OTM UN-EXPECTED BEHAVIOURS

Find out the positives and reduce risk of the negatives

Philadelphia, June 23rd 2009

 Agenda

Reply in a glance

Reply and Oracle & OTM Competence

Session Overview

Un-Expected Positive

Un-Expected Negative

WrapUp & Q/A

2
Reply in a glance
 Reply at a glance

• Founded in 1996 to achieve excellence within the internet

consulting market, by a group of Italian IT Executives,
Reply is today a leading IT Services Company with a
distinctive set of specialized services that covers the areas
of: Consulting, System Integration, Service
Management (Application & Operation), Business
Process Outsourcing

• Reply offering is based on new communication

channels and digital media

• Impressive track record: from €18.6m in 1999 to €330.2m

sales in 2008, with a CAGR of 37.7%

• Constant two digit Ebit margin1

• More than 2,6002 employees distributed on a network of

specialized companies focused on specific lines of offer

• Large customers, with a very high customer retention

• Operations in Italy, Germany and UK3

Reply Main Offices
1. Except for 2003 2. As of 30 Dec 2008 3. Since July 2008

4 Source: Company Data

 Reply and Oracle Partnership

Partnership
Partnership level:
level:
Certified
Certified Advantage
Advantage Partner
Partner (Technology)
(Technology) and
and Certified
Certified Advantage
Advantage Partner
Partner (Applications)
(Applications)
•Largest
•Largest competence
competence centre
centre on
on Oracle
Oracle Applications
Applications in
in Italy
Italy
•• First
First Beta
Beta program
program (OWS),
(OWS), then
then Beta
Beta Testing
Testing Centre
Centre for
for IAS,
IAS, 9i,
9i, 10g,
10g, 11g
11g
•First
•First partner
partner to
to build
build an
an Italian
Italian BPEL
BPEL reference,
reference, OTM
OTM reference,
reference, iFlex
iFlex reference
reference and
and BRM
BRM
reference
reference
•• Co-development
Co-development partner
partner on
on Oracle
Oracle Application
Application Integration
Integration Architecture
Architecture (AIA)
(AIA)

Offering
Offering Coverage:
Coverage:
•Technologies:
•Technologies: Core
Core Technologies,
Technologies, Business
Business Intelligence,
Intelligence, Enterprise
Enterprise 2.0
2.0 (RIA),
(RIA), Service
Service Oriented
Oriented
Architecture,
Architecture, Identity
Identity && Access
Access Management
Management
•• Models
Models and
and Methodologies:
Methodologies: SOA
SOA Maturity
Maturity Model,
Model, SOA
SOA Governance,
Governance, BPM
BPM (BPA
(BPA Suite)
Suite)
•Applications:
•Applications: Application
Application Integration
Integration Architecture,
Architecture, eBusiness
eBusiness Suite,
Suite, PeopleSoft,
PeopleSoft, Siebel,
Siebel, Lodestar,
Lodestar,
SPL,
SPL, Billing
Billing && Revenue
Revenue Management,
Management, iFlex
iFlex Financial
Financial Services,
Services, Trasportation
Trasportation Management,
Management,
Demantra,
Demantra, Agile
Agile PLM
PLM

Awards:
Awards:
Customer
Customer Excellence
Excellence Partnering
Partnering (2007),
(2007), Innovation
Innovation Award
Award (2006),
(2006), Best
Best Wireless
Wireless Project
Project (2004),
(2004),
Customer
Customer Satisfaction
Satisfaction Award
Award (2001)
(2001)

5
 Some Milestones

2009
Oracle OTM
2006
Lodestar Partner Oracle AIA Centre of Excellence
2005
Certified Advantage Partner (EBS)
2004
Portal Partner OFM 11g Beta Site
2003
2007
Siebel Partner
2002
Largest Italian Competence Centre on EBS Oracle Innovation Award 2006
2001
EMEA CS Awards for EBS 2006
2000

Start-up on Oracle EBS

1998
Certified Advantage Partner (Technology)
2003

Certified Partner (Technology)

2000

1996 First Beta Site (Oracle8) then 8i,9,10g and OAS Beta Server (Bpel,Esb,...)
1998

Start-up on Oracle Technologies

1996

6
 Reply Offer

Reply offers based on three

pillars:
• A strong competence of the SCM
business processes in order to helps
customer during the definition of to-be
scenarios and in End to End solutions.

• A deep technological competence to

support customer in architectural
design and in Integration activities.

• A portfolio of applications to support

customer to build up “best-of-breed”
solution fully integrated in their existing
system scenario.

7
 OTM Reference

World's leading company in oil and gas industry

¾ Complete Controllership on all company transportation: Inbound, Outbound , Farmout & Interplant
¾ Complete Integration in OTM of Supplier, Requestor, 4PL and Carrier
¾ 2 OTM instance: 1 eBS/OTM integrate and 1 standalone solution
¾ Planning optimization and consolidation using rate & load configuration for
¾ FTL & LTL Domestic & International
¾ Out of gauge
¾ Ocean
¾ Air
Italian market leader in automotive logistics for finished vehicle distribution
(owned by Italian Car Producer)
¾ End-to-end support to OUTBOUND transportation processes, standard &”spot”
¾ Flexible Logistic network organization between Fleet and External Service Provider
¾ Autopay and invoice matching with main customer via SAP integration
¾ Integration with several other company’s I.T. systems (SCM Portal, SAP, TiS)
¾ First Italian Oracle Transportation Management Integration after GLOG Acquisition
¾ Solution delivered in 6 months

International Logistic Service Provider

¾ Rate Loading Consulting
¾ Training

8
 Delivery OTM Solution – Quick Start

Quick Start Solution

¾Standalone or Integration with ERP System (eBS or other), Orders Inbound , Shipment
Outbound (for POD or TBD)
¾Transportation mode and rate supported:
¾ Ground (TL & LTL), DTD or Multistop (approx. limited to a maximum of 20 rates)
¾ Eventually Air & Sea Door To Door (approx. limited to a maximum of 20 rates)
¾ End to End Buy Shipment process supported
¾ Main Execution Events integrated (lista )
¾ Lat/Lot Management or Distance Engine supported
¾ Transportation Cost Allocation configuration using standard method
¾ Finance Data Availability
¾ Pre-configured User Profile for: Supplier, User, (Planner or 4pler), Carrier
¾ Solution delivered in 6-8 months

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Session Overview
 Session Overview

Discovering un-documented or un-supported

9 How to create an Action Check on a standard action not supported

9 How to create an Action Check on a custom action

9 How to manage recursive event calling in agent

9 How to “refine” manager layout customization in “post-production”

11
 Session Overview

Avoid or control possible negative behavior

9 UI “Overloading”

9 Outbound Transmission control

9 Tender Transmission control

9 Action Timeout Control

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Un-Expected Positive
 Action Check not supported

Action Checks, an amazing tool to satisfy customer’s requests, but…

“Please add an Action

Check on
Release Ship Units”

14
 Action Check not supported

Manage user Access Æ Action Check Configuration

ARGHHHH, My Action is not there !!!!

15
 Action Check not supported

Infact OTM 5.5 Help says in section “Audit Actions - Reason/Audit Support”

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 Action Check not supported

Action Check selection list based on OTM TABLE : APP_ACTION

• Insert a new record related to action not supported in

APP_ACTION -> Audit Action in OTM UI

• Modify/Update record in ACTION table ADDING reference to

APP_ACTION

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 Action Check not supported

• Bounce OTM

• Action is now AVAILABLE,

configure the check

• It’s works !!!

18
 Action Check on Custom Action

Custom Actions give us possibility to implement new functionalities,

available via UI to our user

But AGAIN, no way in OTM to add Action Check on these

19
 Action Check on Custom Action

Action Check selection list based on OTM TABLE : APP_ACTION

• Insert a new record related to action not supported in

APP_ACTION -> Audit Action in OTM UI

• Modify/Update record in ACTION table ADDING reference to

APP_ACTION

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 Action Check on Custom Action

• Bounce OTM

• Action is now AVAILABLE,

configure the check

• It’s works !!!

21
 Manage Agent Recursive Calling

During “advanced” agents configuration it could be necessary a loop on

the same agent event, but..

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 Manage Agent Recursive Calling

Agent stops execution at second iteration on itself with message above.

Message is not reported as Error, agent ends normally.

OTM Log

Solution ?

23
 Manage Agent Recursive Calling – Solution 1

Duplicate event and duplicate agent, Ping Pong-ing between them

Possible Risk: No control on number of iterations.

24
 Manage Agent Recursive Calling – Solution 2

UPDATE AGENT table, via SQL or CSV, modifying value in Reentrancy

Level column with max number of iterations desidered

Advantage: Control number of iterations, Only 1 Agent to mantain

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 “Refine” manager layout customization

Manager layout gives us possibility to customize screens for our

customers, but sometime NOT everything is possibile from UI.

Example: JOB View Manager Layout, remove JOB DETAILS button

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 “Refine” manager layout customization

But manager layout of Job Viewer doesn’t contain Job Detail Button..

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 “Refine” manager layout customization

Repository of Manager Layout Jsp-like files, in OTM Application server is in

“$GLOG_HOME/glog/gc3webapp/jsp/”

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 “Refine” manager layout customization

Opening “View.jspx” file,

Edit it …removing button column

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 “Refine” manager layout customization

and …JOB Detail Button disappears

Possible Risk: any further editing of the Man Layout will regenerate the
file, patching needed

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Un-Expected Negative
 UI Overloading

It may happen, for variuos project reasons, that our business objects have
too much detail for one record…or too much for 5.5.

Example: Order base with about 1200 OB Line

OTM could answer, some minutes later,

Or WORST find later in your tomcat log…

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 UI Overloading

If we have to “live together” with this, or we want to avoid to fall in it

we can:

¾ Monitor “Producer” activities with servlet “glog.webserver.session.ProducerDiagServlet”

Any UIs with a max characters greater than 4,000,000 are an area of concern. 1
1 Source: Oracle Support

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 UI Overloading

If we have to “live together” with this situation, or we want to avoid to fall in it

we can:

¾ Limit UI access using glog properties

glog.query.limit.glog.server.query.orderbase.ObLineQuery=100
glog.query.limit.glog.server.query.orderbase.ObShipUnitQuery=100
…
glog.query.limit.glog.server.query.order.ShipUnitLineQuery=100
…..

These properties remove the risk of an Out Of Memory, but only the first 100 order lines will
be displayed, thus making the UI unusable

6.0 introduce new configuration possibilities in “Producer Area” for Man Layout, we
haven’t yet tested, but take a look at them..

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 Outbound Transmission Control

Outbound transmissions must be monitored because without any filtering

they can can be resource consuming and affect performances of your
OTM instance

¾ Monitor transmission length with query of this kind

Xml Length can vary from 200k to 20Mg and over…

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 Outbound Transmission Control

XML default profile used by OTM could be not the best option for your
transmissions
¾ Check Out XML Profile used, if not used, check the public or create a new one

36
 Outbound Transmission Control

Example of XML OUT profile for JOB outbound transmission

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 Tender Transmission Control

¾ Tender Transmissions are auto-generated by OTM at any tender done

by user or agent.

¾ Tender transmission is Shipment based

¾ Tender transmissions must be monitored because they can be resource

consuming and affect performances of your OTM instance

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 Tender Transmission Control

XML default profile used by OTM could be not the best option for your
transmissions
¾ Check Out XML Profile used, in Servprov Master Data

39
 Tender Transmission Control

Example of XML OUT profile used to exclude Orders section and etc..

40
 Action Timeout Control

Audit Action master data (via Business Process Automation > Power Data > Event Management)

contains a field “lock timeout”, that together with “Allow Lock” manage

timeout timing

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 Action Timeout Control

But from UI it’s not possibile to edit this value, even if Help says :

Edit App_Action via SQL or CSV, change column

And now your timeout is enlarged…

However pay attention that:

it’s better to identify and solve the

cause that delays the transaction

rather than extend the timeout

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Wrap-up & Q/A
 Session Sources & Contact

9 Sweat and Blood in OTM Projects

Contact
Stefano Giommi
Business Reply
9 Metalink and Oracle Support Via Castellanza, 11
20151 Milano
s.giommi@reply.it
www.reply.eu
9 A lot of “sniffing” on Otm Database and File Systems

9 OTMFAQ.com

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