This chapter covers the following topics:
This topic group provides task-based procedures that are required for ongoing system maintenance and includes information on administration tools and utilities.
Each Transaction Generates a Message
Every transaction of a trackable item generates a message to the application. When the application receives a message, it searches the Oracle Asset Tracking tables for a record of the item. If it finds the record and all the attributes have been defined in the record, the transaction occurs without errors.
However, when a transaction results in an error, the related message is sent to the appropriate log. For example, if a Receipt-to-Project transaction of a normal item is missing attributes for category or location, a fatal error occurs. The message that is sent as a result of this transaction is sent to the Error Log.
Transaction Status Complete (C)
The application changes the status of a transaction to Complete (C), when the following conditions are met:
The transaction has not generated any errors
The transaction is complete
The transaction is not dependent on another incomplete transaction
Understanding the Message Dequeuer
A message dequeuer is a background process that continuously polls a queue and processes items from the queue. The message dequeuer removes messages from the message queue on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. Message queues are maintained by Oracle Advanced Queueing (OAQ). For information about message queues, see the following topics in the Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager Concepts and Procedures Guide:
Messaging in Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager
Managing the System Queues
You can manage the message queues in either Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager or Oracle Number Portability. Oracle Asset Tracking uses the messaging system that is maintained in Service Delivery Platform (SDP).
When you start a message queue, a controller process automatically starts the dequeuers. For more information about starting and suspending a message queue, see the following topics in the Oracle Service Fulfillment Manager Concepts and Procedures Guide.
Oracle SDP Start
Oracle SDP Stop
Before starting the transaction make sure that the Service Fulfillment Manager queue is running. To do that, perform the following steps:
Change the responsibility to SFM System Administrator.
Navigate to Concurrent and then select Administer Manager.
Make sure SFM Event Manager Queue Service is running.
Oracle Asset Tracking does not recommend bypassing the service fulfillment queue. Bypassing a queue may cause slower applications performance. However you have a choice of using the queue or bypassing it. To bypass, simply set the Oracle Install Base parameter SFM Bypass. Once you set this option then the transactions will be directly updated to Oracle Asset Tracking.
There is no change in the standard business flows except for the asset retirements. If you are bypassing the service fulfillment queue, then after asset retirement you need to run the Oracle Asset Tracking concurrent program Import Asset Retirement - Reinstatement Transactions Report. This will update the CSI_I_ASSETS table in Oracle Install Base.
When you choose this option, then you may set the Inventory Transaction Processing user profile as described below:
TP:INV Transaction Processing Mode
This profile option indicates the processing control for transacting items.
Available values for transaction items are shown in the following table:
| Processing | Description |
|---|---|
| On-line processing | Processes transactions while you wait, and control is returned once transaction processing is completed. |
| Background Processing | Upon commit, control returns immediately to you, allowing you to processing and continue working. The transactions are executed on a periodic basis. |
| Immediate concurrent processing | Upon commit, Oracle Inventory spawns the concurrent process and returns control immediately to you, allowing you to continue working. Displays the concurrent request number of the concurrent process executing the transaction. |
| Form level processing | Processes transactions using the processing control option you choose for that particular type of transaction. You must also set the Oracle Inventory profile options for Inter-Organization Transfer, Miscellaneous Issue and Receipt, Receive Customer Return, Return to Customer, and Transfer Between Subinventories. |
The value you choose for this profile overrides values you set for individual transaction profiles unless you choose Form level processing. Oracle Inventory predefines a value of Immediate concurrent processing for this profile for all levels upon installation. You can update this profile at all levels.
For more information please refer to the Inventory Profile Options section in the Oracle Inventory User's Guide.
Asset Tracking provides the ability to replace the SFM queue with a concurrent program to process the Move, Add, Change, and Disconnect (MACD) sales order. A new profile, CSI: Use Parallel Mode, enables you to do that.
You can set the profile, CSI: Use Parallel Mode, to determine which approach to use to process order lines in Install Base (SFM or Concurrent program). If the profile is set to Yes, then the new concurrent program, IB Process Transaction Lines, processes the transaction lines. If the concurrent program processes the transaction lines, then the Install Base hook inserts a row into the Batch Transaction Lines (CSI_BATCH_TXN_LINES) table instead of publishing messages to the SFM queue for the order lines. If the profile is set to No, then the messages are posted to the SFM queue for the order lines.
Currently, bypassing SFM queue and using the concurrent program is supported only for fulfillment processes. It is recommended that you use this approach for MACD processes only when there is large number of orders with huge configurations.
Two new concurrent programs are added:
IB Transaction Lines Import
IB Transaction Lines Import Worker
The IB Transaction Lines Import concurrent program is a manager that batches the rows in the Batch Transaction Lines table and assigns workers to process them. This program must be scheduled to run every minute.
The number of workers processing the order lines depends on the maximum number specified while setting the concurrent program. Use the Purge Option to retain the processed data.
If there is an error, the current rows are updated to an error status. You can proceed processing other order lines. Errors are inserted into the Transaction Errors table.
Ensure that the SFM bypass flag is set to No when you want to use Batch Processing using the new profile value. This is because the SFM bypass flag takes precedence and there will not be any data in the new tables for the concurrent programs to process.