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Siebel Interactive Selling Applications Upgrade Guide > Upgrading to eConfigurator Version 7 > Approach 1: Using the Standard Upgrade Tool >

Case Study

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This section provides a case study on how to plan and execute your upgrade. For additional detailed case studies, please contact the Siebel ISS Competency Center.

Background

ABC Computers is a computer retail company that uses eConfigurator version 6.x to maintain its product offerings. ABC defines three models:

"Desktop Model"
"Laptop Model"
"Printer Model"

"Printer Model" is used as a shared model in "Desktop Model." Figure 2 shows the model structures of "Desktop Model."

Figure 2. Release 6.x Desktop Model

Figure 3 shows the configuration rules, resources, and linked items defined for model "Desktop Model."

Figure 3. Release 6.x Desktop Model Rules

ABC also defines two model products:

"ABC Desktop"
"ABC Laptop"

These model products associate with "Desktop Model" and "Laptop Model" respectively. As shown in Figure 4, there is no model product associated with "Printer Model."

Figure 4. Release 6.x Model Products

ABC sales people use these models (and products) to create a quote ("XYZ Quote") that has two solutions ("XYZ Desktop" and "XYZ Laptop"), as shown in Figure 5. These two solutions use the two model products "ABC Desktop" and "ABC Laptop."

Figure 5. Release 6.x Quotes

Postupgrade: Verify Model Associations

This preupgrade preparation completes the task of Verifying the Model Associations in the Product Table (Required).

Assume ABC Computers is going to design a new model in Siebel 7 for their laptop products. ABC can remove the model association (Laptop Model) of product "ABC Laptop." ABC has decided to forego the reconfiguration capability of solution "XYZ Laptop."
There is no model product associated with model "Printer Model." The upgrade script will add the contents of Printer Model to XYZ Desktop but will not create a separate Printer Model customizable product. To make Printer Model a customizable product after the upgrade, ABC must create a model product and associate Printer Model with it, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Release 6.x Model Product with Shared Model

This preupgrade preparation completes the task to Review and Adjust eConfigurator Version 6.x Models (Recommended).

Postupgrade: Review and Adjust Models

ABC flattens its model structure. The figure below shows the flattening of the second-level categories. ABC leaves other structures intact for the upgrade script to do the flattening.
ABC records the properties.
ABC examines their virtual products. In this example, the model has three virtual products for specifying the service types. To avoid creating three attributes, ABC removes two virtual products and keeps only one. If there are rules related to these virtual products, they will become invalid. Figure 7 shows the Release 6.x virtual products used as service types.

Figure 7. Release 6.x Virtual Products

Postupgrade Review

Following the upgrade process, ABC will have:

Two new classes: "ABC Desktop" and "ABC Printer." See Figure 9.
One new attribute: "Service Type," defined for class "ABC Desktop."
Two new customizable products: "ABC Desktop" and "ABC Printer," assigned to classes "ABC Desktop" and "ABC Printer" respectively.
ABC Printer shared model node becomes a relationship in ABC Desktop. All the products in this shared model are redeployed. (See Figure 8.)

Figure 8. 7.0 Customizable Products

Figure 9 shows ABC's two new classes and the new Service Type attribute.

Figure 9. 7.0 Classes

The "ABC Desktop" structure is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10. "ABC Desktop" Structure

Following the upgrade process, ABC will also have:

One quote, "XYZ Quote" with two top-level quote line items: "ABC Desktop" and "Package," with "XYZ Desktop" and "XYZ Laptop" in the Package column to preserve the solution names. These two quote line items have their corresponding second-level quote line items upgraded from the previous solutions.
Quote line "ABC Desktop" can be reconfigured once the corresponding customizable product "ABC Desktop" is examined and released.
Quote line "Package" is now a package product and its component products can be manually edited.

Postupgrade Review

This postupgrade review starts by walking through the task of Checking Configuration Rules (Required).

All rules are marked "Inactive" during the upgrade process. ABC examines and activates every rule. Here are some examples of rule conversions.

Quantity rule prior to upgrade:

chkqty(and(>=([Monitor|1-BHV8], 1), <= ([Monitor|1-BHV8,2], 2)))

The category Monitor has a minimum count of 1 and a maximum count of 2.

Quantity rule converted:

On the upgrade relationship Monitor set the cardinality min = 1 and
max = 1

Selection rule prior to upgrade:

and(>=(card([CPU|1-BHV6]), 1), <=(card([CPU|1-BHV6]), 1))

The category CPU has a minimum selection of 1 and a maximum selection of 1.

Selection rule converted:

Do not activate converted rule. Instead, go to the Product UI Designer and choose the Combo Box with Price and Quantity as the UI control for this relationship. This UI control limits the user to selecting only one item from the relationship but does not restrict the quantity the user can select.

Require rule prior to upgrade:

req([Monitor-12.1 Inch Flat Panel|1-BHWG],
[Keyboard-Ergonomic|1-BHW7])

On selection, the Product Monitor-12.1 Inch Flat Panel will require the product Keyboard-Ergonomic.

Require rule converted:

Use the Advanced Rule Template to modify this rule as follows:

req(@.[Monitor]([12.1 Inch Flat Panel]), @.[Keyboard]([Ergonomic]))

Next, ABC considers the task of Verifying Scripts (Required). Since event types and the script set are different in Siebel 7, ABC makes sure all scripts remain effective and they redesign some, as necessary. All scripts are preserved in Configuration Designer >Script Designer view.
Next, ABC Computers moves on to the task of Verifying Attributes Upgraded from Virtual Products (Recommended). ABC has only one virtual product "Service Type" being upgraded to an attribute in class "ABC Desktop." ABC can see and expose this attribute for product "ABC Desktop." But to make it useful, ABC redefines the attribute to have the original three service types in Application Administration > Class Administration view.
Now, ABC is ready to tackle the task of Using the New Data-Driven UI. ABC chooses to use the default UI theme and controls. To customize the UI, ABC can refer to Product Administration Guide.
Next, ABC Computers moves on to Validating and Releasing Upgraded Customizable Products (Required). ABC uses the Validate button in Product Administration > Customizable Product > Product Versions view to validate the customizable product "ABC Desktop" before it can be used to configure more quotes or reconfigure the existing quote "XYZ Desktop."

Later, ABC may adopt more Siebel 7 new features to this customizable product for more complex functionality.

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