Quick-and-dirty slides to go with an Oracle Diagnostics demo for a May 2011 meeting of the BC Oracle Applications User Group. Sketchy notes included, too, lest anyone think my cornball humor is spontaneous

1. Using Oracle E-Business Suite
Diagnostics
(and other fun ways to spend a Sunday a!ernoon)
John Piwowar
jpiwowar@gmail.com
http://only4le!.jpiwowar.com
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

2. Hi!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Who: John Piwowar Oracle Apps DBA (6 yrs) and (ab-) normal DBA for 10ish.
What: Oracle EBS Diagnostic Tools
Why: Surprisingly, not everyone knows they exist, or how useful they can be. Knowing my luck, though, a show of
hands in the room will prove me wrong this time around (hopefully you’ll learn something anyway). Also, a useful
empowerment tool, and makes my job easier.
When: Now! For the next 45-50 minutes! Aren’t you lucky?
Where: Covering 11i Diagnostics, since that seems to fit the local demographic, and it’s what I have most ready
access to these days. R12 Diagnostics are much the same, except bluer. And baked-in, instead of bolted-on.
How: A handful of chatty introductory slides, a demo or three, and some Q&A if you’re not tired of me by then.

3. Safe Harbor?
(No more Sharks, anyway...)
• I am not affiliated with Oracle. Any resemblance between my opinions
and theirs is entirely coincidental, or the result of good marketing.
• I decline to be held responsible for any and all negative outcomes that
may result from acting on the content of this presentation. In the event
of positive outcomes, however, offers of good beer gratefully accepted.
• 50 minutes of blather from a random database nerd is a poor substitute
for your very expensive Oracle Support contract
• No software was harmed in the making of this presentation
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Don’t Panic. This stuff is mostly harmless.
Still bears noting that I shouldn’t be held responsible if you manage to break something after seeing this
presentation. Even if I drop my laptop on your foot, it’ll be an accident. Honest.
If I say one thing, and Oracle Support says another, you’re probably better off assuming I got it wrong.

4. Typical Support Cycle
User/BA: “Help!”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
User reports a problem, or BA notices something weird
After some investigation, decide to log an SR
Oracle responds with a laundry list of information requests
BA gets some, but needs help from DBA to get some of the information, which the DBA promptly and thoroughly
provides, because the DBA is super-awesome like that

5. Typical Support Cycle
User/BA: “Help!” Oracle: “Please send...”
Applications version
Module patch level
List of recent patches
Versions of the following 42 files
Output from these 5 scripts/
log files
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
User reports a problem, or BA notices something weird
After some investigation, decide to log an SR
Oracle responds with a laundry list of information requests
BA gets some, but needs help from DBA to get some of the information, which the DBA promptly and thoroughly
provides, because the DBA is super-awesome like that

6. Typical Support Cycle
User/BA: “Help!” Oracle: “Please send...”
Applications version
Module patch level
List of recent patches
Versions of the following 42 files
Output from these 5 scripts/
log files
BA: “Ok! Oh, wait. Help!” DBA: “Sure, gladly! Here y’go!”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
User reports a problem, or BA notices something weird
After some investigation, decide to log an SR
Oracle responds with a laundry list of information requests
BA gets some, but needs help from DBA to get some of the information, which the DBA promptly and thoroughly
provides, because the DBA is super-awesome like that

7. Typical Support Cycle
User/BA: “Help!” Oracle: “Please send...”
Applications version
Module patch level
List of recent patches
Versions of the following 42 files
Output from these 5 scripts/
log files
BA: “Ok! Oh, wait. Help!” DBA: “Sure, gladly! Here y’go!”
BA: “Ok, Oracle, I’m back!” Oracle: “More please...”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
User reports a problem, or BA notices something weird
After some investigation, decide to log an SR
Oracle responds with a laundry list of information requests
BA gets some info, but needs help from DBA to get some of the information, which the DBA promptly and
thoroughly provides, because the DBA is super-awesome like that
Oracle needs more!

8. Doesn’t scale well...
BA Oracle
DBA
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
As a DBA, I’m obligated to throw in “scalability” in each presentation. ;-)
In an ideal world, of course, we’d only work on one problem at once.
...and no one else would have other problems while we were dealing with ours.
I want to move the Theory. *Everything* works in Theory!

9. Doesn’t scale well...
BA Oracle
BA Oracle
Oracle DBA(s)
“????
@#%!”
BA BA Oracle
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
In an ideal world, of course, we’d only work on one problem at once.
...and no one else would have other problems while we were dealing with ours.
I want to move the Theory. *Everything* works in Theory!

10. It could be like this...
User/BA: “Help!” Oracle: “Please send...”
Applications version
Module patch level
List of recent patches
Versions of the following 42 files
Output from these 5 scripts/
log files
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
What if you could gather all of the information Support asks for yourself?
How much time does that cut out of the problem resolution cycle?

11. It could be like this...
User/BA: “Help!” Oracle: “Please send...”
Applications version
Module patch level
List of recent patches
Versions of the following 42 files
Output from these 5 scripts/
log files
BA: *clickety click*
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

12. It could be like this...
User/BA: “Help!” Oracle: “Please send...”
Applications version
Module patch level
List of recent patches
Versions of the following 42 files
Output from these 5 scripts/
log files
BA: *clickety click*
BA: “Ok, Oracle, I’m back!” Oracle: “Whoa...”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

13. It could be like this...
User/BA: “Help!” Oracle: “Please send...”
Applications version
Module patch level
List of recent patches
Versions of the following 42 files
Output from these 5 scripts/
log files
BA: *clickety click*
BA: “Ok, Oracle, I’m back!” Oracle: “Whoa. Solution!”
BA: “Woohoo!”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

14. Or this...
BA: “Huh, that’s weird.”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
What if you were able to identify the source of a problem (with a sales order, an invoice, a purchase order, period
close...) without involving Oracle Support at all?

15. Or this...
BA: “Huh, that’s weird.”
BA: *clickety click*
BA: “Oh, is that what it is?”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

16. Or this...
BA: “Huh, that’s weird.”
BA: *clickety click*
BA: “Oh, is that what it is?”
BA: “Solution!”
Users: “Woohoo!”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Note in both of these new scenarios, DBA is not involved. I *told* you this was about making my job easier.

17. Oracle Diagnostics:
Empowerment Tools
• Diagnose common problems
• Validate E-Business Suite module
configurations
• Collect data for Oracle Support
• Get stuff done
• No extra expense
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Yes, that’s a pun. Yes, I’m terrible. Yes, it’ll probably get worse before I’m done.
Oracle Diagnostic Tools:
* “Self-Service”, HTML-based reporting about what going on inside your E-Business Suite instance
* Replicates a lot of the “please run this script” stuff that Oracle might require you to upload when logging SR
* Some of the diagnostics are familiar, since also available as Concurrent Requests. Obviously, concurrent request
output is easier to read, way prettier too. *ahem*
* Reports can be saved locally from your browser (be careful there...)
* Free (with purchase of your regular E-Business Suite licenses)
NOT
* OAM (that’s for DBA’s, no touching!)
* Oracle Applications Management Pack (that’s Grid Control, it’s for DBAs too)
* Front-end to concurrent managers (all database queries and Java stuff)

18. “You’re letting me do what?”
• Requires a specific “Diagnostic Tools”
responsibility for access
• Leverages existing E-Business Suite security
model
• Security levels can be modified for individual
tests
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
We all know DBA==Don’t Bother Asking. Why am I, of all people, advocating a tool that allows peeking under the
covers?
Diagnostics provides added visibility to things users should already have privilege to see.
No back-door access
No adhoc query access
SOD maintained
Tests only available to users w/ appropriate responsibilities (not even SYSADMIN can see everything!)
Big benefit here: Power Users and Business Analysts can diagnose/debug problems in their respective domains
without using ad-hoc query tools to access the database, or asking DBAs to run scripts/retrieve files from the
server, etc.
Easy. Empowering. Saves time.

19. Gimme IZU!
• 11i: “Bolted on”
• 12.0: “Still bolted on”
• 12.1: “Baked in”
• Apply the patches, assign the responsibilities,
and away you go!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Diagnostics are an Application/Module w/in EBS (IZU. Gesundheit. WOO must’ve been taken for a future product?)
Came late in the lifecycle for 11i, so not included in the default install (adsplice, for the Apps DBAs in the room)
12.0, requires some bolting on, as well. At least, early 12.0 did, maybe not 12.0.4?
12.1, it’s already there (as “Application Diagnostics,” thanks guys... :-P)
Make sure to stay updated; Oracle even updated the 11.5.10.2 Diagnostics as late as Nov 2010.
Always coming out with new tests/updated tests. Stay up-to-date!
After initial install, many patches containing new tests can be “hotpatched” in. No, really, is says so in the
README. Install the patch, bounce Apache, and you have updated diagnostics. Not very invasive, usually delivering
XML and HTML files and/or handful of new diagnostic-specific PL/SQL packages.

20. Caveats
• Some tests are broken (let Oracle know!)
• Some tests are duplicated
• Diagnostics can’t do everything
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Every product has at least 2 tests. That kinda inflates the “nnn Diagnostics available!” number, but I can let that
slide. :-)
Diagnostics, like other products, can be buggy. I like that the team seems to prefer iterating, particularly since the
cost of broken tests is low (no data loss, no performance problems...usually) Even include a link to allow you send
them the ugly Java stack trace that results from broken tests!
Can’t get rid of your DBAs yet!

21. Quick! Write these down!
• My Oracle Support Note 167000.1: E-Business Suite Diagnostics
Installation Guide
• My Oracle Support Note 358831.1: E-Business Suite Diagnostics Setup
Instructions (also discusses security model)
• My Oracle Support Note 357745.1: E-Business Suite Diagnostics XML Files
• My Oracle Support Note 179661.1: E-Business Suite Diagnostics 11i Test
Catalog
• My Oracle Support Note 421245.1: E-Business Suite Diagnostics References
for R12
• MOS patch search product string: “Oracle E-Business Suite Diagnostics”
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Hah, kidding, I’ve posted the slides on the InterWebs, no scribbling required.

22. Live Demo
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

23. Live Demo
(what could possibly go wrong?)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Items for demo:
1) Highlight Diagnostic Tools responsibility
2) Launch Diagnostics
3) Point out “Basic” vs “Advanced” -- recommend Advanced
4) Point out two tests common to all modules (helpful, easy to get to, RDA == ACT/”Diagnostic Apps Check”)
5) Setup checks: (Purchasing, Inventory, ONT, Assets) -- should show N/A for sysadmin, switch to another user
6) Period close check (GL)
7) Sales Order and/or Purchasing check
8) Show security model
9) DBA goodies: file patch history, use RDA to get product-level versions
10) Workflow check (segue alert!)

24. Thanks, BCOAUG!
• Email: jpiwowar@gmail.com
• Blog: http://only4left.jpiwowar.com
• Slides: Slideshare, search user ‘jpiwowar’
Wednesday, May 25, 2011