Oracle 11i The good, the bad and the reality.

Presented by: Parker Management Consultants, Ltd.

Contact: Scott Jackson Strategic Account Manager Great Lakes 216-406-1256

June 26, 2001

Agenda
Background of Oracle 11i

The 10,000 foot view

The good and the bad

The reality
Takeaways

Background on Oracle 11i

Released in May 2000
Current version 11i.5.4 Fifth revisions since introduction Fourth iteration of current revision Suite constantly being expanded Increases in functional areas Improvements in capabilities.

Background on Oracle 11i

Web-enabled and browser launched
Written to live in a Java environment Accessed via any web browser like Netscape or Internet Explorer Minimizes desktop requirements Minimizes maintenance issues.

Background on Oracle 11i

Offers global, instead of distributed instances
Eliminates duplication and redundancy Offers immediate policy/procedure control Eliminates versioning issues.

Background on Oracle 11i

More E-business than ERP
Blurs the line between brick and click activities
Links forward to customers Links back to suppliers.

Background on Oracle 11i

The difference is the i.
Simplifies networking issues
Facilitates distributed activities Simplifies hosting option and variations.

The 10,000 foot view

Key foundation modules.
Financials (FIN)
Human Resources (HR) Manufacturing (MFG) Purchasing (PUR).

The 10,000 foot view

Key building block modules.
Order Management (OMS)
Customer Resource Management (CRM) Advanced Pricing (APM) Configurator (CFG).

The 10,000 foot view

Key enhancement modules.
Warehouse Management (WMS)
Property Manager (PM) Supply Chain Management (SCM) Shop Floor Mgmt (SFM).

The 10,000 foot view

Relative stability of selected modules

Strong

FIN HR PUR SCM CRM CFG MFG

Key Foundation

Bldg. block

APM
??? OMS SFM WMS

Enhancement

PM New

The 11i suite overall

The good
Number of bugs and patches required greatly diminish
Trouble shooting on Metalink resulting in resolution of problems without filing a TAR or quicker resolution if a TAR is required.

The bad
Volume patches applied to 11.5.3
Inexperience of Oracle support TRMs can be incomplete (i.e., BOM,Inv.)

Open Item Interfaces can have considerable bug issues.

Financials
The good
Nearly all 11i modules are very straight forward, with little or no problems, including:
General Ledger Fixed Assets Accounts Receivable Accounts Payable

The bad
Legacy systems rarely have information in the in the detail Oracle needs
Minor problems in getting some of the reports to run properly.

GL can be running in 3 to 4 weeks.

Manufacturing
The good High degree of lot traceability. Different lots can be tracked before/after shipment

The bad
Not much enhancement beyond lot and serial control Must use workarounds to account for multilocation inventory systems.

Can automate the Open Item Interface to create an Item, Routing or a Bill Of Material via PL/SQL scripts.

Order Management
The good
High degree or management flexibility once operational
Able to to interface with a third party configurators.

The bad
Complete rewrite w/ rev. 11i.5.3. Patch volume similar to that of a new issue Very temperamental
3rd party forms packages vary in compatibility.

Human Resources
The good
Enhancements (i.e. , hierarchy diagrammers, mass position updates) considerably improved functionality
Standard Benefits has impressive potential.

The bad
Standard Benefits is a redesign and is encountering the start-up problems plaguing any new product.

CRM
The good
Broad multi-function suite, beyond just sales/contact management.

The bad
CRM still breaks quite a bit of AR functionality
Different modules (i.e., iStore, Service, Contracts) lack uniformity and consistency.

The reality
Six months appears to be a good rule of thumb to work the kinks out of a new module.
Foundation modules released are virtually all viable Building block and enhancement modules are working kinks out.

The reality
Relative stability of selected modules over time Strong

PUR SCM CFG

FIN
Key

MFG
Foundation

HR
Bldg. block

APM
???

CRM OMS SFM OMS

Enhancement

PM WMS
New

Time since release

1 yr +

The reality
Strong DBA resources are a must. Patching is often a tedious process
Can break functionality. Patches appear released without thorough testing.

Must learn the game of TAR turn around

Responses sometimes appear like delay tactics. Escalation methods must be mastered.

The reality
Nearly all foundation modules are solid and field tested.
Financials - little to no problems throughout entire suite

Human Resources basic functions fine

Manufacturing basic functions fine.

The reality
Variability does exist in some extended functionalities of foundation modules.
Standard Benefits in HR

Advanced Planning and Scheduling in Manufacturing.

Takeaways
Viability of 11i :
Time on the market translates to viable modules
Stability is not a suite-wide but rather a module by module issue Functionality gains from 10.7 to 11i can be great.

Takeaways
Time to implement 11i :
Vanilla or core functionality, in general, allows for on-time implementations
Not all upgrades direct, most are multi-hop exercises Data migration while rarely overlooked is often underestimated (i.e., Fin, OM).

Takeaways
When upgrading to 11i, consider :
Sticking closely to the 80/20 rule
Keeping the scope vanilla; it will allow for a schedule

Factoring more time for TAR management time for newer modules
Accounting for training needs for upgrade modules, particularly Order Management.

For more information

Please contact Parker Management: Mark Sweeney Vice President, Business Development 1.301.617.9777 msweeney@pmcltd.com Scott Jackson Strategic Account Manager 1.216.406.1256 sjackson@pmcltd.com