From Forms to HTML:
Understanding and Using
Oracle Projects’ HTML
Pages
Edward Charity, Jr.
Project Management Systems Consultants
(PMSC), LLC
Agenda
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Background of the Speaker and Company
Objectives of the Presentation
Background of the Projects Suite
E-Business Suite Architecture
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E-Business Suite Access
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General and Projects Specific
Oracle Applications Framework and Personalizations
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HTML-Based Applications
Forms-Based Applications
HTML vs Forms
Administrator vs. User Personalizations
HTML vs Forms in the Projects Suite
Implementation and Use Issues
Suggested Resources and Presentations
Questions and Answers/Wrap-up
Contact Information
Background of The Speaker
• Edward Charity, Jr
– Project Management Systems Consultants
(PMSC), LLC – 2001 - Present
– CapGemini (formerly Ernst & Young) Oracle
Service Line – Senior Manager 1996-2001
– Oracle Corporation, Consulting Services –
Managing Principal Consultant 1993-1996
– Oracle Projects (Project Accounting)
Implementation Consultant - 1993-Present
Background of PMSC, LLC
• Project Management Systems Consultants (PMSC),
LLC
– Formed in 2001
– Focused Exclusively on Enterprise Project Management
Resource and Technology Solutions
– Commercial, Government, and Government Contracting
Clients
– Services Include: Implementation Strategy and Planning;
Implementation Management and Execution; Implementation
Team and End-User Training; Implementation Rework/Rescue, and Special Projects; and Post Production
Support
Objectives of the Presentation
• Provide Implementation and Use Information
on HTML- and Forms-based Application
Pages in the Projects Suite
– Explain the technical differences between the two
– Identify the features and functions accessed using
one, the other, or both
– Identify available knowledge resources
– Identify Implementation and Use Issue
Background of the Projects Suite
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Originally Project Accounting (Circa 1993)
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Project Costing and Billing
Enterprise Project Management Suite
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Project Foundations – Primarily Forms-based
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Not Really A Separate Module
Project Costing – Forms-based *
Project Billing – Forms-based*
Project Management – HTML-based*
Project Collaboration – HTML-based
Project Resource Management – HTML-based
Project Portfolio Analysis – HTML-based
Project Contracts – Forms-based
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Not Really a part of the Projects Suite
Actually a component of the Contracts Suite
* The focus of this presentation
E-Business Suite Architecture
• Three-Tiered Architecture
– Desktop Tier
• User Interface (UI) via Web Browser
– Application Tier
• Host Servers That Process Business Logic
– HTTP/Web Server for HTML-based Application pages
– Forms Server for Forms-based Application pages
• Manages Communications between Desktop and Database
Tiers
– Database Tier
• Supports and Manages the Oracle Database
• E-Business Suite Data stored in Oracle Database
E-Business Suite Architecture
(Continued)
• HTML-Based Applications
– Key Characteristics:
• Developed using Oracle Application Framework
development platform
• Do not use Oracle Forms as the User Interface (UI)
• Designed and Developed using pure HTML and
JavaScript
• Dynamically generate HTML pages by executing Java
code
• Use a Metadata dictionary for flexible layout
• Operate by direct connection to the Web Server
E-Business Suite Architecture
(Continued)
• Forms-Based Applications
– Key Characteristics:
• Developed using Oracle Forms, part of the Oracle
Development Suite
• Connects to the Web Server through JInitiator (Pre R12).
– JInitiator – A Java Virtual Machine (JVM) used to support Formsbased Oracle Application functions
– JInitiator replaces the native JVM when accessing Forms-based
applications
• Hosted by the Forms Server
– Forms Server – Hosts Runtime Engine
– Forms Server – Mediates communication between the desktop
client and database server
E-Business Suite Access - General
• E-Business Suite Home Page
– Single Point of Access:
– HTML-based applications
– Forms-based applications
– User Responsibilities determine access to
features and functions
– Pre-seeded
– Implementation defined (configured)
E-Business Suite Access - Projects
• Pre-Seeded “Super User” Responsibilities
– Projects Super User (PSU) – Grants access to a majority of
HTML-based menus and functions
• Covers: Project Management; Project Resource Management;
and Project Collaboration
– Projects Implementation Super User (PISU) - Grants access
to a majority of Forms-based menus and functions
• Covers Project Foundation components; Project Costing; and
Project Billing
– Project Contracts Super User (PCSU) - Grants access to
Project Contracts menus and functions
Responsibility/Menu Path Demo
Demonstration
of
PSU and PISU Menu Paths
Oracle Applications Framework and
Personalizations
• What is the Applications Framework?
– Oracle’s forward going development
environment
– Java-based application tier frameworks
and associated services
– Designed to facilitate the rapid deployment
of HTML-based application.
Oracle Applications Framework and
Personalizations (Continued)
• What Are Personalizations?
– Tailoring the UI look-and-feel, layout or visibility of
page content to suit a business need or user
preference.
– Translate from delivered UI definitions into client
UI definitions
– Stored separately and thus not affected by product
upgrades and patches.
– Three Types: Development’s; Administrator’s; and
End-User’s
Oracle Applications Framework and
Personalizations (Continued)
• What Are Administrator Personalizations?
– Personalizations defined by an Applications
Administrator
– Can only be changed or deleted by the
Applications Administrator
– Are visible and usable by all End-Users
– Grouped into the following levels: Function;
Industry; Localization; Site; Organization;
Responsibility; and Seeded User
Oracle Applications Framework and
Personalizations (Continued)
• What are (End) User Personalizations?
– Limited to use by the user that created
them
– Not seen or usable by other users
HTML vs Forms in the Projects
Suite
• What Functions and Features of the
Projects Suite Use:
– HTML-based pages
– Forms-based pages
– Both/Either
See: Functions and Features Matrix
Implementation and Use Issues
• Documentation
• User Defined Attributes versus Descriptive
Flexfields
• Budgeting and Budgetary Control
• Microsoft Integration
• Different Name, Same Feature/Function
• Date Differences in HTML vs Forms
• Licensing
Implementation and Use Issues
(Continued)
• Documentation
– Implementation and User Guides
• Don’t make a clear distinction between features
and functions available and usable in Forms,
HTML, or both.
• No longer make reference to some features
and functions unique to Forms, i.e. Budgeting
via existing Budget Types
Implementation and Use Issues
(Continued)
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User Defined Attributes versus Descriptive Flexfields
– User Defined Attributes (UDAs) – Enable you to define project- and tasklevel attributes that fit the unique needs of your enterprise. “DFFs on
Steroids.” They are unique to the HTML-based application pages
– Descriptive Flexfields (DFF) – Implementation-defined, form-specific
storage of enterprise data. Available primarily via Forms, some data
viewable from HTML. Availability pre-determined by Applications
Development
– Data for Project and Task DFFs are stored along with project and task data
in the PA_PROJECTS_ALL and PA_Tasks tables
– Data for Projects’ UDAs are stored in the PA_PROJECTS_ERP_EXT_B
table
– Data from both can be used for AutoAccounting, Account Generation and
Subledger Accounting (R12)
Implementation and Use Issues
• Budgeting, Budgetary Control, and Budget
Integration
– New “Plan” Types introduced in Family Pack M (5/05) to
accommodate enhanced budgeting engine
– Existing Budget Types convertible during upgrade
– Enhanced budgeting unique to HTML pages
– New Plan types not usable/compatible with Budgetary
Control and Budget Integration functionality
– Different implementation path to use Budgetary Control
and/or Budget Integration
– See also MS Excel Integration Issue
Implementation and Use Issues
(Continued)
• Microsoft Integration
– Budget Entry and Update via MS Excel
only accessible through HTML pages
– MS Project integration available through
HTML pages
Implementation and Use Issues
(Continued)
• Different Name, Same Feature/Function
– Customers and Contacts in Forms is the same as Billing
Accounts in HTML pages
– Key Members in Forms is the same as Team Members in
HTML pages
– DFF defined at Project-level in Forms shows up in the Other
Information section of Additional Information in HTML pages
– DFF defined at Financial Task-level in Forms shows up in
the Other Task Information section of HTML pages
Implementation and Use Issues
(Continued)
• Date Differences in HTML vs Forms
– Forms Dates:
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Project Start Date – From Project Quick Entry
Task Start Date – Initially Defaults from Project Start Date
Project End Date (Conditionally Optional) – From Project Quick Entry
Task End Date – Initially Defaults from Project End Date
– HTML Dates:
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Target Dates: Defaults from Project Quick Entry
Scheduled Dates: Workplan Task-based
Baseline Dates: Workplan Task-based
Estimated Dates: Workplan Task-based
Actual Dates: Workplan Task-based
Transaction Dates: Defaults from Project Quick Entry
Implementation and Use Issues
(Continued)
• Licensing
– Separate Licenses for: Costing; Billing;
Management; Resource Management;
Portfolio; and Collaboration
– Foundation included with any of the above
– Question: Can the HTML-based forms be
used without Project Management
License? Official Answer from Oracle: Yes.
Use Strategies
• Project Definition in HTML
– If Costing Only, No Problem
– If Costing and Billing, Agreements, Funding, and
Rate Schedules in Forms
• Project Definition in Forms
– Unable to Utilize UDAs and HTML
Personalizations
– DFFs, Class Categories and Codes may be
sufficient to meet requirements
Suggested Resources
• Oracle Applications Framework Personalization Guide MetaLink Document Number B25439-02 (R 11.5.10.2)
– Chapter 3, Personalizing Your Pages and Portlets
– Chapter 4, Administrative-Level Personalizations
– Chapter 6, User-Level Personalization User Interface
• Oracle Projects Implementation Guide - MetaLink Document
Number B12389-04 (R 11.5.10.2)
– Special Emphasis on Page Layouts and Personalizations–
Beginning at Page 2-123
• MetaLink Documents
– Dates in Self Service Web Application vs Forms-Based Projects
Application – ML Doc ID: Note: 361507.1 Dated 25-OCT-2006
Suggested OAUG Presentations
• The Magic Bullet for Oracle Project
Customizations: User Defined Attributes
• Unfold the Mystic Power of Page
Layouts and Personalization in Oracle
Projects
Contact Information
Project Management Systems Consultants
(PMSC), LLC
echarity@pmsc-llc.com
703-532-1259 Voice/Fax
703-244-9407 Cell
www.pmsc-llc.com