Upgrading to Oracle EBS R12.2: New Features, Benefits, & ROI

Oracle EBS R12.2, UpgradeAs cloud computing and e-commerce continue to permeate every aspect of modern industries, deciding which E-Business suite to interact with can seem a bit confusing. It boils down to a simple question: when aiming for peak revenue, what software products will best facilitate the desired financial outcome?

While not a direct answer, consider this fact – 97% of Fortune 100 companies employ Oracle software… if these proven titans of commerce chose Oracle, it is certainly worth asking what exactly Oracle EBS offers that its competitors cannot.  Within the last year, Oracle has upgraded its business suite (12.2.8), which further pushes its effectiveness for businesses who need assistance in optimizing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). 

In this article, we will explore the advantages that Oracle EBS 12.2 holds over its nearest competitors, illustrating a clear point that upgrading to Oracle’s most recent EBS will ensure years of company stability for each facet of your business.  If you have any issues currently holding back your database management, Oracle can work with your business to streamline each step of commerce comprehensively.  Ultimately, we will show that staying current with Oracle EBS’s updates provides the highest ROI benefit.

Most of the advantage in staying current with Oracle EBS comes in the form of immediate “zero downtime” patch adaptability.  Now running on Oracle’s cloud platform, Oracle EBS can provide online patching that fixes any bugs in your business almost immediately.  Becoming a premier member of Oracle EBS ensures that, for the foreseeable future, your company will have the might of Oracle’s software development propelling your interests forward. Regardless of whether you need an update or not, your business can run 24/7 – online patching ensures clients and users can continue to do business on your platform while your patch is running.  As any well-run business knows, suddenly cutting offline can cost a company (depending on scale) up to billions of dollars in revenue.  When the system is down, all work must stop, and suddenly it can feel like technology is working against you.  The temporary “cutting off” of service while a patch goes through defined a major issue with earlier Oracle EBS solutions.  With these bugs fixed, upgrading to the new Oracle EBS ensures the smooth running of your online business management no matter what the situation.  From here forward, your Oracle EBS software will fix any bugs while the core applications continue to run at full service.

Another big upgrade with Oracle EBS 12.2 includes more HTML-based, user-friendly interfaces that will help clients and associates navigate your business’s services without getting bogged down or frustrated by EBS’s functionality.  Tracking procurements and managing orders have been boiled down to a few icon clicks – much of the information auto-populates, saving time, and simplifying how you store large banks of data.  Imagine how smartphones have improved in their icon-based functionality over the past ten years – Oracle’s main user interfaces have improved the same way, with much of the manual labor previously performed by employees now done behind the scenes by its market-leading software.  Managed accounts can rest assured their movements will be intuitive and properly organized.

Building on this HTML interface, WebLogic, the main server for Oracle’s products, deploys java applications flawlessly, being used across various applications: SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), OBIEE (Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition), Oracle Access Manager (OAM), Fusion Applications, and other essential programs  From WebLogic, managers can command and supervise all employees on the Oracle EBS database.  Central application servers are controlled through WebLogic, giving administrators huge ease of access to all data from their E-Business Suite’s applications. 

On top of that, Oracle EBS 12.2 is designed to automatically make sure your company is in legal compliance with applicable regulatory measures.  For example, we can provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to any company, allowing them to synchronize their process to the necessary regulation standards.  We found that Oracle’s help with companies that have toxic work materials streamlined their repository of hazardous material data to a level of near-zero concern.  Why?  They had full knowledge and legal recording of whatever chemical or adhesive they needed to keep track of – and they had the data stored with Oracle in the EBS cloud, ensuring that should anything happen, they would have been in full compliance, able to truly assess any potentially dangerous scenario with the best insight.

Additionally, Oracle EBS 12.2 is the new software platform from which future upgrades will take place.  Should businesses wait to upgrade, they are essentially staving off the inevitable until a point where it no longer is a valuable suggestion, but a logistical necessity.  As cloud technology continues to improve at an exponential rate, even waiting a few years longer than competitors can set your business back substantially.  For example, Oracle EBS is currently on version 12.2.8 – but to experience any of these cutting-edge features, one must first upgrade to Oracle 12.2.  Cloud technology is improving at an incredibly rapid clip, so waiting to upgrade makes the jump from Oracle 12.1 to the future 12.3 a potentially treacherous scenario. 

Thinking About Upgrading to EBS 12.2.8?

Summing it up, switching to Oracle EBS 12.2 comes with the benefits of having Oracle’s technological prowess behind your business organization and cloud technology needs.  The way it stores and allows users to access information is unparalleled, and the ease of accessibility in Oracle EBS’s different applications will sync seamlessly with your business needs.  The updated version, once fully patched, is easily the most accessible version of Oracle EBS.  Furthermore, Oracle provides all information and data storage to ensure your business makes no missteps in adhering to pertinent regulations.  

From online patching to WebLogic’s effectiveness as a central program hub, Oracle 12.2 solves many of the problems earlier iterations suffered from.  Moving into the future, we highly recommend Oracle EBS 12.2 – competitors don’t come close to the level of functionality Oracle EBS has, and until CIO’s can fully confident going fully to the cloud (2030 at the earliest), upgrading Oracle EBS is a wise, and potentially necessary investment.

Contact us at solutions@vigilant-inc.com

Oracle EBS ERP, RPA automation use cases to consider

Oracle EBS ERP, RPA automation, Vigilant RPA automation use cases in Oracle EBS ERP

Oracle EBS ERP, with its extensive suite of applications covering various aspects of enterprise resource planning, is an ideal platform for integrating Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions. RPA can automate routine and repetitive tasks, thus enhancing efficiency, reducing errors, and freeing up human resources for more complex and value-added activities. Here are several use cases for RPA automation in Oracle EBS ERP: 

1. Accounts Payable Automation: 

  • Automated extraction and entry of invoice data into Oracle EBS. 
  • Automatic matching of invoices to purchase orders and shipment receipts. 
  • Automated approval workflows and payment processing. 

2. Accounts Receivable Management: 

  • Automation of customer invoice generation and distribution. 
  • Automated tracking and application of customer payments. 
  • Automatic follow-up on overdue accounts. 

3. Payroll Processing: 

  • Automated calculation of salaries, taxes, and deductions. 
  • Automatic generation and distribution of employee pay slips. 
  • Integration with financial modules for general ledger entries. 

4. Procurement Process Automation: 

  • Auto-generation of purchase requisitions based on inventory levels. 
  • Automated vendor selection and purchase order creation. 
  • Automated goods receipt and reconciliation processes. 

5. Order to Cash Cycle: 

  • Automated order entry from customer purchase orders. 
  • Automatic credit checks and order validation. 
  • Auto-generation of shipping documents and invoicing. 

6. Human Resources Management: 

  • Automation in employee on-boarding processes like data entry and document management. 
  • Automatic tracking and updating of employee records for promotions, transfers, and exits. 
  • Automated leave and attendance management. 

7. Inventory Management: 

  • Automated monitoring of inventory levels and auto-triggering reorder processes. 
  • Automatic update of inventory records post receipt or issuance of goods. 
  • Automated generation of stock aging reports. 
8. Financial Close Process: 

  • Automation of repetitive tasks such as journal entries, reconciliations, and intercompany transactions. 
  • Automated consolidation and reporting for period-end closing processes. 

9. Data Migration and Integration: 

  • Automated data extraction from legacy systems for migration to Oracle EBS. 
  • Regular data synchronization between Oracle EBS and other business systems. 

10. Customer Service Management: 

  • Automated ticket creation for customer queries received via email or web forms. 
  • Auto-assignment of customer issues to relevant departments or personnel. 
  • Automated follow-up and feedback collection from customers. 

11. Compliance and Reporting: 

  • Automated data gathering for regulatory compliance reporting. 
  • Automatic generation and submission of required reports to regulatory authorities. 

12. Asset Management: 

  • Automated tracking and recording of asset acquisitions, depreciation, and disposals. 
  • Schedule and monitor maintenance activities for assets. 

13. Supplier Relationship Management: 

  • Automating the on-boarding process for new suppliers. 
  • Continuous monitoring and evaluation of supplier performance. 
  • Automated generation of supplier scorecards and reports. 

14. Budgeting and Forecasting: 

  • Automated data collection and consolidation for budget preparation. 
  • Automated variance analysis between actuals and forecasts.

 

These use cases demonstrate how RPA can optimize various processes within Oracle EBS ERP, leading to increased operational efficiency, reduced manual errors, and better data management. As Oracle EBS comprises a wide range of modules and functionalities, the potential for RPA to add value is significant across many areas of the enterprise.