How to View Output for Requests submitted by other Users in Release 12 (using RBAC)

Your situation: You are in support. A user has raised an urgent support ticket that a concurrent request has errored out - other than the concurrent request number, no other details have been provided. Its late at night and you cannot get hold of the user to get further details from the "View Log" and "View Output". You need a way to view the log and output, without asking the DBA to send across those files. What do you do from here?

The 11i profile option - Concurrent:Report Access Level - no longer applies in R12. This has been replaced by Role Based Access Control - RBAC in short.

If you are already familiar with RBAC and wish to setup advanced controls around which users can share outputs, then MOS Note ID 736547.1 is a good place to start.

However, if your requirement is simple - you have business users running concurrent programs, and as part of support team, you simply want to query the concurrent program they have run and view the log and view output - then follow the simple steps below.

The goal here is - from under the "System Administrator" responsibility, you should be able to view the log and output for concurrent programs submitted by ANY user. If you do not have this responsibility (i.e. if you are a business user), you will only be able to query programs that have been submitted by you.

Step 1: Through the Functional Administrator responsibility, using the "Grants" tab, search for Object: Concurrent Requests and click on Go

Step 2: You have a delivered grant called XDO Concurrent Request Security. Click on the Duplicate icon, which will readily create a duplicate of this grant.

Step 3: Next, start overwriting the fields to be meaningful: 

Name: Concurrent Request Security - System Admin Views ALL Requests

Description: Concurrent Request Security - Allow System Administrator to View All Request Logs and Outputs

Effective From: 01-Jun-2000

Grantee Type: All Users

Operating Unit: Leave Blank

Responsibility: System Administrator. This means this "grant" is only applicable when you switch to the System Administrator responsibility. You can replace this with any other responsibility that you wish to see all logs and outputs from.

Object: Concurrent Requests

Step 4: Click the "Next" button
Object: Concurrent Requests
Data Context Type: All Rows. All Rows indicates access to ALL concurrent program logs and outputs. If you want access to be shared for only a limited set of concurrent programs, you can achieve this be selecting the Data Context Type as Instance Set. Definition of Instance Set is not part of scope of this blog. The MOS note referred above explains instance sets in detail, along with a couple of examples. 

Step 5: Click the "Next" button, accept all defaults on this page

Set: Request Operations.  This is a seeded permission set, which gives access to Submit Requests, as well as View Requests

If you now navigate to System Administrator responsibility, you will be able to access requests submitted by other users and inspect the logs and output of the concurrent programs.

R12.1 RUP8 New and Changed features

(For the previous release RUP7, see my blog here)

For 12.1, patch 20000288 - R12.HR_PF.B.DELTA.8 (HRMS 12.1 RUP8) was released in May-2015. New and updated features are tracked in document - Oracle Human Resources Management Systems Readme, HRMS Release Update Pack 8 for Release 12.1 (Doc ID 1989740.1)

Known Issues on Top of Patch 20000288 - R12.HR_PF.B.DELTA.8 (HRMS 12.1 RUP8) (Doc ID 1992029.1)

Key interesting enhancements are:

Payroll:

• Improved Payroll Dashboard, which includes support for pre-readiness checks for AU, support for display of assignment without payment methods, and improved performance. Users can use the extensible lookup PAY_DB_MONITOR_PROCESSES to configure localization specific payroll processes.   When configured, the payroll dashboard displays the list of processes within the Payroll Process Details section under Other Process Details Region of the Process Monitor tab.
• Third Party Personal Payment Method: The application is now designed to auto populate the bank details in the personal payment method of the employees for third party payments using the bank details specified at Payee Organization. For this, Additional Information is enabled for Organization Classification of Payee. Users can override these details if required. (This feature is available for AU and US only at this point).
• New Costing of Payment Reports: New programs have been introduced for costing of payment reports: Costing of Payment Summary Report, Costing of Payment Detail Report, Costing of Payment Breakdown Report

Performance Management

• Reopen Scorecards that are at the Transferred from Plan Status when a Plan is Republished: From this release, when a plan administrator selects the Reevaluate Plan Population option in the Update: Plan Review page and if the application finds that the worker is eligible to become part of the plan population again, then appraisals and scorecards with Transferred from Plan status are reopened so that the previously worked details are available to view and update using the Employee Self-Service or Manager Self-Service responsibilities.

There are no new features in AME, Compensation Workbench, HRMS Configuration Workbench, Core HR, Oracle Labor Distribution, Oracle Succession Planning,

The following modules have new features, which are not summarized in this blog - Advanced Benefits, Oracle iRecruitment (one new feature for OFCCP compliance for United States), Oracle Learning Management (two new features, including ability to create enrollments with a past date for learners in offline synchronous classes, i.e. classroom based classes), Oracle Self Service, Oracle Time and Labor (the integration between HR Absences and OTL Time card is extended to timecards which have OTLR feature enabled).

(For the next release RUP9, see my blog here)

Supplementary Role Information - Configuration in Oracle HRMS

You can record information about any roles an employee or contingent worker holds which are not part of their contract; for example, Fire Warden or member of a workers' representative council.

You enter information about supplementary roles in the People > Enter and Maintain > Others > Supplementary Roles window.

From Oracle Documentation, there are two processes of assigning supplementary roles, depending on whether or not the role being undertaken by a person is an elected supplementary role.  The following graphic illustrates this:

The configuration steps are:

11.       Define a new Job Group, which will be used to group Supplementary Roles.

Work Structures > Job > Job Group

 

22.       Define Job (or Supplementary Role) under this Job Group

 

33.       Optionally, define the Representation Body. This is the organization that the employee is representing.

Work Structures > Organization > Description

The Organization Classification must be Representative Body

 

Then click on “Others” button, and enter details for Constituencies/ Representative Body. The below screen capture shows detailed entered for Representative Body. Notice that the job group selected here matches the new Job Group created above:

 

44.       Finally, query the worker against who m Supplementary Role information needs to be recorded

People > Enter and Maintain > Others > Supplementary Roles

In the above window:

Job Group: Shows all job groups, except the default job group

Role: Shows all roles under a job group, if that job group is selected first.

All other fields are optional

Representative Body: Lists the Organization that are associated to the Job Group

Primary Contact: Indicated whether employee is the primary contact for the Representative Body

Start Date/ End Date/ Confidentiality Agreement Date/ End of Rights Date: Are for capturing various dates related to the role.

 There is another window to capture Elections. This window is not covered as part of this blog.

R12.1 RUP7 New and Changed features

(For the previous release RUP6, see my blog here)

For 12.1, patch 18004477 - R12.HR_PF.B.DELTA.7 (HRMS 12.1 RUP7) was released in May-2014. New and updated features are tracked in document - Oracle Human Resources Management Systems Readme, HRMS Release Update Pack 7 for Release 12.1 (Doc ID 1645859.1)

Known Issues on Top of Patch 18004477 - R12.HR_PF.B.DELTA.7 (HRMS 12.1 RUP7) (Doc ID 1636758.1)

Key interesting enhancements are:

Payroll:

• Payroll Dashboard collates payroll-processing related data, that enables administrators to monitor different payroll-related processes. From the dashboard, admins can also run payroll, retry or rollback processes. With this release, a new capability for Payroll Readiness has been included.
• WebADI for mass creation of Retro Assignments: Until now, users could only create one retro assignment at a time. With this release, Oracle has provided a WebADI to create or update multiple retro assignments or entries using a WebADI (see picture 1 below). When selecting the checkbox "Download to Spreadsheet", if there are any changes, then users must ensure to select the appropriate value as Update or Delete in the Entry Delete/Update column to enable the application to commit the changes to the database, failing which the application does not save any changes. While uploading the changes to the database, users now have the option to commit all rows or commit each row prior to upload (see second picture below). When users select the Commit All Rows option, then the application validates the information and only, on successful validation, uploads the information. If the validation process fails for any of the records, then the application does not upload the details to the database. When users select the Commit Each Row option (see the second screen capture), then the application validates each record and commits to the database on a successful validation.

Learning Management

• Remove the association between a Category and Administrator Group: If access to a category is restricted using an administrator group, then this restriction can now be removed by the learning administrator, who can access that particular category.
• Non Java adapter to play SCROM content online: OLM now provides a non java based adapter (using Javascript based API), to avoid errors that learners may face when on upgrade or downgrade of JRE versions on their local machines. The administrator can now select Non Java adapter or Signed Java Applet adapter while setting up a new adapter on the content server which will be used to play SCROM content. The Non Java based adapter is independent of client JRE and uses only the content server’s JRE. 
• Manual updates to Learner Status for online class: Learning Administrators can now manually update a learner's status for an online class using a new "Update Player Status" button in the Enrollments and Subscriptions page or the Enrollments page of the class. Administrators can select "Passed" or "Failed" status for scored content, and "Completed" status for content that is not scored. 
• Prevent closing/ collapsing of Player Outline: In update Offering Page, the Player Preferences section provides two new check boxes - Always Show Outline, Always Show Outline Expanded. This prevents inexperienced learner users from closing or collapsing outline without realizing there are many more chapters to take.
• Contact Learners Using Email: The "notify" icon on classes enabled Administrator to enter subject and message for learners in a particular status - this message would then appear on learner home page. With this new option, there is now a way to contact learners by email via notify features - for this, a new "Mail Addresses" text box has been provided. 

Performance Management

• Rebuild Supervisor Hierarchy: In this release, Oracle Performance Management provides a new republish option 'Rebuild Supervisor Hierarchy' in the Update Plan: Review, Republish Options page. The supervisor hierarchy is rebuilt when HR changes occur. Using their Performance Management Task List, new managers can view the performance management plans of their subordinates. If HR changes occur during the objective setting period, then plan administrators can use the Rebuild Supervisor Hierarchy option so that the new managers can access the scorecards of their subordinates and continue with the objective setting process. Approved objectives are retained in the scorecard, when this option is used. If HR changes occur during the appraisals period, then rebuilding the supervisor hierarchy will not impact the main appraisers of the appraisals. 

Self Service

• Transaction Monitor: This enabled HR Professionals (through HR Professional V4.0 responsibility), Managers (via MSS responsibility) and Employees (via ESS responsibility) to view the track and view details of self service transactions, including those that are pending approval, complete, deferred, or are in error. Navigating to the details page of the transaction allows to view approval history, comments and attachments. The search criteria to search for transaction includes criteria such as function name, transaction initiator, person for whom the transaction is initiated, and the status of the transaction.

There are no new features in AME, Oracle HCM Configuration Workbench, Oracle iRecruitment, Oracle Labor Distribution, Oracle Succession Planning,   .

The following modules have new features, which are not summarized in this blog - Advanced Benefits, Compensation Workbench, Core HR (one new feature around HR Help Desk Person Record), Oracle Time and Labor (two new features, including a WebADI to upload Assignment Time Information)

(For the next release RUP8, see my blog here)

Query to get details of start and end date for self service absence submitted via workflow

If you are like me, you need a clean way of querying up details of absences (in R12) that have been submitted via self service, (but not yet approved). This includes querying up the start and end date of absences submitted. The "Status Monitor" (via responsibility Workflow Administrator Web (New) > Administrator Workflow > Status Monitor) gives some, but not all details around absences.

Also, when some of these self service transactions end up in error, you may need to use a query to extract the list of such errors, so that business can enter these transactions manually via Core forms.

The query below should help. Key pointers (so that you can modify the query to suit your needs better):
1) Use the hr_absutil_ss package to get the details of absence transaction. E.g. hr_absutil_ss.getStartDate gets  you the start date of absence submitted via self service.
2) This query uses the seeded package wf_fwkmon to get item status (wf_fwkmon.getitemstatus).This is important to understand. The workflow status can be determined from two places: table HR_API_TRANSACTIONS (HAT), column = STATUS. And also the package wf_fwkmon.getitemstatus. If a transaction is in error (as seen from the Status Monitor page), HAT.STATUS does not necessarily contain a value 'E' (for error). You can have a value of (say) 'Y' here, which indicates there is a problem with approval hierarchy. On the other hand - wf_fwkmon.getitemstatus - is a better representation of which transactions show up as being in 'error' status on Status Monitor page.
See lookup PQH_SS_TRANSACTION_STATUS for codes and meanings used in the column HAT.STATUS. See lookup FND_WF_PROCESS_STATUS_LIST for codes used by wf_fwkmon.getitemstatus.
3) This query does not show cancelled workflows (see condition - AND fl.meaning !='Canceled')

4) This query can be easily extended to other self-service transactions by changing the value of column TRANSACTION_REF_TABLE in table HR_API_TRANSACTIONS. In the query below, this has been coded as 'PER_ABSENCE_ATTENDANCES' to indicate absences.

Ok, so now the query:

SELECT  hat.item_key
       ,s.full_name supervisor
       ,p.employee_number   ,decode(fnd_profile.value('HR_LOCAL_OR_GLOBAL_NAME_FORMAT'),'G',p.global_name,p.local_name) employee_name
       ,hou.name HR_Org
       ,PAAT.name Absence_Type
       ,hr_absutil_ss.getStartDate(hat.transaction_id,null) start_date
       ,hr_absutil_ss.getEndDate(hat.transaction_id,null) end_date
       ,hr_absutil_ss.getAbsenceHoursDuration(hat.transaction_id,null) absence_hours
       ,hr_absutil_ss.getAbsenceDaysDuration(hat.transaction_id,null) absence_days
       ,hr_absutil_ss.getAbsenceCategory(hat.transaction_id,null) absence_category
       --,hr_absutil_ss.getAbsenceType(hat.transaction_id,null) absence_type
       --,to_number(hats.Information5) absence_attendance_type_id
       --,hr_absutil_ss.getApprovalStatus(hat.transaction_id,null) approval_status
       --,hat.TRANSACTION_REF_ID absence_attendance_id
       ,hat.status
 ,wf_fwkmon.getitemstatus(workflowitemeo.item_type,workflowitemeo.item_key,workflowitemeo.end_date,workflowitemeo.root_activity,workflowitemeo.root_activity_version) status
       ,FL.meaning
  FROM  hr_api_transactions hat
       ,hr_api_transaction_steps hats
       ,per_all_people_f p
       ,per_all_assignments_f a
       ,per_all_people_f s
       ,PER_ABSENCE_ATTENDANCE_TYPES PAAT
       ,hr_all_organization_units hou
       ,wf_items workflowitemeo
       ,fnd_lookup_values fl
 WHERE  hat.TRANSACTION_REF_TABLE='PER_ABSENCE_ATTENDANCES'
   AND  hat.TRANSACTION_GROUP='ABSENCE_MGMT'
   AND  hat.TRANSACTION_IDENTIFIER='ABSENCES'
   AND  hat.TRANSACTION_REF_ID is not null
   AND  (trunc(sysdate) between p.effective_start_date and p.effective_end_date)
   AND  hat.SELECTED_PERSON_ID = p.person_id
   AND  hat.transaction_id=hats.transaction_id(+)
   AND  p.person_id = a.person_id
   AND  a.supervisor_id = s.person_id
   AND  a.organization_id = hou.organization_id(+)
   AND  (trunc(sysdate) between a.effective_start_date and a.effective_end_date)
   AND  (trunc(sysdate) between s.effective_start_date and s.effective_end_date) 
   AND  PAAT.ABSENCE_ATTENDANCE_TYPE_ID = to_number(hats.Information5)
   AND  hat.item_key = workflowitemeo.item_key
   AND  fl.lookup_type = 'FND_WF_PROCESS_STATUS_LIST'
   AND  fl.lookup_code = wf_fwkmon.getitemstatus (workflowitemeo.item_type,workflowitemeo.item_key,workflowitemeo.end_date,workflowitemeo.root_activity,workflowitemeo.root_activity_version)
/**** Optional Section - START ****/
   AND  fl.meaning !='Canceled' --do not show Cancelled workflows
   --AND hat.status = 'E'--('D','E','AC')  -- show only errored workflows (this will not show workflows where approval hierarchy has an error. See lookup - PQH_SS_TRANSACTION_STATUS for meanings
   AND  wf_fwkmon.getitemstatus (workflowitemeo.item_type,workflowitemeo.item_key,workflowitemeo.end_date,workflowitemeo.root_activity,workflowitemeo.root_activity_version)='ERROR'  -- this shows workflows in error, including ones errored because of approval hierarchy
   --AND hat.SELECTED_PERSON_ID = 36462
   --AND p.employee_number = '258244'
   --AND hat.item_key in (112041, 112042, 112040)
   --AND p.business_group_id = 82
   --AND hr_absutil_ss.getStartDate(hat.transaction_id,null) between '01-jan-2014' and '31-jan-2014'
   --AND not (hr_absutil_ss.getabsencetype(hat.transaction_id,null) is null and hat.status='W')
/**** Optional Section - END ****/
ORDER BY supervisor, employee_name, start_date;

R12.2 RUP6 New and Changed features

(For the previous release RUP5, see my blog here)

For 12.2.3, patch 19193000 - R12.HR_PF.C.DELTA.6 (12.2 HRMS RUP6) was released on 29-May-2015. New and updated features are tracked in document - Applying R12.HR_PF.C.Delta.6 Release Update Pack (Doc ID 1992120.1).

Known Issues on Top of Patch 19193000 - R12.HR_PF.C.DELTA.6 (12.2 HRMS RUP6) (Doc ID 1992028.1)

Key interesting enhancements are:

Payroll: 

• Improved Payroll Dashboard, which includes support for pre-readiness checks for AU, support for display of assignment without payment methods, and improved performance. Users can use the extensible lookup PAY_DB_MONITOR_PROCESSES to configure localization specific payroll processes.   When configured, the payroll dashboard displays the list of processes within the Payroll Process Details section under Other Process Details Region of the Process Monitor tab.
• Third Party Personal Payment Method: The application is now designed to auto populate the bank details in the personal payment method of the employees for third party payments using the bank details specified at Payee Organization. For this, Additional Information is enabled for Organization Classification of Payee. Users can override these details if required. (This feature is available for AU and US only at this point). 

Enhancements for AU: There are many enhancements for AU; these include:

• New reports (Workplace Gender Equality Report, Excel Workplace Gender Equality Report, Workplace Gender Equality Report (XML)) - produce output in Excel

• Report on TFN for New Hires after 28 Days: According to the Australia Tax Office (ATO), if an employee has not made a TFN (Tax File Number) declaration within 28 days of hire, then the tax file number (TFN) of the employee is set to 111 111 111. After 28 days, the TFN must be set back to 000 000 000. With this release, the application notifies the payroll managers with a message to change the TFN manually for those assignments that have TFN of 111 111 111 after 28 days of hire. Oracle delivers a new concurrent program - Employees with TFN 111111111 in Business Group (Australia) - using which payroll managers can perform this readiness check. The output displays the list of employees who do not have TFN for more than 28 days from the date of hire and also additional contact information such as payroll name, email and work/mobile number.

• Specify Offset for Viewing the Online Payslip: Users were able to view the payslip immediately after all the post payroll run processes have been completed successfully. Users can now specify in the Payroll Definition window an offset date for payslip, which ensures that employees cannot view their payslip prior to the payslip date defined for a pay period, even though all the payroll processes complete successfully before that date.

• Email Payment Summaries as PDF: For employees who do not have access to self service, Oracle delivers emailing the Payment Summary as a PDF. This is via new concurrent program - Email Australian Payment Summaries. New person EIT - Email Payment Summary - is used to set the email preference at person level. 

• Credit Rejected Pays to a Different Account: BECS transactions can fail due to various reasons, for example if the account of the individual is closed. In such cases, the bank credits back the amount to the account from which the money is being paid. The trace account number to which rejected transactions money is credited is currently the payer account number. To override this trace account number, a new field 'Direct Entry trace account number' is provided at Further Payment Method Info DFF of the payment method. (Note: While updating the Direct Entry payment methods for field Direct Entry trace account number, the payment method can only be updated after the latest prepayments run date for that payment method)

Enhancements for NZ: These include:

• Payroll Reconciliation (New Zealand) (XML) is enhanced to include Hours and Hourly Rate for Ordinary Taxable Earnings elements and Assignment Standard Hours, among others.

• Changes to Tax Calculations of Annual Bonus: These monies paid are being taxed as Lump Sum Payments(extra emolument) or normal PAYE. The application is now modified to tax these bonuses differently. New primary classifications (Regular Bonus Earnings), secondary classifications, balances, and element set are provided to enable users to calculate the taxes for regular bonus. 

There are no new features in AME, Compensation Workbench, HRMS Configuration Workbench,  Labor Distribution, Succession Planning.

The following modules have new features, which are not summarized in this blog - Advanced Benefits, Core HR (one minor enhancement around user based security profile), iRecruitment (one enhancement for US OFCCP compliance), OLM, Performance Management, Self Service (Organization Chart updates) and OTL (Timecard intergation with HR Absences and others).

(For the next release RUP7, see my blog here)

R12.2 RUP5 New and Changed features

For 12.2.3, patch 17909898 - (R12.HR_PF.C.DELTA.5) HRMS Release Update Pack 5 - was released in August 2014. For complete details on new and changed features, please see My Oracle Support Knowledge 1903217.1 (make sure you read relevant notes listed under both - Application Technology, as well as HCM).

A quick round up of the significant changes is captured below (I had originally authored these in a word document, so formatting is not the best when pasted into the blog):

Feature	Existing functionality (12.2.3, before RUP5)	New functionality (12.2.3, after RUP5)
New Universal Global Header	Header before RUP5	This release introduces an updated Look and Feel (called Skyros) that incorporates the above Universal Global Header. Oracle supports only this standard Look and Feel for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.4. Oracle no longer supports the Look and Feel options of previous releases. You can choose to render "icons" rather than text links as shown in the screen capture above. This is controlled by the profile option "FND: Branding Size". For the screen capture above, this profile option is set as "Links only". I also like the fact that Logout link has moved to the far right - this brings Oracle Applications in line with where most users expect the Logout link to be.
Copy concurrent request options have changed.	Clicking on the “Copy” button when submitting a new request gives a list of request previously submitted, along with the parameters those requests have been submitted with.	Release 12.2.4 introduces a more manageable screen for resubmitting or copying a request - this results in improved performance as the Application only has to query for prior requests with a specific name. Also, there is a flag "Recalculate Default Parameters" that can be set to determine if the parameter values should be recalculated upon resubmission or copying a request.
Worklist Access	Previously, a link was available on the home page for "Worklist Access"	The Worklist Access functionality is replaced with the “Manage Proxies” functionality, which is accessible from under the “Settings” link. You can , then select the username for the proxy to whom Worklist Access needs to be granted. Once you have submitted this request, a notification will be received by the proxy intimating of Worklist Access. The proxy will then see an additional link "Switch User" link on the Toolbar, using which the Proxy can “Switch Users” to view Worklist Notifications.
WebADI look and feel and upload options have changed.	The existing WebADI menu that renders in the Excel sheet is a plain list of options under the "Add-ins" menu	A new intuitive Oracle ribbon with fresh icons is now available via Excel (2007 and above) to control the upload of data when using WebADI. This is available via a new "Oracle" tab when you launch the WebADI.
Workflow Transaction Monitor	Not available	The Transaction Monitor feature helps users to view details of all pending or completed self-service transactions. They can navigate to the details page of the transaction to view approval history, comments, and attachments. Here is the new search screen for transaction monitor:
Retropay Status WebADI	Not available	Prior to this release, mass creation or update of retro assignments was not available. Payroll administrators had to create or update retro assignment for each employee separately. With this release, WebADI integrator for mass uploading and or modification of retro assignment is delivered. This release facilitates users to create or update multiple retro assignments or entries using a spreadsheet. Users can create or update the entries only if the Status is Awaiting Processing or Deferred. To access this feature, on the RetroPay Status window, a new option "Create Retro Lines" is available:

In addition, another much touted feature introduced is "Rich Table Interactions". While this does help where you have a large record set rendered in a table on an OAF page, I found that enabling this made the page appear quite "busy". Given that we do not have many such tables in HRMS (except perhaps the list of Absences applied on the Absence screen in self-service), I decided to "hide" this feature by setting the following profile option:

FND: Enable Rich Table Interactions = False (site level)

(If you take a closer look at Item 3 above - Worklist Access - the last picture on the right shows 4 icons at the top of the worklist table. These are the items that get disabled by using the profile option mentioned above).

In general, this version is stable for HRMS suite.

(For the next release RUP6, see my blog here)