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Oracle Applications
Users Group

OAUG eNews

 Global Users.
Global Solutions.
oaug.org June 7, 2006 Volume VI / Issue 11

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In This Issue

Free Web Seminar!

Dashboards Come of Age: The Ultimate Communication Tool

Dashboards are evolving into a critical communication vehicle for business users. Data access issues become a thing of the past as key metrics are presented in a single, easy-to-use dashboard interface.

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June 28, 2006
9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 p.m. EDT

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OAUG News

President’s Corner

2006 OAUG President Patricia Dues

2006 OAUG President Patricia Dues

During the OAUG Forum at COLLABORATE 06 back in April, I was honored to be able to recognize our long-term OAUG members. As I’ve said many times before, you are what makes the OAUG the most successful user group worldwide.

While Oracle continues to acquire new technologies, we continue to grow the OAUG. As we expand our membership base, I want you to know that we are committed to making sure you, our loyal members, don’t get lost in the shuffle. The OAUG will continue to provide an outstanding array of member benefits, in addition to excellent customer service, while also working closely with the new members of the Oracle family to make them feel welcome. I know you join me in realizing that the growth of our organization is good, as it reinforces our commitment to the importance of user groups.

Once again, thank you for your support. You are the OAUG!

 — Patricia Dues, OAUG President

OAUG Introduces Best Practices Forums

When it comes to decisions about expensive and time consuming activities such as business processes, upgrades, add-ons, shared services, and benefits realization or instance consolidation, there is no substitute for the real-world experience and advice of peers who have faced the same strategic business questions and issues.

By sharing best practices, experiences, strategies and plans with fellow OAUG member companies, your organization will be well positioned to make the right decisions with speed and confidence, all the while minimizing costs and maximizing your investment.

The OAUG has partnered with ERP Seminars and AMR Research to establish two Best Practices Forums available as resources to OAUG member companies:

Learn more about the forums today on the OAUG Web site.

OAUG Releases Online Tool for Submission of Enhancements and Oracle Fusion Feature Requests

The Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) is excited to announce that the Enhancements Request System (ERS) has been expanded to include feature requests for Oracle Fusion and is now available for you to use.

Since the OAUG’s successful pilot of the OAUG ERS early last year, Oracle’s acquisition of PeopleSoft, Retek, iFlex, Siebel and other companies temporarily changed the landscape and strategy behind the ERS. Since the feature sets for Oracle E-Business Suite R12 and Enterprise R9.0 have already been set, product managers have not prioritized enhancements feedback and voting cycles for these releases. However, Oracle management has informed the OAUG that they are very eager to receive feedback from the user community regarding key features that users would like to see in the Oracle Fusion applications. Therefore, the OAUG ERS has been adjusted to be able to accept feature set requests for Oracle Fusion, as well as broadened to support some of the other products that Oracle has recently acquired.

Several SIGs have already developed and submitted their lists to Oracle, and Oracle management is eager to see more. The OAUG ERS can serve as a tool to assist our affiliated groups in collecting and prioritizing these feature requests. While only OAUG Members may vote, anyone may submit an enhancement or Fusion feature request. Oracle is interested in receiving Fusion feature request voting results by mid-July, so don’t delay.

Submit your enhancements and feature requests today!

Oracle News

Oracle to Buy Demantra

Oracle has announced that it will expand its supply chain planning applications with the acquisition of Demantra, a leading provider of demand-driven planning solutions. Leveraging powerful analytics and collaboration capabilities, Demantra offers solutions for demand management, sales and operations planning and trade promotion planning and optimization. Together with Oracle’s existing supply chain and ERP applications, customers can more proactively manage complex, global supply chain operations. (more…)

Oracle to Host Townhall Meeting to Highlight Oracle Fusion CRM

As Oracle plans to incorporate the best features across all of its product lines into Oracle Fusion CRM, its large-scale applications development organization continues to enhance the offerings currently used, including Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft Enterprise, Siebel CRM, and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and World.

While many aspects of Oracle Fusion are in development, customers using Oracle E-Business Suite 11i.10, PeopleSoft Enterprise 8.9 and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.11 are already beginning to use Oracle Fusion technologies, including Oracle Fusion Middleware. Oracle Fusion Middleware, a portfolio of leading, standards-based and customer-proven products, offers complete support for development, deployment and management of service-oriented architecture.

Learn more about the latest and greatest on how you can maximize your investment in Oracle by participating in the following townhall meeting:

Thursday, June 8, 2006
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. EDT (9:00 a.m. PDT)
Dial-in: 1.888.390.7493
Passcode: “Oracle CRM”

Additional information regarding Oracle Fusion plans and accomplishments can be found on the Oracle Web site.

Product Usage Surveys from Oracle’s Application Development Group

Oracle needs your input as they develop Oracle Fusion, the next-generation of Oracle enterprise applications. Oracle is committed to working with customers to enable your participation in the process. With this in mind, Oracle has created an initial set of product usage surveys to better understand how you are using various features and functions of PeopleSoft Enterprise applications.

Since Fusion is starting with the E-Business Suite as the foundation, Oracle needs specific input from PeopleSoft Enterprise customers on the use of certain features/functions as they move forward in the planning for Fusion. As Oracle progresses through the planning/design process, there will be additional opportunities for the JD Edwards and E-Business Suite customers to provide input.

The product usage surveys are available on the International Oracle User Council (IOUC) Web site.

Each PeopleSoft Enterprise customer is invited to fill out as many product surveys as they have products. Each survey will contain approximately 20 product-related questions and will take approximately seven to 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback is invaluable to Oracle as they develop the Oracle Fusion applications. Please complete the appropriate surveys by June 30, 2006.

Oracle University: Offering OAUG Members Applications Education Solutions

The success of an implementation is measured by how quickly new applications are adopted throughout the organization. Whether it is a new implementation or an upgrade to the latest release, Oracle University offers comprehensive applications education solutions to meet your learning needs.

Visit the Oracle University OAUG training portal for more information and a listing of featured training sessions.

One Goal: Your Satisfaction

You’re dedicated to your career. We’re committed to your success. We know we’re in it together, and that’s why Oracle University strives for nothing less than 100% Student Satisfaction. An unbeatable class experience for every Oracle University student is just one more way we strive to provide a superior ownership experience for Oracle customers. Count on Oracle University for unmatched service, flexibility, and quality instruction on more than 100 products. Our commitment to excellence shows in everything we do.

Refer to the Oracle Web site for terms related to classes identified as part of the Oracle 100% Student Satisfaction program at the time of your order.

OU Technical Consultant Learning Path

Get on the fast track to success by learning key technical skills and concepts. Oracle University’s Technical Consultant learning path gives the consultant the basic knowledge needed to begin working on an implementation project immediately. Learn skills needed to effectively install, administer and maintain applications. Learn more today…

Other Offerings from OU

Our comprehensive courses are delivered in convenient formats to minimize the consultant’s time away from the office. Browse through our other offerings in the technical consultant learning path.

Oracle Advisor Webcast Program — Support Opportunities for PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards World and EnterpriseOne Customers

Oracle Advisor is a former legacy PeopleSoft Webcast program that was re-introduced under Oracle Support Services. Advisor Webcasts deliver expert knowledge and information about services, products and technologies to your desktop using Oracle Web conferencing.

Webcast sessions are available to all PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World maintenance customers at no additional cost. They are delivered by experienced Oracle professionals and include a question and answer session, presentation materials and an archived recording to view once the Webcast is complete. Learn more about Advisor Webcasts today! Please note: You will need a Customer Connection login to view the summary information for each Webcast.

Vendor Product Awareness Sessions

A learning opportunity for OAUG members! Participate in these free educational sessions that are normally held three times per month. The interactive teleconference or Webcast sessions provide information about a variety of products and services that complement Oracle Applications. Upcoming sessions are listed below. Session abstracts are available on the OAUG Web site.

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OAUG eLearning

Free Online Education and Training for OAUG Members

The Oracle Applications Users Group is offering free, easy-to-access educational, training and networking opportunities for OAUG members — OAUG eLearning.

OAUG Training Tuesdays cover a broad range of topics and are presented by top-rated OAUG trainers. Choose between four different delivery times for OAUG Training Tuesdays, which feature two course offerings twice daily. Refer to the Training Tuesdays schedule for more information and to register for sessions.

OAUG Community Thursdays highlight the best-of-the-best educational and training sessions, and offer discussion forums as hosted by OAUG geographic (Geos) and special interest groups (SIGs). Refer to the Community Thursdays schedule for more information and to register for sessions.

Regardless of your geographic location, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Berlin or London, we have training available with live presenters.

These sessions are for everyone! Whether you are interested in the look and feel of Oracle’s E-Business Suite or you are a seasoned user looking to expand your skill set, a diverse range of topics and sessions are available. Everyone in the Oracle family of applications (E-Business Suite, Enterprise, EnterpriseOne and Retek) will want to be take advantage of these free training sessions.

Dial into a training session from the convenience of your desk and take advantage of free sessions that you would typically pay hundreds of dollars to experience.

Please note that OAUG eLearning sessions are limited to OAUG members only and space is limited. As of January 2006, registration is required for all OAUG eLearning sessions. Refer to the session schedules to register:

Submit Your Presentation on the OAUG Web Site

Interested in presenting an eLearning session with the OAUG? You may submit a presentation for consideration on the OAUG Web site. Please contact OAUG eLearning at elearning@oaug.com with any questions regarding eLearning session submission.

OAUG Conference and Event Updates

Oracle OpenWorld 2006

Oracle OpenWorld

October 22-26, 2006
Moscone Center
San Francisco, California

Reminder: The OAUG OOW 06 call for presentations submission deadline is June 11, 2006, at 11:50 p.m. Eastern (New York) Time.

Save the date for Oracle OpenWorld 2006!

The OAUG is once again participating in the conference and will be providing educational sessions. As such, the OAUG invites the family of Oracle Applications users to share its ideas, innovations and solutions during Oracle OpenWorld 2006 (OOW 06). All accepted presenters and co-presenters will receive a complimentary full-conference registration to Oracle OpenWorld 2006.

The OAUG call for presentations for OOW 06 is now open and the deadline for submission is June 11, 2006. Submit your presentation abstract for consideration today! Additional details regarding the call for presentations can be found on the OAUG Web site.

1000 Events — Oracle Applications World Tour

Multiple Dates
Multiple Locations
Hosted by Oracle Corporation

Through the end of the calendar year, Oracle is hosting 1000 user-centric events in regional markets for customers, partners and prospects. These events, which will be held in cities across the globe, are designed to communicate plans for “Applications Unlimited.”

Additionally, the events will discuss the evolutionary path customers can take to move to Oracle Fusion Applications. Learn how next-generation functionality and technology capabilities are available in every Oracle Application product family - E-Business Suite, Siebel, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards. Additional information and registration can be found on the Oracle Web site.

COLLABORATE 07: Technology and Applications Forum for the Oracle Community

April 15-19, 2006
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

Mark your calendars today for COLLABORATE 07, April 15-19, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. COLLABORATE 07 will be an event like no other — the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG), the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) and Quest International Users Group (Quest) have combined resources and ideas to bring you a global event in one location. Conference details will be available soon on the OAUG Web site.

Geographic (Geo) and Special Interest Group (SIG) News

SIG Call for Volunteers

The Contracts SIG is recruiting volunteers to assist in the leadership and further growth of this group. Please contact the Contracts SIG coordinator at mohan_dutt@hyperion.com for additional information about volunteering or participating in the SIG.

The Migration and Integration SIG is recruiting volunteers to assist in the leadership and further growth of this group. Please contact the Lynne Weil at lweil@oaug.com for additional information about volunteering or participating in the SIG.

Upcoming Geo/SIG Meetings

Click on the links for details regarding registration, agendas, presenter and sponsorship opportunities.

Oracle Retail Users Group (ORUG) News

Oracle Retail User Group

ORUG Members Participate in Oracle Retail CAB Meetings

This past February, selected ORUG members were invited to participate in the Oracle Retail Customer Advisory Board (CAB) meetings. Strategic discussions were held to provide Oracle Retail with valuable customer feedback. The goal is to ensure development dollars are invested to meet the needs of their customers and create a competitive advantage with the purchase of Oracle Retail software.

The summaries from these discussions are posted to the ORUG section of the OAUG Web site. Please note: You will be required to login to gain access to this information because this is a member-only benefit.

Enhancements Request System (ERS)

How can ORUG influence Oracle Retail to make improvements to its current products? How can you have a say that will increase the value of your software investment by suggesting functionality improvements?

The OAUG and ORUG have developed an online submission method of gathering software enhancements and voting upon their priority before handing them over to the developers at Oracle Retail. It’s just one more way to work together to accomplish a greater return on your software investment.

Anyone with an OAUG/ORUG contact profile can submit enhancement requests, but you must be a current member of OAUG/ORUG in order to vote. For step-by-step instructions please refer to “Enhancement Request System” on the ORUG home page.

ORUG SIG Meetings

The ORUG Board of Directors made the decision to combine all the special interest groups (SIGs) into two categories, one for technical information and the other for functional information. Please check the ORUG Web site for frequent updates. Below is the current meeting schedule:

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