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