From Forms to HTML: Understanding and Using Oracle Projects’ HTML Pages

Edward Charity, Jr.Project Management Systems Consultants (PMSC), LLC

Agenda• Background of the Speaker and Company• Objectives of the Presentation• Background of the Projects Suite• E-Business Suite Architecture

– HTML-Based Applications– Forms-Based Applications

• E-Business Suite Access– General and Projects Specific

• Oracle Applications Framework and Personalizations– HTML vs Forms– Administrator vs. User Personalizations

• HTML vs Forms in the Projects Suite• Implementation and Use Issues• Suggested Resources and Presentations• Questions and Answers/Wrap-up• Contact Information

Background of The Speaker• Edward Charity, Jr

– Project Management Systems Consultants (PMSC), LLC – 2001 - Present

– CapGemini (formerly Ernst & Young) Oracle Service Line – Senior Manager 1996-2001

– Oracle Corporation, Consulting Services – Managing Principal Consultant 1993-1996

– Oracle Projects (Project Accounting) Implementation Consultant - 1993-Present

Background of PMSC, LLC• Project Management Systems Consultants (PMSC),

LLC– Formed in 2001– Focused Exclusively on Enterprise Project Management

Resource and Technology Solutions– Commercial, Government, and Government Contracting

Clients– Services Include: Implementation Strategy and Planning;

Implementation Management and Execution; Implementation Team and End-User Training; Implementation Re-work/Rescue, and Special Projects; and Post Production Support

Objectives of the Presentation

• Provide Implementation and Use Information on HTML- and Forms-based Application Pages in the Projects Suite– Explain the technical differences between the two– Identify the features and functions accessed using

one, the other, or both– Identify available knowledge resources– Identify Implementation and Use Issue

Background of the Projects Suite• Originally Project Accounting (Circa 1993)

– Project Costing and Billing• Enterprise Project Management Suite

– Project Foundations – Primarily Forms-based• Not Really A Separate Module

– Project Costing – Forms-based *– Project Billing – Forms-based*– Project Management – HTML-based*– Project Collaboration – HTML-based– Project Resource Management – HTML-based– Project Portfolio Analysis – HTML-based

• Project Contracts – Forms-based– Not Really a part of the Projects Suite– Actually a component of the Contracts Suite

* The focus of this presentation

E-Business Suite Architecture• Three-Tiered Architecture

– Desktop Tier• User Interface (UI) via Web Browser

– Application Tier• Host Servers That Process Business Logic

– HTTP/Web Server for HTML-based Application pages– Forms Server for Forms-based Application pages

• Manages Communications between Desktop and Database Tiers

– Database Tier• Supports and Manages the Oracle Database• E-Business Suite Data stored in Oracle Database

E-Business Suite Architecture (Continued)• HTML-Based Applications

– Key Characteristics:• Developed using Oracle Application Framework

development platform• Do not use Oracle Forms as the User Interface (UI)• Designed and Developed using pure HTML and

JavaScript• Dynamically generate HTML pages by executing Java

code• Use a Metadata dictionary for flexible layout• Operate by direct connection to the Web Server

E-Business Suite Architecture (Continued)• Forms-Based Applications

– Key Characteristics:• Developed using Oracle Forms, part of the Oracle Development

Suite• Connects to the Web Server through JInitiator (Pre R12).

– JInitiator – A Java Virtual Machine (JVM) used to support Forms-based Oracle Application functions

– JInitiator replaces the native JVM when accessing Forms-based applications

• Hosted by the Forms Server– Forms Server – Hosts Runtime Engine– Forms Server – Mediates communication between the desktop

client and database server

E-Business Suite Access - General

• E-Business Suite Home Page– Single Point of Access:

– HTML-based applications– Forms-based applications

– User Responsibilities determine access to features and functions

– Pre-seeded– Implementation defined (configured)

E-Business Suite Access - Projects

• Pre-Seeded “Super User” Responsibilities– Projects Super User (PSU) – Grants access to a majority of

HTML-based menus and functions• Covers: Project Management; Project Resource Management;

and Project Collaboration

– Projects Implementation Super User (PISU) - Grants access to a majority of Forms-based menus and functions

• Covers Project Foundation components; Project Costing; and Project Billing

– Project Contracts Super User (PCSU) - Grants access to Project Contracts menus and functions

Responsibility/Menu Path Demo

Demonstration

of

PSU and PISU Menu Paths

Oracle Applications Framework and Personalizations• What is the Applications Framework?

– Oracle’s forward going development environment

– Java-based application tier frameworks and associated services

– Designed to facilitate the rapid deployment of HTML-based application.

Oracle Applications Framework and Personalizations (Continued)• What Are Personalizations?

– Tailoring the UI look-and-feel, layout or visibility of page content to suit a business need or user preference.

– Translate from delivered UI definitions into client UI definitions

– Stored separately and thus not affected by product upgrades and patches.

– Three Types: Development’s; Administrator’s; and End-User’s

Oracle Applications Framework and Personalizations (Continued)• What Are Administrator Personalizations?

– Personalizations defined by an Applications Administrator

– Can only be changed or deleted by the Applications Administrator

– Are visible and usable by all End-Users– Grouped into the following levels: Function;

Industry; Localization; Site; Organization; Responsibility; and Seeded User

Oracle Applications Framework and Personalizations (Continued)• What are (End) User Personalizations?

– Limited to use by the user that created them

– Not seen or usable by other users

HTML vs Forms in the Projects Suite

• What Functions and Features of the Projects Suite Use:– HTML-based pages– Forms-based pages– Both/Either

See: Functions and Features Matrix

Implementation and Use Issues• Documentation• User Defined Attributes versus Descriptive

Flexfields• Budgeting and Budgetary Control• Microsoft Integration• Different Name, Same Feature/Function• Date Differences in HTML vs Forms• Licensing

Implementation and Use Issues (Continued)• Documentation

– Implementation and User Guides• Don’t make a clear distinction between features

and functions available and usable in Forms, HTML, or both.

• No longer make reference to some features and functions unique to Forms, i.e. Budgeting via existing Budget Types

Implementation and Use Issues (Continued)• User Defined Attributes versus Descriptive Flexfields

– User Defined Attributes (UDAs) – Enable you to define project- and task-level attributes that fit the unique needs of your enterprise. “DFFs on Steroids.” They are unique to the HTML-based application pages

– Descriptive Flexfields (DFF) – Implementation-defined, form-specific storage of enterprise data. Available primarily via Forms, some data viewable from HTML. Availability pre-determined by Applications Development

– Data for Project and Task DFFs are stored along with project and task data in the PA_PROJECTS_ALL and PA_Tasks tables

– Data for Projects’ UDAs are stored in the PA_PROJECTS_ERP_EXT_B table

– Data from both can be used for AutoAccounting, Account Generation and Subledger Accounting (R12)

Implementation and Use Issues• Budgeting, Budgetary Control, and Budget

Integration– New “Plan” Types introduced in Family Pack M (5/05) to

accommodate enhanced budgeting engine– Existing Budget Types convertible during upgrade– Enhanced budgeting unique to HTML pages– New Plan types not usable/compatible with Budgetary

Control and Budget Integration functionality– Different implementation path to use Budgetary Control

and/or Budget Integration– See also MS Excel Integration Issue

Implementation and Use Issues (Continued)• Microsoft Integration

– Budget Entry and Update via MS Excel only accessible through HTML pages

– MS Project integration available through HTML pages

Implementation and Use Issues (Continued)• Different Name, Same Feature/Function

– Customers and Contacts in Forms is the same as Billing Accounts in HTML pages

– Key Members in Forms is the same as Team Members in HTML pages

– DFF defined at Project-level in Forms shows up in the Other Information section of Additional Information in HTML pages

– DFF defined at Financial Task-level in Forms shows up in the Other Task Information section of HTML pages

Implementation and Use Issues (Continued)• Date Differences in HTML vs Forms

– Forms Dates: • Project Start Date – From Project Quick Entry• Task Start Date – Initially Defaults from Project Start Date• Project End Date (Conditionally Optional) – From Project Quick Entry• Task End Date – Initially Defaults from Project End Date

– HTML Dates:• Target Dates: Defaults from Project Quick Entry• Scheduled Dates: Workplan Task-based • Baseline Dates: Workplan Task-based• Estimated Dates: Workplan Task-based• Actual Dates: Workplan Task-based• Transaction Dates: Defaults from Project Quick Entry

Implementation and Use Issues (Continued)• Licensing

– Separate Licenses for: Costing; Billing; Management; Resource Management; Portfolio; and Collaboration

– Foundation included with any of the above– Question: Can the HTML-based forms be

used without Project Management License? Official Answer from Oracle: Yes.

Use Strategies• Project Definition in HTML

– If Costing Only, No Problem– If Costing and Billing, Agreements, Funding, and

Rate Schedules in Forms

• Project Definition in Forms– Unable to Utilize UDAs and HTML

Personalizations– DFFs, Class Categories and Codes may be

sufficient to meet requirements

Suggested Resources• Oracle Applications Framework Personalization Guide -

MetaLink Document Number B25439-02 (R 11.5.10.2)– Chapter 3, Personalizing Your Pages and Portlets– Chapter 4, Administrative-Level Personalizations– Chapter 6, User-Level Personalization User Interface

• Oracle Projects Implementation Guide - MetaLink Document Number B12389-04 (R 11.5.10.2)– Special Emphasis on Page Layouts and Personalizations–

Beginning at Page 2-123• MetaLink Documents

– Dates in Self Service Web Application vs Forms-Based Projects Application – ML Doc ID: Note: 361507.1 Dated 25-OCT-2006

Suggested OAUG Presentations

• The Magic Bullet for Oracle Project Customizations: User Defined Attributes

• Unfold the Mystic Power of Page Layouts and Personalization in Oracle Projects

Contact Information

Project Management Systems Consultants (PMSC), LLC

echarity@pmsc-llc.com

703-532-1259 Voice/Fax

703-244-9407 Cell

www.pmsc-llc.com