Oracle Cloud Environment Post Refresh P2T Checklist

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Do you have to put out myriads of fires after ever P2T? Did the vendor file go out of non-Prod environment and caused confusion? Hundreds of users received email for invoices named TEST123? Dev team is complaining because they can’t get into the pod and its delaying there development?

If you have heard or dealt with any of these questions yourself – then please sit down, and keep reading!

Everytime you refresh Oracle Cloud SaaS environment via a P2T or T2T, several post refresh steps must be taken in order to get the environment right.

Every time you refresh or clone a test environment from Production – P2T – you need to follow certain steps to keep the environment ready for its purpose.

There can be 10 to 100 steps involved depending on your operational systems and other applications that Oracle talks to.

A checklist can help in such cases. We have compiled a list of 50+ things that you’d do for an Oracle cloud financials, HCM implementation where a P2T is involved.

Here is our suggested checklist that you can use as is, or modify to suit your needs.

Here is the Oracle cloud pod/environment P2T/ T2T Checklist for Post Refresh activities. A few days before refresh you should start preparing for the refresh. This includes communicating to the right stakeholders about upcoming refreshes and activities that needs to happen. The most important activity of all is communication.

Pre-Refresh:

  1. Communicate to all stakeholders when the refresh is happening. Key information to include is Source, Target, Refresh start dates, Tentative completion date and Purpose of refresh.
  2. Remind everyone that they need to backup their code and configurations, if any, to avoid losing any data.
  3. If you want the users to retain their access after refresh, you may want to export the list of users from the non-prod, and their assigned roles/data access to that it can be provided again. Note that Kloudstage can do this for you automatically!
  4. To retain custom BI objects, export them from the target environment before the environment refresh and import them back after, using the BI archive/unarchive facility.
  5. To retain custom BICC Extract definitions, export them from the target environment before the environment refresh using the Export Customization /Configuration/ Import Customization in the Manage Offerings and Data Stores user interface.
  6. To retain in-process UI extensions, export them from the target environment before an environment refresh and import them back after. See Oracle Applications Extensibility Guide for Business Analysts.
  7. To retain some functional setup in the target, export it from the target environment before the environment refresh and import it back after, using FSM’s Configuration Package capability.
  8. To retain custom HCM Extract definitions, export them from the target environment before the environment refresh and import them back after, using the export/import function on the Manage HCM Extracts Definition user interface.
  9. Oracle Transactional Business Intelligence Enterprise (OTBI-E)
    • Turn off all OTBI-E loads during the period scheduled for the environment refresh.
    • Run the OTBI-E full load process after the environment refresh is complete.
    • Allow the OTBI-E incremental load to handle subsequent changes.

Post Refresh:

  1. Banner Message – It is advisable to have a banner message in the environment landing page header to identify the instance and its purpose. Example – DEV2 – Training environment (Last P2T 1/1/2021). Here are step by step instructions on how to change the banner message in Oracle Cloud.
  2. Turn Email notifications Off – In the Business Process Manager turn email notifications off so that emails do not get triggered by mistake. This is done by changing notifications mode to “None”
  3. Put the test email notification address to override all BPM notifications.
  4. Another option to keep the email notifications going but avoid sending to all users is to mask email addresses. Find out how kloudstage can do this for your automatically by masking the email addresses across your pod.
  5. Verify and Update ESS Job schedules as needed.
  6. Verify and Update Reports Job Schedules.
  7. Update “Control Supplier Communication” profile option to Disable to avoid sending emails to vendors.
  8. For OTBI and BIP reports in Financials to work properly, Create General Ledger Balances Cube with the proper Chart of Accounts, Accounting Calendar and Starting Period Parameters.
  9. Configure Account Receivables System options, where you need to update the E-mail address entered at Transaction Delivery & Statement Delivery “From E-mail” field. You’ll need to do this for all BUs.
  10. Update Collection Preferences to stop sending Dunning Letters to Customers.
  11. Update Payment Process profile to stop sending remittance letter to the suppliers.
  12. Update Transmission Payment System Accounts for BACS and Checks.
  13. Whitelist email delivery domain. Here are further instructions on this topic.
  14. Point your FTP servers to Test services instead of prod.
  15. Remove vacation rules
  16. Change encryption keys for HCM extracts
  17. User access disabled to non required users.
  18. SSO enabled/disabled as needed.
  19. Security Keys disabled form PROD copy so that no integrations incorrectly impact production.
  20. Any Service account not needed are disabled.
  21. Change password for Admin user account
  22. Disable or Re-route Notifications
  23. Add back Non Prod Service account
  24. Disable production-only users
  25. Load development only (nonproduction) users
  26. Grant proper roles to development only users
  27. Grant additional roles to users that were in production but need additional permissions
  28. Change any master user passwords to dev password
  29. Change theme to reflect non-production color and logo
  30. Payment Wallet Migration- During a P2T environment refresh, the Payment wallet stored in OPSS is migrated. Important! Do not run any payment batches in nonproduction until you’ve migrated the address wallet. If you do run payment batches, you’ll accidentally send payment files to the bank’s production server.
  31. Update Bank Wallet
  32. If requested, restore backup of BI custom folder objects taken pre-refresh.
  33. The following are recommended by Oracle for HCM-
  34. Synchronize Person Records
  35. Update Person Search Keywords
  36. Refresh Manager Hierarchy
  37. Send Pending LDAP Requests
  38. Retrieve Latest LDAP Requests
  39. Import User and Role Application Security Data
  40. Review ESS process parameters.
  41. After the environment refresh, review the process parameters in the target for your key ESS processes.
  42. Reestablish scheduling and reset those default parameters (for example, the number of threads) you want to change.
  43. EssBase cubes- Create EssBase cubes in the target environment after the environment refresh, by submitting standard jobs through the Scheduler page.
  44. Ensure correct GL, Encumbrance (within GL), and Subledger periods are opened.
  45. Run “”Transfer Control Budget Balances to Essbase”” process for each Control Budget
  46. Update IP addresses and passwords for bank accounts in Manage Transmission Configurations
  47. If attempting “”Process Electronic Bank Statement”” and wallet error is received, an SR must be created with Oracle.
  48. Update links to external applications or services (3rd Party, EPM, OTM, ICS, etc.)
  49. Use Rapid Implementation Templates to reload configuration data, though there’s not 100% coverage. Unpublished Sandboxes aren’t overwritten with P2T.
  50. Run the OTBI-E full load process after the environment refresh is complete.
  51. Allow the OTBI-E incremental load to handle subsequent changes.
  52. User interface extensions maintained in ADF sandboxes
  53. To retain in-process UI extensions, export them from the target environment before an environment refresh and import them back after. See Oracle Applications Extensibility Guide for Business Analysts
  54. Functional setup, including HCM FastFormula – Precompiled
  55. HCM FastFormula – Compiled
  56. After the environment refresh, compile all FastFormula using the Compile Formula process that does so.
  57. HCM Extract definitions
  58. Procurement: Punchout – may not apply to all clients.
  59. Need to add Password in “Manage Catalogs” page after refresh of the environment for each BU since it’s wiped out.
  60. Communicate to all required stakholders post refresh, and when the environment is ready for their use!

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