1. Ariba Knowledge Nuggets
If you build it they will come — Early Access for 11s1
You have heard a lot about recent enhancements that Ariba has been making to their solutions. The focus of this
Week's Knowledge Nugget is the 11s1 Release which is headed your way in April/May 2011. Whether you are new to
Ariba or are a solution-veteran, it is important to take time to understand what is coming in this new release and how it
may impact your processes. On Demand upgrades are rolled out simultaneously to all impacted solutions, and like
your local mail carrier... neither rain, nor sleet nor unprepared customers will stop this release.
Ariba has changed the way that we do upgrades. We now have more frequent and more focused releases. The first
step for you to prepare for this release is to review the Early Access Program on Connect and to sign up for the Early
Access Program.
Go to ARIBA CONNECT to register > Select EARLY ACCESS TAB > REGISTER
On March 1 and 2 Ariba will be hosting Feature Preview Webinars to introduce you to the new functionality coming in
11s1:
Release 11s1 Feature Webinar Series (all references are to US Pacific Standard Time / GM-8):
All Solutions: Ariba Release 11s1 Feature Preview - Enhanced Multi-Fact Reporting
This session will be offered twice:
Tuesday, March 1 7:00 - 8:30 am
Tuesday, March 1 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Ariba Contract Pro, Sourcing Pro and Supplier Performance Management:
Ariba Release 11s1 Feature Preview - Task and dForm Document Process Improvements
Wednesday, March 2 7:00 - 8:00 am
Sourcing:
Ariba Release 11s1 Feature Preview - Savings Form Allocation Improvements
Wednesday, March 2 9:00 - 9:30 am
Spend Visibility:
Ariba Release 11s1 Feature Preview - Supplier Enrichment Information Enhancements
Wednesday, March 2 10:00 - 10:30 am
Many of you have already registered for the Early Access Program and kudos to you - we appreciate your preparation. If
you are not sure how these will impact you - please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or Account Executive,
or attend the pertinent webinars.
2. Early Access Timeline
Timeline (subject to changes)
February 17, 2011 Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview Webinar
March 1 - 2, 2011 Release 11s1 Feature Webinar Series
March 11, 2011 Deadline for Release 11s1 Early Access Applications
March 21 to April 8, 2001 Release 11s1 Early Access Exploration Window Open To Participants
April 8, 2011 Release 11s1 Early Access Exploration Window Ends
Summary Feedback Due on Release 11s1 EA Program
April 22, 2011
(survey invitations will be sent to Primary EA Contacts)
April/May 2011 Ariba On-Demand Release 11s1 Deployment
Be Sure Visit Ariba Connect for the most current, up-to-date
information on Early Access and 11s1
3. Questions
Frequently Asked
Release 11s1 Early Access (EA) Program
Q: What is the Release 11s1 Early Access Program?
The Early Access program provides you with access to a non-production pre-release site to give you
the opportunity to prepare for change management and to explore some of the new features, func-
tions, and process improvements planned for the new release.
Q: Who is eligible to apply for participation in the Release 11s1 Early Access Program?
All On-Demand customers who are deployed by February 24, 2011 are eligible to apply for participa-
tion related to their deployed solutions.
Q: Is there a fee charged to participate in the Release 11s1 Early Access Program?
No. There is no fee charged to participate in the Release 11s1 Early Access Program. Ariba has in-
vested in this Program to assist you with your change management assessments/preparations related
to the upcoming release. The primary goal of the Early Access Program is to help you understand and
prepare for impacts to your existing business processes, integrations, and customizations when Re-
lease 11s1 is deployed. The Program can also help you assess and act on training-related impacts, as
well as giving you the opportunity to explore some of the new features.
Q: Where can I find information about the Release 11s1 Early Access Program?
Please log into Ariba Connect and visit the “Early Access” tab to learn more and to submit an applica-
tion to participate in the Ariba On-Demand Release 11s1 Early Access Program. If needed, please
use the special Early Access Service Request form available at the bottom of that tab to submit any
questions about the program.
Q: What are the enhanced/new features planned for Release 11s1 and where can I find more informa-
tion about them?
Several new/enhanced capabilities are planned for Release 11s1. To view a list of short descriptions
for planned features, please visit http://www.ariba.com/programs/11s1 For more detailed information,
please register for and attend the relevant Release 11s1 Feature Webinar sessions to be held March
1-2. If you miss or are unable to attend these, you will find links to the recorded sessions on the Early
Access tab on Ariba Connect (see the “General Information” section) as soon as possible after the
event.
Q: How does my organization sign up for the Release 11s1 Early Access Program?
Please see the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of the Early Access tab on Ariba Connect for the
link to the “Release 11s1 Early Access Program Application Process FAQ” for information on this
topic.
Q: What will be covered in the Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar?
The Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar will cover the same type of information
contained in this FAQ document, and will enable a limited number of “live” questions via the WebEx
chat feature. We will review the objectives and scope of the program, explain what you can expect in
the Early Access environment, identify any out of scope areas, and provide suggestions on how you
can prepare for your Early Access participation. We will also summarize the timeline, and call attention
to the special Early Access Service Request form that must be used for all inquiries related to Early
Access.
4. Questions
Frequently Asked
Q: When is the Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar and how do I register?
The Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar will be held on February 17, 2011. An
email will be sent to all On-Demand customers inviting your organization to register for this webinar.
The contacts for that email and all other Release 11s1 readiness emails are your organization’s Des-
ignated Support Contacts and your Ariba Connect users who have subscribed for “Product Release”
information. The same email will also include an invitation to register for the “Release 11s1 Feature
Webinar” sessions that are of interest to you. Before each event, the registered attendees will receive
the logistics information needed to participate in the webinar.
Q: Who can attend the Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar?
Although the email invitation to register will be sent to your organization’s Designated Support Con-
tacts and Ariba Connect users who have subscribed for “Product Release” information, other employ-
ees within your company are also welcome to attend. Your Designated Support Contact can forward
the email invitation so others can use the link to register for the event.
Q: What will be covered in the Release 11s1 Feature Webinar series?
The Release 11s1 Feature Webinar series is a set of 4 sessions designed to preview the valuable
new capabilities planned for Release 11s1. Learn about the planned features, their benefits, and their
basic usage. You can review the separate webinar topics and choose to register for only those that
are of interest to you. Note that one significant topic session will be offered twice to enable more
global participants to attend a live session.
Q: When are the Release 11s1 Feature Webinar sessions and how do I register?
The Release 11s1 Feature Webinar sessions will be held March 1-2. An email will be sent to all On-
Demand customers inviting your organization to register for these webinars. Specifically, it will be sent
to those organizations’ Designated Support Contacts, as well as any of their Ariba Connect users who
have subscribed for “Product Release” information. This same email will also include an invitation for
the “Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview” webinar on February 17. Before each event, reg-
istered attendees will receive the logistics information needed to participate in the webinar.
Q: Who can attend the Release 11s1 Feature Webinar sessions?
Although the email invitation to register will be sent to your organization’s Designated Support Con-
tacts and Ariba Connect users who have subscribed for “Product Release” information, other employ-
ees within your company are also welcome to attend. Your Designated Support Contact can forward
the email invitation so others can use the links to register for the events that interest them.
Q: How should my organization prepare for participation in the Release 11s1 Early Access Program?
First, submit your Early Access Application Form by the published deadline; you will need to identify
the person who will act as your Customer User Administrator (see the online application form for more
information).
Second, attend the Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar to gain a thorough under-
standing of the Program, the logistics, and what to expect in your Early Access environment; see
above for more information on this session.
Third, plan your Early Access explorations specific to your organization’s situation. For example, iden-
tify the existing business processes/use cases you want to execute in Early Access, as well as the
new planned capabilities that you want to explore.
5. Fourth, based on the outcome of the step above, identify the staff resources who will execute those
explorations. You will also need to identify the associated account privileges those users will need in
the Early Access environment. In all cases, ensure these staff members’ assignments will allow them
adequate time to perform their assigned tasks in the first 2 weeks of the 3-week Early Access explora-
tion window.
For deployed customers: Identify any integrations to back-end test systems that may be desired/
required for your planned explorations. See the “About the Release 11s1 EA Environment For De-
ployed Customers” document on the Early Access tab on Ariba Connect to ensure any planned inte-
grations are supported for the Early Access program. If so, plan for how your Administrator will estab-
lish those integrations and then pre-check your Early Access environment before activating other us-
ers. See the “Release 11s1 Early Access Customer Site Setup Guidelines” document in the “Technical
Information” section on the Early Access tab on Ariba Connect for information on this.
Finally, arrange to execute your explorations within the first 2 weeks of the Early Access window in
order to leave your organization time to manage any needed training updates or other change impact
tasks.
Be sure to attend the Release 11s1 Feature Webinar sessions relevant to your organization to learn
about the new planned capabilities; see above for more information on these sessions.
Q: What documentation will be available during Early Access to help my organization learn about the
enhanced/new features planned for Release 11s1?
The Release 11s1 Early Access Program will include “Release Guide” documentation to provide cen-
tralized, expanded information on the changed/new features planned for Release 11s1. We will make
a “pre-release” version of the Release Guide available on the Early Access tab on Ariba Connect by
the start of the Release 11s1 Early Access exploration window. The final version of the Release Guide
will be made available on Help@Ariba closer to the deployment of Release 11s1.
Q: When will approved participants be given access to the Release 11s1 Early Access environment to
conduct explorations?
Currently, we expect that customer access to the Release 11s1 Early Access environment will begin
on March 21, 2011 and will end on April 8, 2011. We will promptly communicate any changes to this
schedule on the Early Access tab on Ariba Connect (see the “Timeline” section).
Q: How long will approved participants have access to the Release 11s1 Early Access environment to
conduct explorations?
The Release 11s1 Early Access environment will be open for a 3-week window. Please plan your re-
sources and schedule accordingly so you can take full advantage of this opportunity.
Q: I can’t attend/missed the Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar; how can I review
what was covered?
We will record the Release 11s1 Early Access Program Overview webinar scheduled for February 17,
2011 and will post a link to the recorded session on the Early Access tab on Ariba Connect (see the
“General Information” section) as soon as possible after the event.
Q: Will something like the Release 11s1 Early Access Program be available so my organization can
preview On-Demand service packs before they are deployed?
No. The Release 11s1 Early Access Program will end prior to the deployment of Release 11s1. We
are unable to support a similar pre-release preview program for On-Demand service packs. We will
continue to provide advance notices about each On-Demand service pack to both advise you of their
timing and give you the ability review the defect repair descriptions and any new feature descriptions
associated with each service pack.
6. Questions
Frequently Asked
Release 11s1 Deployment/Timeline
Q: When will Release 11s1 be deployed?
Currently, Release 11s1 is planned for deployment in the April/May 2011 timeframe. The specific
deployment date will be communicated in an email sent to your Designated Support Contacts no less
than 4 weeks in advance of the deployment.
Q: Will my organization receive notice in advance of the deployment of Release 11s1?
Yes; as described above we will send email communications to your Designated Support Contacts
and your Ariba Connect users who have subscribed for “Product Release” information no less than 4
weeks prior to the deployment date. To advise you of the scheduled downtime details associated with
the deployment, we will send another email no less than 10 days prior to the deployment.
Q: Does my organization have the option not to receive the deployment of Release 11s1 or to receive
it at a later date?
No; as an On-Demand customer of Ariba, all deployments of service packs and new releases of your
solution(s) are automatic. Release 11s1 will be deployed for all customer sites (both Production and
Test realms) at the same time.
Contacting Ariba About Release 11s1 Early Access
Q: I have a general question about the Release 11s1 Early Access Program that is not answered in
this FAQ or elsewhere on the Early Access tab on Ariba Connect; how can I contact Ariba to ask
my question?
To submit a general question about the Release 11s1 Early Access Program, please log into Ariba
Connect and select the “Early Access” tab. Scroll down to the special Early Access Program Service
Request form at the bottom of the page, select the "General Early Access Program Inquiries" inquiry
type, then complete and submit the form.
Q: Who in my organization can submit Release 11s1 Early Access product support questions/issues
and how do they do so?
Only Designated Support Contacts from your organization can submit Release 11s1 Early Access
product support questions/issues. While multiple people in your organization will be involved in
explorations within the Release 11s1 Early Access environment, any product questions/issues must
be submitted by a Designated Support Contact using the special Early Access Service Request form.
(Designated Support Contacts will be presented with a different version of the form that enables them
to submit product support service requests.)
To submit a Release 11s1 Early Access product support question/issue, Designated Support Contacts
must log into Ariba Connect and select the “Early Access” tab. Scroll down to the special Early Access
Program Service Request form at the bottom of the page, select the "Early Access Product Support
Service Request" inquiry type, then complete and submit the form.
Q: If my organization submits an Early Access Product Support Service Request and reports an issue
that is confirmed as a defect, will it be fixed before the deployment of Release 11s1?
We make no commitment to fix defects discovered during the Release 11s1 Early Access Program
prior to the deployment of Release 11s1. Our goal is to process Early Access service requests in a
timely manner. If a defect is identified from your service request, we will communicate to you within 7
to 10 business days of the identification regarding the classification of the defect. The following
categories will apply:
• Fix in the Release 11s1 Early Access environment
• These will also be fixed in the deployed version of Release 11s1)
• Fix in the deployed version of Release 11s1
• Fix in a Release 11s1 post-deployment service pack or other 11s service pack
• Fix in a future release
• Will not be fixed