access control

The set of Siebel CRM mechanisms that control the records to which the user possesses access and which operations the user can perform on the records.

account

A financial entity that represents the relationships between a company and the companies and people with whom the company does business.

account team

Users who possess access to the account record. A user who is assigned to the account is a member of the account team.

ActiveX

A loosely defined set of technologies developed by Microsoft for sharing information among different applications.

ActiveX control

A specific way to implement ActiveX technology. It denotes reusable software components that use the component object model (COM) from Microsoft. ActiveX controls provide functionality that is encapsulated and reusable to programs. They are typically, but not always, visual in nature.

activity

Task that a user must track. Examples include a to-do, email sent to a contact, or an appointment with a contact.

activity (Siebel CRM)

An object in the Action business component of the Siebel data model that organizes, tracks, and resolves a variety of work, from finding and pursuing an opportunity to closing a service request. An Activity also captures an event, such as scheduling a meeting or appointment that occurs at a specific time and displays in the calendar.

activity template (Siebel CRM)

An activity that is defined in an activity template. While the activity for a template is stored in the same object as a transactional activity, this document uses a different term. A template activity essentially behaves like reference data and contains a subset of the attributes for an activity, plus some more attributes that are only relevant to being part of a template.

appointment (Microsoft Outlook)

A record in the Microsoft Outlook calendar or Siebel Web application calendar that reserves time to perform something, such as an appointment to schedule a meeting with a customer or to reserve time to complete work in a given time frame.

attendee (Microsoft Outlook)

A person included in the appointment, such as an organizer or a participant.

authentication

Process of verifying the identity of a user.

business component

A logical representation of one or more Siebel tables that usually contains information for a particular functional area, such as opportunity, account, contact, or activity. A business component can be included in one or more business objects.

business object

A logical representation of CRM entities, such as accounts, opportunities, activities, and contacts, and the logical groupings and relationships among these entities. A business object uses links to group business components into logical units. The links provide the one-to-many relationships that govern how the business components interrelate in this business object. For example, the opportunity business object groups the opportunity, contact, and activities business components.

business object (activity)

The object that is the parent of or related to the activity. For example, a service request, opportunity, marketing campaign, order orchestration process, and so forth.

business object (interaction)

The object that is the focus of the communication between the customer and the organization. For example, a service request, opportunity, contract, and so forth.

child business component

A business component that represents the many in the one-to-many relationship between two business components in a parent-child relationship.

child record

An instance of the child business component.

client computer

The computer that the Siebel CRM Desktop user uses. This is the computer on which you install the Siebel CRM Desktop add-in.

consumer

In Siebel CRM, a consumer is a person with a party of usage type Customer. In Microsoft Outlook, a consumer is visible from the Contacts folder and is flagged with the Customer check box.

contact

A person with whom a user might be required to phone or email to pursue a selling relationship. Various business objects can refer to a contact, and this does not require a relationship between the customer and contact. In Siebel CRM, a contact attribute in the context of a business object is a party that might or might not have a relationship defined. In Microsoft Outlook, a contact attribute in the context of a business object is the same as the Contact folder. Therefore, a contact can be a consumer and can also be an employee of an organization.

contact points

Methods of contacting a contact other than through a postal address, such as such as email, telephone, and fax.

Global ID

An attribute on an appointment record in Microsoft Outlook that the user can use to correlate shared appointments between meeting attendees. Meeting attendees in Microsoft Outlook include their own copy of the appointment, but all copies include the same value for the global ID.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

A software application that helps a business track customer interactions.

CRM contact

A contact who uses a user interface where the interface uses a CRM style and is shared with CRM.

Siebel CRM Desktop add-in

The technology for Siebel CRM Desktop that resides on the client computer that is provided in the form of a Microsoft Outlook add-in. The Microsoft Outlook add-in performs important work, including storing and displaying Siebel CRM data in native Microsoft Outlook, and synchronizing PIM and nonPIM data with the Siebel Server.

See also Microsoft Outlook add-in.

current view

The Microsoft Outlook view that displays content from the Microsoft Outlook folder that is currently chosen.

custom view

A view that a user creates to control the amount of detail that displays in a particular folder. The user can create a filter or change the order of the columns and how the columns are arranged in the new custom view.

customer

A party with whom a user maintains a selling relationship. This party can be an organization or a person. Various business objects can refer to a customer. In Siebel CRM, a customer attribute in the context of a business object can be a person or an organization that includes the party usage type of Customer. In Microsoft Outlook, a customer attribute in the context of a business object can be an organization or a contact that is flagged as a consumer.

customer team

A group of several employees from the deploying organization or partners who actively work with a customer, including nonsales personnel, such as product marketing, partners, or customer service. The customer team provides the ability to control the visibility of the customer information by associating a person with a business object.

customization

The process of changing the definition of the Siebel CRM Desktop application.

customization package

A logical collection of metadata files that are associated with a particular responsibility. A customization package is deployed to the client computer.

cyclical synchronization

A potential synchronization problem when two or more synchronizations form a circular loop. A cyclical synchronization occurs when a single transaction repeatedly loops between servers.

data synchronization

The process of checking for differences between two or more different sets of data, then updating the data sets so that the data in each set is consistent.

DHTML

Dynamic HTML, a combination of technologies that you use to create dynamic Web sites. It can be a combination of HTML 4.0, Style Sheets, and JavaScript.

Dynamic HTML (DHTML)

See DHTML.

encryption

The method of encoding data for security purposes.

form

A generic concept that Microsoft Outlook uses to present information about a single record and data related to that record in a form layout. Each control in the form is a separate attribute or collection of related data. A form can also support different tabs so that details of a child record can be displayed as separate lists.

hash value

A fixed-size string that is obtained as a result of cryptographic transformation from a cryptographic hash function.

homepage

A user interface component in Microsoft Outlook that displays a collection of information from Microsoft Outlook and CRM applications, and potentially external Web content that is embedded.

household

Provides a way to group consumers.

inbound Web service

A Web service that the Siebel Server makes available.

integration object instance

Data that is organized in the format or structure of the integration object. It is also referred to as a Siebel message object.

interaction (Siebel CRM)

The tracking of customer communications with an organization in the context of the channels through which that communication occurs and the business objects to which they refer. An interaction can take the form of a phone call, email, chat request, Web collaboration, or communication through another channel. An interaction in Siebel CRM Desktop provides an historical view of the communication that occurred. For example, Sales uses interactions to capture communications with a customer during the sales cycle. To pursue an opportunity, a user can log a call as an interaction that the representative made.

installation package

An installation executable that includes the application binaries and any necessary instructions for completing the customization package installation in Microsoft Outlook. It also includes details that are required to connect the application server for the initial synchronization.

lead

An unqualified sales opportunity that often represents the first contact in the opportunity management process. After a lead is qualified it can be converted to an opportunity.

list view

A generic concept in a PIM application that presents information in a list. Each row in the list is a separate record and each column in the list is a separate field in the record.

lookup control

A control that is available in Microsoft Outlook that allows the user to view records in a list, then choose one or more records to associate with the current item. To identify a subset of data from which to choose the data, a lookup control typically includes the capability to specify a search condition.

meeting

An appointment in Microsoft Outlook that includes at least one participant.

metadata files

XML files that hold information on how the user experience must be shaped. The Siebel CRM Desktop add-in uses metadata files to perform field mapping with the user interface, look ups in the user interface, application object mapping, and general representation of the user interface.

offline

A mode in which the user uses Siebel CRM Desktop but does not possess access to the Siebel Server. When in offline mode, Siebel CRM Desktop uses data in the local data to perform operations. Synchronization is delayed until the user is online.

online

A mode in which the user uses Siebel CRM Desktop while connected to the Siebel Server and synchronizes data with the Siebel Server at regular intervals, or when the user performs an update. Similar to offline mode, when in online mode Siebel CRM Desktop uses data in the local data store to perform operations.

opportunity

A qualified sales engagement that represents potential revenue where a sales representative is willing to officially commit to the pipeline and to include revenue in the sales forecast. The sales representative monitors the opportunity life cycle. This representative might be compensated depending on the results of cumulative sales and potentially how well the representative maintains details about the opportunity.

organization team

Includes the sales groups who possess ownership of the associated prospect, customer, or products with the opportunity, or who are involved for a certain size of deal or with a specific sales stage, and partner organizations that can help close the deal.

organizer

In Microsoft Outlook, the person who created the appointment.

Microsoft Outlook data

Data that is created in the native Microsoft Outlook application.

Microsoft Outlook folder

A folder in Microsoft Outlook that contains a collection of data, such as email messages in the Inbox folder, or sent email messages in the Sent Items folder. In the context of this book, a Microsoft Outlook folder might also contain Siebel CRM data.

Microsoft Outlook object

An entity that is native to Microsoft Outlook. Examples of Microsoft Outlook objects include an email, appointment, contact, and so forth.

Microsoft Outlook add-in

A program that performs important work, including storing and displaying Siebel CRM data in native Microsoft Outlook and synchronizing PIM and nonPIM data with the Siebel Server.

See also PIM; Siebel Server.

Microsoft Outlook portlet

A portlet that uses data in a Microsoft Outlook folder that includes a custom view filter. The Microsoft Outlook portlet includes ActiveX characteristics.

Microsoft Outlook standard view

A default Microsoft Outlook view that exists without Siebel CRM Desktop. A Microsoft Outlook view provides different ways of viewing the same information in a folder by placing the information in different arrangements and formats.

parent business component

A business component that provides the one in a one-to-many relationship between two business components in a parent-child relationship.

parent record

An instance of the parent business component.

parent-child relationship

The relationship between the parent business component and the child business components that are related to the parent.

participant

In native Microsoft Outlook, the person who is invited to the meeting.

participant of interaction

The people who participate in an interaction. The participant can include an internal representative of the organization, such as a resource, agent, sales representative, and so forth. The participant can also include an external representative, such as a customer, contact of a customer, account, or a site. In a help desk or in an employee self-service application, a participant can be an employee.

personalization

The process where the user tailors the user interface and behavior of Microsoft Outlook.

PIM

Personal Information Manager. An application that typically helps a user to manage a list of contacts, calendar entries, email, and so forth. Microsoft Outlook, Google email, and Thunderbird are examples of PIMs.

personal information manager (PIM)

See PIM.

PIM data

Personal information that refers to data that is stored in native Microsoft Outlook that relates to contacts, appointments, and so forth.

portlet

A user interface component that is managed and displayed in the home page. The home page is composed of multiple portlets.

position

An entity in the Siebel data model. The position of the user determines which records are visible to the user and what operations are permissible on the records in a given Microsoft Outlook view.

property set

A logical memory structure that Siebel CRM Desktop uses to pass data between business services. Siebel EAI data is represented in the property set.

recipient

The person who receives an email.

record

A specific instance of the business component, also known as a CRM record, or an object in native Microsoft Outlook, also known as a Microsoft Outlook record.

responsibility

An entity in the Siebel data model that determines which views the user can access in Microsoft Outlook. For example, the responsibility of the sales representative allows the user to access the My Opportunities view, whereas the responsibility of the Siebel application developer allows the user to access administration views. A Siebel application developer or system administrator defines the responsibilities.

sales team

The users who possess access to an opportunity record. A user who creates the opportunity record is automatically part of the sales team. Other users can also be assigned to the sales team so that they can collaborate on the opportunity.

side pane

A user interface component that is available in native Microsoft Outlook that is analogous to a task pane or action pane in the Siebel Web Client. This region of the user interface is typically available on the right side of the user interface. It displays a collection of data and actions on which the user can interact that are appropriate for the context in which the user accesses data.

Siebel application

An application that is part of Siebel Business Applications, such as Call Center.

Siebel CRM data

Business data that is created in the Siebel CRM Desktop add-in, data that is created in the client of a Siebel application, such as Siebel Call Center, or data that resides in the Siebel database on the Siebel Server. Examples include an opportunity, account, or activity.

Siebel CRM Desktop

A solution provided by Oracle that includes modifications to the standard Microsoft Outlook capabilities that allows the user to work with CRM records and business processes from the Siebel CRM Desktop user interface.

Siebel Server

The server that runs the Siebel Server software. The Siebel Server processes business logic and data access for Microsoft Outlook.

Siebel Web services framework

Provides access to an existing Siebel business service or workflow process as a Web service to be consumed by an external application.

SOAP

Simple Object Access Protocol, a protocol that allows a user or program to interact with Web services by exchanging XML messages that conform to SOAP.

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

See SOAP.

standard Microsoft Outlook

The native Microsoft Outlook application without the Siebel CRM Desktop add-in.

synchronization

A process that exchanges transactions between Oracle's Siebel CRM Desktop for Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook. This synchronization makes sure that CRM data is the same on the Siebel Server and in Microsoft Outlook.

synchronization filter

Criteria that are considered during data synchronization so that certain records are included and other records are excluded from processing during synchronization.

Task (Microsoft Outlook)

A part of a set of actions that accomplish a job, solve a problem or completes an assignment. In the native Microsoft Outlook application, a task is a collection of simple business objects on the user level. A task can be used as a reminder and also as a tracking tool for an effort that is scheduled compared to an actual effort.

task (Siebel CRM)

A logical unit of work that is performed by a user to finish a business operation. From the perspective of the Microsoft Outlook user, a task is the view representation of a logical unit of work that the user must perform. The task is presented in the Siebel application as a link that can be clicked in the task pane. The view, or series of views, where the user performs this unit of work is then displayed. It is part of the Task UI solution.

Web services

Self-contained, modular applications that can be described, published, located, and called over a network. Web services perform encapsulated business functions, ranging from a simple request-reply to full business process interactions. Web services combine development that uses components and Internet standards and protocols, which include HTTP, XML code, and SOAP.

See also SOAP.