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Oracle Applications
Users Group

OAUG eNews

 Global Users.
Global Solutions.
oaug.org August 9, 2007 Volume VII / Issue 15

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In This Issue

Attend a free Webinar from ReadSoft if you are challenged with improving accounts payable efficiency within Oracle E-Business Suite!

If your organization is spending too much time and resources on handling AP documents, you can learn how other organizations are optimizing their payables through AP automation technology. ReadSoft will review best practice concepts to streamline your end-to-end payables process, which typically yields 50 to 100 percent efficiency gains.

Register today for our next Webinar on August 15 at 1:00 p.m. CDT.

ReadSoft

ReadSoft
Toll-free (US): 1.888.READSOF(T)
Direct: +1 504.841.0100
Fax: +1 504.841.0144
www.readsoft.com
info-us@readsoft.com

OAUG News

President’s Corner

2007 OAUG President Jan Wagner

2007 OAUG President Jan Wagner

This week, the OAUG announced the opening of the call for candidates for the 2008 OAUG Board of Directors. If you are an individual with strong strategic planning skills and are interested in expressing the views of a specific geographical region of the world and/or the needs of a specific Oracle Applications product, the OAUG welcomes your interest as a potential 2008 Director candidate.

The OAUG Board of Directors strives to have global and broad product representation to bring users from around the world and from across the family of Oracle Applications timely and relevant information, education and networking opportunities. In addition, we work to strengthen our relationship with Oracle to provide opportunities for our user community to influence Oracle on product enhancements, usability, new features, support, pricing and quality.

As an OAUG Director, your primary responsibilities will be to focus on the strategic needs of the organization, identify new initiatives and work to strengthen the relationships with our sister organizations and with Oracle.

Directors are also required to serve on one of three committees: Finance, Governance and/or the Executive Committee. This will take approximately five to eight hours per week. In addition, there will be two face-to-face, two-day meetings, which may occur on a weekend, and monthly Board conference calls to attend. Please be sure you and your employer are prepared to provide this commitment of time.

Serving as an OAUG Director is challenging, yet extremely interesting and fulfilling. During my four-year involvement with the OAUG Board, I have learned a tremendous amount about the world of business information and enterprise software, the power of user communities and the great things that can happen when like-minded individuals are working toward common goals. Through this experience, I’ve grown professionally and personally. And, I’ve met and become friends with some amazing people. I am proud of how much the OAUG has accomplished and how well respected our organization is among our peers and with Oracle.

Additional information regarding the call for candidates, including the Director position qualifications, submission process and election process, is available on the OAUG Web site. Please note that the call for candidates for the OAUG 2008-2009 Board of Directors will close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 21, 2007.

 — Jan Wagner, OAUG President

Boot Camp Training Provides Intensive, Hands-On Learning for Fusion Middleware and Release 12 Financials

Presented by the OAUG and Oracle University, these educational boot camps provide an intensive, hands-on, 10-day learning experience. The boot camps are presented by the OAUG and Oracle University specifically for OAUG members. Only through this strategic partnership between the OAUG and Oracle University can OAUG members obtain this in-depth, targeted training, within a compressed timeframe and at a very competitive price.

OAUG Fusion Middleware Boot Camp

October 22 through November 2 (not including Saturday and Sunday)
Chicago, Illinois, USA

Technical teams can gain information and develop the skills they need to implement E-Business Suite Release 12 or Fusion Applications upgrades.

For more information, including course objectives, location and registration information, refer to the course details.

OAUG Release 12 Financials Boot Camp

October 29 through November 9 (not including Saturday and Sunday)
Chicago, Illinois, USA

This course can help prepare project teams and implementation consultants to advance to the next step in Oracle Release 12 Financial implementation.

For more information, including course objectives, location and registration information, refer to the course details.

OAUG/Oracle Customer Support Study

The OAUG Customer Support Council is working with Oracle Support on a blind study to determine if customers who are part of a users group report fewer service requests and are more satisfied with the overall support experience than those who do not participate in a users group.

In order to ensure a large enough sample population to conduct the study, we are requesting your assistance and participation by providing your CSI number. Your CSI number will be sent to Oracle and will only be used for the purposes of this study. Individual company names and other specific details related to your CSI number will not be reported or distributed.

Once the study is complete, the OAUG will provide a summary of the findings, which we anticipate will illustrate another benefit of users groups to both prospective OAUG members and Oracle.

If you would like to participate in this study, please forward your CSI number to SallyAnn Ulm, OAUG association coordinator, at sulm@oaug.com by August 31, 2007. If you have any questions, please contact Ray Payne, OAUG Customer Support Council chair, at rpayne@oaug.com.

OAUG Announces Hyperion SIG

The OAUG is in the process of forming a Hyperion SIG to serve users of Hyperion (now Oracle) products. We are looking for volunteers to serve on the SIG leadership team to assist with the start-up and ongoing operations of the group. (more…)

Floyd Teter, OAUG Fusion Council Co-Chair, Featured in Oracle AppCast

In the July 24, 2007 Oracle AppCast, Floyd Teter, OAUG member and Fusion Council co-chair, talked about the value of OAUG membership, his perception of Oracle’s Fusion Applications Strategy and the benefits from Oracle’s Applications Unlimited commitment. Teter is a systems engineer for Institutional Business Systems at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Listen to the AppCast (MP3 audio file).

Hear all of the latest AppCasts on Oracle’s Web site, or subscribe to the AppCast feed with your RSS or podcasting program.

OAUG Announces Key Alliance with Oracle Applications Users Group Nederland

The OAUG is pleased to announce its partnership with the Oracle Applications Users Group Nederland (OAUG NL). Through the partnership, OAUG NL members will have expanded access to the OAUG community and can take advantage of the numerous education, networking, training and support resources the OAUG provides to enhance productivity and empower users to maximize their investment in Oracle Applications. For more information about the OAUG NL, visit their Web site.

OAUG Enhancement Requests Accepted in Fusion Development

Last year, the OAUG expanded its Enhancement Request System (ERS) to include feature requests for Oracle Fusion. This year, the OAUG is pleased to announce that Oracle has distributed the results of last summer’s ERS voting and endorsed immediate use of the OAUG’s ERS for the submission of requests for E-Business Suite, Siebel, Oracle Retail, and PeopleSoft for the 2007 voting cycle.

Of the 287 top-ranked enhancement requests from 2006, Oracle initially reports that 79 percent of the requests were accepted in Fusion, either in 1.0 or a subsequent release. The remaining requests either require additional information or were determined to be out of scope. A summary of the 2006 ERS voting results (MS Excel file) is available to OAUG members.

If you wish to submit an enhancement for 2007, the ERS is now open! Login to the Enhancement Request System to submit your enhancements today!

Basheer Khan, 2007 OAUG Executive Vice President, Featured in Oracle AppCast

Basheer Khan, 2007 OAUG executive vice president, was featured in the June 26, 2007, Oracle AppCast. During the online interview Khan talks about his experience in working with Oracle and users of Oracle products, the tremendous value in being active in the user community, the significant learning and networking opportunities provided at OAUG conferences and events, OAUG’s Fusion Council, Oracle’s Application Integration Architecture and more. Listen to the AppCast (MP3 audio file).

Hear all of the latest AppCasts on Oracle’s Web site, or subscribe to the AppCast feed with your RSS or podcasting program.

Oracle News

Monday News — Oracle Updates for the OAUG Community

Monday News is a collection of Oracle news items of interest to the OAUG community and is published the first Monday of every month. The August 6, 2007, edition is now available on the Oracle Web site. Highlights include:

Be sure to check the OAUG Web site often for the latest edition.

Learn about Oracle Fusion Middleware Solutions at Oracle Day

Oracle Day is a premier event that unites your business operations and IT infrastructure to increase the combined value of investments in Oracle Applications and Technology. Join us at this event where IT decision makers and business operations experts learn how Oracle Fusion Middleware solutions enable you to maximize the effectiveness of your Oracle business applications now and in the future.

Oracle Announces AppsLab

Oracle AppsLab is a think tank developed to promote the adoption of the principles of the new Web (also known as Web 2.0) across Oracle’s business and products. Recently formed within Jesper Andersen’s Applications Strategy organization at Oracle, the AppsLab team is dedicated to driving the internal adoption and understanding of new Web principles to encourage innovative thinking throughout the Applications division.

Oracle AppCast Examines Oracle Fusion Middleware Benefits

Thomas Kurian, senior vice president of Development for Oracle Fusion Middleware, talks about Oracle’s Fusion Middleware technology and its benefits to E-Business Suite, Siebel, PeopleSoft Enterprise and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne customers in a July 26, 2007 Oracle AppCast. Listen to the AppCast (MP3 audio file).

Hear all of the latest AppCasts on Oracle’s Web site, or subscribe to the AppCast feed with your RSS or podcasting program.

Oracle Introduces Oracle Communications Order and Service Management

Oracle announced the general availability of Oracle Communications Order and Service Management (Oracle Communications OSM) Release 6.2, which extends Oracle’s Siebel CRM capabilities with comprehensive order management functionality to automate fulfillment requests for traditional and next-generation services.

Vendor Product Awareness Sessions

A learning opportunity for OAUG members! Participate in these free educational sessions that are held several times each month. The interactive teleconference or Webcast sessions provide information about a variety of products and services that complement Oracle Applications. Upcoming sessions are listed below. Session abstracts are available on the OAUG Web site.

The OAUG is now accepting applications from the OAUG Associate member community for 2007 OAUG Vendor Product Awareness (VPA) sessions. If your company is interested in hosting a VPA session, please refer to the OAUG VPA provider information page or contact Erin Kirshtein, OAUG member services coordinator, at +1 404.760.8173 or ekirshtein@oaug.com.

Oracle Fusion Middleware Forum World Tour

Coming to a city near you, the Oracle Fusion Middleware Forum World Tour will offer insight into Oracle’s unique middleware strategy, differentiation and relevance to today’s IT projects and business applications development. Find the Oracle Fusion Middleware Forum World Tour in a city near you, and register for this free event.

OAUG eLearning

New OAUG Training Wednesdays

Demand for OAUG educational content has grown such that the OAUG is now pleased to announce an additional day of eLearning every week! OAUG Training Wednesdays now offer the same type of quality educational sessions OAUG members have come to expect with OAUG Training Tuesdays. Like all OAUG eLearning sessions, OAUG Training Wednesdays sessions are free to OAUG members, but registration is required and seating is limited, so you are encouraged to review the schedule of eLearning offerings and register today!

Demystifying Fusion: Featured During OAUG Community Thursdays

Now through September, OAUG’s Community Thursdays eLearning program will include a number of presentations from the Demystifying Fusion training series. The sessions will cover the following topics: WebCenter; Oracle Design Patterns; Business Process Analysis (BPA); and JDeveloper for Oracle Applications. Space is limited and registration is required. So, check the full OAUG eLearning calendar and make your reservation today.

Submit Your Presentation on the OAUG Web Site

Interested in presenting an eLearning session with the OAUG? You may submit a presentation for consideration on the OAUG Web site. If you present a session for OAUG eLearning your name and company will be mentioned in OAUG eNews and OAUG Education Network.

Please contact OAUG eLearning at elearning@oaug.com with any questions regarding eLearning session submission.

OAUG eLearning: Special Thanks

The OAUG would like to thank the following OAUG members and eLearning presenters:

Learn more about these scheduled sessions via the OAUG Training Tuesdays, OAUG Training Wednesdays and OAUG Community Thursdays schedules on the OAUG Web site.

Please note that OAUG eLearning sessions are limited to OAUG members only and space is limited. Registration is required for all OAUG eLearning sessions.

OAUG Conference and Event Updates

Oracle OpenWorld 2007

Oracle OpenWorld
November 11-15, 2007
Moscone Center
San Francisco, California

Visit the Oracle Web site for an overview of Oracle OpenWorld 2007.

Oracle With 20:20 Foresight

Oracle With 20:20 Foresight
Presented by Australian Oracle User Group (AUSOUG) and OAUG
November 20-21, 2007
Sheraton Perth
Perth, Australia
November 26-27, 2007
Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre
Melbourne, Australia

AUSOUG and the OAUG have attracted a number of high profile speakers, including Ian White, Roland Slee, John Stouffer, Cory Loehr, Ray Payne and Steve Lemme, as well as high calibre speakers like Connor McDonald from Oaktable and Penny Cookson from Sage Computing Services, and many more. But it doesn’t stop there. For the first time at an Australian conference, AUSOUG and the OAUG will be providing a series of quality e-training sessions direct from the USA. Plus, a one-day workshop for applications users will be presented on the day before the Perth Conference and on the day after the Melbourne Conference.

Early Bird Registration rates are available now.

Visit the conference Web site for details, and register today.

COLLABORATE 08: Technology and Applications Forum for the Oracle Community

COLLABORATE 08: Technology and Applications Forum for the Oracle Community
Presented by IOUG, OAUG and Quest
April 13-17, 2008
Colorado Convention Center
Denver, Colorado, USA

Save the Date for COLLABORATE 08.

The COLLABORATE 08 call for presentations will open in August. Exhibitor and sponsorship information will also be available soon. Watch for more information to come.

User Community News

OAUG Announces Hyperion SIG

The OAUG is in the process of forming a Hyperion SIG to serve users of Hyperion (now Oracle) products. We are looking for volunteers to serve on the SIG leadership team to assist with the start-up and ongoing operations of the group. In addition, we need your help gathering Hyperion content for the Web site, OAUG eNews, OAUG Insight magazine, etc. If you or anyone in your company uses Hyperion and would be interested in volunteering or providing content, please contact Lynne Weil at lweil@oaug.com, or +1 404.760.4228.

OAUG SIGs Expand to Include SPL

On November 3, 2006, Oracle announced the acquisition of SPL WorldGroup (SPL), a leading provider of revenue and operations management software for the utilities industry. SPL delivers best-in-class solutions for customer care and billing, mobile workforce management, outage and distribution management and asset management that are specifically designed for electric, gas and water utilities.

In order to support the SPL user community, the OAUG Enterprise Asset Management and the OAUG Energy & Utilities Industry SIGs are expanding their focus to include the SPL products.

With the acquisition of SPL, Oracle plans to deliver the most complete suite of end-to-end packaged revenue and operations management solutions for utilities to meet unique industry needs. Oracle and SPL have complementary products with a shared focus that information and adaptive business processes are keys to achieving corporate revenue and profitability goals. Oracle plans to accelerate the pace of innovation and integration of SPL’s products. The strengths of SPL’s solutions for utilities are planned to be combined with Oracle’s industry leading database, middleware and enterprise applications.

For additional information, please contact the SIG Coordinators:

OAUG and the CRM Community — Working Together

The Fusion CRM User Group, an affiliate of OAUG, announces the creation of the Oracle CRM Community, an integrated community comprised of the PeopleSoft Enterprise, Fusion, Siebel and E-Business Suite CRM User Groups. The mission of the Oracle CRM Community is to provide a forum for sharing information and expertise among all users regarding the selection, implementation and effective use of Oracle CRM applications. The overarching goal for this group is to foster community by building alliances with like-minded organizations to facilitate collaboration and education.

Read more about the Oracle CRM Community, including the group’s relationship with Oracle, Board of Directors reorganization, affiliation with the OAUG and enhanced communications/Web site initiatives, in the announcement letter from Audrey R. Bledsoe, president, Oracle CRM Community.

DMUG Fall 2007 Conference

September 17-20, 2007
Millennium Hotel
Saint Louis, Mo.

Call for Presentations

The Distributors’ and Manufacturers’ Users Group (DMUG), an affiliate of OAUG, invites you to share your implementation strategies and product experiences to help others shorten the learning curve related to PeopleSoft products. Visit the DMUG Web site to find out how to submit your presentation for consideration.

Conference Registration

Register today for the DMUG Fall 2007 Conference!

OAUG Migration and Integration SIG — Oracle Application Integration Architecture

We invite you to join the revitalized OAUG Migration and Integration SIG (MIGSIG). We are currently restructuring this SIG to cover the challenges around adoption and implementation of SOA, specifically leveraging Oracle’s Application Integration Architecture. Application Integration Architecture is the Oracle Framework for integration development using an SOA-based framework.

We are very excited about this visionary SIG and are working hard to bring together field experience and ideas from all sources in this new field. In addition to Application Integration Architecture, we will continue to cover areas of interest in day-to-day migration and integration challenges.

While we are refining the home page for this SIG, please send your membership request to migsig@oaug.com with subject line “Join MIG-SIG.” Once you have signed up, you will start to receive the quarterly MIGSIG newsletter and invitations to eLearning sessions on Oracle’s Application Integration Architecture.

Product Lifecycle Management SIG (Oracle PIM-PLM)

The OAUG is pleased to announce the newly-formed Product Lifecycle Management SIG (Oracle PIM-PLM), which has been established to facilitate interaction between Oracle PLM and Oracle PIM Data Hub customers and partners.

If you are interested in joining the SIG, please complete the online membership application. You will then be added to the communications distribution list for future updates regarding SIG activities and information.

The Web Services SIG is now the Service Oriented Architecture SIG

The OAUG Web Services SIG (WSSIG) has changed its name to the Service Oriented Architecture SIG (SOA SIG). The name change reflects the SIG’s expanded focus on Service Oriented Architecture as a full solution. In response to feedback from the OAUG user community, the SOA SIG is working to provide information and resources for members to use in developing business cases for migrating toward Service Oriented Architectures.

The SOA SIG will still provide a forum for members to share information and best practices on the effective use of Web Services with Oracle Applications since Web Services are a subset of Service Oriented Architecture. The SIG Web site and other resources will be undergoing updating to reflect these changes in the near future. For additional information, please visit the SIG Web site.

Upcoming Geo/SIG Meetings

Click on the links for details regarding registration, agendas, presenter and sponsorship opportunities.

Oracle Retail Users Group (ORUG) Update

Save the Date — Upgrading Retek/Oracle Retail RMS9 to use Oracle 10g: Project Overview

An OAUG/ORUG eLearning session presented by Bob Lennard, RadioShack Corporation.

September 20, 2007
9:00 a.m. EDT and 5:00 p.m. EDT (select one)

This session is available to OAUG/ORUG members only, at no cost. Look for additional details and registration information in the near future.

ORUG Board of Director Results

The ORUG Board of Directors Election was held in July 2007, resulting in a unanimous decision.

Congratulations and thank you to the newly elected board members. For additional information about ORUG, please visit the ORUG section of the OAUG Web site.

Oracle Retail Users Group Functional SIG

Coordinator: Armand Nelson, Gander Mountain

Meets the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. CT and at 4:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 p.m. PT.

Toll-free (US): 1.866.915.6284
Direct: +1 617.801.9600
Participant Code: 30281301

More information is available on the OAUG Web site.

Oracle Retail Users Group Technical SIG

Meeting Schedule and Agenda

Meetings are regularly scheduled for the third Wednesday of every other month.

If you have any agenda requests, please send an e-mail to Miles.Thomas@uk.tesco.com two to three weeks prior to the call. Additionally, if you would like to receive call reminders and minutes directly, please also e-mail Miles.Thomas@uk.tesco.com to be added to the distribution list.

Toll-free (US): 1.866.915.6284
Direct Dial: +1 617.801.9600
Participant Code: 65199619

Products Represented

New Listserver is Available

ORUG now offers a listserver so users can exchange questions and comments via e-mail.

To subscribe to the listserver, e-mail ArMand Nelson at armand.nelson@gandermountain.com with the following information:

When your e-mail address is subscribed to the list you will receive an e-mail confirmation.

To post a question or comment send an e-mail to orug@aqslists.com.

You have received this message because your e-mail address is subscribed to the OAUG eNews mailing list. To unsubscribe, use the Listserver Subscription Manager or send an e-mail from your subscribed address to enews-off@oaug.com. If you require assistance, please send a message to listmaster@oaug.com with subject line “eNews unsubscribe request.” Please visit the OAUG Web site for details on how to contact the OAUG. This message comes from an unmonitored, automated e-mail address, and replies to it will not be read. Please send postal mail to: Oracle Applications Users Group, 3525 Piedmont Rd NE, Bldg 5, Ste 300, Atlanta, GA 30305-1509, USA.