What is R12?

R12 is the next release of Oracle Financials, the University’s financial system. This is a major re-implementation project which will have a significant impact on all users of Oracle Financials and Marketplace and will also affect users of other business systems, including CoreHR.

What will change in CoreHR as a result of R12 going live?

Once R12 is live, the way in which costing information is recorded in CoreHR will change.  From the point of go-live, Core users will record GL costing information in the Core “Cost Centre” field and project codes in the Core “Project” field.  The full cost code combinations will be available to select only from within the appropriate field.

Also, R12 will mean that costing strings will change.  Further information about the format of the new projects coding is available on the R12 project webpages. The R12 Project team will publish conversion information, showing how the current version 11 (v11) codes map to the new R12 codes, prior to go-live. We will link to this information from this site as soon as it becomes available.

The new codes will be available in CoreHR from Monday 11 November.  Between 8 and 11 November a conversion exercise will be undertaken in CoreHR.  This is an automated process which will result in R12 codings being reflected throughout the system where previously, v11 codings were in place.

How should I prepare for the planned downtime on 9/10 November?

The planned downtime has been scheduled to span a weekend to minimise the impact on users. However, during the downtime period, job applicants will also be unable to use the system.  In order to provide applicants with sufficient time to complete and submit their applications, it is recommended that no vacancies are set to close on Monday 11 or Tuesday 12 November.   A notice will be placed on the University jobs and vacancies webpages from 25 October onward advising applicants of the system downtime (precise times for the start and end time of the system downtime will be confirmed in due course but departments may prefer to avoid Friday 8 November as a closing date for vacancies and shortlisting pack production).  Departments may also wish to consider alerting prospective applicants to the planned downtime in adverts and/or job description documents for vacancies that will be open over the weekend of 9/10 November.

How will R12 affect historical costing information in Core?

The conversion exercise that is scheduled to take place over the weekend of 9/10 November will update all costing information from v11 to R12 format, backdated to 1 August 2013. Any costing information effective prior to this date will show the old v11 codes.

Where allowance cost codes are updated, this will be reflected by the creation of a new allowance line on the Allowance Details tab (visible on the Maintain HR Salary Amendments screen) showing the cost centre(s) for that allowance in the new R12 format.  Please be aware that even if no cost code information is held in Core for that allowance (i.e. it was charged to the default cost centre held on the appointment) a new allowance line will still be visible effective from 1 August 2013.

When should I start using the new R12 codes on Payroll forms?

All forms and requests made to payroll OUTSIDE of CoreHR (e.g. casual payments) required for the November payroll, should include BOTH v11 and R12 coding. Further information about how to complete these forms will be published on this page and communicated in the October HRIS User Bulletin.

I need to request a new project code – when will this be available in CoreHR?

With effect from 21 October no new project codes will be created in Oracle Financials v11. The creation of new project codes within R12 will commence from the go-live date of 11 November. Once created in Oracle, these will become available in CoreHR the following day via the overnight interface.

If you need to set up any new starters or recode any existing salary information between 21 October and 11 November to a new project code that is not yet set up in Core, you should make a note of the personnel number and go back ahead of the November Supplementary deadline and update the record once the new costing details are available in Core.

What about HRIS Data Services users?

All the forms used by HRIS Data Services will be updated to accommodate the new codes.  The HRIS Data Services team will be in touch directly with the departments they work with to advise further.

How does CoreHR support user access to Oracle Financials?

CoreHR will provide a feed of key employee data into R12 Oracle Financials, to be used as a basis for Oracle user set-up.  Therefore, anyone who requires access to Oracle Financials or Marketplace (including non-employees such as consultants or contractors) will need to be set up with an employee record in CoreHR.

Work has been undertaken by the R12 Project team to compile a list of all active finance system users who do not currently have a record in CoreHR.  These details have been circulated to affected departments via the Departmental Administrator so that a record can be created in Core where required.  The standard HRIS guidance for setting up non-employees should be used for this purpose.  The R12 Project team will confirm the deadline by which non-employee records should be created to enable users to access R12 from the point of go-live.

For more information about this change, please contact the R12 Project team via release12@admin.ox.ac.uk or telephone the Project Administrator on 16403 to be referred to the relevant member of the team.

What support will be available for CoreHR users?

All QRGs, reports (including the Payroll Costing Report), HRIS documentation, and training materials will be updated to reflect the new structure codes and use of the Cost Centre and Project fields.

Any queries relating to R12 changes in CoreHR or HRIS processes as a result of R12, should be directed to the HRIS Support Centre.

All the forms used by HRIS Data Services will be updated to accommodate the new codes.  The HRIS Data Services team will be in touch directly with the departments they work with to advise further.

Where can I find out more about the impact of R12 implementation for users of CoreHR?

A summary of the key dates and actions are provided in the document R12: Key Dates for HRIS Users (222kb)

See also more information about the R12 Project.