Implementation and Setup

This chapter covers the following topics:

Setup Checklist

Oracle Asset Tracking enables you to track an item instance regardless of the location and also to perform the financial updates automatically.

Users may use both the tracking and financial update functionality or just the instance tracking capability.

If you are not using asset creation through Oracle Asset Tracking, then you do not have to perform the setups in Oracle Projects and Oracle Assets.

The following table is a comprehensive list of all setup steps that must be completed:

Setup Steps for Oracle Asset Tracking
Step Title
1. Install required Oracle application modules
2. Define users with required responsibilities
3. Define system profile options for Oracle Asset Tracking
4. Define system profile options for all the dependent responsibilities
5. Define Oracle Inventory parameters
6. Define Oracle Purchasing parameters
7. Define Oracle Payables parameters
8. Define Oracle Projects parameters
9. Define Oracle Assets parameters
10. Perform Oracle Install Base setup tasks
11. Set Up Internal Orders for Assets
12. Set Up Workflow Notification Options
13. Explaining the Open Interface Flow for Assets

Note: If you are an Oracle Install Base user and want to limit your tracking to customer products only, then perform steps 2 and 4..

Install Required Oracle Application Modules

The following Oracle application modules must be installed and set up before you set up Oracle Asset Tracking:

You must also install the following if you are using internal sales orders for normal items:

Use a standard setup for Oracle Purchasing, Oracle Assets, Oracle General Ledger, Oracle Payables. For detailed setup information on all of these applications consult the appropriate documentation set.

Note: You must also install and set up Oracle Human Resource Management System (HRMS).

In Oracle HRMS, you must set up users with the ability to approve purchase orders.

For detailed setup information on Oracle HRMS, please refer to the Oracle HRMS implementation documentation appropriate to the country where the application is being installed.

Define Users with Responsibilities in Oracle Application Modules

After you have installed the required Oracle application modules, you must define users with responsibilities to enable users to perform the appropriate tasks in each application module.

For more information on setting up responsibilities and users, see the Oracle E-Business Suite System Administrator's Guide.

Define System Profile Options for Oracle Asset Tracking

The system profile options for Oracle Asset Tracking determine how messages are dequeued, where the history file for debugging is located, and where event notifications are sent.

Use the System Profile Values window to make changes to your profile settings. Do not enter user values unless you require a setting that is different from the default setting.

To define system profile options for Oracle Asset Tracking

  1. From the Navigator for the System Administrator responsibility, choose Profile and then select System.

  2. In the Profile Name field of the Find System Profile Values window, enter CSE% and click Find.

    In the System Profile Values window, define the profile options as follows:

    Oracle Asset Tracking Module Profile Option Settings
    Profile Name Default Value Profile Option Function Required
    CSE: Create Assets when issued to Field from Expense Subinventory for Asset Items (Default value = NO) N This profile option controls whether to create asset for asset items when they are issued to field location from an expense subinventory. By default, this option is set to "No". Using this profile option, the asset would not be created and the transaction would be marked as complete. Optional
    CSE: Create Assets when issued to Field for Expense Items (Default value = YES) Y This profile option controls whether to create asset for expense items when they are issued to field location from both expense and asset subinventory. By default, this option is set to "Yes". Using this profile option, an asset (with zero cost) would be created. Y
    CSE: Debug Log Directory /sqlcom/temp/ Sets the file and directory of the debug log file. DBA can create own path of directory for fog file Y
    CSE: Debug Option Y Enter Y (yes) or N (no) to control the debugging function for the message dequeuer. Y
    CSE: FA Book Type Code   This option is used to set the appropriate FA book type code for creating assets from the depreciable item, based on the site and organization:
    • If there is a different book at the site level and at the organization level, the organization book is selected.

    • If there is no book set at organization level , then the book at site level is selected.

    Optional
    CSE: PA Expenditure Type   The default expenditure type used when material is issued to a project. Optional
    CSE: Use eIB Costing Hook Y This must be set to Y if you are using Oracle Asset Tracking. Y
    CSI: Use Parallel Mode No Determines which approach to use to process order lines in Install Base (SFM or Concurrent program). Optional

Define System Profile Options for All Dependent Responsibilities

After the modules Oracle Inventory, Oracle Projects, Oracle Assets, Oracle Purchasing, Oracle Payables, Oracle General Ledger, Oracle Install Base and Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager have been installed, you must define a number of system profile options for each responsibility associated with each dependent Oracle application module, as well as Oracle Asset Tracking itself.

The following table shows the full list of the responsibilities that are required for each of the profile options.

Responsibilities Required for Profile Option Setup
Oracle Application Module Sample Responsibility Name
Oracle Inventory Inventory Manager
Oracle Purchasing Purchasing Manager
Oracle Payables Payable Manager
Oracle Projects CRL 11i Projects
Oracle Assets Assets Manager
Oracle General Ledger General Ledger
Oracle Install Base Install Base Administrator
Oracle Asset Tracking Asset Tracking Manager
Oracle Order Management Order Management Super User

Note: The responsibility names in the table are sample responsibility names. For your installation, use the appropriate equivalent responsibility name or names set up for each Oracle application module.

The following table shows the supplementary profile options that are required to be set up. The table first shows the profile options that must be set up for each of the responsibilities listed in the preceding table. This is followed by the profile options that are required for specific responsibilities only.

Supplementary Profile Options Required for Oracle Asset Tracking
Profile Options Profile Level Responsibilities
MO: Operating Unit Responsibility All responsibilities in preceding table.
GL Set of Books Name Responsibility All responsibilities in preceding table.
MO: Security Profile Responsibility All responsibilities in preceding table.
HR: Business Group Responsibility All responsibilities in preceding table.
HR: Security Profile Responsibility All responsibilities in preceding table.
PA: Licensed to use CRL Projects Site, Responsibility All responsibilities in preceding table.
Service: Inventory Validation Organization Responsibility Oracle Asset Tracking
Oracle Install Base
Order Management
QP: Item Validation Organization Responsibility Oracle Asset Tracking
Oracle Install Base
Order Management

To define system profile options for all dependent responsibilities

  1. From the Navigator for the System Administrator responsibility, choose Profile and then select System.

    For each combination of responsibility and profile options in the preceding tables, perform steps 2 through 5.

  2. In the Responsibility field of the Find System Profile Values window, enter the appropriate responsibility, such as Inventory, Vision Enterprises.

  3. In the Profile Name field of the Find System Profile Values window, enter the Profile Value and click the Find button.

  4. Enter the appropriate value at the Responsibility level (and Site level where required).

  5. Save.

Define Oracle Inventory Parameters

This section discusses the concepts and setup steps in Oracle Inventory that have a bearing on how Oracle Asset Tracking functions.

The topics in this section are as follows:

Tracking

When an item is Oracle Asset Tracking trackable, any activity for that item passes a message to Oracle Asset Tracking for tracking.

You perform the task of making an item trackable by both Oracle Install Base and Oracle Asset Tracking in Oracle Inventory, as follows:

You must define the item as trackable at the master organization level only. Items become Install Base trackable (and Asset Tracking trackable) across all organizations. Do not change this item attribute at the organization level.

Additional Tracking Considerations

The Install Base tracking attribute of an item cannot be changed when on-hand quantity is greater than zero.

Attribute changes are not applied to pre-existing transactions in the Oracle Asset Tracking record. If you change the tracking attribute of an item from No to Yes, transactions that occurred before the change have no record in Oracle Asset Tracking. If you change the tracking attribute of an item from Yes to No, Oracle Asset Tracking no longer processes the pre-existing transactions.

Depreciable Items

Items that are trackable by Asset Tracking are defined as either normal or depreciable items. The difference between normal and depreciable items is in the way that assets can be created from the items.

For a normal item, the asset is created after an item is put in service. For a depreciable item, the asset is created when an item is received, either in Oracle Inventory or Oracle Projects.

For a depreciable item, you must define the item as depreciable at the master organization level only. Do not change this item attribute at the organization level.

For more details, see Define Depreciable Items.

Serial Number Control

You must designate serial number control for the trackable items at the master organization level. This ensures that serial number control for an item is the same across all inventory organizations. Do not change this item attribute at the organization level.

You specify serial number control in the Inventory tab.

Do not change serial control for an item after transactions have been entered.

Additional Serial Number Control Considerations

In Oracle Inventory, you may enter a miscellaneous issue transaction to remove all on-hand inventory, change the serial control attribute, then enter a miscellaneous receipt to restore the on-hand quantities. During the process of correcting on-hand quantities, items that already have transactions are not affected. As a result records in Oracle Asset Tracking do not show the change in the serial control attribute.

General Oracle Inventory Considerations

In addition, follow these restriction guidelines when setting up Oracle Inventory:

Define Organization Classifications

Oracle Asset Tracking tracks those inventory items which you have defined for Asset Tracking tracking. Each module that interacts with Oracle Asset Tracking passes messages that contain specific information for all items that are marked as Asset Tracking-tracking. For these messages to be sent and received successfully, the organizations you define must have the following classifications:

Defining Organization Parameters

When you issue material to projects and tasks, all costs are initially charged to a project clearing account. This account provides a convenient check point for tracking project costs.

Project Cost Collection Enabled must be checked on the Costing Information tab. These attributes let you enter and maintain costs for the items.

The organization parameters described below ensure that the costs associated to a project or task are passed to the clearing account for the Inventory organization that has been set up to own inventory items.

Use these steps to define organization parameters.

Prerequisites

You must define your organizations when you set up Oracle Inventory before you can define the organization parameters.

To define organization parameters

  1. In the Inventory responsibility, navigate to Setup. Select Organizations and then select Parameters.

  2. In the Organization Parameters window, click the Inventory Parameters tab and enter:

    1. The Move Order Timeout Period

    2. The Move Order Timeout Action

  3. Click the Costing Information tab and check Project Cost Collection Enabled.

  4. Click the Other Accounts tab and enter the organization's Project Clearing Account number.

  5. Save.

Defining User-Definable Transaction Types

Using the Inventory responsibility, you must define certain user-definable transaction types.

The following transactions must be defined to use Oracle Asset Tracking miscellaneous transactions.

Required Transaction Types
Name Source Type Action Check Box
Issue to Project Move Order Issue from Store Check on Project
Miscellaneous Issue to Project Inventory Issue from Store Check on Project
Miscellaneous Receipt from Project Inventory Receive into Store Check on Project
Issue to Field Location Inventory Issue from Store Check on Location Required
Return from Field Location Inventory Receive into Store Check on Location Required

You do not have to use the transaction type names as shown in the table. However, you must specify the source type and action as shown and select the Project check box for each of the transaction types required for Oracle Asset Tracking.

To define user-definable transaction types

  1. Using the Inventory responsibility, navigate to Setup. Select Transactions and then select Types.

  2. In the Transaction Types window, click the User tab.

  3. Enter name, source type, action, and check box.

  4. Save.

Defining Normal Items

You must define an item master organization and at least one organization in Oracle Asset Tracking.

To define normal items

  1. In the Oracle Inventory responsibility, navigate to Items and then select Master Items.

  2. In the Master Item window, enter the appropriate information into the header region of the window.

  3. Click the Inventory tab.

  4. Check Inventory Item.

    Stockable and Transactable are checked by default.

  5. Select the Service tab and check Track in Installed Base.

  6. Enter or select information in the remaining fields of the window.

  7. Save.

Defining Depreciable Items

You must define an item master organization and at least one organization in Oracle Asset Tracking.

To define depreciable items

  1. In the Oracle Inventory responsibility, navigate to Items and then select Master Items.

  2. In the Master Item window, enter the appropriate information into the header region of the window.

  3. Click the Inventory tab.

  4. Check Inventory Item.

    Stockable and Transactable are checked by default.

  5. Select the Service tab and check Installed Base Tracking.

  6. Choose Create Depreciable Inventory Asset from the list of values of the Asset Creation field.

  7. Enter or select information in the remaining fields of the window.

  8. Save.

Associating Subinventories to Locations

Associate asset subinventories to a location.

Defining Inventory Period

Set the first inventory period. Make sure that you align this with the current period of the other modules.

To define inventory period

  1. In the Inventory responsibility, navigate to Accounting Close Cycle and then select Inventory Accounting Periods.

  2. In the Inventory Accounting Periods window, in the first Period region, enter the current period.

  3. Save.

    Note: This is a standard setup step in Oracle Inventory. For more details, see the Oracle Inventory User's Guide.

Additional Oracle Inventory Setup Considerations

Assigning Cost to Install Base Tracking Items

You must assign cost to each item that is Install Base tracking if you are using Oracle Projects to accrue the expenditures. Oracle Asset Tracking transfers only the Material cost element that is defined for the item to Oracle Projects.

Define Shipping, Inter-Organization Shipping

Use the Inter-Organization Shipping window to define accounting information and the relationships that exist between shipping and destination organizations. You can specify whether an organization is a shipping organization, a destination organization or both. For more information see the Oracle Inventory User's Guide.

Note: For details on Oracle Inventory setup steps, please refer to the Oracle Inventory User's Guide.

Defining Oracle Purchasing Parameters

When an organization receives an item, the subinventory material account is debited and the AP accrual account is credited. When the item is issued to a project and the cost collection process is run, the project clearing account is debited and the project's account is credited.

To ensure that Oracle Asset Tracking picks up the Project clearing account for the charge account of purchase order, modify Oracle Account Generator as follows:

This modification ensures that the project clearing account used in the organization matches the credit account generated by auto-accounting for receipt transactions.

In addition, be aware of the following restrictions when setting up Oracle Purchasing:

The Accrual at Period End flow is not supported in Release 12 by Oracle Asset Tracking. It is replaced by the Receipt Accrual flow. The Subledger Architecture updates introduced in Release 12 change the way accounts are derived by the Generate Asset Lines PA process.

Oracle Asset Tracking uses this purchasing item attribute to derive the asset category it uses when it creates asset records. Set control of this attribute at the master organization level so that the asset category for an item is the same across all inventory organizations.

Defining Oracle Payables Parameters

The following is a list of Oracle Payables setup tasks:

Matching Invoice to Purchase Order

Oracle Asset Tracking uses purchase order and invoice data to adjust asset cost.

  1. In the Payables responsibility, navigate to Setup. Select Options and then select Financials.

  2. In the Financials Options window, click the Supplier - Entry tab.

  3. Set the Invoice Match Option to Purchase Order.

Defining Invoice Quantity Tolerance

Define the quantity tolerance in Oracle Payables as zero.

Defining Oracle Projects Parameters

The following is a list of Oracle Projects setup tasks:

Defining a Descriptive Flexfield for Expenditure Items

The expenditure item descriptive flexfield is mandatory for asset creation. It provides a way to view the attributes or grouping method values of an item.

To define a descriptive flexfield for expenditure items

  1. In the CRL 11i Projects responsibility, navigate to Projects. Select Setup, Flexfields, Descriptive, and then Segments.

  2. In the Descriptive Flexfield Segments window, create the descriptive flexfield for the application Oracle Projects with the title Expenditure Items.

  3. Click Segments.

  4. Refer to the following table to define the five segments in the flexfield.

    Segments in the Expenditure Items Flexfield
    Name Window Prompt Column Value Set
    Item Number Item Number ATTRIBUTE6 50 chars (no validation)
    Serial Number Serial Number ATTRIBUTE7 50 chars (no validation)
    Category Category ATTRIBUTE8 50 chars (no validation)
    Location Location ATTRIBUTE9 50 chars (no validation)
    Product Classification Product Classification ATTRIBUTE10 50 chars (no validation)
  5. Select the Displayed check box for all five segments in the flexfield.

  6. Save the data you have entered, then close the Segments Summary - Global Data Elements window.

  7. Back in the Descriptive Flexfield Segments window, select the check box Freeze Flexfield Definition.

  8. Click Compile.

    Note: In a subsequent step of setting up asset creation grouping methods, the asset creation options GROUPING ELEMENT1, GROUPING ELEMENT2, and GROUPING ELEMENT3 correspond respectively to the columns ATTRIBUTE8, ATTRIBUTE9, AND ATTRIBUTE10 defined in the Expenditure Items descriptive flexfield.

    See Set Up Asset Creation Grouping Methods for Project Expenditure Items.

Setting Up Asset Creation Grouping Methods for Project Expenditure Items

An asset can be created before a project is completed. The asset must be associated to location and asset category information. Oracle Projects can send the associated information to Oracle Asset Tracking and Oracle Assets. In turn, Oracle Asset Tracking uses this information to update the assets and the inventory system.

Use this procedure to ensure that the assets created in Oracle Projects are associated to the required location and asset category information.

To set up asset creation grouping methods for project expenditure items

  1. In the CRL Projects responsibility, select Asset Creation.

    The Asset Naming Convention window appears, with the window divided into several regions, and fields in each region.

    Note: The region Define Asset Description contains three fields.

  2. In the Asset Naming Convention window, use the lists of values to select the option values for each region name, as shown in the following table:

    Define Asset Creation
    Region Name Option Value
    Define Asset Name Task Name
    Define Asset Description Grouping Element1, Grouping Element2, Task Name
    Location Grouping Element2
    Category Grouping Element1

    Note: For Location and Category, the Grouping Element Number must correspond with attribute 8, 9, or 10, depending on which attribute was chosen to indicate location and category in the system-level descriptive flexfield setup.

    See Define a Descriptive Flexfield for Expenditure Items.

  3. Save.

Additional Oracle Projects Setup Considerations

Note these restriction guidelines when setting up Oracle Projects:

Defining Oracle Assets Parameters

The definitions of the Asset Locator and Asset Category key flexfields must be compatible with the segments of the expenditure item descriptive flexfield defined in a previous section. For more details, see Define a Descriptive Flexfield for Expenditure Items.

If you use group depreciation with Oracle Projects and Oracle Assets, you must define the Group Asset and Super Group key flexfields. The recommended values are shown in the following table.

Note: For details on Oracle Assets setup steps, please refer to the Oracle Assets User Guide..

Define Group Asset and Super Group Key Flexfields
Application Key Flexfield Suggested Segment Values
Oracle Assets Group Asset (1) City, (2) Network Element
Oracle Assets Super Group (1) Region, (2) Product Line

In addition, be aware of the following:

Performing Oracle Install Base Setup Tasks

After Oracle Inventory, Oracle Projects, Oracle Assets, Oracle Purchasing, and Oracle Payables have been installed and set up, you must set up set up some parameters for Oracle Asset Tracking using the Oracle Install Base Administrator responsibility (or the equivalent responsibility as set up in your installation).

During the integration setup of Oracle Asset Tracking, you determine:

The setup steps required for Oracle Asset Tracking that are performed in Oracle Install Base are:

Defining HZ Locations

Oracle Asset Tracking has the ability to correlate HR locations to HZ locations. HR locations are inventory locations used to receive material. HZ locations are used to deploy equipment in the field.

You need to establish the link between HR locations and HZ locations in order to perform automatic financial updates when material movements occur.

After you have defined asset locations, you must define HZ locations.

Prerequisites

To define HZ locations

  1. In the Oracle Install Base responsibility, choose Setups and then select Maintain Locations.

  2. Enter complete address in HZ location setup window.

  3. Enter the description of the HZ location.

  4. Enter the HZ location code.

  5. Save.

Associating HR and HZ Locations with Asset Locations

Assign HR and HZ locations to the Asset location using Asset Location Setup.

Prerequisites

Define HR and HZ locations.

To associate HR and HZ locations with asset locations

  1. In the Oracle Install Base responsibility, choose Setups and then select Asset Location Setup.

  2. Select location source as HR or HZ.

  3. Choose location code from the list of values.

  4. Assign Asset location.

  5. Enter active start date.

  6. You can disable the particular relationship by entering active end date.

  7. Save.

Setting the Freeze Install Parameter

You must make sure the Install Parameter Freeze check box is selected.

To set the freeze install parameter

  1. In the Oracle Install Base responsibility, navigate to Setups and then select Install Parameters.

  2. In the Install Parameters window, select the Freeze check box.

Setting Up Internal Orders for Assets

If you plan to use the Internal Orders for Assets feature, then complete the following steps:

To set up internal orders for assets

  1. Define an inventory location with all the subinventories including staging subinventory.

  2. Assign an asset location to the inventory location. This is done in the Oracle Install Base Asset Locations window.

Setting Up Workflow Notification Options

When an asset is created in Oracle Assets and the source of the asset is not Oracle Asset Tracking, a row is inserted in the staging table CSI_FA_TRANSACTIONS. Oracle Asset Tracking provides a means of notifying users that there are assets that have been created and may potentially need item instances created for them. To enable such notifications you can run the Generate Notification - New Fixed Assets for Install Base Tracking concurrent program. Depending on your Workflow setup, users can receive notification emails or view notifications from the Workflow worklist. In order for a user to receive a notification e-mail or view the notification from a worklist, you must first set up the notification preference in the User Preferences.

Any user with the Asset Tracking - Planner responsibility will receive a notification when the concurrent program Generate Notification - New Fixed Assets for Install Base Tracking concurrent program is run.

For more information on Oracle Workflow, see the Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide.

Explaining the Open Interface Flow for Assets

You can populate instance and associated asset information into the Oracle Install Base open interface tables, then run a concurrent program to upload this information to Oracle Install Base.

To populate the Oracle Install Base repository:

  1. Populate the Install Base Open Interface Instance Attributes and Asset Link Interface (CSI_I_ASSET_INTERFACE). You can do this with a PL/SQL program or by using a SQL*Loader script.

  2. Run the Install Base Open Interface concurrent program.