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Enhancements

The Oracle Enhancements process

Thinking about raising an enhancement request? Firstly, establish if the desired enhancement is really a bug or not. Asking the following will help:

• Is the behaviour of the product different to how it's defined in the documentation? If the answer is 'yes' then this is a bug. A Technical Assistance Request (TAR) needs to be logged via Oracle Support, assuming that the customer has a support contract. This is best done via MetaLink at http://metalink.oracle.com
• Is the request to change the behaviour of a product compared to its documented behaviour, or is the current behaviour undefined by the documentation? If 'yes' then this is an enhancement.

Documentation accuracy cannot always be guaranteed and so some TARs may actually become enhancements and vice versa.

Enhancements should be raised via the Oracle hosted Enhancements Request System (ERS). This is integrated into MetaLink and is found as follows:

1. Log into MetaLink.
2. Click on 'News & Events', located on the left side of the screen
3. Scroll down to 'It's Your Turn'.
4. Click on 'Click Here for more ERS information'
5. See the note on Enhancement Request for more information.

Once logged into ERS read the disclaimer, as any information you enter will be visible to other companies.

ERS primarily offers three options:

• Search for an enhancement
• Create an enhancement
• Amend an enhancement

Oracle's prime motivation for including enhancements is to increase the usefullness of its products to its customers. The more popular an enhancement is the more likely it is to be included, so it is important that it can be found in the enhancements system with supportive comments. It is always best to use the search option thoroughly before deciding to create a new enhancement. Comments can be added via the 'Update' button at the bottom of the displayed enhancement.

If none of the enhancements logged within the system approximate to the requirements, then raise a new one. When creating a new enhancement, articulate the case for it. Enhancements that clearly support business problems are more attractive to Oracle and to its customers.

Oracle Product Managers intend to keep a watching brief on the enhancements being logged and discussed for their products. This new process should mean that the inclusion of enhancements into the product can be considered as and when appropriate. The User Groups around the world are working to ensure more formality to this process and are hopeful of success.

Development of ERS is continuing and it will become integrated within the 'My Oracle' portal shortly. This will make the system more easily visible and will encourage its use by personalisation. More input, especially in discussion of the merits of an enhancement will increase the value of the whole process to Oracle and the chances of members requests making it into the product.