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About Siebel Handheld

Siebel Handheld provides a subset of functionality to that of the Siebel Web Client. The Siebel Handheld Client differs from the Siebel Web Client and the Siebel Mobile Web Client in that it uses a selected subset of views, accommodates smaller screen sizes, and has a reduced memory capacity. For a list of functional differences, see Application Development.

Some features that are available on the Siebel Mobile Web Client are not available on the Siebel Handheld. Scripting and Siebel engines (for example, Pricing and Reporting) are not supported on the handheld. For a list of features that are not supported, see Unsupported Features for Siebel Handheld.

Some supported features of the Siebel Handheld client are as follows:

• Application Development with Siebel Tools: Siebel Handheld applications can be configured in Siebel Tools using the Web Applet Designer. You can take your existing Siebel application and use this as the basis for the Siebel Handheld application, or you can create a new application by using the Siebel Tools application shipped on the Siebel Handheld application DVD. See Application Development for more information.
• Data filtering: Filtering allows you to specify a subset of data to be used on the handheld device. Filtering is an important feature of a Siebel Handheld deployment because of the relatively large size of the average enterprise database in comparison to the relatively limited memory capabilities of handheld devices. It is important that you allocate sufficient time in the project plan to create and test the handheld filters. See Application Development for more information.
• Deployment options: The Siebel Handheld application can be installed on Windows-powered devices in one of two ways. The first is to create a partnership between a desktop or laptop PC and the handheld device using Microsoft ActiveSync. The second is to install the Siebel Handheld application from external media, for example, a Cabinet (CAB) file. Handheld patches can be remotely deployed using PatchAgent. For more information, see Deployment of Siebel Handheld.
• Patch Updates. Siebel Handheld automatically applies the latest software patches to the handheld device when needed. Companion Sync allows users to Synchronize the Handheld Database to the local database on Companion PC and invokes Siebel Remote to synchronize the local database with the server database.
• Backing Up and Restoring Data: The Siebel Handheld application provides database backup functionality. A database restore utility is also included with the application. See Application Administration and Troubleshooting for details.