Upgrade Whitepaper - Final March 2012 PDF

An Oracle White Paper
March 2012
Upgrading your Customizations to

Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1
Upgrading your Customizations to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1
Disclaimer
The following is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes
only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or
functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and
timing of any features or functionality described for Oracles products remains at the sole discretion of
Oracle.
Introduction ....................................................................................... 1
Upgrade Goals for Customizations .................................................... 2
Customization Types ......................................................................... 2
Step 1. Creating an Inventory of Your Customizations ....................... 3
Tools for inventorying your customizations .................................... 3
Step 2. Compare Customizations to Release 12 .............................. 4
Product Family-level Changes ....................................................... 5
Individual Product-level Changes .................................................. 5
Data Model-level Changes ............................................................ 5
Technology Changes ..................................................................... 7
Step 3. Upgrading Common Types of Customizations ....................... 8
Upgrading Personalizations ........................................................... 8
Upgrading Oracle Forms Extensions ........................................... 10
General Schema Housecleaning ................................................. 11
Web ADI Customizations ............................................................. 11
Workflow Customizations ............................................................ 11
Step 4. Reimplement Customizations from Deprecated Technologies12
mod_plsql .................................................................................... 12
Oracle Reports Server Reports.................................................... 13
Oracle Graphics Integrations with Oracle Forms.......................... 13
AK Mode ..................................................................................... 14
Client ADI .................................................................................... 14
Step 5. Creating Future Customizations ......................................... 15
Modifying the UI of Oracle E-Business Suite Screens ................. 15
Adding New Screens to Oracle E-Business Suite Business Flows16
Building New Applications ........................................................... 16
Management and Testing of Customizations ............................... 16
Conclusion ...................................................................................... 17
Upgrade-related Services Available from Oracle ......................... 17
Upgrade Version Recommendations ........................................... 18
Upgrade Checklist for Customizations ......................................... 18
References ...................................................................................... 19
Introduction
With Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i now in Extended Support until November 2013,
upgrading to Release 12 soon is more important than ever. However, like most Oracle E-
Business Suite customers, you probably have many existing personalizations, extensions and
customizations that have been made over the years. Upgrading these may be a daunting task.
This document discusses the different types of customizations and how to handle them going
forward. This document primarily covers upgrading to Release 12.1.3, but this material applies
equally to Releases 12.0, 12.1, and 12.2.
In this document we will discuss customizations in the context of the following process:
Step 1. Creating an Inventory of Your Existing Customizations
Step 2. Comparing Customizations to Release 12
Step 3. Upgrading Customizations
Step 4. Reimplementing Customizations
Step 5. Creating Future Customizations
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Upgrade Goals for Customizations

When you upgrade from Release 11i to Release 12 of Oracle E-Business Suite, you face many choices
about how to handle your existing customizations. In general we recommend that you aim for a much
smaller customization footprint in Release 12 than you have in Release 11i. Retiring as many
customizations as possible is the key. The smaller footprint will benefit you with easier upgrades going
forward.
For the cases where you do have to reimplement, it's important to choose the right technologies for
going forward. For changing shipped Oracle E-Business Suite pages and forms, using Oracle
Application Framework personalization or form personalization is usually the best answer. For
building extensions and completely new applications Oracle Application Framework is still the primary
recommended choice.
Customization Types
There are several different types of customizations in Oracle E-Business Suite, sometimes referred to
by the term "CEMLI":
Configurations
Extensions
Modifications
Localizations
Integrations
This document primarily focuses on the extension and modification parts of those customizations.
Configuration provides setup and administrative choices using the native features of the product.
Examples include profile options, user-defined fields (flexfields), function security setup, and data
security setup.
Personalization, which lies somewhere between configuration and extension, enables you to
declaratively tailor the UI look and feel, layout or visibility of page content to suit a business need or
user preference. Examples include changing prompts and text, reordering fields, and so on.
Extension describes building functionality of an application beyond what can be done through
personalization or configuration. Examples include adding new functional flows, extending or
overriding existing business logic, or even building entirely new applications. Extensions are usually
built using Oracle Forms Developer, Oracle JDeveloper, Oracle Application Framework, and so on.
Modification, or customization by modification, also known as "customization-in-place", is the practice
of simply modifying an existing or seeded object like a form or report. These are never recommended
because the modifications are not preserved during an upgrade.
Localizations are country-specific components for statutory requirements business practices.
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Integration can include data integration or application integration with systems outside Oracle E-
Business Suite through open interface tables, APIs, and various integration tools.
Step 1. Creating an Inventory of Your Customizations

While planning your upgrade, the first thing to do is to inventory what customizations you have in
Release 11i and sort them into what you can retire, what can be upgraded, and what you must
reimplement.
Many of your existing customizations may not be needed at all due to the wide range of functional
enhancements, streamlined business processes, and user interface enhancements throughout Oracle E-
Business Suite. The goal is to get rid of every customization you possibly can. Be sure to get rid of any
"not-currently-used" old code and database schema objects during this process. Time spent eradicating
unneeded code and schema objects will pay off when you move to a later release.
Over time, you may have accumulated customizations in many areas. Here are some types of
customizations you might have:
Forms Screens and Personalizations
Oracle Application Framework Pages and Personalizations
Reports
Workflows
Database objects
Concurrent Programs
BI Publisher templates
Java code
Web ADI
ADF
Tools for inventorying your customizations

Sometimes finding out what customizations you already have is the hardest part of preparing for an
upgrade. One place to look for customization information is in the applcust.txt file. This text file has
been a documented part of Oracle Application Object Library for many years as a place to register
modifications and extensions so that you would get a warning during patches and upgrades if a
customization would be overwritten. The applcust.txt file might have been updated by consultants or
others in the past, so it is worth checking. The file is located in the $APPL_TOP/admin directory.
Release 12 has a different customization registration mechanism, called flagged files, for the same
purpose.
There are various tools for inventorying your existing customizations, both from Oracle and third-
party vendors. Oracle and other vendors offer customization discovery and reporting tools that you
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can use yourself. Oracle offers the "CEMLI Services Tool" on a subscription basis. This tool can help
you inventory your custom database objects, forms, and configurations such as flexfields, functions,
and menu entries. This self-service tool provides the following features:
Catalog (discovery and reporting of customizations)
Packager for custom code patches
Impact analysis for incremental patches
Performance checker
Figure 1 Dashboard of the Oracle CEMLI Services Tool
The CEMLI Services Tool is available through Oracle Advanced Customer Services.
Many consulting services, including Oracle Consulting Services, have their own tools or include
discovery and reporting of customizations as part of upgrade assessment engagements. Oracle On
Demand also provides customization discovery as part of the process of moving to Oracle On
Demand Services.
All of these tools and services have different features and price points, and no single solution is
appropriate for every customer. The primary goal is to make your upgrade as smooth and simple as
possible using whatever tools or assistance help you.
Step 2. Compare Customizations to Release 12

Once you have an inventory, the next step is to compare your customizations to what is in Release 12.
Retiring customizations is the best way to make future upgrades easier and save money on
maintenance, so it helps to focus on areas with a lot of change between Release 11i and Release 12.
Specifically, customizations of forms or pages that change during that time are good candidates for
retirement. There are also some deprecated technologies whose old customizations should be retired or
reimplemented.
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Product Family-level Changes

You should especially look at the major functional changes in the product families, particularly in
Financials and Procurement. They have dramatically improved how they handle payments, bank
accounts, and tax codes, but those improvements may impact your customizations. The Financials
products and some other products in Oracle E-Business Suite have new, centralized setups, so setup
pages are likely places where old customizations are no longer useful.
The upgrade guides mention larger features that have been changed. Since of course Oracle does not
know what customizations you have, you need to keep your customizations in mind when you read
those guides and think about how certain feature changes might affect you. For information specific to
changes in the Financials and Procurement product families, see the Oracle Financials and Oracle
Procurement Functional Upgrade Guide. These changes include changes to tax codes, payments, and bank
accounts. Also, suppliers and sites information moved into the Oracle Customer Hub (TCA) product.
A special report, the Accounting Setup Manager Pre-Update Diagnosis Report, helps you find setup
inconsistencies you should resolve before upgrading. This report is described in the Oracle E-Business
Suite Upgrade Guide.
There is a lot of documentation to look at for understanding the new 12.1 options, not just the upgrade
guides. For example, you'll need to look at these Financials guides and this My Oracle Support Note:
Oracle Financials Concepts Guide
Oracle Financials Implementation Guide
R12 Upgrade Considerations by Product (Document 889733.1)
Individual Product-level Changes

At the individual product level, many modules have redesigned their flows to make them simpler and
more productive. These changes include fewer, rearranged screens and fewer steps for users to
complete tasks. Some old Oracle Forms-based forms have been rebuilt in Oracle Application
Framework, as well. These are great enhancements to the Oracle E-Business Suite products, but in
some cases the effect is that some of your old personalizations and extensions may no longer be
needed or valid.
Data Model-level Changes

There are many data model changes that will affect your custom code. Many of these are related to the
centralization of setups, such as the change from having distribution lines stored in separate
applications to having them in the new XLA tables.
Database changes from 11i to R12 are highlighted in product-specific Technical Overviews part of the
Release 12 Transfer of Information (TOI) online training sessions and other sources like the eTRM.
Available Release Comparison Reports
Oracle E-Business Suite also provides two very helpful static reports to highlight specific changes in
the data model and in shipped seed data:
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Database Comparison Report (Document 1290886.1)

Seed Data Comparison Report (Document 1327399.1)
These reports list changes between particular sets of releases, and they are available in popular release
combinations, such as for comparison of 11.5.10.2 with 12.1.3. Oracle Support can provide other
combinations if needed.
Use these reports for impact analysis for custom code. The seed data report compares definitions for
menus, profiles, and more. The database comparison report is a good source of details such as added
and removed tables, views, and packages that might affect your custom code.
Figure 2 Data Model Comparison Report
These reports allow you to drill down into very detailed information. For example, when you see that
a particular view object definition has changed between Release 11.5.10.2 and 12.1.3, you can then drill
down within the report to see the view definitions and compare them.
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Figure 3 Seed Data Comparison Report
Products Removed from Data Model
Certain old Oracle E-Business Suite products have been removed from the Release 12 data model, so
any customizations that reference these will be affected:
TABLE 1. PRODUCTS REMOVED FROM RELEASE 12 DATA MODEL
ABM CUN IMT OKR VEH
AHM EAA IPD OZP XNC
AMF EVM ME OZS XNI
CSS FPT OKB RHX XNM
CUE IBA OKO RLA XNS
The products listed in the table are no longer registered in fnd_oracle_userid and
fnd_product_installations tables in 12.1.3.
Technology Changes
Some technologies can upgrade with little or no change.
If you have been building extensions with Oracle Forms or Oracle Application Framework, you should
be able to upgrade those with little change, assuming that the underlying business logic or data model
hasn't changed.
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Custom code and custom applications in these standard Release 11i development technologies is
generally compatible with Release 12:
Oracle Application Framework
Oracle Forms
Certain technologies have been deprecated, and you should retire or reimplement anything that uses
them in Release 11i.
Mod_plsql
Oracle Reports Server Reports
Oracle Graphics integrations with Oracle Forms
AK mode of Oracle Application Framework
We'll discuss these more later in the paper.
Step 3. Upgrading Common Types of Customizations

These are the most common types of customizations:
Personalizations
Oracle Forms
Oracle Application Framework
Web ADI
Workflow
Here are recommendations for upgrading each of these types of customizations.
Upgrading Personalizations
Personalizations should upgrade transparently if the same page and its personalized objects still exist in
the target version of the product.
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Figure 4 Upgrading Personalizations

A personalization is not upgradable if you are not upgrading "from like to like". This can happen for a
number of reasons:
1. An Oracle Forms-based screen has been replaced by an Oracle Application Framework-based page.
This is very common across the 11i to 12.1 upgrade, because many products have rebuilt a lot of
their Oracle Forms-based functionality into Oracle Application Framework while adding or
redesigning other features.
2. A screen or page has been sufficiently modified in the new version of the product such that the old
objects, such as fields, that were personalized no longer exist in the new version. For the 11i to 12
upgrade, however, forms are more likely to have been rebuilt in Oracle Application Framework than
to have been modified using Oracle Forms.
3. A screen or page has been moved into a different product, so the personalization metadata no longer
applies (because each product has its own namespace).
In other words, if it's the same page, in the same technology, in the same product, then it's likely to be
upgradable. The key thing to remember, though, is that if an Oracle Forms-based form is rewritten to
be an Oracle Application Framework-based page, then it's not the same page!
The result of all this is that many of your existing personalizations are ripe for retirement. For
example, between 11i and 12.1, some payments forms were removed from Oracle Payables (AP) and
their functionality was consolidated with other payments functionality into a new Oracle Payments
(IBY) module. Personalizations made to those original AP payments forms would no longer apply. In
another example, the user interface for item instance functionality in Oracle Install Base has been
rewritten in Oracle Application Framework.
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See "Upgrading Form Personalizations and OA Framework Personalizations from Oracle E-Business
Suite Release 11i to 12.1" (Document 1292611.1) for more about upgrading personalizations from
Release 11i to Release 12. It includes a simple query to list Release 11i form personalizations.
Upgrading Oracle Forms Extensions

Upgrading custom Oracle Forms-based forms requires a Release 12 development environment.
Setting up this environment is described in My Oracle Support Note 444248.1, "Using the OracleAS
10.1.2 Forms and Reports Builders with Oracle Applications Release 12".
Upgrading your custom forms is mostly a matter of regenerating them. Both libraries and forms
upgrade automatically when you regenerate using the Forms 10g compiler (frmcmp.sh utility, was
f60genm generator) or using the Forms 10g Builder. Some upgrade changes are made by the Oracle
Forms Generator, and any errors will be highlighted at generation time.
In addition, Oracle Forms provides a tool, the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant, which you can use to
further evaluate your custom forms for changes that may be required to upgrade the forms from
Oracle Forms 6i to Oracle Forms 10g. This tool has a command line and a wizard version, and it can
be used to perform automatic changes or just produce a report of necessary changes. The tool issues
warnings when it cannot make the required changes automatically.
Information to help you:
Oracle Forms: Migrating Forms Applications from Forms 6i to 10g (10.1.2.0.2) for Windows and UNIX
Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide (formerly Oracle Applications Developer's Guide)
Modifications you may have to make to your Oracle Forms code fall into three main categories:
1. Obsolete Forms Built-ins and Properties
2. Enhanced syntax checking in Forms PL/SQL
3. Change from 4.5 to 5.0 Compatibility Mode (primarily affects mirror items, validation, and
navigation)
Most required changes can be identified at build time. Some changes, such as changes in validation,
can only be identified at run time.
CUSTOM Library
The CUSTOM library is an Oracle Forms stub library that receives trigger events as Oracle Forms run.
Many customers have used the CUSTOM library (CUSTOM.pll) to modify the appearance and
behavior of Oracle Forms-based forms.
The CUSTOM library still exists and works in Release 12. However, the same caveats apply to the
CUSTOM library as to form personalizations. That is, if an Oracle Forms-based form no longer exists
in Release 12, any CUSTOM library logic for that form would need to be retired.
When you install Release 12, you get a new, empty version of CUSTOM.pll in the new Release 12 file
system. You need to copy your 11i CUSTOM.pll, upgrade it to Oracle Forms 10g, and put it in place
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in your new Release 12 file system. Alternatively, you can put your code into the Release 12
CUSTOM.pll after backing up the new, empty version.
General Schema Housecleaning

Verify that all custom tables are in your custom schema (not the APPS schema) and that your custom
schema is registered with Oracle E-Business Suite using the ORACLE Users window (in the System
Administrator responsibility).
Verify that the APPS schema has synonyms to your tables. Code should reference the synonyms in
APPS. Make sure that code does not reference tables in application schemas (schemas other than
APPS) directly. This is not new advice, but it will affect your upgrade to 12.2 later if these are not
correct.
Web ADI Customizations

Web ADI customizations can be of two flavors:
Custom Integrators created in 11i using Oracle shipped APIs
Modified layouts of seeded integrators
If you created custom integrators for Web ADI in Release 11i using shipped APIs, you should be able
to upgrade those. You must test them after the upgrade to make sure they still work as expected. If
you modified integrators that were shipped as part of the product, you will need to redo any layout
modifications after the upgrade, since those will be overwritten.
Spreadsheets you created in Release 11i do not interact with Oracle Applications products after the
upgrade. You will need to replace those existing spreadsheets with ones created using the Release 12
technology stack.
Note that starting with Release 12.1.2, Web ADI offers a powerful new feature called the Desktop
Integration Framework for creating your own custom integrators more easily. See Oracle E-Business
Suite Desktop Integration Framework Developer's Guide for more information.
Workflow Customizations
There are two options for customers to customize seeded business flows:
Plug in a custom flow into a seeded flow where a product has provided a placeholder
Extend a default business flow implementation with some configurations
Workflow developers operate with a specific Access Level when creating workflows:
Oracle Workflow Development - 0-9
Other Applications Technology Products - 10 - 19
Product Teams - 20 - 100
Customers and their subsidiaries - 101 - 1000
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Workflow developers and customers can set their flows to be protected from upgrade. Before
upgrading, check that your protection and customization options are set correctly.
If seeded flows are revamped during a major upgrade from 11i to R12, such as changing entire
business process flow definition by refactoring their flows or redesigning the activities, then
customizations to those seeded flows might need to be redone. These cases are described in the
product-specific documentation.
Step 4. Reimplement Customizations from Deprecated

Technologies
Several technologies were deprecated for Release 12. These technologies include:
AK mode of Oracle Application Framework
Mod_Plsql
Oracle Graphics Integration
Client ADI
mod_plsql
In previous releases of Oracle E-Business Suite, mod_plsql provided a way to add an HTML user
interface to PL/SQL business logic by allowing developers to generate raw HTML output. However, a
standard look and feel was difficult, and security had to be implemented by each developer. Oracle E-
Business Suite Release 12 no longer installs, configures or uses mod_plsql technology.
If you have developed custom mod_plsql extensions to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, and are
considering upgrading to Release 12, you will have to take some action to preserve that functionality.
The most preferable option is to determine whether the native functionality in Release 12 is now
sufficient for you to retire your mod_plsql extensions. Functional advances in Oracle E-Business Suite
may directly replace your custom development. It might also be possible to use Oracle Application
Framework Personalizations, Forms Personalizations, and Flexfields to implement your business
requirements as configurations and personalizations of standard product rather than custom
development.
Where the shipped functionality is not sufficient to eliminate the customization completely, you may
want to re-implement your mod_plsql user interfaces on a supported Release 12 extension technology
such as Oracle Application Framework, Oracle Forms, Oracle Reports, or Oracle XML Publisher.
Note that you may not have to re-implement your custom Server PL/SQL business logic, as all Oracle
E-Business Suite extension technologies can access Server PL/SQL.
If you are on Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.3 and higher, you can also use Oracle Application
Express to re-implement your mod_plsql user interfaces. Oracle Application Express, also known as
Oracle APEX, provides an easy way to create supplemental applications that are easily integrated with
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Oracle E-Business Suite and its data. For more information, see Extending Oracle E-Business Suite
Release 12 using Oracle Application Express (APEX) (Document 1306563.1).
If absolutely necessary, you may choose to install and configure mod_plsql yourself on a separate
application server. This approach is not recommended in that Oracle E-Business Suite Support and
Development cannot provide instructions or diagnostic assistance on any issues that arise from custom
development using mod_plsql (or any other database tool). See "Mod_plsql and Oracle E-Business
Suite Release 12" (Document 726711.1) for more information.

In Release 12, Oracle Reports Server is deprecated and replaced with Oracle BI Publisher (Oracle
XML Publisher within Oracle E-Business Suite), which is the standard for Reporting in Release 12.
Oracle BI Publisher provides complete template coverage for Release 12.1 reports, plus the flexibility
to create your own reports and templates.
If you have custom development that uses reports run through Oracle Reports Server, the following
migration alternatives are available:
Convert the reports to Oracle XML Publisher.
This method is recommended as it has several advantages. It prepares your application both for
Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 and for Oracle Fusion Applications. It also lets you take
advantage of the benefits of Oracle XML Publisher, including superior ease of maintenance.
Additionally, some automated tools are available to help you migrate from Oracle Reports to Oracle
XML Publisher. For more information, see the Oracle XML Publisher User's Guide. You can convert
custom reports to BI Publisher before you upgrade. If you do, you may need to adjust your queries
after the upgrade, but formatting remains valid.
Convert the reports to Oracle Application Framework.
Depending on your reporting needs, this method may be an appropriate alternative. However, note
that no automated migration tools are available for this conversion. You will need to rewrite any
charts using the Oracle Application Framework Charting tool (BI Chart Bean). For more
information, see the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide.
Run the reports through the Concurrent Manager.
With this method, if you follow Oracle E-Business Suite coding standards, then you must modify
your PL/SQL code to meet the Concurrent Manager standards. In particular, you will need to use
some user exits. You will also need to rewrite any charts using the Oracle Reports Charting tool (BI
Chart Bean). Note that this method will not be supported in Oracle Fusion Applications, because
Oracle Reports is not part of the Oracle Fusion technology stack. For more information, see the
Oracle Applications Developer's Guide and Oracle Reports: Building Reports.
Oracle Graphics Integrations with Oracle Forms

If you have custom development that uses Oracle Graphics (Charting) integrated with Oracle Forms,
the following migration alternatives are available:
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Convert both the form and the chart to an Oracle Application Framework-based application. This
method prepares your application for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12. For more information,
see the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide.
Convert the chart to an Oracle Application Framework-based page that can be launched from
Oracle Forms. This method requires less time to prepare for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.
However, it will not be supported in Oracle Fusion Applications, because Oracle Forms is not
part of the Oracle Fusion technology stack. For more information, see the Oracle Application
Framework Developer's Guide.
AK Mode
If you still have personalizations of Oracle Application Framework-based pages in the AK repository,
then when you upgrade from Release 11i to Release 12, your custom personalizations will automatically
be migrated from AK to MDS, if the AK and MDS repositories are in the same database instance.
The upgrade will not automatically migrate your custom personalizations if the AK and MDS
repositories are in separate database instances. You will need to run the Personalization Migration tool
manually to migrate your personalizations in this case. For detailed instructions on how to use this tool,
see Migrating AK Personalizations in the Oracle Application Framework Personalization Guide.
If you have previously used AK/ICX Web Inquiries, you should use the Oracle Application
Framework Search feature to recreate your personalizable search regions. For detailed information
about the Search feature, see Implementing Specific UI Features in the Oracle Application Framework
Developer's Guide.
Client ADI
Client ADI was deprecated to move to a 3-tier, standards-compliant desktop integration architecture.
The functionality in Client ADI is available through a combination of Oracle Web ADI and Oracle
Report Manager, plus over 200 seeded integrators.
Customers can optionally move from Client ADI to Oracle Report Manager while on Release 11.5.10.
Customers upgrading from Release 11.5.10 to Release 12 must move to Report Manager if they have
not already.
Upgrading from Client ADI includes running the Data Migration tool, which upgrades Client ADI
report data to the Oracle Report Manager schema and migrates Client ADI User-to-Value mappings to
Oracle Report Manager.
Once you have upgraded to Oracle Report Manager, you can use the Report Manager Financial Report
Template Editor to define custom Microsoft Excel spreadsheet template layouts. You can use Oracle
XML Publisher to define custom RTF layouts. You can start publishing reports in Oracle Report
Manager.
Note that starting with Release 12.1.2, Web ADI offers a powerful new feature called the Desktop
Integration Framework for creating your own custom integrators more easily. See Oracle E-Business
Suite Desktop Integration Framework Developer's Guide for more information.
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Step 5. Creating Future Customizations

As you go through the process of upgrading your customizations, you'll find that there are many
customizations that need to be re-implemented or enhanced, as well as some new customizations you
want to create to take advantage of all of the new functionality you have in Release 12 of Oracle E-
Business Suite. Choosing the right technology for these customizations is crucial.
Consider the cost of development and maintenance of your customizations. Even small customizations
can cost a lot over the life of the customization, but some types will be much more expensive than
others. For example, personalizations are the least expensive and most cost-effective type of
customization you can make in the Oracle E-Business Suite.
Customizations in place, or modifications of files shipped with the Oracle E-Business Suite, will be the
most expensive customizations to make because you will have to keep redoing the customizations
whenever a patch or new version of the software overwrites your customization. Avoid doing
customization in place if at all possible. Modifications that can be particularly problematic include
changing Oracle Application Framework controller code, code used with Oracle Forms-based screens,
and shipped Oracle PL/SQL or mod_plsql code.
In between those two cost extremes are extensions to applications, so long as they are built according
to customization standards. Entirely new applications can be cheaper than the equivalent amount of
customization-in-place if they are built according to standards so that they won't be overwritten during
patches and upgrades. Customization standards include placing custom code in separate
CUSTOM_TOP directories and following naming conventions, among other things. See Oracle E-
Business Suite Developer's Guide and Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide for more information
about customization standards.
Choosing the right technology depends on what you are trying to do with your customizations. Keep
in mind that certain configuration choices, such as flexfields and folder forms, provide options for
changing the appearance and behavior of some of the forms and pages within the Oracle E-Business
Suite.
Modifying the UI of Oracle E-Business Suite Screens

If you are trying to modify the user interface of an existing Oracle Forms-based form or Oracle
Application Framework page, personalization is almost always the right choice. Personalization has the
advantage that it is noninvasive, and all personalizations can be turned off at once if problems occur.
Also, personalizations are usually unaffected by upgrades as long as the page or form and its objects
still exist in the newer version of the software. Each of those technologies has its own personalization
framework, so you would use the framework that matches the technology of the underlying form or
page. Both frameworks are very powerful but avoid modifying code objects. Oracle Application
Framework personalization is being actively enhanced.
For extensions to Oracle Forms-based applications, using the CUSTOM library provides more
capabilities than form personalization, and it is useful where you do not need to create entire new
forms.
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If an existing Oracle Application Framework application requires changes or extensions to business

logic, you should use the BC4J substitution mechanism if possible. As with personalizations, BC4J
substitution is not invasive to Oracle E-Business Suite code and is easily turned off if necessary.
Adding New Screens to Oracle E-Business Suite Business Flows

For relatively small extensions of applications, such as adding a new page or form, or adding a new
business flow, generally it is appropriate to use the same technology as the business flow you are
extending. For example, if you are adding a new form that would be used as part of a business flow
that has been built using Oracle Forms, building the new form using Oracle Forms would make the
user interface consistent across the flow, and would be preferable to building the new form using some
other technology that would create confusion for users.
Building New Applications

For larger projects such as entirely new applications, the right technology depends upon what you are
building. For most new applications to be integrated with the Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle
Application Framework is still the technology of choice, as it is still the primary development platform
for new Oracle E-Business Suite modules. Use Oracle Application Framework if your application
needs to use flexfields, Oracle E-Business Suite function security and data security, have seamless
session management with Oracle E-Business Suite applications, or have the same look and feel as the
Oracle E-Business Suite application.
Oracle Application Express, also known as APEX, is a good choice where you are building PL/SQL-
based applications and a simple, template-based HTML user interface is needed. For example, where
you might once have used mod_plsql, you can keep your existing business logic but create a new user
interface for it. See Extending Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 using Oracle Application Express
(APEX) (Document 1306563.1).
Consider Oracle ADF if your application needs to use the same standards-based Java development
platform as Oracle Fusion Applications or have rich user interface capabilities that are specific to
Oracle ADF, such as the hierarchy viewer or carousel widgets. You should also consider Oracle ADF
if you are building applications for mobile devices.
In some cases, you might consider a hybrid between Oracle Application Framework and Oracle ADF.
Using the Oracle E-Business Suite SDK for Java, you can integrate the two technologies to create, for
example, an Oracle Application Framework-based page that contains an embedded region with Oracle
ADF widgets in it. See "Oracle E-Business Suite Software Development Kit for Java" (Document
974949.1)
Management and Testing of Customizations

Beyond choosing which technology to use for building future customizations, you should also consider
how you are going to manage and test those future customizations. Change management tools such as
Oracle Application Management Suite for Oracle E-Business Suite, a subscription to the CEMLI
Services Tool, and use of the Oracle Application Manager Patch Wizard can all help you manage how
patching and future upgrades affect your customizations. The Oracle Application Management Suite
16
for Oracle E-Business Suite includes the Customization Manager feature that can help you create
standard patches of your customizations and apply them to your Oracle E-Business Suite instances.
For testing, database options such as Real Application Testing, Database Replay, and SQL
Performance Tester can help you make sure database changes perform as expected. For the entire
application, including the user interface, Oracle Application Testing Suite (OATS) offers load testing,
functional testing, and test process management (and we use it for testing in development).
Conclusion
We recommend that you take the upgrade process as an opportunity to get rid of as many of your old
customizations as possible. For those cases where you still need customizations going forward, you
should choose your customization technologies carefully, following standards to keep your
customizations separate from Oracle E-Business Suite shipped software. Use Oracle Application
Framework personalization or Oracle Forms personalization wherever possible, and use Oracle
Application Framework for most extensions. Consider using Oracle ADF or Oracle APEX depending
on your particular use case.
Figure 5 Summary of Extension Technologies
Upgrade-related Services Available from Oracle

Upgrade services are available through Oracle through three main avenues:
Oracle Consulting
Advanced Customer Services
On Demand
Oracle Consulting has extensive experience with Oracle E-Business Suite upgrades. Advanced
Customer Services provides tailored support services for complex IT requirements, as well as the
CEMLI Services Tool subscription. On Demand provides upgrade services as part of a move to On
Demand on-site or hosted services using certified configurations.
17
Many third-party and partner system integrators also have extensive experience providing upgrade
services. You should choose whatever in-house or outside help works for youthe point is to get
through the upgrade as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Upgrade Version Recommendations

If you are already planning or executing an upgrade to Release 12.1, keep going! Moving to Release
12.1.3 now lets you make use of the powerful new features and functionality in Release 12.1 and gets
you back on Premier Support until May 2014, and the first year of the additional cost of Extended
Support for Release 12.1 has been waived for June 2014 to May 2015. Release 12.1.3 is a very stable,
solid release that has been well-received by customers and users.
Upgrades to later releases will be easier if you significantly cut down on your customization footprint.
If you are on Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i today, we strongly recommend planning your
upgrade to Release 12.1.3 immediately. Upgrading your database to the latest certified Database 11gR2
patchset is also highly recommended.
If you wish to get a head start on other technologies, we recommend learning about Oracle WebLogic
Server, Oracle WebCenter, Oracle Access Manager, and Oracle SOA Suite. Getting familiar with these
technologies now will make the transition to future Oracle E-Business Suite releases easier.
Upgrade Checklist for Customizations
Following the process discussed in this paper will help make your upgrade smoother and
easier.
Upgrade Checklist for Customizations

Step 1. Create an inventory of your existing customizations
Step 2. Compare your customizations to Release 12 and decide what you can retire
Step 3. Upgrade common types of customizations such as personalizations, Oracle

Application Framework pages, and forms
Step 4. Reimplement customizations that were built using deprecated technologies
Step 5. Create your future customizations using the right technology for your situation
Good luck with your upgrade!
18
References
Here is a list of the documents referenced in this article, plus a few extra upgrade resources. Manuals
(in italics) are available from the Oracle E-Business Suite Documentation Library at
http://www.oracle.com, and the other documents are available from My Oracle Support at
http://support.oracle.com.
Oracle E-Business Suite Desktop Integration Framework Developer's Guide, Release 12.1, Part Number E15877-
02
Oracle E-Business Suite Upgrade Guide, Release 11i to 12.1.1, Part Number E16342-04
Oracle Financials and Oracle Procurement Functional Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12, Release 12.1, Part
Number E13482-03
Oracle Financials Concepts Guide, Release 12.1, Part Number E13424-03
Oracle Financials Implementation Guide, Release 12.1, Part Number E13425-05
Oracle Forms: Migrating Forms Applications from Forms 6i to 10g (10.1.2.0.2) for Windows and UNIX, Part
Number B15572-01
Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide (formerly Oracle Applications Developer's Guide), Release 12.1, Part
Number E12897-04
R12 Upgrade Considerations by Product (Document 889733.1)
Database Comparison Report (Document 1290886.1)
Seed Data Comparison Report (Document 1327399.1)
"Form Personalizations" (Document 279034.1 for R11i and Document 395117.1 for R12)
"Upgrading Form Personalizations and OA Framework Personalizations from Oracle E-Business Suite
Release 11i to 12.1" (Document 1292611.1). This document includes simple queries to list 11i form
personalizations.
Oracle E-Business Suite Desktop Integration Framework Developer's Guide, Release 12.1, Part Number E15877-
02
"Using the OracleAS 10.1.2 Forms and Reports Builders with Oracle Applications Release 12"
(Document 444248.1)
Extending Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 using Oracle Application Express (APEX)
(Document 1306563.1)
Oracle XML Publisher User's Guide, Release 11i, Part Number B13817-02
Oracle XML Publisher Administration and Developer's Guide, Release 12, Part Number B31412-01
Oracle Reports Building Reports, 10g Release 2 (10.1.2), Part Number B13895-01
19
Migrating AK Personalizations, Oracle Application Framework Personalization Guide, Release 12.1, Part
Number E12646-
Implementing Specific UI Features in the Oracle Application Framework Developer's Guide, available
through the Oracle Application Framework Release 11i Documentation Road Map (Document
275880.1) or "R12.1 documentation roadmap" (Document 790942.1)
"Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1 Info center" (Document 806593.1)
"Planning Your Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) Upgrade from Release 11i to Release 12 (Document
1406960.1). This whitepaper covers planning for the entire Oracle E-Business Suite upgrade, not just
customizations.
"Oracle E-Business Suite Upgrade Guide Home" (Document 461705.1)
"Database preparation guidelines for R12.1 upgrade" (Document 761570.1)
"Mod_plsql and Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12" (Document 726711.1)
"Oracle E-Business Suite Software Development Kit for Java" (Document 974949.1)
20
Upgrading your Customizations to Copyright 2012, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is provided for information purposes only and the
Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1 contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any other
March 2012 warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or
Author: Sara Woodhull fitness for a particular purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this document and no contractual obligations are
Contributor: Steven Chan formed either directly or indirectly by this document. This document may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission.
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An Oracle White Paper

Upgrading your Customizations to

Step 1. Creating an Inventory of Your Existing Customizations

Step 2. Comparing Customizations to Release 12

Step 3. Upgrading Customizations

Step 4. Reimplementing Customizations

Step 5. Creating Future Customizations

Upgrade Goals for Customizations

Step 1. Creating an Inventory of Your Customizations

Tools for inventorying your customizations

Figure 1 Dashboard of the Oracle CEMLI Services Tool

Step 2. Compare Customizations to Release 12

Product Family-level Changes

Individual Product-level Changes

Data Model-level Changes

Available Release Comparison Reports

Database Comparison Report (Document 1290886.1)

Figure 2 Data Model Comparison Report

Figure 3 Seed Data Comparison Report

Products Removed from Data Model

TABLE 1. PRODUCTS REMOVED FROM RELEASE 12 DATA MODEL

ABM CUN IMT OKR VEH

AHM EAA IPD OZP XNC

AMF EVM ME OZS XNI

CSS FPT OKB RHX XNM

CUE IBA OKO RLA XNS

Step 3. Upgrading Common Types of Customizations

Figure 4 Upgrading Personalizations

Upgrading Oracle Forms Extensions

General Schema Housecleaning

Web ADI Customizations

Step 4. Reimplement Customizations from Deprecated

Oracle Reports Server Reports

Oracle Graphics Integrations with Oracle Forms

Step 5. Creating Future Customizations

Modifying the UI of Oracle E-Business Suite Screens

If an existing Oracle Application Framework application requires changes or extensions to business

Adding New Screens to Oracle E-Business Suite Business Flows

Building New Applications

Management and Testing of Customizations

Figure 5 Summary of Extension Technologies

Upgrade-related Services Available from Oracle

Upgrade Version Recommendations

Upgrade Checklist for Customizations

Upgrade Checklist for Customizations

Step 3. Upgrade common types of customizations such as personalizations, Oracle

Step 4. Reimplement customizations that were built using deprecated technologies

Good luck with your upgrade!

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