2 Description of Configuration Methods

This chapter describes how to configure parameters and system configurations for the Regular Price Optimization applications. It also describes how to change the receipt components for the Oracle Retail Point-of-Service application. The parameters, system configurations, and receipt components are described in tables in the subsequent chapters.

For information on modifying parameters, see the following sections:

"Editing Parameters Using an Application User Interface"
"Editing Parameters in an XML File"
"Editing Parameters in the Database"

For information on modifying system configurations, see the following sections:

"Editing System Configurations in an XML File"
"Editing System Configurations in the Database"
"Editing System Configurations in a Properties File"

For information on modifying receipt components, see "Editing Receipt Components in a Blueprint File".

Editing Parameters Using an Application User Interface

Point-of-Service, Back Office, Central Office, and Returns Management provide interfaces for changing parameter values.

In Point-of-Service, you can change parameters to be applied to the register where the changes are being made. These changes can take effect immediately.
In Back Office, you can change the parameters for any of the parameter groups defined for Back Office.
- You can change parameters that affect the Back Office application. These changes can take effect immediately.
- You can change parameters to affect a specific register, a group of registers, or all registers. These changes cannot take effect until they have been distributed to the registers.
In Central Office, you can change the parameters for all applications and parameter groups.
- You can change parameters that affect the Central Office application. These changes can take effect immediately.
- You can change parameters to affect specific stores or group of stores. These changes cannot take effect until they have been distributed to the stores.
In Returns Management, you can change parameters that affect the Returns Management application. These changes can take effect immediately. Returns Management does not distribute parameters.

Point-of-Service

Note:

Updating parameters using the user interface is not available for mobile devices.

When you use this interface, the parameter changes apply only to the register on which the changes are being made. Parameters, once edited, are immediately available for use by the register. The changes are not automatically reloaded on other registers. For example, if an operator changes the Maximum Cash Change parameter on one register, the other running registers are unaware of the change.

You can apply parameters to multiple registers by creating parameter lists in Back Office or Central Office and then distributing the parameter lists. When you are setting up your system, you can also set values in Point-of-Service until you get a single register set up the way you want it and then copy the workstation.xml file to other registers. Changes made through the user interface are saved in the workstation.xml file.

To change a parameter:

From the Main Options screen, press F4/Administration.
When prompted, enter your user name and password. After successfully logging in, the Admin. Options screen appears.
From the Admin. Options screen, press F4/Security. The Security Options screen appears.
From the Security Options screen, press F4/Parameters. The Parameter Groups screen appears.
Select a parameter group from the menu, then press Enter/Next. If you have permission to edit that group, the Parameter List screen appears.
Select a parameter from the list to edit and press Enter/Next. The Edit Parameter Screen appears.
Change the necessary information. To save the change, press Enter/Next.
To return to the Parameter Groups screen, press Esc/Undo.
To return to the Security Options screen, press Esc/Undo.

Back Office

This section provides an overview of the procedures used for changing and distributing parameters through the Back Office user interface. For a more detailed description of these procedures, see the Oracle Retail Back Office User Guide.

Note:

An initial set of parameters for Back Office must be imported before you can use the application. The installer provides the option to have the parameters loaded as part of the installation. See the Oracle Retail Back Office Installation Guide for more information.

To change parameters:

Click the Admin tab. Click the Back Office Parameter Maintenance subtab. The Select Parameters screen appears.
Select the group of parameters that includes the parameters you want to change.
To change the value for a parameter:
1. Select the parameter. The Edit Parameter screen appears.
2. Change the parameter value.
3. To save your change, click Save.

To create a parameter list for distribution:

Click the Admin tab. Click the Parameter Maintenance subtab. Click the Parameter Lists left navigation link. The Parameter Lists screen appears.
To add a new list, click Add. The List Details screen appears. Define the list and select the parameters for the list.
To save and distribute the list, click Save & Distribute. Follow the instructions to schedule the distribution. To save the list but not set up the distribution, click Save.

Central Office

This section provides an overview of the procedures used for changing and distributing parameters through the Central Office user interface. For a more detailed description of these procedures, see the Oracle Retail Central Office User Guide.

Note:

An initial set of parameters for Central Office must be imported before you can use the application. The installer provides the option to have the parameters loaded as part of the installation. See the Oracle Retail Central Office Installation Guide for more information.

To change parameters:

Click the Admin tab. Click the Parameter Maintenance subtab. The Select Parameters screen appears.
Select the group of parameters that includes the parameters you want to change.
To change the value of a parameter:
1. Select the parameter. The Edit Parameter screen appears.
2. Change the parameter value.
3. To save your change, click Save.

To create a parameter list for distribution:

Click the Data Management tab. Click the Parameter Maintenance subtab. The Parameter Lists screen appears.
To add a new list, click Add. The Add Details screen appears. Define the list and select the parameters for the list.
To save and distribute the list, click Save & Distribute. Follow the instructions to schedule the distribution. To save the list but not set up the distribution, click Save.

Returns Management

This section provides an overview of the procedures used for changing parameters through the Returns Management user interface. For a more detailed description of these procedures, see the Oracle Retail Returns Management User Guide.

Note:

An initial set of parameters for Returns Management must be imported before you can use the application. The installer provides the option to have the parameters loaded as part of the installation. See the Oracle Retail Returns Management Installation Guide for more information.

To change parameters:

Click the Admin tab. Click the Parameter Maintenance subtab. The Select Parameters screen appears.
Select the group of parameters that includes the parameters you want to change.
To change the value of a parameter:
1. Select the parameter. The Edit Parameter screen appears.
2. Change the parameter value.
3. To save your change, click Save.

Editing Parameters in an XML File

Some parameters are hidden and cannot be changed through the user interface. For these parameters, you can edit an XML file to change the values.

Understanding Parameter XML Tags

Parameter XML files store parameters in <GROUP> tags that contain <PARAMETER> tags. The <PARAMETER> tags contain properties that describe the parameter. The following example shows the parameter that determines the maximum traveler's check value that the system accepts:

<GROUP name="Tender" hidden="N">...
other parameters omitted here...
<PARAMETER name="MaximumTravelersCheckAmount"
         type="CURRENCY"
         final="N"
         hidden="N">
         <VALIDATOR class="FloatRangeValidator"
            package="oracle.retail.stores.foundation.manager.parameter">
            <PROPERTY propname="minimum" propvalue="0.00" />
            <PROPERTY propname="maximum" propvalue="99999.99" />
         </VALIDATOR>
         <VALUE value="1000.00"/>
      </PARAMETER>
...other parameters omitted...
</GROUP>

Table 2-1 describes the properties used in defining parameters.

Table 2-1 Standard Parameter Properties

Property	Description
type	The type of parameter value.
final	This property determines whether this value becomes the actual value used for the parameter. If set to Y, it reverses the normal file precedence for the parameter. If set to N, the normal file precedence is not changed. For more information, see "Determining the Parameter Value Used".
hidden	If set to Y, the parameter does not appear in the user interface for the application affected by the parameter. However, the parameter may appear in the user interface of other applications. For example, a parameter may be hidden in Point-of-Service, but not hidden in Back Office and Central Office. This enables the parameters to be distributed from Back Office and Central Office.
validator	A structure that defines valid values for the parameter. In the above example, the tags define a range of floating-point currency values, from 0.00 to 99999.99. Caution: A change made to the validator requires a corresponding change in code.
value	The actual value of the parameter specified in this file.

Parameter File Hierarchy

The Point-of-Service application gets parameter values from an interrelated set of XML files. More than one of these files can contain values for the same parameters. A set of precedence rules determines which parameters actually take effect.

The Back Office and Central Office applications provide interfaces for changing parameters and distributing those parameters to the registers. The store.xml and corporate.xml files are supported by the Point-of-Service register if the application is customized to place parameters in those files.

Within Point-of-Service, there is no indication to the operator of the source of the value of a parameter. The value displayed on the screen could come from any of the XML files.

Note:

The application.xml file contains all of the parameters and thus represents the default value set. The other files contain subsets of the parameters.

Note:

OracleRetailStore is used in the paths in the following tables showing the parameter file hierarchies for Point-of-Service. OracleRetailStore is the default directory for installing Oracle Retail applications. Your installation may use a different directory.

Point-of-Service Parameter File Hierarchy

Table 2-2 shows the parameter XML files in the order in which they are consulted by the Point-of-Service application. The locations for server and client installations are both shown.

Table 2-2 Point-of-Service Parameter XML Files in Precedence Order

Parameter File	Location	Description
`application.xml`	`OracleRetailStore\Server\pos\config\parameter\application` `OracleRetailStore\Client\pos\config\parameter\application`	Contains default values for all parameters Note: Even though the parameters reside in the store server, parameters distributed from Central Office and Back Office are not updated on the server but only on the registers.
`corporate.xml`	`OracleRetailStore\Server\pos\config\parameter\corporate` `OracleRetailStore\Client\pos\config\parameter\corporate`	Contains values for parameters distributed by Central Office
`store.xml`	`OracleRetailStore\Server\pos\config\parameter\store` `OracleRetailStore\Server\pos\config\parameter\store`	Contains values for parameters distributed by Back Office
`workstation.xml`	`OracleRetailStore\Server\pos\config\parameter\register` `OracleRetailStore\Client\pos\config\parameter\register`	Contains values set through the Point-of-Service user interface

Determining the Parameter Value Used

If a parameter is specified in more than one of the files, the value in the last file in the precedence order is used for the parameter. For example, if a parameter is specified in each of the files, the value in workstation.xml is used.

The final property, when set to Y in a parameter definition, changes the precedence order for that parameter. The store.xml parameters with final=Y are used rather than the value in the workstation.xml file. The corporate.xml parameters are used rather than the value in the store.xml file, but only for the parameters that specify final=Y in corporate.xml file.

Table 2-3 and Table 2-4 show two examples of using the final property to determine the actual value that Point-of-Service would end up using.

Table 2-3 Point-of-Service Parameter Values and Results Example 1

Parameter File	Maximum Travelers Check Amount Value	Final Property
`corporate.xml`	100	final="N"
`store.xml`	75	final="N"
`workstation.xml`	50	final="N"
Value used	50	Not Applicable

Table 2-4 Point-of-Service Parameter Values and Results Example 2

Parameter File	Maximum Travelers Check Amount Value	Final Property
`corporate.xml`	100	final="Y"
`store.xml`	150	final="N"
`workstation.xml`	200	final="N"
Value used	100	Not Applicable

Back Office Parameter Files

An initial set of Back Office parameters is available in the backoffice.xml file that is obtained from the backofficeDBInstall.jar file. These parameters affect the Back Office application and are not distributed to registers. The file can be edited and then imported to set initial values for the application.

Another initial set parameters is available in the parameterset.xml file tht is obtained from the backofficeDBInstall.jar file. This file contains an initial set of parameters that can be distributed to registers. The file can be edited and then distributed to set initial values for the registers.

Note:

Any changes made to parameters through the user interface are not updated in the backoffice.xml or parameterset.xml files. The files should only be used when setting initial values for the application.

Note:

Central Office Parameter Files

An initial set of Central Office parameters is available in the centraloffice.xml file that is obtained from the centralofficeDBInstall.jar file. These parameters affect the Central Office application and are not distributed to stores. The file can be edited and then imported to set initial values for the application.

Another initial set parameters is available in the parameterset.xml file which is obtained from the centralofficeDBInstall.jar file. This file contains an initial set of parameters that can be distributed to stores. The file can be edited and then distributed to set initial values for the stores.

Note:

Any changes made to parameters through the user interface are not updated in the centraloffice.xml or parameterset.xml files. The files should only be used when setting initial values for the application.

Note:

Returns Management Parameter File

An initial set of parameters is available in the returnsmgmt.xml file which is obtained from the returnsmgmtDBInstall.jar file. The file can be edited and then imported to set initial values for the application.

Note:

Any changes made to parameters through the user interface are not updated in the returnsmgmt.xml file. The file should only be used when setting initial values for the application.

Note:

Modifying Parameters By Editing the XML File

To change a parameter value:

Open the XML file that you want to edit in a text editor or XML editor.

Change the values in the file. For a description of the parameters and the allowed values, see Chapter 3.

Caution:

You can change the value of a parameter from one allowed value to another; however, you cannot change the <VALIDATOR> options, such as minimum or maximum values, without corresponding changes in the code.

Import the file.

Note:

Changes to parameters imported from Back Office automatically reset the hidden parameter property values for those parameters in workstation.xml. You need to manually edit the parameters before hidden parameters can be displayed in Point-of-Service.

Adding a Parameter to an XML File

If you want to define a parameter that does not yet exist in a particular file, you can copy the parameter tag from application.xml and paste it into the desired file. For example, to set a company-wide value for a maximum traveler's check amount, copy the default parameter tag named MaximumTravelersCheckAmount, and paste it into the corporate.xml file.

Note:

When you copy parameters to new files, make sure to enclose the parameters in the correct group tag.

Editing Parameters in the Database

Some parameters are only defined in the database. The values for these parameters cannot be changed through a user interface or by editing an XML file. These parameters are updated by using SQL statements to change the value in the database. In parameter tables, these parameters are listed as residing in the database. Table, column, and row information that is needed for the SQL statements is also listed for each of these parameters.

Editing System Configurations in an XML File

Some system configurations are defined in an XML file. You edit the XML file to change the values. In the system configurations tables, these system configurations are listed as residing in XML. For each system configuration, the name of the XML file and the name that defines the system configuration are listed.

Editing System Configurations in the Database

Some system configurations are defined in the database. These system configurations are updated by using SQL statements to change the value in the database. In the system configurations tables, these system configurations are listed as residing in the database. Table, column, and row information that is needed for the SQL statements is also listed for each of these system configurations.

Editing System Configurations in a Properties File

Some system configurations are defined in a properties file. You edit the properties file to change the values. In the system configurations tables, these system configurations are listed as residing in a properties file. For each system configuration, the name of the properties file and the name of the property that defines the system configuration are listed.

Editing Receipt Components in a Blueprint File

To change the fields on a receipt, you edit receipt components in the blueprint file. The receipt components are described in Chapter 3. For each receipt component, the name of the blueprint file where the component is defined is listed. For information on blueprint files, see the Oracle Retail POS Suite Implementation Guide, Volume 1 - Implementation Solutions.

The following document is available through My Oracle Support. Access My Oracle Support at the following URL:

https://support.oracle.com

Oracle Retail Point-of-Service Receipt Builder Tool User Guide (Doc ID: 1926950.1)

This guide provides information on editing the blueprint files using the Receipt Builder tool.