Siebel appertained with IBM DB2 & Microsoft SQL

Oracle E-Business Suite Corporate Performance Management and Daily Business Intelligence

2008-04-18T13:21:00.001-07:00

FUSION INTELLIGENCE FOR E-BUSINESS SUITE

Fusion Intelligence for E-Business Suite gives you the power to extend your existing investments in Oracle Applications while putting you on the path to next generation technologies. By leveraging the robust dashboarding, ad-hoc reporting, and extensibility capabilities provided by Oracle’s market-leading BI platform, Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE), you benefit from a complete, end-to-end, integrated business intelligence and reporting solution.

Fusion Intelligence for E-Business Suite includes:
A unified logical model designed for business users of EBS Financials, Procurement, Human Resources, Supply Chain and CRM Intelligence modules.
Selected dashboard templates for each functional area which include guided analysis paths and prebuilt data mappings.
Delivered integration with the E-Business Suite transactional applications including single sign-on, security, Daily Business Intelligence materialized views and base summaries, and Oracle Portal.

Operational Analytics

2008-04-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

In Fall of 2003, Siebel Systems conducted a test in which user of Siebel eBusiness Applications could drill down to an Analytics Dashboard. The test was a success. The ability to drill down from an operational system to an analytics application was first announced with release of Siebel Analytics application 7.7.

By mid 2004, the sells of Siebel Analytics applications surpassed the Sales of Siebel Analytics Platform ~ BI Suite of Tools. By the end of the same year, Siebel Analytics (application and tools) sales revenue was second to revenue in sales of Siebel eBusiness Application or CRM offering. At the time Siebel Systems was acquired by Oracle, it was considering the industry leader in CRM applications. Nevertheless, it was not known by its BI offering.

Last week Oracle announced Industry's First Enterprise Performance Management System which is the integration of Transactional Systems, Financial Performance Management and Operational BI Systems.

I am a Siebel Analytics Certified Master Consultant. I have clients who had integrated Siebel CRM and Analytics applications in order to provide true pervasive capability. Just asked any organization that is able to drill from a Siebel CRM application into Siebel Analytics application.

Oracle BI EE = Siebel Analytics Platform

Oracle BI Applications = Siebel Relationship Management Warehouse (RMW) and Customer Centric

Oracle's Vision for an EMP system

2008-04-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is a demo of Oracle's vision for Industry First Enterprise Performance Management System, from the EMP view of the world.

Oracle BI Applications

2008-04-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

"Oracle’s applications have given the company a large, heterogeneous applications and infrastructure installed base. These customers need an integrated way to access, analyze and deliver information and insight from multiple business applications," the trio notes. "[T]he newly branded Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition from the Siebel acquisition—which Gartner previously rated as visionary [in its magic quadrant]—has given Oracle a new opportunity to create a compelling BI platform strategy and become a significant BI platform and applications vendor in 2007 and beyond".

Pitney Bowes Improves TCO with Oracle BI

The Oracle at Delphi once provided valuable insights to those seeking its counsel. Today, Oracle’s BI solution provides similar services to insight-hungry businesspeople. Find out how Pitney Bowes got a handle on 2 million customer accounts by standardizing on the Oracle BI platform.

Oracle Business Intelligence Applications v7.9

2008-04-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) Applications are complete, pre- built BI solutions that deliver intuitive, role-based intelligence for everyone in an organization—from front line employees to senior management—that enable better decisions, actions, and business processes. Designed for heterogeneous environments, these solutions enable organizations to gain insight from a range of data sources and applications including Siebel, Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, and third party systems such as SAP.

Oracle BI Applications are built on the Oracle BI Suite Enterprise Edition (OBIEE), a comprehensive, innovative, and leading BI platform. This enables organizations to realize the value of a packaged BI Application, such as rapid deployment, lower TCO, and built-in best practices, while also being able to very easily extend those solutions to meet their specific needs, or build completely custom BI applications—all on one common BI architecture.

Siebel 7 Certification Program

2008-04-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

STUDY GUIDE FOR : SIEBEL 7 CONSULTANT CORE EXAM

Topic Coverage
The Siebel 7 Consultant Core Exam will include the topics listed below. The approximate
percentage of the exam that will be dedicated to each topic is indicated below. These topics
are drawn from the Siebel 7 Essentials Course, and the questions on the exam will test
knowledge and skills gained by completing and studying the course materials.

Topic % of Exam
1 Foundations 16%
2 Architecture and Installation 11%
3 Access Control & Organizational Setup 11%
4 Exploring Siebel Applications 8%
5 Configuration 28%
6 Data Loads 4%
7 Business Process Automation 9%
8 Deployment 13%

Exam Objectives
The Siebel 7 Consultant Core Exam will be based on the following objectives. These
objectives represent the knowledge and skills gained from the Siebel 7 Essentials Courses

Introduction & Foundations (FAQ:1)

2008-04-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Sample Exam Questions
Question 1
Siebel eConfigurator, ePricer, and eAdvisor are collectively known as what?
A. Siebel MidMarket Edition
B. Interactive Selling Suite
C. Siebel Employee Applications
D. Siebel Sales
The correct answer is B.
Interactive Selling Suite is a collection of Siebel eBusiness Applications. eConfigurator,
ePricer, eSales, eAdvisor, and eAuction are all components of the Siebel Interactive Selling
Suite (ISS).
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Introducing Siebel eBusiness Applications”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Interactive Suite Upgrade Guide”

Question 2
Which entity represents a person external to your company?
A. Customer
B. Party
C. Contact
D. Person
The correct answer is C.
A Contact is a person with whom you do business, and is external to your company.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Introducing Siebel eBusiness Applications”

Question 3
Which entities always belong to a team? Choose three.
A. Activity
B. Opportunity
C. Contact
D. Account
E. Service Request
The correct answer is B, C & D.
Activities and Service Requests are assigned to specific employees. Opportunities,
Contacts, and Accounts are assigned to teams.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Introducing Siebel eBusiness Applications”

Question 4
Which type of product is an internal application used by employees and partners?
A. Employee Application
B. Partner Application
C. Customer Application
D. Employee Partner Application
The correct answer is A.
Employee applications, such as Siebel Sales, Siebel Call Center, and eFinance are internal
applications used by employees and partners.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Introducing Siebel eBusiness Applications”

Question 5
An Employee Application has the following characteristics? Choose two.
A. Used by employees only
B. Used by employees and partners
C. Internal application
D. Used by employees and customers
The correct answer is B & C.
Employee applications, such as Siebel Sales, Siebel Call Center, and eFinance are internal
applications used by employees and partners.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Introducing Siebel eBusiness Applications”

Question 6
Marcel found out the area code of his contact, Céline, has changed from 912 to 440. Which
of the following is the easiest way for him to change Céline’s area code?
A. Find Céline’s record in the My Contacts View, delete it, and create a new record
B. Find Céline’s record in the My Contacts View, go to the detail applet, change the
area code
C. Find Céline’s record in the All Contacts Across Organizations View, delete her
phone number from a primary list, and input the new one
D. Find Céline’s record in the My Contacts View, delete her phone number from a
primary list, and then input the new number
The correct answer is B.
To modify and save data, select the record field in the list or form and change it. The change
is saved when you click off of the record.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Using the Siebel Client”

Question 7
Which of the following objects is used to retrieve data from the database?
A. View
B. Business Object
C. Business Component
D. Database table
The correct answer is C.
Business Components are collections of data pulled from the database that reflect the user’s
business. A view is a collection of related lists and forms representing a business area. A
Business Object organizes business components in relationship to each other so related
data can be displayed in a view. A database table stores data in the database.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Organizing Data Behind the User Interface”

Question 8
How many Business Components can a single list or form Applet reference?
A. Two (if using a toggle)
B. One
C. Unlimited
D. Eight
The correct answer is B.
Each Applet is based on a single Business Component.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Organizing Data Behind the User Interface”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Tools Reference, Volume 1 of 2”

Question 9
Complete this statement: A business object contains information about the _________
between business components.
A. Differences
B. Similarities
C. Shared properties
D. Relationships
The correct answer is D.
A business object contains information about the relationships between business
components. Business objects represent a collection of business components and the
relationship between them.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Organizing Data Behind the User Interface”

Question 10
Which of the following statements is true?
A. Form applet data comes from only one table
B. Form applet data may come from many tables and columns
C. Form applet data may come from many columns in a single table
D. Form applet data comes from only one column in a table
The correct answer is B.
Data presented in a form applet may come from multiple tables and columns as an applet is
based on a single business component, which is a collection of data from tables and
columns.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Organizing Data Behind the User Interface”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Tools Reference, Volume 1 of 2”

Question 11
Complete the following statement. A set of related applets may be displayed in a
__________.
A. Business object
B. View
C. Screen
D. Business component
The correct answer is B.
A view is a collection of related lists and forms representing a functional business area.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Organizing Data Behind the User Interface”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Tools Reference, Volume 1 of 2”

Question 12
Which applet type may simultaneously display more than one record?
A. List
B. Form
C. Child
D. Detail
The correct answer is A.
A list is able to display multiple records. A form shows detail of a single record.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Organizing Data Behind the User Interface”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Tools Reference, Volume 1 of 2”

Architecture and Installation (FAQ:2)

2008-04-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Sample Exam Questions
Question 1
On a Mobile Web Client using disconnected processing, how is HTML delivered to the
browser?
A. The HTML is pulled from the Web cache on the Mobile Web Client
B. It is not possible for a disconnected client to receive Siebel HTML pages
C. The local Web Server with SWSE delivers the HTML to the browser
D. The Mobile Web Client must synchronize to receive the HTML from the Siebel
Web Engine
The correct answer is C.
Disconnected processing refers to handheld and mobile Web client processing which has no
connection to a Siebel Server or database server. The local Web server with Siebel Web
Server Extensions delivers HTML to the browser.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “How clients Access Siebel Data”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Handheld Administration Guide for Palm OS”

Question 4
What is the purpose of the Siebel Monitoring Account?
A. Used to monitor database capacity and alert DBA when approaching designated
thresholds
B. Used to run Enterprise Server processes and components
C. Required to run Windows processes or start UNIX daemons
D. Required by Resonate Central Dispatch connection brokering software
The correct answer is D.
This account is required for the Resonate Central Dispatch connection brokering server.
Therefore, you need this account only if you install connection brokering. Both the Resonate
manager account and the Resonate monitoring account must exist on each host on which
Central Dispatch has been installed.
Reference:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Installing Siebel Software”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for UNIX”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for Oracle Applications”

Question 5
Which of the following is NOT a valid task when installing and verifying the Enterprise and
Siebel Servers?
A. Invoke the installation program and follow the installation steps
B. Run the install.ksh script
C. Verify that the Windows Service and Unix daemon process is started
D. Inspect the SESsetup.log file in the Siebel root directory
The correct answer is B.
The install.ksh script is not used during installation of Enterprise and Siebel servers.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Installing Siebel Software”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for UNIX”

Question 6
How might you verify repository data after installing the Database Server?
A. View the SESsetup.log file in the Siebel root directory
B. Verify that the Windows Service and Unix daemon process is started
C. Run the imprep.ksh script
D. Run a query to count the records in the S_VIEW table
The correct answer is D.
Running a query against a repository table such as S_VIEW is a great way to verify that the
Database Server installation was successful.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Installing Siebel Software”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for UNIX”

Question 7
What function does the Siebel Web Engine perform when it receives a URL with a Siebel
request?
A. Gathers templates and data and builds an HTML page
B. Displays the HTML page on the client’s computer
C. Provides access to, and distributes load for Siebel Servers
D. Verifies that the client is using an acceptable browser
The correct answer is A.
The Web server recognizes that a URL contains a Siebel request and passes it to the Siebel
Web Engine. The Siebel Web Engine then builds the HTML page with data and template
tags which is passed via the Web server to the browser.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Exploring the Siebel Architecture”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows”

Question 8
What happens when a user enters a URL for a Siebel application into a Web browser?
A. The Browser retrieves the appropriate templates and the Siebel Web Engine
retrieves the data from the database to build the HTML page
B. The Siebel Web Engine recognizes the URL and passes it to the Web Server
where the HTML page is built for the user
C. The Web Server retrieves the appropriate templates and the Siebel Web Engine
retrieves the data from the database to build the HTML page
D. The Web Server recognizes the URL and passes it to the Siebel Web Engine
where the HTML page is built for the user
The correct answer is D.
The Web server recognizes that a URL contains a Siebel request and passes it to the Siebel
Web Engine. The Siebel Web Engine then builds the HTML page with data and template
tags which is passed via the Web server to the browser.
References:
Siebel 7 Essentials, “Exploring the Siebel Architecture”
Siebel 7 Bookshelf, “Siebel Server Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows”

Oracle Siebel Applications Unlimited (FAQ:3)

2008-04-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

1. What is Oracle Applications Unlimited?
Applications Unlimited is Oracle’s plan to continue providing ongoing enhancements to current Oracle Applications beyond the delivery of Oracle Fusion Applications. Applications Unlimited will provide customers with more visibility into our existing product roadmaps and help them derive continual success with their current applications by delivering dedicated, world-class development and support for years to come. Applications Unlimited is driven by Oracle’s commitment to protecting customer’s investments.

2. How is the Applications Unlimited strategy beneficial to Oracle customers?
Oracle is giving customers the option to choose what is best for their business. Customers can continue to derive value from their existing applications, which we plan to continuously update or they can upgrade free of charge to future technologies if there is a business case to do so. It is entirely the customer’s choice.

3. How will the Applications Unlimited announcement impact the Oracle Fusion timeline?
Applications Unlimited will not impact the scheduled 2008 delivery of Fusion Applications. In addition to providing ongoing enhancements to the current Oracle Applications, Oracle has dedicated development teams designing the first release of Oracle Fusion Applications and working through upgrade scenarios with customer advisory boards and user groups. The scale of our applications business allows us to continue investing in all existing products, which in turn allows us to address a wide range of customer requirements. Oracle Fusion Applications, which is built completely on industry standards, will simply represent another addition to the Oracle Applications family.

4. Will I have to wait for Fusion Applications to get new functionality?
Dedicated development teams will work closely with customer advisory boards and user groups to design new releases and functional enhancements to current Oracle Applications product families. As part of these enhancements, Oracle plans to deliver next-generation application capabilities, such as XML reporting, data hubs, Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), business activity monitoring (BAM), and industry-specific analytics to the current Oracle Applications. These next-generation enhancements will leverage the same industry standards and technologies that we plan to use in Oracle Fusion Applications, preserving your investments.

Oracle Siebel Applications Unlimited (FAQ:4)

2008-04-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

5. Will customers need to move to the Oracle E-Business Suite before upgrading to Oracle Fusion Applications?
No, customers will not be forced to move to the Oracle E-Business Suite prior to an upgrade to Fusion Applications. There will be no forced upgrades, and customers can count on Oracle’s unique Lifetime Support Policy to protect and support their existing applications.

6. Is Oracle taking on too much; that is, can you really continue to enhance the current applications while investing in the next-generation applications?
When Oracle acquired PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and Siebel, a vast majority of their development and support teams were retained. In addition, we plan to leverage our Fusion Middleware platform and infrastructure investments across all product lines. Prior to the acquisitions, each of the product lines had significant resources allocated to individual next-generation initiatives. The combined companies have more resources than the acquired companies had separately. These resources can be focused on functional enhancements instead of overlapping development on infrastructure for each of the product lines. Oracle is moving toward establishing separate business units for each product line.

7. How is Oracle taking input from customers as it develops the next product releases?
Oracle is working closely with our customer communities - including our CIO Advisory Board, Product and Industry Strategy Councils, and Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) - and with individual customers to determine product direction. We are also dedicating extensive time to analyzing customer enhancement requests, across all product lines. In addition, Oracle's independent global User Groups have created a single "Fusion Channel", through which user group members worldwide can assist and provide feedback directly into our development effort. To learn more about how to get involved with the Fusion Channel initiative, contact your local User Group, or go to www.iouc.org for more information.

8. How does this announcement impact the 2013 support timeline?
Oracle has already announced the Lifetime Support Policy for all product lines. The Lifetime Support Policy provides access to technical experts for as long as you license your Oracle products, and it consists of three support stages: Premier Support, Extended Support, and Sustaining Support. It delivers maximum value by providing you with rights to major product releases, so you can take full advantage of technology and product enhancements. Oracle’s Lifetime Support Policy also puts you in control of your upgrade strategy. Our flexible support policy stages make it easier for you to plan and budget for Oracle’s exclusive product upgrades. We plan to maintain all our families of products as long as they remain viable. This means that there is no longer a minimum 2013 support date.

Oracle Siebel Applications Unlimited (FAQ:5)

2008-04-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

9. Oracle announced availability of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.12 today; will there be additional releases post release 8.12?
Oracle is already working on release 9.0 of the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne product line. We have been working with our customer advisory boards on the detailed content and priorities.

10. Will JD Edwards EnterpriseOne customers have to move to a different hardware platform or operating system because of Applications Unlimited?
No. All JD Edwards EnterpriseOne customers can remain with their chosen and supported hardware and operating system selections, including HP-UX. Applications Unlimited includes Oracle's continued support and certification of supported platforms.

11. How is Oracle going to address support for new releases of WebSphere and DB2?
PeopleSoft, Siebel and JD Edwards customers have been assured that Oracle will continue to support the infrastructure products (hardware, operating systems, databases and middleware) that were supported prior to the acquisition. PeopleSoft, Siebel and JD Edwards have a policy of ensuring seamless support of these products by certifying our applications with new releases of platform components as rapidly as possible. Oracle's policy includes providing customers sufficient lead-time to adopt and deploy new releases of infrastructure products prior to their retirement by the supplier. Oracle continues to work with our third-party infrastructure vendors like IBM to ensure that new releases of Oracle applications support current releases of WebSphere and DB2, offering customers the ability to derive ongoing benefit from their technology investments.

12. How does Oracle plan to communicate the Applications Unlimited strategy to the customers?
Oracle has launched the start of “1,000 Events: Oracle Applications World Tour.” At these events, held in cities across the globe, Oracle executives and experts will provide an update on the strategy and direction of the current Oracle Applications and discuss Applications Unlimited, Oracle’s plan to provide ongoing enhancements to the current Oracle Applications beyond the delivery of Oracle Fusion Applications in 2008. Additionally, the events will address the evolutionary path customers can take to move to Oracle Fusion Applications.

Oracle Siebel Applications Unlimited (FAQ:6)

2008-04-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

13. How is Oracle Fusion Middleware related to Oracle’s Applications Unlimited Program?
Applications Unlimited provides additional time to get more value out of current investments but business requirements continue to evolve. Oracle Fusion Middleware enables organizations to take advantage of increased flexibility and cost-savings via SOA, security and compliance with its security and audit capabilities, and additional insight and alignment with portals, collaboration, and business intelligence tools—today.

14. Will there be another release of Oracle E Business Suite after release 12?
We plan to make additional enhancements to the Oracle E-Business Suite beyond version 12. Oracle is currently in the planning stages on the details of the enhancements and how they will be delivered.

15. Oracle has already announced plans for PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.0 releases in the next 12 months; will there be additional releases after the 9.0 releases?
Oracle is in the early planning stages of the post-9.0 releases. We are currently working with our customer advisory boards to determine the priorities for those releases.

16. Oracle has announced plans for a Siebel 8.0 release in the next twelve months; will there be additional releases after the Siebel 8.0?
Oracle is in the early planning stages of the post-8.0 releases, and we are working with customers to prioritize requirements.