Visual Builder Studio: Low-Code Development for Oracle Fusion Applications

 Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, enterprises need agile and intuitive development tools to build, customize, and extend applications efficiently. Visual Builder Studio (VBS) for Oracle Fusion Applications is a powerful low-code development platform that enables developers and business users to create and manage applications easily.

Whether we are enhancing Oracle Cloud HCM, extending existing Fusion applications, or developing standalone web applications, Visual Builder Studio simplifies the process by providing an integrated environment for app development, deployment, and collaboration.

This blog will guide through the essential aspects of working with Visual Builder Studio, including:

• The roles and privileges required to access the platform,
• Step-by-step instructions for creating a new project,
• How to add members and collaborate within a project,
• Accessing Visual Builder Studio (Navigation)
• Key differences between Redwood applications built using Visual Builder Express and Advanced Mode.

By the end of this guide, we will have a clear understanding of how Visual Builder Studio empowers organizations to build and extend applications efficiently within the Oracle Fusion ecosystem. Let's dive in!

Managing and organizing reports and data models is a crucial task for businesses and analysts who rely on data to make informed decisions. In modern data platforms, especially when working with cloud-based data management solutions or reporting tools, it's essential to know how to access, manage, and organize the files you work with. One of the common tasks is listing all reports and data models that reside in a specific folder.

In this post, we will explore how you can efficiently list reports and data models stored in a particular folder, the importance of this action, and how you can automate the process using scripts or tools.

 

Visual Builder Studio:

 Oracle Visual Builder Studio (VB Studio) is a robust, browser-based low-code platform that empowers teams to efficiently develop, customize, and manage applications. It streamlines the entire development lifecycle—design, build, test, and deploy—enabling seamless planning and personalization of Redwood SaaS applications.

Roles and Privileges:

To access Oracle Visual Builder Studio, users must be assigned specific roles within Oracle Cloud Applications. The necessary roles include:

 

·       Application Administrator

Role: ORA_FND_APPLICATION_ADMINISTRATOR_JOB

 

·       Human Capital Management Application Administrator

Role:ORA_HRC_HUMAN_CAPITAL_MANAGEMENT_APPLICATION_ADMINISTRATOR_JOB

 

·       Synchronization Enabled Administrator Identity

Role: ORA_SYNC_ENABLED_ADMINISTRATOR_ABSTRACT

 

·       Application Developer

Role: ORA_FND_APPLICATION_DEVELOPER_JOB

 

·       Synchronization Enabled Developer Identity

Role: ORA_SYNC_ENABLED_DEVELOPER_ABSTRACT

 

Additionally, to access and manage sandboxes in Oracle Cloud Applications, users must have the Administer Sandbox privilege (FND_ADMINISTER_SANDBOX_PRIV). This privilege enables users to preview, edit, and publish sandboxes within the environment.

 

Creating a Project in Oracle Visual Builder Studio:

Step 1: Access Visual Builder Studio

• Log in to the Fusion system and navigate to:
  Home Page > Configuration > Visual Builder Studio.

 

• Clicking on it will redirect you to the Organization page, where you'll see a list of projects you own or are a member of.

• Click the "+ Create" button to start a new project.

 

 

Step 2: Enter Project Details

On the Details page of the New Project wizard, provide the following information:

• Project Name: Enter a unique name for project.
• Description: Provide a brief description of the project.
• Security: Select Private (default setting).
• Preferred Language: Choose preferred language.
• Click Next to proceed.

Step 3: Select Project Template

• On the Template page, select Visual Application.
• Click Next to continue.

Step 4: Configure Project Properties

 

Step 5: Add a team member, then click the "Finish" button.

Adding Team Members to the Project:

Step 1: Navigate to Project Home

 

Click on Project where we want to add a member

 Step 2: Access Team Settings

 

·       On the Project Home page, click on the Team tab.

·       Click on + Add Member.

Step 3: Add Members

 

In the Add Member dialogue box:

·       Enter the username of the teammate.

·       Click Add to include them in the project.

As the project owner, we can assign roles such as Developer Full Access, Developer Limited Access, or Contributor to control the level of access and permissions each team member has within the project.

Accessing Visual Builder Studio (Navigation)

Oracle Visual Builder Studio (VB Studio) offers two primary methods to access and edit pages within Oracle Cloud Applications:

 

Option 1: Direct Access via Page Settings

This is the preferred and commonly used method:

• In the fusion instance, navigate to the page you wish to edit.
• Click on the Settings icon
• From the dropdown menu, select Edit Page in Visual Builder.
  This action will open the selected page directly in Visual Builder Studio, allowing you to make the necessary modifications.

 

Option 2: Access via Navigator Menu

This method is primarily used during the initial or one-time setup:

• In your Oracle Cloud Applications TEST instance, click on the Navigator icon
• From the navigation menu, select Configuration.
• Under the Configuration section, click on Visual Builder.
  This will direct us to the Visual Builder Studio admin interface, where we can manage and configure our projects.
  
  

 

Key Differences Between Redwood Applications Using Visual Builder Express and Advanced

VB Studio offers two modes for customization:

1. Express Mode (for functional administrators)
2. Advanced Mode (for technical developers)

 

Conclusion

Oracle Visual Builder Studio provides a robust platform for developing and managing applications within Oracle Fusion Applications. By understanding the roles, project creation steps, and access methods, teams can effectively leverage this low-code environment to enhance their application development processes. Whether WE are a functional administrator or a technical developer, VB Studio offers the tools necessary to streamline our workflow and improve productivity.

How To List Reports & Data Models in a Folder

Introduction 

Managing and organizing reports and data models is a crucial task for businesses and analysts who rely on data to make informed decisions. In modern data platforms, especially when working with cloud-based data management solutions or reporting tools, it's essential to know how to access, manage, and organize the files you work with. One of the common tasks is listing all reports and data models that reside in a specific folder.

In this post, we will explore how you can efficiently list reports and data models stored in a particular folder, the importance of this action, and how you can automate the process using scripts or tools.

Step-by-Step Guide to Listing Reports & Data Models in a Folder:

Using VBCS Extension, the report is developed which will list out all the reports that are present folder and it will display the list of reports and Data Models and any other documents present in folder in BI Publisher analytics server. With help of this report, we will be able to identify the reports present in particular folder and will help us to identify and organize the reports and remove unnecessary reports, where access is not needed to be given to employees.

Video Guide:

Credits: Kollipara Bindu Bhargav

Streamlining Attendance with URLs and QR codes for Instructor-Led Activities

Introduction 

In the fast-evolving landscape of corporate learning and development, Oracle Fusion HCM has introduced a groundbreaking update that streamlines attendance marking for instructor-led activities. This innovative solution allows learners to confirm their participation by simply using a unique URL or QR code, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in attendance tracking.

When learners attend an instructor-led session, they are provided with a unique URL or QR code to mark their attendance. This seamless process not only minimizes administrative overhead but also ensures real-time validation of participant engagement. If the offering requires an evaluation, learners must complete it before confirming attendance. For sessions with optional evaluations, learners have the flexibility to complete the assessment after confirming their participation.

The system automatically generates the URL and QR code at the time of creating an instructor-led offering activity. These can be shared directly with learners or instructors, simplifying the distribution process. Additionally, administrators can configure a time limit for attendance marking post-activity, with a default grace period of two hours. For instance, if the session concludes at 3:00 PM, learners can confirm their attendance until 5:00 PM.

This update reflects Oracle Fusion HCM's commitment to leveraging technology to enhance user experience and drive operational efficiency in workforce learning and development. By adopting this approach, organizations can ensure accurate attendance tracking, foster greater accountability, and simplify the administrative aspects of managing instructor-led training sessions.

 

Key features of this update:

• Unique URL and QR Code Generation – Automatically creates a unique URL and QR code for each instructor-led activity.
• Seamless Attendance Confirmation – Learners can confirm their attendance by scanning a QR code or clicking a URL.
• Real-Time Validation – Ensures accurate, real-time attendance tracking and engagement verification.
• Simplified Administration – Reduces manual tracking efforts by automating attendance processes.
• Time-Limited Attendance Marking – Administrators can set a post-session attendance window (default is two hours).
• Evaluation Requirement – Attendance confirmation is contingent on completing required evaluations.

In this blog, we explain how to use the new feature and provide an overview of the screens. 

Please watch the video below: How the Learn Admin can download the code and how learners can confirm their attendance using a QR code.

Steps to Enable:

Select or deselect the Allow learner to mark themselves complete checkbox to allow learners to mark a learning activity as complete or not. On the activity details page of each offering

Follow the below steps once where learners can mark themselves as complete in learning

To enable this page, we need to modify the Profile Options. Please follow these steps to adjust the necessary Profile Options:

Navigate to the Profile Option Setting and actions > Setup and maintenance > Global search > Manage Administrator profile values.

1. Search and select the ORA_WLF_MARK_ATTENDANCE_REDWOOD_PAGES_ENABLED profile option.

2. Profile Value field, select the appropriate value:

• Mark complete in enrollment details
• Mark complete using attendance form
• Both

Changing the default lag time:

To change the 2-hour default lag time Search and select the ORA_WLF_MARK_ATTENDANCE_END_TIME_REDWOOD_ENABLED profile option.

In the profile value dropdown, the default time can be adjusted according to our requirements.

Video Guide:

Credits: Venkata Venu Madhava Bharadwaj Pisipati

Streamlining Data Management in Oracle Fusion with Excel Integration

Simplifying Data Import: HDL Loading with Excel

Revolutionizing Data Upload with Excel-based HDL

Managing and importing large data sets into Oracle Fusion applications has always been a complex and time-consuming task. Traditionally, users relied on various tools and formats, such as CSVs and spreadsheets, to upload data via the HCM Data Loader (HDL). This process often involved multiple steps, including formatting data correctly, converting files, and troubleshooting errors.

However, MPC Cloud Consulting has simplified this process by introducing a new mechanism that enables users to prepare data directly within Excel, generate data files, load the data, and download error lines for easy troubleshooting. This integrated solution eliminates the need for multiple tools and reduces the time spent on data processing.

The new process ensures that data preparation is seamless, with Excel offering a familiar interface for users. Once the data is entered, the system automatically generates the necessary data files, which can be easily uploaded to Oracle Fusion. If any errors occur during the upload, users can quickly download the error lines for review and correction, minimizing delays and ensuring data accuracy.

By streamlining these tasks into a single, user-friendly process, MPC Cloud Consulting has significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of managing data in Oracle Fusion applications, allowing organizations to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Key Benefits:

1. Increased Efficiency: Automating the data preparation and upload process reduces manual work, speeding up the overall workflow.
2. User-Friendly Interface: Using Excel makes data entry and management simpler, with no need to switch between multiple tools or formats.
3. Error Management: Users can easily download error lines to quickly identify and correct issues, reducing troubleshooting time.
4. Improved Accuracy: The streamlined process helps prevent errors caused by incorrect formatting, ensuring more reliable data uploads.
5. Cost Savings: By reducing the time spent on manual data entry and troubleshooting, businesses can save both time and resources, improving ROI.
6. Scalability: The new process can handle larger datasets, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Excel-based HDL loading offers a powerful and intuitive solution for handling complex data imports. By leveraging Excel’s simplicity, flexibility, and built-in data validation. Whether you are an HR professional, finance analyst, or part of a larger enterprise team, this new feature is a game-changer that streamlines workflows and enhances productivity.

MPC Cloud Consulting's new data management solution for Oracle Fusion applications offers a significant leap forward in simplifying the process of handling large datasets. By integrating Excel for direct data uploads, businesses can save time, reduce the risk of errors, and improve overall efficiency. This approach not only enhances data accuracy but also provides a more user-friendly and scalable solution for organizations of all sizes. With faster data processing and streamlined error handling, companies can now focus on what truly matters—driving business growth and innovation, while leaving behind the complexities of traditional data import methods.

Credits: Kollipara Bindu Bhargav

Exploring the New Learning Calendar Report

 

Exploring the New Learning Calendar Report

We’re excited to introduce the new Learning Calendar Report, a powerful tool developed using VB Studio. This extension enhances your ability to track and manage available training offerings with ease.

Key Features:

Versatile Views: Our Learning Calendar offers four distinct views to suit your needs:

Monthly View: See all the offerings at a glance for the entire month.

Weekly View: Focus on the week ahead to plan your schedule.

Daily View: Get detailed information for each day.

List View: View a comprehensive list of all offerings without the calendar layout.

Today Button: Instantly return to the current date with the simple click of the "Today" button, ensuring you’re always up-to-date.

Seamless Navigation: Easily navigate to the training enrollment page by clicking on any offering within the calendar. This streamlines the process of signing up for courses directly from the calendar view.

The Learning Calendar Report is designed to make managing your training schedule straightforward and efficient. We hope this tool enhances your learning experience by providing clear visibility into available offerings and simplifying your enrollment process.

Credits: Kollipara Bindu Bhargav

Line Manager Dashboard: User Guide and Configuration for Oracle BI Mobile Application

 

Many at times it gets challenging for the line manager to get the information related to the organization or even generate reports. Oracle has already provided a dashboard which is an interactive way of fetching the information. This dashboard includes seeded reports which simplify the job to fetch information related to organization like Headcount, Workforce Events, Workforce Trends, Absence, Workforce Trends, Absence, Time and Labor, Performance, Goals, Talent Review, Profile, Employee Competency and Succession Management. This will surely save lot of time and since it is delivered it includes all the best practices.

 

Now in this modern era it is not always feasible to always open a desktop/laptop in order to open the Line Manager Dashboard. So for this there is an application known as Oracle BI Mobile which is available for both android and IOS platform. Using this application is really handy and it does not matter whether you are in the car or you are just heading to the office or you are about to attend any meeting you can always keep an eye on your organization.

Prerequisite Roles:

·       User should have Line Manager Role.

 

Steps to install and use the application:

Step 1: Search for Oracle BI Mobile in the Google play store or App store. Install and open it.

Figure 1: Click on Open button

Step 2: Enter the server address for example https://abc.test.oraclecloud.com/ in the server address area.

Figure 2: Select the Connect button

Step 3: After the following steps login page will open.

Enter the credentials.

Figure 3: Select the Sign In button

  Step 4: The Landing Page in the Oracle BI Mobile application is the Recent tab.

·       Recent tab displays the dashboards or reports viewed recently.

Figure 4: Select the Dashboard option

Step 5: To Open the Line Manager Dashboard navigate to Dashboards/Human Capital Management/Line Manager Dashboard.

Figure 5: Open the Line Manager Dashboard

Step 6: After opening the Line Manager Dashboard the interface will be as shown below.

Figure 6: Select the Page Filter button

As per the requirement filters can be set.

Step 7: After selecting the Page Filters button the interface will be as shown below.

Step 8: To select different tabs simply select the down arrow.

Step 9: To view the information’s in graph simply scroll and fetch the details.

Benefits:

·       Interactive way to fetch organization information and get an overview of the information.

·       Saves time and can be viewed in any android or IOS device.

·       It includes all the best practices.

·       Since it is a delivered one upgrade and patches are safe

 

Steps to customize Line Manager Dashboard -

 

Step 1: Navigate to Shared Folders>>Human Capital Management>>Dashboards>>Line Manager Dashboard

This is a seeded dashboard, you cannot edit. You can copy and paste it somewhere in the Custom folder

Step 2: Paste the Dashboard in your custom folder, you can edit content of it and save it in the same custom folder

Edit the Dashboard Objects in the following manner –

1. Calendar Prompt à Date prompt for returning past, present, and future dated results based on 'As Of' date, here if you want to customize prompt like add another date such that it will have two prompt From and To Date then that can be done.

2. Line Manager Dashboard Headcount Prompt à This are also the prompt, with basic employment details like Business Unit, Assignment Status. Here you can add your own field.

3. Headcount KPI – Workforce Assignment à Here you will get the details in Performance Tile, which will be clear and easy to understand, this is generally required to the higher officials. But if you want to see the details of the number. Say of Headcount (983), you can click it and it will navigate it to you another report with details. You can get the path as mentioned below.

gf     4. Headcount KPI – Workforce Assignment – Headcount Details à This is the detail report which will be visible after clicking the number.

Step 3: Go to the Performance Tile report in that select the field. Here it is Headcount>>Column Properties>>Interaction>>Select the Action Link>>Edit>>Edit Action à Here you will get the path.

Path for the KPI detail report -

/Shared Folders/Human Capital Management/Workforce Management/Transactional Analysis Samples/Report Components

Step 4: In this way you have created 5 components in general –

1.     Line Manager Dashboard.

2.     Calendar Prompt Custom.

3.     Line Manager Dashboard Headcount Prompt Custom.

4.     Headcount KPI – Workforce Assignment Custom.

5.     Headcount KPI – Workforce Assignment – Headcount Details Custom

 

The components from 2-5 must be added in the Line Manager Dashboard.

You can customize as per the requirement, and the steps will remain same for all the other Dashboard component.

Step 5: Finally, you can mark the Dashboard as Add to Favorites, this is accessible through Oracle BI Mobile available for android and IOS.

 Creds: Samarpan Das