By Jeff Bagley, Platinum Account Manager

Over the course of time, I've had numerous discussions with IT managers, system administrators and even end-users who have had the same question: "Why is the JD Edwards JAS URL so long and hard to remember? Can it be simpler?" 

The answer is a resounding,"yes!", it can be simpler.  How about just opening a browser window and typing in E1PD910 and have it open up the JPD910 JAS Login Screen?  How simple is that? 

This can be done through the use of the document root and virtual hosting parameters in the Apache HTTP configuration.  After configuration, your users need only remember a short URL that makes sense and is easy to remember, instead of the normal:

 http://fully> < http://www.getgsi.com> qualified server name>:<http Port>/jde/E1Menu.maf< http://www.getgsi.com>

What does all of this mean? To your end-user, it makes no sense.  But, telling an end-user to open a browser and type in "E1PD910" would make absolute sense, and would be easy for them to remember. 

  

Should I back up the deployment server planner database? (part 1 of 2)

The deployment server planner database is a critical part of your JDE system. The details of your system setup along with information on every server, workstation, code modification and update you've done is recorded in that database. Rebuilding a deployment server from scratch is a long, complicated, and expensive process. Backups of the planner database are absolutely necessary.

I take a file-level copy of the deployment server directories every night. That will take care of it, right?

Maybe not.  It is possible that your file-level backup will fail to capture the database files since they can be in use by the system at any time.  Even if the copy is successful, your backup might be corrupted since the database service is running and connected to the DB even when nothing is going on.

How do I back up the planner database then?

Oracle has an official recommendation described in Solution ID 1052047.1, "How to Backup and Restore the Local Planner Database (OEE or SSE)". In there, they say to use the planner DB detach scripts to detach the databases so that you can copy the physical files to another location. You could also stop the database services rather than having to run the detach scripts, but Oracle warns that unless you detach the databases first there could be corruption.

Well, I don't want to do this manually. Is there any way to automate the backups?

Yes!  After all, the local database is a full version that is basically limited to run on one machine and doesn't come with management tools.  Whether you have SSE or OEE, you can use the appropriate management tool to perform backups of the planner database.  For SSE, you can use SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and Oracle Enterprise Manager or Grid Control (OEM)for OEE.  In fact, a little known secret is that OEM can manage SQL databases with a free plugin, so if you are an Oracle shop, but somehow have an SSE local database, you don't have to worry.  Both databases are fully accessible via their command-line tools as well.

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This Month's Expertiser: 

Submit your answer to   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The first correct answer wins a GSI Shirt! (Answer in next issue)

"I heard such great things about GSI from other employees who are also my friends".  This was what led John to join our team and we're thrilled to have him.  "I was especially impressed as I went through the interview process, with GSI's culture of camaraderie and teamwork", John says.    -->

John is the newest member of our "night shift" team where he performs routine system checks, builds and deploys packages, and keep's an eye on things for our AppCare clients.

John lives in Estero, FL with his family.  When he's not working at GSI, the most important thing to him is spending time with his family.  He likes to go hiking and kayaking and loves to go diving and playing bass guitar.  He and his family are cat lovers, "meow!".

John is proud of his family and especially his Mom and Dad who he believes inspired him to be who he is today.  

Please join us in welcoming John to the GSI Family at   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Andrews Consulting Group and GSI have teamed up to present the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and World Upgrade Webinar Series.  Over the next several months, our two companies are offering a wide range of free training to our clients, prospects and employees.  Currently we have six, one hour sessions planned through September, 2013. The webinars are designed to provide attendee's with insight to a smooth transition to the latest release of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne or World.

"The GSI/Andrews partnership is a long standing and well-respected relationship within the JD Edwards Community" stated Bill Cashman, Senior Vice President for The Andrews Group. "We are pleased to partner with GSI to provide these educational webcasts to the JDE Edwards community."

GSI's John Bassett also comments: "Andrews Consulting Group was GSI's first partner.  It just made sense to work more closely together".

The schedule and registration links for the upcoming webinars are as follows:

May 22, 2013, 1PM Eastern:  

Upgrade Highlights From Collaborate 2013

June 19, 2013, 1 PM Eastern                                                 

Performance Tuning

July 17, 2013, 1 PM Eastern                                                  

One View Reporting - A Deep Dive

August 14, 2013, 1 PM Eastern                                             

Business Value Assessment of JDE Upgrade

September 4, 2013, 1 PM Eastern                                       

Portal Solutions for JD Edwards

Date:  May 22, 2013, 1PM Eastern

 

GSI will team up with Andrews Consulting to share some of the many featured JD Edwards Upgrade topics presented at Collaborate 2013.

 

By Bob Aikins, Business Analyst/Security Specialist

Many clients ask me the same question all the time..."why should I perform a JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Security Assessment?"

There are many reasons to have an EnterpriseOne Security Assessment. 

• Your company is publicly traded and you are governed by the Sarbanes Oxley Act

• You are not public but want to comply with JD Edwards Security best practices

• To have a clear understanding of potential security gaps in your business critical EnterpriseOne system

Best times to do a Security Assessment:

• During an upgrade or new install is the perfect time to do a security audit/assessment.  This will save time in having to go back after you do the upgrade or new install and will save a lot of re-work if issues are identified ahead of time.

• It is also highly recommended to perform the assessment before an internal or external audit, especially if you have not had an assessment in a while.

Make sure to allow time for an assessment as part of your upgrade plan.  It will yield significant dividends.

Q: Can I configure JAS instances on the same server to run in different time zones?

A:  Yes!  Let's say you have two production JAS instances running on the same server.  The first instance is designed for local production users at the corporate location in the US-Eastern time zone.  The second instance is designed for users connecting in from Tianjin, China.  Since the server that is hosting these JAS instances is located in the corporate data center and is set to US-Eastern Time Zone setting, both instances will inherit that setting.  

The solution is to utilize the Java Arguments section to force one of the instances to a specific time zone.  This will need to be changed within the admin console setup based on your Web Server (WLS, WAS, or OAS).  It is the same location that you utilize for setting JVM memory settings.  You will just add one additional switch (as shown below) to alter the time zone offset from GMT that you want configured on that JVM.  This example is the offset used for Tianjin, China (GMT+08:00):

-Duser.timezone=GMT+08:00

After completing this change, the JVM will need to be recycled to reflect these changes.

What is the next number in the pattern below:

 

131

517

192

123

?

After having worked with many individuals on the GSI team in previous roles, Chanon decided it was time to work for GSI, where integrity and "family" culture are key elements of the corporate mission.  We couldn't be happier and prouder to have her.  She brings with her a level of experience and new ideas that will help us continue to grow and expand the services our clients expect from us. 

Chanon, in her "Client Manager" role, will be focused primarily on our clients where our engagements require a skilled Project Manager for functional/applications support.  Chanon brings with her top-notch skills in the JD Edwards Financials and Distribution applications.  In addition to her Client Manager role, she will be supporting our Account Executives in their endeavors to bring GSI expertise in new products and services that help our clients run their business on the JD Edwards applications platform. 

"I am focused on helping GSI with it's continued growth on the functional side of the house.  My goal is to be an integral part of all of our clients' success by focusing on improving their business processes," said Chanon.

What is her favorite part about being a part of the GSI family?

"As we all know, the JD Edwards professional network is a very small world.  It is so nice to be part of a company where I feel like I already know everyone.  So many of us have already met in a past life, whether while I was tenured at JD Edwards or at a mutual client over the years.  It feels like I have come home!"

Chanon loves to travel, especially when the destination includes a beach.   "When I am on a vacation for a week, guaranteed I am somewhere with sand," she states.  With a two-year old and teenagers at home in Buford, Georgia, Boy Scouts, band trips, and peewee soccer, she doesn't get to do that as often as she'd like to.   

Chanon describes herself as passionate about her family and about embracing new things every day with a desire to learn and to be challenged.

Connect with Chanon on Linkedin:

www.linkedin.com/pub/chanon-dillard/4/50/2a2

Vertex's job? Help customers streamline the tax process. Respond more quickly to compressed cycles. Gain more control and reduce exposure. And free limited tax resources for more important, strategic initiatives.

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Since 1978, over 10,000 corporate customers have relied on us for innovative tax processing solutions. Combining advanced technology, sophisticated software, and an exceptional team of experienced tax experts, we help our customers unlock huge process and productivity gains, limit risk, and make tax a more integral, strategic contributor to business success. Our offerings are showcased by Vertex Enterprise™, a data-driven, open-architecture approach to tax technology that integrates all direct and indirect tax processes and technologies with host financial system applications on a single platform. The result is increased efficiency, control, transparency and strategic decision making for Tax and Finance departments.  

Vertex is a privately held company that employs over 600 professionals at its headquarters in the U.S. (Berwyn, Pa.) and offices in Europe (London), Brazil (São Paulo), Atlanta, Dallas, Fort Collins, Naperville, Phoenix, Sarasota, and Washington, DC. We've earned a reputation as an innovator in terms of corporate culture with our approach to work-life balance and employee development.

By Cathy Gallagher, Vice President of Delivery, and Bob Aikins, Business Analyst  

 The partnership between ReportsNow® (www.reportsnow.com ) and GSI provide the JD Edwards (JDE) community outstanding reporting solutions.

Since the company was founded in 2003, ReportsNow has been a premier reporting solution provider to thousands of JDE users throughout the world. Its JDE-focused tools replace complex reporting processes with a simple method of creating beautiful, real-time reports. ReportsNow helps companies answer tough business questions with unprecedented speed and agility while alleviating the dependency on IT resources.

Data Access Studio™, a real time reporting platform developed by ReportsNow, creates meaningful reports for JDE customers without waiting weeks or months for IT involvement. Data Access Studio, together with Automator and Report Bundles, enable business users to easily create queries, operational reports, analytics and dashboards.

By Richard Jackson, Principal Solution Architect

 

As a certified Oracle Gold Partner and a recognized industry leader, The Andrews Group LLC ( www.andrewscg.com) specializes in providing software and a broad spectrum of business, functional and technical consulting services centered on the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and World applications.  With over 28 years of experience and a staff of over 80 industry professionals, Andrews has been providing solutions to numerous businesses of all sizes and across a variety of industries.

In addition, our Inventory product RapidReconciler® (www.rapidreconciler.com), is used by over 200 companies in 17 countries to streamline their JD Edwards inventory to general ledgerreconciliation process. Using RapidReconciler®, companies are able to easily identify the root cause of the issue and take corrective action thereby minimizing future occurrences.

GSI and The Andrews Group LLC partner to bring a full complement of both technical and functional expertise necessary to meet the diverse needs of each client.