Wednesday, November 16, 2011

JD Edwards Corporate Culture Document

OUR CULTURE

As many of you know, I am a strong believer in the power of corporate
culture. From the day our company was founded, we have placed an
emphasis on building and maintaining a quality work environment that
few companies can match.

Culture is the glue that binds an organization. A fitting definition, but
at J.D. Edwards culture is also about passion — a shared passion for the
work, for our relationships and for life. It is also about trust — trust in
the organization, in the leadership, and in each other.

Recently, we conducted a survey that indicated our culture had lost
some of that passion and trust. So the Leadership Team embarked on
an effort to reestablish the culture we believe is necessary to drive
J.D. Edwards’ future success. Partnering with a team of employees from
across the organization (the Culture Team), we sought to understand
what was missing and what we needed to do to make our culture
come to life once again.

This document is the result of that effort.You will find much of it is the
same as before.We all need to renew our passion for our culture and
hold each other accountable for “walking the talk” of a culture that has
survived the test of time.

Thank you to all those who participated in this process and to every
employee who, through his or her daily actions, helps to sustain the
culture in which we can thrive. It’s important to me personally that all
J.D. Edwards employees think of their positions in the company as more
than a job — as a stimulating, gratifying, enjoyable part of their lives.

Our corporate culture is the single most important way in which we
can make J.D. Edwards a special part of your life. It forms the foundation
upon which we will build a great company. With this foundation, our
company will continue to be extraordinary. If we ever allow ourselves
to become ordinary, we will perish.



CORPORATE VISION

The ultimate goal of J.D. Edwards is to build a great, truly global, company
that achieves consistent, profitable growth, cares for its employees, and
is dedicated to total customer satisfaction.

Our aim is to help our customers recognize and solve their business
problems with solutions that in turn improve their overall business.We
provide them with agile, innovative software products and professional
services.We are a partner in enterprise.We cultivate long-term relationships
that enhance the value of our products and services.We
strive to provide our clients with substantial economic value both
during the initial installation of our products and over the life of our
ongoing relationship.The way we do business is the reason people do
business with us.

We always work to:

• Do it Once – We recognize the magnitude of the decision a customer
makes in selecting sophisticated software products. Our solutions make
it possible for them to make that decision only once.

• Do it Right – In implementing customer solutions, we always aim to
do it right, on the customer’s terms, and in the customer’s time frame.

• Make it Last – Our people and products solidify our customer
relationships and make them last for the long term.

We will never stop innovating: generating solutions that continue
to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers, regardless of the
scope — from local to global.We will continue to design and deliver
our products with our individual client in mind so as to ensure
customer satisfaction.

We will work hard to achieve these goals and have fun along the way.

Our corporate culture consists of three important elements:

• Ideals: the guiding principles or values that embody the “heart” of
the organization — we always take the high road.

• Attributes: the visible characteristics of the culture as demonstrated
through individual and collective behaviors.

• Work environment: the policies, attitudes, and subtle
understandings that form the basis of our challenging and
positive work environment, and that promote job satisfaction,
productivity, and quality consciousness.



CORPORATE IDEALS

Like all businesses, J.D. Edwards constantly faces difficult choices.
To provide direction for our decision-making, we have defined a clear
set of corporate values — the “lofty goals” toward which we strive.
We don’t pretend that these ideals are easy to attain. But in our efforts
to achieve them, we improve our decision-making and set our priorities
more clearly.

1. Honor God in everything we do.
We do not endorse a specific religion nor do we encourage indiscreet
expression of specific views. Nevertheless, God provides the ultimate
standard of our conduct. And therefore, our highest ideal is to honor
God in our decisions and actions.

2. Champion our corporate culture.
Our culture is what truly makes us different. It fosters the harmonious
business environment within which we can achieve both our corporate
and individual goals. If we do not preserve our corporate culture,
we might as well work somewhere else. Each of us is responsible
for understanding, upholding, and communicating our culture.

3.Achieve consistent, profitable growth.
Consistent, profitable growth is our commitment to our shareholders.
We are a public company committed to delivering high value to all of
our stakeholders.This comes in the form of shareholder profit, quality,
leading-edge products, company stability and growth, and customer
and employee satisfaction. Each of us is personally accountable for
maximizing this value.

4.Aspire to quality and excellence in everything we do.
J.D. Edwards endeavors to do it right the first time. In these days of
rushed decision making and hurried product development, we are
determined to avoid sacrificing quality for short-term expediency.

5. Respect and value each other.
At J.D. Edwards we recognize employees as our most valuable asset.
We encourage intelligent, industrious people who cherish integrity and
believe in the same business ideals as J.D. Edwards to join and stay with
our company.We value our diversity, creativity and unbridled enthusiasm.
We demonstrate respect by accepting each other’s unique qualities.
And we acknowledge individual differences through active listening,
clear communications and consideration of all ideas.

6. Build strong customer partnerships.
We aspire to be in partnership with our customers over the long
term.We are committed to creating win-win solutions and ongoing
value.This inspires customer loyalty and satisfaction, and ensures that
our customers feel proud to be associated with J.D. Edwards.To be a
truly customer-driven company, we seek to know and understand the
needs of our internal/external customers and take personal accountability
to deliver solutions that solve their business needs.Their success
is our success.



CULTURAL ATTRIBUTES

In addition to our corporate ideals, there are certain attributes that we
aspire to make inherent in our culture.These attributes, demonstrated
through individual and collective behaviors, will make our culture
unique and our company successful.

Accountable, Disciplined, and Committed.As J.D. Edwards employees,
we are individually committed to the ideals that define our culture.
Each of us is disciplined about demonstrating supporting behaviors,
and we are individually accountable for these behaviors.

Customer Driven.We actively pursue an understanding of our customers’
needs.We hold ourselves accountable for delivering value
to customers through powerful business solutions and long-term
relationships. Open and clear communication with customers enables
us to continuously enhance customer relationships.

Proud and Enthusiastic.We believe work should be exciting,
challenging — and fun.We take responsibility for our creativity
and quality, master our profession, and exude a positive attitude
and energy.We are proud of our accomplishments.

Strategically Focused. J.D. Edwards will only enter into endeavors
that support the goals and objectives of our stakeholders. Each of us
is focused on our business strategy, and we work to translate it into
implementable, sustainable operational plans that channel the efforts
of every employee.We think globally and act locally with an appropriate
sense of urgency.

Innovative.We bring a fresh perspective to each new challenge.We
do not allow ourselves to become constrained by the past. Instead,
we encourage an environment that supports, fosters and rewards the
creativity and judicious risk taking that contributes to meeting our
business strategy.

Empowered.Armed with a thorough understanding of our business
strategy and given the appropriate resources, individual employees have
the freedom to question and execute within established boundaries.



WORK ENVIRONMENT

Ups and Downs in the Software Industry
Working in the software industry can be very gratifying.We get a great
feeling of power and accomplishment when we solve complex business
problems by applying our skills.We relish the “How did you do that?”
look in a client’s eyes when we present our solutions to complex
problems.

But there is another side to the software industry that can make it a
brutal business. Our software products are complex.The environments
for which we develop our applications can be unforgiving. And sometimes
our clients may seem demanding or impatient.We often face
challenges in educating them about the technology and capabilities of
our software. Circumstances like these can make our jobs frustrating
and threaten our sense of accomplishment.

To be successful in an industry with so many ups and downs, we
believe it is crucial to maintain a long-term view of the market.We
admit to the mistakes we have made, and we expect to make some in
the future. But as every day goes by we get better, we become more
experienced, we become more disciplined, we approach challenges
with more sophisticated methods, we gain momentum, and we gain
strength.That’s why we believe in patience, fortitude, and endurance.
To be successful at J.D. Edwards, you have to be tough. But toughness
is only one element of our success.

A Steady Pace in an Age of Expediency
Modern society has become geared to instant gratification. In the
business world, this translates into a belief that the only things that
matter are this month’s commission, this quarter’s bonus, or this year’s
earnings per share.

J.D. Edwards’ business philosophy, however, doesn’t lend itself to shortterm,
instant results.Truly great corporations and superior products
must be sculpted and refined over time. Good engineers know that
great products are not designed in a single fit of genius; rather, they
evolve and improve over time. A great design is only the framework
for ongoing evolution.That’s how we look at our company and the
products that we continue to refine and improve.

The single most important component in our evolution is the people
who work for J.D. Edwards.To build an outstanding company, we must
build upon outstanding people.To do that, we must march to the beat
of a culture that is not fashionable in the contemporary world, but one
that is consistent with a long-term strategy for business success.



A QUALITY WORK ENVIRONMENT

You can see why a quality work environment is an important part of
our long-term strategy. It is one of the keys to employee satisfaction
and long-term productivity.

Many elements of corporate culture affect a company’s success in
creating a positive work environment. At J.D. Edwards, we have fostered
a corporate culture designed to achieve long-term productivity.These
are the policies, attitudes, and subtle understandings that form the basis
of our challenging, productive and positive work environment.

Negative stress. Some stress is good because it is constructive and
positive. For instance, a deadline you establish for your own project
results in positive stress. Stress that encourages you to complete a
project or get a final presentation ready in anticipation of a sale is
another example of positive stress.

On the other hand, negative stress might be caused when someone else
establishes a deadline that you believe is unreasonable or when your
manager constantly reminds you of your errors, never acknowledges
your accomplishments, and provides no method for improvement.
J.D. Edwards is concerned about the negative stresses that occur in
the work environment.

Leaders are creators and destroyers of stress.They can create negative
stress in their efforts to achieve their goals.They also can create positive
stress if they are properly sensitive to their employees’ needs.

J.D. Edwards counts on its leaders to manage the levels of stress to
ensure maximum productivity and career longevity. Leaders must make
sure that short-term expedience is the exception and long-term success
the rule. Management is accountable for creating and maintaining an
environment of teamwork, cooperation, trust, and mutual achievement.

Fear of change. Acting like the sky is falling makes us lose our focus on
long-term goals. Indeed, in our industry, the sky is always falling. But we
are better served when we look at change as an opportunity, rather
than viewing it with trepidation. Change is a process; not an event.The
technologies that emerge in our industry and the speed with which
they rise and fall are merely a fact of life. Our time is best used when
we are motivated by challenge rather than frozen by fear.We must drive
change within the organization instead of wasting energy avoiding it.

Drive out fear.We must also drive fear out of the organization.
Fear inhibits us from working effectively and creates negative stress.
Employees must feel secure or they will not ask questions and request
help.We expect our employees to be decisive and to be judicious risk
takers. By operating in a supportive, blame-free environment, we break
down the barriers that inhibit improvement.

Impeccable character. Dishonesty is extremely stressful.We do not
tolerate dishonesty.We must be impeccably honest in everything we
do. Above all, we should be honest with ourselves — admit mistakes,
accept failure, and work hard to prevent recurring errors. Good
character, strong ethics, and high moral standards make for a quality
work environment — and a good night’s sleep.

Work ethic.We believe that a person’s success is due 85 percent to
attitude and 15 percent to ability. Nothing reflects a good attitude
more than the willingness to work hard. J.D. Edwards asks that every
employee provide a solid, honest day’s work — every day. For some
this may mean longer hours to achieve the same productivity others
concentrate into eight hours.

Realistic expectations.Over the years, we’ve learned that the surest
way to fail is to create unrealistic expectations. Once an unrealistic
expectation has been set, it is almost impossible to succeed. In our
desire to impress others, we should avoid the tendency to say “yes”
too quickly. Saying “no” is okay — at the very least, it tells the listener
you are honest with your answers.The surest way to success is to
under promise and over deliver.

Long-term outlook. J.D. Edwards is a patient company, and that
patience is prevalent in all of our operations and work environment.
We place higher priority on success in the long term than the short
term.We prefer careful research and evaluation to hasty solutions
that have no substance. And we believe that a long-term view of
success reduces stress.

Believing in one another.Many of us have already been through a
lot together.We share a common vision. When things get tough — and
they often do — we have confidence in a positive outcome.We believe
in J.D. Edwards, and we believe in one another. J.D. Edwards is a great
place to work, but it asks for one big thing from every employee — his
or her heart. If you don’t have your heart in J.D. Edwards, you shouldn’t
be working here.

No surprises. It is a bad idea to surprise your manager or co-workers.
Problems — especially big problems — don’t just spring up.They fester
and grow over time.There are always lots of early warning signs. If you
let your manager know that a problem is brewing, he or she can choose
to ignore it or pitch in and help out — either way, you must give your
manager the choice. Surprises create an environment of uncertainty.
Never surprise your manager; surprises create negative stress and
destroy trust. Keeping your manager updated creates positive stress.

Hidden agendas. J.D. Edwards is an exceedingly open company.
We share information that is often treated as confidential in other
organizations, and we expect all J.D. Edwards employees to adopt an
attitude of open, honest communication. Keeping secrets — creating
“hidden agendas” — causes political intrigue, miscommunication, and
confusion. It also destroys trust and diverts us from achieving our
goals. Hidden agendas create stress.We don’t want stress, so we don’t
want hidden agendas.

Office politics. Likewise, we strive to have a working environment
devoid of politics. Backstabbing, manipulating, negative behavior, and
other divisive activities are causes for termination.We are not so naive
to believe that we are completely free of office politics, but we are not
afraid to take a stand when office politics jeopardizes our peaceful,
productive working environment. It is important, however, to make
a distinction between politics and diplomacy.While we discourage
stressful, non-productive office politics, we encourage the kind of
diplomacy that reduces stress by solving sensitive problems with
concern and discretion.

Anonymous communication. Along the same lines as hidden agendas
is anonymity in all forms of communication. Since we operate in an
exceedingly open environment, anonymity conflicts with our corporate
culture, demonstrates a lack of commitment, and breaks down organizational
trust. Anonymity also defeats our open door policy. If you have an
idea, issue, criticism, or something important to discuss, rest assured that
it will be addressed confidentially and appropriately.We encourage you
to stand up for your convictions and express them with full disclosure.

Sensitive language and behavior.We do not tolerate foul, sarcastic, or
insensitive language. Sarcasm, though it may be in good humor, always
contains a bit of truth; therefore, it’s insensitive — it’s an insult and it
hurts.We believe in a sensitive, caring, and respectful attitude toward
others. Sensitivity is an aspect of professionalism. An exemplary way
to show sensitivity is in the use of our language (in all forms: written,
verbal, or visual). People representing J.D. Edwards — whether in an
e-mail message, an internal meeting, speaking with a co-worker, or
addressing a conference — should always be sensitive to the audience.
Words and actions that are indiscreet, sarcastic, chauvinistic, or made
at the expense of an ethnic group or gender are not professional.
Pornographic materials have no place in our work environment and
will not be tolerated.

Positive attitude.We believe you should always look for the positive
solution to every problem.We also ask that you carry a positive
attitude into every aspect of your day.We don’t like defeatists.
Negative attitudes create stress; positive attitudes relieve stress.

Having fun.Most of us work here because we enjoy our jobs. Our
sense of achievement, recognition from our peers and superiors, and
the exciting nature of the software industry motivate us in our daily
projects.We hope to encourage the concept that work can be as
much fun as fun. Our leaders should bring a spirit of enjoyment into
their supervision styles. Great leaders know how to laugh, even at
themselves. Laughter is one of the most effective stress relievers.

Tolerance and forgiveness. J.D. Edwards is well known for its creative
genius.We will continue to encourage innovators, mavericks, and even
eccentrics to join our company because we respect their individuality.
Our diversity requires that we be tolerant and considerate in accepting
one another’s personality traits and shortcomings. Our accepting
culture and entrepreneurial tendencies also demand forgiveness.
J.D. Edwards is a company of judicious risk-takers.We are not careless
gamblers, but we do take chances. Because occasional failure is
inevitable in risk-taking, we must be tolerant and forgiving. Occasional
failure is the small price we pay for greatness. It is unfair to judge an
individual by a single event but rather by patterns of events.That’s
why we can accept mistakes, unless they indicate a chronic problem.

Accepting diversity. Diversity is good business. Our organization needs
the very best people to help us achieve our corporate ideals, and we
will not limit our options because of sex, race, national origin, age,
religion, disability, or veteran status. Hopefully, our fairness to all people
will prevent our employees from believing they have to prove their
equality or superiority. Just be yourself — and avoid creating unnecessary
tension. In addition to the aspects of diversity described above,
we all know that there are several basic personality types in the world
and several basic types of intelligence. Some of us have high IQs of the
Einstein variety.The brilliance of others might lie in the composition
of music, the discovery of special systems concepts, the development
of computer program methods, or the ability to organize, to memorize,
or to apply interpersonal skills to management or sales. It takes all
kinds to make a well-rounded company. If you look around J.D. Edwards
you will see a great deal of diversity.We want to keep it that way.

The grass is greener — here. J.D. Edwards employees are crucial to
our success.We try to avoid turnover by offering competitive benefits
and salaries, and providing a stimulating, professional working environment.
Low employee turnover is important to our continued success.
We hope to retain our employees because they are truly satisfied and
because they believe that they already work on the greener side of
the fence.

Professionalism. J.D. Edwards should always be a first-class organization
in our work, our actions, our communications, and our appearance.
Acting first-class doesn’t mean we spend money carelessly or try to
impress people with our success; it simply means we are professional.
We expect our employees to dress professionally and act professionally.
Our work environment is professional — from our office furnishings
to our computer systems. All our business communications, verbal,
written and visual, should always be first class and professional.These
characteristics are part of the pride in J.D. Edwards that ensures the
quality of our work environment.

Management. Each of J.D. Edwards’ many departments has its own
leader. And every leader’s role is clear. A leader must build upon and
nurture the J.D. Edwards corporate culture, provide a clear vision of
the systems and processes of our organization, foster a strategy to
establish priorities, determine a role for each team member in meeting
the priorities, and see to it that the right job gets done right the first
time. Our company’s leaders must constantly monitor themselves to
ensure that these goals are in constant focus.

A good leader is actually a servant to his or her team who facilitates
work by clearing away distractions and obstacles, and by functioning
as a cheerleader, coach, teacher, and mentor. If you want to be a great
leader, improve your service.

Ego. Ego can be a person’s greatest strength or greatest weakness.
Remember that we are tolerant and forgiving. It’s okay to fail occasionally
without threatening your self-esteem. J.D. Edwards hopes to prevent
the disharmony that misplaced ego can create.We believe that our
employees can maintain pride and at the same time be willing to admit
to their mistakes.

Promotion. Like most rapidly growing companies, J.D. Edwards faces
a challenge in filling positions of leadership. Promotion will be
approached in the same manner as hiring to fill new positions.We will
select the best person for the job.We are committed to letting every
employee grow to his or her maximum potential. But in those situations
where the requirements of a position cannot be met internally, we will
look outside the company for a qualified individual. Employees should
consider this strategy as one that promotes our commitment to excellence
in leadership and ensures the success of our company.

Business dress. Remember the old adage —“You never get a second
chance to make a first impression.” The manner is which you dress
sends a message. It is a form of communication just like speech and
body language. How you dress during business hours is part of our
culture and our business.Whether the occasion calls for formal business
attire or business-casual dress, we wish to send a message to our
customers, prospective customers, new employees and recruits that
J.D. Edwards is a very professional, conservative firm. By your dress and
personal appearance, we expect you to help us send the appropriate
message for the location or business unit you are in.



THE ROLE OF OUR LEADERS

This is what we expect from our leaders/managers:

1. Build upon and nurture the corporate culture so that
J.D. Edwards provides a stimulating and satisfying place to work.

2. Demonstrate and reinforce our cultural attributes:
• Be accountable, disciplined, and committed.
• Be customer driven.
• Be innovative, empowered, and strategically focused.
• Be proud and enthusiastic in everything you do.

3. Provide a clear vision with defined methods toward which
everyone in your business unit can direct his or her efforts.

4. Foster a creative strategy or plan of attack as to what the job
is, what the priorities are, and how the job is going to get done.

5.Communicate with great clarity all matters with your peers,
superiors, and team (up, down, and sideways).

6. Practice a vision of world-class quality and customer satisfaction.
See to it that the right job gets done right the first time. Make
quality a passion in all aspects of our business. Focus on meeting
or exceeding customer expectations.

7. Be sensitive to others and a servant to your team in ways that:
• Respect the individuality of employees and facilitate their work.
• Clear away distractions and obstacles.
• Manage the levels of stress to ensure maximum productivity and
career longevity.

8. Function as a cheerleader, coach, teacher, and mentor.

9. Manage through empowerment, not control. Make decisions
at a level as close as possible to the action for which they apply.

10. Be — and encourage others to be — judicious risk-takers.
Be open to learning from failures.

11. Set and achieve clear goals.

12. Respect the authority and responsibility of other managers
by following organizational structure and guidelines.Take responsibility
and ownership for the decisions of higher-level managers.

13. Last, but certainly not least, hire great people.



THE ROLE OF OUR EMPLOYEES
When we hire new employees, we look for three basic qualities
(the three I’s) – integrity, industry, and intelligence. In addition to
the three I’s, this is what we expect of our employees:

1. Build upon and nurture the corporate culture. Ensure that
J.D. Edwards is always a stimulating and satisfying place to work.

2. Demonstrate and reinforce our cultural attributes:
• Be accountable, disciplined, and committed.
• Be customer driven.
• Be innovative, empowered, and strategically focused.
• Be proud and enthusiastic in everything you do.

3. Develop and maintain a positive attitude.This is the most
important key to success.

4.Communicate clearly with your managers and peers.
Never surprise your manager or co-workers.

5. Become a master at your profession. Nothing is more
impressive than professional competence. Continuous learning
is the root of our individual and collective competence.

6. Broaden your view of the world.Try to learn more about every
aspect of our business, regardless of what your particular focus is.

7. Make our customers happy. Practice our vision of world-class
quality. Strive to exceed expectations and delight your customers
(internal or external).

8. Be decisive.Avoid bureaucracy.Take well-considered risks in the
interest of getting things done quickly.



A CULTURE OF TRUST
We believe in one another; we promote an environment of trust.
That trust can only come from a passionate commitment to the
cultural environment described in this book. Hidden agendas, negative
stress, fear, office politics, surprises, anonymous communication – these
all lead to a breakdown of trust in the organization.Trust must exist
between each other and in the leadership of this company. Every
leader in this company must make a commitment to promoting
honesty and confidence – hence trust – in the organization.

You must also have a heart to work at J.D. Edwards. Having a heart
does not mean we promote a culture of entitlement. It means we can
believe in each other and in J.D. Edwards. It means we are committed
to ourselves and to all of our stakeholders, while at the same time we
are committed to retaining our humanity.

Our corporate culture is what sets us apart in a highly competitive
marketplace. It is up to each of us to continue the tradition and prevent
J.D. Edwards from becoming ordinary. Every leader, every employee,
every person who works here must believe in the value of – and trust
in – the words in this book.With the exception of the “Honor God”
corporate ideal, every tenet presented in this document is a condition
of employment.You must believe in our ideals to preserve our corporate
culture.Your commitment is our insurance for success.

Throughout the challenges and opportunities that we will encounter
together in the coming years, J.D. Edwards will continue to differentiate
itself from any other company as long as we keep our culture strong.
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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Quest User Group Enhancement Tool

The Quest International User Group that serves JD Edwards, PeopleSoft and Oracle Utilities customers and serves as one the customers' interfaces with Oracle provides a method to request enhancements to the software:

http://nnf.questdirect.org/questenhancementtool/dashboard.aspx

I've not used it and cannot attest to it's worth but if enough people request an enhancement/fix I suppose it may get Oracle's attention.

Any stories on Quest's enhancement request process?  Good or bad.
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Monday, July 4, 2011

All Your Cloud Are Belong To Us

 "Microsoft admits Patriot Act can access EU-based cloud data" was the headline in a recent ZDNet article.

"Any data which is housed, stored or processed by a company, which is a U.S. based company or is wholly owned by a U.S. parent company, is vulnerable to interception and inspection by U.S. authorities."

This goes a bit beyond the standard hosting security concerns and would certainly curb my enthusiasm for cloud-based hosting or any hosting for that matter.

Somebody set up us the bomb.*


* http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/all-your-base-are-belong-to-us
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Provide Upgrade Feedback to Denver - A Unique Opportunity

It's no secret that Oracle is in the midst of a big push to get (force) customers to upgrade to the latest release of JD Edwards software.  It saves them money on support costs and allows them to avoid writing solid, error-free code by embracing an attitude of  "It's being fixed in the next release".

Oracle has turned the Sales and Marketing faucet fully open, the message is: "Get customers to the next release."  Shorten support timelines, age out platform versions and in general make things uncomfortable for those on older releases.  Oracle is turning the screws.

I suggest that instead of stick, Oracle try carrot and take the Convenience Store approach – Make it easy for people to do things and you will increase their likelihood of doing so.  This exact comment was made to EnterpriseOne folks in Denver and I was challenged to help improve the upgrade process, make it easier and therefore more likely to be undertaken by JD Edwards customers.  For this I am turning to you, the ones with all the knowledge about the pain of an upgrade.

Feel free to turn this into a bitch session about JD Edwards World and EnterpriseOne upgrades.  Use the comments section to describe why, exactly you hate the thought of upgrading your JD Edwards software.  What would you improve as part of the entire JDE upgrade process?  (be specific – not looking for “make it faster/easier”).  Provide feedback on any part of the process you are familiar with: Technology, Development, Applications, Management, Project Management, Budget, Training, etc.


Once comments have been posted I will forward them to contacts in Denver who are eagerly awaiting the feedback. sit around and hope that someone from Oracle cares enough to read them. Comments can be posted anonymously but if you feel more comfortable emailing me use the Contact Form to send them directly.  I will ensure the anonymity of all emailed comments.

Let's make this work.
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Thursday, May 5, 2011

EnterpriseOne 8.12 End of Premier Support

Premier support for EnterpriseOne application release 8.12 ended April 30, 2011.  Support now moves to Extended Support as detailed in the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy and on the Lifetime Support page.

Details specific to the end of 8.12 Premier support can be found at this link: https://support.oracle.com/CSP/main/article?cmd=show&id=1064056.1&type=NOT.

The biggest takeaway: losing Premier support means that new ESU's/fixes will not be created for the 8.12 release unless a customer has purchased Extended Support. Newly created ESU's will be made available only to those on Extended support.  ESU's created prior to April 30, 2011 will be available to all customers paying for Sustaining support.  Tax, legal and regulatory fixes will be made available to all customers until April 30, 2012.  After that, only customers on Extended support will get the year-end ESU's for 2012 and 2013.  Generally, fixes will not be sought nor developed for 8.12 as it begins to go dormant. 

If you are on 8.12 it is time to start planning your upgrade if you have not already done so.
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

EnterpriseOne Security Vulnerability

Usually when Oracle sends out their quarterly Critical Patch Update Advisory they are chock full of vulnerabilities for Oracle database and Solaris or Java but nothing for EnterpriseOne.  This time however...

Oracle has reported that a security vulnerability exists for EnterpriseOne.

The starting point for the security notice is here: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/alerts-086861.html but I have to caution that you will click no less than five links to finally get to the document that reveals....absolutely nothing about the vulnerability.   The PDF is here: https://support.oracle.com/CSP/main/article?cmd=show&type=ATT&id=1315038.1:04201101 and lists eight Security Vulnerability ID's all of which state:

"Vulnerability in the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools component of Oracle JD Edwards Products (subcomponent: Enterprise Infrastructure SEC). Supported versions that are affected are 8.9 GA through 8.98.4.1 and OneWorld Tools through 24.1.3. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows successful unauthenticated network attacks via TCP/IP. Successful attack of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some JD EdwardsEnterpriseOne Tools accessible data as well as read access to a subset of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools accessible data and ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools."

Repeated efforts through GSS to determine the exact reason for the security issue did not yield the root cause.  They simply will not tell you.  Since the suggested remedy (update Tools Release level) is non-trivial we think it is important for Oracle to clarify the rather vague description to give customers better information on which to base their cost-benefit analysis for a Tools update.

I don't think Oracle quite understands that applying a "patch" for E1 is not quite as simple as applying a patch for Solaris or Oracle dB.
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