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HCM Oracle Fusion Applications

Release 9 Upgrade Process


White Paper
OR AC LE WHI TE P AP E R

J AN U ARY 20 15

Disclaimer
The following is intended to outline our general product direction. It 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.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Table of Contents
Disclaimer

Upgrade Overview

Pre-Upgrade Survey

Upgrade Notifications

Release Information

Available Training

Getting Access to Customer Connect

How to Confirm or Reschedule Upgrade Dates

How to Change Upgrade Dates after Confirmation

Deadline for Making Changes to a Scheduled Upgrade

Testing the Upgrade on Your Test/Stage Environment

Additional Testing Time between Test/Stage and Production Upgrades

Shorter Testing Time between Test/Stage and Production Upgrades

Outage Time for Upgrade

10

Update Bundle to Be Applied after Upgrade

10

Notification of Downtime for Upgrade

10

System Backups before Upgrade

10

Reporting Issues after the Upgrade

10

Skipping the Release 9 Upgrade

11

End of Release 8 Patching

11

Scheduling a Production to Test (P2T) Before Upgrade

12

P2T requests for Fusion HCM-Only Customers

12

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

P2T Requests for Customers Using the Delivered Integration between Fusion HCM and
Taleo Recruiting

12

How Close to an Upgrade Can I Schedule A P2T Content Migration?

13

Restrictions and Procedures for a P2T Content Migration

13

Pre-Upgrade Checklist

14

Post Upgrade Validation

15

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Upgrade Overview
Oracle Fusion HCM Cloud Services provide customers with a flexible upgrade program. This flexible
upgrade program allows you to plan your upgrade around critical business cycles performance
reviews, compensation cycles, end of year work, etc.
During the upgrade program you can select an upgrade slot that works in support of your business
needs. Oracle offers a sizable 4 month window within which you can select your upgrade slot.
Customers can then remain on their current release (N-1) until their selected upgrade time; while at
the same time, other customers are up-taking the latest release (N).
Oracle anticipates that the Fusion HCM Release 9 upgrade program will run from December 2014
through March 2015.
The following BPMN diagram provides an overview of the upgrade process.
Note: To view the BPMN diagram in more detail, open the attachment named Upgrade Process
Diagram in MOS article 1928157.1.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Please note that the Release 9 upgrade process requires that Test/Stage environments can ONLY be
upgraded midweek with downtime starting on Tuesdays. Production environments can ONLY be
upgraded on weekends based on the standard maintenance window start time for your patching
region. The default testing time between the Test/Stage upgrade and Production upgrade is 3.5
weeks.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Upgrade Communications
Pre-Upgrade Survey
At the beginning of the upgrade period, the primary upgrade contact or Service Administrator will receive an email
with a link to the upgrade survey. The purpose of this survey is to:

Confirm additional contacts for the upgrade

Collect your preferred upgrade dates

Gather information about your critical business cycles

It is important that this survey be completed in order to help Oracle schedule your upgrade for a date that is
convenient for you. If you do not return the survey then your upgrade will be scheduled in the first available upgrade
window. Any contacts that you provide in the survey will be added to the Cloud Notification Portal (if they are not
already listed). Oracle will make every effort to accommodate your critical dates but can make no guarantees.
A few weeks after the survey has been sent out, you will receive an Upgrade Schedule Notification from the Cloud
Notification Portal with proposed dates for upgrading each of your environments.

Upgrade Notifications
All communication related to the upgrade will be sent to those contacts listed in the Oracle Cloud Service
Notification Portal. It is the responsibility of the customer Notification Portal Admin to ensure that all contacts are
kept up to date.
If you need to add additional users to the notification list, please see My Oracle Support (MOS) article Managing
Notifications in the Cloud Portal (Doc ID 1536370.1).

Release Information
Release Readiness material can be found on the Customer Connect Release 9 Dashboard. Here you will also find
upgrade information, webcasts and community discussions.
A SaaS Release 9 Readiness page is available on cloud.oracle.com. This page includes information on whats
new in Release 9, Release Content Documents (RCD), and release training content.
You should review what is new in the release, and give some thought as to what new features would benefit your
users. Where possible, Oracle strives to allow you to control when the new feature is exposed to your end users.
This allows you to upgrade, and then manage the introduction and use of new features into your user community
at a pace that works for you. Oracle recommends that you upgrade and validate all existing functionality in use and
then plan to implement new features at a later time. This is suggested due to the limited amount of time to perform
testing between Test/Stage and Production upgrades.

Available Training
Oracle will host HCM Customer Connect Sessions and Office Hours Sessions on Release 9. These sessions will
be recorded and posted on Customer Connect Release 9 Dashboard.
The schedule of upcoming sessions can be found on the Release 9 Dashboard.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Getting Access to Customer Connect


Customer Connect is a community for Oracle customers to collaborate and connect.
If your company is not already a member of Customer Connect then you will need to contact your Oracle
Applications Sales Manager (ASM) to request access.
If you are already a member of Customer Connect then you can invite a co-worker to join the community with just a
few simple steps:
1. Log in to Customer Connect
2. Select red button Invite your co-worker to our community located in the upper right hand corner of the page.
3. Enter their email address, name, and submit the request.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Scheduling Your Upgrade


How to Confirm or Reschedule Upgrade Dates
Once you have received the Upgrade Schedule Notification with the scheduled dates and times, you must log a
Service Request (SR) on My Oracle Support (MOS) to either confirm the Upgrade Schedule or request a change
to the Upgrade Schedule.
Complete the following steps to create the Upgrade Confirmation SR in MOS:
1. Login to My Oracle Support
2.

Click the Create SR button under the Service Request section of the page

3.

To confirm the upgrade schedule dates, enter Problem Summary = REL9 Upgrade Confirmation

4.

To request a change, enter Problem Summary = REL9 Upgrade Change Request

5.

Enter the same text for Problem Description

6.

Under the Where is the Problem? section, select the Cloud tab:

7.

a.

Service Type: Select Oracle Fusion Global Human Resources Cloud Service

b.

Problem Type: Hosting Services Maintenance > Upgrade Confirmation

c.

Support Identifier Customer CSI (this should default to your CSI)

Click Next and answer the following questions in the template

1)

Please acknowledge that you have been notified about your production and stage upgrade dates.

Non-Production (Stage/Test) Environment Upgrade Start Date Provided by Oracle:

Production Environment Upgrade Start Date Provided by Oracle:

2)

Please provide URL names for the Stage/Test and Production environments.
Test Env URL:
Production Env URL:

3)

Please provide contact Information


a) Name:
b) Email:
c) Phone numbers
i.
Office:
ii.
Cell:

4)

If this is a request to reschedule then please provide your preferred dates:


Note: Oracle will make every effort to accommodate the dates requested but cannot make any
guarantees.

5)

Business reason for rescheduling the Upgrade:

As these requests are not production system/service impacting issues, please expect a slower turnaround on
them. The SR should NOT be logged as a Severity 1 issue.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

1. Click Next and select Severity 3.


2. Click Submit.
Once the dates are confirmed, the SR will be closed.
IMPORTANT: If an Upgrade Confirmation SR has not been logged two weeks before scheduled upgrade date,
then your environments will be removed from the originally scheduled upgrade window and moved to a mandatory
upgrade window.

How to Change Upgrade Dates after Confirmation


If you want to change your upgrade dates after confirmation (i.e. after original SR has been closed), then you
should file a new SR.
You must provide a business reason for the need to reschedule and include your new requested upgrade dates.
Note: Test/Stage environments are scheduled ONLY on Tuesdays and Production environments are scheduled
ONLY on the weekends.

Deadline for Making Changes to a Scheduled Upgrade


To change a scheduled upgrade, Oracle requires at least one weeks notice prior to the scheduled start of your
upgrade.

Testing the Upgrade on Your Test/Stage Environment


All Test/Stage environments are scheduled to be upgraded during the week beginning on a Tuesday at 9am PT.
Production environments are scheduled to be upgraded over the weekend approximately 3.5 weeks later. If you
allow for one week's notice to change an upgrade date, this gives 2.5 weeks to test and validate the upgrade. Most
customers have found this to be sufficient time. If you need additional time to test the upgrade, then you can
request a longer testing time using the Upgrade Survey.
If you have more than 2 environments, then the standard process is to upgrade your additional
Test/Development/Stage environments after your Production environment has been upgraded, on the following
Tuesday.

Additional Testing Time between Test/Stage and Production Upgrades


Based on the products you have implemented, testing plans, and resources available, you will need to determine
how much time will be required to test your key business processes and functionality.
While your Test/Stage environment is being upgraded, remember that if you encounter a significant issue in your
Production environment you will be without a test environment to validate the fix prior to applying in Production.

Shorter Testing Time between Test/Stage and Production Upgrades


If you are not yet live in production and have not started setting up your Production environment, you can request
that your production environment be upgraded as early as possible to keep the environment at the same level as
your Test/Stage environment. If you havent started setting up your Production environment, then no data is
available to validate.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Release 9 Upgrade
Outage Time for Upgrade
The estimated outage time for the Release 9 upgrade is 48 hours, but actual time may vary based on the amount
of data in your environment.
If your environment has any language packs installed, the upgrade time will be extended by approximately 3 hours
for each language pack.

Update Bundle to Be Applied after Upgrade


The Update Bundle which will be applied after the Test/Stage environment has been upgraded will be the version
that is available to all other customers Test/Stage environments. The latest Update Bundle will be applied if the
upgrade takes place on or after the day that the Update Bundle is applied to all Test/Stage environments (1st
weekend of the month).
The Update Bundle which will be applied after the Production environment has been upgraded will be the version
that is available to all other customers Production environments. The latest Update Bundle will be applied if the
upgrade takes place on or after the day that the Update Bundle is applied to all Production environments (3rd
weekend of the month).

Notification of Downtime for Upgrade


Approximately a week prior to the upgrade you will receive a notification from Cloud Operations reminding you of
the start time for your upgrade. This will happen for both Stage and Production environments.
You will also receive an additional notification when the upgrade has completed and the environment is available
again.

System Backups before Upgrade


Before the upgrade is started a complete system back up is taken.

Reporting Issues after the Upgrade


If you find any issues during your testing that are related to the upgrade then you should file an SR.
An issue related to the upgrade is described as a problem/issue that did NOT exist before the upgrade.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

When logging an upgrade related Service Request (SR) please file the SR using the Software tab, and then select
the new upgraded version for the release version. You must also include the string REL9UPG at the beginning of
the Problem Summary. This tag will be used by Support Management to help prioritize Upgrade issues and their
resolution.

Skipping the Release 9 Upgrade


Oracle offers a flexible upgrade program during which time you can select an upgrade slot that works in support of
your business needs. The upgrade program has a sizable 4 month window within which you can select your
upgrade slot.
This flexibility means you can remain on the current release until your upgrade slot, but you cannot skip
upgrades. There is no provision in the Oracle Cloud Enterprise Hosting and Delivery policy for skipping upgrades.
Please refer to section 5.2 on Software Versioning in the Oracle Cloud Enterprise Hosting and Delivery Policy.
Oracle only supports current version (N) and immediate previous version (N-1) of the HCM cloud service. Prior to
the release of a new version (N+1), all customers must be on the latest release version (N).

End of Release 8 Patching


Fleet-wide patching of Release 8 will be scaled down as the Release 9 upgrade program comes to a close.
Patching will end after most others customers have upgraded to the next release level.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Production to Test (P2T) Content Migration


Scheduling a Production to Test (P2T) Before Upgrade
If you are in production with one or more Fusion HCM Cloud Services, your Test/Stage upgrade should be applied
to an environment which is similar to your Production environment. You can achieve that via a Production-to-Test
(P2T) content migration--requested via an SR--which copies data from your Production environment to a
Test/Stage environment. If you are not in production or if you have recently had a P2T from your Production
environment to the Test/Stage environment being upgraded, you do not need to request a pre-upgrade P2T.
Special instructions for requesting a pre-upgrade P2T appear below. Note that the SR Template you must use for
the P2T request varies depending upon whether or not you use the delivered integration between Fusion HCM
and Taleo Recruting. Those customers using this integration must concurrently request both the Fusion P2T and
Taleo Refresh to assure that data in your Test/Stage environments remain synched between the two applications.

P2T requests for Fusion HCM-Only Customers


Details on the P2T process can be found in article Doc ID 1534683.1 on My Oracle Support. Open the attachment
entitled Fusion HCM P2T Standard.
A Production to Test (P2T) Content Migration can NOT be requested in the same SR as that used for confirming
the schedule of your the upgrade. You must file a separate SR for a P2T.
1. Login to My Oracle Support.
2. Click the Create SR button under the Service Request section of the page.
3. Enter Problem Summary = REL9 Upgrade P2T Request.
4. Enter a Problem Description.
5. Under the Where is the Problem? section, select the Cloud tab:

Service Type: Select Oracle Fusion Global Human Resources Cloud Service.

Problem Type: Hosting Services Application > Fusion HCM P2T Standard.

Support Identifier Customer CSI (this should default to your CSI).


6. Click Next to complete the template.

P2T Requests for Customers Using the Delivered Integration between Fusion
HCM and Taleo Recruiting
Details on the P2T process can be found in article Doc ID 1534683.1 on My Oracle Support. Open the attachment
entitled Taleo Zone Refresh with Fusion HCM P2T.
A Production to Test (P2T) Content Migration can NOT be requested in the same SR as that used for confirming
the schedule of your the upgrade. You must file a separate SR for a P2T.
1. Login to My Oracle Support.
2. Click the Create SR button under the Service Request section of the page.
3. Enter Problem Summary = REL9 Upgrade Taleo Zone Refresh/Fusion HCM P2T
4. Enter a Problem Description.
5. Under the Where is the Problem? section, select the Cloud tab:
a. Service Type: Select Oracle Fusion Global Human Resources Cloud Service.
b. Problem Type: Hosting Services Application > Taleo Zone Refresh with Fusion HCM
P2T.
c. Support Identifier Customer CSI (this should default to your CSI).
6. Click Next to complete the template.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

How Close to an Upgrade Can I Schedule A P2T Content Migration?


Currently a Production to Test (P2T) content migration takes approximately 24 - 48 hours, depending upon the
amount of data being migrated. You should schedule the P2T so that it completes at least 72 hours prior to a
scheduled upgrade start time to allow for pre-upgrade activities to be performed after the P2T is completed.
Therefore, as a general rule of thumb, Production to Test (P2T) content migrations should be scheduled to begin
outside the blackout period AND 5 days prior to the upgrade activities.
Please note: During the blackout period no P2T content migrations can be performed. The blackout period is
from the 1st Friday in each month until the 4th Monday in each month. (i.e. Monday after the 3rd Friday).

Restrictions and Procedures for a P2T Content Migration


Customers who require a P2T content migration prior to their upgrades must adhere to the same restrictions and
procedures that are in place for all P2Ts.

P2T requests can be filed up to 12 weeks before the required date.

P2T content migrations require a minimum of 3 weeks advance notice.

Ensure that you pick the P2T category when creating the SR (so that the appropriate template questions
are provided during the SR creation).

Production and Test/Stage environments must be at the same patch level. See HCM Cloud patching
article Doc ID 1619092.1 for more information on patching and P2T.

Production and Test/Stage environments must have the same language packs installed.

No P2T content migrations will be performed during the blackout period. The blackout period is from the
1st Friday in each month until the Monday after the 3rd Friday in each month.
See: Cloud Service Requests and Fulfillment for Oracle HCM Cloud Service (Doc ID 1534683.1) for more
information on P2Ts.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Pre-Upgrade Checklist

The Cloud Notification Portal Admin should ensure the correct contacts are listed in the Cloud Notification
Portal - only contacts listed in the Cloud Notification Portal will receive notifications related to the
upgrade.

Attend the Release 9 HCM Upgrade Planning & Logistics HCM Live session. View details on the
Customer Connect Release 9 Dashboard.

Review the Release 9 documentation on the Customer Connect Release 9 Dashboard.

Review Release 9 enhancements and make necessary plans to implement new functionality after your
upgrade is complete.

Communicate any minor changes or enhancements to your user base.

If a Production to Test (P2T) Content Migration is required, file an SR via My Oracle Support.

Confirm the upgrade schedule dates received in the Upgrade Schedule Notification via a SR, instructions
above in section How to confirm/reschedule upgrade dates .

If you have used HCM sandboxes, review and delete sandboxes that are not needed and publish the
sandboxes that would be needed after upgrade to avoid loss of data only published sandboxes will be
available after the upgrade.

Evaluate and preserve your customized reports.


o

Option 1: Move all customer reports to one of these safe folders:

Custom folder under Shared Folders if reports should be available to others.

My Folder if report will not be shared.

Changes to reports in other folders will be overwritten.

Option 2: Archive reports on your local machine.

Upload reports after upgrade. Instructions can be found here: Doc ID 1581294.1

Check for and save any custom Help text using Functional Setup Manager (FSM), it will need to be
restored after the upgrade.

Create test plans that validate all necessary business processes to include test scripts, and any minor
new functionality that will be used immediately after upgrade .
o

Basic testing can be the standard test scripts that a customer runs after the Update Bundles are
applied.

Standard test scripts should be enhanced based on the new functionality of the release that will
be used immediately after the upgrade.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

Post Upgrade Validation


Once the upgrade has been completed you should complete a thorough test of your upgraded environment as
soon as possible.

Give test users access to the upgraded Test/Stage environment.

Execute your non-transactional test plan and record the results.

Execute your transactional test plan and record the results.

Log a SR for any issue that is related to the upgrade with REL9UPG at the beginning of the Problem
Summary.

Review readiness to upgrade production environment.

Ensure you have suitable workarounds for any minor issues filed during stage testing which are not due
to be fixed in production upgrade.

Verify any SRs filed during stage testing that are due to be fixed in production upgrade.

Enable Single Sign-On (SSO) in stage for regression testing, if applicable.

HCM ORACLE FUSION APPLICATIONS RELEASE 9 UPGRADE PROCESS

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