This chapter covers the following topics:
This chapter describes setup tasks for the Oracle Inventory Item Master (which is also accessible through other applications; e.g., Oracle Order Management) and Oracle Inventory items that are specific to the Oracle Telecommunications Service Ordering (TSO) solution.
Following is the setup checklist for implementing TSO-specific functionality for inventory items.
| Setup Step | Required/Optional |
|---|---|
| Implement Oracle Inventory | Required |
| Set Up Items | Required |
| Set Up Periodicity for Recurring Charges | Required |
| Create Container Model | Required |
| Set Items as Provisionable | Optional |
| Set Up Link Items | Optional |
For more information on setting up items, refer to the Oracle Inventory User's Guide.
Implementers can define TSO items with various flags that determine the functionality available to the item. The TSO-related flags and settings are summarized below; some of the flags' setups are expanded in subsequent sections.
Install Base Trackable: This flag allows the tracking of the life cycle of the product in Oracle Installed Base. For more information, see the section, "Specify Installed Base Tracking", below.
Payment Terms: For each TSO inventory item that requires payment with the order, set the Payment Terms field to Pay Now.
Invoicing: Enable the Invoiceable Item and Invoice Enabled checkboxes for each item.
Instance Class Network Link: This value of the Instance Class attribute is required only if you use the selected inventory item as a network link. For more information, see the section, "Set Up an Item of Type Link", below.
Provisionable: This is required if you are going to provision or electronically fulfill the item. For more information, see the section, "Set an Item as Provisionable", below.
Container Model: A Container Model is a model that you use to contain TSO products that you can reconfigure. For more information, see the section, "Create Container Model", below.
Periodicity: For each recurring item, specify a period (e.g., Monthly) in the Charge Periodicity LOV. See "Set Up Periodicity for Recurring Charges", below for more information.
To support recurring charges in the TSO solution, Oracle Inventory seeds a unit of measure (UOM) class labelled, Period, with relevant UOMs to support the various periods that recurring charges might be billed as. Implementers should set the Period UOM to the period of the recurring charge. The following table shows the seeded values for the Period UOM class:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| DAY | Daily (base unit) |
| WK | Weekly |
| BWK | Bi-Weekly |
| MTH | Monthly |
| QTR | Quarterly |
| HYR | Half Yearly |
| YR | Yearly |
The default UOM class for recurring charges is derived from the Oracle Order Management profile option, OM: UOM Class for Charge Periodicity. For more information, see the section, "Set Prole Options", in the chapter, Set Up Oracle Order Management.
In addition to the UOM class, for each item that will have a recurring charge associated, implementers should set the Charge Periodicity field to the recurring charge period; the field is available in the Item Master form. For more information, see the section, "Specify Periodicity for TSO Items" in the chapter, Set Up Oracle Order Management.
Important: If before an upgrade, the system already had a UOM class named Period, or one or more UOM codes that are in conflict with the seed data, then seed data will not be created and users will not be able to view the seeded UOM Class or codes. Before performing an upgrade, ensure that there is no existing UOM class named Period and that there are no UOM codes with any of the seeded values listed in the table above.
To create a Container Model, create a model that supports updates to its installed configurable Components using the following procedures:
"Specify Container Model", below, to indicate that the item representing your top-level BOM Model is a Container Model.
"Specify Installed Base Tracking", below, to indicate whether or not you want to track each Oracle Inventory item that is a Component of the Container Model.
You need to specify that the item representing your top level BOM Model, such as the item representing the network, is a Container Model.
In this procedure, log in to Oracle Forms with Oracle Inventory responsibility and navigate to the Master Item window.
Prerequisite
Review "Container Model Settings and Structure" in the chapter, Set Up Configurator and Customize the Solution, very carefully before defining a Container Model in Oracle applications.
Steps
In the Master Item window, query the item or define it, if it does not already exist.
Select the Bills of Material tab.
On the Bills of Material tab, set the Configuration Model Type to Container.
Note: The default Configuration Model Type is Standard; this value means only that the item is not a Container Model.
Select the Service tab.
On the Service tab, verify that the Installed Base Tracking checkbox is not selected.
Note: If a Container Model is marked as trackable, an error occurs when you generate the Active Model in Oracle Configurator Developer.
Click the Order Management tab.
On the Order Management tab, select the Pick Components checkbox. This indicates that the Container Model is a PTO (pick-to-order) BOM Model. If a Container Model is not a PTO Model, Oracle Configurator Developer displays an error when you import it into the Oracle Configurator schema.
Verify that both the Ship Model Complete and Shippable checkboxes are not selected.
Specify whether or not you want to track each Oracle Inventory item that is a Component of the Container Model. For more information, see: the section, "Specify Installed Base Tracking", below.
Save your work.
After you have specified that the item representing your top level BOM Model is a Container Model, you need to indicate whether or not you want to track, via Oracle Installed Base, each Oracle Inventory item that is a Component of the container BOM Model. Do this for each BOM Model, BOM Option Class, and BOM Standard Item to track in Oracle Installed Base.
Note: The item representing your top-level BOM Model item should not have the selected Installed Base Tracking option. Only items to track in Oracle Installed Base should have the Installed Base Tracking option selected.
In this procedure, log in to Oracle Forms with Oracle Inventory responsibility and navigate to the Master Item window.
Steps
Query the item or define it if it does not exist.
Select the Service tab.
On the Service tab, select both the Provisionable and the Installed Base Tracking checkboxes.
If you use the item only to link installed Components and you do not usually associate the item with a location, set the Instance Class to Link.
For example, a Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) does not have a specific location, but the PVC connects two Ports in a network configuration model. Upon installation of the item, Oracle Installed Base derives the location from connected the Components.
If you wish to track a tangible item, mark it as Shippable, Inventory Transactable, and Serializable.
Verify that the Container Model's structure does not violate any of the requirements. For more information, see the section, "Container Model Settings and Structure", in the chapter, Set Up Oracle Configurator and Customize the Solution.
Save your work.
If you are using Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager, you must specify as provisionable the items that require provisioning in Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager by selecting the Enable Provisioning checkbox for the item.
If you are not using Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager, then these procedures are optional.
In this procedure, log in to Oracle Forms with Oracle Inventory responsibility and navigate to the Master Item window.
Steps
In Oracle Inventory, query the item, or define it if it does not yet exist.
In the Master Item window, select the Service tab.
In the lower left of the tab, select the Provisionable checkbox.
Save your work.
You must specify items as the type, Link, only if you use the selected inventory item as a network link. You must set up a configured link item with the Installed Base Instance class = Link.
Example
Suppose ITEM_C is an item with the IB_ITEM_INSTANCE_CLASS set to Link. If ITEM_C is connected to ITEM_A in location A and ITEM_B in location B, then a search for ITEM_C results in its connected locations, such as locations A and B, appearing as the starting and ending locations.
In this procedure, log in to Oracle Forms with Oracle Inventory responsibility and navigate to the Master Item window.
Steps
In the Master Item window, query the item, or define it if it does not yet exist.
Select the Service tab.
In the Install Base section, choose Link from the Instance Class list.
Save your work.
Note: You can select the Instance Class only if you have enabled Installed Base Tracking for this item. For more information, see section, "Specify Installed Base Tracking", above