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As Exadata Storage Indexes (SI) are purely memory only structures located on the Exadata storage servers, care needs to be taken in how much memory they can potentially consume. As a result, there is a limit of 8 columns (or 8 SIs) that can be defined for a given 1M storage region at any point […]

With the recently released vFabric SQLFire 11 version the query execution plan is much easier to read then previously. An example below.

  
[Wed May 01 11:32:11 papicella@:~/sqlfire/vFabric_SQLFire_11_b40332/pasdemos/sqlfire ] $ sqlf
sqlf version 10.4
sqlf> connect peer 'bind-address=localhost;mcast-port=12333;host-data=false' as peerClient;
sqlf> explain select * from emp where deptno = 20;
MEMBER_PLAN                                                                                                                     
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORIGINATOR 192.168.14.167(73118)<v6>:61492 BEGIN TIME 2013-05-01 11:32:39.735 END TIME 2013-05-01 11:32:39.777
DISTRIBUTION to &
Slowest Member Plan:
member 192.168.14.167(72048)<v1>:42223 begin_execution 2013-05-01 11:32:39.74 end_execution 2013-05-01 11:&
Fastest Member Plan:
member 192.168.14.167(72048)<v1>:42223 begin_execution 2013-05-01 11:32:39.74 end_execution 2013-05-01 11:&

3 rows selected
sqlf> select STMT_ID, STMT_TEXT from SYS.STATEMENTPLANS;
STMT_ID                             |STMT_TEXT                                                                                                                       
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00000001-ffff-ffff-ffff-000400000016| select * from emp where deptno = <?>                                                                                           

1 row selected
sqlf> explain '00000001-ffff-ffff-ffff-000400000016';
stmt_id 00000001-ffff-ffff-ffff-000400000016 SQL_stmt select * from emp where deptno = <?> begin_execution 2013-05-01 11:32:39.735 end_execution 2013-05-01 11:32:39.777
QUERY-SCATTER  execute_time 0.0 ms
  QUERY-SEND 
    RESULT-RECEIVE 
      SEQUENTIAL-ITERATION (0.38%) execute_time 0.136 ms returned_rows 5 no_opens 1
        RESULT-HOLDER  returned_rows 5 no_opens 1
          DISTRIBUTION-END (99.61%) execute_time 35.073 ms returned_rows 5
member 192.168.14.167(72048)<v1>:42223 begin_execution 2013-05-01 11:32:39.74 end_execution 2013-05-01 11:32:39.774
QUERY-RECEIVE 
  RESULT-SEND 
    RESULT-HOLDER  returned_rows 5 no_opens 1
      ROWIDSCAN (1.71%) execute_time 0.148 ms returned_rows 5 no_opens 1 node_details EMP : 
        CONSTRAINTSCAN (98.28%) execute_time 8.482 ms returned_rows 5 no_opens 1 scan_qualifiers None scanned_object APP.6__EMP__DEPTNO:base-table:APP.EMP scan_type  node_details WHERE : ((DEPTNO = CONSTANT:20) and true) 

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheBlasFromPas

Update: the migration has been delayed so they can "establish thread level redirects across the site". Yay!

In case you missed the notifications, the Oracle Technology Network forum software is going to be upgraded this weekend. This is great, since the old software is getting long-in-the-tooth and doesn't allow a bunch of useful features. The current forums will be in read-only mode over the weekend.

On launch of the new version, a minimal set of features will be supported. Once the upgrade is stable, then additional features will be turned on.

As a side part to the migration project, some little used and obsolete forums will be removed. Some other categories will be reworked.

You can get more information about the migration here. One thing to note is that the forum software is powered by Jive; i.e it is a packaged application so not all features you (and I) have requested will magically become feasible. And also, for better or worse, Jive has renamed "forums" as "spaces" - apparently we can't change this.

I’ve been doing more tinkering with my development toy, the Nexus 7, and kudos to Anthony (@anthonyslai) for finding this gem.

WebKey is an Android app and accompanying service that allows you to manage your device from a browser.

WebKey (Play Store link) isn’t new. I found coverage from the Android Police and Lifehacker from a couple years ago, but it’s new to me.

It’s actually a nifty little tool. All you do is install the app, then visit webkey.cc or navigate directly to the supplied IP address on your local network to view your device’s screen. Actually, it’s a bit more involved, but that’s the gist.

WebKey is both a useful development and demonstration tool.

For development, it exposes pretty much everything you can do on the device in the browser interface. Clicking on the screen executes taps, you can launch apps, change settings, input text from a more familiar keyboard, all that. I’ve tested it over wifi, but it claims to work over 3G connections too.

For demonstration purposes, especially remote ones, it’s much quicker and easier than firing up the Android emulator.

All this in a browser window, no plugins required.

Ingenious.

WebKey does require root, so there’s that. For the security conscious, it is fully open sourced under the GPL and supports SSL over direct connections via IP. Seems there is an issue encrypting connections through WebKey’s servers.

Not bad for a free app built by two guys.Possibly Related Posts:

• Bypass the Android Setup
• How to Take a Screenshot in Android
• Are Multi-Screen, Portable Devices Just a Gimmick?
• A Quick Test of Firefox OS, a.k.a. Boot to Gecko
• The New Face of Fusion on Android Devices

@flashdba:

If any of this is ticking boxes for you, it’s time to consider what flash could do for the performance of your database:

• I/O wait times are high. Essentially we are looking for high latency from the existing storage system. Flash memory systems should deliver I/O with sub-millisecond latency, so if you see an average latency of 8ms on random reads (db file sequential read), for example, you know there is potential for reducing latency to an eighth of its previous average value.
• I/O forms a significant percentage of Database Time. If I/O is only responsible for 5% of database time, no amount of lightening-fast flash is going to give you a big performance boost… your problems are elsewhere. On the other hand, if I/O is comprising a large portion of database time, you have lots of room for improvement.

★

© Eddie Awad's Blog, 2013. | Permalink | Add a comment | Topic: Links, Oracle | Tags: flash, storage

Related articles:

• How to personalize forms in Oracle Applications
• Oracle Database 11g Overview Presentation
• Get All the Cool New Features of Oracle Application Express 3.0 in Oracle Database XE

Last week – along with others from Succeed – I attended the UKOUG PeopleSoft Roadshow. Although it’s just a single day event (where the Apps Conference is spread over two days) it does have the benefit of Senior Oracle US speakers – Jeff Robbins and Marc Weintraub.

As we have for a few years now, Succeed sponsored the event/the post event drinks.

We also took out a stand, here’s John and I attempting to charm some delegates:

There’s many reasons why I enjoy attending these events. It’s great to catch up with friends I’ve worked with previously, it’s great to meet new people who we might be able to help in some way, and it’s always a treat to hear what innovations are coming down the line in recently released and future versions of PeopleSoft and PeopleTools.

So, other than the exhibition, what did we learn?

From Jeff, (other than what we’ve previously discussed on Tools 8.53) we found out:

- the release frequency of PeopleTools is now around every 12-18 months, so Tools 8.54 would be mid-2014.

- Tools 8.54 is fully defined scope-wise and the developers are almost done with it. About half of the scope for 8.55 is done.

- the way PeopleTools handles mobile devices is changing, allowing it to be much more responsive to the resolution of the requesting browser based on templates (so a page would have different templates, a large and graphically rich one for PCs on the LAN, a smaller resolution graphically leaner template for mobiles etc).

- the new Update Manager Tool isn’t that new. It’s something that Oracle/PeopleSoft have been using internally for a decade, so it should be stable and mature already.

- there’s a new ‘Mastering PeopleTools’ scheme that is starting, enabling everyone easier access to Best Practice and to make sure that customers aren’t just upgrading to stay supported, but gain genuine value from the new functionality

Jeff also flashed up some brief glimpses of something that his team are trying with Tools 8.54. They’re changing the UI a little more – and it’s a tile-based layout (more akin to Windows 8 or Pinterest, I guess). This is the landing page:

 

Also, to access the menu you’d hit the orange button on the right:

Finally, there were a host of other ‘coming soon’ areas, like In Memory Processing, TimesTen for nVision and a ‘TCO lower than SaaS’ which will be really interesting to see how it’s done. Jeff actually said PeopleSoft will have the lowest TCO in the market, bar none, which we’ll all really look forward to.

One of the most interesting take-aways for me wasn’t something that was said, but was more of a general feeling. A couple of years ago when Oracle said “we’re still investing in PeopleSoft” I don’t think many people believed them – I was certainly sceptical. However with the content in the latest Tools and App releases their claim is much more credible. There were certainly a lot of customers that I spoke to who were either planning a 9.2 upgrade or had it on their roadmap.

The first two photos are from the UKOUG Facebook page which contains many more photos of the event.

Two Oracle Technology Network events coming up next week in New York City will answer several critical questions for architects and developers. One question is, "Where can I get a couple of free meals?" Another question is, "Where can I learn more about Cloud Computing and Big Data and sharpen my skills in hands-on labs focused on relevant Oracle technologies?"

OTN has the solution for both your belly and your brain.

On Tuesday May 7 OTN Developer Day: Cloud Application Development will bring you up to speed on Oracle Cloud services for developers with an agenda that includes intensive hands-on labs in two parallel tracks, one for those interested in developing with the Oracle Database Cloud Service, and one for those interested in developing with the Oracle Java Cloud Service. Seating for this free event is limited, and pre-registration is required. Register now.

Two days later, on Thursday May 9, OTN Developer Day: Big Data will offer yet another opportunity for free breakfast and lunch along and a schedule that includes four hands-on labs focused on Oracle NoSQL Database, MapReduce, Hadoop, Oracle Database, and Oracle Advanced Analytics. Seating for this event is also limited, but you can register now to insure your spot.

Visit the registration pages for each event for session abstracts and other important information.

2 years ago I already did the same with ANT and now I migrated these scripts to Maven. These Maven poms can still do the same like my ANT scripts. Build and deploy an OSB OEPE workplace Build one OSB project. Export OSB projects from an OSB server and generate a customization plan. Here you can find my code https://github.com/biemond/soa_tools/tree/master/maven_osb_ps5 or the PS6 version https:

With Oracle Service Bus PS6 or 11.1.1.7 we finally have an new offline build tool with does not require Eclipse (OEPE).  With this OSB configjar tool ( located in the OSB home /tools/configjar/ folder ) you can make OSB export sbconfig jar based on 1 or more OSB projects or even with more then one OSB Configuration projects. Plus have total control what to include or exclude. In this blogpost I

We just released version 5.0 of Oracle Secure Global Desktop (for those that don't know what it is, formerly known as Tarantella...). It's a great product that I have been using every for a long time now. I have it installed at home on my servers so that I can get access to my home network from anywhere...without vpn.

Anyway, a few nice things that I personally like in the new release :

(1) html5 client support. In particular, at this time the ipad. So now, I can use my ipad to log into SGD and connect to my apps without having to download and install a client. It just works with the built-in Safari browser. We will expand this over time, right now it's ipad only.

(2) the tta rpm will automatically pull in all dependencies on Oracle Linux 6. So all you need to do is download the tta (sgd) rpm from oracle.com and type yum install tta-5.00-907.i386.rpm. When Oracle Linux is configured to connect to ULN or just go to http://public-yum.oracle.com it will grab all the required OS rpms. This makes it super easy to install and get going.

To download the software, go to http://edelivery.oracle.com, go to the Oracle Desktop Virtualization Products product pack and click on Oracle Secure Global Desktop 5.0 Media Pack.

One of the great features in APEX is Team Development. It was introduced in APEX 4.0 and I already blogged about it before, so if you don't know what it is, have a look at my previous post first.
This post is about exporting the feedback from your other environments (TEST, ACC, PROD, ...) back into Development. It's a lot easier to have everything in one Team Development environment (typically DEV) for an application / workspace, so you need a way to get the feedback from the other environments feed into your development environment.
When you connect to your TEST environment, you can export the feedback through the normal export wizard in APEX (the wizard is the same to import/export apps, but then with the feedback tab):

Once you have your feedback exported to a sql file, you can connect to your development environment and import the feedback:

This goes well as long as you're importing from a different APEX instance than what you exported from.
In case you are running your TEST environment on the same database (and APEX instance) as your development instance, when you try to import the feedback you might get following error:
ORA-00001: unique constraint (APEX_040200.WWV_FLOW_FEEDBACK_PK) violated


It's a known limitation of APEX. The way to get around it is to export the feedback from TEST to a file (see first step), purge the data in that environment (TEST) and after that you can import it in your DEV environment.

You find the Purge Data under Team Development - Utilities (Team Actions on the right side):

Here you can purge the feedback (or other entries):

The import will work fine in your DEV environment. But be careful you are in the right environment, because once you purged the feedback in one environment you can't import it anymore in that environment. When you try doing that, you get following error:

Links to useful information on preparing for Oracle Certification.

1.  Youtube "HOW TO : Preparing For Your Oracle Certification"  by OracleCertification

2.  Youtube "Oracle Certification Practice Exams"  by OracleCertification

3.  Certification Blog "Oracle Certification"  by Oracle Certification Program

4.  Forum "Certification"  by Oracle Forums

5.  WebSites
a.  "Oracle Certification Prep"  by Matthew Morris
b.  "MindHub"  by PearsonVue

6.  Test Software Vendors
a.   SelfTestSoftware
b.   Transcender
c.   UCertify

.
.
.

This year's Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit highlights opportunities for organizations to harness the nexus of social, mobile, information and cloud capabilities.  According to Gartner, "The forces combine to empower individuals as they interact with each other and their information through well-designed ubiquitous technology."

How does this nexus impact an organization's ability to support their business goals?  It is fair to say that these forces have been present in various formats for some time now? So what has changed? Upon attending sessions opening day of the conference yesterday, we find that speed, agility and availability emerge as consistent threads.  Specifically, we see the speed of solution delivery, communication agility within and across channels, and the availability of analytical insight are all present.
In many markets where products and services between vendors are comparable, key business differentiators will be tied to comprehensive engagement throughout the lifecycle of a relationship with a prospect or customer.  Without an investment in the consistent alignment of technical choices with the vision for the business strategy, discrete technical solutions can end up ultimately posing roadblocks.
Why is mobile computing considered disruptive?  It potentially shines light onto an organization's ability to expose their back office systems outwardly in a secure, contextually relevant way.  It implicitly shows the level of investment that organizations supply to align their information technology with their business vision.
Gartner highlights the forces within the nexus as "well-designed ubiquitous technology".  Considering well-designed in a holistic manner, outside of a discrete solution, capabilities that IT potentially needs to supply to the business to support initiatives like customer self-service require the knowledge of user profiles, single views of a customer and connectivity with various systems to support self-service activity.  Within the first phase of a particular mobile or self-service project, these aspects may not pose an issue, but to meet a future state, business vision may call for functionality to be included that prior decisions may render costly and complicated to deliver.
The nexus of social, mobile, information and cloud capabilities offer unprecedented opportunity to expedite and optimize delivery.  Organizations that will extract the most value from the nexus will do so by leveraging enterprise architecture practices to achieve long-term agility, making technology choices in line with principles that ensure the delivery of value beyond discrete technical solutions.  This allows organizations to then focus on business innovation, engaging with their customers and prospects, and outmaneuvering their competition, through the use of a technical foundation carefully aligned to support business innovation.
Are you attending the Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit in San Diego, this week? Oracle is proud to be a Silver sponsor, with a 30 minute breakfast session this morning at 7:00am given by Joshn Lannin, Senior Director of Product Management Oracle WebCenter. We also have a booth on the show flow, so we hope you’ll come find us to discuss the nexus of social, mobile, information and cloud capabilities!

Packt asked me if I was interested in reading one of their books, PhoneGap 2.x Mobile Application Development Hotshot, and write my thoughts on it.

As the topic is in my interest sphere and I was having a long flight ahead, I decided to use that time to read it. So I read the book on my iPad in about 9 hours, but didn't try the code the comes with the book yet.

I strongly believe in developing mobile applications for both smartphones as tablets. You can either go the native route (iOS, Android, Windows phone, ...) or go the HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript route. I see a market for both, but I personally lean more towards the HTML5 way, as I can use the skills that I currently have. PhoneGap (built on Cordova) bridges the gap between what you can do standard in HTML5 and what you can do if you would code natively for the device. PhoneGap offers a JavaScript API to access the hardware of the device, for example the camera, microphone, accelerometer, filesystem etc.  PhoneGap wraps your HTML and JavaScript into a native shell, specific to the device, so you could even submit it to the platform's app store.

The book is mostly build of examples, which is a great way to see the potential of the tool. The author starts with giving a brief overview what PhoneGap is and where it fits in. It also walks you through how to prepare your environment to run the examples. Next it's all examples... The first chapter talks about how to create multilingual applications and sets the foundation for the other chapters. I found it interesting to see the author is using the YASMF framework (instead of for example JQuery Mobile).

In the second chapter you basically build a basic twitter application which also allows you to share the information. To do the sharing she used ShareKit, a very nice open source project.
In the following chapters she builds applications around the PhoneGap's File APIs, geolocation features together with Google Maps, recording and playing of audio, using the camera to store pictures and video, all very nice examples.

Chapter 8 is interesting as it builds a game! Behind the scenes it's using the HTML5 canvas, multi-touch gestures and the accelerometer. It's also reusing some of the things you learned in previous chapters like the file api, but it expands now to use localStorage.

The final two chapters are about expanding PhoneGap with native functions from the device and supporting bigger mobile devices like the iPad.

As you can see, a lot of ground is covered, with all excellent and useful examples!

Before, I only played a bit with PhoneGap, but I didn't find it hard to follow the content. I found the chapters well structured. I like to know why I'm doing something, so it was great to see that was covered first and then it builds up by designing the app (UI/interactions), the data model, putting it together and wrapping it up. You need a good understanding of HTML and JavaScript to follow the examples, but the author highlights that too in the Preface.

Following on from last weeks book competition, the kind people at Packt have offered another prize. This time 2 e-book copies of
Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook by Andy Penver.

The competition will run for about two weeks, so I’ll be selecting the winners on 10th May 2013. To enter, comment on this post, telling me why you think you need this book and what you hope to gain from it. The two lucky winners will be selected based on their comments on this post (not Facebook, Google+ or Twitter), so try and be creative or you won’t stand out from the crowd. The winners will be contacted via email, so please use your real email address when posting your comment.

You can read more about the contents of the book and the author on the Packt website, but here is a little marketing message about the book.

“Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook is an
extensive guide for both beginners and intermediate users that describes how to develop extensions in Oracle
E-Business Suite. The book also discusses some of Oracle E-Business Suite’s vital features, such as creating and
distributing BI Publisher template files to the file system, authoring, managing, delivering highly-formatted
documents using BI Publisher and configuring a browser.

This is a practical hands-on guide, designed to demonstrate the newest features in Oracle E-Business Suite
Release 12. With an in-depth knowledge of personalizing OA Framework pages in Oracle E-Business Suite,
readers will not only be able to install JDeveloper with OA Extension and set up a development environment,
but also deploy an OA Framework page within Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.”

Good Luck!

Cheers

Tim…

PS. Connor, death threats will not work this time.

Win A free copy of the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook was first posted on April 30, 2013 at 10:59 am.
©2012 "The ORACLE-BASE Blog". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement.

Interest in big data has been increasing as enterprises look to harness deeper insight into customers, the market and the business' future. Now, these efforts are beginning to demonstrate significant advantages that promote more intelligent decision-making and investments, which boost the bottom line.

Daniel Burrus reported for The Huffington Post that Walmart is one major corporation that has been able to mine big data for big results. Burrus revealed that the volume of inbound data that Walmart manages every hour could fill a room of 60 million five-drawer file cabinets. Additionally, with the implementation of more sensors for real-time sales and customer analytics, the amount of information coming in will only increase. He noted that this data is invaluable as it informs businesses on where consumers are going and when as well as what they're buying. And by deploying dba services and the most capable database experts, these firms are already seeing dramatic results, according to Burrus. 

Powerful outcomes
Burrus cited electronics chains The Source and Charlie Brown as two stores that are using real-time analytics to make better decisions. He explained that by diving into big data, these companies were able to detect a shift in purchasing, specifically that several upscale items (in the $650 range) were selling more than lower priced models (at about $150) in the same line. The firms were then able to stock the shelves with more of the higher-priced merchandise, causing sales to surge 40 percent thereafter. By looking at big data, these companies could quickly identify which products were in higher demand and react more quickly to see rapid payoff. Additionally, Burrus noted that these businesses were able to discontinue items that weren't selling, which also boosted profitability by eliminating products that are wasting inventory space.

As a result of big data, companies are also now able to devise better pricing strategies. Yahoo Finance revealed that when product prices are too high, customers may be hesitant to buy, but when they are  too low, companies shortchange themselves and hinder ROI. Shaw Industries, a flooring subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway was able to determine that more than half of its products were underpriced, the news source reported. By applying analytics insights and adjusting prices accordingly, Shaw's margin in dollar terms increased by more than 5 percent.

While industries have continually looked to shift pricing models, inventory and other strategies to reflect changing consumer demands, big data has allowed for a new accuracy that wasn't possible before.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Things have certainly been busy lately so I haven’t had much of a chance to get back here for a while. Busy at work, busy at home, busy at play and even busy with a new David Bowie album to enjoy !! And yes, “The Next Day” is an absolutely stunning album by the great […]

Voilà qui confirme le succès grandissant de la machine ODA : http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/1940385

Do you get annoyed at having to answer the questions all the time for patching?

Provide your email address to be informed of security issues, install and
initiate Oracle Configuration Manager. Easier for you if you use your My
Oracle Support Email address/User Name.
Visit http://www.oracle.com/support/policies.html for details.
Email address/User Name:

You have not provided an email address for notification of security issues.
Do you wish to remain uninformed of security issues ([Y]es, [N]o) [N]:  Y

You won’t have to answer those questions anymore if you create OCM response file.

$ /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/OPatch/ocm/bin/emocmrsp

OCM Installation Response Generator 10.3.4.0.0 - Production
Copyright (c) 2005, 2010, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

Provide your email address to be informed of security issues, install and
initiate Oracle Configuration Manager. Easier for you if you use your My
Oracle Support Email address/User Name.
Visit http://www.oracle.com/support/policies.html for details.
Email address/User Name:

You have not provided an email address for notification of security issues.
Do you wish to remain uninformed of security issues ([Y]es, [N]o) [N]:  Y
The OCM configuration response file (ocm.rsp) was successfully created.

Response file – ocm.rsp is create at the current directory.
$ ll ocm.rsp

-rw-r--r-- 1 oracle oinstall 623 Apr 29 21:37 ocm.rsp

Here comes the patching part and don’t ask me again

$ /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/OPatch/opatch apply -ocmrf /home/oracle/ocm.rsp

Oracle Interim Patch Installer version 11.2.0.3.4
Copyright (c) 2012, Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.

Oracle Home       : /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1
Central Inventory : /u01/app/oraInventory
   from           : /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/oraInst.loc
OPatch version    : 11.2.0.3.4
OUI version       : 11.2.0.3.0
Log file location : /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2013-04-29_20-38-04PM_1.log

Verifying environment and performing prerequisite checks...
OPatch continues with these patches:   13343438  13696216  13923374  14275605  14727310  16056266

Do you want to proceed? [y|n]
y
User Responded with: Y
All checks passed.

Please shutdown Oracle instances running out of this ORACLE_HOME on the local system.
(Oracle Home = '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1')

Is the local system ready for patching? [y|n]
y
User Responded with: Y
Backing up files...
Applying sub-patch '13343438' to OH '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1'

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.dbscripts, 11.2.0.3.0...

Verifying the update...
Applying sub-patch '13696216' to OH '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1'

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sdo.locator, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sysman.console.db, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sysman.oms.core, 10.2.0.4.4...

Verifying the update...
Applying sub-patch '13923374' to OH '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1'
ApplySession: Optional component(s) [ oracle.network.cman, 11.2.0.3.0 ]  not present in the Oracle Home or a higher version is found.

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.dbscripts, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.network.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.network.listener, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sysman.console.db, 11.2.0.3.0...

Verifying the update...
Applying sub-patch '14275605' to OH '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1'
ApplySession: Optional component(s) [ oracle.precomp.lang, 11.2.0.3.0 ]  not present in the Oracle Home or a higher version is found.

Patching component oracle.network.client, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.network.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.precomp.common, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.dbscripts, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rman, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.util, 11.2.0.3.0...

Verifying the update...
Applying sub-patch '14727310' to OH '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1'

Patching component oracle.rdbms, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.dbscripts, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sdo.locator, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sysman.console.db, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sysman.oms.core, 10.2.0.4.4...

Verifying the update...
Applying sub-patch '16056266' to OH '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1'
ApplySession: Optional component(s) [ oracle.network.cman, 11.2.0.3.0 ]  not present in the Oracle Home or a higher version is found.

Patching component oracle.network.listener, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.network.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.ovm, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rman, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.rsf, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.sdo.locator, 11.2.0.3.0...

Patching component oracle.rdbms.deconfig, 11.2.0.3.0...

Verifying the update...

OPatch found the word "warning" in the stderr of the make command.
Please look at this stderr. You can re-run this make command.
Stderr output:
ins_precomp.mk:19: warning: overriding commands for target `pcscfg.cfg'
/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/precomp/lib/env_precomp.mk:2160: warning: ignoring old commands for target `pcscfg.cfg'
/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/precomp/lib/ins_precomp.mk:19: warning: overriding commands for target `pcscfg.cfg'
/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/precomp/lib/env_precomp.mk:2160: warning: ignoring old commands for target `pcscfg.cfg'

Composite patch 16056266 successfully applied.
OPatch Session completed with warnings.
Log file location: /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.3/db_1/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2013-04-29_20-38-04PM_1.log

OPatch completed with warnings.

EXTRA, EXTRA:

Scripts to download patch.
PLEASE NOTE the difference in naming conventions between version patch and OPatch.
$ cat getpatch.sh

#!/bin/sh

DN=`dirname $0`
BN=`basename $0`
FN=${1:?"---> USAGE: $DN/$BN "}
wget --http-user=fakeuser@mail.com --http-password=fakepassword --no-check-certificate --output-document=p${1}_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip "https://updates.oracle.com/Orion/Download/download_patch/p${1}_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip"
exit

$ cat getopatch.sh

#!/bin/sh
wget --http-user=fakeuser@mail.com --http-password=fakepassword --no-check-certificate --output-document=p6880880_112000_Linux-x86-64.zip "https://updates.oracle.com/Orion/Download/download_patch/p6880880_112000_Linux-x86-64.zip"
exit

Download patch
$ ./getpatch.sh

./getpatch.sh: line 5: 1: ---> USAGE: ./getpatch.sh <patch number>

$ ll *16056266*

ls: cannot access *16056266*: No such file or directory

$ ./getpatch.sh 16056266

--2013-04-29 21:00:06--  https://updates.oracle.com/Orion/Download/download_patch/p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip
Resolving updates.oracle.com... 141.146.44.51
Connecting to updates.oracle.com|141.146.44.51|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://login.oracle.com/pls/orasso/orasso.wwsso_app_admin.ls_login?site2pstoretoken=v1.2~E4066BF0~987B78EA259CB31D8BBC6647FDEE2DC7510D66F0A54FD6E7394DC81087F3535168022325FA0D7143E72537529DC60E9E1491A6E7EA2414B38EF6E710353365E803F669AF7F790254A8AFD47D776A218FA4B7F252BC2942C0B1BF65DFBC6296EDB7CBF365277E3646943194E1D6B74105B6A9E9F2EBECC1C0FD25943B4234AA240801C9EB0A2C859B6BB45222645B4092019E17801422ABDF91DECF57F2FBC6D26B0F60842FD49019330A27A629E9C82000BE9AB648FA8B3C70FCA74F1ECB7D29001B87A6622CE81E299C088EFE9AAE87BA92854AA220ED81 [following]
--2013-04-29 21:00:19--  https://login.oracle.com/pls/orasso/orasso.wwsso_app_admin.ls_login?site2pstoretoken=v1.2~E4066BF0~987B78EA259CB31D8BBC6647FDEE2DC7510D66F0A54FD6E7394DC81087F3535168022325FA0D7143E72537529DC60E9E1491A6E7EA2414B38EF6E710353365E803F669AF7F790254A8AFD47D776A218FA4B7F252BC2942C0B1BF65DFBC6296EDB7CBF365277E3646943194E1D6B74105B6A9E9F2EBECC1C0FD25943B4234AA240801C9EB0A2C859B6BB45222645B4092019E17801422ABDF91DECF57F2FBC6D26B0F60842FD49019330A27A629E9C82000BE9AB648FA8B3C70FCA74F1ECB7D29001B87A6622CE81E299C088EFE9AAE87BA92854AA220ED81
Resolving login.oracle.com... 141.146.8.119
Connecting to login.oracle.com|141.146.8.119|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 401 Unauthorized
Reusing existing connection to login.oracle.com:443.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 302 Moved Temporarily
Location: https://updates.oracle.com/osso_login_success?urlc=v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following]
--2013-04-29 21:00:38--  https://updates.oracle.com/osso_login_success?urlc=v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
Connecting to updates.oracle.com|141.146.44.51|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://updates.oracle.com/Orion/Download/download_patch/p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip [following]
--2013-04-29 21:00:39--  https://updates.oracle.com/Orion/Download/download_patch/p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip
Connecting to updates.oracle.com|141.146.44.51|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 302 Found
Location: http://aru-akam.oracle.com/adcarurepos/vol/patch40/PLATFORM/CORE/Linux-x86-64/R80112030/p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip?AuthParam=1367294568_5a3356da38d8dd77c27d9ef722be6b7a&FilePath=/adcarurepos/vol/patch40/PLATFORM/CORE/Linux-x86-64/R80112030/p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip&File=p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip&params=RU5zK21lVUxPZnJZam1vZTMxYjZjQTphcnU9MTU5NjI4MDMmZW1haWw9ZGluaEBweXRoaWFuLmNvbSZmaWxlX2lkPTU4Mzg5MzI4JnBhdGNoX2ZpbGU9cDE2MDU2MjY2XzExMjAzMF9MaW51eC14ODYtNjQuemlwJnVzZXJpZD1vLWRpbmhAcHl0aGlhbi5jb20mc2l6ZT0zMjE1MjY3MiZjb250ZXh0PUFAMTArSEBhYXJ1dm10cDAxLm9yYWNsZS5jb20rUEAmZG93bmxvYWRfaWQ9NzM3MTg5OTI@ [following]
--2013-04-29 21:00:48--  http://aru-akam.oracle.com/adcarurepos/vol/patch40/PLATFORM/CORE/Linux-x86-64/R80112030/p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip?AuthParam=1367294568_5a3356da38d8dd77c27d9ef722be6b7a&FilePath=/adcarurepos/vol/patch40/PLATFORM/CORE/Linux-x86-64/R80112030/p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip&File=p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip&params=RU5zK21lVUxPZnJZam1vZTMxYjZjQTphcnU9MTU5NjI4MDMmZW1haWw9ZGluaEBweXRoaWFuLmNvbSZmaWxlX2lkPTU4Mzg5MzI4JnBhdGNoX2ZpbGU9cDE2MDU2MjY2XzExMjAzMF9MaW51eC14ODYtNjQuemlwJnVzZXJpZD1vLWRpbmhAcHl0aGlhbi5jb20mc2l6ZT0zMjE1MjY3MiZjb250ZXh0PUFAMTArSEBhYXJ1dm10cDAxLm9yYWNsZS5jb20rUEAmZG93bmxvYWRfaWQ9NzM3MTg5OTI@
Resolving aru-akam.oracle.com... 69.31.119.160, 69.31.119.187
Connecting to aru-akam.oracle.com|69.31.119.160|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 32152672 (31M) [application/zip]
Saving to: âp16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zipâ

100%[==>] 32,152,672  1.32M/s   in 24s

2013-04-29 21:01:13 (1.29 MB/s) - âp16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zipâ

$ ll *16056266*

-rw-r--r-- 1 oracle oinstall 32152672 Apr 14 23:55 p16056266_112030_Linux-x86-64.zip

Oracle EPM 11.1.2.3 is out and there are some great features in it (Planning and Financial Reporting have my favorites which you'll see in a second).  11.1.2.3 is not as impressive as 11.1.2.1 or 11.1.2.2, though.  A lot of the products got new features in between releases like Smart View (which adds new features with every patch set), Strategic Finance, HFM (which got Tax Provisioning in February), and Financial Close Management instead of making those products wait until 11.1.2.3 was officially released.

Below are the features I think are most interesting in 11.1.2.3.  This is by no means an exhaustive list and I didn't include every product though I did hit all the ones with significant market share (and a few others including a shout-out to the long-forgotten "EPM Workspace").  All the new feature documents are on Oracle.com.  If you see anything major I missed, let me know in the comments.


Oracle Essbase

• Essbase didn't change much in 11.1.2.3 and users are never going to see any of the changes.
• There are several new BSO functions and calc script commands like @INTERSECT, @ISMBRUDA, @ISRANGENONEMPTY, @MEMBERAT, @RANGEFIRSTVAL, and @RANGELASTVAL.  My favorite is @CREATEBLOCK which, wait for it, creates a sparse block with all the dense combinations in it set to missing.  Yes, we finally have a specific command to create specific blocks after 20+ years of silly block creation workarounds.
• There's a new calc script SET command called RUNTIMESUBVARS that let's you create substitution variables in the script that are passed to the script at run-time.  You can then pass values to these variables when you call the calc scripts from MaxL or the API.  There's a new optional argument (with runtimesubvars) to MaxL's "execute calculation" command that sends the run-time variables to the calc script as you call it.
• There's a new Essbase.CFG setting called ESTIMATEDHASHSIZE that lets you specify (in millions) how many members should be loaded into memory from the outline.  It's meant to speed up massive dimension builds and outline edits.  There are two other new CFG settings as well: ENABLERTSVLOGGING (which logs the new run-time substitution variables) and UNICODEENABLE (which sets the server to unicode mode, basically).
• Data Mining is gone.  Many people didn't even know it was there, but it's been removed.
• Speaking of gone, there is no Essbase Excel Add-In 11.1.2.3.  Further, earlier versions of the Add-In that you may have (like 11.1.2.2) are not supported against Essbase 11.1.2.3.  It probably will work (the Add-In is wonderfully backwards and forwards compatible) but it's not supported.

Smart View

• There were a lot of improvements to Smart View in 11.1.2.2.3xx which came out about a month ago, so there isn't much new in Smart View 11.1.2.3.  Smart View is the new strategic Microsoft Office add-in for all the Business Analytics (BI and EPM) products, though, so that's why the newest release supported direct access to OBIEE 11.1.1.7.  Hyperion Strategic Finance is also now fully supported in Smart View.
• The only major improvement is actually in Hyperion Planning just exposed through Smart View.  There is a new "Planning Admin" extension that lets administrators update Planning metadata (and a few other things) from Smart View.  I'll say more about this under Planning.

Hyperion Planning

• Essbase ASO databases can now be created as Planning Plan Types.  These databases will allow writeback provided it's at level-0.  This is stunning.  These ASO cubes can be displayed on Planning composite forms with Essbase BSO cubes just like current BSO cubes in multiple plan types can be combined on a single composite form.  For some reason, this release doesn't put security filters on the ASO cubes, so you have to access these cubes through Planning or through the Planning ADM driver in Hyperion Financial Reporting.  Still, ASO in Planning is a step in the right direction.  Oh, and you have to own full-use Essbase to create these ASO cubes; just a Planning license doesn't cut it.
• You can create members on the fly (kinda) if they don't exist when business rules need them.  This may only work in modules and not custom plan types.  The documentation says only modules, but I admittedly haven't tried it on custom plan types yet.
• Custom dimension hierarchies can now vary by plan type.
• Task lists can now include "Copy Version" and "Job Console" as tasks.
• There is a new Task List Dashboard (gives you an overview of tasks by user, due date, etc.) and a Task List Report Page (that exports to XLS and PDF).
• Grid Scroll Preferences lets you control if all rows/columns in a form are retrieved at once or only when you scroll down.  This should improve performance for large forms (and not slow down the internet when we want to watch cat videos on YouTube).
• Users can now control through user preferences if they want member names, aliases, or both.  This can be set to override the form settings.
• Outline Load Utility has been enhanced to do fun things like export metadata to a relational database or export data to a text file.  There's a new user interface for loading dimensions and data from flat files (and exporting them too).  This was previously only doable through the command line.
• There's a new "Plan Type Editor" that lets admins add and delete plan types to already existing applications. Previously, this required going back to the initial creation step or hacking the underlying tables.  The Plan Type Editor can be used to add ASO to an existing Planning application.
• Admins can now do some administration of Planning from within Smart View like editing dimensions, creating cubes, and refreshing cubes.
• Workforce and CapEx have been enhanced to get them up to speed with Project Financial Planning's improvements to these modules in 11.1.2.2.  You won't get these improvements with a straight migration: you have to create a new "shell" application and manually migrate your old dimensions into the new application.
• You can create, assign, and delete substitution variables directly from the Planning web interface.

Data Relationship Management

• There's an entirely new module within DRM (no word yet on if it costs money, but my gut feeling is that it's included with DRM) called "Data Relationship Governance."  To oversimplify what is actually quite cool, it adds workflow to DRM.  It lets data stewards coordinate entry, validation, and approval of hierarchies but it does a lot more too.  Users can request hierarchy changes and they go into a worklist so nothing gets lost.  It has built-in alerts for when users have requested changes and it also sends e-mails when something has been sent to you or it's something you should be informed of.  In my humble opinion, this is the greatest improvement to DRM since it was created.
• Dynamic scripting lets you use JavaScript instead of formulas to create derived properties and validations.  This is a welcome improvement over formulas since we now have access to a real programming language.
• You can now connect directly to external relational database tables to import hierarchies.

Hyperion Financial Management (HFM)

• There's a new module (that technically was released in February) called Hyperion Tax Provision.  It handles tax automation, data collection, tax calculations, reporting and it does it all within HFM.  Now when you create an application in HFM, you tell it if you want a Consolidation (traditional) application type or Tax Provision.
• Data forms let you show/hide the POV members, access the dynamic POV member lists, and run "on-demand rules" to essentially calculate the data form (by running the on-demand rule on a subset of data).
• Data grids also let you control which POV dimensions you're showing and gives you access to dynamic POV member lists.
• Admins can turn off modules for all users if they aren't applicable (for instance, if you don't allow intercompanies in HFM).

Financial Data Quality Management (FDM)

• FDM and ERPi (ERP Integrator) combine in 11.1.2.3 into a single product: FDMEE (Financial Data Quality Management Enterprise Edition).  It's more than just ERPi renamed which is what some are claiming.  Below are some of the improvements.
• The UI (user interface) is now consistent with the other Hyperion products like Planning and HFM.
• FDM is fully supported in Shared Services and Lifecycle Management.
• Data loads are sped up.  Scaling and load balancing are fully supported.
• ERPi users will now see full FDM functionality that they couldn't access before.
• SAP BW is now supported directly as a data source.
• FDM and ERPi owners have access (at no charge) to all the new FDMEE capabilities.

Financial Reporting

• I know what you're thinking and yes, Financial Reporting actually got improved in 11.1.2.3 (it is a strategic product for Oracle). So for the coolest thing you'll see since ASO in Hyperion Planning...
• Financial Reporting is now mobile.  That's right: it runs on Apple iPhones, iPads, Android phones and Android tablets.  Users can browse the repository, launch reports (HTML or PDF), run books (HTML or PDF), change POVs, change page members, expand rows and columns, and even launch related content.  Pick your jaw off the floor.
• Books have been enhanced to allow cover pages before the table of contents, embedding (and launching) Word DOCs from an HTML book, and changing the starting page number of books.
• The designer has new authoring features including a row property to show dots after the member name (to fill the column) in PDF output, custom text colors, and auto-sizing text boxes in PDF output.
• Annotations have a new auditing capability that puts annotation info (like creation date or modified date) in a log file on the server.

EPM Workspace

• OBIEE 11.1.1.7 is back in Workspace (it used to be there back in OBIEE 10).  You can both create and launch OBIEE from Workspace.
• OBIEE uses single-sign on if you're logged into Workspace (OBIEE now can also share a security model with Essbase).

Web Analysis, Interactive Reporting, SQR Production Reporting...

• Seriously?  People, move to OBIEE.  These are dead products.

General Comments

• You can upgrade to 11.1.2.3 directly only from 11.1.1.4 and 11.1.2.x.  Earlier versions require going to either 11.1.1.4 or 11.1.2.2 first.
• 11.1.2.3 still doesn't officially support Chrome or Safari.  The documentation says that Oracle recommends IE (Internet Explorer) 9 or Firefox 10 because older versions are slower.
• The EPM documentation is now fully supported on Apple mobile devices (in ePub format).  It already worked on Amazon Kindles (in Mobi format).

That's all folks.  You can thank me at Kscope13 for making it so you don't have to scour all the readme files yourself.
Oh, that reminds me. Since you read this entire essay of bullets, I owe you a reward.  When you register for Kscope13 (the best Oracle BI, EPM, and Hyperion conference in the world bar none), mention promo code IRC.  It'll save you $100 off whatever the prevailing rate is.  You can tell your friends or make them read this blog to find that out themselves.