Upcoming October System Outages for Oracle Financials Systems - FINDINI 4.0.10 Release

October 13, 2016

This October 2016 FINDINI 4.0.10 release will be available to users on Monday October 24, 2016.

This release will focus on getting the EBS environment 12.1.3 ready for Windows 10 and Microsoft Office 2016, and upgrading our Golden Gate Replication software to version 12.2.0.1. This release will also include Oracle's July Compliance Security updates for the standard software and database patching needed to keep the EBS, CPATH, & OBI Replication systems up-to-date with many industry security regulations and requirements including updates for: PSU, CPU, JDK, JRE, & Solaris Operating System patching. We are also addressing a few additional bug fixes and system enhancements from our current Product Backlog.

As we have written to you in past publications and other communications, the HUIT ATS Oracle Financials team has been working on the Oracle Financial Platform Improvement (OFPI) project. This phased project is helping us prepare HUIT and the University to meet the goals of moving towards virtual servers on cloud-based technologies for our Oracle Financial software.

Some of the benefits we will gain will be:

  • Cost savings to support and run our financial systems
  • Stronger business continuity and disaster recovery
  • Enhanced performance and reliability as we move off of our current aging hardware.

Several of our custom applications, such as PCARD and Web Reimbursement, function on outdated server technologies that are expiring very soon. The current language that these functions are written in is also no longer viable or supportable. As part of 4.0.10, HUIT ATS has been in the process of rewriting and testing these functions to accommodate these needed changes in a supportable language (APEX) that would result in the least amount of invasive changes to the end users. PCARD users will see these changes completed in this October 2016 FINDINI release. This release is a significant step to allowing us to move closer to having these custom applications run on our future cloud-based virtual servers that we will deliver under the OFPI Project in the spring of 2017.

Outages:

The University's financial systems will be unavailable from Friday, October 21 at 6:00pm until the start of business Monday, October 24 at 6:00am to complete the installation of this release. The Oracle EBS Financial systems that will be offline during this time include Accounts Payable, Accounts Payable Adjustment Form for Assets, Accounts Receivable, Bottomline, CAPS, Cash Management (CMRA), Chart Security Maintenance Application (CSMA), CoA Validator, Collections, FedEx, General Ledger, GL Validator, Harvard Oracle Assets, HCOM, iProcurement, iReceivables, PCard, Vendor Request, Web ADI, and Web Reimbursement. Also, the CPATH (Capital Planning at Harvard), HDW/CREW & OBI environments will also be offline for a shorter period of time during this outage.

Preliminary prep work for this release will also result in some minor outages as follows:

  • October 2 6am – 11am:
    Operating System Server patching for Oracle EBS - Oracle Financials will be unavailable
  • October 14  8pm – October 15  2pm:
    Operating System Server Patching for the HDW - CREW, IR Reporting and Ad Hoc environments will be unavailable. A special HDW load will take place Sunday night 10/16 as the 10/14 HDW load will be cancelled for this work.

Next FINDINI Release:

The next FINDINI release 4.0.11 is tentatively planned for May 13, 2017. We are already actively planning and working on this next release which includes the final phase and delivery of the Oracle Financial Platform Improvement (OFPI) project. This includes:

  • Upgrading the EBS database to version 11.2.0.4 aligning with Oracle’s support requirements and readiness for future upgrades.
  • Moving the existing EBS platform to a Virtual Infrastructure at a Remote Cloud Data Center (relocate out of 60 Oxford St.), bringing us a step closer to aligning with HUIT’s cloud strategy.
  • Converting off of the end of life 10gAS server to a virtual web logic application server and completing the custom application conversions to APEX.
  • Developing an Automated Testing Framework using OATS (Oracle Application Testing Suite) which will be utilized for application functional/performance testing within this release and future projects/releases.

Additional Release Details for FINDINI 4.0.10:

The FINDINI 4.0.10 release will include a JRE update to 1.8.0_102. When logging in for the first time after October 24, users will be required to download this updated Java JRE. If users receive a popup message that a more recent version is available, they should NOT act upon the request. Beginning on 10/24, the CADM HUIT End Point team will also be pushing the Java JRE 1.8.0_102 update to all HUIT supported users with LANDesk who currently have Java 1.8.0_74 . It is highly recommended that non-supported HUIT schools do the same where possible after 10/24. This latest version of the JRE will better support the various available browsers that have been upgraded as well.

Please Note:

Oracle Financials desktop standards can be found on site http://huit.harvard.edu/pages/computer-standards under the Enterprise Application Supported Desktop Configurations section. These desktop standards will be updated for this release.  Further helpful tips & release information can be found on site http://fss.finance.harvard.edu/popular-resources & http://oracle.fss.finance.harvard.edu/releases.

For questions please contact the HUIT Service Desk at ithelp@harvard.edu or call them at 5-7777.

Appendix:

FINDINI 4.0.10 Release Summary

FINDINI 4.0.10 Training Tip for the Vendor Request Form:

We have made an update to the Vendor Request Form (VRF) that will now allow a requestor to pull back the request if they have either sent it to the incorrect approver or they discover that their approver is not available (out of the office, on vacation, etc.). Similar to resubmitting a request that has been rejected by an approver or UFS-AP, when a new request is submitted there will now be a link under the ‘Resubmit’ column for ‘Vendor’ or ‘Site’ depending on the type of request. The requestor will need to click on the link which will open the form and simply change their approver information. Once they click ‘Submit’ the request will go to the new approver and remove the notification from the previous approver.

Please note: This new function may only be used for NEW requests. Reactivation requests for Vendors or Sites will need to be resubmitted to a new approver as it has been done in the past.

If there are numerous requests that need to be reassigned, UFS-AP has functionality that will now allow them to reassign large groups of requests. A Service Now ticket will need to be submitted to complete this task.

Vendor Request Form

FINDINI 4.0.10 Training Tips for PCARD:

Users will see some noticeable visual differences within the HRVD^PCard^Local Admin responsibility and menus.  The following items will be updated in the HRVD^PCard^Local Admin responsibility:

Harvard PCard Local Admin

Please note that the rest of the Web Reimbursement functions, such as Create Reimbursement, and the PCard Reviewer responsibility will be completed in the May 2017 FINDINI 4.0.11 release.

PCard Local Administrator

Below are a few screenshots illustrating the new look and feel, and some notes of changes you will see delivered in this October FINDINI release.

Create a New Security Group

New Look

New Look

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form

Maintain Security Groups

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form

Report on Allowable Tub – Org Combinations

New Look

Report on Allowable Tub-Org Combinations

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form
  • Ability to Sort
  • Addition of ‘per page’ results (rather than long page)

Request a New Card

New Look

Request a New Card

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form
  • ‘Spending Limit’ spacing condensed

Maintain Cards

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form
  • Ability to Sort
  • Addition of ‘per page’ results (rather than long page)

Report on Purchasing Cards

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form

Report on Card Usage

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form
  • Ability to Sort
  • Addition of ‘per page’ results (rather than long page)

Detailed Transaction Report

New Look

Detailed Transaction Report

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Calendar Date fields
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form
  • Ability to Sort
  • Addition of ‘per page’ results (rather than long page)
  • Ability to Export via ‘Actions’

Add/Maintain Card Reviewers / Add Maintain Group Reviewers

New Look

Add/Maintain Card Reviewers

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form
  • Addition of ‘per page’ results (rather than long page)

Report on Group Reviewers

Changes:       

  • ‘School to Administer’ is built within the form and is now a drop down
  • Slight change to the header information
  • No repeat of menu functions at bottom of form
  • Ability to Sort
  • Addition of ‘per page’ results (rather than long page)