Configuring Siebel Business Applications > Localizing Siebel Business Applications > Overview of Localizing a Siebel Application >

About Localization in the Development Environment

Localization is the process of configuring Siebel CRM so that you can deploy it into an environment that requires information be displayed in a format that is specific to the local environment, such as the natural language that a set of users use to communicate. Siebel CRM maintains, in the same repository, a translatable text string and data that is specific to a language for a Siebel object. Siebel Tools allows you to edit a property that is specific to a locale for an object, such as an applet, view, or control. For more information, see Using Siebel Tools and Siebel Global Deployment Guide.

Locale Object Types

A locale is an object that you use to define locale data for the parent object of an object type that contains localizable data, such as a symbolic string. Siebel CRM stores data for a locale object in a set of repository tables that it designates specifically for storing locale data. These tables use a naming format that includes the name of the base table followed by the suffix _INTL. For more information, see Using Siebel Tools.

Siebel Tools Language Mode

To determine the localizable data to use with translatable data, Siebel Tools runs in a language mode. Siebel Tools runs in an English-American user interface, but you can edit localizable data in the language of your choice. The default edit language is English-American. Siebel Tools includes a language mode that you can choose from the Development Tools Options dialog box. If you add more languages, then you must enter the language code in all capital letters. For more information, see Using Siebel Tools.

Checking Out and Checking in Locale Data

The Siebel Server tracks the language that you use when you check out the project. Siebel Tools displays this information in the Server Language column of the Check Out dialog box. This feature allows your team to work with data in a language other than the language that you use when you check out the project.

You can get locale data for a project. You can do this if you modify your current working language. For example, assume you only use language data for English-American as your current working language in Siebel Tools, and you must switch to French. To view any localizable data in Siebel Tools, you must get the locale data for French.

For more information, see Using Siebel Tools.

Locale Management Utility

The Locale Management Utility is a tool you can use in Siebel Tools. It allows you to export and import text strings and locale information to an external file. You typically use this utility to export strings to send out for translation, and then to import the translated strings back into the Siebel repository. It facilitates a concurrent application configuration and localization process. You use this option if you deploy in multiple languages. To start this utility, you choose the Tools menu, Utilities, and then the Locale Management menu item. For more information, see Using Siebel Tools.

Compiling and Deploying

Every time you configure a column to be multilingual, you must compile a new SRF file. You only need to compile the Table ListOfValues project. You must deploy modifications to users so that they can view the configured lists in the required language.

The Replication Level field of a multilingual list of values (MLOV) determines the replication level of the list of values record. Setting this field to All routes the record to the regional databases and mobile clients. If you run the MLOV Converter Utility in translation mode to update the target columns and S_LST_OF_VAL table, then the utility does not log modifications in the transaction log table. You must reextract the regional databases and remote clients. For more information, see Converting Your Current Data for an MLOV.