Written by Helene Abrams Thursday, April 15 2010
Everyone always asks us how we do what we do, and why, in over 20 years of Oracle E-Business Suite implementations, no one else has ever created software to automate the process of changing the underlying configurations or consolidating or separating data. eprentise software is built on a proprietary process called Metadata Analysis that is really the engine that drives the changes in an Oracle E-Business Suite. eprentise Metadata Analysis uses patterns and rules-based technology to discover everything about a particular database.
A good analogy for Metadata Analysis is an architecture diagram for an already-built house (see That Old House). The architecture diagram includes all the wires and the pipes in addition to all the other internals of the house, like where every stud is located, whether the wallboard is aligned, the mechanicals including the type and efficiency of the heating unit, and the age of each appliance and how it is used.
This architecture diagram knows the capacity of each wire or object in the house, knows what it is connected to, knows the order of operations if something needs to be changed, and fully understands the impact of that change. Metadata Analysis discovers and documents all database objects (e.g., tables and columns, primary and unique keys, rows and objects, foreign keys, other constraints, triggers) and application objects. It understands the data and has a built-in knowledge repository of how every piece of data is used, and how that data supports each business process. When it finds information (in the format of rules) about an instance, it confirms the information by checking every row of data to see if the information is consistent within the database, then validates the information against the eprentise Knowledge Repository. In addition, the eprentise Knowledge Repository houses information from each version of Oracle E-Business Suite gleaned from a variety of methods. (Only about 30% of what we find is documented in the DBA or FND tables or in the Oracle Technical Reference Manuals).
After all the rules about the metadata are confirmed and validated, Metadata Analysis populates the eprentise Knowledge Repository with information specifically about the database, its schemas, constraints, and other database objects. It also compares configuration details between a source and a target. The source and targets can be different database instances, or different operating units, or really anything in the EBS. eprentise software uses the rules that it finds during the Metadata Analysis process to dynamically generate code to perform four functions: copy, filter, change, and merge.
Again, back to the house analogy. Once you have all the building materials available, and if you can get a good schematic of the house, you can remodel it with the right tools. You can move walls, add on to the existing structure, or even start over again on the same foundation. Within Oracle E-Business Suite, Metadata Analysis gives us the schematic, your data and business processes are the building materials, and we have the software tools to remodel EBS any way that you want, whether it is merging data together, splitting it apart, changing it, or moving data to realign it with the changes in your business.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Related Articles
Related Pages
Enter your email address to sign up for our Newsletter
May Puzzle
David is often referred to as Rainman due to his peculiar ability to effortlessly figure out a certain date's day of the week. He recently displayed this talent when I asked him if there was a conflict with the upcoming Fuzzy Dice Conference and our weekly court-ordered community service. He asked the date of the convention. It was April 20th, 2012.
"Oh, that’s a Friday," he said, effortlessly. "And your sentences have you committed for the next few dozen Wednesdays so you'll be able to go." And of course he was right.
One day a few weeks ago I asked out loud in the office about the date June 5th. And of all people, my brother Tommy piped up and said "Oh, that's a Tuesday."
"That's right," said David.
Well how about Otcober 3rd?
"That's a Wednesday," said Tommy. Then I asked about Christmas Day 2012.
"Oh, that's a Tuesday." David nodded in agreement.
Do we now have two rainmen? Or had Tommy figured something out?
Solution
Here's what was going on. Tommy was using something called anchor dates. And these dates apply to each and every year. April 4th, or 4/4 we’ll call it from now on, June 6th or 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12, are all the same day of the week, each and every year.
So too are 5/9 and 9/5, May 9th and September 5th. So too are 7/11 and 11/7, and all the above dates are the same day of the week, as is the last day in February, Leap Year or not. And they’re all the same day as January 4th, it would otherwise be January 3rd, but this was a leap year, and that’s changes the anchor day from January 3rd to January 4th.
Tommy also knew that New Year's Day was a Sunday. He was sobered up by then. And he knew it was a Sunday because Christmas was a Sunday in 2011, so New Year's Day is a Sunday, so the Anchor Day for 2012, January 4th, has to be a Wednesday!
So if that's a Wednesday, then 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12, 5/9, 9/5, 7/11, 11/7, and February 29th are all the same day of the week, and they're all Wednesdays. So when I ask for example, about October 3rd, he knew October 10th was a Wednesday, 10/10. So 10/3 must also be a Wednesday. 12/12 is a Wednesday in 2012, so it’s 12/26, which is two weeks later. So 12/25, or Christmas Day, must be a Tuesday.
Success Tips for Oracle Project Management
- Create a standard for documentation at the beginning of your project, and hold team members accountable for completing documentation requirements as well as keeping them at and above the standards required.
- Before promulgating user documentation or training, it’s also a good idea to choose a representative from the among the business users base to review materials first.
- If you are not sure about the resources and budget required, obtain several estimates from people that have experience with the same size and scope of your project.
- Be explicit, before beginning the project, what internal resources are required for execution. This includes people, infrastructure, hardware, and software.
- Help the project champion understand the impact your project will have on the organization and how its successful completion will make him or her an internal hero or heroine for supporting it.
- Break up your project into smaller projects (try for projects that can be completed in 4-6 months, especially early on) to get success and demonstrate momentum.
- Make sure that your testing includes reports, upstream and downstream interfaces, customizations, enhancements, and workflows.
- Ensure that comprehensive transition reports and meetings between departing and incoming personnel are completed.
- Instead of spending time and resources implementing third-party reporting, consider consolidating multiple instances, moving to a global chart of accounts (CoA), and/or standardizing on a consistent calendar.
- Include governance, risk, and compliance management as part of the project plan.
- Finally, celebrate the successes. Too many projects focus on defects, failures, or small cost over-runs without looking at the big picture and what was accomplished.
The Analyst Corner
John Van Decker, Research VP of Gartner, states:
"A single chart of accounts allows consistency in financial reporting across the enterprise by standardizing on common metrics and reporting structures, reduces dependencies on a separate financial consolidation system, and significantly reduces the costs incurred with ongoing, complex conversions and translations."
Popular Articles
- Organization Setup in R12
- If IFRS...Then, Part 2: 5 Best Practices in Designing a Chart of Accounts in Oracle E-Business Suite
- 11i to R12 Decision: Upgrade or Reimplement?
- Designing a Global Chart of Accounts and Taking Advantage of Oracle® E-Business Suite Release 12
- Moving from GAAP to IFRS with Oracle EBS
