Oracle OpenWorld 2012 - Tuesday Report

The Cloud

I'm finding out more about how the Cloud will work for customers.  I've heard many concerns about the perceived limitations of using SaaS because customers won't be able to 'customise' their applications.  I'm not a great supporter of this idea, because SaaS is a Service you are buying, not an application you install yourself and then can do what you like with it.  After all, if you buy a car on a contract hire basis you wouldn't expect to be allowed to add custom components because you don't own the car it's just provided to you as a service - so why should software be any different?

But, Oracle have come up with an intriguing idea - 'Java in the Cloud' or 'Platform as a Service'.  Here you can create your own 'custom' applications in Java which you can then integrate with Fusion Apps which is also in the same cloud.

Mobility

Mobility is a big theme here this week. Fusion Tap is now available from the Apple iStore.  Download it and be surprised by the functionality and user experience.  It's really good, and is going to be extended as new functionality comes on stream in Fusion Apps.

Oracle's approach to mobility is to use ADF and to write 'native' apps, using HTML 5 and consuming iPad device side components like GPS, FaceTime etc. to enhance the user experience. Anything available in the desktop version of the application, will be inherited by the Cloud app. So, if you make a change using the Page Composer in the application, your iPad app will inherit it. 

The 4 composers will all affect the cloud based apps:

The Application Composer: To add objects, fields, filters
The Reports Composer: To add or amend seeded BI
The Process Composer: To tailor the seeded process to reflect your own versions
The Page Composer: To change the way your screen looks

UI Changes

There are also signigficant user interface changes being made to Fusion HCM to make the 'casual user' have abetter and simplifed self service experience. Cleaner, neater, simpler screens with 'just enough' information for the user to do the ad-hoc transaction.

There are also signigficant user interface changes being made to Fusion HCM to make the 'casual user' have abetter and simplifed self service experience.  Cleaner, neater, simpler screens with 'just enough' information for the user to do the ad-hoc transaction.

Oracle OpenWorld 2012 - Monday Report

Here's a brief round-up of the news I've got from some of the Fusion Apps sessions I've been attending here at OOW 12.

Acquisitions

Recent acquisitions have increased the Fusion footprint.  Taleo recruiting is going to be the Fusion recriuitment module and Taleo Learning will become the Learning Management module.  It will take some time to assimilate these into the prodcut set, and in particular into the user interface, but this is now definitely the strategy.

Social Awareness

Social Awareness is being built in to Fusion Apps.  Objects are being made socially aware and exposed to RSS feeds, chats, activity streams etc. This will become apparent in a further article I will publish on Workforce Reputation Management.

Adoption

Most customers are opting for a SaaS model, and within those customers most are doing some sort of co-existence.

We all know (or I hope you do by now if you've been reading my posts) that Fusion HCM as SaaS means you can't 'customise' the application, particularly from the back-end.  But now Oracle are promoting Platform as a Service whereby you can develop in the cloud.  Now, you will be able to develop extensions in your Platform as a Service cloud and integrate them with your SaaS service.

Fusion Tap

Oracle has announced that you can download Fusion Tap from the Apple App Store.  I can't find it, buit I'm sure it's there somewhere!  It can be operated in two modes, a) demo mode whereby you can use if with some seeded data or b) connected to your Fsuion Apps system (if you have one).  So, get downloading now!

Release Strategy

Now that Oracle has real live customers on Fusion Apps, it needs to ensure some stability for them.  So, in future, new releases of Fusion are likely to occur 3 times a year rather than every quarter as now.