Oracle Customer Reference Guide

Important Phone Numbers

Oracle Support (US)	800-223-1711
Oracle Support (Germany)	0180.2000.170
Oracle Customer Care	800-645-3509
Support Sales	800-833-3536
Oracle Sales Department	800-ORACLE1
Oracle Magazine Subscriptions	650-506-9182
PRN (Partner Resource Network)	800-323-7355
Oracle Consulting Services	888-283-0591
Oracle University	800-633-0575
International Oracle Users Group (IOUG) HQ	312-245-1579
Oracle Application Users Group (OAUG)	404-240-0897

Useful Oracle Websites

Important Definitions for Support Activities

CSI Number - CPU Support Identification Number - The CSI number references your support maintenance level and its duration, CPU, and all other information relevant to the Technical Contact, such as installed-at location, billing address, licenses and platform. Without a valid, supported CSI number, Oracle cannot provide support.

iTAR - Technical Assistance Request - A request by a supported client for help with a technical or non-technical problem. Each iTAR is assigned a unique number (iTARs are also referred to as TARs or Service Requests)

Severity Levels - Describes the level of impact an iTAR has on the customer’s business, and defines the resources to be engaged by both parties as well as the rules of engagement for the resolution of the iTAR.

Sev 1:. Problem or product defect causes complete loss of service, regardless of the customer environment, and work cannot reasonably continue

Sev 2:. Severe loss of service, no acceptable workaround; however, operation can continue in a restricted fashion

Sev 3:. Minor loss of service, impact is an inconvenience which may require a workaround to restore functionality

Sev 4:. No loss of service, minor error that does not impede operation of system

For more complete severity level definitions, please see Oracle Support

Oracle Support recommends using iTAR (logging a Technical Assistance Request on MetaLink) for all issues including Sev 1�s. The severity will be determined by the system, based on the answers to a series of questions. If the issue is critical and urgent, we encourage you to follow up with a phone call to request immediate attention. Also note that Sev 1�s require a 24X7 commitment from the customer.

Oracle MetaLink - Provides Oracle Product Support customers access to OSS (Oracle Support Services) and technical information via the web. MetaLink serves two important functions:

Your portal to our Global Knowledge Base complete with answers to known problems and previously asked questions. Includes product alerts, de-support notices, step-by-step installation instructions, white papers, product documentation, search engines, iTAR and bug query and much more.

The tool is used to facilitate and track communication between you and OSS analysts. You can initiate requests for help, track progress on those requests, read recommendations from the OSS analyst working on a request, and run reports of iTAR activity.

Access Oracle MetaLink at http://metalink.oracle.com/ or http://www.oracle.com/support

Using Oracle Support Services (OSS)

If I want to log an iTAR, what information is necessary?

The relevant customer CSI number
Area Code and phone number
Software release levels of the operating system and all Oracle components
A description of the business impact to help determine the severity
A detailed description of the problem, including copies of session logs, trace files, or other diagnostic information

When should I contact Customer Service?

To obtain Product Version Updates
To resolve problems with Product Shipments
To inquire about Product Availability or specific Account Information
To obtain a CSI Report or Licensing Information
To update Address & Contact Information
To obtain training on Oracles’ Electronic Services including MetaLink & Oracle Store
To inquire about the best practices to use in working effectively with Oracle Support

To reach the group, dial the Oracle Customer Service number and select the “Other Customer Issues’ option; or log an iTAR in MetaLink and select the appropriate non-technical problem type from the drop down menu in step 2 of the iTAR creation process. The iTAR is not created until a TAR number has been assigned.

How do I report bugs to Oracle Development

Oracle Support is your link to Oracle Development. The Technical Support Analyst will convey the details of the bug to the appropriate Oracle Product Development team and attempt to offer you a suggestion or workaround to circumvent the issue.

All technical correspondence and/or documentation regarding the iTAR or Bug should be coordinated by the Technical Support Analyst.

What should I do to prepare for reporting a problem or bug?

Some good questions to ask yourself before logging an iTAR to file a bug are:

Is the problem reproducible?
Has the errant behavior occurred consistently in your application?
If not, what has changed since the last time that it worked?
Does the situation change if you remove this newly added functionality?
Do you still have a copy of the previously working version to compare?
Did this functionality work in a previous version of the product?

When should I use the TAR escalation process?

The TAR Escalation Process is in place to assist our customers who are not satisfied with the resolution or response to an iTAR. You can work with the appropriate Technical Support Analyst for iTAR escalations.

How do I use the Duty Manager TAR escalation process?

Call an analyst to request escalation of an iTAR. NOTE that you must speak with an analyst – it is not sufficient to leave a message.
The analyst will page the appropriate Duty Manager who will call you within 30 minutes of the request. The manager will listen to your issue and work with you to create an acceptable resolution plan.
The manager will document the conversation and the plan in the iTAR.
The manager will follow up to ensure the plan is followed and/or reset the customer’s expectations.
The escalation is owned by the manager who contacted the customer until the issue is resolved or escalated to a higher management level.

What are some of the best practices for effectively utilizing the TAR escalation process?

Update the iTAR to say you called to request the duty manager.
Escalate in a timely manner
Provide reasons for the escalation in business terms
Agree on an acceptable plan to resolve the issue

What is the difference between raising the severity and escalating?

Escalating an issue brings management attention to it, and when appropriate, more resources. This does not automatically mean that the severity level of the iTAR will be changed. If the severity level of the iTAR becomes inappropriate over time, it may be adjusted in the same manner it was originally established, by mutual agreement between the Technical Support Analyst and the customer.

Oracle Support Services Offering Summary

Oracle Support Services offers a comprehensive portfolio of focused services that support the IT infrastructure your organization needs to meet the demands of e-business. The following is a summary of the services provided. For more detailed information on these services, please refer to our web site: www.oracle.com/support/

Updates Subscription Service

Annual subscription service with rights to Oracle product upgrades, maintenance releases and patches released during the subscription period.
Oracle MetaLink’s rich, web-based technical resources. Note: The ability to log and track Service Requests or iTARs is NOT included in this service.
Purchase of the Updates Subscription Service is a prerequisite for all other Oracle Support Services.

Product Support

24x7 problem diagnosis and resolution through web and telephone access to Oracle technical information and Oracle analysts.
Rich web-based technical resources and the ability to log and track Service Requests or iTARs - using OracleMetaLink.
Access to non-technical customer service during normal business hours.

Advanced Product Services (APS) deliver expert services to help you manage and maintain your Oracle environments, allowing for more proactive service and problem avoidance. APS let you plan for system maintenance and enhancements, helping your organization to not only prevent problems but also to minimize risk. APS will not only improve the performance of your system, but also help you serve your customers more effectively. Oracle offers the following Advanced Product Services:

Assisted Services- Customized assistance for support, enhancements, and improving processes
Technical Assessments- Configuration and performance analysis with focused service delivery reviews
Business Critical Assistance- Additional services for personalized support and proactive recommendations
Solution Support Center- A combination of reactive and proactive support service

Outsourcing Services: Let Oracle manage and maintain your Oracle software so you can focus on strategic business priorities. When we manage your Oracle software, you can save up to 50% on IT management costs, more accurately forecast spending, and focus your IT professionals on helping improve the bottom line. Since we develop and support the software, we are able to help you achieve 50% faster problem resolution compared to customers who manage Oracle software themselves.

Tips for Efficient Use of Oracle Support Services

Twelve Tips to our customers for getting better support from OSS

Be prepared to have access to ALL information that a Technical Support Analyst might need to help in resolving your issue, including: the appropriate CSI number, phone numbers of affected and/or interested individuals within your organization, plus pertinent contract information.
Identify the problem area precisely and attempt to isolate the issue to a specific group of Oracle products and operating system configurations, i.e. RDBMS, Tools, Applications, UNIX, Desktop, Midrange, etc.
Create a brief subject statement summarizing your request which includes the essence: 1. The Object – this defines what part of Oracle is problematic. 2. The Defect – this describes the associated anomaly or ill behavior of the object.
Decide upon a Severity Level (1-4) to be assigned to the issue based on a reasonable analysis of the business impact.
Keep your implementation configuration information easily accessible to the Technical Support Analyst at all times.
Complete the templates in MetaLink thoroughly. The answers to the questions will be needed. Sooner is better.
Include all information. Details of the environment, steps taken prior to logging the iTAR. More information is better.
Provide any error messages and symptoms that may allow the Technical Support analyst to resolve your issue quickly. Also, attach any pertinent error logs, alert logs and trace files to your initial iTAR.
Provide test cases if at all possible, so Oracle can recreate the problem if required.
Always refer to your issue by referencing the assigned iTAR number and keep an active list of all your currently open iTARs.
Keep track of your technical issues in MetaLink. Whenever possible, use MetaLink to log, track and update your issues. This allows for more effective information transfer and more efficient iTAR resolution.
Ensure that all relevant individuals within your organization are available for immediate consultation when you contact the Support Analyst.

How to Log a Non-Technical iTAR

Log in to MetaLink and Select TARs from the menu.
Select <Create a TAR>.
Enter TAR header information manually or select a TAR profile to enter the information automatically and select <Continue>.
Select <Order Product Updates> or choose any other appropriate non-product related options from the drop down list in the <Type of Problem> field.
Enter a one-sentence description of the problem in the Subject Statement field and select <Continue>.
The system will return a list of knowledge base documents that may assist in solving the problem as if this were a technical iTAR - disregard and select <Continue with TAR creation>.
Enter the details of the problem and answer the series of online questions as required.
When you have finished answering all the questions, select <Continue> to verify the iTAR information.
Use the back button to make any changes.
Click the <Open TAR> button. The TAR Confirmation/Create a TAR message is displayed - please note the iTAR number.

How to Learn More

Review the MetaLink Features List

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