12.2 An Introduction.

Oracle 12.2 has some major changes in terms file system and technology stack .usability improvements and new versions of technology stack components (Oracle Database 11g R2 and Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g R1 as the application server), but the most important and impressive new feature of course will be online patching. Online patching is supposed to change the game as they say it.

Oracle plans for moving the application to next level of high availability, although not completely yet. With introduction to 2 file systems, online patching option, it has already started in that direction and with Weblogic in Tech Stack, it has scope for failover and clustering of application services.

In 2008 Oracle Acquired BEA for 8.5 Billion dollars and reason for such huge acquisition was Weblogic and exalogic from BEA, which Oracle needed desperately .As before that there were many sites calling Oracle Fusion talks as confusion and with introduction of WebLogic it seems gone good in market .Now with introduction of WebLogic in 12.2, Oracle is back to integration lines. Integration of fusion product with EBS now would be easier. We are going to see something in terms of ERP consolidation with this release, which means use of 12.2 EBS with fusion Middleware and Fusion Apps Products is going to have a good scope.

With introduction of “Edition Based Redefinition” in 11gr2, it is now possible to upgrade the database component of an application while it is in use, thereby minimizing or eliminating down time. Upgrade an application while it is in use, you copy the database objects that comprise the application and redefine the copied objects in isolation. Your changes do not affect users of the application—they continue to run the unchanged application. When you are sure that your changes are correct, you make the upgraded application available to all users.

Just to add more on online patching, although it can be reduced with various techniques (e.g. staged APPL_TOP), some downtime is still required to apply a number of changes. Online patching will not eliminate downtime completely, but will reduce it significantly by using “Edition Based Redefinition” (EBR) at the database level and using a secondary applications file system for online patching. In fact, all patching activity will be an online operation; downtime will be required only to switch from one version to another. Online Patching means that patches that change EBS database objects can be applied while the E-Business Suite production instance is fully operational. Only a short downtime will be required to complete the patching process. This wills make patching downtimes more predictable.

Online Patching the game changer

EBS 12.2 will use the 11gR2 Database's Edition-Based Redefinition features to provide support for Online Patching. Edition-Based Redefinition is really exciting new technology.

In R12.2 downtime will be measured in minutes not hours or days. It is a customary thought process to wait for suitable time when to apply new patch, how to get approval for business applications downtime and usually you will get a slot on weekend nights.

Online patching will use the latest features of Oracle’s Integrated Stack like – Edition Based Redefinition (EBR) & – Web Logic Server

Patches will be applied to a Copy of Production EBS will use both the file system and the database to store the code and data that make

up the application – Copy the Code, NOT the Data

Comparison with downtime and Online Patches. Downtime Patches No online Users Wall clock time very important Consumes all resources Upgrade designed to run as fast as possible

Online Patches Users remain online Wall clock time is no longer an overriding concern Online Users share resources Data upgrades designed to not affect the running application

Replacing OC4J with WebLogic Server

EBS 12.2 will use WebLogic Server from Fusion Middleware 11g in place of OC4J 10g as part of the release's internal technology stack. Other additional new Fusion Middleware 11g components used will include WebLogic JSP and UIX 11g.

External Integrations

Release 12.2 includes enhancements to support integration with Oracle WebCenter and Oracle BPEL Process Manager using the new technology stack components in the application tier.

Additionally, Oracle Application Framework now integrates with AutoVue Document Print Services.

Diagnostics for Secure Configuration

Release 12.2 enhances the tests that are provided to help ensure an Oracle E-Business Suite system is secured appropriately. Successful execution of these tests verifies that various accounts, profiles, parameters and configuration settings are set up in accordance with Oracle’s best practices recommendations for security.

WLS Datasource Connection Pool

The AOL/J connection pool implementation is replaced with an implementation of the WLS Datasource Connection Pool.

64-bit Java Support

Oracle E-Business Suite now supports 64-bit implementations of Java, which can handle very large amounts of data better than 32-bit implementations.

Native Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Caching for Profiles

Profile caching now uses the native Oracle Database 11g Release 2 PL/SQL Function Result Cache feature for improved performance in fetching profile option values.

Uptake of AUTO Sampling Statistics Gathering Feature in Oracle Database 11g Release 1

The Oracle E-Business Suite FND_STATS package that gathers statistics for query optimization will by default use the improved DBMS_STATS.AUTO_SAMPLE_SIZE feature that was introduced in Oracle Database 11g Release 1. FND_STATS generates faster and more accurate statistics with AUTO_SAMPLE_SIZE.