Best Practices for Upgrading Your

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System

An Oracle White Paper
August 2006

PURPOSE STATEMENT
This document provides an overview of considerations when planning an upgrade to
your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne system to any currently available release.
This document is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated
into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality,
and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development,
release, and timing of any features or functionality described for Oracles products
remains at the sole discretion of Oracle. Updates and enhancements are provided in
accordance with Oracles Technical Support Policies at:
www.oracle.com/support/collateral/oracle-technical-support-policies.pdf

Best Practices for Upgrading Your

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW................................................................................1
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................2
Learn from Others.......................................................................................2
Change Management .................................................................................2
Communicate with Oracle: Listen, Learn and Log......................................5
WHAT TO DO FIRST AFTER PROJECT KICKOFF ......................................7
TRAINING .....................................................................................................11
PREPARE YOUR TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT ........................................12
Support Assistant Tool..............................................................................12
Prepare Your Data and Database ............................................................13
INSTALLING YOUR NEW RELEASE...........................................................15
UPGRADE YOUR CODE..............................................................................16
UPGRADE YOUR DATA...............................................................................17
Minimizing Downtime ................................................................................17
POST-UPGRADE ACTIVITIES .....................................................................19
Validation ..................................................................................................19
Testing ......................................................................................................19
GOING LIVE..................................................................................................19

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page i

Best Practices for Upgrading Your

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

When you decide to upgrade from an older release of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne

to a more current version, you must plan carefully to ensure project success. Most
customers do not upgrade frequently, and the employees involved in your upgrade
may not have been with your company when you last did a similar project. This
document discusses recommendations for your project based on others
experiences. While not a comprehensive project plan or exhaustive checklist,
review this paper for ideas and lessons learned from successful (and not-sosuccessful) projects in the past.

This document contains recommendations

The document discusses the following concepts related to upgrading your system:
General recommendations to get ready for an upgrade project

for your upgrade based on experiences

from other customers, our partners and

The first things your project needs to do prior to technical work

Oracle consultants and support staff from

around the globe.

Training recommendations
Getting your technical environment prepared
Preparing your database and associated data
Installing your new release from Oracle
Upgrading your code and data
Post-upgrade and go live activities
The tips presented are also organized in a checklist that can be printed and used by
your project and management team.
These and many more additional assets are available from the JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne Upgrade web site at Customer Connection1.

http://www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/iou/upgrade/e1_upgrd_resources.jsp
(sign on with password required)

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 1

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

In preparing to successfully upgrade, here are some general considerations to

include. As with most project oriented work, preparation and project management
are key elements to ensuring success. Within this paper Oracle has gathered tips
and techniques from hundreds of other system managers, consultants and partners
who have upgraded the enterprise. These recommendations are intended to help
you learn from others and manage a successful project.
Learn from Others

Most system administrators do not work on upgrade projects often so it is

important to leverage the experiences of others as much as possible.
Tip No. 1 - Utilize Peer and Oracle Resources
There are many resources available to you
to help with your upgrade project. Others
have already completed the journey that

Use these links to gather information from Oracle and interact with other users of
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. Some will allow you to ask questions of other
customers:

you are preparing for. Take advantage of

Customer forums sponsored through Quest2 and JDEList3

their experiences to increase your

Join the bi-monthly Upgrade Consortium Calls4

success.

Visit the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Upgrade web site5

Regularly check the JD Edwards Customer Connection web site6
Tip No. 2 Consult Experienced Performance Tuning Consultants

Another critical area for leveraging other expertise is the performance tuning of
your new system. Acquire the expertise of a consultant who has experience tuning
your new release to ensure you get the most from your infrastructure, even if you
have the expertise to execute other areas of the project yourself.
In particular, if you are upgrading from JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Xe
(OneWorld) to a current version, the architecture has evolved significantly. In
addition, you are likely moving from a Windows or partial-Windows environment
to a full Internet environment. Getting this assistance will help you successfully
make this transition.
Change Management

A critical factor in successful upgrades is how you update your software during the
process. Oracle has prepared an extensive white paper outlining our

Visit Quest International Users Group at www.questdirect.org

Visit JDEList at www.jdelist.com
4 The Upgrade Consortium Calls are generally held the 2nd and 4th Wednesday, 9 am US
Mountain Time, each month and recorded for post call playback. Enroll in the consortium at:
www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/iou/upgrade/e1_upgrd_resources.jsp (sign on required)
5 See www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/iou/upgrade/e1_upgrd_resources.jsp (sign on required)
6 See www.peoplesoft.com/psp/portprd/CUSTOMER/CUST/h/?tab=DEFAULT (sign on
required)
2
3

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 2

recommendations for you to consider which has been posted on Customer

Connection.7
Tip No. 3 Use Change Management Appropriate for an Upgrade
Having change management in place is a
basic requirement for success. Not using
change management principles can be
compared to forgetting to get electricity for
running your servers.

One of the key elements of our recommendation is to treat the different phases of
using the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne system differently. This is an updated
recommendation from the original notion of fixing issues as you find them.
During an upgrade, it is imperative that you take all relevant patches available for
your new release when you install the new system. Once you have done this, you
should proactively search for issues and schedule change during your
implementation of the new release until you reach a milestone and stop change to
stabilize the environment. For more details and information on how to determine
relevant patches, please review the white paper. In addition, in the Tools section of
this paper is a description of the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and World Change Assistant
tool to facilitate this process.
Tip No. 4 - Prepare the Organization

As you enter the beginning stages of an upgrade project, engage the entire affected
organization to help them prepare for the work ahead and the changes they will
experience in their jobs. Consider gathering formal buy-in from the stakeholder
organizations and kicking off the project in a face-to-face meeting. Formality,
visibility to upper management and team building can be a key aid in securing the
cooperation and problem solving help you will need as the project progresses.
Tip No. 5 - Treat Your Upgrade Activity as a Formal Company Project

The single best predictor (perhaps a tie with Change Management) of upgrade
success may very well be project management. A structured approach to managing
the tasks, resolving issues and measuring progress is absolutely critical. In addition,
you must clearly define and stick to an agreed-to scope for the project to prevent
timeline and cost overruns. Many projects which struggle or even fail do not have a
clear understanding of the issues they are facing, and good project management is
your best strategy to ensure you identify and resolve roadblocks to success.
If your organization has good project management expertise in house, you have an
important asset to bring to bear. If, however, you dont have this expertise, acquire
it early on. In either case, you will need someone with experience managing
technical projects who can also help you anticipate and manage the effects of this
on other parts of the organization including end users, managers and executives.

7 The paper is at www.peoplesoft.com/media/cupa/pdf/e1upgrade_code_currency.pdf (sign on

required)

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 3

Tip No. 6 Build an Upgrade Team with Broad and Complimentary Skills
Your upgrade team needs skills and
experiences from across the technical and
management spectrum. It is crucial to
have a senior company manager involved
on the steering committee. Issues will

Several different skill sets will be necessary to successfully upgrade your system.
Table 1 lists upgrade team recommendations to collect and organize within the
context of a project team. Note that a steering committee is at the top of the list.
Creation of an active and interested steering committee is often overlooked; project
failures are often traced to the lack of an effective steering committee.

come up that will need executive attention.

Table 1. Upgrade Team Resources and Responsibilities

Resource

Required
Optional

Responsibilities

Steering
Committee

Required

Oversees the project, assigns additional resources

and funding if necessary, and decides when the
organization is ready. Meets regularly.

Project Manager

Required

Dedicated project manager (depending on project

size) manages progress, issues, etc.

Technical
Upgrader

Required

Executes the technical upgrade using Spec Merge,

TC Workbench, etc

Testers

Required

Validates the new system. You will need coverage

across all implemented processes

CNC

Required

Manages fixes, patches, hardware requirements

Support

Required

Responds to issues, particularly right after go-live.

Additional resources during this critical period.

Performance
Tuner

Required

Gets maximum performance from your

infrastructure. Consider contracting with a
consultant with specific tuning experience.

Developer

Optional

Retrofits custom modifications, if necessary.

Trainers

Optional

Trains your end users. This can be done with

power users, outside consultants, etc.

Tip No. 7 - Proactively Decrease Your Issues List

One of the best ways to reduce the numbers of issues you have to track, research
and resolve is to train your users. Although many of the core functional and
administrative business processes are similar between releases, training will give
your users the information they need to identify true issues from intended changes.
The timing of this training is important. While you may want key users to be
trained early on to give input to the project and assess impact, most users prefer
training proximate to going live on the new system so they dont have to remember
what they have learned over a long period of time without using it.
Tip No. 8 Decide When To Change (Add) Processes
While it may appear to be a time-worn
clich, there is probably nothing more
important than scope control. Scope
creep can turn your project into a failure.
Scope creep often starts out with good
intentions but if not managed correctly will

In most cases, there is functionality in the release you are moving to that will help
your business. This can be a small enhancement to business processes you are
already using, or larger changes like the adoption of a new module. One critical
decision for your upgrade project is whether you will implement the new
functionality as part of the upgrade, or upgrade your existing processes without
change, and implement new functionality as a follow-on project.

yield bad results.

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 4

Generally, implementing your existing processes in the new system is a way to

mitigate risk in the upgrade project. However, your business realities may preclude
this approach. For example, the business may be driving to take advantage of new
capabilities as quickly as possible, or it may be more efficient to leverage testing
(and FDA validation if that is relevant for your company) in one project as opposed
to repeating it for two.
By carefully weighing the pros and cons of these approaches, you can choose the
best strategy for your organization.
Communicate with Oracle: Listen, Learn and Log

Make sure you are using available Oracle resources to help you gather current
information for your project, and work with Support for critical support over your
conversion weekend. Oracle is increasing focus on gathering together assets to
help and using these resources will help you upgrade smoothly.
Tip No. 9 - Get Current Information from Oracle

Oracle maintains several resources to help you get the most current information
that is relevant to your upgrade. Several great resources can be found through the
Update Center.
Important Breaking News and Known Issues provides you a link into the
experience of other customers and access to the latest information about
your technical upgrade in on the web.8
Key Issues and Critical Solutions details issues in functional areas and
performance that are relevant to an upgrade or using the system in general
on the web.9
Solution 200972793, accessible from Customer Connection, brings together
several of the links mentioned in this paper and references general upgrade
information.
In addition, the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Upgrade web site10 is a good starting
point for all types of upgrade information. This site is segmented into Evaluate,
Plan and Execute sections based on where you are in your project.
Finally, make sure you get the most current documentation available. Oracle
provides several kinds of documentation to help you through a successful upgrade
project. This documentation can be accessed from the Customer Connection web
site.
Tip No. 10 - Communicate with Oracle Technical Support

As you begin your upgrade, you can register your project with the Global Support
Center. When you register, Oracle Support will contact you to answer questions
and provide current information relevant to your upgrade. This proactive

See www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/update_fix/kgwrapper.jsp?app=uc (sign on required)

See www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/update_fix/kgwrapper.jsp?app=uc (sign on required)
10 See www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/iou/upgrade/e1_upgrd_resources.jsp (sign on required)
8
9

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 5

conversation will help you execute a smooth upgrade. You can register on
Customer Connection using the online form11.
In addition, update your Installed Products and Planned Production Dates through
Customer Connection using a special web page just for upgrade activity12. This
helps alert Oracle Global Support Centers to your critical go live dates.
Tip No. 11 - Logging Issues

Another recommendation to help you get the most out of support is to log your
non-critical issues (non P1s) through our web interface. Cases logged through the
web are often resolved faster than calls into the support center. This is due to a
variety of factors including:
You can provide a detailed description of the issue in your own words
You can clearly articulate the priority and sense of urgency
You can include trace files, screen shots, log files and more to help the
analyst move quickly on your issue.
Note that Priority 1 issues (P1) should always be called in to ensure that immediate
discussion and escalation can be utilized, as appropriate.
Tip No. 12 Effectively Resolve and Escalate Problems as Appropriate
Escalate appropriate issues early.
Oracles support staff is ready to help with
your upgrade project.

Oracle provides a Guide to Problem Resolution13 to help you with any software
issues you encounter. Please use the links to the right of this guides introduction
for more information. One of the key documents in this site is the Best Practice
Suggestions14. Review this document for the best ways to work with support and
resolve your issues.
This web site also contains the Global Support Center Escalation Process. Use this
information to review case priorities and the escalation process. This will help you
enter cases in the appropriate way and understand Oracles commitment to you, as
outlined in an official Oracle policy15, when dealing with an escalated issue. This
policy can be found on Customer Connection.
Always escalate appropriate issues as early as possible. These issues are typically on
the critical path for your go live, and getting the right focus on their resolution early
will give you the best chance of staying on schedule. Depending on several factors
including your customization, issue complexity and more, an escalated issue can
take up to two months to resolve with a fully tested solution, so the earlier the
process is started, the better.
11 Register at www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/iou/dep_planning/e1_upgrade_request.jsp (sign on
required)

12

See

www.peoplesoft.com/psp/portprd/CUSTOMER/CRM/c/RC_SELF_SERVICE.C1C_INPRD_SS_SRCH.
GBL?CPID=RC (sign on required)
13 See www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/support/troubleshoot/prob_guide_proc.jsp (sign on required)
14 Available at www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/support/troubleshoot/prob_guide_best.jsp (sign on

required)

15

Read the policy at: www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/support/troubleshoot/prob_guide_escal.jsp (sign

on required)

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 6

WHAT TO DO FIRST AFTER PROJECT KICKOFF

There are a number of things you can do as your project begins, or even before it is
formally kicked off, that will help you progress.
Tip No. 13 - Ensure the Quality of Your Data

One of the key steps in preparing for a successful upgrade is ensuring your data is
in good shape. You may have a standard practice to handle duplicate records,
verify data integrity and look after the health of your data. Even if you do not, the
time before an upgrade is an important time to review what you have. In particular,
run your application integrity reports and resolve any issues that are identified.
Here are some example reports you may want to run:
Companies in Balance Integrity Report (R097001) in General Ledger
DBA Integrity Report (R077021) in Payroll
Item Ledger/Account Integrity Report (R41543) in Inventory
Documentation on these reports can be found in the functional documentation for
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. Ensuring good quality data using these techniques
will aid the smooth running of Table Conversions, which are the core technical
tools for upgrading your data.
Gather information about your system;
consider using a tool like Support
Assistant to help.

Tip No. 14 - Inventory your System

Upgrading is like moving; you have to make sure you know where all of your
belongings are and that they are being handled appropriately. Early in your project,
take care to gather this information. Support Assistant16 is a useful tool to help this
process. It can gather information about your installation that will help your
planning, for internal use or to share with outside consultants. Here are the key
things to include:
Customizations
Interfaces and integrations
Third party products
Hardware
Software releases and patches, including operating system, database, and JD
Edwards EnterpriseOne
Tip No. 15 - Custom Code in System Codes 55-59

In addition to getting an inventory of your system, you should also ensure that all
your custom code is correctly identified in the system. When the upgrade process
brings your custom changes into the new target release, it uses the system code
associated with the objects. Objects which are incorrectly coded to system codes
outside the 55-59 range will be considered obsolete and not brought forward.
16

See further

www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/support/online_support/support_assistant/eo_support_assistant.jsp

(sign on required)

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 7

You can make sure that all custom changes are coded correctly well in advance of
your project and will therefore be upgraded appropriately.
Tip No. 16 - Convert from OneWorld Menus to Solution Explorer

One conversion that many customers will make is going from OneWorld Menus to
Solution Explorer Taskviews and Tasks. Solution Explorer is supported on
OneWorld Xe and later releases, so you can do this conversion before the upgrade,
or as part of your upgrade project. If you choose to do this beforehand, you can
remove this variable from the upgrade effort. Please see Migrating from OneWorld
Menus to Solution Explorer Tasks.17
Tip No. 17 - Threadsafe C Business Functions

For customers moving to 8.11 SP1 or later releases, there is an enhancement that
enables Kernel processes on the Enterprise server to be multi-threaded. Kernels
are processes which respond to requests in EnterpriseOne, such as user actions like
inquiring on records or committing transactions. Multi-threaded kernels improve
the response time for user requests such as validating or writing data to the
database, preventing users from waiting until longer requests are fulfilled.
In order to use this enhancement, all the code in the environment must be
threadsafe. For this reason, the enhancement requires 8.11 SP1 or later versions of
the application code. In parallel, any customer C business functions must be made
threadsafe as well. This can be done before the upgrade project and is a best
practice regarding your customer code. Please see the Oracle Red Paper
Multithreaded Kernels.18
Tip No. 18 - Security Workbench Changes from Groups to Roles

Security in more recent releases has been significantly enhanced. One of the largest
changes has been the transition from Groups to Roles. If you analyze the new
features in security workbench and plan how to leverage role based task views
along with the security you may find a large amount of simplification in your
security setup. Many customers can replace a large amount of redundant security
definitions and simplify their security setup. This work will require additional time,
testing and planning to accomplish.
Tip No. 19 - Evaluate your Architecture
Review your system architecture by
considering middleware, platform and
Unicode options.

There are several key technological decisions to make that will affect your project.
It is best to make these early on to remove uncertainty and allow you to focus on
moving forward.
Middleware: For many customers, upgrading in CY 2006 or 2007
represents the first adoption of middleware with your JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne system as part of a move to the web client. One of the
key decisions is which middleware platform you will use. With JD
Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools release 8.95 and beyond, JD Edwards
17

See www.peoplesoft.com/media/cupa/pdf/e1upgrade_migrate_solution_explorer.pdf

18 www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/doc_archive/red_paper/rp_e1tools_multithreaded_kernels.jsp

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 8

EnterpriseOne supports both the IBM WebSphere products as well as

Oracle Fusion Middleware, including Oracle Application Server.
Choose your middleware, and be sure to understand the licensing
requirements early to make sure this is not a barrier as you move
forward.
Unicode: Another key decision is whether or not you will convert
your database to Unicode. Most customers have data in a nonUnicode format; customers on releases Xe and 8.0 can only have data
this way. With release 8.9, and more recent versions of JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne, upgrading customers can choose to stay non-Unicode
or convert to a Unicode format. There are benefits and costs either
way. The conversion to Unicode is an additional step in your upgrade
project, and requires more disk space on your database server when
you are done. Customers choosing not to convert may need some
additional processing power as the system must convert data into
Unicode to process it, converting it back when the transaction is
complete.
In either case, or even if your strategy is to stay non-Unicode knowing
you can change your mind later, a clear direction in this area will
clarify hardware and project requirements and focus you on planning
a successful upgrade.
Platform: Most upgrading customers choose to remain on their
existing hardware (enterprise servers, batch servers, and JAS servers),
operating system and database architecture through the upgrade. If
your requirements include considering a change in this area, it is vital
to make this decision early on. Changing any part of the architecture
does increase the complexity of an upgrade project, and careful
planning is required to determine when to make this change as well as
account for the technical work required. If you are not planning on
changing architecture, it is important to clarify this throughout your
organization and create consensus to avoid disruptions in the future.
If you are not changing the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne architecture
there are platform considerations related to your upgrade:
As part of the upgrade process, contact your hardware vendor to
review your current architecture configuration. The system
requirements and footprint for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
changes with each release. This is particularly important if you
are moving from a Win32 environment to a web-based
environment or if you are adding new JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne modules. Your hardware vendor can validate that
the existing architecture will meet the system requirements of the
upgraded release.
In addition to reviewing your infrastructure and changing
requirements, consider doing a full performance test prior to go-

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 9

live. This will help your team tune the system, getting all you can
from your available resources and minimizing performance
related issues at go-live.
If the decision is made to change part or all of the JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne architecture the following should be considered. This
includes adding new elements into your architecture, such as
middleware:
It is critical that your administrative staff receive proper training
prior to the implementation of the new components. Moreover,
to further insure success, it maybe advisable to bring in resources
that already had experience with the new components.
If the decision has been made to change the server hardware, it is
critical that you contact your hardware vendor so they properly
size your new configuration. Each hardware vendor has a
standard sizing kit that they use to determine the correct
hardware configuration for a customer. The standard sizing
recommendation should include number of servers, number of
processors per server, and the amount of memory required. The
performance of the upgraded environment is dependant on
having the environment properly sized.
Each architectural component has minimum technical
requirements (MTR) that JD Edwards EnterpriseOne supports.
It is important to validate that each new architectural components
meet these MTRs. An example of a common scenario is that
your vendor my provide hardware with an operating system
version that is newer than the supported MTRs. In this scenario,
a version of the operating system that meets JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne MTRs most be installed.
Performance testing is more critical if you are changing the JD
Edwards EnterpriseOne architecture. The new JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne architecture will have new parameters and
configuration to optimize performance. It is highly
recommended that a performance test be conducted prior to golive to tune the system to minimize performance related issues at
cutover to the new system.
If the decision is made to change the database component of the
architecture, an important consideration is that the data conversion
process will be longer. As part of the upgrade process, the data will
need to be migrated to the new database and then the standard table
conversion (TC) process can be executed. If your data conversion
window does not allow for this extended processing, it is possible to
implement the new database into the existing production system prior
to upgrade.

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 10

TRAINING

While many of the existing skills your team has will serve you well in your project, it
is important to get training to learn the new features and changes that will help you
be more efficient and effective with the new version. Consider these areas:
Tip No. 20 Get Specific Training for Web Based Environments
Broad and adequate training is an
important contributor to any upgrade
activity. Dont put your project at risk by

If you are moving from a Win32 environment to a web-based environment, it is

critical that your IT staff has the proper training on your selected application server
(Oracle Application Server or IBM WebSphere).

minimizing training activities.

Tip No. 21 - Train Users on Net Change

When you first implement the system, your end users must be trained from the
ground up to use the new system. However, during your upgrade you have
experienced users already familiar with the basics. This can both help and hurt
your project. Your end users, importantly including those that will be testing the
system, must have good information about how the system will be different,
whether the changes are functional, user interface or technical in nature. This will
prevent issues being reported that are the result of misunderstandings, and help
everyone embrace the new system.
Net change training should include orientation and efficiency training for the web
client for those users who are transitioning from a Win32 environment.
Tip No. 22 - Get Specific Technical Training

Additionally, it is important that your staff understands how to use new

functionality such as XML metadata, new JAS logging, multi-threaded kernel and
the new JD Edwards EnterpriseOne security model. Some key courses are listed in
Table 2 as examples.

Table 2. Recommended Courses

Release

Course Description and Internet Link

8.12

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.12 Upgrade Workshop

8.94

Security Principles JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools 8.94

8.94

System Administration Troubleshooting Tool 8.94

Tip No. 23 Leverage Other Training Resources and Opportunities

Oracle University: Training can always be found on the Oracle University web
site.19
Customer Connection: Another good source of information and training are the
advisor webcasts on Customer Connection20

19
20

Visit education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=64
See www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/news_events/events/advisor/pa_home.jsp

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 11

Tip No. 24 Prepare a Go Live Checklist

Now that you are past the initial planning and training, you can create a checklist of
criteria to use later on. This will help you gather the information you need to
decide whether or not to go live when you think you may be ready. Creating this
checklist now is a good way to organize your project goals, validate your plan, and
identify your criteria before the pressure is on to complete the project. Your
checklist should include the key success criteria that will allow you to go live, such
as completion of application and technical testing, training of the end users, signoff by the steering committee or other stakeholders, etc.
PREPARE YOUR TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT

While many of the activities required for a successful project involve end users and
net change for the applications, you must also manage the changes to your technical
environment carefully. Here are some main considerations in this area.
Support Assistant Tool

Support Assistant is a helpful tool in doing a successful upgrade. In addition to

generally helping with the gathering of information to triage and troubleshoot
issues, here are some specific hints for using Support Assistant. As with all profiles,
Support Assistant creates an XML document as output that is easy to email to
project team members, share with consultants that are involved in your project, and
send to Oracle Support if the need arises. Note that Support Assistant is a free tool
for all customers on maintenance and is at Customer Connection.
Tip No. 25 - Pre-upgrade Questionnaire and Custom Options

This profile, included with Support Assistant, will help you focus on some key
issues covered in this paper. Use it to gather information and prepare for your
project.
In addition, all profiles contain the ability to set custom options. Using the
Retrieve Database Records option, you can select records in the F9860 (Object
Librarian) that are identified as custom objects (using system codes 55-59, if you
have coded them correctly, or the change flag, etc). This is a one way to get some
information about the custom code you have in your environment.
Tip No. 26 Calculate New Hardware Sizing

It is vital to get a new hardware sizing

based on the release you are targeting.

It is absolutely vital to get a new sizing for your new release. The combination of
evolution of the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne product functionality, technological
change including adopting the Internet architecture, anticipated changes in the way
you use the applications and possible implementation of new modules all impact
your requirements. Sizing information will help you decide whether you can use
existing hardware, need to increase hardware resources, or should consider
upgrading one or more of your servers.
Tip No. 27 Study and Adhere to Current MTRs

A critical step in ensuring success is adhering to the technical requirements for your
system. This is true for the release you currently have in production as well as the

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 12

release to which you are moving. Make sure you review these requirements early in
the project to ensure you have the right components and understand any updates
or changes and how they will affect your plan.
Current information about MTRs can be found on Customer Connection21
Prepare Your Data and Database

In making sure your database is ready for the upgrade, you can view the
considerations in two groups. Application data readiness refers to the things you
can do in the applications for a smooth data upgrade; database readiness refers to
the steps your DBA can take to support this process.
Tip No. 28 Minimize Application Data to Upgrade

There are several steps to take to prepare your application data for the conversion.
The first step is to minimize the amount of data you need to upgrade. If you have
a defined Archive and Purge strategy for your data, be sure to use it before the
upgrade. If you do not have a strategy, consider implementing one.
Minimize schedule and technical risk by
carefully evaluating your data situation.
Extra time spent with data analysis
combined with a well-crafted data strategy
will contribute to a successful project
outcome.

Depending on which modules within JD Edwards EnterpriseOne you are using,

and in some cases how you are using them, there may be steps to take within
specific functional areas to help with your upgrade. Please refer to the JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne Processes to Purge Data document to look for opportunities that will
reduce your data size. This document allows you to search by either table name, if
you know your largest tables, or by system code if you want to review systems
where you typically do large volumes of transactions. The document will be
available on the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Upgrade Site on Customer
Connection.
Another important step is to run and review application integrity reports. These
help you ensure data is in good shape and prevents issues when processing data
through the conversion. (Please see Ensuring the Quality of Your Data above)
Tip No. 29 De-fragment and Reorganize your Database before Upgrading

From a general database perspective, there are a few things to do to help your
upgrade project. To optimize the efficiency of the system as you upgrade, you
should de-fragment and reorganize the database as possible beforehand. Your
database administrator can use the normal database tools to accomplish this.
Tip No. 30 Follow the Specific Platform Recommendations

For the Table Conversion (TC) process, CPU processor speed for both the
enterprise server and database server is a significant factor for the longer running
TCs. There are platform specific recommendations that will assist in minimizing
the TC process which are listed in Table 3.

21

Consult www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/iou/platforms/enterpriseone.jsp (sign on required)

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 13

Table 3. Platform Specific Recommendations for Upgrading

Platform
IBM
System i

IBM
DB2/UDB

Microsoft
SQL Server

Oracle DB

Recommendations
Disable journaling during the conversion process.
The profile being used to execute the TC process should have
*ALLOBJ special authority.
Ensure SQL Package Library=2 is enabled and prior
*SQLPKGs in the converted libraries have been removed
before the Table Conversions execute
The LOCKLIST size should be at 4000 for the upgrade
You may need to increase the tablespace sizes for the 4K and
32K. This is especially true if you have a large number of
media object records in F00165
You should pre-allocate space before the TC process to
improve performance
Pre-allocate data files to accommodate the size of the entire
converted database. This needs to include the size of the table
and any unique indexes on that table.
The tempdb size must be large enough to accommodate the
largest table in your EnterpriseOne database. If N is the
number of concurrent jobs in the TC workbench, then the
tempdb should be as large as the N largest tables combined.
The transaction log settings must be large enough to rollback of
your largest table. So for example, if your F0911 has 12 million
rows, the transaction log setting must be large enough to handle
the rollback of all 12 million rows in the event of a failure
The tablespace logging should be turned OFF during the
upgrade
DB tools should be executed prior to the upgrade to minimize
table fragmentation.
The redo and temp tablespaces must be large enough to
accommodate the largest table in your EnterpriseOne database.
This needs to include the size of the table and any unique
indexes on that table. If N is the number of concurrent jobs in
the TC workbench, then the redo and temp tablespce should be
as large as the N largest tables combined.
You should pre-allocate space before the TC process to
improve performance.
To manage database growth beyond the pre-allocated space,
you should set the datafile extend mode to Autoextend. It is
important to verify that you have the enough disk space to
handle pre-allocate and autoextend space.
There are other Oracle settings that your DBA should review.
These settings are vary based on your hardware configuration
and actual database size. A list of settings to review are:
Db-cache-size
Shared_pool_size
Large_pool_size
Sga_max_size
Pga_aggregate_target
Workarea_size_policy
Sort_area_size
Sort_area_retained_size

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 14

INSTALLING YOUR NEW RELEASE

With JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools 8.95, the installation of JD Edwards

EnterpriseOne was improved to allow for more parallel processes. Customer
familiar with the previous way of installing JD Edwards EnterpriseOne should
familiarize themselves with the new process and documentation.
Tip No. 31 - Install Verification

The Install Verification profile in Support Assistant is used to check basic setup in
the newly installed system. You can think of this tool as doing the first 10 tests that
an experienced consultant would do to make sure the install is working.
Tip No. 32 Get Code Current

In addition to the basic installation steps, it is critical to get code current in the
new environment before you invest in the testing, configuration and validation
associated with going live. This process requires you to take the most current
aggregate fixes, such as Updates and Tools releases, as well as identify ESUs in the
areas of the software that you will use.
Whether or not you install these fixes to the system early in your project is a
significant predictor of your project success. The best run and most successful
projects do this right after installation.
Getting your code current is a key step to a
successful upgrade project.

Please see the white paper Maintaining your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Investment: Code
Currency22 for a discussion of recommendations and tools to accomplish this task.
Tip No. 33 Use Change Assistant

In an upgrade project, Change Assistant is a critical tool to help you get fix current
when you install the new release, and to apply fixes according to your change
management strategy through the project and beyond.
Change Assistant allows a single point of entry to facilitate administration of
software updates and fixes. This application utilizes a navigational tree to help
manage your deployment processes and enhance your search capability over
Update Center and Customer Connection information. The tool is available to all
customers current on maintenance and can be accessed from the Update Center23.
Tip No. 34 Use the Software Update Impact Analysis Tool

The Software Update Impact Analysis Tool allows you to review a software update
to determine what objects will be affected, any prerequisites required, SARs
included, and more. This is a valuable tool, in conjunction with Change Assistant,
to understand the affect of taking an update will have on your system, particularly
after the initial effort to get fix current.
The Software Update Impact Analysis Tool is found on the Software Updates
menu inside EnterpriseOne.

22

The paper is at www.peoplesoft.com/media/cupa/pdf/e1upgrade_code_currency.pdf

23

See maintenance.peoplesoft.com/softwaredownloads/home/content/documents/changeassistant.html

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 15

UPGRADE YOUR CODE

Now that you have the new JD Edwards EnterpriseOne release installed, the
upgrading of the code (as opposed to the data upgrade, covered next) is the central
activity. Here are some tips to help you in this process.
Tip No. 35 - Read Your Logs

The upgrade process has several methods for providing feedback and error
messages. While is may seem self-evident, it is critically important to review this
output and react to any issues you find. Many of the processes that run during the
upgrade create PDF files in your print queue folder and include these reports:
Planner Validation (R9640B)
Data Dictionary (R989200P)
Spec-merge (R98700)
Package build logs are also important; solution 200970039 describes their review.
Tip No. 36 Use Visual Compare Tools
Using recommended tools and reviewing
log files will help your project reach its
goals.

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne provides three tools to help with the retrofit process:
Visual Compare for Applications, Visual Compare for ER and Visual Compare for
UDC Descriptions and Data Dictionary Glossary.
The JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Visual Compare tool enables you to compare two
versions of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne objects (APPL - applications, ER event
rules, NER named event rules, UDC descriptions user defined code
descriptions, DD glossary data dictionary glossary). For example, if you apply an
update containing an application in which you made custom modifications you will
need to retrofit that object. Visual Compare lets the developer compare the
updated application or Named Event Rule to the custom object in the central
objects data source of any defined path code, specifications, or ESU backup.
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Visual Compare provides a detailed, on-screen
comparison. You can change the target object (your local version) within the utility
by moving lines directly from the source. You can also remove or disable lines. In
addition to providing an on-screen comparison, you can select to print a report
detailing the changes as well.
Tip No. 37 Use WinDiff

In addition to the Oracle Visual Compare Tools, you may also want to use a tool to
compare source code in your business functions. The Microsoft Windows utility
WinDiff tool provides a visual comparison of these code files to aid in retrofitting
any changes to the new release.
Tip No. 38 - Prepare Environments In Advance

As this paper implies, much of the work to upgrade your environments can be
done before the final data conversion. This includes retrofitting of code and
preparing all your target environments to be ready to add in your converted data.
By working in this order, you will be able to find and resolve issues before the final
critical path of your go-live weekend.

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 16

UPGRADE YOUR DATA

Once the code has been upgraded, you will turn your attention to your data. This
step is a critical one in your upgrade success, and often the most time-sensitive.
Use these tips to plan and execute carefully.
Tip No. 39 - Test with a Copy of Production Data

Converting your data depends on the quality and makeup of the data itself.
Working with a current copy of your production data will give you valuable
information about how this process will go and how long it will take. Typically,
your first conversion will be your longest, and most difficult.
As you progress through the project, continue to work with current data, taking a
fresh copy periodically.
Tip No. 40 - Chose a Minimum Number of Test Conversions

Choose a minimum number of practice runs. Successful upgrade projects test the
data conversion multiple times. Depending on the complexity, volume and success
of the process, you might need to practice less than five times, or more than 20.
This practice ensures confidence and success over the final conversion weekend.
Testing after your first successful conversion will help you prove repeatability in the
process.
Minimizing Downtime
Minimize downtime by utilizing multiple
queues, emptying temporary tables and
performing other database maintenance
activities.

Your data conversion is typically done over a weekend, when no users are on the
system. Depending on the size and nature of your data, this conversation can take
hours or days to complete. Here are some considerations to decrease the duration
of the conversion to minimize your downtime window.
Tip No. 41 - Understand Multiple Queues

One of the key ways to increase the throughput of your conversions, and therefore
reduce their duration, is to use multiple threads with the Table Conversion (TC)
process. The set-up of multi-threading TCs is done in the Table Conversion
Workbench using the Max Concurrent field. The maximum number of threads is
calculated multiplying the number of queues that you have selected for the TC
process by the number of threads defined for these queues. This configuration is
dependant on your hardware and should be addressed as part of your hardware
sizing review with you hardware vendor.
Tip No. 42 - Empty Temporary Tables

Some tables, such z-files and MRP tables, can be emptied before the upgrade is
begun. This will reduce the data that is converted, resulting in less resource
consumption and potentially less time to upgrade. You will allow avoid
troubleshooting any issues for this data. In general, if you are using tables to bring
data into the system, you should be able to delete any data that has already been
processed.

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 17

Tip No. 43 - Turn off Database Triggers

If your system has any database triggers, you typically want to disable these while
the data is being upgraded. It is important to understand the purpose of these
triggers and make a decision about whether or not they can all be disabled. In
some cases it is possible to do the conversion with the triggers on, although this
may slow processing. Also note:
For System i customers, this should also include turning off
journaling.
Typically it is recommended that CFR21 shadow table auditing also be
disabled for any tables listed in the table conversion workbench.
Tip No. 44 - Remove Other Data
Optimize your upgrade by removing data
that isnt needed or is temporary.

To optimize the resources available to the upgrade, remove any temporary or

unrelated information on JD Edwards EnterpriseOne servers. For example, this is
a good time to remove PDF reports, temporary files and work center records. If
you have large amounts of data that need to be present in the new configuration,
but can be removed temporarily during the upgrade, consider doing this to free up
resources.
Tip No. 45 Perform Index Management

There are two main considerations regarding indices for accelerating your
conversion.
First, ensure that they indices that are used by specific conversions,
including Table Conversions, are present during the upgrade process. If
you have not deleted any indices on your system, they will be present by
default.
Second, there are some situations where you may want to limit the amount
of indices available during a process. This is an advanced consideration,
and most customers will not need to weigh this factor. However, in a
complex upgrade, particularly if you are also changing platforms and
converting to Unicode, you may want to look at whether or not this can
help your project. In these cases, engage with an experienced consultant (or
consultants) to fully explore this issue.
Tip No. 46 Execute Table Conversions from the Database Server

When data intensive processing, such as data conversion, is required, the most
efficient way to accomplish this is close to the data itself. For this reason, be sure
to execute Table Conversions from the database server, not over the network. This
will ensure you are using the least and most efficient resources to accomplish this
task.

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 18

POST-UPGRADE ACTIVITIES

Now that you have completed the core technical upgrade, there are several
additional steps to ensure success.
Validation

Functional validation of the new system is a key task. Most projects use functional
users, away from their main responsibilities, to accomplish this. This effort shares
some characteristics with the testing effort of your initial implementation. Consider
these testing aspects of the project.
Tip No. 47 - Secure Functional User Buy-in
Validation and testing are important for
organizational support after you go live.
Actively solicit input to build internal
support for your project.

Though it may be self-evident, if you have functional users do the testing, they
must see the value and share the project goals to do this effectively. Typically, they
are setting aside important tasks to participate. Take the time to solicit both
management and individual cooperation. Once you have this, ensure you are
collectively allocating enough time to do a thorough job.
Testing

Testing is one of the key steps to finishing the upgrade and going live on the new
release.
Tip No. 48 - Testing Scope

Consider the testing element of the upgrade as a major software update. Typically,
a full, integrated test is done that exercises all the business processes the
organization will use. You may choose to use automated testing tools; in most
cases, this should be augmented with human testing.
GOING LIVE
Tip No. 49 Third-Party Readiness Assessment

For larger projects, or situations where risk mitigation is crucial, you can retain a
consulting firm to do an independent readiness assessment before you go live on
the new system.
Tip No. 50 - Deciding to Go Live
After you go live, dont forget to schedule
a success party to indulge in your favorite
beverages.

Ultimately, of course, the decision to start running the business on the new system
must be made internally, and taken seriously. As you approach the milestone of
using the new system, make sure that the team has enough information to make a
good go or no go decision. This may include input from a third party
assessment, if you had one done. Make sure that all affected groups are
represented in this decision from both the business and IT perspectives. If you
have a formal Steering Committee (see Skills and Resource Considerations above),
this will be the decision-making body. If you do not, call a meeting for this
purpose, gathering input from the stakeholders ahead of time and fostering the
communication that will allow for a good decision.

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 19

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Upgrade Best Practices Checklist

(A) GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
1
2

7
8
9
10

Utilize Key Peer and Oracle Resource

Consult Experienced Performance Tuning
Consultants
Use Change Management Appropriate for an
Upgrade
Prepare the Organization
Treat Your Upgrade Activity as a Formal
Company Project
Build an Upgrade Team with Broad and
Complimentary Skills
Proactively Decrease Your Issues List
Set and Control Project Scope
Get Current Information from Oracle
Communicate with Oracle Technical Support

11
12

Logging Issues
Resolve and Escalate Problems as Appropriate

3
4
5
6

(B) WHAT TO DO FIRST AFTER PROJECT KICKOFF

13
14
15
16
17

Ensure the Quality of Your Data

Inventory Your System
Custom Code in System Codes 55-59
Convert from OneWorld Menus to Solution
Explorer
Threadsafe C Business Functions

18

Security Workbench Changes from Groups to

Roles

19

Evaluate Your Architecture: Middleware, Unicode,

Platform

(C) TRAINING
20
21
22
23
24

Get Specific Training for Web Based

Environments
Train Users on Net Change
Get Specific Technical Training
Leverage Other Training Resources and
Opportunities
Prepare a Go Live Checklist

(F) INSTALLING YOUR NEW RELEASE

31
32

Install Verification
Get Code Current

33

Use Change Assistance

34

Use the Software Update Impact Analysis Tool

(G) UPGRADE YOUR CODE

35

Read Your Logs

36
37
38

Use Visual Compare Tools

Use WinDiff
Prepare Environments in Advance

(H) UPGRADE YOUR DATA

39
40
41

Test with a Copy of Production Data

Choose a Minimum Number of Test Conversions
Understand Multiple Queues

42
43
44
45

Empty Temporary Tables

Turn off Database Triggers
Remove Other Data
Perform Index Management

46

Execute Table Conversions from the Database

Server

(I) POST-UPGRADE ACTIVITIES

47

Secure Functional User By-In

48

Testing Scope

(J) GOING LIVE

49
50

Third Party Readiness Assessment

Deciding to Go Live

(D) PREPARE YOUR TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT

25
26
27

Pre-upgrade Questionnaire (Support Assistant

Tool)
Calculate New Hardware Sizing
Study and Adhere to Current MTRs

(E) PREPARE YOUR DATA AND DATABASE

28
29
30

Minimize Application Data to Upgrade

De-fragment and Reorganize Your Database
before Upgrading
Follow the Specific Platform Recommendations

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System Page 20

Best Practices for Upgrading Your JD Edwards EnterpriseOne System (White Paper)
Original: August 2006 (Dan Stern, Jeff Erickson, editor Rudy Lukez)
Oracle Corporation
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This document is provided for information purposes only and the
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This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any
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Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, Siebel, and Retek are registered trademarks of
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This document is for informational purposes only and may not be incorporated
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