E-Business Suite Release 12.2 – the key facts

Oracle have finally announced general availability of E-Business Suite 12.2, but what does this mean in real terms to our customers already using E-Business Suite, either on prior R12 versions or older R11 versions?

Technology – what do I need to know?

• You can directly direct upgrade from 11.5.10.2 to both 12.1.3 and 12.2
• Release 12.1.3 runs on the Oracle Application Server, including the OC4J web server. However, Release 12.2 now uses WebLogic, the latest standard underlying Oracle technology stack
• The key technology feature in 12.2 is the opportunity for full availability, due to hot patching functionality
• Premier support for 12.1.3 ends in December 2016. Premier support for 12.2 ends in September 2018
• https://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-applications-069216.pdf provides full support details

12.1.3 or 12.2 - Questions you need to be thinking about now:

It is not a clear cut decision whether to go for 12.1.3 or 12.2. Either version is a reasonable target for an upgrade from 11.5.10. The right answer will vary by customer requirement. Some high-level questions to be thinking about now would include:

• Is 100% availability important to you? Do you have a small number of middle-tier customisations? Are you comfortable with the risk of being on a leading edge product? If the answer is yes, we would recommend at least considering an upgrade to 12.2

• Does your organisation have a large number of middle-tier customisations? Is your organisation fairly risk-averse? Can your organisation live with down time for system support and maintenance? If the answer is yes then 12.1.3 is probably the best decision at the moment - however it would mean you need to be thinking about an additional upgrade in about 3 years’ time

Enough about the technology, what’s new to help my business?

With hundreds of cross-industry capabilities that span enterprise resource planning, human capital management and supply chain management, Oracle E-Business Suite has helped many of our customers to manage the complexities of their global business environments.

Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 helps organisations further optimise business processes, reduce costs and respond quickly to changing market conditions by introducing enhancements in the following areas:

Finance Enhancements

Oracle Financials: Integration with Oracle Fusion Accounting Hub and Oracle Data Relationship Management helps improve automation and efficiency while supporting compliance with changing accounting and reporting requirements.

Oracle Purchasing: Improved integration, automated complex approval hierarchies and embedded best practices support greater efficiency in the purchasing cycle.

Oracle Supplier Lifecycle Management:An improved qualification user interface, qualification approval re-routing capabilities and mandatory compliance documentation help organisations streamline supplier evaluation.

Oracle Contract Lifecycle Management for Public Sector: An integrated acquisition management solution that helps drive efficiencies across government procurement processes and helps align compliance with the rules and regulations of the public sector acquisition process.
Oracle Projects: Enhanced cost breakdown structure and labour costing helps improve cost control and accelerate project cash flow.

Human Capital Management Enhancements

Oracle Payroll and Oracle Time and Labour: Simplified functions for local payroll administrators help reduce project costs and streamline workforce management.

Supply Chain Enhancements

Oracle Order Management: A new solution for selling subscription services leverages Oracle Configurator to enable users to configure and sell products along with subscription-based services on a single order.

Oracle Warehouse Management: Streamlined mobile user interfaces, enhanced managerial workbenches, improved catch-weight functionality and better extensibility supports greater fulfilment flexibility.

Oracle Manufacturing Execution System: Usability improvements such as express serialised manufacturing help boost the productivity of shop floor operators and increase compliance through standardisation. In addition, Oracle’s electronic-kanban electronic inventory planning and supply management solution helps enterprises successfully execute key lean manufacturing concepts.

Oracle Enterprise Asset Management: Enhanced support for compliance with safety regulations helps prevent injuries.
To learn more about the new features and technology in E-Business Suite Release 12.2 contact dsp