Installing Demantra on SQL server

Installing Demantra on SQL server
Demantra application can be installed on Oracle Database as well as on Micrsoft's Database SQL server. Oracle's recent Demantra release 7.2.0.1 is well supported on MS SQL server 2005 database. If you have already are familiar with Demantra installation on Oracle DB, then installing it on MS SQL sever should be pretty easier.

Pre-requisite for Demantra installation on SQL server can be listed as:
1. The client machine where Demantra is being installed should have MS SQL client (same version as server) installed on it.
2. You should extract standard backup file from the installer, say from "F:\Demantra 7.1.1 installer\Disk1\InstData\Resource1.zip >>unzip>>Infra/Database Objects/Microsoft SQL Server/dumps", and put it in the SQL server machine.
3. Keep handy DB server connectivity information and 'sa'(system administrator) login details.



Installing Demantra on SQL Server:
1. Click on "Setup.exe" (Launch anywhere application for installing Demantra) to initiate the installation.
2. Click on option "Install Demantra Spectrum" and then Click on "Next" button at the bottom.
3. In installation tab, Select component of application to be installed. (say, DM) >> Click on Next >>
4. Select Path where you would like to install Demantra.>> Click on Next >>
NOTE: You will have to put backup file in the same path location on Server machine, as mentioned in point 2 of Pre-requisite section above.
5. Select from options available to create Product launch shortcuts. (say, In a new Program Group)>> Click on Next >>
6. Choose Database type as "SQL Server". >> Click on Next >>

7. Provide details for 'sa' login and the SQL server name. >> Click on Next >>

8. Enter SQL DB Schema/User login and Database to be created in case of fresh install. (In case of upgrade you can enter details for existing Demantra database & schema).>> Click on Next >>

9. Select Engine execution type. (Manual or Automated)>> Click on Next >>

10. Wait for Completion of Demantra installation. >> Click on Done>>

Important Note:

1. The SQL DB user should have db_creator and bulkadmin permission
2. Backup file should be extracted out and stored in correct path, prior to installation
3. Password for DB user should respect SQL server security levels(shouldn't be too simple)
4. Ensure SQL server connectivity is established and verified
   

Refer Oracle Metalink for SQL server support related queries.

Demantra integration patches rolled up into R12.0.4

For customers on R12.0.4 instance level, there is no need for applying any integration patch for seeded Oracle EBS-Demantra integration to work.
As Oracle has got the Demantra-EBS Integration patch contents rolled up into 12.0.4, so if you are on 12.0.4 you just need to install Oracle Demantra 7.2.0 or higher version and no other patch is required for integration, unlike with 11.5.10 CU2 and R12.0.3 where EBS-Demantra integration patch needs to be applied.

For more details refer to Oracle Metalink Note:727237.1

Demantra - S&OP (Sales & Operational Planning) : Integration Overview - 3

S&OP module of Demantra 7.2:

Oracle has provided a great solution as out of box offering for Sales & Operational Planning process in form of Demantra's S&OP module, integrated seamlessly with EBS R12, ASCP, and SNO. Oracle has done lot of seeded configuration in Demantra front to support the S&OP processes and integration with Enterprise resource planning(ERP), strategic planning tool(SNO), and tactical planning application(ASCP). We will try to take a closer look at these entities and how it can help you in building a collaborative, integrated, Real time Sales & Operational Planning environment using Demantra.
S&OP configuration in Demantra has been built on top of basic Demand Management module, so all the seeded DM entities co-exist and are used in S&OP module as well. S&OP has been defined as a separate component within Demantra so that S&OP process stakeholders work on entities related to them. Remember that Data model definition remains common for S&OP as well as DM modules of Demantra.

NEW DEMANTRA ENTITIES:

1. Levels & Hierarchies:

New levels and hierachies to support viewing/analyzing supply plan and related data for Supply Review and Executive Reviews have been introduced. For Supply review, Supply plan information is being captured in Plan Scenario (General Levels) with proper statuses in Scenario Status(Plan Scenario>Scenario Status) to maintain and manage Supply plans in Demantra. Also new Supplier level(lowest level) and Resource level (Resource-Scenario>Resource, Linked Scenario) hierarchy also appears for viewing data at Supplier level.

2. Series for RT-S&OP

S&OP involves much more information and collaboration in terms of inputs, recommendations and consensus, thus Oracle has provided seeded series for carrying out S&OP sub processes. All the supply plan related information at Plan Scenario level for item & location population is stored in form on various series:

Plan related data series: Available Resource/Supplier Premium/Standard Capacity, Required Resource/Supplier Capacity, Constrained Forecast, Beginning On-hand, Dependent Demand, Inventory plan, Planned Shipments, Production Plan, Safety Stock.

SCI data series: Actual Production, Actual On-hand, Past due backlog, Total backlog etc. for capturing Supply Chain Intelligence data to monitor KPIs and for exception management.

Consensus related data: Multiple series for handling consensus creation process during Demand Review stage, like for weightages from various stakeholders, their forecasts, Consensus Forecast (in units & amount), etc.

3. Worksheets

To carry out each of the sub-processes in S&OP like Demand Review, Supply Review, etc., Oracle has provided quite a few seeded worksheets for each of these steps.

• 
  
  Worksheets to support Demand Review Process : Marketing Forecast, Sales Forecast, Consensus Forecast related worksheets at various levels of aggregation.


• 
  
  Worksheets to support Supply Review Process: Constrained Plan, Production Plan, Inventory plan and Exception management related worksheets for Supply Demand balancing and analysis of various Supply scenarios, coming from ASCP/SNO.


• 
  
  Consolidated Plan related worksheets for reviewing and approving the final agreed upon Demand & Supply plan, which is further published back to ASCP for further detailed planning and execution.


• 
  
  Worksheets & Content panes for KPIs like Demand Fill%, Production & Inventory plan adherence, etc.

4. Integration Interfaces: Since S&OP process captures, processes and involves much more information as compared to DM, you can find new Integration Interfaces for supporting this inbound and outbound data flow. Few important interfaces which has been seeded by Oracle are described briefly in table below:

Workflows related to Plans, allow you to easily load your Supply plan data in form of Plan scenarios into Demantra for Supply reviews and Plan consolidations.

5. Workflows: Real time Sales & Operational Planning is more of process and people oriented than application oriented, it requires input and approvals from various stakeholders for consolidation Oracle has addressed this front with Demantra's seeded workflows which can be customized further to fit customer's requirements. Workflows automate/semi-automate key processes like Demand Review, Supply plan load, exceptions handling and Publishing Consensus plans.

Besides above discussed entities, there are few more setups and entities, which have been provided with out-of-box S&OP Demantra application. Remember that the configuration flexibility of Demantra provides a huge opportunity for solving your specific S&OP problems. With seeded integration between EBS and APS suite products, S&OP module of Demantra can be easily Incorporated in your organization.

Demantra - S&OP (Sales & Operational Planning) : Integration Overview - 2

What it takes for seeded S&OP integration to work ?
Demantra's 7.2.0 and higher versions have seeded integration for Sales & Operations Planning(S&OP) module with Advanced Supply Chain Planning(ASCP) & Strategic Network Optimizer(SNO) modules of APS. The seeded integration however currently is supported only with Oracle EBS R12.0.4 version and is available as integration patch. Once you fulfill the pre-requisite criterias and apply the patches, on EBS front new responsbilities start appearing(similar to EBS-DM integration).

What's new on EBS side? :

The New Responsbilities for S&OP:
1. Sales & Operations Planning System Administrator : This responsbility is quite similar to Demand Managment System Administrator responsbility and has few Menu options common to DM System Administrator. Users who controls and executes data collection for S&OP planning should have access to this responsbility. S&OP Administrator can collect all the relevant data from EBS into Demantra, using Collection menu options controlled by Setups and Profile options.
The Menus in this responsbility are divided broadly into following:

• Links to Open Demantra S&OP application (which includes : S&OP Workbench, Workflow Manager, Administration, User Management)
• Collections Menu (which includes : Collection > Standard collection, Shipment & Booking History data, SCI Data**, Currency Conversion, UOM Conversion, Returns History, Pricing Data, and Download Calendars)
• Collect from Legacy (Legacy Collection - Flat; Legacy Collection - Self; Shipment & Booking History - Flat; Shipment & Booking History - Self Service)
• Setup ( Instances; Calendar List; New Product List; Price List )

2. Sales & Operations Planning Analyst: S&OP Analyst responsibility is same as Demand Analyst in Oracle's EBS-Demantra DM integration. As an analyst, the menu options have limited authority and can only Open Demantra S&OP applications - S&OP Workbench, Workflow, Administration, and User Management pages.

3. New S&OP enabled plan options: ASCP & SNO plan options have now a new check box saying "S&OP enabled", once selected those Supply plans can be brought inside Demantra for S&OP process as Supply Plan Scenarios.

4. Publish option in SNO: New option to publish SNO plan for S&OP usage has been added in SNO workbench.

** From collection point of view, only Supply Chain Intelligence(SCI) data is added entity as compared to Demand Management integration. SCI data being collected comprises of Order backlog information, Actual production data, etc.

Besides above changes on EBS/ASCP/SNO side, Demantra's S&OP module has been changed a lot to support this seeded integration. There are new Levels, hierarchies, series, worksheets. integration interfaces, workflows etc. which appear if you install S&OP module.

Demantra - S&OP (Sales & Operational Planning) : Integration Overview - 1

Demantra - S&OP (Sales & Operational Planning)

Sales & Operational Planning module of Demantra has got a complete makeover by Oracle, in Demantra's 7.2 release Oracle launched integrated S&OP module as Supply Chain Planning offering. S&OP module has been integrated with ASCP (Advanced Supply Chain Planning), SNO (Strategic Network Optimization) and IO (Inventory Optimization) of APS suite, along with seamless integration with Oracle EBS R12.0.4.

High Level Data Flow in S&OP:

Data flow in S&OP can vary based on whether ASCP or SNO or Both are used in the process. We will go through one of the possible scenarios here and will then later focus on integration with ASCP & SNO separately.

• Collection of Shipment & Booking history (old DM feature)
• Download History data into Demantra using seeded workflow "EBS Full Download"
• Demand Review:
  
• Generate Forecast - Shipment & Booking
• Generate Consensus Forecast
• Submit Consensus Forecast to Planning applications (SNO/ASCP/IO etc.)
  

• Supply Chain Planning
• Generate Assignment Set(sourcing rules) from SNO Plan based on Consensus Forecast
• Generate Safety Stock plan from IO, using Consensus Forecast and Accuracy
  
• Create ASCP Plan with Assignment Set from SNO, Safety Stocks from IO and Demand Schedule from Demantra - Demand Review process
  
• Make ASCP plan available for S&OP (new check box in ASCP plan options)

• Supply Plan Review
  
• Download Supply Plan names/members into Demantra S&OP using seeded workflow "Load Plan Scenarios"
• Download Supply Plan data using seeded Level Method "Load Scenario Plan Data"
• Exceptions are detected automatically as part of Load data workflow and S&OP users are intimated with Tasks/Alerts
• In case for removal of Exceptions Supply plan needs to be re-launched after making recommended changes, then Supply plan is re-run and re-downloaded into Demantra
• Once Exceptions are handled and are taken care of, then next step is taken

• S&OP Executive Review
• Review Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as per the S&OP plan/scenarios
  
• Review Supply plan scenarios and Exceptions
  
• S&OP committee finalizes S&OP Plan
  
• Publish the Final Plan and archive it, for future references

We will talk more about Demantra's S&OP integration with EBS/ASCP/SNO in next few blogs.

You can refer to Oracle's documentation on S&OP module available on Oracle Metalink for getting into details. ( Refer to previous post for whereabouts of Demantra http://oracledemantra.blogspot.com/2008/07/demantra-documentation-on-metalink.html)

Demantra Documentation

I have been getting some queries regarding location and where abouts of Demantra documentation, so in this blog I will be putting some details about the same.

Demantra Documents in Metalink:

Oracle has nicely gathered all the user guides and implementation guides related to Demantra at one place "Oracle Demantra Documentation Library" in Metalink. (Doc Id: 443969.1)

The Library contains all the versions starting from latest Demantra 7.2.1 to older ones like Demantra 5.2.

Few of the old basic Demantra documentations are available under 7.0.1 release header:

• Demantra Spectrum 7.0.1
• Demantra Spectrum 7.0.1 Administrator's Guide
• Demantra Spectrum 7.0.1 Consultant's Guide etc..

Another important document, which can be a good starting platform for learning is "Oracle Demantra 7.1 Foundation Implementation Guide", which can be found under header of 7.1 release.


You can easily find out all the relevant documentation on Demantra published and maintained by Oracle here.


Demantra SIG:

Demantra SIG is a part of Oracle's OAUG and has been delivering various knowledge sharing sessions and conferences on regular basis. You can find interesting documents, case studies, and some advanced Demantra documentation at Demantra's SIG group website.

http://demantrasig.oaug.org/knowledgebase.php?page=knowledgebase

Oracle's Demantra Site:

In Oracle's website also some basic information on various modules and Demantra product is available.
http://www.oracle.com/demantra/index.html

R12.1: Service & Spare Parts Planning (SPP)

In this blog I would try to share my exposure on Oracle's new release Service Parts Planning, based on a recent Oracle Webcast.

Oracle's R12.1 APS suite has a new product in offering "Spare/Service Parts Planning", which is focused to answer the need of an advanced, automated, exception based planning application of Service industry. Sectors which can highly benefit from Service Parts Planning are Industrial Manufacturing, Aerospace, High Tech & OEMs. As volume of spares in these sectors is significantly large and forecasting amount of spares to be available at various stocking location in a Service industry supply chain, itself is a painful job. Besides forecasting, safety stocks calculation, and replenishment planning are two more complicated processes in this industry and the complexity of it can be easily imagined considering number of spare parts involved in Services.

Research shows that After-market sales forms more profitable part of business, as compared to profit earned by sales of original equipments. Also the amount of money involved in Service sector of business is huge and thus becomes a potential market to target for improving the current form of supply chain planning system.

Service Supply Chains are more complex as flow of material is not one way,. Spares flow from Suppliers to Warehouses to Service Technicians, while defective parts material flow backward for repair or replacements. In a standard Service supply chain, the complexity if pretty high because of various locations and spare parts volume. This needs an application which can handle forward as well as backward material flow, so that smooth material flow can be achieved.

For company's who have Service as a key contributor and part of their business and it's growing at a fast pace, SPP can be a best of breed solution for all of theirs Service Parts Planning needs.

What SPP has to offer:
1. Forecast accurately with build in Demantra's Forecasting engine
2. Replenish spares based on Single plan model
3. Distribute spares using SPP's plan
4. One single UI to carry out all 3 above processes for improved productivity
5. Forecasting based on Shipments, Spares Usage, and Returns
6. Plan based on Service parts failure rates calculations
7. Integrated with various APS modules like Demantra DM, CP, IO, and ASCP.

Benefits:

• Reduced inventory carrying cost for Spares
• Increased Spares demand fill rates
• Improved Customer Service Levels
  

SPP is available in Oracle's R12.1 APS product release and is completely integrated with EBS R12 and EBS 11i10. It can be implemented along with any APS module or can be even implemented as a stand-alone application. In a stand-alone environment, the SPP product can be easily integrated with other ERPs through APIs and legacy integration.

For more information on product offering and capabilities, review documentation available in Oracle Metalink.

Oracle R12 Online instances

For those who wants to learn and get their hands on Oracle R12 instance, you can easily do it over the Internet. You can register yourself at following portals and can access R12 environments easily.


1. OracleContractors (http://www.oraclecontractors.com/)
2. Solutionbeacon (http://www.solutionbeacon.com/tools_vision.htm)