Oracle EBS Technology News

The latest news directly from E-Business Suite Development

Preventing "Java was blocked" IE Warnings with Oracle EBS

Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) started warning users about out-of-date ActiveX controls running through any security zone except the 'Local intranet' or the 'Trusted sites' zones when using IE 8 or later. Attempts to run any Java content from your desktop using older JRE releases -- releases prior to the latest Critical Patch Updates (CPU) on any JRE codeline -- through any other zone now result in a warning message. This may prevent you from accessing Java-based or Forms-based content within Oracle E-Business Suite.
IE will not block functionality for end-users who meet any of these conditions:
  • Are running EBS through the browsers "Local Intranet" or "Trusted sites" zones
  • Have the latest Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Critical Patch Update (CPU) release on Java 6 or 7
IE will block end-users whose desktops meet all of the following conditions:
  • Users are running the E-Business Suite in the the "Internet" zone 
  • Users do not have latest Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Critical Patch Update (CPU) release on Java 6 or 7
Affected end-users will see the following warning: 
Java(TM) was blocked because it is out of date and needs to be updated
How do I prevent this Issue?
OPTION 1
Follow our documented recommendations to run Oracle E-Business Suite through the "Trusted sites" zone. 
See the "Recommended Internet Explorer Browser Settings" section within:
OPTION 2
Follow Microsoft's workaround to turn this feature off:
OPTION 3
Upgrade to the latest JRE release. See:
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A Primer on Oracle E-Business Suite REST Services

Oracle E-Business Suite Integrated SOA Gateway (ISG) was introduced in E-Business Suite (EBS) Release 12.1, as an infrastructure to provide and consume SOAP based Web Services. In EBS R12.2.3, ISG is enhanced to provide REST-based Web Services. 
What is REST? 
REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It is an architectural style for distributed hypermedia systems. The term REST was introduced and described by Roy Fielding in 2000, in his doctoral dissertation - Architectural Styles and the Design of Network-based Software Architectures. This REST architectural style may be applied to web services. Note that REST is not a standard and its implementation often varies to suit application needs.
Using a PL/SQL API as a REST Service
E-Business Suite public PL/SQL APIs can be deployed as REST-based Web Services from the E-Business Suite's Integration Repository. One or more methods of the API can be selected to be exposed as functionally-secure REST resources. Each of these resources can be identified by an URI. These resources can then be manipulated by making HTTP request to the URI. As of R12.2.3, ISG supports POST HTTP Verb for REST Services. This feature is also available for custom PL/SQL APIs registered in the Integration Repository. 
PL/SQL REST screenshot
Unlike EBS SOAP Services, REST Services are deployed in EBS’s OAFM Managed Server. These REST Services do not depend on external Fusion Middleware components like Oracle SOA Suite. These are simple, lightweight REST Services suited for UI integrations and mobile applications.   Read More ...


Three Essential Reference Tools for E-Business Suite Upgrades

Regular readers of this blog know that we have three reference tools that are essential for every E-Business Suite upgrade:
  1. File Comparison Report (Note 1446430.1)
  2. Data Model Comparison Report (Note 1290886.1)
  3. Seed Data Comparison Report (Note 1327399.1)
These tools allow you to generate a report of the differences between one EBS release and another for specific EBS products.
For example, you could use the Data Model Comparison to get a list of EBS 11.5.10.2 database objects that were updated in EBS 12.1.3 for Bill of Materials (BOM):
Screenshot of data model comparison report tool
What's New?
These tools now cover EBS 12.2.2 and 12.2.3.  Read More ...


Plans for Certifying Internet Explorer 11 with Oracle E-Business Suite

Microsoft IE logoMicrosoft Internet Explorer 11 is the default browser for Windows 8.1.  It is also compatible with Windows 7.  IE 11 is not certified with any Oracle E-Business Suite releases yet.
If you've reached this article via a search engine, it's possible that a later update on our status is available.  For our latest status, please check the Desktop Client Certifications section of our one-page Certifications summary.
Our current plans for IE 11 
We plan to certify Microsoft Internet Explorer 11with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10.2, 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2. 
These certifications are underway now.  They will cover Windows 7 and 8 desktop clients, as well as companion certifications with Office 2013, Office 2010, and WebADI.
When will IE 11 be certified?
Oracle's Revenue Recognition rules prohibit us from discussing certification and release dates, but you're welcome to monitor or subscribe to this blog for updates.  I will post updates as soon as soon as they're available.  Read More ...


Java JRE 1.6.0_75 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

Java logo
The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_75 (a.k.a. JRE 6u75-b13) and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.
Effects of new support dates on Java upgrades for EBS environments
Support dates for the E-Business Suite and Java have changed.  Please review the sections below for more details:
  • What does this mean for Oracle E-Business Suite users?
  • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JRE 7 for Windows desktop clients?
  • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?
All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. Read More ...


Java JRE 1.7.0_55 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

Java logoJava Runtime Environment 7u55 (a.k.a. JRE 7u55-b13) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2 for Windows-based desktop clients.
Effects of new support dates on Java upgrades for EBS environments
Support dates for the E-Business Suite and Java have changed.  Please review the sections below for more details:
  • What does this mean for Oracle E-Business Suite users?
  • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JRE 7 for Windows desktop clients?
  • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?
All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. Read More ...


Quarterly E-Business Suite Upgrade Recommendations: April 2014 Edition

We've previously provided advice on the general priorities for applying EBS updates.  This article will help you understand your top priorities for major upgrades to EBS and its technology stack components.
The following is a summary of our latest upgrade recommendations for E-Business Suite updates and technology stack components.  These quarterly recommendations are based upon the latest updates to Oracle's product strategies, latest support timelines, and newly-certified releases.  
Upgrade Recommendations for April 2014
  1. EBS 11i users should upgrade to 12.1.3 or 12.2.  Before upgrading, 11i users should be on theminimum 11i patching baseline.
  2. EBS 12.0 users should upgrade to 12.1.3 or 12.2.  Before upgrading, 12.0 users should be on theminimum 12.0 patching baseline,
  3. EBS 12.1 users should upgrade to 12.1.3 or 12.2.
  4. Oracle Database 10gR2 and 11gR1 users should upgrade to 11.2.0.4 or 12.1.0.1
  5. EBS 12 users of Oracle Single Sign-On 10g users should migrate to OAM 11gR2 Patchset 1 11.1.2.1.0.
  6. EBS 11i users of  Oracle Single Sign-On 10g users should migrate to OAM 11gR2 Patchset 1 11.1.2.1.0.
  7. Oracle Internet Directory 10g users should upgrade to Oracle Internet Directory 11g 11.1.1.7.
  8. Oracle Discoverer users should migrate to Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE), Oracle Business Intelligence Applications (OBIA), or Discoverer 11g 11.1.1.7.
  9. Oracle Portal 10g users should migrate to Oracle WebCenter 11g 11.1.1.7 or upgrade to Portal 11g 11.1.1.6.
  10. All Windows desktop users should migrate from JInitiator and older Java releases to JRE 1.6.0_75 or later 1.6 updates or JRE 1.7.0_55 or later 1.7 updates.
  11. All EBS 11i, 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2 users must sign their environment's JAR files now.
  12. All Firefox users should upgrade to Firefox Extended Support Release 24.

  13. All EBS 11i, 12.0, 12.1, 12.2 users should apply the latest Critical Patch Update.
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EBS R12 Pre-Install RPM Available for Oracle Linux 5 and 6

Tux logoThe Linux Pre-Install RPM for Oracle E-Business Suite R12 on Oracle Linux 5 and 6 is now available for use by customers.
The package (oracle-ebs-server-R12-preinstall) is available on the 'addons' channel on Oracle Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN, which requires a support contract) or from the Oracle public yum repository. It is recommended that this Pre-Install RPM be installed on top of a 'minimal' installation of Linux to provide just the necessary packages to install and run Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.
As with the Oracle Database Pre-Install RPMs, this RPM provides all required E-Business Suite packages for both the application and database tiers, while configuring the systems with particular kernel and other values to meet requirements published in our Linux x86-64 Installation and Upgrade Notes (IUNs).  Read More ...


After Windows XP and Office 2003: E-Business Suite Implications

Microsoft logoMicrosoft ended support for Windows XP and Office 2003 on April 8, 2014. 
Our policy for the E-Business Suite is that we support certified third-party products as long as the third-party vendor supports them.  When a third-party vendor retires a product, we consider that to be an historical certification for EBS.
What can EBS customers expect after April 2014?

After Microsoft desupports WinXP and Office 2003 in April 2014:
  • Oracle Support will continue to assist, where possible, in investigating issues that involve Windows XP clients or Office 2003.
  • Oracle's ability to assist may be limited due to limited access to PCs running WinXP or Office 2003.
  • Oracle will continue to provide access to existing EBS patches for WinXP or Office 2003 issues.
  • Oracle will provide new EBS patches only for issues that can be reproduced on later operating system configurations that Microsoft is actively supporting (e.g. Windows 7, Office 2010)  Read More ...


Best Practices for Deploying EBS 12.2 on Oracle Database Appliance

Oracle Database Appliance ODA imageThe Oracle Database Appliance (ODA) is an engineered system that combines Oracle software with server, storage, and networking hardware.  The E-Business Suite's application tier and database tier components may be deployed on the Oracle Database Appliance.
Oracle Database Appliance offers the option to deploy highly available Oracle Databases in a bare metal environment or to deploy both Oracle Databases and the Application Tier in virtualized environments within the appliance. 
A new whitepaper describes how to use EBS + ODA together:
This white paper describes how to deploy Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 database and application tiers on Oracle Database Appliance Virtualized Platform 2.8 (and later) using preconfigured Oracle E-Business Suite VM templates.
Each Oracle E-Business Suite deployment consists of two Oracle VM templates:
  1. Database image template
  2. Primary application tier template. 
These templates deliver the complete EBS software technology stack.  You have the option of using a preconfigured Vision demonstration environment with sample data or a fresh install database for production environments.
The procedures in this paper are fully supported for production use.
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Understanding and Managing Licensing Options in Oracle E-Business Suite

License Manager is a utility that registers additional products, country-specific functionalities, and languages for your Oracle E-Business Suite system. Application products that you use after the initial installation must be registered as active in order to be included in various system maintenance tasks.
We receive a lot of questions on this particular area:
  • How does the activation process work?
  • Which tables are involved?
  • How are dependencies between products calculated?
  • What if a product is activated by mistake?


We are pleased to announce a new document that answers all these questions with extensive coverage on how License Manager works:
  • Understanding and Managing Licensing Options in Oracle E-Business Suite (Note 1639705.1)
    Related Documents


    New Recommended Patch Collection for EBS 12.1.3 Now Available

    I am very pleased to announce the availability of E-Business Suite 12.1.3+ Recommended Patch Collection 1.  This Recommended Patch Collection combines recommended patches for EBS 12.1.3 into a single integrated and regression-tested patchset:

      Why is this important? 
      Getting to EBS 12.1.3 isn't enough.  Additional patches must be applied on top of EBS 12.1.3 before going into production. These include individual patches, product family Release Update Packs (RUP), and product-specific Recommended Patch Collections (RPC). Read More ...


      Oracle VM Templates For EBS 12.2.3 For Exalogic

      We are pleased to announce that Oracle VM Templates for Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2.3 for Exalogic are available for download from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud: 
      Screenshot of Oracle VM template download site for Exalogic images
      These VM templates can be imported into the Enterprise Manager Ops Center to deploy E-Business Suite Linux 64-bit environments on Exalogic servers for demonstration, development or production use.  Read More ...


      Important Updates to EBS 12.2 AD and TXK Tools

      We are pleased to announce two new updates for the Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 Technology Stack (TXK) and  Applications DBA (AD) suite of administrative tools respectively.  They include important Online Patching updates.  AllEBS 12.2 users are strongly encouraged to apply these new updates to their environments as soon as possible.
      The updates include:
      • New features: simplified addition and deletion of Weblogic Server managed servers, new Online Patching Log Analyzer utility, and additional Online Patching options.
      • Stability and performance-related updates.
      AD-delta-4-screenshot
      You can download the two updates (RUPs) here:
        Future AD and TXK updates will be delivered on top of these AD and TXK RUPs.

          References

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          Oracle VM Virtual Appliances Available for E-Business Suite Release 12.2.3

          Oracle VM Virtual Appliances for E-Business Suite Release 12.2.3 are now available from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud at this location:
          These virtual appliances can be imported into Oracle VM Manager to deploy E-Business Suite Linux 64-bit environments on compatible server-class machines running Oracle VM Server.  Alternatively, they can be imported into Oracle VM VirtualBox to create virtual machines on a desktop PC or laptop.

          The virtual appliances deliver the full software stack, including the Oracle Linux 6.5 operating system, Oracle E-Business Suite, and additional required technology components.

          The available Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.3 virtual appliances are:
            1. Single Node VISION Demo
            2. VISION Demo Database Tier
            3. Production (PROD) Database Tier
            4. Application Tier
            5. Sparse Application Tier
              These appliances can be used to support the following scenarios:
              • Single node E-Business Suite 12.2.3 installation: Choose the single node VISION Demo virtual appliance (Option 1 above) to create a unified virtual machine with the EBS 12.2.3 database and application tiers.  Read More ...


              Oracle Database 11.2.0.4 Certified with E-Business Suite 12.2

              I'm very happy to announce the certification of Oracle Database 11.2.0.4 with Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2. 
              To begin planning your database upgrade to 11.2.0.4, you should review our documentation in this order:
              1. Interoperability Notes: Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (Note 1623879.1) 
              2. R12.2 Consolidated List of Patches and Technology Bug Fixes (Note 1594274.1) .  The interoperability note references this note.  It is crucial that you review all requirements in Section 2.2, "Database 11.2.0.4 Patches and Bug Numbers" of this note.
              3. Database Initialization Parameters for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (Note 396009.1).  Make certain that you review Section 4, "Release-Specific Database Initialization Parameters For Oracle 11gR2" and Section 6, "Additional Database Initialization Parameters for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2".
              What does this mean if you are upgrading to R12.2?
              • This upgrade is highly recommended for all EBS 12.2 environments.
              • If you are just beginning your upgrade to R12.2 project, you should consider upgrading to Oracle Database 11.2.0.4 now. 
              • If your are currently in the midst of your R12.2 upgrade, you may continue as planned with Oracle Database 11.2.0.3 and upgrade to 11.2.0.4 as your R12.2 upgrade project and test plans permit.
              • If your go-live date is soon, you may choose to continue as planned with Oracle Database 11.2.0.3 and upgrade to 11.2.0.4 after you go-live with 12.2.  Read More ...


              startCD options to install Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2

              The startCD 12.2.0.47 for Oracle E-Business Suite has been replaced with Patch 17873425. This patch is now available in My Oracle Support.
              Screenshot of download page for patch 17873425 startCD
              The new startCD includes more than a dozen bug fixes, support for  Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) and it also includes JDK 7 as part of the standard E-Business Suite installation (as opposed to JDK 6 installed by the startCD 12.2.0.46).
              As a general principle, we recommend using the latest startCD (currently, 12.2.0.47) to install and upgrade to the latest Oracle E-Business Suite Release (currently 12.2.3). However, not all customers may be able to do this immediately, especially if their internal testing cycles were initiated on previous JDK versions.
              Two supported upgrade paths are available. Choose the one that best suits your needs:
              • Use startCD 12.2.0.47 to upgrade to Release 12.2.2 or 12.2.3. This will include JDK7 as part of the installation.
              • Use startCD 12.2.0.46 to upgrade to Release 12.2.2 or 12.2.3, in conjunction with the AD/TXK.Delta.3 patches. This will retain JDK6. Read More ...


              Oracle Database 11.2.0.4 Certified with EBS 11i on Additional HP Platforms

              HP logoAs a follow up to the prior announcements on November 20th 2013, Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.4) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i(11.5.10.2 + ATG PF.H RUP 6 and higher) on the following additional platforms:
              • HP-UX PA-RISC (64-bit) (11.31)
              • HP-UX Itanium (11.31)1
              1 : This is a 'database tier only' or 'split tier configuration' certification where the application tier must be on a fully certified E-Business Suite platform.
              This announcement for Oracle E-Business Suite 11i includes:
              • Oracle Database 11gR2 version 11.2.0.4
              • Oracle Database 11gR2 version 11.2.0.4 Real Application Clusters (RAC)
              • Oracle Database Vault 11gR2 version 11.2.0.4
              • Transparent Data Encryption (Column Encryption) using Oracle Database 11gR2 version 11.2.0.4
              • TDE Tablespace Encryption using Oracle Database 11gR2 version 11.2.0.4
              • Advanced Security Option (ASO)/Advanced Networking Option (ANO) with Oracle Database 11gR2 version 11.2.0.4
              • Export/Import Process for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 Database Instances
              • Transportable Database and Transportable Tablespaces Data Migration Processes for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12  Read more ...


              Oracle Access Manager 11.1.2.2 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

              I am happy to announce that Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 Patchset 2 (11.1.2.2.0) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i (11.5.10.2) and 12 (12.0.6, 12.1.1+, 12.2.2+).  If you are implementing single sign-on for the first time, or are an existing Oracle Access Manager user, you may integrate with Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 using Oracle Access Manager WebGate and Oracle E-Business Suite AccessGate.
              Choosing the Right Integration
              Our previously published blog article and support note with single sign-on recommended and certified integration paths has been updated to include Oracle Access Manager 11gR2PS2:


              E-Business Suite Release 12.2 available on Windows x64

              As a follow-up to the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 General Availability announcement last year, Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.2) is now available on Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit). The media for this release is available on the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud along with associated documents and patches.
              Users must review the Oracle E-Business Suite Installation and Upgrade Notes Release 12 (12.2) for Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) (My Oracle Support Document ID: 1330706.1) for requirements and further details. 
              The following editions of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) are certified for Oracle E-Business Suite:
              • Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
              • Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
              • Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter
              Oracle E-Business Suite also supports the above editions of 2008 R2 as a guest operating system running in Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V virtual machines.
              Note: Beginning with this release, 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server are no longer supported. Upgrades from 11i or previous versions of R12 (12.0, 12.1) on existing Windows 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems to 12.2 on Windows x64 are supported. Read More ...


              Support Implications for Your EBS Customizations

              I've published this guidance in various articles before but it never hurts to consolidate it here for new readers. 
              You may choose to:
              • Modify or extend the E-Business Suite code that we ship
              • Add new database objects or modify existing database objects that we ship
              • Modify our standard EBS database partitioning schemes
              • Introduce various forms of third-party virtualization technologies for any of the E-Business Suite's three tiers -- the database tier, the application server tier, or the desktop tier
              • Use third-party tools to modify your database directly
              • Integrate third-party software with your EBS environment, say, for reporting purposes, or to obtain additional industry-specific functionality 
              • Use third-party tools to manage or configure your EBS environment.
              Oracle generally considers all of these activities to be some form of customization.  This is not a complete list. Generally speaking, if you have introduced something new into your environment that we haven't tested, we cannot take responsibility for it, so we consider it to be a customization.
              Where these activities fall on a risk spectrum depends on their invasiveness.  The more invasive a customization is, the greater its potential risk.  Oracle generally recommends against invasive customizations. Read More ...


              EBS 12.2 Certified with Database 11.2.0.3 for Additional "Database Tier-only" Platforms

              I am pleased to announce that Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 (12.2.2 or higher) is now certified with the Oracle Database 11gR2 (11.2.0.3) for the Linux on IBM System z and Oracle Solaris on x86-64 platforms running on the database tier with the following OS versions:
              For Oracle Solaris on x86-64:
              • Oracle Solaris 10 on x86-64 (64-bit)
              • Oracle Solaris 11 on x86-64 (64-bit)
              For Linux on IBM System z:
              • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 5 (64-bit)
              • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 6 (64-bit) 
              • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) version 10 (64-bit)
              • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) version 11 (64-bit)
              The application tier of the E-Business Suite 12.2 is not certified with the above platforms, only the database tier; customers must run the application tier on fully certified platforms using the 12.2 software provided as part of our release (see 'Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 Now Available').  Read More ...


              Java JRE 1.6.0_71 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

              Java logoThe latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_71 (a.k.a. JRE 6u71-b12) and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.
              Effects of new support dates on Java upgrades for EBS environments
              Support dates for the E-Business Suite and Java have changed.  Please review the sections below for more details:
              • What does this mean for Oracle E-Business Suite users?
              • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JRE 7 for Windows desktop clients?
              • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?
              All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
              Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

              You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops.  Read More ...


              EBS Release 12 Certified with Mac OS X 10.9 with Safari 7 and JRE 7

              Apple logoOracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.1.1 or higher) is now certified with the Safari 7 browser and the JRE 7 plugin on the following Apple Mac OS X desktop configuration:
              • Mac OS X 10.9 ("Mavericks" version 10.9.1 or higher)
              • Safari version 7 (7.0.1 or higher)
              • Oracle JRE 7 plugin (1.7.0_45 or higher)
              Users should review all relevant information along with other specific patching requirements and known limitations posted in the Notes listed below.
               Related Articles


              Java (JDK) 7 Certified with E-Business Suite 12.2 Servers

              Java logoOracle E-Business Suite 12.2 shipped with Java SE (JDK) 6 as part of its Rapid Install technology stack. 
              Java (JDK) 7 is now certified for EBS 12.2 application and database tier servers.  See:
              You can apply the Java 7 update on all tier nodes:
              • Java 6.0 either Oracle JRockit (JRockit) or Java SE Development Kit (JDK), on the application tier
              • 32-bit or 64-bit Java 6 for use by Oracle WebLogic Server 11.1.1.6.0 only
              • Non-WebLogic middle tier nodes using 32-bit Java version 6.0 only
              • Java SE Development Kit (JDK) version 6.0 on the OracleAS 10g 10.1.2 application tier hosting Oracle Forms and Reports services
              • Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) version 6.0 on the database tier
              End-users can use either JRE 6 or 7 on their Windows desktop clients to run Forms-based products in EBS 12.2.  Read More ...


              Which JDeveloper Version Works With Your EBS Release?

              JDeveloper logoWhen you create extensions to Oracle E-Business Suite OA Framework pages, you must use the version of Oracle JDeveloper shipped by the Oracle E-Business Suite product team.

              The version of Oracle JDeveloper is specific to the Oracle E-Business Suite Applications Technology patch level, so there is a new version of Oracle JDeveloper with each new release of the Oracle E-Business Suite Applications Technology patchset.
              This Note lists the JDeveloper with OA Extension updates for EBS 11i, 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2:
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              Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2.3 Now Available

              We are very pleased to announce that Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.3 is generally available for download now:
              EBS 12.2.3 Patch 17020683 download
              Instructions for downloading and applying the patch:
              What Does EBS 12.2.3 Include?
              This Release Update Pack (RUP) for the EBS 12.2 release codeline includes new features as well as statutory and regulatory updates, and error corrections for stability, performance, and security. 
              This is a consolidated suite-wide patch set. Release 12.2.3 is cumulative and includes new updates as well as updates made available in one-off patches on 11.5.10, 12.0, 12.1.3, and the base 12.2 releases.
              User Experience Modernization
              With 12.2.3, the Oracle E-Business Suite incorporates current UI design trends and improves user productivity by including:
              • New look and feel: appears lighter and fresher, with flat rather than dimensional elements, reduced gradients, and white or light colors with splashes of darker color.
              • Rich table interaction: allows an end user to scroll through a table if its width exceeds the browser's width, detach a table and work with it as a separate component with a wider width, and re-size and reorder table columns that an end user can then save as a user personalization.
              • Worklist header icon: displays by default in all HTML-based pages, the worklist header icon is an alternative to including a worklist region in the Oracle E-Business Suite home page. Users can select the icon to view a summarized list of recent notifications, then click to view and respond to notification details. Read More ...


              Automate Testing Using Oracle Application Testing Suite with Flow Builder for E-Business Suite

              Previous articles have discussed the benefits of automated testing with the Oracle Application Testing Suite, a.k.a, "OATS". As a reminder, OATS includes the following components: 
              • Oracle Functional Testing Suite for Oracle Applications – for functional and regression testing
              • Oracle Load Testing Suite for Oracle Applications – for load and performance testing
              • Oracle Test Manager – for test process management, test execution and defect tracking
              The latest release of Oracle Application Testing Suite, referred to as 12.3, includes a new "Flow Builder" capability designed to reduce the effort and expertise needed to create and maintain automated test scripts for EBS 12.1.3 and 12.2. This should be welcome news for EBS customers looking to streamline their upgrade projects.
              What is Flow Builder?
              Flow Builder is an automated test generation framework delivered as part of the Oracle Functional Testing Suite for Oracle Applications. It provides an alternative to the traditional "record/playback" method for creating test scripts, which is time-consuming and produces scripts that are difficult to maintain.
              Using Flow Builder, even non-technical testers can generate working test scripts from pre-built components. Each component represents an atomic test operation such as “create an invoice batch” or “apply an invoice hold.” Testers can assemble the pre-built components into test flows, and combine test flows with spreadsheet data to drive the testing of multiple data conditions. To maintain Flow Builder-generated scripts, testers need only know the names of common application functions instead of a complex scripting language.
              Screenshot of Oracle Flow Builder extension for Oracle Application Testing Suite
              Includes a Starter Kit
              The EBS QA team uses the Flow Builder feature to do EBS testing, and provides pre-built test content that customers can use to jump start their own testing projects. Flow Builder includes an EBS starter kit with over 2000 pre-built components and 200 pre-built flows. The Flow Builder framework allows customers to add, modify and extend the pre-built components and flows to address new functionality and customizations to EBS. Read More ...


              New IBM AIX on Power OS and Tools Requirements for EBS 12

              IBM logoBeginning on February 16th 2014, Oracle E-Business Suite patches for Release 12 (12.0, 12.1, 12.2) on the IBM AIX on Power Systems platform will be built with a newer version of the IBM XL C/C++ compiler (version 11). Customers who plan to patch or upgrade their E-Business Suite environments after February 16th 2014 must meet all the new requirements prior to applying new patches generated after this date.
              IBM has published an end of Support date for the compiler version (XL 9) that is currently used for Release 12 builds and patching. 
              We are announcing this to give time for our customers to prepare and to be compliant with all requirements for E-Business Suite patches generated after this February 16th 2014 date.
              Please review the documents below for all new requirements required by the changes in the runtime and utilities packages on IBM AIX on Power Systems.


              11.2.0.4 Database Certified with E-Business Suite on 11 New Platforms

              As a follow up to our prior announcements, Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.4) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 on the following additional platforms:
              EBS Release 12.1 (12.1.1 or higher):
              • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit) (10, 11)
              • Oracle Solaris on x86-64 (64-bit) (10)1
              • HP-UX Itanium (11.31)
              • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64-bit) (5.3, 6.1 7.1)
              EBS Release 12.0 (12.0.4 or higher):
              • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit) (10)
              • Oracle Solaris on x86-64 (64-bit) (10)1
              • HP-UX Itanium (11.31)
              • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64-bit) (5.3, 6.1, 7.12)
              EBS Release 11i (11.5.10.2 + ATG PF.H RUP 6 and higher):
              • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit) (10, 111)
              • Oracle Solaris on x86-64 (64-bit) (10)1
              • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64-bit) (5.3, 6.1)
                1 : This is a 'database tier only' or 'split tier configuration' certification where the application tier must be on a fully certified E-Business Suite platform.
                2 : Certified for 12.0.6   Read More ...


                Office 2010 64-bit Certified with EBS 12

                Office 2010 logoMicrosoft Office 2010 64-bit is now certified with EBS 12.0.6, 12.1.3, and 12.2 with desktop clients using the following configurations:
                The 32-bit equivalents are already certified; details are available here.
                Are any patches required? 
                You must apply server-side patches to EBS 12.0.6 and 12.1.3 environments.  Additional server-side patches are not required for EBS 12.2.x.  All required interop patches are documented here:
                What about EBS 11i?
                There are no plans for this certification in E-Business Suite 11i.  This certification primarily affects Web Application Desktop Integrator (a.k.a. WebADI, BNE) and Report Manager (FRM) integration with a 64-bit desktop client configuration.  Architectural constraints in the EBS 11i versions of these components make these certifications infeasible. Read More ...


                EBS 11i Certified with DB 11gR2 for Oracle Solaris 11 on SPARC

                Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i (11.5.10.2) is now certified with the Oracle Database 11gR2 (11.2.0.3) for Oracle Solaris 11 on SPARC running on the database tier only.
                The application tier of E-Business Suite Release 11i (11.5.10.2) is not certified with Oracle Solaris 11 on SPARC.  Customers must run the application tier on a different OS such as Oracle Solaris 10 on SPARC.
                With this certification, EBS 11i customers can run their 11gR2 Databases on the SPARC Supercluster with Solaris 11 and use various engineered system performance optimizations:
                • Exadata storage cells
                • Infiniband technology
                • On-chip encryption
                • Memory improvements
                • Kernel-level acceleration of features such as Real Application Clusters (RAC) Read More ...


                Oracle VM Templates Available for E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2

                Oracle VM Templates for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 are now available here:
                Templates are available for:
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 Vision Demo Database Tier Install (64-bit Linux)
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 Production Database Tier Install (64-bit Linux)
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 Application Tier Install (64-bit Linux)
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 Sparse Application Tier Install (64-bit Linux - Oracle Linux 5.9)
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 Sparse Application Tier Install (64-bit Linux - Oracle Linux 6.4)
                  These Oracle VM Templates allow you to quickly build E-Business Suite 12.2.2 environments on Oracle Linux virtual machines for demonstration, development or production use.  The templates deliver the full software stack, including the operating system, required technology components, and Oracle E-Business Suite itself.
                  Screenshot of Oracle VM template download site

                  You can deploy these templates on any industry-standard x86-based hardware certified for Oracle VM and Oracle Linux.

                  An Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.2 installation requires two templates, one for the database and one for the primary application tier.   You can choose from two database templates, depending on whether you will deploy a Vision demonstration system or an empty production instance.  In addition to the database template and the primary application tier template, you can optionally deploy a "sparse middle tier" template to add secondary application tiers. Read More ...


                  Firefox ESR 24 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                  Firefox ESR logoMozilla Firefox 24 Extended Support Release (ESR) is certified as a Windows-based client browser for Oracle E-Business Suite 11i, 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2. 
                  What is Mozilla Firefox ESR? 
                  Mozilla has begun offering an Extended Support Release based on an official release of Firefox for organizations that are unable to mass-deploy new consumer-oriented versions of Firefox every six weeks.  From the Mozilla ESR FAQ:
                  What does the Mozilla Firefox ESR life cycle look like?

                  Releases will be maintained for approximately one year, with point releases containing security updates coinciding with regular Firefox releases. The ESR will also have a two cycle (12 week) overlap between the time of a new release and the end-of-life of the previous release to permit testing and certification prior to deploying a new version.
                  Firefox ESR schedule
                  Maintenance of each ESR, through point releases, is limited to high-risk/high-impact security vulnerabilities and in rare cases may also include off-schedule releases that address live security vulnerabilities. Backports of any functional enhancements and/or stability fixes are not in scope.  Read More ...


                  E-Business Suite Plug-in 12.1.0.2 for Enterprise Manager 12c Now Available

                  [Nov. 14, 2013 update: corrected "Getting Started" Note number] 
                  Oracle E-Business Suite Plug-in 12.1.0.2.0 is now available for use with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.  Oracle E-Business Suite Plug-in 12.1.0.2 is part of Oracle Enterprise Manager 12 Application Management Suite for Oracle E-Business Suite.
                  This latest plug-in extends EM 12c Cloud Control with E-Business Suite specific system management capabilities and features enhanced change management support. 
                  The Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Application Management Suite for Oracle E-Business Suite includes:
                  • Functionality that was available in the previously-standalone Application Management Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite and Application Change Management Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite
                  • Oracle Real User Experience Insight 
                  • Oracle Configuration & Compliance capabilities  
                  Licensing information 
                  A license for Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control is required to use this product. There is an additional licensing cost for the Application Management Suite for Oracle E-Business Suite.  A license for the Application Management Suite includes licenses for the E-Business Suite Plug-in, Oracle Real User Experience Insight, and Oracle Configuration & Compliance products.
                  This is a Development blog, and we don't have the background to discuss licensing in more detail.  We'd recommend contacting your Oracle account manager for more information about licenses.
                  Updates to product bundling
                  Features that were previously available in the standalone management packs are now packaged in the Oracle E-Business Suite Plug-in, which is certified with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control: 
                  • Functionality previously available for Application Management Pack (AMP) is now classified as “System Management for Oracle E-Business Suite” within the plug-in.
                  • Functionality previously available for Application Change Management Pack (ACMP) is now classified as “Change Management for Oracle E-Business Suite” within the plug-in.
                  The Application Configuration Console and the Configuration Change Console are now native components of Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.
                  EBS Plug-in 12 screenshot
                  New enhancements in this release
                  General 
                  • Support for managing E-Business Suite R12.2 technology stack including monitoring of Web Logic Server services. 
                  • New ADF pages that allow personalization of System Management home page and E-Business Suite landing page. 
                  • New landing page displays all available E-Business Suite targets, Compliance summary, least compliant targets, and related Incidents summary. 
                  • All tabs and links have been moved to drop down menus for easy navigation. Read More ...


                  Securing Flexfield Value Sets in EBS 12.2

                  Separation of Duties in Flexfield Value Set Security
                  Release 12.2 includes a new feature: flexfield value set security.
                  This new feature gives you additional options for ensuring that different administrators have non-overlapping responsibilities, which in turn provides checks and balances for sensitive activities.  Separation of Duties (SoD) is one of the key concepts of internal controls and is a requirement for many regulations including:
                  • Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act
                  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
                  • European Union Data Protection Directive. 
                  Its primary intent is to put barriers in place to prevent fraud or theft by an individual acting alone. Implementing Separation of Duties requires minimizing the possibility that users could modify data across application functions where the users should not normally have access. 
                  For flexfields and report parameters in Oracle E-Business Suite, values in value sets can affect functionality such as the rollup of accounting data, job grades used at a company, and so on. Controlling access to the creation or modification of value set values can be an important piece of implementing Separation of Duties in an organization. Read More ...


                  Getting Optimal Performance from Oracle E-Business Suite

                  Performance tuning and optimization in E-Business Suite environments can involve many different components and diagnostic tools.  Samer Barakat, Senior Architect in our Applications Performance group, held an OpenWorld 2013 session that covered:
                  • Performance triage, analysis and diagnostic tools
                  • Optimizing the E-Business Suite application tier, including Concurrent Manager
                  • Optimizing the E-Business Suite database tier
                  • Optimizing the E-Business Suite on Real Application Clusters (RAC)
                  • E-Business Suite on engineered systems, including Exadata and Exalogic
                  • Optimizing E-Business Suite data management, including archiving and purging  
                  Table showing workload management strategy for Concurrent Manager 
                  The Applications Performance group works with the world's largest E-Business Suite customers to isolate and resolve performance bottlenecks. This team has helped tune the E-Business Suite environments of world's largest companies to handle staggering amounts of transactional volume in multi-terabyte databases.  This group also publishes our official Oracle Apps benchmarks, white papers, and performance metrics.
                  This is an essential set of tips and techniques that all EBS sysadmins and DBAs can use to improve the performance of their environments:
                  OpenWorld 2013 presentations are only available for approximately six months -- until ~March 2014.  Download this one while it's still available.
                  Related Articles


                  WebCenter 11.1.1.8 Certified with E-Business Suite 12.2

                  Oracle WebCenter Suite is an integrated suite of Fusion Middleware 11gR1 tools used to create web sites and portals using service-oriented architecture (SOA).  Applications adapters are also available.
                  WebCenter Development Framework
                  WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.8 is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.  This complements ourexisting certifications of WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.8 with EBS 12.0 and 12.1.  WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.8 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.8.0, also known as FMW 11gR1 Patchset 7.  
                  Certified Platforms 
                  Oracle WebCenter Portal is certified to run on any operating system for which Oracle WebLogic Server 11g is certified. For information on operating systems supported by Oracle WebLogic Server 11g and Oracle WebCenter Portal, refer to the 'Oracle Fusion Middleware on WebLogic Server - System Certification' in the Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.x) Certification Matrix.
                  Integration with Oracle WebCenter Portal involves components spanning several different suites of Oracle products. There are no restrictions on which platform any particular component may be installed so long as the platform is supported for that component. 
                  Migrating to Oracle WebCenter
                  If you're currently using Oracle Portal, you should be aware that Portal is now in maintenance mode.  Updates with bug fixes will continue to be produced, but you should consider migrating to Oracle WebCenter for ongoing new features.
                  References
                  Related Articles


                  New Whitepaper: Best Practices for Gathering EBS Database Statistics

                  Most Oracle Applications DBAs and E-Business Suite users understand the importance of accurate database statistics.  Missing, stale or skewed statistics can adversely affect performance. 
                  Oracle E-Business Suite statistics should only be gathered using FND_STATS or the Gather Statistics concurrent request. Gathering statistics with DBMS_STATS or the desupported ANALYZE command may result in suboptimal executions plans for E-Business Suite. 
                  Our E-Business Suite Performance Team has been busy implementing and testing new features for gathering statistics using FND_STATS in Oracle E-Business Suite databases.  The new features and guidelines for when and how to gather statistics are published in the following whitepaper:
                  The new white paper, written by Deepak Bhatnagar, Mohammed Saleem, and Andy Tremayne, details the following options for gathering statistics using FND_STATS and the Gather Statistics concurrent request::
                  • History Mode - backup existing statistics prior to gather new statistics
                  • GATHER_AUTO Option - gather statistics for tables based upon % change
                  • Histograms collect statistics for histograms
                  • AUTO Sampling - use the new FND_STATS feature that supports the AUTO option for using AUTO sample size
                  • Extended Statistics - use the new FND_STATS feature that supports the creation of column groups and automatic statistics collection on the column groups when table statistics are gathered
                  • Incremental Statistics - gather incremental statistics for partitioned tables Read More ...


                  Sign E-Business Suite JAR Files Now

                  Java Security logoOracle E-Business Suite uses Java, notably for running Forms-based content via the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) browser plug-in.

                  The default security settings for the JRE plug-in are expected to become more stringent over time.  To prepare for upcoming changes to Java security, all EBS 11i, 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2 system administrators must follow the procedures documented here: 

                  More information about Java security is available here:
                  Getting help
                  If you have questions about Java Security, please log a Service Request with Java Support.
                  If you need assistance with the steps for signing EBS JAR files, please log a Service Request against the "Oracle Applications Technology Stack (TXK)" > "Java."


                  Java JRE 1.7.0_45 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                  Java logoJava Runtime Environment 7u45 (a.k.a. JRE 7u45-b18) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2 for Windows-based desktop clients.
                  Effects of new support dates on Java upgrades for EBS environments
                  Support dates for the E-Business Suite and Java have changed.  Please review the sections below for more details:
                  • What does this mean for Oracle E-Business Suite users?
                  • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JRE 7 for Windows desktop clients?
                  • Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?
                  All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
                  Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

                  You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. Read More ...


                  Should You Upgrade to E-Business Suite 12.1.3 or 12.2?

                  Title page of EBS 12.1.3 vs. 12.2 whitepaperAre you wondering whether to plan your next upgrade to E-Business Suite 12.1.3 or 12.2?  This guidance should help:
                   This short white paper lists the major criteria:
                  When Should You Choose 12.1?
                  Consider targeting 12.1 if any of the following circumstances applies to your organization:
                  • You prefer to target a release on which Oracle has thousands of live customers.
                  • You would like to stay on 12.1 for 3-5 years before upgrading to 12.2.
                  • You need to move from a release below 11.5.10 with no direct upgrade to 12.2.
                  When Should You Choose 12.2?
                  Consider targeting 12.2 if any of the following circumstances applies to your organization:
                  • You need the high availability provided by Online Patching.
                  • You want the functional enhancements that are in 12.2.
                  • You prefer to invest in a single project to upgrade directly to 12.2.
                  It discusses those considerations in detail and provides links to other resources that you might use to weigh the pros and cons of each release.
                  Related Articles


                  Microsoft Windows 8 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                  Microsoft Windows 8 logoI'm very pleased to announce that Microsoft Windows 8 desktop clients are certified for the Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10.2, 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2. This certification applies to the following editions:
                  • Windows 8
                  • Windows 8 Enterprise
                  • Windows 8 N edition
                  • Windows 8 Pro N edition
                  • Windows 8 Pro Pack N edition
                  Internet Explorer 8
                  Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.10.2 Prerequisites
                  • Oracle Applications 11.5.10.2
                  • Oracle Applications Technology 11i.ATG_PF.H Rollup 6 (RUP 6) (patch 5903765) or later.
                  • Oracle Developer 6i patchset 19 (6.0.8.28.x) (Note 125767.1).
                  • MLR Patch 8888184
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.6.0_37 or later 1.6 updates
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.7.0_10 or later 1.7 updates 
                  Oracle E-Business Suite R12.0 Prerequisites
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite 12.0.6
                  • Oracle Applications Technology R12.ATG_PF.A.DELTA.6 (patch 7237006) or later.
                  • Oracle Forms Version 10.1.2.3 or later.
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.6.0_37 or later 1.6 updates
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.7.0_10 or later 1.7 updates
                  Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1 Prerequisites
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.6.0_37 or later 1.6 updates
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.7.0_10 or later 1.7 updates
                  Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 Prerequisites
                  • Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2.2 or higher
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.6.0_37 or later 1.6 updates
                  • Java client plug-in JRE 1.7.0_10 or later 1.7 updates Read More ...


                  Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 Now Available

                  We are very pleased to announce that Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 is generally available for download now:
                  E-Business Suite 12.2 Download screenshot
                  EBS 12.2 represents our most-groundbreaking release in years (Press Release).  It includes new product functionality, new Fusion Middleware and database components, and introduces new tools for installing, configuring, and maintaining E-Business Suite environments:
                  Hundreds of new features 
                  Includes significant enhancements across the integrated suite of business applications spanning enterprise resource planning, human capital management, and supply chain management.  You can find the complete list here:
                  Online Patching
                  Apply EBS patches while users are still entering transactions and using the E-Business Suite.  Online Patching uses the Oracle Database's Edition-Based Redefinition feature and other new technologies to allow the E-Business Suite to be updated while the system is still running. You can learn more about Online Patching via our official documentation and this technical webcast.
                  WebLogic Server
                  Uses Oracle WebLogic Server, which replaces the Oracle Containers for Java (OC4J) application server used in EBS 12.0 and 12.1.  You can learn more about how this improves the system administration experience via our official documentation and this technical webcast.
                  Streamlined installation
                  • Option for installing EBS 12.2 on to existing database servers.
                  • Capability of installation into existing Real Application Clusters environments.
                  • Database deployment on Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and other file systems. Read More ...


                  12.1.0.1 Database Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                  I’m pleased to announce that 12.1.0.1, the base release for the 12c Database is now certified. Be sure to review the interoperability notes for R11i and R12 for the most up-to-date requirements for deployment.
                  Database support implications may also be reviewed in the database patching and support article.

                  Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i 
                  Prerequisites
                  • 11.5.10.2 + ATG PF.H RUP 7 and higher
                  Certified Platforms
                  • Linux x86-64 (Oracle Linux 5) -- Database-tier only 
                  • Linux x86-64 (RHEL 5) -- Database-tier only
                  • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit) (10) 
                  • Oracle Solaris on x86-64 (64-bit) (10) -- Database-tier only
                  Pending Platform Certifications 
                  • Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) 
                  • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64-bit)
                  • HP-UX Itanium
                  • IBM: Linux on System z 
                  Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.0.6 and higher
                  Certified Platforms
                  • Linux x86-64 (Oracle Linux 5) 
                  • Linux x86-64 (RHEL 5) 
                  • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit) (10) 
                  • Oracle Solaris on x86-64 (64-bit) (10) -- Database-tier only
                  Pending Platform Certifications
                  • Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) 
                  • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64-bit)
                  • HP-UX Itanium
                  • IBM: Linux on System z 
                    Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3 and higher
                    Certified Platforms
                    • Linux x86-64 (Oracle Linux 5, 6) 
                    • Linux x86-64 (RHEL 5, 6)
                    • Linux x86-64 (SLES 11) 
                    • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit) (10, 11) 
                    • Oracle Solaris on x86-64 (64-bit) (10, 11) -- Database-tier only
                    Pending Platform Certifications
                    • Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) 
                    • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64-bit)
                    • HP-UX Itanium
                    • IBM: Linux on System z  Read More ...


                    11.2.0.4 Database Certified with E-Business Suite

                    I’m pleased to announce that 11.2.0.4, the terminal patchset for the 11gR2 Database is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite. Be sure to review the interoperability notes for R11i and R12 for the most up-to-date requirements for deployment.
                    Database support implications may also be reviewed in the database patching and support article.

                    Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i 
                    Prerequisites
                    • 11.5.10.2 + ATG PF.H RUP 6 and higher
                    Certified Platforms
                    • Linux x86 (Oracle Linux 4, 5) 
                    • Linux x86 (RHEL 4, 5) 
                    • Linux x86 (SLES 10) 
                    • Linux x86-64 (Oracle Linux 4, 5) -- Database-tier only 
                    • Linux x86-64 (RHEL 4, 5) -- Database-tier only
                    • Linux x86-64 (SLES 10--Database-tier only)   Read More ...


                    Java JRE 1.6.0_60 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                    The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_60 (a.k.a. JRE 6u60-b07) and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.  
                    All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
                    Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

                    You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. 
                    What's new in Java 1.6.0_60?

                    Java 6 is now available only via My Oracle Support for E-Business Suite users.  You can find links to this release, including Release Notes, documentation, and the actual Java downloads here:
                    32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                    This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                    32-bit JREs are certified on:
                    • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                    • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                    • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                    64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More ...


                    Java JRE 1.7.0_40 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                    Java logoJava Runtime Environment 7u40 (a.k.a. JRE 7u40-b43) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.
                    All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
                    Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

                    You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops.
                    What's needed to enable EBS environments for JRE 7?
                    EBS customers should ensure that they are running JRE 7u17, at minimum, on Windows desktop clients.

                    Of the compatibility issues identified with JRE 7, the most critical is an issue that prevents E-Business Suite Forms-based products from launching on Windows desktops that are running JRE 7. 
                    Customers can prevent this issue -- and all other JRE 7 compatibility issues -- by ensuring that they have applied the latest certified patches documented for JRE 7 configurations to their EBS application tier servers. 
                    These patches are compatible with JRE 6 and 7, production ready, and fully-tested with the E-Business Suite.  These patches may be applied immediately to all E-Business Suite environments. All other Forms prerequisites documented in the Notes above should also be applied. Read More ...


                    WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.8 Certified with E-Business Suite 12

                    Oracle WebCenter Suite is an integrated suite of Fusion Middleware 11gR1 tools used to create web sites and portals using service-oriented architecture (SOA).  Applications adapters are also available.
                    WebCenter Development Framework
                    WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.8 is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.0.6 and higher; 12.1.1 and higher).  WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.8 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.8.0, also known as FMW 11gR1 Patchset 7.  
                    Certified Platforms 
                    Oracle WebCenter Portal is certified to run on any operating system for which Oracle WebLogic Server 11g is certified. For information on operating systems supported by Oracle WebLogic Server 11g and Oracle WebCenter Portal, refer to the 'Oracle Fusion Middleware on WebLogic Server - System Certification' in the Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.x) Certification Matrix.  Read More ...


                    Application Management Pack 12.1.0.1 Certified with Enterprise Manager 12cR3

                    We released Oracle Application Management Pack 12.1.0.1 last year. At that time, that release was certified with the base release of Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c. 
                    Oracle Application Management Pack 12.1.0.1 is now certified with the latest Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c patchset:  version 12.1.0.3 (a.k.a. "EM 12c Release 3" or "12cR3").
                    EM12c AMP 12.1.0.1 screenshot
                    Upgrading from previous Enterprise Manager releases 
                    Customers upgrading to Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 12c Release 3 from Enterprise Manager 10g Release 5 or Enterprise Manager 11g Release 1 must follow Section 5 Step 6 in this document:


                    Internet Explorer 10 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                    MS IE logoMicrosoft Internet Explorer 10 is now certified as a desktop client browser for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, 12.0, and 12.1.  The certified desktop operating systems are:
                    • Windows 7
                    • Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (32-bit or 64-bit)
                    EBS 12.1 Prerequisites
                    • EBS 12.1.1 or higher
                    • Java Plug-in JRE 1.6.0_03 (32-bit) or higher, or JRE 1.7.0_10 (32-bit) and higher
                    • Java Plug-in JRE 1.6.0_32 (64-bit) or higher, or JRE 1.7.0_10 (64-bit) and higher
                    EBS 12.0 Prerequisites
                    • Oracle Applications Technology R12.ATG_PF.A.DELTA.6 (patch 7237006) or higher. 
                    • Oracle Forms Version 10.1.2.3 or higher. 
                    • Java Plug-in JRE 1.6.0_03 (32-bit) or higher, or JRE 1.7.0_10 (32-bit) and higher
                    • Java Plug-in JRE 1.6.0_32 (64-bit) or higher, or JRE 1.7.0_10 (64-bit) and higher
                    EBS 11i Prerequisites
                    • Oracle Applications patch 10 (11.5.10) plus Maintenance Pack 11.5.10 CU2 or higher 
                    • Oracle Applications Technology 11i.ATG_PF.H Rollup 6 (RUP 6) (patch 5903765) or higher. 
                    • Oracle Developer 6i patchset 19 (6.0.8.28.x) (see Note 125767.1)
                    • MLR patch 8888184 or higher (see note 125767.1 for the latest release)
                    • Java Plug-in JRE 1.6.0_03 (32-bit) or higher, or JRE 1.7.0_10 (32-bit) and higher
                    • Java Plug-in JRE 1.6.0_32 (64-bit) or higher, or JRE 1.7.0_10 (32-bit) and higher 
                    Compatibility Mode for IE 10 + EBS 12
                    To prevent issues with certain OA Framework pages, you should run IE 10 in "Compatibility Mode." See the "Known Issues" section in Note 389422.1 for more details.  Read More ...


                    New Source Database Added for EBS 12 + 11gR2 Transportable Tablespaces

                    The Transportable Tablespaces (TTS) process was originally certified for the migration of E-Business Suite R12 databases going from a source database of 11gR1 or 11gR2 to a target of 11gR2.
                    This requirement has now been expanded to include a source database of 10gR2 (10.2.0.5) - this will potentially save time for existing 10gR2 customers as they can remove on a crucial upgrade step prior to performing the platform migration.
                    Transportable Tablespaces supported options
                    The migration process requires an updated Controlled patch delivered by the Oracle E-Business Suite Platform Engineering team, i.e. it requires a password obtainable from Oracle Support. We released the patch in this manner to gauge uptake, and help identify and monitor any customer issues due to the nature of this technology. This patch has been updated to now include supporting 10gR2 as a source database. Read More ...


                    E-Business Suite Release 12.1.1 Consolidated Upgrade Patch 2 Now Available

                    Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.1 Consolidated Upgrade Patch 2 (CUP2) is now available in My Oracle Support. This patch includes fixes and performance improvements for the scripts used to upgrade an EBS 11i environment to 12.1.1. 
                    This patch is mandatory for customers who are upgrading to Release 12.1.1 from the following releases:
                    • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i version 11.5.9 (base, CU1, CU2) 
                    • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i version 11.5.10 (base, CU1, CU2) 
                    This patch includes all of the upgrade-related fixes released previously in the Consolidated Upgrade Patch 1 (CUP1, Patch 7303029) and many additional upgrade related fixes released since March 2010.  
                    You can download it here:
                    Link to download EBS CUP2 patch 16791553



                    What is Oracle E-Business Suite Consolidated Upgrade Patch 2 for Release 12.1.1?

                    The Consolidated Upgrade Patch 2 (CUP2) for Release 12.1.1 combines critical upgrade error corrections and upgrade performance improvements from Release 11i into a consolidated suite-wide patch.  Read More ...


                    Announcing Oracle E-Business Suite Extensions for Oracle Endeca 12.1.3.3

                    The Oracle E-Business Suite Extensions for Oracle Endeca provide selected EBS applications with Oracle Endeca-based capabilities. These extensions allow users to take an information-driven approach to business, optimizing operational decisions and improving process efficiency.
                    Each extension provides an existing EBS application with a search-oriented dashboard that summarizes current operational information. Users can explore this information in whatever way makes sense to them, combining free text and faceted search with drilldown on visualizations such as key performance indicators (KPIs), tag clouds, charts and cross-tabs. With each drilldown or search refinement, the entire set of visualizations and search choices changes to reflect the user’s previous choices. Users can browse and drill to the subset of information that is important for them to act on, automatically passing context to an EBS transaction screen where they can take the necessary action – for example, expediting a sales order by substituting a replacement part.
                    Endeca screenshot
                    The Oracle E-Business Suite Extensions for Oracle Endeca allow users to leverage modern, self-service discovery mechanisms for identifying and acting on exceptions and opportunities. Users can find information that that they otherwise might not find with conventional ERP query screens, reducing their reliance on emails, phone calls, and IT-provided reports. Read More ...


                    Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 11.1.2.1.0 Certified With E-Business Suite

                    I am happy to announce that Oracle Access Manager 11gR2  Patchset 1 (11.1.2.1.0) is now certified with E-Business Suite Releases 11i, 12.0 and 12.1. 
                    Choosing the Right Architecture
                    If you are implementing single sign-on for the first time, or are an existing Oracle Access Manager user, you may integrate with Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 Patchset 1 using Oracle Access Manager WebGate and Oracle E-Business Suite AccessGate. If you are using Oracle Single Sign-On 10gR3 (10.1.4.3) you may migrate to Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 Patchset 1 with Oracle E-Business Suite Access Gate.
                    Our previously published blog article and support note provides an overview of single sign-on integration options and recommendations:


                    Plans for Certifying Oracle Database 12c with E-Business Suite

                    Oracle Database 12c LogoThe Oracle Database 12c is now officially released.  We're as excited about this new database release as you are. 
                    In fact, we've been testing a wide variety of E-Business Suite releases and configurations with internal DB 12c betas for some time.  This testing is going well, but as usual, Oracle's Revenue Recognition rules prohibit us from discussing certification and release dates
                    You're welcome to monitor or subscribe to this blog. I'll post updates here as soon as soon as they're available.   


                    Java JRE 1.7.0_25 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                    Java logoJava Runtime Environment 7u25 (a.k.a. JRE 7u25-b16) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.
                    All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
                    Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

                    You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops.
                    What's needed to enable EBS environments for JRE 7?
                    EBS customers should ensure that they are running JRE 7u17, at minimum, on Windows desktop clients.

                    Of the compatibility issues identified with JRE 7, the most critical is an issue that prevents E-Business Suite Forms-based products from launching on Windows desktops that are running JRE 7. 
                    Customers can prevent this issue -- and all other JRE 7 compatibility issues -- by ensuring that they have applied the latest certified patches documented for JRE 7 configurations to their EBS application tier servers. 
                    These patches are compatible with JRE 6 and 7, production ready, and fully-tested with the E-Business Suite.  These patches may be applied immediately to all E-Business Suite environments. All other Forms prerequisites documented in the Notes above should also be applied.  Read More ...


                    Java JRE 1.6.0_51 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                    [Jun. 20, 2013 Update: corrected link to Java 6 downloads via My Oracle Support] 
                    The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_51 (a.k.a. JRE 6u51-b11) and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.  
                    All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
                    Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

                    You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. 
                    What's new in Java 1.6.0_51?

                    Java 6 is now available only via My Oracle Support for E-Business Suite users.  You can find links to this release, including Release Notes, documentation, and the actual Java downloads here:
                    32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                    This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                    32-bit JREs are certified on:
                    • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                    • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                    • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                    64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More ...


                    E-Business Suite R12 Certified on 2012 Hyper-V Windows Guests

                    Microsoft LogoOracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.1) is now certified on Windows Server 2008 (32-bit) and Windows Server 2008 R2 running as guest operating systems within Window Server 2012 Hyper-V virtual machines.
                    Hyper-V is a built-in feature of Microsoft Windows Server that allows for the creation and management of virtualized computing environments. With this certification, the E-Business Suite is now supported on the above Windows virtualized guest operating systems in a similar way to non-virtualized Windows.
                    References


                    Java (JDK) 7 Certified for E-Business Suite 12 Servers

                    Java logoWindows and Mac-based desktop clients connecting to the E-Business Suite can use the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) plug-in to run Forms-based components.  JRE 7 was certified with EBS 11.5.10.2, 12.0, and 12.1 in 2012.  As of today, the latest available version is JRE 1.7.0_21 forWindows clients and for Mac clients.  All new JRE releases on the 1.6 and 1.7 codelines are automatically certified with EBS on the day of their release.  If you're reaching this article via a search engine, please check My Oracle Support or the Certifications summary for the latest desktop version available.
                    Java (JDK) 7 is now certified for E-Business Suite 12.0 and 12.1 application and database tier servers.  For instructions on upgrading your EBS 12.x environments, see:
                    The Java version currently in your environment
                    Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Rapid Install delivers the following Java SE Development Kit (JDK) Versions for use by Oracle E-Business Suite:
                    Release 12.0.x
                    • Java SE Development Kit (JDK) Version 5.0 on the application tier
                    • Java SE Development Kit (JDK) Version 1.4.2 on the OracleAS 10g 10.1.2 application tier hosting Forms and Reports services
                    • Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 5.0 on the database tier
                    Release 12.1.x
                    • Java SE Development Kit (JDK) Version 6.0 on the application tier
                    • Java SE Development Kit (JDK) Version 1.4.2 on the OracleAS 10g 10.1.2 application tier hosting Forms and Reports services
                    • Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 6.0 on the database tier
                    You can now upgrade to the newer Java 7.0 Update on all EBS application tier and database tier nodes. Please note that the JRE 7.0 upgrade on the database tier is independent from the others. But if the application tier nodes are planned to be upgraded to Java 7.0, the same upgrade in the OracleAS 10.1.2 ORACLE HOME must be planned together. Read More ...


                    WebCenter 11.1.1.7 Certified with E-Business Suite 12

                    Oracle WebCenter Suite is an integrated suite of Fusion Middleware 11gR1 tools used to create web sites and portals using service-oriented architecture (SOA).  Applications adapters are also available.
                    WebCenter Development Framework
                    WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.7 (a.k.a. Patchset 5) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.0.6 and higher; 12.1.1 and higher).  WebCenter Portal 11.1.1.7 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.7.0, also known as FMW 11gR1 Patchset 6.  
                    Certified Platforms 
                    Oracle WebCenter 11gR1 Version 11.1.1.6 is certified to run on any operating system for which Oracle WebLogic Server 11g is certified. For information on operating systems supported by Oracle WebLogic Server 11g and Oracle Portal, refer to the 'Oracle Fusion Middleware on WebLogic Server - System Certification' in the Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.x) Certification Matrix.
                    Migrating to Oracle WebCenter
                    If you're currently using Oracle Portal, you should be aware that Portal is now in maintenance mode.  Updates with bug fixes will continue to be produced, but you should consider migrating to Oracle WebCenter for ongoing new features.
                    References
                    Related Articles


                    Discoverer 11.1.1.7 Certified with E-Business Suite

                    Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer is an ad-hoc query, reporting, analysis, and Web-publishing tool that allows end-users to work directly with Oracle E-Business Suite OLTP data.
                    Discoverer graph screenshot

                    Discoverer 11g (11.1.1.7) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release.  Discoverer 11.1.1.7 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.7.0, also known as FMW 11gR1 Patchset 6.  Certified E-Business Suite releases are:

                    • EBS Release 11i 11.5.10.2 + ATG RUP 7 and higher
                    • EBS Release 12.0.6 and higher
                    • EBS Release 12.1.1 and higher
                    Certified Platforms
                    Oracle Discoverer Release 11g R1 Patch Set 6 (11.1.1.7) is certified to run on any operating system for which Oracle WebLogic Server 11g is certified. For platform details, see:
                    References


                    Oracle Internet Directory 11gR1 11.1.1.7 Certified with E-Business Suite

                    Oracle E-Business Suite comes with native user authentication and management capabilities out-of-the-box. If you need more-advanced features, it's also possible to integrate it with Oracle Internet Directory and Oracle Single Sign-On or Oracle Access Manager, which allows you to link the E-Business Suite with third-party tools like Microsoft Active Directory, Windows Kerberos, and CA Netegrity SiteMinder. 
                    For details about third-party integration architectures, see:
                    Oracle Internet Directory 11.1.1.7 is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, 12.0 and 12.1.  OID 11.1.1.7 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.7.0, also known as FMW 11g Patchset 6.  Certified E-Business Suite releases are:
                    • EBS Release 11i 11.5.10.2 + ATG PH.H RUP 7 and higher
                    • EBS Release 12.0.6 and higher
                    • EBS Release 12.1.1 and higher


                    Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 Patchset 2 11.1.1.7 Certified with EBS 12

                    Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 Patchset 2 (a.k.a. 11.1.1.7) is now certified with E-Business Suite Release 12.0 and 12.1.  Applying Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 Patchset 2 will provide you with the latest set of fixes for Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 which have been validated with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.0 and 12.1. 
                    Oracle has two single sign-on solutions, Oracle Single Sign-On Server (OSSO) and Oracle Access Manager. Oracle strongly recommends that all new single sign-on implementations use Oracle Access Manager. Oracle Access Manager is the preferred solution going forward, and forms the basis of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g. Oracle Single Sign-On is no longer being actively developed and will not be ported to Oracle WebLogic Server. Read More ...

                    Configuring Integrated SOA Gateway in Multinode EBS Environments

                    The E-Business Suite's three-tier architecture consists of application tier services such as Web Application Services (oacore, oafm, Forms), Web Entry Point Services, Batch Processing Services, Root Services and database tier processes and data. A node represents a physical server with a set of processes. When application and database processes are distributed across multiple servers, it is called a multi-node installation. Generally, a hardware load-balancer is used to distribute EBS traffic between multiple nodes.
                    Load-balanced multi-node EBS environment
                    Oracle E-Business Suite Integrated SOA Gateway (ISG) provides a SOA-based infrastructure to provide and consume web service in EBS. The Integrated SOA Gateway can be configured for use in multi-node EBS environments; see:
                    This document's steps for web service generation and deployment in multi-node environments should be followed for each EBS Public API exposed as web service. Read More ...



                    BPEL 11.1.1.7 Certified for Prebuilt E-Business Suite 12.1 SOA Integrations

                    Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) integrations with Oracle E-Business Suite can either be custom integrations that you build yourself or prebuilt integrations from Oracle.  For more information about the differences between the two options for SOA integrations, see this previously-published certification announcement
                    There are five prebuilt BPEL business processes by Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 product teams:
                    1. Oracle Price Protection (DPP)
                    1. Complex Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (CMRO/AHL)
                    1. Oracle Transportation Management (WMS, WSH, PO)
                    1. Advanced Supply Chain Planning (MSC)
                    1. Product Information Management (PIM/EGO)
                    BPEL integration architecture diagram example
                    Last year we announced the certification of BPEL 11.1.1.6 for Prebuilt E-Business Suite 12.1.3 SOA integrations.  The five prebuilt BPEL processes have now been certified with Oracle BPEL Process Manager 11g version 11.1.1.7 (in Oracle Fusion Middleware SOA Suite 11g).  These prebuilt BPEL processes are certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3 and higher. Read More ...



                    Secure Global Desktop 5 Certified with E-Business Suite 12

                    Screenshot of Oracle Secure Global DesktopOracle Secure Global Desktop provides secure access to centralized applications—Microsoft Windows, UNIX, mainframe, and midrange—from a variety of clients including Windows PCs, Oracle Solaris workstations, Linux PCs, and thin clients.  Secure Global Desktop 4.6was certified with the E-Business Suite last year.
                    Secure Global Desktop 5 is now certified with E-Business Suite 12.  
                    Secure Global Desktop 5 is certified for use with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and 2008 virtualized environments acting as desktop clients connecting to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 environments.  32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server are certified. These combinations may also be used in conjunction with Oracle VM, if required.
                    Requirements 
                    Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
                      • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) is certified with Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3 running:
                      • Internet Explorer 8 (32-bit and 64-bit) or Internet Explorer 9 (32-bit and 64-bit)
                      • JRE Plug-in 1.6.0_32 (32-bit and 64-bit) or higher or JRE Plug-in 1.7.0_17 (32-bit and 64-bit) or higher    Read more ...



                    Where Should EBS Concurrent Managers be Located?

                    This FAQ topic continues to bounce around, suggesting that this needs to be called out explicitly:
                    EBS concurrent managers do not need to be installed on database servers any more.
                    COMMON ERROR #2: Placing concurrent processing services and the database tier on the same node to improve performance.

                    ORACLE’S RECOMMENDATION: There is no significant performance benefit to placing concurrent processing and the database tier on the same node. Your system will be more scalable if your database tier hardware is dedicated solely to serving the needs of the database. Patching, cloning and E-Business Suite administration will also be much easier as you will have at least one less APPL_TOP and application tier technology stack to maintain. Placing concurrent processing on the database tier node to distribute load might suggest that your application tier hardware is already undersized. You should place concurrent processing on the same nodes as your web/forms services or create a dedicated concurrent processing tier in exceptionally busy environments.
                    Where is this correctly documented?
                    This is currently noted in our official documentation here:
                    • Oracle E-Business Suite Technology Stack Release Notes for Release 12.1.3 [ID 1098650.1]
                    2.6 Updated Architectural Guidance
                    With fast local networks and the typical co-location of database and application tier machines, it is now generally preferable to perform concurrent processing on a separate machine from the database. This facilitates ease of management and maintenance, and provides deployment flexibility.
                    This updated guidance will also be explicitly added to the next versions of our Concepts Guide and Installation Guides.
                    A shibboleth of sorts
                    Interestingly, this question is a bit of a shibboleth in the EBS sysadmin community.  DBAs who instinctively place the concurrent processing server on the same physical server as the database have been around a long time -- before gigabit network speeds made the placement irrelevant.
                    In fact, sharp-eyed readers might notice that this is incorrectly-documented even in our official 12.1.3 Installation Guide, which states erroneously: "Batch Processing services must be installed on the same node as the database."
                    This is a documentation artifact from a bygone time.  This guidance doesn't apply any longer.  As I noted above, we'll be removing that from the next version of our documentation.




                    How to Obtain Media Packs for Older Versions of Oracle Products

                    Installation media for all Oracle products can be downloaded from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud (SDC, formerly called Oracle eDelivery). You can use this site to obtain Media Packs for the latest versions of all licensable Oracle products.  Media Packs are available in zip and ISO formats, which you can unzip or burn to DVDs, respectively.  All of the download links on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) point to the Software Delivery Cloud, making the latter the authoritative source for all Oracle downloads.
                    Screenshot of Oracle Software Delivery Cloud
                    For more information about SDC, see:
                    Need to download older versions? 
                    The Oracle Software Delivery Cloud hosts the latest released versions.  There may be times when you need a media pack for an older release.  
                    For example:
                    As of today, the latest version of Oracle Access Manager available for download is Oracle Access Manager 11.1.2.1.0.
                    We're certifying Oracle Access Manager 11.1.2.1.0 with the E-Business Suite right now.  In the interim, E-Business Suite customers should use only the 11.1.2.0.0 version.
                    If you need a Media Pack for an older release, you can log a Service Request requesting the specific release.  Oracle Support has a team that's dedicated to handling these types of shipping requests and other non-technical issues.  Also see:




                    Seven EBS 12 Products Supported on Linux, Solaris, and AIX

                    Some earlier Oracle E-Business Suite R12 certifications on newer operating systems excluded the following products due to the lack of third-party product support:
                    • Advanced Supply Chain Planning
                    • Inventory Optimization
                    • Constraint Based Optimization
                    • Sourcing
                    • Engineering
                    • Work In Process
                    • Manufacturing Scheduling
                    These restrictions are now lifted and the products are now officially supported on the following operating systems:
                    • Oracle Linux 6 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 on Linux x86 (32-bit)
                    • Oracle Linux 6 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 on Linux x86-64 (64-bit)
                    • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 on Linux x86-64 (64-bit)
                    • Solaris 11 on Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit)
                    • AIX 7 on IBM AIX on Power Systems (64-bit)
                    References 




                    Using SAML-based Authentication for Web Services with Integrated SOA Gateway

                    Web services provided by Oracle E-Business Suite Integrated SOA Gateway are secured at the transport level through SSL and at the message level through authentication tokens – Username Token and SAML Token (Sender Vouches). I will discuss SAML Token (Sender Vouches) here.
                    Brief on SAML, SAML Token, SAML Token Profile
                    Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is a XML-based framework to exchange security related information between Service Consumer, Identity Provider and Service Provider. The security information is expressed in terms of assertions. Statements about the subject or user form the SAML Token. 
                    WS-Security defines a set of security token profiles for different types of tokens embedded within the SOAP message as headers. SAML Token Profile is one of the WS-Security Token Profiles that describe the syntax and meaning of SAML Tokens. SAML Tokens are embedded within SOAP messages by placing assertion elements inside the SOAP Header.
                    As per WS-Security, there are three common methods to assure the Service Provider that the SOAP message came from the subject referenced in the token. The three common subject confirmation methods are Sender Vouches, Holder of Key, and Bearer. As of Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3, web services provided by Integrated SOA Gateway (inbound) support SAML Token using the Sender Vouches subject confirmation method.
                    SAML Token - Sender Vouches
                    SAML Tokens assert that the subject or user has already been authenticated. As the name suggests, in the Sender Vouches case, the Sender or SOAP web service client that sends the SOAP request message to SOAP web service vouches for the identity of the assertion’s subject.
                    SAML flow diagram
                    The SAML assertion may be provided by an external Identity Provider -- a SAML Authority or SAML Issuer. In this case, a client sends a SAML assertion request to a SAML Authority. The SAML Authority identifies the client, authenticates the subject, and sends SAML assertion as response to client. The client’s private key is used to sign both the assertion and the SOAP message body.
                    The E-Business Suite's Integrated SOA Gateway uses Oracle Application Server’s Web Services Security framework. It verifies the digital signature in a SOAP request and extracts the SAML Token. It validates the SAML assertion such as the issuer, validity period, and authentication statement. It extracts the SAML Subject Name Identifier and verifies the same with registered Oracle Internet Directory (OID) for single sign-on users or with FND_USER table in Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) database for non-single sign-on users. It uses Oracle Internet Directory to map the single sign-on user with the equivalent EBS user. The EBS username is then used for the authorization check for the web service execution. Read More ...



                    EBS 12 certified with Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.8 with Safari 6 and JRE 7

                    Apple logoOracle E-Business Suite Release 12 is now certified with the Safari 6 browser and the JRE 7 plugin on the following Apple Mac OS X desktop configurations:
                      • Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion" version 10.7.5 or higher) and 10.8 ("Mountain Lion" version 10.8.2 or higher)
                      • Safari version 6 (6.0.2 or higher)
                      • Oracle JRE 7 plugin (1.7.0_21 or higher)
                        Users should review all relevant information along with other specific patching requirements and known limitations posted in the Notes listed below.
                        Internationalization certification for non-English desktops is also in progress.

                        Java JRE 1.7.0_21 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logoJava Runtime Environment 7u21 (a.k.a. JRE 7u21-b11) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.
                        All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release
                        Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

                        You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops.
                        What's needed to enable EBS environments for JRE 7?
                        EBS customers should ensure that they are running JRE 7u17, at minimum, on Windows desktop clients.

                        Of the compatibility issues identified with JRE 7, the most critical is an issue that prevents E-Business Suite Forms-based products from launching on Windows desktops that are running JRE 7.  Read More ...

                        New Whitepaper: Function Security + Role-Based Access Control in Oracle EBS

                        There are two main ways to implement security in Oracle E-Business Suite: “traditional” Oracle E-Business Suite responsibility-based security (usually referred to as “function security”) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).   Since they overlap in functionality, and RBAC incorporates and builds upon responsibility-based security, there is often confusion about how the two security models coexist and interact. 
                        I am pleased to announce the availability of a new whitepaper to help eliminate that confusion:
                        RBAC vs. Grants
                        This heavily-illustrated whitepaper discusses the main similarities and differences between the two types of security setups, as well as the objects involved.  It includes the following topics:
                        1. Responsibility-based security (Function Security)
                        2. Role-Based Access Control
                        3. Functions and Permissions
                        4. Roles and Grants
                        5. Role Hierarchy and Role Inheritance
                        6. Using Role Hierarchies to Simplify User Administration
                        7. Best Practices for Implementing RBAC and Function Security
                        This whitepaper is written for Oracle E-Business Suite system administrators, super-users, and implementers.  It applies to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, 12.0, and 12.1.


                        Apple iPads Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1

                        Apple iPad and iPad mini
                        Apple iPads are certified with Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1. 
                        This certification covers Safari with E-Business Suite OA Framework-based (HTML) applications.  These are sometimes also referred to as "Self-Service Web Applications" (SSWA).
                        This certification also covers the use of Apple's Mail app to approve E-Business Suite Workflow notification emails.
                        It is not possible to run Java-based applications on iOS devices, so Oracle Forms-based products requiring the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) plug-in are not available on iPads.
                        Requirements
                        • Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3 and higher
                        • iOS 6.0 and higher
                        What about iPhones?
                        EBS OA Framework-based products are currently designed assuming that the client device has a desktop-class screen (e.g. 1024 x 768).  Safari on iPhones also works, but given the smaller screen size, the user experience is not ideal.  We recommend using iPads for the optimal user experience when accessing OA Framework-based EBS products.
                        The use of Apple's Mail app to approve EBS Workflow notification emails is certified for both iPads and iPhones. 


                        Oracle Access Manager 11.1.2 Certified With E-Business Suite 11i

                        I am pleased to announce that Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 (11.1.2.0.0) is now certified with E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10.2.  If you are implementing single sign-on for the first time, or currently use Oracle Access Manager or Oracle Single Sign-On, you may integrate with Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 using Oracle Access Manager WebGate and Oracle E-Business Suite AccessGate.
                        EBS Oracle Access Manager architecture
                        Transitionary architecture for EBS 12 upgrades 
                        This new certification can be used as a intermediate architecture on your upgrade path to EBS 12. This may allow you to reduce your overall risk and downtimes by doing your upgrade in multiple phases.  Read More ...

                        Resolving "JInitiator version too low" Errors in EBS Environments

                        Oracle JInitiator 1.3 was desupported for E-Business Suite environments at the end of July 2009.  JInitiator 1.1.8 was desupported at the end of December 2008. E-Business Suite users should have switched from Oracle JInitiator to the native Java JRE plug-in at that time.
                        Some users might be seeing confusing error messages like this:
                        FRM-92095: Oracle Jlnitiator version too low. Please install version 1.1.8.2 or higher.
                        FRM-92095: Oracle Jlnitiator version too low. Please install version 1.1.8.2 or higher.


                        Details:

                        Java Exception: oracle.forms.engine.RunformException: FRM-92095: oracle Jlnitiator version too low. Please install version 1.1.8.2 or higher.



                        at oraclr.forms.net.HTTPConnection.<init>(Unknown Source)

                        at oraclr.forms.engine.FormsDispatcher.initConnection(Unknown Source)

                        at oraclr.forms.engine.FormsDispatcher.init(Unknown Source)

                        at oraclr.forms.Runform.initConnection(Unknown Source)

                        at oraclr.forms.Runform.startRunForm(Unknown Source)

                        at oraclr.forms.Main.createRunform(Unknown Source)

                        at oraclr.forms.Main.start(Unknown Source)

                        at com.sun.deploy.uitoolkit.impl.awt.AWTAppletAdapter.start(Unknown Source)

                        at sun.plugin2.applet.plugin2Manager$AppletExecutuonRunnable.run(Unknown Source)

                        at java.lang.Thread.run(Threat.java.722)
                        What's causing this error?

                        This error message may occur if you try and launch an E-Business Suite form using the JRE 7 client plug-in without applying the prerequisite Forms patch needed to enable JRE 7 compatibility. Read More ...



                        Java JRE 1.6.0_43 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_43 (a.k.a. JRE 6u43-b01) and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.  
                        All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release

                        Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.



                        You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. 

                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_43?



                        See the 1.6.0_43 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.

                        Java logo
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                        32-bit JREs are certified on:
                        • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                        • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                        • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                        64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More ...

                        MKS Toolkit 9.5 certified with EBS Release 12.1 on Microsoft Windows

                        MKS Toolkit logo
                        MKS Toolkit version 9.5 is now certified as a release maintenance tool with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.1 or higher on Microsoft Windows Server (32-bit) and Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit).
                        The operating systems supported by MKS Toolkit v9.5 on this platform:
                        • Microsoft Windows Server (32-bit) (2003, 2008)
                        • Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) (2008 R2)
                        Please review the documents below for all requirements to use MKS Toolkit v9.5 with E-Business Suite Release 12.


                        Avoid Mixing Custom Applications with E-Business Suite Environments

                        The E-Business Suite technology stack is extensive. Many components are distributed across the EBS database and application tiers.  These include the Oracle Database, Oracle HTTP Server, Oracle Forms and Reports 10g, Oracle Containers for Java, and many others.
                        EBS 12.1 technology stack architecture
                        Internal EBS components are tightly-coupled
                        Most of these components are not "user-serviceable" in the conventional manner.  They're tightly integrated with the E-Business Suite, with deep dependencies, custom configuration files, and dedicated configuration management utilities that are designed specifically for the E-Business Suite.   
                        The internal E-Business Suite technology stack is relatively tightly-coupled: you generally cannot change one thing without understanding how those changes will affect other components. Read More ...


                        Plans for Certifying Windows 8 and IE 10 with E-Business Suite

                        Windows 8 logo
                        Microsoft Windows 8 was recently released with Internet Explorer 10 as its default browser.  Here's an interim update on our plans for certifying them with Oracle E-Business Suite.
                        If you've reached this article via a search engine, it's possible that a later update on our status is available.  For our latest status, please check the Desktop Client Certifications section of our one-page Certifications summary.

                        Our current plans for Windows 8 and IE 10

                        We plan to certify Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10.2, 12.0, and 12.1 with Microsoft Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10.

                        When will Win8 and IE 10 be certified with EBS?



                        Oracle's Revenue Recognition rules prohibit us from discussing certification and release dates, but you're welcome to monitor or subscribe to this blog for updates, which I'll post as soon as soon as they're available.  Read More ...   


                        Java JRE 1.7.0_15 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        Java Runtime Environment 7u15 (a.k.a. JRE 7u15-b03) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.
                        All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release

                        Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team. 



                        You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops.

                        What's needed to enable EBS environments for JRE 7?

                        EBS customers should ensure that they are running JRE 7u15, at minimum, on Windows desktop clients.



                        Of the compatibility issues identified with JRE 7, the most critical is an issue that prevents E-Business Suite Forms-based products from launching on Windows desktops that are running JRE 7.   Read More ...


                        Java JRE 1.6.0_41 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_41 (a.k.a. JRE 6u41-b02) and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.  
                        All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release

                        Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.



                        You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. 

                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_41?



                        See the 1.6.0_41 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.

                        Java logo
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                        32-bit JREs are certified on:
                        • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                        • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                        • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                        64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More ...



                        Plans for Certifying Microsoft Office 2013 with E-Business Suite

                        Microsoft Office 2013 logo
                        Congratulations to my colleagues at Microsoft on their launch of Microsoft Office 2013 last month.  Questions about our certification plans for Office 2013 are filling my inbox, so here's an interim update on our plans. 

                        If you've reached this article via a search engine, it's possible that a later update on our status is available.  For our latest status, please check the Desktop Client Certifications section of our one-page Certifications summary.


                        Our current plans for Office 2013

                        We plan to certify Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10.2, 12.0, and 12.1 with Microsoft Office 2013.



                        When will Office 2013 be certified with EBS?



                        Oracle's Revenue Recognition rules prohibit us from discussing certification and release dates, but you're welcome to monitor or subscribe to this blog for updates, which I'll post as soon as soon as they're available.  Read More ...


                        New Source Databases Added for Transportable Tablespaces + EBS 11i

                        The Transportable Tablespace (TTS) process was originally certified for migrating E-Business Suite 11i databases across different "endian" (byte ordering) formats from 11gR2 source databases to 11g2 target databases.
                        This certification has now been expanded to include two new source database releases:
                        • Database 11gR1 11.1.0.7
                        • Database 10gR2 10.2.0.5
                        Endian formats supported
                        Obtaining this patch
                        This migration process requires a Controlled patch delivered by the Oracle E-Business Suite Platform Engineering team, i.e. it requires a password obtainable from Oracle Support. We released the patch in this manner to gauge uptake, and help identify and monitor any customer issues due to the nature of this technology. Read More ...



                        Using Oracle Label Security with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Most security administrators know how to use E-Business Suite responsibilities to manage access to data and functionality.  The majority of EBS customers will never need anything beyond those standard capabilities. Some organisations may need specialised security to complement the EBS responsibility model. Oracle Label Security may appropriate for certain specialised requirements.
                        Oracle Label Security example diagram
                        Oracle Label Security allows administrators to classify every row in a table, ensuring that access to sensitive data is restricted to users with the appropriate clearance level. OLS can be used to enforce regulatory compliance with a policy-based administration model to support custom data classification schemes for implementing “need to know” access. Labels can be used as factors within Oracle Database Vault command rules for multi-factor authorization polices.
                        Supported but not certified
                        It is possible to use Oracle Label Security with the E-Business Suite.  Custom OLS policies will -- by design -- change the end-user behavior of EBS.  It is possible for an OLS policy to break EBS, so we can't offer the standard technology certification in this case.   What is certified is "the approach" of using OLS to implement custom security policies over EBS relational data.  We do not certify specific versions of OLS, nor do we certify specific OLS policies. Read More ...


                        Java JRE 1.6.0_39 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_39 (a.k.a. JRE 6u39-b04) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.  
                        All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release

                        Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.



                        You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. 

                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_39?



                        See the 1.6.0_39 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism. Read More ...



                        Java JRE 1.7.0_13 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        Java Runtime Environment 7u13 (a.k.a. JRE 1.7.0_13 build 20) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 for Windows-based desktop clients.
                        All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release

                        Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.



                        You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. Read More ...



                        Latest DSTv19 Timezone Patches Available for E-Business Suite

                        Hourglass icon
                        If your E-Business Suite Release 11i or 12 environment is configured to support Daylight Saving Time (DST) or international time zones, it's important to keep your timezone definition files up-to-date. They were last changed in July 2012 and released as DSTv18.

                        DSTv19 is now available and certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12. The DSTv19 update includes the timezone information from Olson tzdata 2012j and is cumulative: it includes all previous Oracle DST updates. 

                        Is Your Apps Environment Affected?



                        When a country or region changes DST rules or their time zone definitions, your Oracle E-Business Suite environment will require patching if:
                        • Your Oracle E-Business Suite environment is located in the affected country or region OR
                        • Your Oracle E-Business Suite environment is located outside the affected country or region but you conduct business or have customers or suppliers in the affected country or region  Read More ...



                        What's the Future of Oracle Workflow?

                        My colleagues in the Workflow group maintain their own blog, with useful technical information about features, troubleshooting techniques, and other tips:
                        Workflow is an essential part of all E-Business Suite releases.  Standalone versions of Workflow were released until about late-2007. Some of you have wondered what this means for the future of Workflow within the E-Business Suite's technology stack.
                        Vijay Shanmugam has just posted an excellent article that discusses our strategy for these two release streams.  Workflow within the E-Business Suite is alive and well, with regular updates, enhancements, and new features planned:
                        Screenshot - future of Oracle Workflow
                        Related Articles



                        Forms and Reports 10g 10.1.2.3.2 certified with EBS 12

                        Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 uses Oracle Forms & Reports 10g in its internal technology stack. Each of the three EBS 12 Rapid Installs included newer versions of the Forms & Reports-based components:

                        EBS Release 12 Rapid Install Version

                        12.0.012.0.412.1.1
                        Database10.2.0.210.2.0.311.1.0.7
                        OracleAS 10.1.2 Forms & Reports10.1.2.0.210.1.2.210.1.2.3
                        OracleAS 10.1.3 OC4J10.1.3.0.010.1.3.0.010.1.3.4
                        App Tier Java (JDK)1.5.0_101.5.0_131.6.0_10
                        Desktop Client Java (JRE)1.5.0_10-erdist1.5.0_131.6.0_u10
                        Oracle Fusion Middleware periodically issues bundle patches -- collections of critical bug fixes, security updates, and minor enhancements.  Bundle patches are cumulative: they include all patches released in previous bundle patches. Read More ...




                        Firefox ESR 17 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Firefox ESR logo
                        Mozilla Firefox 17 Extended Support Release (ESR) is certified as a Windows-based client browser for Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and 12.

                        What is Mozilla Firefox ESR? 
                        Mozilla has begun offering an Extended Support Release based on an official release of Firefox for organizations that are unable to mass-deploy new consumer-oriented versions of Firefox every six weeks.  From the Mozilla ESR FAQ:

                        What does the Mozilla Firefox ESR life cycle look like?



                        Releases will be maintained for approximately one year, with point releases containing security updates coinciding with regular Firefox releases. The ESR will also have a two cycle (12 week) overlap between the time of a new release and the end-of-life of the previous release to permit testing and certification prior to deploying a new version.
                        Firefox ESR schedule
                        Maintenance of each ESR, through point releases, is limited to high-risk/high-impact security vulnerabilities and in rare cases may also include off-schedule releases that address live security vulnerabilities. Backports of any functional enhancements and/or stability fixes are not in scope. Read More ...


                        Java JRE 1.7.0_11 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        Java Runtime Environment 7u11 (a.k.a. JRE 1.7.0_11 build 21) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 Windows-based desktop clients.
                        JRE 1.7.0_11 (7u11) is a CPU security release that includes the fix for Oracle Security Alert CVE-2013-0422. Oracle strongly recommends that users running JRE 7 on their desktop clients upgrade to this version.  
                        All JRE 6 and 7 releases are certified with EBS upon release

                        Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops from JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the 1.6 codeline, and from JRE 7u10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline.  We test all new JRE 1.6 and JRE 7 releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE 1.6 and 7 releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.



                        You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 1.6 or JRE 7 releases to your EBS users' desktops. Read More ...



                        Java JRE 1.6.0_38 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        [Editor's note: this announcement should have gone out concurrently with the JRE 1.7 certification announcement; our apologies for the inadvertent delay] 
                        Java logo
                        The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_38 (a.k.a. JRE 6u38-b05) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 desktop clients.  

                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_38?



                        See the 1.6.0_38 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                        32-bit JREs are certified on:
                        • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                        • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                        • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                        64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More ...



                        Java JRE 7 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        Java Runtime Environment 7u10 (a.k.a. JRE 1.7.0_10 build 18) and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline are now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 Windows-based desktop clients.

                        What's needed to enable EBS environments for JRE 7?

                        EBS customers should ensure that they are running JRE 7u10, at minimum, on Windows desktop clients.



                        Of the compatibility issues identified with JRE 7, the most critical is an issue that prevents E-Business Suite Forms-based products from launching on Windows desktops that are running JRE 7. 
                        Customers can prevent this issue -- and all other JRE 7 compatibility issues -- by ensuring that they have applied the latest certified patches documented for JRE 7 configurations to their EBS application tier servers.  These are summarized here for convenience. If the requirements change over time, please check the Notes for the authoritative list of patches: 
                        1. Apply Forms patch 14615390 to EBS 11i environments (Note 125767.1)
                        2. Apply Forms patch 14614795 to EBS 12.0 and 12.1 environments (Note 437878.1)
                        These patches are compatible with JRE 6 and 7, production ready, and fully-tested with the E-Business Suite.  These patches may be applied immediately to all E-Business Suite environments. All other Forms prerequisites documented in the Notes above should also be applied.  Read More ...



                        Oracle Access Manager 11.1.2 Certified with E-Business Suite 12

                        I am happy to announce that Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 (11.1.2) is now certified with E-Business Suite Releases 12.0.6 and 12.1. If you are implementing single sign-on for the first time, or are an existing Oracle Access Manager user, you may integrate with Oracle Access Manager 11gR2 using Oracle Access Manager WebGate and Oracle E-Business Suite AccessGate.
                        Supported Architecture and Release Versions
                        • Oracle Access Manager 11.1.2
                        • Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.0.6, 12.1.1+
                        • Oracle Identity Management 11.1.1.5, 11.1.1.6
                        • Oracle Internet Directory 11.1.1.6
                        • Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.0.5+



                        Oracle VM Templates for EBS 12.1.3 for Exalogic Now Available

                        Oracle VM Templates for Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3 for x86 Exalogic Platform (64 bit) are now available on theOracle Software Delivery Cloud.  The templates contain all the required elements to create an Oracle E-Business Suite R12 demonstration system on an Exalogic server. You can use these templates to quickly build an EBS 12.1.3 demonstration environment, bypassing the operating system and the software install (via the EBS Rapid Install).  
                        Screenshot of Exalogic Control
                        The Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3 (64 bit) template for the Exalogic platform is a Oracle Virtual Server Guest template that contains a complete Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3 Database Tier and Application Tier Installation.  For additional details, please refer to the following My Oracle Support Note:



                        E-Business Suite 12.1.3 Data Masking Certified with Enterprise Manager 12c

                        Following up on our prior announcement for EM 11g, we're pleased to announce the certification of the E-Business Suite 12.1.3 Data Masking Template for the Data Masking Pack with Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 12c. 
                        You can use the Oracle Data Masking Pack with Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control 12c to scramble sensitive data in cloned E-Business Suite environments.  Due to data dependencies, scrambling E-Business Suite data is not a trivial task.  The data needs to be scrubbed in such a way that allows the application to continue to function. 
                        You may scramble data in E-Business Suite cloned environments with EM12c using the following template:
                        What does data masking do in E-Business Suite environments? 
                        Application data masking does the following:
                        • De-identify the data:  Scramble identifiers of individuals, also known as personally identifiable information or PII.  Examples include information such as name, account, address, location, and driver's license number.
                        • Mask sensitive data:  Mask data that, if associated with personally identifiable information (PII), would cause privacy concerns.  Examples include compensation, health and employment information.  
                        • Maintain data validity:  Provide a fully functional application.  Read More ...


                        New Whitepaper: Deploying E-Business Suite on Exadata and Exalogic

                        Our E-Business Suite Performance Team recently published a new whitepaper to assist you with deploying E-Business Suite on the Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud and Oracle Exadata Database Machine , also referred to as Exastack.  If you are considering a migration to Exastack, this new whitepaper will assist you understanding sizing requirements, deployment standards and migration strategies:
                        This whitepaper covers the following topics:
                        • Scalability and Sizing Examples - provides performance benchmark analysis with concurrent user counts, scaling analysis and sizing recommendations
                        • Deployment Standards - includes recommendations for deploying the various components of the E-Business Suite architecture on Exastack
                        • Migration Standards and Guidelines - includes an overview of methods for migrating from commodity hardware to Exastack
                        References
                        Our Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) team has a number of whitepapers that provide additional information regarding Oracle E-Business Suite on the Oracle Exadata Database Machine.  Their library of whitepapers may be found here:
                         Related Articles


                        Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 BP04 Certified with EBS 12

                        I'm pleased to announce that the Oracle Access Manager team has certified Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 Bundle Patch 4 (a.k.a. 11.1.1.5.4 or BP04) with E-Business Suite Release 12.  Applying Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 BP04 will provide you with the latest set of fixes for Oracle Access Manager 11gR1 which have been validated with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.

                        References 
                        Later Oracle Access Manager Bundle Patches may be applied on top of certified configurations. However, unless noted explicitly in Oracle E-Business Suite documentation, these later Bundle Patches have not been tested with Oracle E-Business Suite. These are considered to be uncertified configurations.  Read More ...



                        Java JRE 1.6.0_37 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        My apologies: this certification announcement got lost in the OpenWorld maelstorm.  Better late than never. The section below entitled, "All JRE 1.6 releases are certified with EBS upon release" should obviate the need for these announcements, but I know that people have gotten used to seeing these certifications referenced explicitly.  
                        The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_37 (a.k.a. JRE 6u37-b06) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 desktop clients.  

                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_37?



                        See the 1.6.0_37 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                        32-bit JREs are certified on:
                        • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                        • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                        • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                        64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1).  Read More ...


                        How to Reenable Apple Java 6 Plug-in for Mac EBS Users

                        Apple logo
                        Apple's Java for OS X 2012-006 update uninstalled the Apple-provide Java applet plug-in from all Mac web browsers. Mac OS X users running Java-based applications are instructed to download the latest version of the Java 7 applet plug-in from Oracle. For more information about Oracle's Java 7 for Mac, see:
                        We're currently certifying Oracle E-Business Suite with Mac desktops running Java 7. We have identified some compatibility issues and are working with the Java team on fixes right now. 
                        Until that certification is completed, EBS users on Mac platforms can follow these instructions from Apple to ensure continued access to the E-Business Suite:
                        Related Articles



                        Hosted EBS 11i Integration Repository Temporarily Offline

                        Most developers know that they can integrate their external applications with the E-Business Suite via the business service interfaces and SOA service endpoints documented in the E-Business Suite's Integration Repository.  This is shipped as part of EBS 12.  Until recently, it was provided as a hosted environment on the Oracle.com domain for EBS 11i.
                        Screenshot of EBS 11i Integration Repository
                        Unfortunately, we identified some standards-related issues in the process of switching from the existing server that hosts the EBS 11i environment to a new one, notably in the area of accessibility. Some of those issues will require coding changes to resolve.  Given our focus on EBS 12.2 right now, it may take some time to prioritize this relative to our other existing commitments.
                        In the meantime, we are required to suspend access to the EBS 11i Integration Repository.  I don't have a firm schedule for getting this back online yet, but you're welcome to monitor or subscribe to this blog. I'll post updates here as soon as soon as they're available.   
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                        New Whitepaper: Primer on Integrating with EBS 12 with Other Applications

                        Oracle E-Business Suite offers several integration points and a variety of integration technologies. While a given integration point may be available through various technologies and products, it is important to select the best approach for your specific integration requirements. I am pleased to announce the publication of a new white paper that can help with this:
                        Overview of EBS integration technologies
                        This whitepaper reviews integration strategies for Oracle E-Business Suite applications that are available today. The intended audience is solution architects, integration consultants, and anyone else interested in learning about integration options with Oracle E-Business Suite. 
                        The white paper outlines the following enterprise application integration styles:
                        • Data-centric integration
                        • Integration through native interfaces
                        • Process-centric integration
                        • Event-driven integration
                        • B2B integration
                        • Integration through web services 



                        Windows Server Certified as Secure Global Desktop Clients with EBS 12

                        Secure Global Desktop screenshot
                        Oracle Secure Global Desktop provides secure access to centralized applications—Microsoft Windows, UNIX, mainframe, and midrange—from a wide variety of popular client devices, including Windows PCs, Oracle Solaris workstations, Linux PCs, and thin clients.
                        Secure Global Desktop is certified for use with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and 2008 virtualized environments acting as desktop clients connecting to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 environments.  32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server are certified. These combinations may also be used in conjunction with Oracle VM, if required. 
                        How does this work? 
                        For example, a Secure Desktop Client can connect to a Secure Global Desktop environment.  That environment can be running Microsoft Server 2008.  That environment can be used, in turn, as a "desktop client" to access Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3. Read more ...



                        Java JRE 1.6.0_35 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_35 (a.k.a. JRE 6u35-b10) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 desktop clients.  


                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_35?



                        See the 1.6.0_35 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                        32-bit JREs are certified on:
                        • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                        • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                        • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                        64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More ...



                        Top Five Errors Customers Make When Maintaining E-Business Suite 12 (Part 6)

                        This is the last in a series of articles that list a few of the technical myths or misunderstandings about the E-Business Suite. Previous articles have covered installationscloningpatching, migrations, and upgrades. This article discusses general maintenance.
                        Each article is absolutely not definitive and I’d be interested in comments from readers who think there are other misconceptions about the day to day maintenance and upgrade of a typical E-Business Suite environment.



                        COMMON ERROR #1: Manually editing files that are maintained by AutoConfig.



                        ORACLE’S RECOMMENDATION: When you run AutoConfig, in most circumstances any manual changes to AutoConfig controlled files will be overwritten. There is a process for adding custom entries to AutoConfig maintained files; you should use this process if you need to make manual changes to files maintained by AutoConfig. Refer to Section 4 of the AutoConfig Note for information on how to customise AutoConfig.  Read More ...



                        Oracle Database 11.2.0.3 Certified with EBS 12.0 on Windows Server 2008 R2

                        As a follow up to our previous related certification, Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.0.4 and higher) on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64). Note that for Release 12.0, this platform is a 'database tier only' platform where the application tier must reside on a different fully certified E-Business Suite R12 platform.
                        This announcement for Oracle E-Business Suite R12 includes:
                        • Real Application Clusters (RAC)
                        • Oracle Database Vault 
                        • Transparent Data Encryption (Column Encryption) 
                        • TDE Tablespace Encryption 
                        • Advanced Security Option (ASO)/Advanced Networking Option (ANO)
                        • Export/Import Process for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 Database Instances
                        • Transportable Database and Transportable Tablespaces Data Migration Processes for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 Read More ...


                        Java JRE 1.6.0_34 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        The latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_34 (a.k.a. JRE 6u34-b04) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12 desktop clients.  

                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_34?



                        See the 1.6.0_34 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.
                        32-bit JREs are certified on:
                        • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
                        • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                        • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) 
                        64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1).  Read More ...



                        Oracle 10gR2 10.2.0.5 Certified with EBS on Windows Itanium

                        As a follow-on to the original certification announcement, Oracle Database 10gR2 Patch Set 10.2.0.5.0 is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 (12.0, 12.1) on Microsoft Windows Itanium (64-bit) 2003.
                        Note: This is a database-tier only certification (previously known as a 'split configuration database tier' certification) where the application tier must be on a fully certified E-Business Suite platform.
                        The 10.2.0.5.0 patchset is the terminal release of the Oracle Database on this platform - users should review the following Support Note for more information:


                        Additional Platforms Certified for Application Management Pack 12.1.0.1 for EBS

                        Oracle Application Management Pack 12.1.0.1.0 for Oracle E-Business Suite is now available for use with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.  The Application Management Pack is an integral part of Oracle Enterprise Manager 12 Application Management Suite for Oracle E-Business Suite.
                        This latest plug-in extends EM 12c Cloud Control with E-Business Suite specific system management capabilities and features enhanced change management support.
                        As a follow up to the original announcement, the following additional platforms are now certified with the Oracle Application Management Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite, Release 12.1.0.1.0:
                        Release 11i (11.5.10.2):
                        • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64bit) - versions 5.3 and 6
                        • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64bit) - versions 9 and 10
                        Release 12.0 (12.0.4+):
                        • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64bit) - versions 5.3, 6 and 7
                        • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64bit) - versions 9 and 10
                        Release 12.1 (12.1.1+):
                        • IBM AIX on Power Systems (64bit) - versions 5.3, 6 and 7
                        • Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64bit) - versions 9, 10 and 11
                        • Linux x86-64 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Novell SLES version 11
                        Related Articles



                        Five Errors Customers Make When Migrating E-Business Suite 12 (Part 4)


                        This is the fourth in a series of articles about common technical myths or misunderstandings about the E-Business Suite. Previous articles have covered installationscloning, and patching.This article discusses migrating; subsequent articles will cover upgrading and general maintenance.



                        Each article is absolutely not definitive and I’d be interested in comments from readers who think there are other misconceptions about the day to day maintenance and upgrade of a typical E-Business Suite environment.



                        COMMON ERROR #1: Exporting from a 9i database and importing into a fresh 10g/11g database.



                        ORACLE’S RECOMMENDATION: When working with 10g onwards you must use datapump. Refer to the opening section of the relevant import/export Note to establish database version compatibility for exports/imports (including datapump). When importing into a 10g or 11g database the source database must be 10g or later. Read More ...

                        Latest DSTv18 Timezone Patches Available for E-Business Suite R12

                        Hourglass icon
                        If your E-Business Suite Release 11i or 12 environment is configured to support Daylight Saving Time (DST) or international time zones, it's important to keep your timezone definition files up-to-date. They were last changed in October 2011 and released as DSTv17.

                        DSTv18 is now available and certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12. The DSTv18 update includes the timezone information from Olson tzdata 2012c. 

                        Is Your Apps Environment Affected?



                        When a country or region changes DST rules or their time zone definitions, your Oracle E-Business Suite environment will require patching if:
                        • Your Oracle E-Business Suite environment is located in the affected country or region OR
                        • Your Oracle E-Business Suite environment is located outside the affected country or region but you conduct business or have customers or suppliers in the affected country or region  Read More ...



                        Five Errors Customers Make When Patching E-Business Suite 12 (Part 3)


                        This is the third in a series of short articles about common technical myths or misunderstandings about the E-Business Suite. The first article discussed installations, the second discussed cloning. This article discusses patching. Subsequent articles will cover migrating, upgrading, and general maintenance. Each article is absolutely not definitive and I’d be interested in comments from readers who think there are other misconceptions about the day to day maintenance and upgrade of a typical E-Business Suite environment.





                        COMMON ERROR #1: Assuming that all patches can be applied using the hotpatch and nocheckfile parameters.



                        ORACLE’S RECOMMENDATION: The adpatch ‘hotpatch’ parameter should be used very sparingly and is not intended to be an easy way of applying patches to your system without shutting down the application tier services. Most patches should only be applied during scheduled downtimes when all users are logged off the system, application tier services have been shut down and Maintenance Mode enabled. From the adpatch documentation:
                        “If an emergency patch can be applied without shutting down services, the customized instructions generated by PAA will explicitly state so. If the customized instructions do not explicitly state this, assume that you need to shut down services and enable Maintenance mode before applying the patch.”
                        Similarly, the ‘nocheckfile’ parameter should not be used on all patches. Nocheckfile forces the patch to run all jobs in a patch regardless of whether the jobs have been run before. It degrades patch performance and should only be used in specific circumstances where it is genuinely needed. It should not be used as the default option for applying all patches. There are very few cases in which you would want to run with nocheckfile. Read More ...


                        New Whitepaper: Defining Web Applications Desktop Integrators That Return Error Messages

                        Oracle Web Application Desktop Integrator (Web ADI) is Oracle E-Business Suite's solution for integrating E-Business Suite applications with desktop applications such as Microsoft Excel, Word and Projects.  "Integrators" encapsulate the metadata and other information needed to integrate a particular Oracle E-Business Suite task with a desktop application.  You can use the Desktop Integration Framework (DIF) to create custom integrators for Oracle Web ADI in Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.2. The ability to create custom importers was added in EBS 12.1.3.
                        I am pleased to announce the release of a new white paper that provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the Desktop Integration Framework to define a Microsoft Excel-based integrator.  The example in the tutorial shows how to define an importer that returns error messages for any spreadsheet rows that failed to import into an E-Business Suite database. It describes the steps in 3 phases: 


                        Five Errors Customers Make When Cloning E-Business Suite 12 (Part 2)

                        This is the second in a series of articles about common technical myths or misunderstandings about the E-Business Suite. The first article discussed installations; this article discusses cloning. Subsequent articles will cover patching, migrating, upgrading, and general maintenance.

                        Each article is absolutely not definitive and I’d be interested in comments from readers who think there are other misconceptions about the day-to-day maintenance and upgrade of a typical E-Business Suite environment.





                        COMMON ERROR #1: Assuming that use of the Rapid Clone utility is optional when cloning your Apps environment.
                        ORACLE’S RECOMMENDATION: Rapid Clone greatly simplifies the process of cloning your E-Business Suite environment. Simply copying your E-Business Suite environment to new host machines, editing the context files to reflect the new environment and then running AutoConfig is not a supported cloning method. Devising your own cloning methodology that bypasses Rapid Clone is a dangerous strategy. If Rapid Clone does not work for you, then raise a Service Request and ask for help in fixing the issue. Do not create an alternative cloning method that you hope will sidestep whatever issue you are seeing. Read More ...


                        Five Errors Customers Make When Installing E-Business Suite 12 (Part 1)


                        One customer recently asked if we could supply documentation and scripts to remove all the E-Business Suite objects from their database leaving them with an empty database. After a few questions, it became apparent they were concerned about performance and a third party consulting organisation had advised the best solution to performance problems was to export and then import the whole database.



                        Whilst it’s true an export/import might solve performance problems, there are many other things you can do before you conclude the best solution is an export/import; it’s certainly not the default solution. That’s a pretty extreme example but there are quite a few myths and misunderstandings which seem to crop up regularly in Service Requests.



                        This is the first in a series of short articles that lists a few of the myths or misunderstandings that seem to have gained a foothold in the wider E-Business Suite community. Each article will deal with a different subject. The first discusses installations; subsequent articles will discuss cloning, patching, migrating, upgrading, and general maintenance. Each article is absolutely not definitive and I’d be particularly interested in comments from readers who think there are other misconceptions about the day to day maintenance and upgrade of a typical E-Business Suite environment. Read More ...


                        Building Extensions Using E-Business Suite SDK for Java

                        We’ve just released Version 2.0.1 of Oracle E-Business Suite SDK for Java.  This new version has several great enhancements added after I wrote about the first version of the SDK in 2010.  In addition to the AppsDataSource and Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) features that are in the first version, the Oracle E-Business Suite SDK for Java now provides:
                        • Session management APIs, so you can share session information with Oracle E-Business Suite
                        • Setup script for UNIX/Linux for AppsDataSource and JAAS on Oracle WebLogic Server
                        • APIs for Message Dictionary, User Profiles, and NLS
                        • Javadoc for the APIs (included with the patch)
                        • Enhanced documentation included with Note 974949.1
                        Integration between custom apps and EBS
                        These features can be used with either Release 11i or Release 12.  Read More ...



                        Oracle E-Business Suite 12 Certified on Additional Linux Platforms

                        Linux Tux logo penguin
                        As a follow up to our original certification announcement regarding Oracle Linux 6, Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.1.1 and higher) is now certified on the following additional Linux x86/x86-64 operating systems:
                        • Oracle Linux 6 (32-bit)
                        • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (32-bit)
                        • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (64-bit)
                        • Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) version 11 (64-bit)
                        New installations of the E-Business Suite on these operating systems require version 12.1.1 of the Release 12 media.  Cloning of existing 12.1 Linux environments to this new OS is also certified using the standard Rapid Clone process. There are specific requirements to upgrade technology components such as the Oracle Database (to 11gR2) and Fusion Middleware as necessary. These and other requirements are noted in the Installation and Upgrade Notes (IUN) below.Read More ...



                        Java JRE 1.6.0_33 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        [June 14, 2012 Update: removed redundant JRE Auto Update information; pointed to standalone blog article
                        I'm pleased to let you know that the latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_33 (a.k.a. JRE 6u33-b03) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12.  

                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_33?



                        See the 1.6.0_33 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.  64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1).
                        Worried about the 'mismanaged session cookie' issue? 
                        No need to worry -- it's fixed.  To recap: JRE releases 1.6.0_18 through 1.6.0_22 had issues with mismanaging session cookies that affected some users in some circumstances.
                        The fix for those issues was first included in JRE 1.6.0_23. These fixes will carry forward and continue to be fixed in all future JRE releases.  In other words, if you wish to avoid the mismanaged session cookie issue, you should apply any release after JRE 1.6.0_22. Read More ...


                        URGENT BULLETIN: Disable JRE Auto-Update for All E-Business Suite End-Users

                        [Update 4:13 PM June 13, 2012: Added reference to My Oracle Support Note 1467442.1]
                        [Update 1:40 PM June 13, 2012:  Added more details on finding the Java Update tab, and options 1 to 3]
                        All desktop administrators must IMMEDIATELY disable the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Auto-Update option for all Windows end-user desktops connecting to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, 12.0, and 12.1.
                        Java auto-update logo
                        You can find this option via the Windows Control Panel > Java > "Update" tab.  Uncheck the "Check for Updates Automatically" checkbox.
                        If you can't find the "Update" tab 
                        From the Java help page: What is Java Update?
                        • The Update tab may not be available if your network administrator has disabled the Java Update feature during installation.
                        • If you are not logged in to system as administrator then options to change Java update notifications will be greyed out and user will not be able to change it. Read More ...


                        E-Business Suite Plug-in 12.1.0.1 for Enterprise Manager 12c Now Available

                        Oracle E-Business Suite Plug-in 12.1.0.1.0 is now available for use with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.  Oracle E-Business Suite Plug-in 12.1.0.1 is an integral part of Oracle Enterprise Manager 12 Application Management Suite for Oracle E-Business Suite.
                        This latest plug-in extends EM 12c Cloud Control with E-Business Suite specific system management capabilities and features enhanced change management support. 
                        The Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Application Management Suite for Oracle E-Business Suite includes:
                        • Oracle E-Business Suite Plug-in 12.1.0.1 combines functionality that was available in the previously-standalone Application Management Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite and Application Change Management Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite with 
                        • Oracle Real User Experience Insight 
                        • Oracle Configuration & Compliance capabilities Read More ...


                        Java 6 Certified with Forms and Reports 10g for EBS 12

                        Java logo
                        Java 6 is now certified with Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.0.6, 12.1.1 and higher).
                        What? Wasn't this already certified?
                        No, but a little background might be useful in understanding why this is a new announcement.
                        We previously certified the use of Java 6 with E-Business Suite Release 12 -- with the sole exception of Oracle Application Server 10g components in the E-Business Suite technology stack. 
                        Oracle Application Server 10g originally included Java 1.4.2 as part of its distribution.  E-Business Suite 12 uses, amongst other things, the Oracle Forms and Reports 10g components running on Java 1.4. Java 1.4 in the Oracle Application Server 10g ORACLE_HOME is used exclusively by AS 10g Forms and Reports' for Java functionality.  This version of Java is separate from the Java distribution used by other parts of EBS such as Oracle Containers for Java (OC4J). Read More ...

                        Plans for Java 7 and E-Business Suite Certification

                        Java logo
                        As of June 2012, Java 7 has not been certified yet with Oracle E-Business Suite.  EBS customers should continue to run JRE 6 on their Windows end-user desktops, and JDK 6 on their EBS servers.
                        If a search engine has brought you to this article, please check the Certifications summary for our latest certified Java release.
                        Our plans for certifying Java 7 for the E-Business Suite 
                        We plan on releasing the Java 7 certification for E-Business Suite customers in two phases:
                        • Phase 1: Certify JRE 7 for Windows end-user desktops
                        • Phase 2: Certify JDK 7 for server-based components
                        When will Java 7 be certified with EBS? 
                        We're working on the first phase now. As usual, I cannot discuss release dates here, but you can monitor or subscribe to this blog for updates.
                        Current known issues with JRE 7 in EBS environments
                        Our current testing shows that there are known incompatibilities between JRE 7 and the Forms-invocation process in EBS environments.  We have been working directly with the Java division on this for a while now.  In the meantime, EBS customers should not deploy JRE 7 to their end-user Windows desktop clients. You should stick with JRE 1.6 for now. Read More ...


                        Oracle Internet Directory 11gR1 11.1.1.6 Certified with E-Business Suite

                        Oracle E-Business Suite comes with native user authentication and management capabilities out-of-the-box. If you need more-advanced features, it's also possible to integrate it with Oracle Internet Directory and Oracle Single Sign-On or Oracle Access Manager, which allows you to link the E-Business Suite with third-party tools like Microsoft Active Directory, Windows Kerberos, and CA Netegrity SiteMinder. 
                        For details about third-party integration architectures, see either of these article for EBS 11i and 12:
                        Oracle Internet Directory 11.1.1.6 is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, 12.0 and 12.1.  OID 11.1.1.6 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.6.0, also known as FMW 11g Patchset 5. Read More ...



                        Update for Web Applications Desktop Integrator 12.1.3 Now Available

                        Desktop Integration Framework is a wizard-driven user interface to create and manage custom desktop integrators for the Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator in Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3. Custom desktop integrators allow your users to:
                        • Create a formatted document such as a spreadsheet on the desktop containing application-specific fields for data entry.
                        • Import data into the desktop document from the database, a text file or using Java program.
                        • Work with the data in the desktop application while enforcing the owning application's business rules.
                        • Upload data from the desktop document into Oracle E-Business Suite.
                        • Validate the data being uploaded and receive immediate feedback about the results of the validation during the upload process.
                        • Submit program to import data from staging tables, Open Interface tables to E-Business Suite base tables.
                        Web ADI Desktop Integration Framework screenshot
                        What's new in this update? 
                        An important update for Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator Release 12.1.3 is now available:
                        This update includes a number of new fixes and consolidates previously-released patches that address issues in the Desktop Integration Framework of Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator Release 12.1.3. If you are using or planning to use Web ADI's Desktop Integration Framework to create custom desktop integrators, Oracle strongly recommends applying this patch. Read More ...


                        Scrambling Sensitive Data in E-Business Suite Release 12 Cloned Environments

                        Securing the Oracle E-Business Suite includes protecting the underlying E-Business data in production and non-production databases.  While steps can be taken to provide a secure configuration to limit EBS access, a better approach to protecting non-production data is simply to scramble (mask) the data in the non-production copy. 
                        You can use the Oracle Data Masking Pack with Oracle Enterprise Manager today to scramble sensitive data in cloned environments. Due to data dependencies, scrambling E-Business Suite data is not a trivial task.  The data needs to be scrubbed in such a way that allows the application to continue to function. Read More ...



                        Critical Patches when Upgrading EBS 11i to 12: New Report Available

                        One tedious part of upgrading from Release 11i to Release 12 just got a lot easier: identifying patches for the upgrade process itself.  These pre-install patches help you avoid certain upgrade script failures, upgrade performance issues, and data corruption and upgrade integrity issues.
                        The new Oracle E-Business Suite Pre-install Patches Report provides a single list of essential patches that you must apply in pre-install mode before upgrading from Release 11i to Release 12.1. This report serves as a single point of reference for upgrade-related patches that can ONLY be applied prior to running the main upgrade driver for Release 12.1. The report also includes links that take you directly to the patches you want to download.
                        Screenshot of Oracle E-Business Suite Pre-install Patch Report
                        This report is intended to be used by application DBAs and functional analysts at upgrade customers who are at the Release 12.1 upgrade planning stage. Applying the relevant pre-install patches prior to the Release 12.1 upgrade will improve the overall technical upgrade experience as well as reduce occurrences of data corruption where a pre-install fix already exists. Read More ...


                        WebCenter 11.1.1.6 Certified with E-Business Suite 12

                        Oracle WebCenter Suite is an integrated suite of Fusion Middleware 11gR1 tools used to create web sites and portals using service-oriented architecture (SOA).  Applications adapters are also available.
                        WebCenter Development Framework
                        WebCenter version 11.1.1.6 (a.k.a. Patchset 5) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.0.6 and higher; 12.1.3 and higher).  Read More ...


                        Portal 11.1.1.6 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite


                        Oracle Portal 11g allows you to build, deploy, and manage enterprise portals running on Oracle WebLogic Server.  Oracle Portal 11g includes integration with Oracle WebCenter Services 11g and BPEL, support for open portlet standards JSR 168, WSRP 2.0, and JSR 301.



                        Portal 11g (11.1.1.6) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release.  Portal 11.1.1.6 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.6.0, also known as FMW 11g Patchset 5.  Certified E-Business Suite releases are:

                        • EBS Release 11i 11.5.10.2 + ATG RUP 7 and higher
                        • EBS Release 12.0.6 and higher
                        • EBS Release 12.1.1 and higher Read More ...


                        EBS File Comparison Report Now Available

                        If your Oracle E-Business Suite customizations are still making you hesitate about upgrading from Release 11i to Release 12, we have another useful tool to help you along: the brand new EBS File Comparison Report. This new report joins the related EBS Seed Data Comparison Report and the EBS Data Model Comparison Report in our collection of handy upgrade comparison reports.
                        You can download the new file comparison report here:
                        You can download its companion reports here:


                        64-bit Internet Explorer 8 and 9 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        64-bit versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 and 9 are certified with Oracle E-Business Suite.  IE 64-bit will run the 64-bit JRE plug-in. You can deploy these 64-bit IE releases as desktop browser clients for your EBS 11i and 12 end-users running 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). 

                        How will this work?
                        Microsoft IE Internet Explorer logo
                        By design Microsoft does not allow the 64-bit browser to be set as default on the desktop client. Launching IE from a 3rd party application will cause the default 32-bit version of the browser to open which is expected behavior. 
                        For example: Report Manager users running drill down from Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Excel output will find that the Oracle E-Business Suite window will open using the default 32-bit browser. Rea more ...


                        Sun JRE 1.6.0_32 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Java logo
                        I'm pleased to let you know that the latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_32 (a.k.a. JRE 6u32-b05) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12.  


                        What's new in Java 1.6.0_32?



                        See the 1.6.0_32 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism.
                        32-bit and 64-bit versions certified
                        This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions.  64-bit JREs are certified only on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Read More ...


                        Discoverer 11.1.1.6 Certified with E-Business Suite

                        Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer is an ad-hoc query, reporting, analysis, and Web-publishing tool that allows end-users to work directly with Oracle E-Business Suite OLTP data.
                        Discoverer graph screenshot



                        Discoverer 11g (11.1.1.6) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release.  Discoverer 11.1.1.6 is part of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 Version 11.1.1.6.0, also known as FMW 11g Patchset 5.  Certified E-Business Suite releases are:

                        • EBS Release 11i 11.5.10.2 + ATG RUP 7 and higher
                        • EBS Release 12.0.6 and higher
                        • EBS Release 12.1.1 and higher Read More ...


                        Critical Patch Update for April 2012 Now Available

                        The Critical Patch Update (CPU) for April 2012 was released on April 17, 2012. Oracle strongly recommends applying the patches as soon as possible.
                        The Critical Patch Update Advisory is the starting point for relevtant information. It includes a list of products affected, pointers to obtain the patches, a summary of the security vulnerabilities, and links to other important documents.
                        Supported products that are not listed in the "Supported Products and Components Affected" Section of the advisory do not require new patches to be applied.
                        Also, it is essential to review the Critical Patch Update supporting documentation referenced in the Advisory before applying patches, as this is where you can find important pertinent information. Read More ...


                        Oracle VM Templates Available for E-Business Suite 12.1.3

                        Oracle VM has matured into a formidable virtualization product over the years. Oracle E-Business Suite is certified to run production instances on both Oracle VM 2 and 3. This applies to EBS Releases 11i and 12.  It also applies to future Oracle VM 3 updates, including subsequent Oracle VM 3.x releases.
                        E-Business Suite 12.1.3 Oracle VM templates available now
                        The latest EBS 12.1.3 templates for Oracle VM can be downloaded here:
                        Templates are available for:
                        • E-Business Suite 12.1.3 Vision (64-bit)
                        • E-Business Suite 12.1.3 Production (32-bit)
                        • E-Business Suite 12.x Sparse Middle Tiers (32-bit and 64-bit)  Read More ...


                        BPEL 11.1.1.6 Certified for Prebuilt E-Business Suite 12.1.3 SOA Integrations

                        Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) integrations with Oracle E-Business Suite can either be custom integrations that you build yourself or prebuilt integrations from Oracle.  For more information about the differences between the two options for SOA integrations, see this previously-published certification announcement
                        There are five prebuilt BPEL business processes by Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 product teams:
                        1. Oracle Price Protection (DPP)
                        2. Complex Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (CMRO/AHL)
                        3. Oracle Transportation Management (WMS, WSH, PO)
                        4. Advanced Supply Chain Planning (MSC)
                        5. Product Information Management (PIM/EGO) Read More ...


                        Oracle Database 11gR2 11.2.0.3 Certified with E-Business Suite on HP-UX PA-RISC

                        HP logo
                        As a follow up to our original announcement, Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 on the following HP-UX platforms:
                        Release 11(11.5.10.2 + ATG PF.H RUP 6 and higher) :
                        • HP-UX PA-RISC (64-bit) (11.31)
                        Release 12 (12.0.4 and higher, 12.1.1 and higher):


                        Oracle E-Business Suite 12 Certified on Oracle Linux 6 (x86-64)

                        Linux Tux logo penguin
                        Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.1.1 and higher) is now certified on 64-bit Oracle Linux 6 with the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK).
                        New installations of the E-Business Suite R12 on this OS require version 12.1.1 or higher. Cloning of existing 12.1 Linux environments to this new OS is also certified using the standard Rapid Clone process. There are specific requirements to upgrade technology components such as the Oracle Database (to 11.2.0.3) and Fusion Middleware as necessary for use on Oracle Linux 6. These and other requirements are noted in the Installation and Upgrade Notes (IUN) below.
                        Certification for other Linux distros still underway
                        Certifications of Release 12 with 32-bit Oracle Linux 6, 32-bit and 64-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 and the Red Hat default kernel are in progress. Read More ...


                        Internet Explorer 9 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        MS IE logo
                        Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 is now certified as a desktop client browser for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12.  The certified desktop operating systems are:
                        • Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Service Pack 2 (SP2)
                        • Windows 7
                        • Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (32-bit or 64-bit)
                        EBS 12.1 Prerequisites
                        • EBS 12.1.1 or higher
                        • Java Plug-in JRE 1.6.0_03 or higher 
                        EBS 12.0 Prerequisites
                        • Oracle Applications Technology R12.ATG_PF.A.DELTA.6 (patch 7237006) or higher. 
                        • Oracle Forms Version 10.1.2.3 or higher. 
                        • Java plug-in JRE 1.6.0_03 or higher. Read More ...


                        Oracle Database 11gR2 11.2.0.3 Certified with E-Business Suite on Windows

                        Wndows LogoAs a follow up to our original certification announcement, Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2.0.3) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and Release 12 on the following Microsoft Windows operating systems:
                        Release 12.1 (12.1.1 and higher)
                        • Microsoft Windows Server (32-bit) (2003, 2008)
                        • Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) (20031, 20081, 2008 R22)
                        Release 12.0 (12.0.4 and higher)
                        • Microsoft Windows Server (32-bit) (2003)
                        • Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) (2003, 2008)1
                        Release 11(11.5.10.2 + ATG PF.H RUP 6 and higher)
                        • Microsoft Windows Server (32-bit) (2003, 20081)
                        • Microsoft Windows x64 (64-bit) (2003, 2008, 2008 R2) Read More ...

                        Identifying the Latest Family Packs for Oracle E-Business Suite

                        It's important to ensure that your E-Business Suite environment is kept current, but it can be tricky to identify the latest product-level Family Packs that have been released.  You might need to identify the latest Family Pack updates available for an Oracle E-Business Suite R12 or R11i environment when performing one of the following tasks: 
                        • Researching the latest functionality available 
                        • Implementing a new module
                        • Planning an upgrade to your Oracle E-Business Suite environment
                        Two useful links are available on My Oracle Support that provide a listing of packs  for an Oracle E-Business Suite R12 or R11i environment.  To navigate to a listing of packs, first login to My Oracle Support. Read More...



                        Database 10gR2 10.2.0.5 Certified with EBS 12 on Itanium, Linux on Power

                        As a follow up to our original certification announcement, Oracle Database 10gR2 Patch Set 10.2.0.5.0 is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.0.4 and higher, 12.1.1 and higher) on the following additional database tier only platforms:
                        • IBM: Linux on Power Systems (RHEL 5, SLES 10)
                        • Linux Itanium (RHEL 5, SLES 10)
                        These are database tier only (or split tier configuration) platforms where the application tier must reside on a different fully certified E-Business Suite R12 Platform. Read More ... 



                        Firefox Extended Support Release 10 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                        Firefox Extended Support Release ESR logoMozilla Firefox 10 Extended Support Release (ESR) is certified as a Windows-based client browser for Oracle E-Business Suite 11i and 12.
                        What is Mozilla Firefox ESR? 
                        Mozilla has begun offering an Extended Support Release based on an official release of Firefox for organizations that are unable to mass-deploy new consumer-oriented versions of Firefox every six weeks. Read More ...



                        Safari 5 Certified with EBS 12 on Mac OS X 10.7

                        Apple logoOracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (12.1.1 or higher) is now certified with the Safari 5 browser on the following Mac OS X desktop configuration:
                          • Mac OS X 10.7 ("Lion" version 10.7.2 or higher) along with any other security and Java updates listed in the 'Software Update' program on the Mac.
                          • Safari version 5 (5.1.2 or higher)
                          • Java/JRE 6 plugin (1.6.0_29 or higher)
                            Internationalization certification is also currently in progress for this operating system.  Read More ...

                            Extended Support Fees Waived for E-Business Suite 11i and 12.0

                            [Mar. 13, 2012 update: The Oracle Software Technical Support Policies document is now updated to reflect these fee waivers]
                            Extended Support fees for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12.0 have been waived.  These fee waivers cover the entire three-year Extended Support periods for both of these releases:
                            • EBS 11i Extended Support from November 1, 2010 to November 30, 2013
                            • EBS 12.0 Extended Support from February 1, 2012 - January 31, 2015
                            Customers with an active Oracle Premier Support for Software contract will automatically be entitled to Extended Support coverage for EBS 11i and 12.0. Read More ...

                            Sun JRE 1.6.0_31 Certified with Oracle E-Business Suite

                            Java logoI'm pleased to let you know that the latest Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0_31 (a.k.a. JRE 6u31-b05) is now certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i and 12.  
                            What's new in Java 1.6.0_31?

                            See the 1.6.0_31 Update Release Notes for details about what has changed in this release.  This release is available for download from the usual Sun channels and through the 'Java Automatic Update' mechanism. Read More ...




                            11gR2 11.2.0.3 Certified with EBS 12.1 on Oracle Solaris 11 (x86-64)

                            Solaris logoAs a follow up to our original certification announcement, Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1 is now certified with the Oracle Database 11gR2 version 11.2.0.3 forOracle Solaris 11 on x86-64 running on the database tier for the following platform and version:
                            Release 12.1 (12.1.1 or higher) with Database version 11.2.0.3:
                            • Oracle Solaris on x86-64 (64-bit) (11)
                            The application tier of the E-Business Suite is not certified with Oracle Solaris 11 on x86-64. Customers must run the application tier on a different platform such as Oracle Solaris on SPARC. Read More ...