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

1. From Forms to HTML: Understanding and Using Oracle Projects’ HTML Pages Edward Charity, Jr. Project Management Systems Consultants (PMSC), LLC

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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)

11. 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

12. Responsibility/Menu Path Demo Demonstration of PSU and PISU Menu Paths

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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)

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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.

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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