PeopleSoft CRM 9.1 Business Object Management PeopleBook

Using Business Object Search and Quick Create Functionality

This chapter provides an overview of the business object search and quick create process and discusses how to:

Search for business objects.
Create business objects by using the Quick Create component.

Understanding the Business Object Search and Quick Create Process

This section discusses:

Business object search.
Customer identification.
Quick create functionality.
BO search and Quick Create runtime example.

Business Object Search

When users create a transaction in PeopleSoft CRM and do not know the specific value for a business object that the transaction uses, they can invoke a business object search to find the field value. The system determines the information that is needed depending on the page where the business object search was initiated and searches for the business object.

If the business object is not uniquely identified from the information that the user enters, a search page that contains both a list of objects that are potential matches and additional search fields appears.

Customer Identification

The customer identification framework uses business object search to provide an easy and consistent way to identify the customer—company, partner, consumer, contact, or site—for a transaction.

Each transaction page has one or more subpages that contain the fields for entering customer, contact, and other information such as phone, site, identification number, or account number.

The subpages that appear and fields that appear on each subpage vary depending on the information that each transaction needs. For example, the customer information fields for order capture are Customer, First Name, and Last Name while the fields for creating a support case are Company, First Name, Last Name, and SIN (Service Identification Number). The customer information subpage might have one or two columns, depending on the needs of the page layout. Additional subpages might appear with partner information or worker information

The user enters information in one or more fields and initiates a search. If a business object that uniquely matches the criteria that are entered is found, it is returned to the customer information subpage. If not, a page containing additional search criteria and a list of potential matches appears. The user can:

Select a record.
Refine the search criteria and search again.
Create a new object using quick create.

Quick Create Functionality

The quick create functionality in PeopleSoft CRM enables users to create business objects quickly and easily without navigating to the business object components. This functionality is available either from within a PeopleSoft CRM application or by using the standalone Quick Create component.

Quick create definitions that are set up in the system and associated with transactions enable users to enter the subset of business object information that is required to define a business object and save it to the database. The business object information that is created is returned to the application so that the business process can continue. Some quick create definitions are set up to create more than one business object and the relationships between the business objects at the same time. For example, the The Company with Contact definition creates both a company and a contact.

You access the Quick Create component:

As a standalone component by selecting Customers CRM.
From the business object search page within a PeopleSoft CRM transaction.
Directly from a PeopleSoft CRM application component, such as the Create Order transaction.

BO Search and Quick Create Runtime Example

For example, a call center agent might receive a call from a contact named Larry Hill who represents a customer company named MMA Property Management. The agent opens a case and searches for a company name of MMA with a last name of Hill.

If the information that the agent enters does not uniquely identify a customer and contact, the advanced search page appears. This page contains both expanded search criteria fields and a search results section that lists all companies whose name begins with the letters MMA that are represented by a contact with a last name of Hill. The agent can then:

Select the correct company and contact combination.
Enter additional search criteria, and search again.
Define a new company with contact.

This option uses the quick create feature.

BO Search System Processing

The following tasks occur without the user being aware of them:

The transaction adapter determines, based on the transaction, what fields appear on the customer information subpage and the criteria definition that defines the advanced search page.
The criteria definition determines what criteria fields appear on the advanced search page, how they appear, and the search definitions to invoke.
The search definition determines the roles to search for the criteria fields, the fields that appear in the search results, how the search results appear, and the quick create definition that the user accesses to create a new business object.
For each role that is searched, the search role determines the security that is applied, the relationships for the role, and whether fields appear in the search criteria or results that are set for the role.
The field definitions determine how the search fields appear on the page, the database records that are searched for each field, and how the user can search for the field.

Quick Create System Processing

The following tasks occur without the user being aware of them:

The quick create definition determines which quick create templates to display to the user.
The quick create template definitions determine both the fields that appear on the quick create page and the criteria that are used to search for existing objects of the type that is defined.

Searching for Business Objects

This section discusses how to:

Identify customers for transactions.
Search for business objects.

Pages Used to Search for Business Objects

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Search For <object>	RBQ_BOSRCH	Customers CRM, Business Object Search Enter customer information in any Customer Information group box on a transaction. Click the Advanced Search link on any page that is enabled for BO search. Click the search icon next to any field on a PeopleSoft CRM component or on transaction pages that are enabled for BO search.	Search for a business object in the PeopleSoft CRM database.

Identifying Customers for Transactions

Access the customer information subpage on any transaction that is enabled for customer identification.

Note. The example shown is from the Add Case component. The fields that appear in the Customer Information page region are specific to Case searches. Other components that use this feature function similarly, although the fields might vary.

Enter any information that you know and click Search. If the customer is not uniquely identified by the information that you enter, an advanced search page appears. You can also click the Advanced Search link to access the Search for <object> page.

Advanced Search

When you initiate the advanced search, the Search for <object> page appears. This page enables you to refine the search fields that you enter on the customer information subpage. This page contains additional search criteria and, depending on how the search criteria are set up, a link that accesses a quick create page to create a new business object or objects.

Searching for Business Objects

Access the Search For <object> page (Customers CRM, Business Object Search).

This page is identical to the advanced search pages that appear for customer identification. This page contains additional search criteria. In the example above, the user can create a new company with a contact.

Select Action

Select a listed action and click Go to access a Quick Create page where you can create a new business object of the type for which you are searching.

This field appears only if the quick create option is defined for the business object search that you initiated. The available actions are also determined by the business object search definition. If there is only one quick create option defined for the search, then a link to the Quick Create page appears.

Search Results

If more than one business object meets the search criteria, the Search Results grid appears. The results are either:

Single-select.

With single-select , one and only one business object can be returned from the search. The results appear in a list with each item identified as a link. When you click the link, the item is returned to the field from which the search was initiated.
Multi-select.

With multi-select, more than one business object can be returned from the search. A check box appears next to each item. You select the desired items or click the Check All/Clear All link, then click the Select button to return the items to the calling page, where they appear in a grid.

Creating Business Objects by Using the Quick Create Component

This section discusses how to create business objects by using quick create functionality.

Note. The functionality of the Quick Create page is flexible and enables you to create as many business objects as you want without leaving the page.

Page Used to Create Business Objects by Using Quick Create Functionality

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Create <quick create definition name>	RBQ_QCREATE	Customers CRM, Quick Create, Quick Create Click the link or Go button next to the Create New field on the business object lookup page. Click the Create New button on a PeopleSoft CRM application page.	Create business objects.

Creating Business Objects by Using Quick Create Functionality

Access the Create <quick create definition name> page (Customers CRM, Quick Create, Quick Create).

These screenshots show the quick create page for the Company with Contact definition. Most quick create pages look identical for they use common group boxes and fields to collect information. Some pages contain additional fields to capture data that is specific to the corresponding business objects.

Refer to the Defining Person Business Objects chapter for field descriptions of these common group boxes and fields.

SetID	Enter the setID for the objects that you are creating. This field appears only for objects that are controlled by a setID and is defined on the quick create definition.
Search Existing <object>	Click this link to search for existing business objects that match the information that you entered. For example, if you enter a company name of MMA, you can search for existing companies whose names start with MMA. This helps to ensure that you do not enter duplicate data.
Clear	Click to clear the section of the Quick Create page.

Quick Create Process upon Save

When you save the Quick Create page, the system:

Verifies that all required fields are present.

If not, then the system returns an error message.
Creates the business object for each role that is present on the Quick Create page that has data.

For example, if the Quick Create page enables you to create a company and contact, but entering a contact is optional, then you can create a company without a contact. The contact is created only if you also enter contact data.
Creates the relationship between multiple roles if the information for these roles is present and the relationship between these roles is set up in the quick create template.

For example, if the quick create template enables you to create a company and a contact for the company at the same time, and also has a relationship set up between the two roles on the template, then when you enter the different roles and their information on the Quick Create page, both the company and the contact are created and the contact is linked to the company.
Returns newly created data to the calling application if you access the Quick Create page from a PeopleSoft CRM application.

If you are in the standalone Quick Create component, then you remain on the Quick Create page after you save.