John Stein
Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) consistently delivers patches for EBS version 12.2.X to ensure that it is updated with the latest features, bug fixes, and regulatory changes. The most recent upgrade, 12.2.13, is a cumulative release aimed at keeping EBS 12.2.X relevant and effective for its valued users.
This blog explores the key features of the newest E-business suite 12.2.13 upgrade (from November 2023 release). It also delves into the Oracle EBS upgrade testing plan and highlights the role of test automation in ensuring the success of the upgrade process.
Additionally, we'll examine how Opkey's automation platform provides a robust test automation framework for upgrade testing.
What Makes E Business Suite 12.2.13 Upgrade Significant?
Oracle has committed to providing long term premier support for EBS 12.2 until 2034. Premier Support is Oracle's comprehensive support offering that includes important security enhancements, product upgrades, maintenance releases, and technical support services.
The Oracle EBS Release 12.2.13 is cumulative. This means that along with new improvements, it also includes bug fixes and regulatory updates from prior releases in the 12.2.x series.
This cumulative nature streamlines the upgrade process by eliminating the need to apply each individual patch or update provided in previous versions. Instead, you can update to the most recent cumulative release, 12.2.13, which includes all upgrades and fixes.
Important Features of EBS 12.2.13 Version
The EBS 12.2.13 update provides substantial enhancements to many modules, such as new dashboards for the General Ledger and Procurement, improved Lease and Finance Management, and extended Project Manufacturing and Cost Management features.
Oracle's investment in EBS in 2023 was focused on customer requests and voting, Enterprise Command Center upgrades, mobile apps advancements, and EBS on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) improvements. The update to the ECC framework included new enterprise command centers and dashboards, which improved functionality and user efficiency.
- Availability and Deployment
Oracle EBS 12.2.13 is available on My Oracle Support as Patch 34776655, which is a cumulative update with new features and improvements. To enable a smooth deployment, instructions for obtaining and deploying the patch, as well as information on installing or upgrading the Oracle Enterprise Command Center Framework, are easily accessible.
- New EBS Error Correction
Oracle has released some significant improvements for enterprises using Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS), particularly those using versions older than 12.2.7. With the new error correction baseline at version 12.2.7 and an expiration date coming in July 2024, it is critical for businesses to upgrade to at least this level.
- V11 ECCs
Oracle has released Version 11 of the EBS enterprise command centers (ECCs), which includes substantial ECC enhancements and optimizations. These changes, which include new command centers and dashboards, aim to improve user experience and system efficiency.
- Mobile Applications
The Oracle Mobile Apps framework has also received an update. This improves how users interact with business processes. The Mobile Apps framework update demonstrates Oracle's commitment to modernization and user experience improvement.
Testing Strategy to Reduce the Stress Associated with Oracle EBS Upgrades
Proper planning will help you reduce business risks and perform EBS upgrade testing within your intended timeline. Here are some basic practices for developing a test plan:
Create a project timeline: Most organizations take between one and two quarters to upgrade their EBS. A strong testing strategy should devote 30-40% of an enterprise's overall project duration to developing test cases.
Define what to test: One of the most challenging aspects of testing is determining how to test more functionality within a restricted timeframe. You'll want to test your essential procedures and ensure that the ERP works as users expect.
Define what to fix: Changes in customizations and integrations may introduce flaws into your existing EBS version. Review these pain points and faults to identify a few key issues to address in your current ERP system upgrade process.
Confirm CEMLI compliance with testing methodologies: A thorough CEMLI assessment identifies what is broken, how to fix it, and which parts need to be tested for all changes, modifications, or expansions.
Conduct end-to-end testing: An end-to-end process assessment guarantees that business disruptions are minimized following the upgrade. Focus on processes that include several applications or integrations to ensure that functionality is not broken.
How Opkey Helps Keep Up with EBS Upgrades
Opkey uses innovative automation to minimize your upgrade cost and shorten your timeframes.
Opkey's platform takes it a step further by including AI for test creation and maintenance. The best feature of Opkey's platform is that it is No-code and easily usable by non-technical EBS users.
Opkey's test automation platform provides top-tier test automation capabilities for Oracle E business suite upgrades:
Ensure a rapid release: Opkey's test automation platform analyzes current testing procedures, recommends optimizations, and allows customers to write and execute tests three times faster. Opkey provides continuous testing, detecting bugs earlier in the software development lifecycle. Identifying issues early in the lifecycle leads to faster bug fixes.
Reduced testing costs: Opkey's automated testing technology helps organizations identify issues early in the software development lifecycle, resulting in cost-effective repairs during upgrade cycles.
Minimizing business risk: Poorly tested EBS upgrade projects can lead to significant failures, harming a company's reputation and revenue. Opkey helps organizations avoid worst-case scenarios by focusing testing on high-risk operations.
End-to-end testing: End-to-end testing is crucial in an EBS system, where hundreds of business processes interact with many Oracle EBS applications and third-party apps. Opkey end-to-end testing identifies potential risks in middleware, custom, or third-party applications, ensuring that updates to Oracle EBS do not disrupt business processes.
Create a testing strategy that intelligently evaluates the current application and any functionalities that can be improved. You'll also need to determine which business processes require the most testing and prioritize all your tests from beginning to end. Opkey allows you to perform a flawless EBS update on schedule, within budget, and with no errors carried over to production.
