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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSolbourne Oracle pg 251-324City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator At the conclusion of the first month of production, the initial month end close is processed and validated. At this point, the City is self sufficient and able to internally provide long term production support. Solbourne resources are either transitioned off of the project or onto additional City initiatives after the second month of support. Although Solbourne resources will no longer be committed fully to the project, ongoing support can be provided in a variety of different ways (informal remote support via email or telephone, semiannual or annual checkups, contracted support, etc.) Solbourne ORACLE" 251 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP * 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 61. Deployment The ERP-Si shall describe its proposed approach to system deployment. Description should include, but not be limited to, the proposed methods, tools and techniques to facilitate deployment and a process for deployment verification. The system cut -over portion of the deployment is a group of highly structured and organized activities that are documented and governed by a detailed Cutover Plan. The Cutover Plan includes all activities related to conversions, interfaces, authorizations, system administration, network administration, workstation administration, peripheral device management, code migration, training, transitional policies and procedures, communications, help desk, and other items that should be managed in the transition to go -live. The plan is developed by the Solbourne and City Project Managers using templates and knowledge derived from hundreds of successful systems deployments. The proven templates and approach are used as a foundation against which the City's specific nuances are then applied. The resulting Cutover Plan leverages Solbourne's experience to provide a sequence of activities that will mitigate specific risks during one of the most critical points in the implementation. To ensure that the live system is being used appropriately and as designed, Solbourne prefers a structured approach to transactions processing immediately upon go -live. During this critical period, end -to -end transactions are entered into the live production system during workshops in which end users use live data and are facilitated, monitored and coached by project team experts. This controlled approach ;to go -live ensures that the training is reinforced, that the system is being used as designed, that new processes are being followed, and that users gain confidence. This approach reduces frustration that may be inherent in working with a new system. Solbourne's proposal contains two months of post go -live support during which Solbourne process consultants are available on site to assist the City's support team (process owners, technical team, help desk team) and resolve issues associated with the new system and business processes. The post go -live support will also include support not only for daily transaction processing, but month -end close, quarter -end close, year-end close, and two complete payroll cycles. The foundation for the successful deployment is provided by the Change Management Plan, which is built into the implementation methodology and executed throughout the project as an iterative process. The plan will include City employees, whether directly affected by the ERP system or not, and it will include appropriate messages for each segment of the organizational structure, executives, program managers, users, and staff. $ Solbourne ORACLE` 252 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6m. Oracle E-Business Suite Customizations & interface Development 1. The ERP-Sl shall describe its approach to validating the customizations to the Vendor's standard packages to meet the requirements of the City. Customizations will be made only when absolutely necessary. 2. Describe the proposed approach to developing any required customization and how the Software Vendor and ERP-Si would be involved. 3. Describe the proposed approach to developing system interfaces. 4. The ERP-Sl shall describe the tools used to develop software modifications and interfaces. 5. The ERP-Sl shall cite three examples of significant customization around the Oracle E-business Suite's standard package in the Public Sector space. The ERP-Sl should identify any assurances provided to the ERP-Sl's clients that the code in the examples cited would migrate easily to the next release of the product. The technical development tasks that require custom development either to create new objects or modify standard objects must be prioritized according to importance, urgency, and resource availability. This includes all custom reports, customized workflows, or modification/extensions of source code, or existing standard reports, etc. For these technical development items, Solbourne proposes to establish a team of City and Solbourne resources that will prioritize development items and assign these to the appropriate resources for completion. Since the scope of this effort is not yet definitive, and Solbourne's role on each individual effort has not yet been determined, Solbourne proposes that our participation in this team be 2000 hours of service for the effort to customize workflow objects, custom reports, or modifications/extensions to source code. These hours have been included as optional services in the cost proposal. Our experience with other public sector organizations leads us to recommend that the City carefully evaluate items that may not be customizations to the Oracle source code but still require technical development time. These items are much less likely to require support through application upgrades and patching. They do, however, require maintenance and therefore should be analyzed for the benefit to the City prior to including them in scope. This approach has been taken in the past with successful results. In order to provide reports to the users of the City, the project team will first gather requirements and understanding of the intended use of the report. Standard reports and inquiries will be first evaluated for fit, The next step will be to evaluate delivering the reporting requirements through one of the power user toolsets that are available including Oracle Discoverer, Oracle Financial Statement Generator, and Oracle Application Desktop integrator. The last option for delivering reporting requirements will be to develop a custom report through the use of Oracle Reports. In each case, the prioritization and estimation must occur to determine if project resources will be assigned to develop the report during the project or after go -live. One approach that has been taken by clients in the past is to defer any custom report development (with the exception of statutory reports) until 3 to 6 months after go -live in order to justify report development in lieu of using standard reports and inquiry functions. The logic behind this is that the new system is expected to provide, among other things, access to °r Solbourne ORACLE 253 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator information through its standard capabilities and tools. Oftentimes, the product is not given the opportunity to deliver these results because of the investment that is made immediately in custom reports that simply mirror old reports. This direction does not incent users to learn how information is derived out of the new system nor does it optimize the City's investment in the Oracle system. It will always be the objective of the project team to utilize standard functionality and configuration, including user defined fields called flexfields, to provide necessary functionality for the City without resorting to software modifications. The Process Consultants will propose standard functionality based leading practices from their experience with the software and with other public sector organizations. Workaround processes will be evaluated and compared to the overall cost and risk associated with a customization. A third alternative is to create externally developed objects to support the process and then feed the information into or out of the standard applications through supported open interface tables and/or application program interfaces (API's). The use of the Oracle custom.pll function is another possibility that can be utilized to avoid upgrade or patching issues. If after analysis the City chooses to move forward with a customization to the software, Solbourne will provide the functional and technical resources to design, develop, test, migrate and document the customizations. Included with this approach is a guide to support the maintenance of the customization. The technical documentation associated with the customization will include procedures on how the customization should be stored, maintained, migrated, and tested as a result of patches or upgrades to the standard software that may affect it, In addition, the customization will be unit tested by the development team. Unit testing involves making sure that the code functions in a way that does not cause the system to error or abort in any way. The goal of unit testing is to ensure that the custom objects and any standard objects that are associated with the custom objects function without system errors. After unit testing, the functional project team members will perform validation testing on the customization. Validation testing involves testing the new code and the standard code to make sure that the business requirements are met and that the inputs and outputs to the customization are correct. The final test is to include the customization in the integration testing effort. Integration testing involves end -to -end business process testing of which the customization is a part. Integration testing provides a business process level validation to make sure that the custom object performs the necessary functions to support the business process. For requirements where modifications are necessary, the tools listed below are used by the technical development team to code and process enhancements or modifications, as well as interfaces, to the Oracle applications. Oracle Developer Suite Extensions are built using components of the Oracle Developer Suite, including Oracle Forms, Reports, JDeveloper and Designer products —the industry's most widely used application toolkit. These products are the same tools used to build the Oracle Applications themselves. In fact, Oracle Forms, Reports and Designer have been used to build the Oracle Applications that feature the professional user interface. Oracle JDeveloper is used to build the Java Server Pages that present the self-service user interface. Oracle development standards are documented in two manuals, which are intended to help developers create new modules, which have the same look and feel as the Oracle Applications. Oracle Designer's generation capabilities are so powerful that often all the forms, reports, and processing logic can be 1.1r Solbourne ORACLE` 254 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator automatically generated without programming. The resulting extensions share all of the benefits of Oracle Applications. In many cases, custom forms and tables are developed independently or outside of the applications using these tools and then integrated into the applications using Application Program Interfaces (API's) or open interface tables. These tools are gateways into the applications that are fully supported by the Oracle Applications and are not modified during software upgrades. Therefore, any independent custom forms or tables that are developed to support District requirements can be integrated with the Oracle Applications without costly maintenance. These tools can also be used to modify the standard Oracle Applications forms and tables. This should be considered a last resort as any modifications to standard forms, tables, or processes require special attention during upgrades. Workflow Oracle Alert and Workflow facilitate implementation of business rules for notification, approval, correspondence, and routing that support the District's business processes. These tools are configurable and can be developed so that they do not require additional maintenance or coding during applications upgrades. Oracle Alert is an exception -reporting solution that works with the electronic -mail system to keep users continuously up-to-date on critical activity in the organization. In addition to sending electronic mail, Oracle Alert can run concurrent requests (such as reports or batch processes), send a fax or page someone. It can also run SQL scripts, or even run operating system scripts. Oracle Workflow allows organizations to model and maintain sophisticated business processes using a graphical workflow builder. Business processes can be defined and automated that loop, branch into parallel flows and then rendezvous, decompose into sub -flows, and more. With Oracle Workflow, Oracle's programming language PL/SQL can be utilized to automatically process information according to even the most complex business rules. Oracle Portal Oracle Portal, a component of Oracle 9i Application Server included in this proposal, is a web - based application for building and deploying e-business portals. It provides a secure, manageable environment for accessing and interacting with enterprise software services and information resources. Key features include: • An extensible framework that integrates web -based resources such as web pages, applications, business intelligence reports, and syndicated content feeds, within standardized, reusable information components called portlets. Within a portlet, these resources are personalized and managed as a service of Oracle9IAS Portal. The District can create its own portlets for existing web resources and can select additional portlets from the growing catalog of third -party portlet providers. The portal framework provides additional services including single sign -on, content classification, enterprise search, directory integration, and access control. • An easy -to -use, personalized interface that provides an organized, consistent view of the business information, web content, and applications needed by each user. Portal administrators use the browser -based control panel to selectively grant access to applications and information by making portlets available only to specific users or user groups. Similarly, an administrator can instantly deliver a new content to thousands of users by simply adding its portlet to their view of the portal. �i� Solbourne ORACLE' 255 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator • Self-service publishing features allow end users to post and share any kind of document or web content with other users. Knowledge workers use intuitive controls for document/ file upload, version control, page formatting/display and access control to publish and mange their content; no technical expertise or knowledge of HTML is required. Users with minimal development experience can build a variety of application components (Web forms, charts, reports, etc.) that display and interact with data managed in an Oracle database. Oracle 9i Application Server Whether as a web server or deploying applications, Oracle9i Application Server is a very capable and scalable server. Now shipping with a complete array of development and management tools, 9iAS, is the perfect choice to mate with the Internet -ready database in Oracle 8i. The XML support across the server and tools integrates seamlessly with the support in 9iAS as many of the components were designed to work equally well on any tier. Oracle has packaged its generic XML components and utilities into a series of XML Developer's Kits or XDKs, These XDKS are available in the platform independent languages of Java, JavaBeans, and PL/SQL as well as the platform -dependent languages of C and C++. As XDKs these components are included with a variety of Oracle products including Oracle 8i, Oracle91 Internet Application Server, Oracle Internet Developer's Suite and JDeveloper. Just as in Oracle 8i the Oracle XDKs are included in 9iAS to aid in deployment of XML-enabled applications and web sites. This flexible deployment capability permits developers to design their applications placing the data processing and business logic on the most appropriate tier to deliver the required scalability, security, performance and reliability. In fact Oracle Business Components for Java is an XML-enabled encapsulation of just this functionality. The flexible license and the range of supported XML technologies deliver the Internet platform that companies need to productively build and cost-effectively deploy reliable and scaleable Internet applications exploiting XML. Oracle's 'Procurement supports real-time integration to vendor/supplier catalogs using industry - standard XML and CXML transactions using 9iAS. Discoverer The Discoverer tool can be a very useful ad hoc query tool when used with the Oracle Applications. Discoverer is intended to be used by the City's end user community to develop and executive queries and reports. Its usefulness, however, depends on thorough front end analysis. The analysis should include end user business needs, defining data elements, and consistent naming conventions. Solbourne will provide the City with a two week long Discoverer Workshop. The Discover Workshop will consist of two phases. In the first phase the Solbourne Discoverer Developer will work with the City Developer(s) to walk through the analysis of the end user business needs in order to assist the City in creating and customize the End User Layer, assist in creating business areas and folders, and assist the City in defining analytical facilities for end users. In the second phase the Solbourne Discoverer Developer will work with the City Developer(s) and end user(s) to create, modify, and refine ad hoc queries using Discoverer. Solbourne ORACLE' 256 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Reusable Library To the extent possible, Solbourne will utilize reusables, including documentation, code, file layouts, and test scripts, to deliver interfaces and modifications for the project. We will apply these reusables as often as possible to reduce time and risk to the project. Oracle Applications and custom applications that integrate with Oracle Applications rely on having their components arranged in a predictable structure. This includes particular directory structures where reports, forms, programs and other objects are resident, as well as environment variables and application names that allow Oracle Application Object Library to find your application components. All Oracle Applications development standards and best practices are followed when creating modifications. The Solbourne technical developers in conjunction with the Solbourne and City DBA's will create a directory structure that will be used to store custom objects during the development portion of the implementation. This structure is necessary to maintain proper version control and supports the development and migration to other instances where the code will be tested or used in a production environment. The general process for setting up the development environment starts with the creation of the directory structure on the City's servers. Once created, the structure is documented and procedures are developed that specify how custom objects are to be developed, stored, and migrated from instance to instance. The actual development process involves coding the object and registering it within the Oracle system. Development objects such as custom applications, tables, views, forms, libraries, and functions are used within the development process. Once developed, the objects must be grouped and registered within the applications. Standard functions within the applications can be used to support the custom development objects. Functions such as validation lists, user menus, and application responsibilities can be integrated with the custom objects to support the overall process or function requirement. For modifications to the system, the development process involves building custom objects that reside outside of the standard Oracle Applications environment. Integration with standard application functionality is realized by using Oracle's Application Program Interfaces (API's) and open interface tables. These gateways into the applications allow data to be fed into the system with full validation and relational integrity of the data. Changes to the public API's and open interface tables do not require recoding of any custom objects. This type of development is designed to be fully supported through upgrades and patches. Solbourne will provide the City with a recommended approach to validating and testing the custom development objects during patches and upgrades. Alterations to the Oracle Applications source code are occasionally necessary to meet unique requirements. Again, if properly developed, these changes can be made to minimize the vulnerability to patching and upgrades of the source code. Solbourne developers use Oracle standards when developing alterations and attempt to minimize changes to actual code. Through the use of an Oracle provided standard 'custom' object that can be called within the source code but is never overwritten by patching or upgrades; proper usage of Oracle naming standards; and the use of business rules associated with the use of APIs, post- f Solbourne ORACLE' 257 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator patching/upgrade analysis and retro fitting time for the alteration are minimized. Solbourne will provide a process to the City team for identifying, analyzing, and retro fitting each alteration made within the system. Interface Process Overview Just as the system must be able to utilize accumulated data from the systems being replaced, the system must also be able to accept information on an ongoing basis from systems not being replaced. Based on Solbourne's proposed project phasing, some of the legacy systems that are planned for replacement will not be replaced by the time the new financial system is implemented. Interfaces allow data from external systems to be imported into Oracle Applications for both real-time and batch purposes. Oracle provides standard Open Interfaces for most of the applications modules to import information using the same full validation as if users were keying in the data manually into Oracle Applications. Some examples of Oracle Release 11 i Open Interfaces include the following: Journal Entry Import for General Ledger, Payables Open Interface for importing Payables invoices, and the Open Item Interface for importing items into Inventory. There are some cases where Oracle provides API's (application program interfaces), not open interfaces, to import data into Oracle, such as the Activity Management Gateway for Project Accounting. A typical interface process flow, similar to the data conversion flow, may resemble the following. An external system exports data to a flat file with a specific format and transfers the file to the Oracle Applications box. A custom Oracle SQL*Loader program then loads the flat file to a custom staging table (or tables depending on master/detail relationships). A custom program loads the standard Oracle Open Interface tables (or calls API's) with the data in the custom staging table. The standard Oracle Interface program then runs to load the data into the Oracle Applications module with full validation and includes exception reports. It is possible to load the Open Interface tables directly, but this is not recommended since the raw data would be lost due to data mapping between the systems, which makes debugging interface issues extremely difficult. There are various options to physically transfer the data from the external system to the Oracle Applications server, otherwise known as middleware. The method discussed above involves an export program, a flat file, an FTP process to transfer the flat file to the Oracle Applications server, and a SQL*Loader program to load the custom staging table. Another method using database links directly between the external system and the Oracle Applications custom staging table could be used to get the data directly into the Oracle staging area from the external system. This has advantages and disadvantages and should be discussed within the IT department for maintainability and security issues. Interfaces can be set up to be fully automated, which requires coordination from both the external system and Oracle Applications. Because of the full automation, exception handling for the custom program pieces needs to be very prominent with good exception reporting so that end users can quickly identify errors. Errors may include missing application setups on the Oracle side, or new types of data coming from the external system. With the standard Oracle Open Interfaces and API's, it is assured that the data being imported follows the same robust validation as the Oracle Applications screens. The standard exception reports provide a thorough listing of import successes and any exceptions. Most Open Interfaces allow the users Ail Solbourne ORACLE" 258 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator to correct data issues and resubmit the batches without re -transferring the data from the external system. Maintenance for the interfaces would be required for new types of data from the external system, or new setups from the Oracle Applications system. In theory, if the interface exception handling was sufficient (Le., have a separate error message for each call to the database), then any maintenance would be minimal. During the project, candidates for interfaces will be identified. For each of these candidates, analysis is performed to determine whether or not the data should be brought into or out of the Oracle application and how this should be done. The analysis involves examining the value of having the interface with Oracle, the quality of data coming from the legacy system, the number of records, the effort and cost to extract the data, the effort and cost to load the data, the effort and cost to transfer and validate the data, and all related risks to the project. Once these parameters have been evaluated for cost and benefit, the decision is made about whether or not the interface will be developed and how. $ Solbourne ORACLE' 259 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Identification Interface Process Interface Development Life Cycle Analysis Design Develop Extract Program Develop Loading Program Develop File Transfer and Validation Test Execute Production Data Transfer Validate ♦r Solbourne For development candidates where the determination is to not systematically interface systems, the source data can be brought over manually in a summarized or detailed fashion as appropriate. If a manual interface is determined to be the appropriate way to transfer data, worksheets are often provided from the legacy system to assist the user with entry. These worksheets can also be used to merge and prepare data prior to entry. Alternatively, data conversion programs developed for the project are sometimes used as a vehicle to bring in data files to production after go -live, especially where full automation between systems is not justified. For inbound interfaces, Solbourne will provide file layouts based on the data mapping for loading the data into the Oracle system. One file layout per interface is assumed, and for interfaces that use the same transaction, a collector approach will be taken (many sources to a single inbound interface). Since the City understands the legacy source system's file structures and the data transfer mechanisms already in place, it is appropriate for the City to provide the inbound file in the layout provided by Solbourne based on a 1:1 mapping. Data transformation will be completed within the extraction program or manipulated in a subsequent program (e.g. cross-referencing to Oracle data elements, removing duplicates, deriving values to be loaded, the inclusion of defaults for loading, etc.). Solbourne will develop the programs to transfer the data into Oracle. These programs will be unit tested by the Solbourne developer and the Functional Project Team. The loading utilities will be furnished by Solbourne and Oracle and will be available to the City during and after the project for developing additional data transfer programs. it SOlbourne ORACLE 260 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Error handling will be accomplished through Solbourne provided, standard Oracle processing logs and control amounts generated by the extract/transformation process. Given that the City is responsible for the auditing of results, the validation will be the responsibility of the City subject matter experts during the project and the City system administrators, programmers, or subject matter experts after go -live. Error resolution will be accomplished through manual intervention/correction. For outbound interfaces, the City will provide file layouts based on the data mapping for loading the data into the target system. One file layout per interface is assumed, and for interfaces that use the same transaction, a collector approach will be taken (many sources to a single inbound interface). Since Solbourne understands the Oracle file structures, it is appropriate for Solbourne to provide the inbound file in the layout provided by the City based on a 1:1 mapping. The City understands the data transfer mechanisms already in place and would be expected to process the file accordingly. Data transformation will be completed within the extraction program or manipulated in a subsequent program (e.g. cross-referencing to external system data elements, removing duplicates, deriving values to be loaded, the inclusion of defaults for loading, etc.). Each interface that is developed will be included in the comprehensive integrated testing that takes place in the latter portion of the Validation phase. All testing will be captured in the detailed project plan and managed by the Project Managers from Solbourne and the City. The following interfaces will be developed: Interfaces to Third Part A lications ` VO _- ,P -.*Ail illkissVihrei. F ll #Y. 1 Mitiort>;ll .:, ERP HR to NAl MAGIC — ITD Help Desk Trouble Tickets lTD Trouble Tickets Time and Attendance ERP HR interface to and from Kronos Timekeeper Central v4.3 time and attendance Employee Demographics ERP HR to Peopleware Training Tracking system v 2.72 for employee/job demographics Worker's Compensation . Gallagher Bassett worker's compensation system (Risc-fax) to ERP GL for both workers compensation claims tapes and for employees Personnel Tracking ERP HR to Image Track File Folder System/Color Bar for name, department, bargaining unit, employee status and position (Smeadlink v. 5.0 and Colorbar Gold v. 3.5) Pension ERP HR and Payroll to Pension Gold v. 2.7 for pension information (Levi, Ray & Stroup, Inc.) Police Internal Affairs ERP HR to 1APro - Internal Affairs Police Application Dade County Folio ERP to Tax / Customer information MP2 Asset Management GIS — ESRI (Environment Systems Research Inc) ArcView — Billing / Fixed Assets CRM Motorolla CSR (Customer Service Requests) Solbourne ORACLE' 261 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 'yl r. Marina Management System Lindsey CityView ERP interfaces to Internally-Deve I Ti Personnel Tracking Personnel Tracking Accounts Receivable o P ERP Interfaces to External Systems ACH Transactions Federal Reserve Bank Unemployment Information Lock Box PCard Integration x A1RR 8); p��1p Manages marina operations and financials Community Development Land management system developed by Municipal Software ed Systems ..� Olt •1t+ _ lyd o -: pll'catlons Fire Notice Web -based bulletin board of official Fire Department notices (Portal) Police Court Liaison Tracking system for subpoenas issued to police personnel. It also tracks court attendance Burglar Alarms to ERP AR for billing/invoice information Pirinfakietcxfiilr`iY»Irit`�+X Automatic Clearing House interfaces to multiple banks and financial institutions for AP Checks using Positive Pay Bonds Department of Revenue Bill payment to ERP AR Accept Purchasing card transactions from a single provider into Oracle AP for payment. In addition to the optional 2000 hours of services for technical development items, Solbourne has included another optional 1200 hours of services to develop additional interfaces that are identified during the project. As additional interfaces are identified during the implementation, the project team will provide functional descriptions of the integration as well as an estimate for technical development hours to complete the work. After a complete list has been identified, the City will prioritize the interfaces and allocate hours from this account to complete the development. If the interfaces required by the City exceed the 1200 hours, Solbourne will provide an additional estimate to complete the work under the agreed upon change request process. Customization Examples Even with a long list of successful implementations, rarely have we seen the need to provide customizations for our clients. Our technical developers are skilled in this area, however, and have backgrounds in providing custom solutions. Our approach to customization is to exhaust all other options prior to agreeing to develop a customized solution. Acceptance of leading practices inherent in the software, process based workarounds, workflows, and even custom forms and tables that are external to the Oracle Applications but may read data from or push data into the applications via Oracle supported open interfaces or API's are all evaluated prior to developing a customization to the Oracle software. Solbourne has provided technical development and customization services, however, as listed below: Solbourne ORACLE} 262 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to REP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator The City of Las Vegas (CLV), Nevada uses the Kronos timecard/time entry system to track employee time for payroll and project costing. During the Oracle eBusiness suite implementation, Solbourne developed customized integration between Oracle Payroll, Oracle Projects and the Kronos system so that employee time entry data would be validated, imported and correctly processed in the eBusiness suite. This integration allowed CLV to continue to use their preferred Kronos solution and avoid paying for third party packaged integration software. The custom code and objects making up this integration were registered and deployed according to Oracle Corporation's published extension standards so that they would not be overwritten or changed during upgrades. The City of Englewood, Colorado purchased the Oracle Time and Labor application so that employees could enter time in a web -deployed, self-service mode with minimal training and maximum ease -of -use. The City's business requirements were such that the standard Oracle T&L product could not meet their needs. Solbourne replaced several sections of the T&L user interface and data entry/validation programs so that time entry could adhere to City policies and procedures. This extensive application modification was created as a "bolt on" using standard, published Application Programming Interface (API) elements from Oracle. This approach achieved three goals: • Ensure that upgrades from Oracle would not overwrite the custom code • Maximize compatibility with future releases by using published, supported APIs instead of direct (and unsupported) integration with database tables • Take advantage of all possible pre -built validation and logic provided by Oracle as part of the standard product. Chicago Public Schools, the third largest school district in the U.S., has decided to deploy the Oracle iProcurement and iSupplier Portal products to over 650 schools. Solbourne was the implementation partner chosen for this project. Along with other project services, Solbourne is customizing these products to adhere to CPS policies and procedures and to offer enhanced functionality and editing to prevent improper data entry. These customizations involve all aspects of the Oracle technology stack; Database code and objects, Web/Application services, XML, Javascript, Workflows and user processes. Solbourne ORACLE 263 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6n. System Security The ERP-SI shall describe its proposed approach to system security, security configuration and security administration. Solbourne will implement Application security according to Oracle's security model. This consists, but is not limited to, module security, database security, operating system security, and internet security. Access to Oracle Applications is secured by discrete user accounts within the System Administration module. Each user account can then be assigned one or more responsibilities, which grant and restrict access to various application functions, processes and reports. Further, these responsibilities can be restricted by business group. In the case of HR, additional security is available to restrict users by business or position hierarchy. User roles are defined during the process design and validation phases of the project by the functional teams. These definitions are translated into security profiles by the project system administrator and/or database administrators. During the integration phase, these security profiles are assigned to user accounts and used to simulate actual transactions in the system. Documentation templates are provided to track this user based system security. A process for administering user accounts will be provided to the City for use or modification. Additional security is available for all database and operating system accounts, and will be configured to disallow direct connections to the database except where explicitly directed by the City. It is typical for Development staff and Database Administrators to have direct database access. Operating system accounts will be limited to the appropriate staff, typically Database and System Administrators. 128 bit encryption via SSL will be used to secure all traffic between the external user's PC and the HTTP server in the DMZ. Since all other traffic is behind the firewall, no additional security is necessary. Solbourne is not proposing that any internal traffic be secured or encrypted. Likewise, it is not proposing that any data in the database be encrypted or obfuscated. The above mentioned security measures meet the City's requirements. Of Solbourne ORACLE' 264 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6o. Failure Recovery The ERP-Sl shall describe its proposed approach to failure recovery. The Oracle RDBMS provides a robust mechanism for recovering from various types of failures. As mentioned below in the backup and recovery section of the proposal, all instances running in ARCHIVELOG mode have the capability of point -in -time recovery by restoring from a previous hot or cold backup, then "rolling forward" using the appropriate log files. Any instance not running in ARCHIVELOG mode (typically non -production instances) can only be restored via previous cold backup. In the case of instance failure, or server failure, (sometimes called a crash), recovery up to the point of the failure is automatic. This makes for a very forgiving system in the case of improper shutdown, power interruption, etc. In the case of media failure, such as HDD failure, assuming the failure cannot be corrected by the media mechanism itself, as is the case with some RAID configurations, the instance can be restored from a prior hot or cold backup and recovered to the desired point in time (all the way up to the moment immediately prior to failure) by "rolling forward" as mentioned above. This assumes ARCHIVELOG mode. If this is not enabled, perhaps in the case of a non -production instance, a cold backup will have to be restored. In the case of user error, the point -in -time recovery method is especially appropriate. Should a user make an error in a production database, such as dropping a critical table, the only way to recover it may be via point -in -time recovery, immediately prior to the error. Note, this is not typical, as few users (the DBA, perhaps a few Developers) have this access. Also, backups are generally taken before large-scale system modifications. $ Solbourne ORACLE` 265 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6o. Disaster Recovery The ERP-SI shall describe its proposed approach to disaster recovery. Disaster Recovery of the RDBMS and Applications should fit into the City's existing Disaster Recovery Plan without any changes. This Plan should accommodate for sufficient data retention, the rotation of tapes to offsite storage, and the potential availability of replacement hardware for critical systems. Solbourne will assist the appropriate City staff in determining where the components of the RDBMS and Applications fit into the City's existing plan. air Solbourne ORACLE' 266 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6q. System Capacity The ERP-Sl shall describe its proposed approach to system capacity, including: 9. The process to be utilized to ensure appropriate capacity of all components of the system, including hardware, software and network components. 2. The methodology, tools and type(s) of data required to conduct periodic and ongoing capacity planning. This includes a description of whether the ERP-Si is using automated tools or an established industry standard capacity methodology or model. 3. The content and source(s) of data to be utilized for capacity planning. 4. The proposed approach for data archival based upon the ERP-S1's experience. State the reason for the approach. 5. Past and ongoing experience with capacity planning. The ERP-S! shall describe what lessons have been learned and how such lessons have been applied to the current methodology. System hardware components and sizing (and therefore capacity) was produced using information provided by the City in the RFP, principally the volume of users, summary data (such as supplier counts) and transactional data (such as expected volume of journal entries). These volumes are used as input to Solbourne's sizing algorithms in order to design a system that will: a. Provide reasonable and typical online performance b. Support the batch (reporting) processing load that is typical for a public sector organization of the size of the City of Miami c. Allow for data and user community growth of 5% annually over the next 5 years d. Support adequate non -production (test, development, training) systems e. Perform the above functions in a cost-effective manner without excessive unused capacity Software capacity is not an issue, since Oracle has no limitations on data volumes. Network capacity/impact is discussed elsewhere but for overall planning purposes, Solbourne recommends making available an average of 10kbpsluser for "core" or "professional" application users and 20kbps/user for self-service (iProcurement, Self Service HR) users. This proposal does not include network hardware or software components but test plans will include tracking network performance at central and outlying sites. We have developed our own capacity planning models, since we have not encountered a third party model or tool that can correctly and completely size a hardware platform for the Oracle eBusiness suite in a Public Sector environment. If Solbourne is engaged by the City of Miami to perform an Oracle implementation, we will deliver our sizing/capacity algorithms to the City for use in future capacity planning sessions. The hardware described in this proposal should provide adequate capacity for the City for the next 5 years. These algorithms include the metrics (types of data required) to perform capacity planning. Solbourne recommends using standard Oracle tools, primarily Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle Application Manager to monitor the system for "hot spots" that indicate potential upcoming performance problems or hardware constraints. The City has licensed the $ Solbourne ORACLE 267 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Diagnostics Pack for Oracle Enterprise Manager, which can be used in conjunction with the Intelligent Agent and an Oracle Enterprise Manager repository to answer many capacity related questions based on the accumulation of "growth over time" statistics from the City's Applications. While a variety of third party performance monitoring tools are available, Solbourne has found that Oracle's own tools combined with the hardware vendor's tools, when used by someone who is reasonably experienced, are adequate in this regard. Solbourne's methodology in summary is to monitor performance and identify potential bottlenecks before they impact system performance. Once a bottleneck is identified, the capacity planning cycle can begin again, taking into account the issue that caused the bottleneck. We believe that this simple, straightforward approach is best. The content and sources of data utilized for capacity planning are addressed above. The RFP was the principal source of data; this data was used in Solbourne's sizing algorithms (including projected user community and transaction volume growth of 5% per annum) and Oracle's generic sizing recommendations to design a system of adequate capacity for Miami's needs. Solbourne does not rely exclusively on Oracle's sizing recommendations since our extensive experience with Public Sector organizations and their unique processing requirements (dozens of bargaining units with highly specialized payroll cycles, complex General Ledger chart of account structures with high data volumes etc) has allowed us to develop a set of sizing algorithms that are firmly grounded in real -world experience. Basic Data Archiving functionality is included in the standard eBusiness Suite. Various third party tools such as lnformia Archive from Applimation are available but Solbourne does not recommend including these tools in an initial Oracle implementation for these reasons: • The tools are typically expensive ($50,000+ implementation services) and may not offer the specific functionality that the City wants (exactly what data is archived, to what level of detail, in what way is it visible to users in online or report format, are images/scanned documents associated with the archived data still available etc). • Archiving data by purging it from the core system tables and moving it to archive -specific tables is not usually done for at least the first five years of system usage. If a third -party archive system is implemented, the City will need to license, maintain and upgrade and test it continuously over those five years while gaining little or no value from it. • Determining exactly what data can be purged and archived and in what format ("online", optical storage, paper etc) typically involves a special project, coordinated with auditors and legal staff, since there are many vague and open -to -interpretation guidelines and requirements related to this subject. Solbourne recommends deferring any detailed consideration of archiving until at least three years of eBusiness Suite data has been accumulated and the exact purging and archiving needs and requirements as described above have been identified. Solbourne has performed capacity planning and performance tuning for over 100 clients with user populations ranging from 10 to 5,000. A great number of these have been public sector clients with the specialized requirements described above. All of our "lessons learned" have been incorporated into our sizing algorithms so that we can design a system that gives adequate performance without overspending on unnecessary capacity. Some of these lessons learned are: °+ Solbourne ORA►CLE 268 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator • Default database parameters and 9iApplication Server parameters are never correct for a heavily used 11 i eBusiness Suite system • The most heavily used data schemes (and the physical disk and I/O subsystems on which they reside) in a public sector system are Human Resources (incorporating Payroll if that product is installed), General Ledger, Purchasing and Project Accounting (if that product is installed). This requires special consideration for physical disk layout • In a modern server, CPUs and memory are relatively cheap and therefore are not typically the constraining factor. Disk I/O is almost without exception the overall performance constraint and therefore the choice of what type of RAID hardware and software is used on each different type of file system. This area is extremely critical to system performance. • Oracle patches and updates can cause performance problems at very specific points (such as an individual online screen or report). Without an awareness of this problem, a great deal of time can be wasted looking for problems or mis-configurations at the overall system level. • The Oracle core/professional user interface and the Self Service interface have very different load profiles and require different machine resources. In a larger environment such as the City of Miami, this is why we recommend a two-tier system if possible. 1#r So'bourne ORACLE' 269 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator er. System Performance The ERP-SI shall describe its proposed approach to system performance. Approach should address how system performance will be measured throughout the life of the Project, including the proposed methods, tools and techniques for performance measurement. The ERP-SI shall identify any significant performance challenges as relates to batch processing in Oracle E-Business Suite. ERP-SI shall describe its approach to resolving these challenges and maximizing batch processing performance. The hardware has been sized using Solbourne's field-tested algorithms to insure satisfactory performance in the City's environment. Solbourne also has extensive and in-depth experience with the configuration of concurrent programs, system profile options, database (init.ora) parameter settings and system maintenance tasks that can improve performance in the 11i Applications. Typical examples of these configurations include Java Virtual Machine (JVM) tuning, specialized Concurrent Manager Queue tuning to support timely execution of batch processes, and the tuning of Database parameters to optimize the RDBMS performance for the environment. Tuning the Concurrent Manager Queue (batch processing) typically includes establishing the number of Concurrent Managers to run, when the Concurrent Managers are active, and addressing any errors that occur during Concurrent processing or printing. Also, specialized queues can be set up so that quick running processes do not have to wait behind long running processes (payroll for example). All of this tuning and configuration is performed via the System Administration module. Database performance will be monitored using Oracle tools such as Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM). The Oracle RDBMS tools tkprof and "Explain Plan" will be used to monitor specific SQL sessions. During the implementation, certain forms, reports, or concurrent processes may be flagged as poor performers, although overall system performance may be adequate. In these cases, Solbourne will work with Oracle to resolve these one by one, sometimes through tuning, though in most cases through patches. These are ongoing processes performed initially by the Solbourne DBA. It is our goal, however, to transfer the knowledge necessary to continue this process to the City's DBA. $ Solbourne ORACLE 270 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6s. System Operations The ERP-Sl shall describe its proposed approach to system operations. Description should include, but not be limited to, a description of the proposed system operation process that includes implementation, testing and user support. Solbourne's approach to developing a system operations process is to work with the appropriate City staff in an on-the-job mentoring relationship to insure that the required skills (start and stop the database and applications, verify backups, etc.) are mastered. Solbourne will also provide training and assistance to the City's help desk staff during the transition to Oracle Applications. During the course of the implementation, Solbourne will work with The City to understand the Oracle Applications environment from an operations life -cycle perspective. These tasks will include the following: • The development of an Oracle Applications instance management plan • The mechanics of how to install a new Oracle Applications environment • The mechanics of copying an Oracle Applications environment from an existing environment to create a new environment • An Oracle Applications maintenance and testing strategy to maximize the effectiveness of functional and technical testing processes during scheduled system maintenance timeframes • A methodology for identifying and diagnosing performance issues related to Oracle Applications • Oracle RDBMS backup and recovery considerations and procedures The post production system operation plan takes into consideration the following aspects of the Oracle Applications. Oracle Applications are installed on one or more servers, depending on the chosen configuration, and are monitored by the City's Database Administrator. Database Administrators also address the physical needs of the server including disk storage, network connectivity and hardware related issues. Oracle Applications utilize an Oracle RDBMS. Normal RDBMS management procedures including backups, space management, and patching are required. In addition, Oracle Applications require application patching with associated change control procedures. This typically involves apply a patch to a Test instance before applying the patch to production. To keep Test environments in -sync with Production, a process called "Cloning" is used to replicate the Production environment. This is an Oracle supported procedure performed by the Oracle Applications DBA. The Oracle Applications DBA also takes responsibility for the "Concurrent Manager" which is the background process that supports the batch processing environment. These responsibilities typically include establishing the number of Concurrent Managers to run, when the Concurrent Managers are active, and addressing any errors that occur during Concurrent processing or printing. $ Solbourne ORACLE' 271 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator There is also a separate System Administration function for setting up users, grant users access to "Responsibilities" (Actions that the user can perform), and removing users from the system. In some environments, the DBA will also share this role. Many sites also use a Help Desk as a central contacting point. Help Desk personnel can be used to reset passwords, verify system printers are accessible, and create work requests for issues they cannot address. $ Solbourne ORACLE' 272 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Bt. System Maintenance The ERP-Sl shall describe its proposed approach to system maintenance. Description should include, but not be limited to, the proposed process for transition to the maintenance phase, problem and modification analysis, modification implementation, maintenance review and acceptance and deployment. The Solbourne Foundation methodology is based on the premise that the City will support the new system with little or no support from Solbourne. By understanding what is necessary to support the technical administration aspects of the system, the functional processes, and the end user community, the City can avoid future costly consulting services and the frustration associated with a reactive and sometimes time consuming process to resolve issues. This does not mean, however, that Solbourne will cease supporting the City upon go -live of the new system. Our offering includes two months of post production support including the first month end close process. The payroll support team will be available for two full production payroll runs. Additional year end processing support is available to the City to help with the year end process or to address changes to payroll rules in the City's post go -five business environment. During the Post Production Support phase we will also work to support the City's help desk function. While we strive to train and pass knowledge on to the City's help desk team to support the City's end user community, not every scenario can be anticipated prior to supporting the production environment. While not included within the scope of this proposal, Solbourne does offer support contracts to provide consulting resources to the City at reduced rates. Depending on the City's needs, resources can be made available on an immediate or when available basis to provide needed support services. Information on Solbourne Support Contracts will be provided to the City upon request. Our commitment to the City is long term. Our first public sector implementation was in 1994 and we are still working with this client today. We provided their original implementations of financials and human resources and then provided upgrade services to migrate them to release 11 i. We provide a specific upgrade methodology that focuses on technical and functional migration to the latest release. During the implementation, the Solbourne team will work with the City to define an on -going operations plan to support the City's system after go -live and into the future. The plan will include a patching strategy to keep the Oracle system up to date and to avoid extended periods system down time. The application of software patches requires a certain level of functional testing, depending on the size and scope of the patch being applied. Solbourne will work with the City's support team to come up with a plan that optimizes the amount of time spent patching and testing the applications during on -going maintenance activities. Depending on the final structure of the City's help desk, functional support team, and technical administrators, Solbourne will work with the City to identify an optimal maintenance window when the system can be patched and the Oracle code brought up to the latest release. The test scripts used during the implementation can be leveraged to create core maintenance test plans that strike a ala Solbourne ORACLE' 273 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator balance between the time available to perform testing and those functional areas that are critical and must be tested with each patch. Problems identified during the testing phases of the maintenance cycle will be logged and assigned to the appropriate City resources for resolution. The Oracle MetaLink site will be used to log TAR's and City functional support resources will be tasked with modifications to application configuration if necessary. Technical development items will be tested during the maintenance cycle and modified accordingly by City Technical Developers. Documentation will be updated and revisions to the code tracked during the process. A final approval of the test scripts will occur prior to any migration of maintenance patches or processes to the City's production system. This process represents a high-level approach to system maintenance. A detailed plan will be developed during the implementation given the resources and constraints that are unique to the City. The Solbourne consulting team will work with City personnel during the implementation to develop and execute an end user education program to support the go -live processes for the City. Included within this program are not only the courses necessary to support City operations on the first day of go -live but also a longer term plan on additional training needs that the City will execute on its own. Again, self sufficiency in all aspects of the Oracle system is our goal. We will deliver an education team that is fully capable of working with key City team members to identify, develop, and deliver education to the City personnel who require the Oracle system to complete their assigned duties. Oracle dedicates a tremendous amount of resources to upgrading and improving their software. New functionality and new products are released on a regular basis. Our team will work with the City's support team and process owners to identify and understand any new software functionality that is being released. This information is readily available through Oracle's MetaLink Support site. Solbourne can support the City in the implementation of new Oracle modules or subsequent work efforts. Training on new applications released by Oracle is available through Solbourne's Education group. During the implementation, Solbourne will review the available applications within the Oracle product suite that may be beneficial to the City in the long term. If the City wishes to become proficient or include a new application in their business process, Solbourne offers a variety of services including custom project team training, modular implementation, and end user education. These services are not included within the scope of this proposal, however. Solbourne will provide more information on these services at the City's request. !Ir Solbourne ORACLE` 274 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6u. Backup and Restore Capabilities The ERP-SI shall describe its proposed approach to Backup and Restore the Oracle E- Business Suite and its related data. The proposal should include the following: 1. Fully describe the backup approach including ERP-SI recommendations, and explain any restrictions on access or system functions during this process. 2. Are all system functions (inquiry and update) available during backup? Explain. 3. Can the system perform incremental backup? 4. Can the system backup specified data or applications (as opposed to complete disk image)? 5. Provide benchmarks for a complete backup of all data. 6. Describe an circumstances under which the system is unavailable to users. 7. Describe if the software and hardware currently owned by the City will be sufficient to support the new Oracle E-Business Suite. The Oracle RDBMS provides for point in time recovery when running in ARCHIVELOG mode. It is our recommendation that all production instances run in ARCHIVELOG mode. Non - production instances, due to their less sensitive recovery requirements, usually do not require point -in -time recovery. When running in ARCHIVELOG mode, "hot" backups of the database are made possible. "Cold" backups are always possible. During hot backups, all functionality of the application is accessible. During cold backups, none of the functionality of the application is accessible. Solbourne will work with city staff to implement an industry standard backup plan of weekly cold backups along with nightly hot backups of the database. This can be done with Oracle standard tools (scripts, RMAN, etc.) The applications code, along with the operating system, has no special backup requirements and should be included in the City's existing enterprise backup schedule. Provided the City's existing backup hardware has the capability to absorb the amount of data generated by the above mentioned backups, no additional hardware will be required. Additionally, the City's existing backup software should be sufficient, though licenses for each server to be backed up may have to be procured. Concerning incremental backups, when backing up Oracle Applications, only the database requires special handling. The database datafiles are backed up either by a cold (system down/unavailable) backup or a hot (system up/available) backup. From this point, until the next hot or cold backup, all of the database redo log files are archived and backed up. So, no, the database cannot be backed up by using the textbook definition of incremental backups, though point in time recovery is still available. However, the application file system (what we generally refer to as the code tree and application binaries, or "tops and homes") can be backed up by incremental means. Significant changes do not happen to the application file system, as files are typically only changed by patches and customizations. The only exceptions to this are ' process and report output and log files which are written to more or less constantly. For this file system, a reasonable backup plan of weekly full backups and nightly incremental backups might 1 Solbourne ORACLE' 275 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator be implemented. In this scenario, reasonable point -in -time recovery is available, though tapes are conserved through the use of incremental backups. The highly integrated nature of the Oracle Applications requires that all modules be backed up together. No provision is made for backing up single modules, or combinations of modules. When restoring an instance, the database datafiles and application file system should be from as close to the same point -in -time as is possible. If the time of available backup is sufficiently different, the DBA can generally accommodate for any synchronization differences in the way of patches by applying them to the applications file system or the database datafiles to "catch up" whichever is lagging. 1r Solbourne ORACLE' 276 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6v. Data Conversion and Archiving The ERP-S1 shall provide a detailed description of its proposed approach to data conversion. The City will assist the selected ERP-SI in identifying the automated links and key fields associated with the files to be converted. The City will identify the best way to provide data in the most recommended format. The ERPSI must rearrange the City's data format to match the new DBMS file organization. All associated conversion costs shall be included in integration Services Costs portion of this document. Conversion is a key component in the implementation of the new Oracle system replacing the City's legacy system. The best implementations consist of multiple discrete small steps with each step being independently validated. Each step will in itself contain multiple tasks. Conversion is no different. The system must be able to utilize accumulated data from the legacy systems being replaced. The migration from the existing systems must include any necessary modifications to existing systems, which are not being supplanted by the new system, as well as any necessary data conversion and importation to provide historical views. Based upon Solbourne's experience and industry knowledge, we have identified specific candidates for conversion. Solbourne in collaboration with the City, for each of these candidates, will perform analysis to determine whether or not the data should be brought into the Oracle application and how this should be done. The analysis involves examining the value of having the data in Oracle, the quality of data coming from the legacy system, the number of records, the effort and cost to extract the data, the effort and cost to load the data, the learning opportunity associated with manual data conversion, and all related risks to the project. Once these parameters have been evaluated for cost and benefit, the decision is made about whether or not the data will be converted and how, Solbourne's approach to data conversion consists of these major steps: 1. Map data elements between the City's legacy and the Oracle application 2. Clean Legacy data 3. Combine multiple sources into legacy extract data 4. Extract/Transform legacy data into Oracle format staging tables 5. Load staging tables into Oracle database. A custom program loads the standard Oracle Open Interface tables (or calls API's) with the data in the custom staging table. The standard Oracle Interface program then runs to load the data into the Oracle Applications module with full validation and includes exception reports. It is possible to load the Open Interface tables directly, but this is not recommended since the raw data would be lost due to data mapping between the systems, which makes debugging conversion issues extremely difficult. 6. Validate content between legacy & Oracle application $ Solbourne OI?ACLE° 277 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator The following high level data flow model identifies these conversion steps. Data Conversion Process Identification Data Conversion Development Life Cycle Analysis Design Legacy Data Map Clean Legacy Data Develop Extract Pro( ram Extract & Transform Legacy Data Develop Loading Program ■ l}tilize Application Desktop Integrator Load Target & Validate Structural Inte . rit Execute Production Data File Validate Solbourne Solbourne will provide the City with a two day long Data Conversion Workshop where the Solbourne Technical Developer will work with the City Technical Developer(s) to walk through the analysis, design, development, and testing of Data Conversion Toads. The outcome of the Workshop will be knowledge transfer and development related to at least one of the actual Data Conversion elements for the City. In addition, through the use of the tightly integrated Application Desktop Integrator (ADI) component, journal entries, budgets, budget adjustments, and fixed assets can be uploaded and downloaded between Excel and Oracle easily without technical development work, which is significant given the extensive amount of conversion activity expected in this area. For conversion candidates where the determination is to not convert data (i.e. payables history), the legacy system or hard copy reports are often used for historical inquiry. If a manual conversion is determined to be the most effective way to convert data, worksheets are often provided from the legacy system to assist the user with entry. These worksheets can also be used to merge and prepare data prior to entry. Conversion Development Scope Solbourne will instruct on and demonstrate the use of tools to develop conversions in a supportive, collaborative environment. This is done through the use of workshops and interactive development. The workshop approach, described below, enables City resources to $ Solbourne ORACLE` 278 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator learn the necessary tools while completing actual development tasks. Upon completion of the workshops, City resources will be expected to assume responsibility for developing required technical components for the project, working side by side with consultants who are also developing other components in an interactive fashion. It must be kept in mind that technical development tasks will require the assistance of the functional team to help with data mapping and to ensure that business process requirements are being met. Technical and functional resource constraints and organizational priorities must be taken into consideration when the technical scope is developed. Data Transfer Workshop - Data Conversion Solbourne offers a two day long conversion workshop for City Developer(s). The workshop will follow the technical project team training in order to leverage learning from the formal application vendor courses and provide a transition from formal training to working autonomously in meeting project deadlines to develop conversion programs. The workshop will be lead by the Solbourne Technical Developer. Roles and Responsibilities for Data Conversion Conversion development will require project team members' active participation working in a collaborative environment. Solbourne will assume a consultative, leadership role in which we will advise and assist in the development of conversion programs. Solbourne brings its experience to the conversion development effort; while involving the City in every step to optimize the City's ability to be self-sufficient after implementation. The table below depicts the responsibility between the City and Solbourne. Conversion Responsibill Process Identify, and analyze candidates for conversion. City Responsible Solbourne Assist Design the Conversion program(s) Assist Responsible Data Mapping Responsible Assist Data Cleansing Responsible Data Concatenation Responsible Assist Export data from external system to a flat file with a specific format and transfers the file to the Oracle Applications box. Responsible Assist Transform Data Responsible Assist Develop loading program(s) Assist Responsible air Solbourne ORACLE' 279 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP * 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Process City Assist Solbourne Responsible Load Data Validate Responsible Test Assist Responsible Review Exception reports and take necessary corrective actions. Responsible Assist Execute in Production Assist Responsible Validate in Production Responsible Conversion Strategy Conversion strategy encompasses high-level mapping, loading, testing, and cutover. In high- level mapping, the City must consider the architectural differences between the legacy and Oracle application and define the mapping of major entities such as 'Employee Type'. In mapping, should the City map one LEGACY 'Employee Type' to one Oracle 'Employee Type'? Is this rule uniform for all Employees' that are of that particular 'Employee Type'? The decision impacts how to extract, load, test data and ultimately affects long term business processes. Another issue is the 'quality' of data to convert. First of all, if the 'quality' of the data is poor, would you want to populate the new Oracle system with bad data? A conversion strategy is the foundation to a successful conversion, and a successful conversion is paramount to a successful implementation. The conversion cycle (In Test and Production instance) will provide two iterations to ensure clean information. The proposed data conversion cycle is as follows: 1. Initial load of the data 2. Errors and messages from the new Oracle system will be provided 3. City personnel will resolve issues in legacy system or extract programs 4. Second load of the data 5. Errors and messages from the new Oracle systems will be provided 6. City personnel will resolve issues in legacy system or extract programs 7. Final load with no errors Step 1 — Data Mapping High-level data mapping is defined as part of the conversion strategy. Detailed mapping consists of equating every data element in the Oracle application back to a data element in the City's legacy system, and vice versa. The outcome of this exercise should be documented in a backward -forward mapping spreadsheets. In backward -forward mapping, each target field must be identified both by the data base location and the screen location. This facilitates testing by the users. Ideally, there is a one-to-one match between the two systems. Unfortunately, this rarely happens due to different architectures. Some Legacy elements will not have a match; $ Solbourne ORACLE' 280 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator many Oracle application elements will not have a match. Every field should be categorized by type of match: 1. convert as is, 2. not converted, 3. transform (associate it to a rule), 4. data created (e.g. Oracle application requirement but not found in the City legacy system), 5. no match -do not fill. Data mapping, cleaning, extraction and transformation are all interrelated. Any change in requirements could affect one or all of these steps. Step 2 — Clean the Legacy Data When performing data cleansing, you must consider two types of data clean-up: static and dynamic. Static clean-up is easier and is only a correction of historical data such as incorrect addresses or phone numbers. Dynamic clean-up is more difficult because it is concerned with ongoing problems created due to integrity or processing issues with the legacy system. This data can not be corrected completely since the legacy system continues to create this bad data. Most of the time, this data is cleaned as a result of the extract process itself or in -post production manually. Step 3 — Build the Legacy Extract This step is used when multiple sources exist such as an amalgamation of functional subsystem data. If the decision is to 'convert' all of this data into the Oracle application, then the process of compiling this data into one data set must be defined in the conversion strategy. Step 4 — Extract and Transform the Legacy Data Data extraction and transformation is a programming effort that executes the strategy in accordance with the detailed mapping rules. Programs or scripts must be designed, coded, and run. Ultimately they must be tested. Testing and verification must include static counts, transaction amounts, and transformation rule validation. Finally, the extract programs must be tuned so they can run in a specified time frame (e.g. the entire conversion in a 3-day weekend, including loading and testing). Step 5 -- Load the Target Data Base The key is data integrity and an assurance that all data is correctly loaded. Step 6 — Validate the Target Data Base Validation is not a one-time event. It must be part of every conversion step. Like most of the preceding steps, validation is an iterative process. In addition to validating record counts, and financial totals, knowledgeable users should manually validate data. After the data has been validated, the system processes should be run against the data. Ideally, a pseudo parallel test will be executed. Typically, the major processes will be ran against a snapshot of the legacy system. This is complex and time consuming but worthwhile. Ideally, at the end of each process you will be able to match the results to the legacy. The intent is to Solbourne ORACLE 281 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-44-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator understand the differences, identify and correct possible problems, and to test the new business processes (e.g. how the City uses the input/output of the new Oracle application). Candidates for Conversion: Multiple methods for converting data exist during implementation. Through the use of the tightly integrated ADI component, fixed assets, general ledger balances, and budgets can easily be uploaded from Excel to Oracle without technical development work. This is sizeable given the certainty of conversion activity in this area. $ Solbouri ORACLE` 282 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to REP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System integrator Per our experience with Oracle Applications and with city and county governments, we are anticipating that the following conversions will be required to support the Oracle Applications: • HRMS 22. General Active Employee Information 23. Addresses 24. Assignments 25. Salaries 26. Contacts 27. Dependents 28. Beneficiaries 29. Current benefits elections 30. Phone data 31. Federal tax rules 32. State tax rules 33. Supervisors 34. Payment methods 35. Default costing segments 36. Balances 37. Positions 38. Jobs 39. 2 Extra Information Types (EIT) 40. 2 Special Information Types (SIT) 41. General Active Retiree information 42. Active Rehires • Accounts Payable 1. Suppliers 2. Outstanding Checks 3. Open payables invoices • Accounts Receivable 1. Customers 2. Open receivables invoices • Grants & Project Accounting 1. Project to Date Expenditure / By Expenditure Type 2. Grants/Project-based historical transactions for open Grants/Projects • Supply Chain 1. Item Master 2. On Hand Balances • Requisition and PO Processing 1. Open purchase orders. All purchase order lines that are partially open will be loaded as net open quantity For each of these candidates, analysis is performed to determine whether or not the data should be brought into the Oracle application and how this should be done. The analysis involves examining the value of having the data in Oracle, the quality of data coming from the legacy system, the number of records, the effort and cost to extract the data, the effort and cost to load the data, the learning opportunity associated with manual data conversion, and all related risks al Solbourne ORACLE° 283 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator to the project. Once these parameters are evaluated for cost and benefit, the decision is made about whether or not the data will be converted and how. Conversion candidates that are identified after the start of the project must be soaped and approved by the City and Solbourne prior to the start of the work. Archiving The Oracle Applications contain purging and archiving tools to support the removal of data from core transaction and master data tables. The Oracle database is capable of storing a tremendous amount of data and therefore, depending on the needs of the City, some of this data may be retained. Based on our experience, archiving should be evaluated after the City has been in a productive environment for an extended period of time. Performance of the database and record retention policies should be examined to determine potential purge or archive candidates. Solbourne will work with the City to help identifv the available purse and archive programs within the standard Oracle applications and will educate the core City team on the use of these tools. Our recommendation, however, is to evaluate the standard Oracle purge and archive utilities as well as the performance of the database and the Cltv's data retention requirements prior to considering any third party archiving packages. $ Solbourne L}R/�CLE 284 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6w. Testing The ERP-Sl shall describe its proposed approach to System Testing. The selected ERP-SI for the Project must anticipate extensive participation in the testing process by representatives from the City. The City will participate in conducting the tests and assessing test results. In addition, complete the table below based on your proposed approach. The two primary goals of the testing process within the Solbourne Foundation Methodology are validating business process requirements and knowledge transfer to the City. The City's approach to participation in the testing effort is a good fit with our testing approach. Self sufficiency is attained through knowledge transfer and understanding of the new system and processes at the City. Knowledge transfer is attained through formal education (project team training) and informal education through continuous use of the new system during the test phases of the project. Functional teams working together to transfer knowledge and learn how the new system will support the City work best when they are on site together. Based upon the City's size and the focus on system performance, performance testing will also be an important test cycle during the project. The testing phases of the project are critical to properly prepare the City to transition the system to a production environment, document processes, and to prepare for educating the City's end user community. Due to the critical nature of these tasks, Solbourne provides all testing services on site with City project team members. Solbourne's approach to testing begins during the Validation phase of the project. The detailed business process requirements have been gathered and the data conversion, interface, and modification analysis tasks have been completed leading up to the Validation phase. The primary objective of this phase is to design, configure, and validate the business solutions that satisfy the business process requirements gathered during the process design phase. Resulting from this phase will be a fully configured and tested system. The Functional Team members will modify the Foundation system to meet the specific needs of the City. The Solbourne team will perform basic unit tests of standard system functionality to ensure the basic transactions and forms are functioning prior to engaging the City's functional team. The Solbourne and the City project team will then perform system validation testing. A critical focus of this phase and the overall methodology is knowledge transfer. We strive to educate City team members and key personnel throughout the implementation process. With this in mind, the validation/testing process will occur in conjunction with the project team training process. Our experience indicates that project team participant's best learn the functionality of the software by using it to execute their own business processes. Solbourne's project team education program integrates the learning and validation processes through highly focused sessions with small teacher to student ratios. As team members learn how the software functions, they apply this new knowledge to their existing business process requirements. Through an iterative process, the software is configured and tested until the requirements within the scope of the project are met. interfaces, conversions, modifications, and reports specified during project scoping and process design are being designed and developed by technical and functional resources in a parallel activity to the validation cycles. During the validation phase, interfaces and conversion programs are developed and City legacy system data extractions are written. As development proceeds, the programs are unit tested to ensure that the City's data is valid. Full data !� Solbourne ORACLE' 285 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator conversion testing does not occur until the integration phase. The conversion and interface template and requirement documents are the tools that are used to manage the overall development effort. Other technical development objects are unit tested by the developers during validation to ensure that the code functions without errors and that basic inputs and outputs are being accepted and generated, At this point in the project, the City team members have a solid understanding of how the software functions in relation to their business processes. During the learning process, system reports and queries are used to support business processes. Reports that do not exist on the standard system are identified and listed on the reports inventory. If a specific number of custom reports have been included in the scope of the overall project, the City prioritizes the reports for development. In addition, functional team members work with technical report developers to design the custom reports. Following validation testing is the integration phase of the project. During the integration phase of the project, the fully configured system is tested under realistic scenarios. The focus of the validation phase is to ensure that individual functions within the software meet the requirements of the City business processes. In the integration phase, all functions are brought together to ensure that business processes are fully functioning and that all areas within the organization understand the "touch points" between functional areas. To support this conference room pilot or integration test cycle, Solbourne will deliver an integrated test plan that will lead the City through the testing process. Each functional area will complete this portion of the project with a solid understanding of where they fit into the overall, integrated business process. Any custom reports, interfaces, and modifications that are required to support the City's business process are included within this testing. The goal is to simulate the City's business environment on a smaller scale than a live production situation. During the integration phase, the functional team will sponsor a user acceptance testing activity. During acceptance testing, focus group members and other key members of the City are invited to test drive the system using the user procedures and test scripts developed during the project. User acceptance testing is intended to identify any additional exceptions or potential issues that may be encountered when rolling the system out City wide. In addition, they user acceptance testing is a way to support the change management effort by allowing end users to "preview" what is coming for them. User acceptance testing is a one on one activity as these end users are not formally trained on the new system but are given the opportunity to perform some transactions in the system. In parallel, the conversions, interfaces, and custom report development tasks are completed. During this phase, full data conversions are executed within instances that closely resemble the City's production system to ensure that all legacy system data is ready for upload. Interfaces to existing City systems are fine-tuned and tested in preparation for cutover to a productive environment. Custom report development efforts are finalized and tested by City functional resources to ensure that the reported data is correct. All technical development items are included within the business process testing. The City has requested that Solbourne provide substantial assistance with stress/volume testing of the system, including a commitment to meet agreed upon performance metrics. Solbourne's position on this item is as follows: • Solbourne, as the implementation services provider, cannot alone provide a contractual commitment to the total system performance — this is a joint responsibility that requires input of multiple parties (hardware vendor, network vendor, software provider, desktop Solbourne oRA►CLE" 286 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator provider and customer). Each party possesses specific expertise on the methods to install, configure, tune and monitor their supplied products to run the Oracle applications. The specific application performance cannot be isolated from these other elements, but must be addressed as one integrated entity with interdependencies. • It is premature to address the various components associated with system performance before the finalization of the associated specific technical architecture requirements. • Solbourne's scope of services and associated price does not include turn -key responsibility for overall system performance and the management of all the various parties and components related to system performance and monitoring. • System performance comprises initial sizing estimates, installation, configuration and ongoing monitoring and management to maintain consistent, reasonable and predictable performance across all components of the technical architecture. There are a significant number of variables across all of these components that affect system performance. As part of the implementation process, we will provide our expertise and a structured approach to document the production environment architecture requirements through both the Technical Architecture consulting services/deliverable and providing access to white papers, configurators, sizing tools and related information that has been produced by hardware firms and Oracle specific to the Oracle E-Business suite, I'.Itl' Software Systems Integrator Sotlxnurnc littilallaliun!Intcgralion!'fcsting Services Describe Set vices Below System Testing occurs during the Integration Phase of the project and involves performance testing to make sure the system responds reasonably during periods of heavy transaction processing. City and Solbourne technical and functional resources are involved in this activity. Application Software Application Soli WW1' flours ( )n-Site lours 0f1-Site 300-350 Hours Ir Solbourne ORACLE' 287 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Fl I' Suit ware Systems Iniegrntlur Sullwurne InstallationlInlettration/'1'eslin !, Services Describe Services Below Conference Room Pilot / Integration Testing occur during the Integration Phase of the project and involves testing the business process from end -to - end. This testing includes full conversion, interfaces and all other technical development items and is a simulation of the City's business processes in the new system. The city Process Owners and Focus Group members are primarily responsible for conducting this testing with the support of the Solbourne Process Consultants. The City resources are solely responsible for verification of the test results as the City must obtain a comfort level that the system is functioning as needed. Application Solt ware Application Software looms ( )ri-Silo 3500-4000 Hours User Acceptance Testing occurs during the Integration Phase of the project and involves bringing in Focus Group members or key City end users to review and "test drive" the newly developed processes. End to end business process testing occurs here and utilizes scripts that are specific to the City developed by City team members or prescribed by City auditors. At this point in the project the City's Process Owners are becoming more self sufficient. Therefore the Solbourne resources will be used for support only as a last resort. As Needed Over a 10 Day Period four,, Ol -Site Jai Solbourne ORACLE' 288 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Ei r Software Systems Integrator Stallion rue Instal latirm/intcgrationl'fcsling Services I )c5crillc Services 13cIow Unit testing occurs during the Validation and Integration Phases of the project and involves testing enhancements and technical development items to make sure that the code is functioning without errors. In addition, functional validation testing of the initial prototype configuration is included within unit testing. Regression testing occurs during the Integration Phase of the project and involves testing the functionality of technical development items to validate the designed functionality and to ensure that the objects function within the overall business processes for which they were developed. Regression testing also includes testing of custom development objects for functionality after patches or upgrades to the software occur. Regression testing is an ongoing process after go -live whenever patches are applied. Total Installation/integration/Testing Services Proposed Applicarliorr 5ollnars4• Aiculion Scfltwarc, Iourx t)n-Site 1750-1800 Hours 1900-1950 lours ( I -Silo INN The ERP-SI should recommend any automated tool to be used for intensive system testing. All the leading hardware vendors in coordination with Oracle and third party performance tool providers have developed a wealth of information regarding benchmarks, configurations, sizing engines, performance monitor and related materials that provides guidance during the sizing and performance monitoring process. In order to expedite and formalize stress/volume testing by the City, we recommend that the City consider purchasing the Mercury LoadRunner product. This tool can be used to stress test $ Solbourne ORACLE'289 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator the system in an automated fashion and will accurately provide performance data to support the optimization of hardware and database tuning, $ Solbourne ORACLE' 290 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6x. Traininu A train the trainer approach will be used for training of the City's end -users. The City has determined that training will include separate Module -based and Process -based training classes. Module -based training Includes all generic training materials and tools related to function level knowledge of Oracle E-Business Suite. Process -based training includes all custom training materials and tools related to functional level knowledge of Oracle E- Business Suite, tailored to meet the City's specific Oracle E-Business Suite configuration and processes. Module -based training will be provided directly by Oracle Corporation. Core project team members will receive module -based training after selection of the ERP-Sl. The ERP-Si shall describe its proposed approach to Process -based training and should include its approach to maintaining training materials and curriculum online, training quality control, post -implementation training, and cut -over training per application module, including the following: 1. Any pertinent details, limitations, exceptions concerning the services offered for training. 2. List or catalog of optional classes or training available but not included in this proposal. 3. On-line training courses and on-line evaluation tests provided. 4. identification of customized training for government entities and your approach to customized training needs identified during Implementation. 5. Maintenance of training materials and curriculum online. 6. Alternative training approaches. 7. Quality control on proposed training. 8. Additional training provided. 9. Post -implementation training. 10. Pre -implementation training. 11. Cut -over training services per application module. 12. Knowledge management capabilities. The ERP-SI is not responsible for delivery of the Process -based training, but will ensure that the City identified trainers have all the tools, documentation and resources necessary to successfully deliver training to the City's end -users. The City expects all training to be relevant specifically to government and to be modified to include quality control, best practices and agreed upon standard operating procedures. All users are expected to be thoroughly trained, certified and evaluated to accomplish specific job duties and to have substantial ERP education. All classes should have agreed upon curriculum with assessment tests, hands -on -exercises to be provided before, during and after all said classes Including suggested follow-up materials. Materials developed in this process will be maintained by the ERP-SI or provided in full to the City with customizations for exercises, testing, online help and follow-up material. Areas of training to be developed in conjunction with the project plan should include but not be limited to: 1. Pre -implementation: ERP Education, manager coaching, technical training Solbourne ORACLE' 291 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 2. Pre -Installation: User training per module 3. implementation: Helpdesk, online help customization, on the Job (floor) training 4. Post -implementation: Refresher and cross -over training. Describe how your proposed training and implementation services will meet these objectives and complete the table below based on your approach. Add any additional services areas not listed in the table below: ERP Training Services System Software/Utilities Software Systems Total Hours Provided On -Site Not applicable — see other classes below Integrator Total Hours Provided Off -Site Not applicable — see other classes below Allowed # of Attendees Not applicable — see other classes below System Administration 11 i System Administrator Fundamentals Ongoing during the project 40 1 DBMS Administration Oracle91 Database Administration Fundamentals I Ongoing during the project 40 1 11i Install, Patch and Maintain Oracle Applications Ongoing during the project 40 1 Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL and PLISQL (DBA) Ongoing during the project 40 1 Technical Support Training 8 (and ongoing during the project) 0 Entire Project Team Application System Administration Training Oracle9iAS: Basic Administration Ongoing during the project 40 1 Other — Technical Development Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL and PL/SQL (Developer) Ongoing during the project 40 3 Oracle9i: Program with PL/SQL Ongoing during the project 40 3 $ Solbourne ORACLE 292 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System integrator ERP Training Services Develop PL/SQL Program Units Oracle iDS: Discoverer for Administrators 11i/2.6 Implement Oracle Workflow Oracle iDS Reports: Build Internet Reports Total System Administration/ Management Training Hours Provided Human Resources Human Resources Position Control Manager Self -Service Compensation Benefits Administration Training Administration Payroll Recruiting Employee Self -Service Applicant Self -Service - Finance General Ledger Accounts Payable Billing/Order Management Accounts Receivable Fixed Assets Cash Management Treasury Project Costing Expense Entry Self - Service Budget Budget and Forecasting Balanced Scorecard Grants Solbourne ORACLE' Software Systems Integrator Total Hours Total Hours Provided Provided On -Site Off -Site Allowed # of Attendees Ongoing during the project Ongoing during the project Ongoing during the project Ongoing during the project 8 (and ongoing during the roiect 16* 4 4* 4* 20* 12* 16* 8* 4* 4* 12* 12* 12* 12* 8* 8* 8* 16* 4* 16* 8* 293 24 24 40 40 408 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 0** 3 3 3 3 50 10 1500*** 20 10 10 30 30 4000*** 1500*** 35 10 30 25 5 25 5 5 925*** September 15, 2004 100 15 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator ERP Software Systems Integrator Total Hours Total Hours Provided Provided Training Services On -Site Off -Site Grant Administration 8* 0** Allowed # of Attendees 35 Grant Accountin• 8* 0** 20 Purchasin, Re. uisitionin• 8* 0** 50 Purchasin • 0** 75 Invento 16* 0** 25 Employee Requisitioning Self -Service 4* 0** 1000*** Su. •tier Portal 8* 0** 8000*** Report Writing Tool (Business Intelli!ence 8* 0** 50 Total Application Software Trainin, Hours Pro . osed 292* 0** * The hours noted above for applications training are estimates for end user training as defined below in the "End User Groups — Core Users" section. Estimated hours for project team training classes are noted in the Functional Training table in the section "Project Team Training". These estimates may change during the project and will be finalized in the Curriculum Plan. ** All training will be conducted onsite at City facilities. *** We recommend that end user training content for all self-service applications should be deployed using self -paced e-Learning and tracked via Oracle iLearning. It is assumed that no instructor -led training courses will be delivered for these applications. The exact training approach for these applications will be finalized in the Curriculum Plan. $ Solbourne ORACLE" 294 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator TRAINING APPROACH Solbourne's training methodology includes the following six phases (one related to Project Team Training and five related to End User Training). All of the tasks requested within the City's RFP related to training are included within this methodology. A summary of the training methodology phases are provided below, PROJECT TEAM TRAINING City project team members and technical personnel are the first team members to be trained on the system. The goal is to provide the education and training to adequately prepare City staff for participation in the implementation. In reviewing the City's RFP, Solbourne respectfully recommends that the City reconsider its position on having Oracle Corporation provide all module -based training to City project team members. Solbourne's project team training approach is built upon our expertise in the Public Sector, specifically with City governments, and is very effective from both a training and cost perspective. By delivering this training onsite at the City, training classes will be tailored to meet the needs of the City's specific project scope as well as reduce logistics. We feel that this is an option the City should strongly consider. Functional Training Approach If the City decides to allow Solbourne to deliver project team training, the training for the Functional Training classes listed below will be delivered as instructor -led classes by Solbourne functional and educational consultants at City facilities in a classroom or small workshop setting. Training facility requirements would be the same as those needed for end user training delivery and they are defined later in this section. Training includes extensive hands-on practice supported by hard -copy educational materials and exercise booklets. All training materials will be provided by Solbourne for reproduction at City facilities and used in conjunction with an Oracle training system. Training Subject Oracle Overview and Navigation Length 2 hours Functional Training Audience Course Outline All City team members and technical personnel • Module overview • Organization structures in Oracle • Integration • Log On/Off • Functions, Documents, Processes • Query • List of Values • Online Help Delivery Method • Self -paced e- Learning (prerequisite for any instructor -led training) • Reviewed in future classroom, instructor -led training classes • Enhanced further by participation in the im • lementation fly Solbourne ORACLE° 295 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Training Subject Financial Accounting Budget Development and Control Solbourne Length 7 days 2 days Functional Training Audience Process owners and focus group for Financial Accounting, Asset Management, Accounts Receivable, and Cash Management Process owners and focus group for Budget Management ORACLE Course Outline • General Ledger master data (GL accounts) • General Ledger journal entries • General Ledger recurring entries • General Ledger financial reporting • General Ledger fund accounting • Cash Management clearing open items • Cash Management bank reconciliation • Accounts Receivable processing • Internet Receivables • Fixed Asset maintenance • Fixed Asset depreciation • Fixed Asset classes • Fixed Asset valuation • Fixed Asset transfers • Fixed Asset retirements • Budgeting master data • Top-down/bottom-up • Annual and overview budgets • Updates and adjustments • Availability control • Reporting 296 Delivery Method • Classroom, Instructor -led • Using hard copy materials and exercises • Enhanced further by participation in the implementation • Part of the detailed learning plan for project team members • Classroom, Instructor -led • Using hard copy materials and exercises • Enhanced further by participation in the implementation • Part of the detailed learning plan for project team members September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Training Subject Procurement to Payment Project and Grant Accounting Functional Training Length Audience 7 days 5 days Process owners and focus group for Purchasing and Accounts Payable Process owners and focus group for Project and Grant Accounting Course Outline • Procurement process • Vendor management • Partner functionality • Purchase requisitions • Contracts management • Quotes • Purchase orders • Payables master data (vendors) • Payables invoice processing • Payables invoice verification • Payables payment run • Payables manual checks • Inventory • Reporting • Master data • Planning • Internal Order setup • Project and Grant setup • Project and Grant budgeting • Project and Grant accounting • Reporting Delivery Method • Classroom, Instructor -led • Using hard copy materials and exercises • Enhanced further by participation in the implementation • Part of the detailed learning plan for project team members • Classroom, Instructor -led • Using hard copy materials and exercises • Enhanced further by participation in the implementation • Part of the detailed learning plan for project team members $ Solbourne ORACLE 297 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Training Subject Human Resources and Payroll Functional Training Length Audience 14 days Process owners and focus group for Human Resources, Payroll, Time and Labor and Training Administration Course Outline • Organization management • Applicant tracking • Personnel administration • Advanced benefits • Time and labor • Compensation administration • Payroll calculations • Net pay disbursements • Employee self service (ESS) • Training administration • (Learning (Learning Management System) • Re . ortin • Delivery Method • Classroom, Instructor -led • Using hard copy materials and exercises • Enhanced further by participation in the implementation • Part of the detailed learning plan for project team members In addition to the classes listed above, Solbourne will also deliver education related to the following items throughout the course of the implementation to the City team leads: • Working with Oracle Support • Oracle Metalink usage (for online Oracle Support) • TAR (Technical Assistance Request for Oracle Support) escalation As these class sessions are focused on the City team leads and select focus group members for the respective functional areas, it is highly recommended that no more than 5-7 students attend any given session. This will enable the instructor to provide individual attention to participants to maximize the learning experience and effectively evaluate the skills of the users. Solbourne will deliver one (1) session for each Training Subject area listed above. Skills evaluation for the City project team members will occur in several ways. First, Solbourne functional consultants, as instructors, will be evaluating City staff' first hand during training classes. This will provide City staff with immediate feedback on their performance during class. Second, the training classes will consist of hands on practice with detailed exercises. This will allow City staff to learn by doing and receiving immediate feedback through exercise answers. Third, after returning to their work on the project, Solbourne functional consultants will also be evaluating City staff firsthand and supporting them in the subject areas where help is required, as well as working through and signing off on the detailed learning plan related to the team members' specific functional areas. The combination of these methods will facilitate City staff being thoroughly prepared to complete the work required during this project, Technical Training Approach The Oracle technical training for the City Project Team will be provided by Oracle at any of the Oracle training centers located nationwide. We will work with the City to validate that the recommended courses are appropriate for the skill level of the technical Project Team members. In addition, all City technical personnel will complete the Oracle Navigation e- APIr Solbourne ORACLE' 298 September 16, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Learning class onsite at City facilities with the rest of the City project team to minimize cost and logistics. All training requirements for technical personnel as described in the RFP can be met through the courses defined below. The technical team training will include training for the following roles: • Database Administrator Training • Technical Developer Training Technical Oracle Training Subject Project Team Length Training Audience Oracle Overview and Navigation (onsite) See above Database Administrator and Technical Developers Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL and PL/SQL (DBA) 5 days Database Administrator Oracle9i Database Administration Fundamentals I 5 days Database Administrator Oracle9iAS: Basic Administration 5 days Database Administrator 11 i System Administrator Fundamentals 5 days Database Administrator 11 i Install, Patch and Maintain Oracle Applications 5 days Database Administrator Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL and PL/SQL (Developer) 5 days Technical Developers Oracle9i: Program with PL/SQL 5 days Technical Developers Develop PL/SQL Program Units 3 days Technical Developers Oracle iDS: Discoverer for Administrators 3 days Technical Developers 11 i/2.6 Implement Oracle Workflow 5 days Technical Developers Oracle iDS Reports: Build Internet Reports 5 days Technical Developers We have included the costs associated with the training courses above for a City database administrator and three technical developers. Oracle courses, durations, and prices are subject to change at any time and an accurate course offering is available anytime online at www.oracle.com. END USER TRAINING Needs Assessment and Strategy Development This phase is used to assess the education needs for the City and define an education strategy. In addition, a detailed analysis of the characteristics of the various user groups is performed. A detailed education project plan for deployment of the education programs is also developed in this phase. This education project plan becomes the basis for all education program activities delivered throughout the course of the project. Key deliverables in this phase include the following: �r Solbourne ORACLE" 299 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Key Deliverable Education Workplan Education Needs Assessment Description The education workplan is created in MS Project and defines in detail all of the key education rollout tasks, dates and person(s) responsible. This workplan is integrated into the overall project workplan. The needs assessment is an information gathering activity. Surveys are distributed and interviews are performed to gain a focused understanding of the City's education landscape. The needs assessment surveys and interviews cover all aspects of the education program including: }■ User groups and demographics - • User locations ■ Summary of job tasks by position/function k=• Training methods that have worked well in the past .:-,:.!__Summary of training methods and types of materials currently used Technology infrastructure as it relates to end user education ,`1). Organizational culture ■ Any challenges that exist related to end user education Education Strategy The education strategy is a summary document of the data gathered during the needs assessment. The education strategy also includes recommendations and next steps related to the end user education program and becomes the foundation for all end user education work performed on the project. Key items within the education strategy include: • Program objectives ;;,■ Critical success factors tk ■ Scope of work F_■ Education approach and deliverables tk}■ Education development process ■ Material review process i;- Education delivery options and recommendations {� ■ Education logistics findings and recommendations Post implementation education strategy options and recommendations f:;■ Assumptions, risks and next steps Curriculum Design This phase is used to define the material development strategies and requirements, specifically, what types of learning media (including e-Learning where appropriate) will be used and how Alla$ Solbourne ORACLE 300 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator course content will be structured for delivery. A key component of this design is the use of both live virtual and self -paced e-Learning (if required), and how materials will be structured accordingly. End user roles and responsibilities are clearly defined in this phase in conjunction with the Change Management effort that ultimately results in the overall education curriculum for all end user groups. Key deliverables in this phase include the following: Key Deliverable Job Roles and Responsibilities Matrix Training Curriculum Plan Description All end user education is intended to be role -based according to the job responsibilities within the business process, that is, based on the job responsibilities of the users and the tasks they need to perform within the applications and related business processes. End user roles facilitate two key deliverables — the end user education curriculum and security access within the applications. During the project, users attend education classes according to the job roles to which they are assigned. This deliverable consists of the overall curriculum listing as well as detailed narratives that describe each course in detail. These narrative course outlines provide a detailed description of the courses to be taught during the implementation. The following information is included in each course outline: • Course title q,"I Course duration Course prerequisites 0:t• Course description Course objectives • Course modules and module objectives (agenda) ■ Listing of materials used to support course delivery Material Development All training materials are developed in this phase. Based on the design specifications defined in the previous phase, the Solbourne Education Consultants will develop all materials required for the end user education program. These materials will be developed using a combination of Solbourne educational tools and templates, and will exist in multiple learning formats, including MS Word and HTML/PDF user procedures, MS PowerPoint class presentations, instructor guides, business process flows, classroom exercises, quick reference job aids and live virtual and self -paced e-Learning (if appropriate). As the starting point for the content development effort, Solbourne will provide the City with Solbourne's EDGE (e-Learning and Documentation to Gain Effectiveness) library. The material library consists of material development templates, user procedure documents, class presentations, classroom exercises, and self -paced e- Learning tutorials. These end user education materials have been developed based on our extensive implementation experience and are based on Public Sector and Oracle Applications leading practices. t� Solbourne ORACLE" 301 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator air Solbourne ORACLE 302 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System integrator Key deliverables in this phase include the following: Key Deliverable Description End User As the starting point for the content development effort, Solbourne Educational will provide the City with our entire EDGE library of educational Material Library content. These end user education materials have been (Solbourne's developed based on our extensive Oracle Applications and Public EDGE) Sector implementation experience. This library includes the following items: ",',• Documentation Standards i'.}• User Procedures • e-Learning Tutorials "• Classroom Presentations t:>• Instructor Guides ;F>• Classroom Exercises ■ Job Aids ±'• Assessment Tests Training Material Development Solbourne Education Consultants with review assistance and input from City project team members will develop all educational content required for the education effort. The process of material development is very dependent on a close working relationship between the City Subject Matter Expert (SME) and the material developer. Using the Solbourne EDGE library as a starting point, the SME and material developer work together to quickly identify any changes and customizations required to the base library of materials. Once the changes are identified, the tools and templates allow the material developer to make the changes in a very efficient manner. As part of every end user education program, Solbourne defines an educational material review and quality assurance strategy. This strategy not only outlines a process for material review and QA, but defines the implementation team members that will assist in material review, such as SMEs. Appropriate sign off documents are also included in this deliverable. All training materials will be maintained online and be housed on the City's network. The detailed material review strategy described above will be utilized throughout the material development effort to facilitate timely turnaround of completed training materials. Education Delivery In this phase, City instructors, with in -class support from Solbourne Education Consultants, will deliver the end user training classes to all end user groups. All training classes will provide al/ SO1bOurne ORACLE' 303 5epfember 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System integrator users with a detailed overview of the business process, application tasks that support the business process and hands-on exercises to facilitate practice and learning. To prepare City instructors identified for training delivery, a Train the Trainer program will be delivered by Solbourne that includes a detailed review of the educational content being covered during the classes, a workshop designed to teach City instructors the fundamentals of adult education and classroom management, and pilot training to acquire feedback from City end users on the education delivery methods being utilized, Ail class scheduling and training logistics planning for the training delivery effort will also occur in this phase. It is our intent to schedule training with as minimal impact on the business operations of the City as possible. Key deliverables in this phase include the following: Key Deliverable Description i% Solbourne ORACLE 304 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Key Deliverable Description In the Train the Trainer program, the following events will occur in the order listed. This program will facilitate City instructors feeling thoroughly prepared to deliver end user training. -_•_ The Solbourne Education Consultants will review all end user training content with the City instructors to orient them to the transactions and related cross -functional City business processes that they will be covering during the training classes. This activity will provide an opportunity for the City instructors to ask questions and receive feedback on the materials before training begins. ■ After the City instructors have reviewed all training content, the Solbourne Education Consultant Lead will conduct a Train the Trainer workshop. This workshop will provide the City instructors not only with the skills required to be effective trainers but the tools to effectively manage the end user training classes they will deliver, including job aids and user evaluation mechanisms. The workshop objectives are as follows: o Explain adult learning principles as related to the target end user audience o Prepare courses based upon the needs of attendees (both behavioral and educational) o Demonstrate presentation and facilitation skills during exercises and role-play activities o Relate supporting reasons for "Tips and Tricks" o Manage the use of training equipment (i.e. laptops, overhead projectors, etc.) and aids (visuals, flipcharts, etc.) o Manage the training instance o Demonstrate functionality of software components within area of expertise • After the City instructors have attended the Train the Trainer Workshop described above, they will deliver pilot training classes attended by a representative sampling of City end users. This will provide the City instructors with immediate feedback on their performance as well as test out the overall training program to address and fix any problems that exist before end user training actually begins. It is assumed that a total of 1-3 pilot training sessions will be required to adequately measure user feedback to the training delivery. Train the Trainer Program Solbourne ORACLE' 305 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Key Deliverable Description Training Logistics Coordination and Data Population Logistics coordination for the education program is a task not to be underestimated. It is always the intent of Solbourne to provide logistics planning and scheduling with as minimal impact to daily business operations as possible. It is our recommendation to use Oracle iLearning for the scheduling and deployment of all end user training activities, including any e-Learning that will be used during the training program. We have reflected the timing of implementing iLearning for use in the end user training rollouts in our staffing plan. For the project, it is assumed that the City, with support from Solbourne, can provide training logistics planning, support and execution for the education rollout, including the following tasks: ;j.• User identification, validation and scheduling of classes • Setup and usage of Oracle iLearning for scheduling and deployment of training <,w,• Facilities setup (where required, but excludes hardware setup) *Classroom PC setup (where required, but excludes hardware setup) %. Training database setup and data population O. Printing and distribution of educational materials • Third party education facility rental (if required) -:• Arrangement of catering (where required during training delivery) r Solbourne ORACLE 306 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Key Deliverable Description Training Delivery Since every City end user has different learning requirements and needs, a variety of learning approaches can be implemented during the education rollout to facilitate maximum knowledge transfer and user retention. It is recommended to deliver a blended training solution through the use of multiple training delivery methods. By combining a standard classroom instructor -led education approach with both live virtual classroom and self - paced e-Learning, many different learning styles can be accommodated, as well as minimizing training logistics. e-Learning can be used for any of the following: =:F3■_Self-paced online tutorials tiF• Recorded online classes Live classes presented in a virtual classroom environment =:: ■ Working labs (as described below) Working Tabs are support sessions in which City personnel perform actual work in the production system with the help of Solbourne Education Consultants or City SMEs. These sessions can be either conducted online over the Internet via live virtual e-Learning or at City facilities in a traditional classroom environment. They are a very effective means to facilitate user acceptance and success in performance of job tasks. To minimize logistical issues, it is our recommendation to conduct all Instructor -Led Training (ILT) delivery at City facilities. If training facilities are not readily available, third party facility options may be utilized. All training facilities should have the following in terms of facility and PC requirements: 47,.. 2-4 training rooms with 12-15 PCs o Pentium IV with 128MB RAM o Oracle J-Initiator installed :r3• Connectivity to City's training system >■Internet connectivity f■ LCD Projector <t,4• Screen ,,"' ■ White board or flip charts Student nametags or name tents (if desired) F>>• Writing utensils 4} • Notepads Phone Evaluation and Support The purpose of this phase is to establish a strategy and plan that addresses future training needs for the City. This strategy will define the who, what, when and how aspects of future training program design, development and delivery activities. Development of this strategy combined with the high quality of knowledge transfer received during the implementation will facilitate that the City will be able to maintain all education and training programs implemented during the project. Throughout the project, Solbourne, with assistance from City project management, will perform regular evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the end user education and training program, with additional student evaluations performed during training delivery. While �r Solbourne ORACLE' 307 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator evaluation work occurs throughout the project timeline, overall program evaluation occurs at the end of the project. Any additional knowledge transfer that has not occurred throughout the project is completed at this time. Key deliverables in this phase include the following: Key Deliverable Description Assessment Tests As part of the training approach, Solbourne can provide assessment tests for each course or topic taught to further reinforce the learning. Assessments can be delivered both before and after classes to accurately gauge the skill and knowledge level of the end users and summarize areas where further instruction or performance support is required. Assessment tests can also be delivered both online via a website or Oracle iLearning Learning Management System (LMS), and/or in hard -copy during education delivery. Questions within the assessments can exist in multiple formats including true/false, multiple choice or short answer. Course Evaluation Forms It is our understanding that the City expects all users to be certified in the performance of business processes and related Oracle tasks. Specific items related to the delivery of these assessment mechanisms will be determined during the course of the material development effort. During training delivery, City end users will complete evaluations to provide feedback on their training experience. These evaluations can be delivered either online via the Oracle 'Learning LMS or in paper -based format and are used to gain information about the overall quality of the course, instructor, materials, and facilities, as well as any additional comments or suggestions for improvement the user may have as they relate to training delivery. The data gathered allows both Solbourne and the City to make modifications to specific courses or the overall education program to increase the effectiveness and overall quality of the education program. $ Sammie ORACLE 308 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Key Deliverable Ongoing Education Strategy Description Solbourne will work with the City to establish a strategy and plan that addresses future education and training needs. This strategy will define the who, what, when and how aspects of future education program design, development, and delivery activities. The goal of developing this strategy is to facilitate that the City will be able to maintain all education and training programs implemented during the project. This strategy can consist of many different forms of education and performance support including the following: ,': ■ Ongoing refresher training — Regularly scheduled end user training sessions on weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis depending on City requirements « Working labs (as described previously) k• Self -paced e-Learning tutorials — Online e-Learning tutorials of course content accessible via a website or Oracle iLearning that users can access for help anytime they require it >• Online procedures — User procedures maintained online in HTML or PDF format and accessible via a website or Oracle iLearning Quick reference job aids — Online or hard copy quick reference cards that define helpful system transaction and business process information tips END USER GROUPS From our experience, there are three major end user groups within an organization that need to utilize the system to perform their jobs in some capacity. These groups are defined in greater detail below. Note that the curriculum and training delivery methods for each end user group will be defined during the Curriculum Design phase. Core Users Core users perform tasks in the system most frequently and are the primary users of the application functionality. Examples of users within this group include individuals responsible for creating budgets, processing journal entries, processing invoices and payments, creating purchase orders, entering employee information, or any other system task that needs to be performed daily or weekly. These users are the main support structure for running the applications after go -live. Since these users need to use the system immediately upon go live to perform their jobs, they should be trained before and as close to go -live as possible. The average amount of training for users such as this will vary depending upon what system functionality is being implemented. These users will also benefit most from classroom Instructor -Led Training (ILT) with extensive hands-on practice. It is assumed that while some individuals within this user group will be sufficiently involved in the implementation to satisfy their training requirements to perform their role upon go live, formal classroom ILT will be required to ensure success. It is assumed that all Core users will have PC literacy and not require basic PC skills training. If PC skills training is required, it is assumed that the City will be responsible for training delivery. Casual Users $ Solbourne ORACLE' 309 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Casual users have a very specific need for only a few transactions that they use as part of their job, but not the focus of their job, and as a result, many delivery options exist. These users need to understand why they perform the tasks they do related to the overall business processes and how important it is for those tasks to be performed correctly. They also need to be trained before go live, as these tasks must be performed immediately after the system is up and running. The amount of training will be minimal and focused on the specific activities they need, Class content developed for this user group may include the following functionality within horizontal business processes: • Requisitions • Receiving • Time Entry • Budget Transfers • Training Enrollment • Self Service HR • Inquiry and Reporting It is assumed that all Casual Users will have PC literacy and not require basic PC skills training. If PC skills training is required, it is assumed that the City will be responsible for training delivery. informational Users Informational users are those that are only required to use the system to display information to make decisions. They need to be able to pull information out of the system as required to ensure that their portion of the business process runs smoothly. Many managers and supervisors fall into this category and their main curriculum topics consist of inquiry and reporting. Generally, this user group can be trained after go live unless their job role dictates that they need to use the system immediately upon go live. While classroom instruction and hands on practice will benefit this group as well, other delivery options may exist depending upon the amount of system functionality being implemented and the flexibility in the users' schedules. It is assumed that all Informational Users will have PC literacy and not require basic PC skills training. If PC skills training is required, it is assumed that the City will be responsible for training delivery. During the development of the education plan, Solbourne will work with the City to determine the types and nature of end -user training required based on the specific job roles and the number of respective users that need to be trained. City instructors will deliver this training with the support of Solbourne Education Consultants and will be trained during the Train the Trainer sessions described previously. SOLBOURNE'S EDGE LIBRARY As previously discussed, Solbourne's EDGE, e-Learning and Documentation to Gain Effectiveness, consists of a full documentation and e-Learning library around Public Sector - specific Oracle 11 i tasks. It is recommended as part of the City's implementation project to 1101% Solbourne ORACLE" 310 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator utilize EDGE e-Learning tutorials where possible to further enhance the learning experience, specifically related to training for Casual and Informational users. EDGE e-Learning tutorials can be used as both an end user training tool and as ongoing support. These online tutorials allow end users to take training while sitting at their desks while providing a highly interactive learning experience. This not only enhances the overall learning effort but helps facilitate that users can become self-sufficient more quickly. Leveraging our hands-on implementation knowledge, experience in deploying effective training strategies, and Public Sector experience, Solbourne is highly qualified to provide an effective and flexible e-Learning solution to the City. EDGE is convenient, customizable and cost-effective. It will: • Increase the return on the City training investment by reducing logistical and opportunity costs and shortening future training deployment. • Reach dispersed users in multiple locations simultaneously. • Educate all City personnel in a consistent manner on City -specific business processes and Oracle transactions. • Educate users at their desks, better accommodating busy schedules and allowing them to apply knowledge immediately following training completion. • Facilitate better retention due to the focused and repeatable nature of the tutorials. • Create a training infrastructure by providing an ongoing education solution for existing employees and new hires. EDGE e-Learning is portable and it can be deployed in a variety of methods: CD-ROM, LANIWAN, Intranet or LMS. Since the City is implementing Oracle's iLearning LMS, we would recommend that iLearning act as the primary deployment mechanism. Combined with other learning methods such as traditional ILT, EDGE is a highly effective means to improve end - users' Oracle skills quickly and effectively. Solbourne's EDGE e-Learning tutorials include the following: • Detailed business process flow descriptions • Lesson descriptions • System and process prerequisites • Interactive Oracle simulations complete with navigation reinforcement and data entry to allow the end user to learn by doing • Lesson reviews Solbourne has included costs for EDGE e-Learning as a part of our proposed approach as the City has stated that it expects various forms of online training to be included in the training rollouts. Some of the tasks to be performed specific to EDGE e-Learning during the project include the following: • Determining how e-Learning tutorials will be used as part of the Curriculum Design phase • Deploying the e-Learning content through Oracle iLearning • Assisting in testing the e-Learning on the City PCs • Assisting in assigning e-Learning content to end users • Assisting in testing deployment over the City network infrastructure (if network or Intranet deployment is selected) illr Solbourne ORACLE" 311 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator 6v. Related Hardware and System Software System Architecture 1. The ERP-Si shall provide a recommended system architecture for the City's implementation of Oracle E-Business Suite Human Resources Management, Financials, Payroll, Budget and Purchasing. The proposed architecture must leverage existing City assets (SANS, Tape Silos, Servers, etc.) where feasible. 2. Provide a high-level description, and attach a diagram, of the overall proposed system architecture that clearly illustrates the following: a. All proposed hardware (e.g., servers, end user devices, peripherals, etc.). b. All software including system software, RDBMS, client software, Oracle E- Business Suite, and other required third party applications and their interrelationships. c. Recommended configurations for e-government related services such as eprocurement and on-line recruiting. d. Security features required for e-government related services (Le., firewalls, DMZ, etc). Related Hardware This section pertains to the procurement of the ERP system's central processor(s), new peripheral devices and requisite system software as required based on the selected ERP- Si's approach. ERP-Sl must recommend the central processors and related peripherals, including system printers, tape drives/optical disk, cash drawers, cash registers, special check printers and bar code readers, system software SAN (Storage Area Network) and/or client/server software necessary for the normal operation of the proposed system(s). The City will be responsible for providing all approved hardware. The major hardware components for CPU, disk, etc., are to be specified by the ERP-Si. The City requires that all hardware specification be fully compatible and proven with the proposed Oracle E-Business Suite. ERP-Sl shall provide vendor independent hardware components. ERP-Si shall further provide vendor specific hardware components and proposed pricing. The City may, at its discretion, purchase said hardware and software components from the ERP-SL Hardware Sizing Given the City's user count, and platform/architecture preference, the hardware configuration needs to be an Intel based solution capable of running Windows Server 2003 in a multi -tier configuration. Using field-tested algorithms, and relying upon its broad 11 i implementation experience, Solbourne estimates that the City's user count would be capable of generating a server load that would be beyond the capabilities of typical 4 CPU "Wintel" servers. The City's requirement Or Solbourne ORACLE' 312 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator for High Availability (HA) allows us to specify hardware clusters in order to reach the needed performance level. While average usage levels may be lower, we need to accommodate for peak loads. In the proposed product mix of Oracle Applications, payroll processing is the biggest performance concern, and by its very nature, the one with the highest visibility. All production hardware is specified with a goal of "no single point of failure." Non -production hardware is a some what lesser specification, though clusters are utilized throughout for two reasons; first, in order to give acceptable performance with as many as four non -production instances, and second, perhaps the most important, is to ensure that all operating systems or application patches and setups are performed on nearly identical environments (clusters vs. single servers). For external access to Oracle's iProducts, Solbourne recommends load -balanced servers sitting in the DMZ running a web server capable of Reverse Proxy, such as Oracle's 9iAS. This server will pass external requests to the internal apps servers via firewall rules. In this configuration, no applications code needs to be in the DMZ, and maintenance of the Applications is greatly simplified. Since SSL will be utilized between the end user and this server, a hardware SSL accelerator is recommended and specified in the hardware configuration. All servers have been configured with appropriate disk storage to support three years data growth, based on assumptions made on the data available to Solbourne and past experience. Adjustments may be required after the amount and level of converted data is determined. In all cases, the City is free to utilize existing SAN storage if speed and capacity is sufficient. The City made a request for mirrored data, and Solbourne agrees with this approach. Though other RAID layouts, such as RAID 0+1, may work effectively, Solbourne tries to avoid RAID 5 in production environments due to the performance impact on write intensive systems. We have provided a hardware specification in a Windows environment as requested by the City. In response to the City's request for a "proven" solution, however, we are unaware of any other public sector organizations the size of the City of Miami that are running a similar Oracle application footprint in a Windows environment. Our experience with Windows leads us to believe that the City could experience performance issues when stresses are placed upon the system by applications such payroll. We will, however, work with the City and the City's chosen hardware vendor during the implementation to optimize system performance. Oracle Applications can utilize any IP accessible printer that can interpret HP's PCL. This typically excludes local printers attached directly to desktop PCs. Our experience dictates that the City first consider the use of pre-printed check stock to support the payroll and payables check printing processes. Additionally, we have not included hardware for cash registers/cash drawers as these devices normally function with a 3rd party point of sale software. Bar coding hardware and processes have not been included in scope. We strongly recommend the City consider this as a future phase implementation opportunity. Non -vendor specific hardware sizing p Solbourne ORACLE' 313 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Server A Production DB tier, running 9i RAC and "node" tier (parallel concurrent processing) 4 server cluster, each server includes: 4 Intel Xeon 3GHz CPUs 4GB RAM 1 CD/DVD drive All 4 servers in the cluster have access to 373GB of usable disk space, mirrored or better Server B Production APPS tier, running forms and web services 2 server cluster, each server includes: 4 Intel Xeon 3GHz CPUs 8GB RAM 1 CD/DVD drive Both servers in the cluster have access to 98GB of usable disk, mirrored or better Server C Non -production DB tier, running 91 RAC and "node" tier (parallel concurrent processing) 2 server cluster, each server includes: 4 Intel Xeon 3GHz CPUs 8GB RAM 1 CD/DVD drive All servers in the cluster have access to 1492GB of usable disk Server D Non -production APPS tier, running forms and web services 2 server cluster, each server includes: 2 Intel Xeon 3GHz CPUs 4GB RAM 1 CD/DVD drive Both servers in the cluster have access to 392GB of usable disk Server E Production DMZ server running web services via SSL 2 server cluster, each server includes: 1 Intel Xeon 3GHz CPUs 4GB RAM 1 CD/DVD drive Both servers in the cluster have access to 40GB of usable disk, mirrored or better 1 Hardware SSL Accelerator Server F Non -production DMZ server running web services via SSL 2 server cluster, each server includes: 1 Intel Xeon 3GHz CPU 2GB RAM 1 CD/DVD drive Both servers in the cluster have access to 40GB of usable disk $ Solbourne ORACLE 314 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Infrastructure All servers Suitable facilities including appropriate power, cooling and rack space for all servers This assumes use of existing StorageTek tape silos for backups Suitable KVM controller(s) would be fine in place of multiple monitors/mice/keyboards Al Splbp ORACLE' 315 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Vendor specific hardware sizing Summary HP StorageWorks Modular SAN Array 1000 Quantity 1 Unit Price $7,995.00 Sales Price $7,995.00 HP Ultra160 SCSI MSA1000 (RAID) storage controller 1 $4,290.00 • $4,290.00 HP L2 cache module (256MB) 2 $561.00 $1,162.00 HP L2 cache module (256MB) 2 $12,500.00 $25,000 SW SAN SWITCH 2/16V 2 $375.00 $750.00 HP Modular Smart Array 30 SB 2 $2,978.00 $5,956.00 HP Short wave optical transceiver (2GB) 26 $199.00 $5,174.00 HP StorageWorks FCA2214 network adapter (2GB) adapter (2GB) 24 $1590.00 $38,160.00 HP StorageWorks secure path v4.0c (1 license) 8 $2,000.00 $16,000.00 HP 2m LC -LC multi -mode fibre channel cable 2 $77.00 $154.00 HP 5m LC -LC multi -mode fibre channel cable 24 $82.00 $1,968.00 HP Ultra320 universal hard drive (72.8GB) 42 $579.00 $24,318.00 HP CPe 3Y 4H 24x7 MSA 1000 1 $3222.00 $3,222.00 HP CPe 3Y 4H 24x7 MSA30 2 $1,827.00 $3,654.00 $ Solbourne ORACLE' 316 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System integrator Summary Quantity Unit Price Sales Price ProLlant DL580 G2 Intel® XeonTM Processor MP at 3.00GHz14MB (2P Model) Server A: Two Intel® XeonTM Processors MP 3.00GHz/4MB Intel® XeonTM Processor MP 3.00GHzI4MB - Option Kit Intel® XeonTM Processor MP 3.00GHz/4MB - Option Kit 4GB Base Memory 4x512, 4x512 Standard One Ultra3 SCSI Drive Cage (2x2 Duplex std or 4x1 Simplex) Integrated Smart Array 5i Plus Controller (Dual Channel, Ultra3) Standard Battery Backed Write Cache Enabler (up to 64MB Write Cache) RAID 1 setting (Requires minimum of 2 matching drives) 72.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 72.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 72.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive 24X IDE Slim -line CD-ROM HP NC7170 Dual Port PCI-X 1000T Gigabit Server Adapter SmartStart & Insight Manager Two (2) 800W Hot Plug Redundant Power Supplies Redundant Hot Plug Fans Warranty - 3 year next business day onslte 4 $29,833.00 $119,332.00 24x7, 4-Hr Response On -site coverage - 3yrs. 4 $1,795.00 $7,180.00 ill Solbourne ORACLE' 317 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Summary Quantity Unit Price Sales Price ProLlant DL580 G2 Intel® XeonTM Processor MP at 3.00GHz14MB (2P Model) Server B: Two Intel® XeonTM Processors MP 3.00GHz/4MB Intel® XeonTM Processor MP 3.00GHz14MB - Option Kit Intel® Xeonrm Processor MP 3.00GHz14MB - Option Kit 8GB Base Memory 4x1024,4x1024 Standard One Ultra3 SCSI Drive Cage (2x2 Duplex std or 4x1 Simplex) Integrated Smart Array 5i Plus Controller (Dual Channel, Ultra3) Standard Battery Backed Write Cache Enabler (up to 64MB Write Cache) RAID 1 setting (Requires minimum of 2 matching drives) 38.4GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1 ") 36.4GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1 ") 36.4GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive 24X IDE Slim -line CD-ROM HP NC7170 Dual Port PCI-X 1000T Gigabit Server Adapter SmartStart & Insight Manager Two (2) 800W Hot Plug Redundant Power Supplies Redundant Hot Plug Fans Warranty - 3 year next business day onslte 2 $31,663.00 $63,326.00 24x7, 4-Hr Response On -site coverage - 3yrs. 2 $1,795.00 $3,590.00 4.1% Solbourne ORACLE 318 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Summary Quantity Unit Price Sales Price ProLlant DL580 G2 Intel® XeonTM" Processor MP at 3.00GHz/4MB (2P Model) Server C: Two Intel® XeonTM Processors MP 3.00GHz/4MB Intel® XeonTM Processor MP 3.00GHz/4MB - Option Kit Intel® XeonTM Processor MP 3.00GHz/4MB - Option Kit 8GB Base Memory 4x1024,4x1024 Standard One Ultra3 SCSI Drive Cage (2x2 Duplex std or 4x1 Simplex) Integrated Smart Array 5i Plus Controller (Dual Channel, Ultra3) Standard Battery Backed Write Cache Enabler (up to 64MB Write Cache) RAID 1 setting (Requires minimum of 2 matching drives) 300GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 10,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 300GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 10,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 146.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 10,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 146.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 10,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive 24X IDE Slim -line CD-ROM HP NC7170 Dual Port PCI-X 1000T Gigabit Server Adapter SmartStart & Insight Manager Two (2) 800W Hot Plug Redundant Power Supplies Redundant Hot Plug Fans Warranty - 3 year next business day onslte 2 $34,212.00 $68,424.00 24x7, 4-Hr Response On -site coverage - 3yrs. 2 $1,795.00 $3,590.00 Of Solbourne ORACLE 319 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Summary Quantity Unit Price Sales Price ProLlant DL380 G3 Intel® XeonTM Processor 3.O6GHz11 MB - Rack Model Server D: Intel® XeonTM Processor 3.06GHz11 MB Intel® XeonTM 3.06GHz/533 FSB - 1 MB Processor - Option Kit 4GB Base Memory (4x1024) Integrated Smart Array 5i Plus Controller Hot Plug Drive Cage-Ultra3 (5 x 1" and 1 x 1.6") 72.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 72.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 72.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 72,8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 72.8GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive 24X Low -profile IDE CD-ROM Drive Two (2) Compaq NC7781 PCI-X Gigabit NICs (embedded) PCI 10/100/1000 WOL Sliding Rails and Cable Management Arm SmartStart & insight Manager 7 Integrated Lights -Out Management - standard Warranty - 3 year next business day onsite 2 $8,432.00 $16,864.00 24-Hour x 7-Day, 4-Hour Response On -Site Coverage - 3 Years 2 $949.00 $1,898.00 $ Solbourne ORACLE 320 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Summary Quantity Unit Price Sales Price Conflgurable- ProLlant DL360 G4 Intel® XeonTM Processor 3.0013.40GHz, SCSI - Rack Model Server E: HP ProLlant DL360 G4 - SCSI Model Intel® Xeon TM Processor 3.00GHz11 MB 4GB Base Memory (4x1024) Smart Array 8i Plus controller (integrated on system board) Two 1" Ultra 320 SCSI Hot Plug Drive Bays PCI-X Riser - 2 PCI-X Slots (One Full Length and One Half Length) RAID 1 drive set (requires minimum 2 hard drives) 36.4GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") 36.4GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1") NC7782 PCI-X Gigabit NICs (embedded) 10/100/1000 WOL 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive CD slimline 24X carbon drive SmartStart & Insight Manager Integrated Lights -Out Management - standard Warranty - 3 year next business day onsite 2 $4, 744.00 $9,488.00 24x7, 4-Hr Response On -site coverage, 3yrs 2 $699.00 $1,198.00 HP AXL300 cryptographic accelerator PCI card 2 $1461.00 $2,898.00 gla$ Solbourne ORACLE 321 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator Summary Pro! last DL360 G4 Intel® XeonTM Processor 3.0013.40GHz, SCSI - Rack Model Server F: HP ProLiant DL360 G4 - SCSI Model Intel® XeonTM Processor 3.00GHz11 MB 2GB total of PC2700 Memory (2 x 1 GB) - 1 GB Free Smart Array 6i Plus controller (integrated on system board) Two 1" Ultra 320 SCSI Hot Plug Drive Bays PCI-X Riser - 2 PCI-X Slots (One Full Length and One Half Length) 36.4GB Pluggable Ultra320 SCSI 15,000 rpm Universal Hard Drive (1 ") NC7782 PCI-X Gigabit NICs (embedded) 10/100/1000 WOL 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive CD slimline 24X carbon drive SmartStart & Insight Manager Integrated Lights -Out Management - standard Warranty - 3 year next business day onsite 24x7, 4-Hr Response On -site coverage, 3yrs Quantity Unit Price Sales Price 2 $2,898.00 $599.00 Subtotal: Discount: Total (Minus Shipping & Handling): $5,796.00 $1,198.00 $442,809.00 $110,652.25 =12 alaF. SOLI? ORACLE' 322 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator SAN Purchased or existing Server A Production DB tier running 9i RAC and 'node` tier on four DL580 G2 servers with 4 CPUs each Server C Non -production DB tier running 9i RAC and 'node tier on four DL580 G2 servers with 4 CPUs each (up to four instances) Server B Production APPS tier running forms and web services on two DLSBO G2 servers with 4 CPUs each Server D Non -production APPS tier running forms and web services on two DL380 G2 servers wilh 2 CPUs each (up to four instances) Typical City PC Accessing Oracle Applications via Browser Windows NT/2000/XP City of Miami — Proposed Oracle Applications 11 i Architecture Server E Production DMZ tier running web services via SSL on two DL360 G4 servers with 2 CPUs each Server F Non -production DMZ tier running web services on two DL360 G4 servers with t CPU each Firewa Typical Ehdemal PC Accessing Oracle iProducls via SSL enabled Browser ty SOlbourne ORACLE 323 September 15, 2004 City of Miami Response to RFP # 03-04-151 Enterprise Resource Planning Software System Integrator System Software The City requires that system software is considered state-of-the-art technology and represents the most current version in production at the time of Installation. The City further requires that all software run in a Windows Operating System environment. No other operating systems shall be considered for this project. List all system software proposed or available with the system. Include all system software necessary to operate the proposed hardware components. Indicate by a letter code "1" if the software is included In this proposal, or letter code "0" If optional with this system. Operating system: Response Code 1 or O Name Release Level Database Management System (DBMS): Name Release Level LanguageslCompilers Report writer programs Other (list) The hardware specification does not include licenses for Microsoft Windows, as it would be best for the City to procure these through their existing Enterprise Licensing Agreement. The servers specified, as well as all of the licensed Oracle software listed in the RFP, are certified with Windows Server 2003, which the City cited as its preference. All other software in the table, including the 11 i Applications, 9i Database, Developer 61 and Discoverer 4i have already been purchased and licensed by the City. The exception is MKS Toolkit for Developers. This package, available from www.mkssoftware.com, is a third -party set of utilities that includes several UNIX shell interpreters and Perl. This is required in order to install pre -built Discoverer content for Oracle Applications 11 i, including business areas and workbooks, which are installed using the Windows -based Discoverer Administration Edition. Oracle strongly recommends the installation of the certified MKS Toolkit for Developers. Other potential solutions exist, though Oracle has tested and proven that Cygwin and Microsoft Services for UNIX are NOT compatible. MKS Toolkit for Developers will be required on the same PCs that will have Discoverer Administration Edition installed, typically the DBA and the Discoverer Administrator. Solbourne ORACLE' 324 September 15, 2004