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1 Application Composer: Introduction

This chapter contains the following:

Extending CRM Applications: How It Works

Extending CRM Applications: Top Tasks

The Oracle Fusion CRM Application Composer is but one tool that lets you customize and extend your Oracle Fusion CRM applications. Before you start to extend and customize any application within Oracle Fusion CRM, refer first to the Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility Guide to learn more about all the extensibility options and tools that are available to you.

The Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility Guide walks you through the customization process for all Oracle Fusion applications, not just within Oracle Fusion CRM. After reviewing that guide, you can then review the Oracle Fusion CRM Extensibility Guide to understand in more detail how to use the Application Composer to extend and customize an application within Oracle Fusion CRM.

Getting Started: Review the Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility Guide

Refer to the Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility Guide to learn which tools are available to you to change an application. You will also learn about the customization development life cycle, including how to use the Sandbox Manager and Customization Manager.
See: Introduction to Customizing and Extending Oracle Fusion Applications
The Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility Guide also includes sections on important customization tasks, such as customizing pages, objects, reports, and security.
See: Business User Customizations and Extensions
After reviewing the Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility Guide, you can then review the Oracle Fusion CRM Extensibility Guide, which provides detailed information about using the Application Composer.

Extending CRM Applications: How It Works

The Oracle Fusion CRM Application Composer is a browser-based configuration tool that enables business analysts and administrators, not just application developers, to customize and extend an Oracle Fusion CRM application. Make the type of data model changes which, for non-CRM applications, can only be made by application developers. For example, easily create a new object and related fields, then create new Enterprise pages where that object and its fields are exposed to users. The Application Composer is a design time at runtime tool, which means that you can navigate to the Application Composer directly from a CRM application, make your changes, and see most changes take immediate effect in real time, without having to sign back in to the application. Data model changes, such as the creation of custom fields, do require that you reauthenticate before you can see those changes.

Pattern-Based Application Design

The Application Composer hides the complexity of customization from business analysts by leveraging a set of standard design patterns and wizards. You focus on the application changes that your business requires (object model extensions and layout changes, for example), and the Application Composer creates the underlying object artifacts for you.

Access the Application Composer from any CRM application at runtime by using the Navigator menu, and selecting Application Composer under the Tools category. The first view of the Application Composer is the main Overview page, which is the entry point into all your customization options.

This is a screenshot of the main Overview
page in the Oracle Fusion Application Composer.

From the Application Composer's Overview page, you can make application changes such as:

Customize objects by adding new fields, or create entirely new objects.
Create foreign key-based relationships between two objects.
Customize Enterprise pages by exposing your newly created fields for an object, or create an entirely new work area for your newly created objects.
Expose object relationships on Enterprise pages in the form of subtabs or tree nodes.
Write application logic, such as triggers, validation rules, and workflows, for an object or for use across multiple objects.
Implement functional and data-level security for custom objects.
Enable objects for custom reporting.

Getting Started: The Application Composer's Overview Page

To access the Application Composer, log in with the Customer Relationship Management Administrator job role. Then, select Application Composer under the Tools category in the Navigator menu to navigate to the main Overview page.

From the main Overview page, select the application you want to customize using the Application choice list. Then:

Use the object tree to select the object you want to customize, or click the New icon to create a new object.
Use the links in main Overview page, also known as the local area, to select a customization task.
Or, use the links in the Common Setup pane.

Change the selected application in the Application choice list at any time to customize another CRM application.

Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility

The Application Composer is but one tool that lets you customize and extend your Oracle Fusion CRM applications. To learn more about extensibility options that are available to you across all Oracle Fusion applications, see the Oracle Fusion Applications Extensibility Guide.