4 Support

This topic provides information on the support activities on the phase of the implementation and post implementation.

The support activities can be split up based on the phase of the implementation cycle into activities during the implementation and post implementation. It is important that the implementation team, before departure, provides the client full details of the support team at Bangalore.

This includes:
  • Name, Designation and roles of Support Team members
  • Contact telephone numbers (official & residential)
  • Contact physical & e-mail addresses

Support activities during implementation

Support activities during the implementation would arise in the event of errors coming up in various stages of the implementation cycle. The mechanism for handling of these errors are as follows:
  • The error is reported to the team on site. A Software Problem Report (SPR) is raised.
  • Depending on the load on the team on site, the problem could be passed on to the support team off site for resolution. The error reported is analyzed.
  • Two different areas have to be set up - a Development and a Testing area. Any corrections should be carried out only in the Development area. Similarly, all changes done are tested in the Testing area only. Control must be maintained on these two environments so that no invalid changes are carried out. Access to these environments should be available only to the implementation team.
  • A solution for the error is identified and the modification is carried out in the corresponding program unit. The modification done should be adequately tested before releasing the same to the live environment. The modifications carried out should also be maintained in a tempsoft area. The tempsoft area will contain the objects which have undergone change and a document explaining the changes made. Maintenance of the tempsoft is extremely critical as this will be used by the offsite support team for retro fixes into the baseline version.
  • The SPR should be updated and a copy of the same sent to the offsite support team.
  • The implementation team should send the periodic (fortnightly unless specified explicitly) SCF status reports to the support group.

Transition from Implementation group support team to the Offsite Support team

On completion of the Post Live Support phase of the implementation, the team leaves the site and subsequent support is provided either through offsite support from Bangalore or through a local support where available.

The handover from the implementation group support team to the offsite support team is a critical exercise to ensure smooth support during the post implementation phase.

This handover is done through a Handover document which would contain the following sets of information:

Table 4-1 Information on Handover document

Information Remarks
Environment Details at Site
This should contain information on the;
  • Hardware configuration of server(s) and client workstations
  • Windows NT/Unix configuration - services/protocols etc
  • SQL Server/Oracle configuration - RDBMS configuration
  • Details of all other relevant software on the server(s) and client workstations
  • Workstation Protocol/services configuration
  • ODBC Details
  • Network components
  • Machine identification details
Details of databases
This includes:
  • Database components
  • Sizes of database files
  • Location
Details of Contact Persons
Details of contact personnel at client site such as:
  • Name & Designations
  • Roles
  • Addresses
  • Contact telephone numbers
  • Fax and e-mail addresses
Tempsoft Details
This should include details of problems reported on site. It should contain the following information:
  • Description of the problem
  • Object affected
  • Module
  • Status (Open/Closed)
  • Severity
  • Description of change done to solve problem
Site Application Details
This section should contain details of any special or unique application feature existing in the site. These could include:
  • Features not being used currently
  • Workaround
  • Volume details of operations
Site specific programs This covers details of programs which are site specific.

Post implementation support

This is the period after the implementation team leaves the client site. The activities performed here come under the category of post implementation tasks which are in the nature of support activities. The mechanism for handling of support calls during this phase is presented below:
  • In the event of support required, the client should contact the Oracle FLEXCUBE Support Team by Telephone , Fax or Citimail (Where Available) and send a Software Problem Report (SPR) giving information about the problem. The SPR will help the support team to track all Support Requests effectively and to solve the problem faster.
  • The support team will provide the solution by telephone/fax and incase any change in the software is required, it will send the client the changed objects by courier from the support center with detailed instructions to incorporate the same.
  • A Monthly Status Report will be sent by the support team to the client giving the details of the problems reported, problems solved, pending problems, etc.,
Remote Login Support

In the case of emergencies where the client cannot run and complete the critical daily operations, a Remote Login Support will be provided. In the above scenario the client will have to contact the Oracle FLEXCUBE support team and send a SPR giving information about the problem and grant permission to do a remote login. The Oracle FLEXCUBE support team will then login to the Backup Server from the support centre and analyze the problem.

The following activities will have to be done before the login.
  • Start the Remote Access Service on the server .
  • Verify that the modem is connected properly and that it is being recognized by the server.
Information to be given to the support team
The information to be given to the support team for the above exercise includes:
  • Telephone No. (With Extension No. if not a direct line) to be dialled.
  • Windows NT User ID and Password to connect to the server.
  • Domain Name and Computer Name of the server.
  • Server Name of Oracle server
  • User ID and Password to log in to Oracle server.