Currently oracle 11i, R12 are being used at most clients and some are in the process of adopting oracle fusion. To newbies, what are these 11i, R12 and fusion? Well, these are versions of oracle apps (oracle applications), with improved ways of doing things in different versions. This can be a new process in industry, enhanced understanding of an existing process (example collections using strategies), change in concept (example ledger instead of set of books), or most importantly using new technologies (example SOA or ADF) (which we shall later see, leads to a new level of integration).
If you have already gone through the functional understanding of oracle apps, you will understand that oracle apps (whichever version) is an application to carry out certain tasks of ERP. Any application will be built using technologies and some coding that constitute the software. An traditional client server application will have a database server and front-end screens. Oracle database is used for storing back-end data while the screens are provided in oracle forms or web pages. Note here that enabling ERP as web pages accessible to outside world, makes ERP e-business for purpose of e-commerce. The actions of users on the screens involves APIs to make changes to the data in database. These APIs are implemented using oracle pl/sql or java or mix of both. Hence as a technical developer you must start gaining skills in either PL/SQL or java. And also working on a database needs gaining SQL skills.
If you start on the skills of SQL, PL/SQL and or Java technologies, you are ready to move to the next level of technologies involved in oracle apps. The screens are implemented in Oracle forms and OAF pages (or ADF in oracle fusion). Oracle forms have rich oracle apps specific menus in the screen apart than fields and buttons. The rich menus allow changing to related screens, perform complex actions, or actions that are common to most screens and for editing, viewing, traversals, saving etc. OAF are web pages are developed using oracle Jdeveloper tool. New screens and additions in oracle apps are generally carried out in OAF rather than Oracle forms. In Fusion ADF is used instead of OAF.
We saw that screens are used for purpose of forms. An application, apart than processing, should also be able to present data to user, example as forms. The same forms could be used to take user inputs, edit the saved data or just display that data. However on a single topic users may need multiple views with different subset of data. Hence it is easier, more presentable, maintainable and more easily printed and customized, to build reports. Oracle reports had been used prior to the powerful XML Publisher (aka BI Publisher, since R12). Report is a very common requirement. Consider different sales report that should contain sales per quarter for managers, or hide prices and only show regions for regional operators, provide differential growth w.r.t previous year for analytics etc. For these purpose oracle's OBIEE has emerged as a hot product for Business Intelligence, again since R12.
It is common for clients to have varied applications, example a billing system, a logistics system and also employs oracle apps or Peoplesoft or Siebel as one of the main ERP system. Hence it becomes necessary to integrate various systems to interface data from one system to another, example synchronize customer data, or to call API on another system, example to create Payables Invoice. Note Oracle acquired over last few years many products including Peoplesoft, Siebel and Glogs. Fusion is the best from these composite systems that can collaborate using SOA. SOA is a very hot concept being used among competitors. From technical learning point of view, in simplest terms SOA is a clean and robust usage of XML.
Start learning XML and Java early if you want to work on OAF, ADF, SOA, BI Publisher or OBIEE.
Not all processing can be committed immediately to database. There could be time intervals, manual interference or some external factor that can trigger further processing. For this there is Oracle workflow and more recently in SOA, BPEL and Worklist. These are as important as reporting apart than the main technologies of PLSQL and SQL. So now you can find out what training you are looking for oracle technical skills.
If you have already gone through the functional understanding of oracle apps, you will understand that oracle apps (whichever version) is an application to carry out certain tasks of ERP. Any application will be built using technologies and some coding that constitute the software. An traditional client server application will have a database server and front-end screens. Oracle database is used for storing back-end data while the screens are provided in oracle forms or web pages. Note here that enabling ERP as web pages accessible to outside world, makes ERP e-business for purpose of e-commerce. The actions of users on the screens involves APIs to make changes to the data in database. These APIs are implemented using oracle pl/sql or java or mix of both. Hence as a technical developer you must start gaining skills in either PL/SQL or java. And also working on a database needs gaining SQL skills.
If you start on the skills of SQL, PL/SQL and or Java technologies, you are ready to move to the next level of technologies involved in oracle apps. The screens are implemented in Oracle forms and OAF pages (or ADF in oracle fusion). Oracle forms have rich oracle apps specific menus in the screen apart than fields and buttons. The rich menus allow changing to related screens, perform complex actions, or actions that are common to most screens and for editing, viewing, traversals, saving etc. OAF are web pages are developed using oracle Jdeveloper tool. New screens and additions in oracle apps are generally carried out in OAF rather than Oracle forms. In Fusion ADF is used instead of OAF.
We saw that screens are used for purpose of forms. An application, apart than processing, should also be able to present data to user, example as forms. The same forms could be used to take user inputs, edit the saved data or just display that data. However on a single topic users may need multiple views with different subset of data. Hence it is easier, more presentable, maintainable and more easily printed and customized, to build reports. Oracle reports had been used prior to the powerful XML Publisher (aka BI Publisher, since R12). Report is a very common requirement. Consider different sales report that should contain sales per quarter for managers, or hide prices and only show regions for regional operators, provide differential growth w.r.t previous year for analytics etc. For these purpose oracle's OBIEE has emerged as a hot product for Business Intelligence, again since R12.
It is common for clients to have varied applications, example a billing system, a logistics system and also employs oracle apps or Peoplesoft or Siebel as one of the main ERP system. Hence it becomes necessary to integrate various systems to interface data from one system to another, example synchronize customer data, or to call API on another system, example to create Payables Invoice. Note Oracle acquired over last few years many products including Peoplesoft, Siebel and Glogs. Fusion is the best from these composite systems that can collaborate using SOA. SOA is a very hot concept being used among competitors. From technical learning point of view, in simplest terms SOA is a clean and robust usage of XML.
Start learning XML and Java early if you want to work on OAF, ADF, SOA, BI Publisher or OBIEE.
Not all processing can be committed immediately to database. There could be time intervals, manual interference or some external factor that can trigger further processing. For this there is Oracle workflow and more recently in SOA, BPEL and Worklist. These are as important as reporting apart than the main technologies of PLSQL and SQL. So now you can find out what training you are looking for oracle technical skills.
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