Oracle's UPK

Oracle\'s UPK

Hi everyone:

I'm trying to evaluate Oracle's UPK (User Productivity Kit) and compare it to other software for training such as Camtasia. Is there anyone out there who can comment on UPK and how it compares to other training software? I like the fact that the UPK ties into ERP8.0 and EnterpriseOne. Just not sure if it's worth buying if that's the only thing going for it.

Thanks,
Vincent

Re: Oracle\'s UPK

UPK is parasite software. Its "link" to JDE is that you can capture a "movie" of the screen JDE is displayed on.
It is an OEM version of a Global Knowledge tool.
Helpful mostly to sales and account managers who need to increase revenue by upselling to you what they had sold to the original PeopleSoft customer base. Not very practical to totally worthless for creating meaningful lessons for JDE... You won't use it if and after you buy it. Nothing, even the "canned" contents and lessons you can buy for even more money can justify its cost.

Re: Oracle\'s UPK

Well, from the other side of OJDE's perspective, in certain situations and for certain projects, UPK is an invaluable tool. I would agree that it is overpriced if you are not going to make full use of it, but if you are starting a project, need documentation quickly and easily for SOX regulations, are upgrading and the user base will be going to a new client platform (green screen to winclient, winclient to HTML), this tool can be an incredible timesaver. In a large scale World to E1 migration project, with 300+ users to train, validation scripts to be created, process documentation to be created, training manuals to be created, our project saved an estimated 1500 person hours over having to design and create the documentation and training routines manually. So if you figure 1500hrs @ 150/hr consulting cost, the client had saved close to a quarter of million dollars on the documentation effort alone. This far exceeded the cost of the software. Granted, it was a large project, and much of the functionality of UPK was needed. When looking at UPK, I always advise clients to look at it on a ROI and project basis, and not be taken in by the bells and whistles. If it is a small organization, or small project, if you only need to use it for one feature, like just for training, it probably is too expensive of a tool. But in larger companies, with needs of many of the features, it can and does pay for itself with cost savings.

And no, OJDE, I am NOT nor ever was a JDE/PSFT/ORCL sales person!

Re: Oracle\'s UPK

Jim,

Agreed. I can see certain combinations, requirements and circumsances (size of the project), where the tool and the materials you can produce with it, may become useful or worth it. But in the more common situations and typical JDE projects, it ends up being one of those pieces of software that runs well only on the "powerpoint" platform, when the sales person shows it So, yes, everyone can do their own investment math.

Re: Oracle\'s UPK

Absotively...I've seen my share of sites that got all googlie eyed at the presentation, purchased the thing (for lots o' dough) and it went up on the shelf next to the boxes labeled DOS 6.0 and WordPerfect 5.1.