individuals with the same first and last names in our system. The only thing we can do is use a mix of initials, abbreviations, nicknames, etc. Oracle A/P does not allow identical names because everything is keyed off the vendor name, not the vendor number. It makes some things easier, such as vendor queries and invoice entry, but it does result in the problem you have identified.
Q We are looking for the output formats for EFT check outputs; we have been unsuccessful in getting them from Oracle. Does anyone have these or can suggest where to get them?
A From: MANTOSRIDAR@micron.com
The program which prints EFT output is linked with EFT document definition. And all format program are defined under payment programs. Here are the details of setup:
Basically you have to create different files to different countries if the format is different. There are few setup steps involved :
2. In NavSetupPaymentProgram, Create a new format program which will create EFT batch compliance with the Bank format. You may have to create a new build program.
3. In NavSetupPaymentFormat, select EFT from the quickpick of the name field in the Payment Method Zone and enter payment format details including build and format program.
4. Enter proper bank account details including the GL account under required branch in \NavSetupBank
5. In the Payment Document Zone, Enter the document name, starting and ending number, format program name and other related details. You need to create one descriptive flexfield to store transmission # assigned by the bank.
6. In the vendor screen. I think payment goes to vendor site, So enter bank account details at the vendor site level. Payment details at the vendor site level, define payment method as EFT. You need to create one descriptive flexfield for pre noting status. Once these setups are ready, for an invoice batch, select invoices for payment through EFT, Format the payment (which should have a link to payment format). The format payment process will create an EFT batch which should be sent to the bank through modem and bank interface.
From Jim Crum at BOSS Corporation
There are four alerts that ship with the Accounts Payable application. Check out appendix A of the AP Reference Manual. The alerts are designed to send e-mail and process responses to/from buyers and requestors. The periodic alerts are triggered weekly and detect when an invoice goes on hold for price, purchase quantity, receipt quantity, or missing receipt.
From Bonnie Hoggatt a Senior Consultant at MCI Systemhouse
Autoinvoice does not allow importing corrections to an invoice except through importing Credit Memos. You could possibly get the result you need by importing a credit memo for the lines you are trying to correct the distributions for.
From: Cathy Cakebread cathyc@compuserve.com
There a several fields that are missing from the customer interface tables. What I generally do is to: create a temporary table that replicates the standard customer interface table but which includes the missing fields. Insert these records into the standard interface table (without the missing fields). Run the customer interface. Run a script that updates the production tables with the missing fields (from my temporary table). This way you already know what information belongs with which records (be sure that you are not attempting to load invalid values since you aren't running through the interface program).
Q
In what scenario are charge backs used?
A From: Catherine Cakebread cathyc@compuserve.com
Generally, chargebacks are only used when applying payments to an invoice and the customer short pays or takes an unauthorized deduction. The process closes the original invoice and creates a new "chargeback invoice" for the difference. The reason why most people are unable to use chargebacks is that they MUST be tied to a specific invoice, and in most cases, you don't know which invoice the customer is trying to take the deduction against.
Q Has anyone implemented an approval hierarchy where more than one person should approve a requisition before it can be used in a Purchase Order?
From: Andy Farber farban@consumer.org
A We handle this procedurally. Each individual approver must approve the req, and then a "SUPER" approver verifies all the individual approvals, and then approves the whole thing. It would be MUCH better if the approvals were handled in the same manner as reserving funds, so that as (distribution) lines were approved, they would be so marked, and then when they were all approved, the entire req would be marked as approved. Oh, well - I put in for this as an enhancement request in the Spring of 1994.
A From: Scott Hess hessse@nv.doe.gov
If Approver 1 always sees the documents first and then Approver 2 needs to see the documents, you should be able to set up the position for Approver 1 to be subordinate to Approver 2. We use this for buying "capital" equipment which is restricted to a specific value for one segment of our accounting Flexfield.
Q Does Average Costing in Inventory work with Work In Progress Items?
A From: chitti chitti@concordnc.com
When WIP has been installed, you can not use average costing in the present systems of Oracle.
Q Anyone know if there is some type of "clean-up" routine or concurrent job for MRP??? Our MRP and MRPX tablespaces keep growing and we have to keep adding datafiles.
A From: (Marc Slone marc_slone@bigfoot.com
Make sure the Planning Manager is running. Each day it will spawn a once-a-day-tasks worker which will purge many of the MRP tables, including some internal tables and the open interface tables. Also note that you can purge an MDS, MPS, or MRP by deleting the record representing the schedule or plan name (i.e. do \ Row Delete on the Define MDS Names, Define MPS Names, or Define MRP Names forms). This will launch a purge program and will delete all of the entries on the schedule or plan and in addition will delete the schedule or plan header as well. The same thing will work for old forecasts. Only do this if you no longer need that particular schedule, plan, or forecast.
Oracle OE does not support fractions. Define units of measure appropriately.
From Jim Crum at BOSS Corporation
The API's (Application Program Interfaces) for HR/PAY are different from the other applications. They are not documented in the Open Interfaces Manual and are only briefly mentioned in the HR manuals. If you have data to load into HR/PAY tables, check out the technical essays in Appendix "A" of the HRMS Implementation Guide (P/N A25893-2). There you will find directions to directories of database packages in the /patchsc/sql directory of $PER_TOP and $PAY_TOP. Evidently, the documentation for how to use these packages and load data is in the header files of these packages.
From: McQuown, Timothy Timothy.McQuown@fmr.com
Outside of Balances and Batch Element Entry there are no 'Open Interfaces' provided as part of the HRMS product. Not in the same sense that they are provided with other Oracle Applications. They provide a different, more flexible approach by providing a set of APIs that can be used to build interfaces. The list of APIs, which are structured more around business processes than tables, expands with each release. The APIs provide the same validations that the online Forms do. Examples of API procedure names are 'create_us_employee' and 'hire_applicant'. The complete list for each release can be found from online help under 'New Features'. An essay describing their use is available (I think) at www.oracle.com or it's in the Oracle HRMS US Implementation Guide.
From Bill Stratton - HR/PAY Consultant at BOSS Corporation:
Many times during the setup of Oracle HR/Payroll Key Flexfields, companies must decide on whether to put needed information in the People Group Flexfield or to use Special Information Types. After struggling with this decision on at least three implementations, I would recommend using the People Group Flexfield if one of the following is true:
Q Can anyone tell me what the link (in the Database) is between ORG_ID and ORGANIZATION_ID?
A From: Paul Lin
ORG_ID is the Operating Unit (for Multi-Org) and ORGANIZATION_ID is the Inventory Organization and each Inventory Org belongs to an Operating Unit (ORG_ID). However, this is not a one to one relationship. There can be more than one Inventory Organization (ORGANIZATION_ID) associated to one Operating Unit so you might have to be careful. You can find the link between these two in the ORG_ORGANIZATION_DEFINITIONS (which contains ORGANIZATION_ID, BUSINESS_GROUP_ID, and OPERATING_UNIT which is ORG_ID)
Q Our implementation of Receivables is going to require extending the application. We would like to comply to Oracle's standard for extending their applications. Where can we find documentation on how to proceed with this?
A From: Ruth Lowe ruthlo@mosaix.com
I have used the following manuals:
You can find Oracle's standards at the back of the AOL manuals.
AS the pace of business continues to accelerate, many companies are improve the decision making process and make rapid and efficient decisions. The process can be summarized in six steps.
We need your contributions to keep the content of this news letter fresh and topical.
If you run across something in your daily interaction with the Oracle Applications that makes you think "isn't that clever, strange, well done, impressive, difficult, etc." drop me a note and we will share it with our readers. We especially appreciate contributions for manufacturing and project accounting applications.
Please, send me an e-mail to jcrum@sprynet.com or FAX to BOSS Corporation at 770-622-5400. Thanks!
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The next meeting is Friday January 16. Come at 2 PM for networking. The meeting will start at 2:30 PM. Contact 404-220-1999 ext. 6575 for information.