A couple of weeks ago, I attended and spoke at Ascend, as I’ve done for many years now. Ascend is the conference for the Oracle User Groups, OATUG and OHUG. It covers a wide remit of applications and underpinning technology and is the unofficial home of Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS).
Based on the fabulous EBS content from Oracle and conversations with the users attending, I put together this FAQ to keep you up to date with what’s happening.
1. How long is EBS supported for?
There is no end date for EBS. There’s a rolling 10-year support window that currently runs through 2036. There will be a minimum 10-year notice period if and when the decision to stop supporting EBS is made.
2. What version of EBS is currently supported?
Releases 12.2.x are supported, although those below 12.2.7 do not have Error Correction Support.
3. What is Error Correction Support?
When a bug is identified, a patch will be created for all releases from 12.2.7 onwards. As most customers are on this or later versions, Development have decided to focus effort here. If you’re on an earlier 12.2. release and come across an issue that’s been patched in later versions, and are first to discover, you’ll need to report it so that the patch can be created.
4. How often does Oracle have a new release of EBS?
In general, once a year, with the current release in 12.2.14 released in September 2024.
5. How often is there an upgrade to Enterprise Command Centers (ECC)?
There are normally two releases of ECC a year, in the Spring and Fall.
6. Do I need to upgrade to latest EBS release to use latest ECC release?
ECC releases are not linked to application releases. Once you’ve moved beyond EBS 12.2.4, you can use any release of ECC. However, we recommend that you are on at least 12.2.7.
7. How does Oracle decide on enhancements for EBS?
Customers request enhancements in the EBS Ideas area in My Oracle Support. These are then voted on. Once an idea gets a high number of votes it is considered, BUT only 1% gets 20 votes or more.
8. How can I find out all the enhancements in EBS 12.2.x ?
There is a consolidated Release Content Document available.
9. With so much content not being used, where can I find training?
Oracle has produced Transfer of Information Document to provide training.
10. Should I move to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)?
There are many reasons for moving to OCI, and deciding factors should focus on the needs of your organization. If it’s right for your business, there will be better performance than you’re likely to be seeing on-prem, as it’s based on Oracle Exadata technology. It’s also cost effective as it is metered and not sized for the largest possible peak you may have.
If OCI as a public cloud does not work for you, but you want the same performance and cost benefits, there are other options, such as Inoapps Private Cloud powered by Oracle Engineered Systems. Get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
11. Where can I find out more Ask EBS, the AI in EBS?
Ask EBS is not an EBS product. It is how to use an OCI AI service against your EBS. You can find information about it here: Enabling Natural Language Query of Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) Release 12.2, Leveraging Oracle Generative AI (MOS Note 3059877.1)
Always look at latest version of doc, it’s frequently updated.
12. Do I need to be on OCI to use the Ask EBS?
No, you don’t need to run your EBS on OCI to use the OCI services.
13. Do I need to be on OCI to use OCI Services?
Not necessarily. For example, we have a customer running on-premises in their own datacenter who have moved all their B2B integrations to Oracle Integration Cloud, another service from OCI.
14. When will EBS be certified against Database 23ai?
Where 23ai is available—currently OCI and Exadata—23ai is certified for EBS. When 23ai is available for on-premises platforms, EBS will certify them.
15. When do I need to upgrade to 23ai?
It’s impossible to say currently as it isn’t available on all platforms, but Oracle recommend people plan for an upgrade in the 20025/2026 window.
16. What is the technology stack change Oracle is introducing?
Currently an upgrade is application and technology combined. Oracle are separating these so that a technical upgrade will have no effect on your code. It is currently being tested on Oracle hosted customers and will be available to all customers in due course.
17. Where can I find out about the new option to embed APEX into my EBS?
https://www.oracle.com/a/otn/docs/apex_ebs_extension_technical_paper.pdf
18. What do I need to consider when evaluating my move to cloud?
Contact Inoapps and we can give you a free roadmapping session where we explain the things to consider. I’ve presented at Oracle Cloud World over the past few years at Oracle’s request. This webinar gives you a bit of a taster.
19. I’m staying on EBS but finding it harder to find people to support it.
Contact Inoapps to discuss our EBS Managed Services and join our many happy customers.