Introduction to Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps 9.x and Earlier

Overview

Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps enable users to perform needed tasks or take action on Oracle E-Business Suite transactions from mobile devices including iOS and Android smartphones. For example, users can handle approval requests through the mobile app for approvals or perform time entry on the mobile app for timecards. Users can download these apps from the Apple App Store and Google Play. To use the apps, users must be licensed for the base products, with mobile services configured on the Oracle E-Business Suite server. To find Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps, search for the keywords "Oracle America EBS" in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

This guide describes how to set up an Oracle E-Business Suite instance to support connections from these mobile apps. It also describes common administration tasks for viewing mobile app installation and usage metrics, as well as logging and troubleshooting information for Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps.

Note: This guide does not apply to the following mobile apps that are not developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation, except where specifically noted:

• Oracle Fusion Expenses (see Document 1625446.1)

• Oracle Mobile Field Service (see Document 2188514.1)

• Oracle Mobile Service Manager for Oracle E-Business Suite (see Document 2107368.1)

• Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite (see Document 2108155.1)

• For known issues for Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps, see the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release Notes, My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1642431.1.

• For the list of available Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps, see the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps, Release 12.1 and 12.2 Documentation Index, My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1641772.1.

• For information on developing enterprise-distributed apps and custom apps for Oracle E-Business Suite, see the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Developer's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.

• For frequently asked questions, refer to Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 2064887.1.

• To share ideas with Oracle related to mobile apps, see Oracle E-Business Suite Product Enhancement Request to My Oracle Support Community FAQ, My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1584210.2.

Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps are available in the following languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian French, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin American Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish.

For information on using these languages, see Setting Up and Using Supported Languages.

Technical Overview

Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps interact with the application tier through REST-based data services and security services. When a mobile user launches the app, the security services are invoked to authenticate the user based on user credentials and initialize the security context to authorize the user with access privileges. Once the login is validated successfully, the user can access the app and the underlying Oracle E-Business Suite REST services.

The following diagram illustrates the high level technical architecture overview for Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps:

Technical Architecture Overview

Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps are compatible with both Release 12.1.3 and Release 12.2.3 and onwards, as well as iOS 12.3 or later and Android 6.0 or later.

Users can run the mobile apps on any devices that are capable of running iOS 12.3 or later. Oracle E-Business Suite primarily tests its iOS mobile apps with iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads.

In general, users can run Android mobile apps on any devices that are capable of running Android 6.0 or later. Android device manufacturers often customize their Android distributions. Due to the degree of Android fragmentation, Oracle E-Business Suite cannot perform comprehensive device-specific certifications for this platform. Oracle strongly encourages all customers to test candidate mobile devices with their mission-critical Oracle E-Business Suite product flows before deploying those devices broadly to their end users. Oracle E-Business Suite primarily tests its Android mobile apps with Samsung Galaxy and Google Nexus devices. Reported issues that cannot be reproduced on Samsung or Google devices will be analyzed on a one-on-one basis and may need additional assistance from the device vendors first.

The Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps made through Mobile Release 9.1 and earlier are developed using Oracle Mobile Application Framework (Oracle MAF), as well as additional components specific to Oracle E-Business Suite provided through the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation. Different versions of the mobile apps may require different configuration steps on the Oracle E-Business Suite server. Before you begin configuring the mobile apps, Oracle recommends that you review the mobile app version requirements in this document and perform the configuration steps for the appropriate app version. See the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release Update History section in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release Notes, My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1642431.1.

Note: Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Release 10.x apps leverage new underlying technologies such as Oracle JavaScript Extension Toolkit (JET) and Cordova Framework, etc. that are no longer dependent on Oracle MAF. For more information about Mobile Release 10.x, see Part I Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Release 10.x.

As shown in the earlier diagram, there is no new technology required on the Oracle E-Business Suite server for the mobile apps. To use the Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps, you only need to apply server-side patches and perform some setup tasks to configure your mobile app on the server.

Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Server Connectivity Options

Oracle E-Business Suite mobile app users have the following server connectivity options, as shown in the following diagram, to access the mobile apps:

Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Server Connectivity Options

1. Over the Internet

   To access the Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps over the Internet, your Oracle E-Business Suite environment must be set up in a DMZ configuration. For additional information on performing this configuration, see Advanced Configurations for Demilitarized Zone.

2. Over the Intranet

   If your Oracle E-Business Suite environment is not set up in a DMZ configuration, mobile app users must access the Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps through an intranet connection, such as a virtual private network (VPN).

3. Through Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) Solutions

   Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps developed using Oracle Mobile Application Framework (MAF) can integrate with third-party Enterprise Mobility Management solutions that support common AppConfig standards, such as VMware AirWatch. For more information, see Integrating Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps with Enterprise Mobility Management Solutions.

Additionally, refer to the following advanced configurations to have secured server access for your mobile apps:

• Advanced Configurations for Secure Communication with HTTPS

• Advanced Configurations for Single Sign-On

Sizing Requirements

Because there are different product combinations, different user profiles, and different configurations, there is no one sizing answer for all hardware platforms. Some hardware vendors have sizing worksheets that model the CPU and memory requirements of Oracle E-Business Suite on their hardware. The most reliable strategy to ensure that the hardware is sized appropriately is to install a test environment, and then conduct a benchmark test with a configuration, product mix, and user load that simulates your own current and expected workloads. These conditions can help verify performance before you install your production-ready environment. An alternative is to ask Oracle Consulting Services or your hardware vendor to find another Oracle E-Business Suite system running a product mix and user profile similar to yours.

General Sizing Guidelines

When planning your Oracle E-Business Suite mobile app deployment, consider the following:

• You can support 150 to 180 mobile users per 2 GB of JVM heap.

• The initial heap size (Xms) and maximum allocated heap (Xmx) should both be set to 2 GB per 150 to 180 users.

• One JVM is allocated per 2 CPUs in general. This is an actual CPU core rather than a logical core.

• Use JVMs with a maximum of 4 GB, and scale for more users by using additional JVMs. The benefits are:

  • Garbage collection (GC) activity is easily balanced (automatically) with multiple JVMs.

  • Each instance will be able to utilize a separate connection pool. In essence, you need to maintain a balance between the allocated JVM heap size per instance and the available connection pool for that instance.

Setup Overview

Before letting the mobile users download and use an app, you need to perform administrative tasks on the Oracle E-Business Suite server for your app.

The following diagram illustrates the high level setup tasks for the administrators to perform on the server. Once the server-side setup is complete, the mobile users can start to download and use the app on the go.

Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps High Level Implementation Steps

As illustrated in the diagram, these high level tasks are:

• Setup tasks on the server:

  1. Apply prerequisite patches on the Oracle E-Business Suite server

  2. Configure the mobile apps on the Oracle E-Business Suite server

     This includes enabling a mobile app, setting up the mobile app access to responsibilities, and completing additional setup tasks required for the app.

  3. Complete the setup tasks for advanced configurations if required for an app

     This may include the setup tasks for a DMZ configuration, Single Sign-On (SSO), secure communication with HTTPS, enterprise distribution, push notifications, and pre-configure server URL.

  4. Communicate the mobile app information to users

     This information includes where to download the app, which server to use for login, and where to get custom or self-signed certificates if required.

• Tasks on the mobile client:

  1. Download your app

     As instructed by your administrator, mobile users can download the app from a public store, such as Apple App Store and Google Play, or from an enterprise-controlled location.

  2. Log in and use your app

     This task includes importing custom or self-signed certificates if required for secured server access, entering server URL provided by your administrator for the initial login, entering user name and password, and configuring app settings for the initial use if needed.

The setup details of these tasks are further explained in the remaining chapters of this book.