Understanding PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM Infosync Applications

This chapter discusses:

• PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM Infosync applications.

• Synchronization process.

• Objects supported in synchronization.

• Datasets.

• User management.

• Data synchronization.

Understanding PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM Infosync Applications

PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM Infosync applications provide data synchronization of contacts, tasks, calendar items, and email between a PIM client (such as Microsoft Outlook and IBM Lotus Notes) and PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM. Users synchronize data between the enterprise and the PIM software on their systems, consolidating customer information in a single place and share it amongst authorized users across the company.

Note. The Infosync applications support the synchronization of contacts, which are actually persons with a contact, consumer, or worker role (or a combination of these roles) in PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM. From a PIM application's perspective, contacts are all simply contacts in the address book, whereas consumers are contacts in the consumer category, and workers are contacts in the worker category. In this documentation, the term contacts refers to persons as a whole regardless of their roles, unless stated otherwise.

The Infosync applications:

• Provide full control on the type of data exchanged during synchronization.

  First, administrators can determine which supported objects to enable in synchronization for users by specifying those objects in different preference settings and associate users with them. In addition, they can delineate the set of data and limit its amount that is downloaded to users by defining dataset rules that determine the most relevant set of data delivered within the shortest possible synchronization time.

  Administrators can also restrict certain data that exists on the PIM application, such as a private calendar item or a private contact, from being synchronized to PeopleSoft CRM by using categories and filters.

• Provide administrative control on synchronization process.

  Administrators set up PIM preferences to specify details on how the supported objects are handled when they are synchronized to PeopleSoft CRM; for example, if new contacts can be added or if private tasks can be synchronized. Every user is associated with a PIM preference. Typically, administrators define a number of PIM preference settings that cover all users in a company based on roles or job functions. But if the company calls for a more specific definition of PIM preferences for users, PIM preference settings can also be set up on an individual user basis.

• Deliver predefined rules to resolve data conflicts that occur during synchronization.

• Provide synchronization status and error logs.

Note. In this documentation, Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino are collectively referred to as PIM server, and Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes are referred to as PIM client. Mobile users use PIM clients to view and modify data that is stored centrally on the PIM server.

Differences Between Server and Client Applications

From a user's perspective, the most prominent difference between the Infosync Server and Client applications is the way to request data synchronization. In a server application, this process occurs automatically at the server level and is transparent to users; no additional installation is required of the users. If users work with the client application, they first need to install the Infosync client software on their Windows machines. They click a button in the client software to initiate synchronization.

Installation and configuration tasks for these two applications are slightly different; information that pertains only to one application but not both is noted where applicable.

Understanding Synchronization Process

PeopleSoft uses Integration Broker to handle the XML-based communication between PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM and the Infosync applications.

This diagram illustrates the data synchronization process flow between PeopleSoft CRM and the PIM system:

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Client

When the synchronization process starts, the Infosync Client sends an XML request message to Integration Broker, which executes a message PeopleCode to gather the changed data in PeopleSoft CRM and sends the reply back. Next, it polls the PIM system for changes. After receiving the data from these two systems, it performs a comparison and resolves any data conflict that occurs. At the end, the data pertaining to CRM is formatted in XML and sent back to PeopleSoft CRM as an XML message. Changes that are specific to the PIM system are updated accordingly.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Client synchronization process

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Server

Infosync Server includes the Intellisync Mobile Suite (IMS), which provides these additional features:

• Integration with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to complete the user creation process in an automated fashion.

• Synchronization of meetings with multiple attendees.

See Understanding User Management.

See Intellisync documentation

When the synchronization process starts, the Infosync Server sends an XML request message to Integration Broker, which executes a message PeopleCode to gather the changed data in PeopleSoft CRM and sends the reply back. Also, it polls the PIM server for changes (if the PIM server is Microsoft Exchange, no polling is needed because the Exchange server pushes changes to Infosync Server automatically). After receiving the data from the two systems, it performs a comparison and resolves any data conflict that occurs (the CRM system always win when there is data conflict). At the end, the data pertaining to CRM is formatted in XML and sent back to PeopleSoft CRM as an XML message. Changes that are specific to the PIM system are updated accordingly.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Server synchronization process

Understanding Objects Supported in Synchronization

This section discusses:

• Contacts, consumers, and workers.

• Tasks and calendar items.

• Email.

• Private objects.

• Object deletion.

Contacts, Consumers, and Workers

In PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM, contact, consumer, and worker are instances of the Person component and are referred to as roles. A person can have multiple roles; he or she can be contact, consumer, and worker simultaneously. From the PIM application's perspective, consumers and workers are the same as contacts and are stored in the address book. Category is used to distinguish which role that the person has in a contact record. By default, contact records with a consumer role are in the consumer category, those with a worker role are in the worker category, and those with a contact role are in the contact category. Category names are modifiable.

As an administrator, you can enable or disable synchronization for consumer or worker. For each of the enabled objects, further select the operations that the synchronization process supports. For example, if the consumer object is enabled, you can further decide whether to allow actions, such as consumer creation, update, or deletion to be synchronized to PeopleSoft CRM if any of these occurs on the PIM side. For any unsuccessful synchronization of records that happens due to unauthorized operations, errors for users are logged on the PIM Errors page.

Contacts (with the contact category) support multiple companies. Users can specify multiple companies in a contact record using separators. When the record synchronizes, it establishes and maintains a one-to-many relationship between that contact and its companies.

Users can access contact information in the 360-Degree View from the PIM client using the PIA URI setup on the PIM Preference page. You must associate the contact with a company in order to locate it in the system.

The 360-Degree View link can also be enabled for consumers and workers.

Note. Consider defining contact web page URLs links to be a one-time implementation decision. If users are currently using this field, using this feature will overwrite the existing values during synchronization.

The Infosync applications support the synchronization of private contacts from PIM systems. Contacts can be marked private in the PIM system and be synchronized to the CRM system along with the private attribute selected. To exclude private contacts from being synchronized, you can set up filter conditions that identify which categories of contacts are to be synchronized to the CRM system; by using the exclude private filter rule, private contacts are not synchronized.

See Also

Specifying PIM Preferences for Contacts

Specifying PIM Preferences for Consumers

Specifying PIM Preferences for Workers

Tasks and Calendar Items

Tasks and calendar items are displayed on the to-do list (or task list) and calendar of the PIM client. When they are synchronized to PeopleSoft CRM, they appear on the My Calendar and My Tasks components for the users.

In PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM, you can link tasks to transactions (such as leads, opportunities, and service orders) as needed. If a task that is created from a lead or opportunity is synchronized to the PIM system, the lead or opportunity name automatically appears on the subject line of the task in square brackets ([ and ]).

The Infosync applications deliver dataset rules that determine the most relevant subset of data to be synchronized between the PIM and PeopleSoft CRM systems for each user. You can refine the data subset by adding more dataset rules to exclude insignificant data records from being synchronized. For example, you can create a dataset rule that filters out cancelled and completed tasks because users may not need to see them anymore.

Note that if you create tasks with assignees on your PIM client, the synchronization process does not upload the assignee information to the CRM system.

Meeting Attendees

In addition to persons that already exist in PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM, users can also include people that are not yet registered in CRM in meeting invitations that they set up on the PIM client. Users can either enter the name or the email address of one-time meeting attendees in invitations. When synchronization completes, unregistered contacts can still be displayed in the corresponding task in the CRM system; users have the option to add these unregistered people to the system using quick create.

Note. If an email address is used to invite an unregistered person, the system uses the alias of the email address as the last name of the new contact record for that person.

The Infosync applications provide the intelligence to identify meeting attendees whose email addresses are not synchronized in the PIM and CRM systems. These attendees will appear in invitations after the synchronization process instead of being dropped. Users can update the email addresses accordingly.

If users add contacts to tasks (typically meetings) on the PIM client, these contacts are displayed on the tasks in PeopleSoft CRM after synchronization.

Meeting Attendance Classification

When setting up meetings from the PIM client, users can choose to invite people as required or optional attendees. After the synchronization process completes and the meeting tasks are available for viewing on the Task Details page, invitees are classified as required, optional, or FYI (for your information), based on their meeting attendee types in the original meeting task. For example, if a contact is listed on the To field, the attendance is required; the attendance is optional if the contact is listed on the Cc field; the attendance is FYI if listed on the Bcc field.

Recurring Tasks and Calendar Items

PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM Infosync applications support recurring tasks and calendar items in these frequencies:

• Weekdays. For example, Tuesdays and Fridays.

• Days of the month. For example, second and third Wednesdays in June, June 12th and 14th, third weekend in March, 11th of May and June, first and second Mondays and Fridays in August.

• Days of the year. For example, every other December 25th, second and fourth Mondays in July for two years.

• Days of the quarter. For example, last day of each quarter.

• Weekdays of the quarter. For example, second Monday of the next quarter.

Task Type Mapping

Administrators can create new task types in PeopleSoft CRM to meet business needs. This causes issues in the mobile environment because these new task types often do not correspond to existing types on the PIM client. To take care of this issue, PeopleSoft CRM provides administrators the ability to establish mapping between new and existing CRM task types and PIM client task types on the Task Type page. Any task or calendar item that is downloaded to the PIM client will be classified using its corresponding PIM task type as specified.

See Defining Task Types.

Task Summary

PeopleSoft CRM provides an application engine (AE) program that generates a task for users to remind them of their outstanding tasks. This task summarizes all open tasks with their subjects and due dates for reference. Administrators can run this AE program at any time of the day, manually or automatically. New dataset rules support the synchronization of these summary tasks to users' PIM clients if they are configured in the PIM preferences.

See Also

Specifying PIM Preferences for Tasks

Specifying PIM Preferences for Calendar Items

Generating Task Summary

Enterprise PeopleTools PeopleBook: PeopleSoft Process Scheduler

Email

PeopleSoft Infosync applications support the synchronization of email coming from the PIM application to PeopleSoft CRM. After the process completes and the email are stored in the PeopleTools' email depository, they go through another process where they will be associated with a contact in the system using the email's From address.

• If a matching contact is found, the system links the email to the contact and adds it to the contact as an interaction.

• If no matching contact or more than one contact is found, the system writes to the PIM error log and creates an interaction for the email with no contact information.

  The user has the option to assign a contact to that interaction manually.

Administrators define a category (for Exchange server) or a folder (for Domino server) to which users assign or move their email to be synchronized. PeopleSoft Infosync applications pick up email in that specified category. After the synchronization, all uploaded email are displayed on the My Synched Email page. Users with access to contacts will be able to view synchronized email that are associated with them from PeopleSoft CRM. This feature helps users such as sales representatives who would like to share email contents with their team members across the company.

These synchronized email are linked to open transactions of their contacts, if available; users also have the option to associate email with transactions manually. For example, a user may want to link an email to a lead of the email's contact, if the email discusses that lead. Email can be associated with these objects: lead, opportunity, case, service order, and call report.

Users can delete synchronized email on the connected server; doing so does not remove the original email that exists on the PIM server.

Email Attachments

Attachments are synchronized along with their parent email if the attachment sizes fall below the configured limit. If attachments are too large, they are not synchronized even though their parent email are.

For the Infosync Client, the attachment size setup needs to be done before the client application deployment. As for the server software, the attachment filtering option is available in the Admin Console. The configured maximum attachment size should be consistent between the Admin Console and the Integration Broker (in the application server).

Corresponding applications should be available on any system where attachments can potentially be opened.

Note. Other types of attachments, such as for calendar items, tasks or contacts, are not supported.

See Also

Specifying PIM Preferences for Emails

Working with Synchronized Email

Private Objects

The Infosync applications support the synchronization of private contacts, tasks, and calendar items from PIM systems. If contacts are marked as private in the PIM client, these contacts are synchronized and their private status is transferred to the CRM system as well. When the Support Private feature is enabled for calendar items, the synchronization process creates a record for every private calendar item on the monthly calendar. The record displays the duration of the private calendar item and has a subject line that indicates that the item is a private record. Private tasks are handled similarly in PeopleSoft CRM.

Make sure that both the PIM and CRM systems share the same rules for handling private objects.

Object Deletion

Each object deletes records differently. This table summarizes what happens to the copy of a record (which was previously deleted on the PIM side) in PeopleSoft CRM if the delete operation is enabled for the record's object:

Understanding Datasets

To control the distribution of data only to users who need it and help shorten the time needed for synchronization, the Infosync applications use datasets to filter data for users based on their roles.

Datasets, Dataset Roles, and Dataset Rules

Every user is associated with a PIM dataset role through the PIM preference profile that is specified in their user preferences. Each role is linked to five datasets (contact, task, and calendar item, consumer, and worker), each of which contains a list of dataset rules. A dataset rule defines the collection of data that is downloaded to the PIM system. Through the use of datasets, individual users receive updates for data that pertains only to them. For example, if the dataset rules chosen for Jane Smith's dataset role entitle her to receive updates for all the leads and tasks that she created, as well as calendar items that are created for her leads, she will not receive update on her PIM client any change that another colleague made regarding tasks that he created.

See Also

Defining Dataset Rules and Roles

PeopleSoft Enterprise Components for CRM 9 PeopleBook

Delivered Dataset Rules

This table lists the predefined PIM dataset roles, datasets, and associated dataset rules that are delivered with the PeopleSoft CRM and PIM integration. Each dataset corresponds to a specific role and is associated with a number of dataset rules that identify sets of data to be downloaded to PIM server for end users associated to that role at synchronization.

Note. This set of delivered dataset information is for demonstration purposes; you can modify it. For example, administrators can create new dataset rules or modify existing ones as long as these rules carry to PeopleSoft CRM the SYNCID for contacts, calendar items, and tasks.

Understanding Intellisync Mobile Suite

Infosync Server includes the Intellisync Mobile Suite (IMS), which provides these additional features:

• Integration with LDAP to complete the user creation process in an automated fashion.

• Synchronization of meetings with multiple attendees.

See Also

Understanding User Management

Intellisync documentation

Understanding User Management

While there are several ways to manually and automatically create users for synchronization, two are used commonly:

• Create users through file import in the administration console.

• Create users through LDAP import in the administration console.

Creating Users Through File Import in the Administration Console

This method is supported in both Intellisync Server and IMS; the user list is generated using the PIM_ID_SYNC application engine process. Because Intellisync Server and IMS work with different file formats, the process generates the appropriate format based on the specified server installation: one for Lotus Domino, one for Microsoft Exchange.

The PIM_ID_SYNC process includes additional options for importing PIM users from the connected server, other than importing all users. You can choose to import users by PIM preference ID or to import only users that have been added since the last synchronization.

Creating Users Through LDAP in the Administration Console

IMS has a feature called UserManager, which can import users directly from your LDAP server, register them as PIM users on the connected server (after obtaining their usernames and passwords), and create and configure Intellisync users for them.

The following diagram shows how UserManager integrates with LDAP, the CRM system, the email server and IMS.

UserManager ASP integration

UserManager is a complete solution for user creation because it serves as a single point of entry for user creation, account registration (for Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, and XML), and maintenance. No manual linkage is necessary.

Understanding Data Synchronization

This section discusses:

• Configuration settings and PIM preference.

• Categories and filtering.

• Conflict resolution.

• Field mapping.

• Performance logging.

• Synchronization rules and considerations.

Configuration Settings and PIM Preference

The Infosync configuration settings and PIM preferences determine users' synchronization profiles. When synchronization starts, the Infosync software reads these values to decide what data gets exchanged, which filters, conflict resolution rules, and field mappings are used, and performs the update in both CRM and PIM systems.

Configuration Settings

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Client: In the client software, users define synchronization settings for each of these applications that they are running: address book, calendar, email, and to-do list. They can view the field mapping, select the filter to exclude unnecessary data from synchronizing to PeopleSoft CRM, and choose the conflict resolution rule to handle possible data conflicts during synchronization. The client application delivers predefined values for these settings.

See “PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM 9 Supplemental Installation Documentation”

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Server: Administrators specify configuration settings for users on the Admin Console.

See “Intellisync documentation”

PIM Preferences

PIM preferences specify details on how the supported CRM objects are handled when they are synchronized to PeopleSoft CRM. The Infosync software delivers two sample PIM preferences that are configurable to suit your needs. Administrators can modify them as needed or create new ones. Typically, you define multiple function-specific (for example, sales manager or field technician) PIM preferences to cover all end users across the enterprise. For users with specific data synchronization requirements, you can customize PIM preference at the individual user level.

See Specifying PIM Preferences for Contacts.

Category and Filtering

The Infosync applications use categories in conjunction with filters to identify which records to retrieve from the PIM side and synchronize to PeopleSoft CRM. In each PIM preference profile, administrators specify a category for every synchronization-enabled object. Users who are assigned to a PIM preference profile must enter the correct category (case sensitive) for each data record that they want to synchronize to PeopleSoft CRM. This table lists the system-delivered category values for each object:

Note. Consider defining categories and filtering to be a one-time setup process. It is highly recommended that you do not make changes after the implementation, as doing so may cause unexpected results.

Categories are used with filters to determine what data is synchronized. For each of the synchronization-enabled objects (contact, task, and calendar), set up a filter with one or multiple rules. For filters with multiple rules, specify whether all conditions must be met before a record can be transferred to the other system.

For example, if you want to support the synchronization of contacts, consumers, and workers to PeopleSoft CRM, specify conditions in the filter using the contains and or operators like this:

Categories contains “Contact” OR

Categories contains “Consumer” OR

Categories contains “Worker”

Warning! If you specify multiple rules in a filter, use either the AND or OR operator to illustrate the relationship of the conditions, but not both.

Predefined Filters - PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Server

The Infosync Server delivers a predefined filter for each object (contact, task, and calendar); filters are set based on categories.

These filters are provided as samples; you can modify them as necessary.

Predefined Filters - PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Client

The Infosync Client delivers preset filters for each object:

• Address book (Contact) - Categories (condition: category equals “PeopleSoft”).

• ToDo (Task).

  • Exclude private data (condition: mark private is false).

  • Categories.

  • Categories and private (condition: category equals “PeopleSoft” and mark private is false).

• Calendar.

  • Exclude private data.

  • Categories.

  • Categories and private.

Suppose that a user marks a task as private and groups it under the PeopleSoft category in the PIM client. If the filter for the ToDo section is set to Categories and Private in the Infosync Client application, the private task is not synchronized to PeopleSoft CRM. This task, however, is synchronized if the filter is set to Categories.

Enabling Private Support

To enable support for private tasks or calendar items:

• Set the PrivateFlag Field parameter to 1 in the DCSSettings.cfg file for tasks or calendar items.

• Ensure that the Private Flag field is mapped correctly.

• Ensure that the filter being used doesn't exclude private data.

  If you set to exclude private data, no time slots are reserved for private tasks or calendar items on the CRM calendar even when the Support Private feature is enabled, because these records are not synchronized to PeopleSoft CRM.

Disabling Private Support

To disable support for private tasks or calendar items:

• Set the PrivateFlag Field parameter to 0 in the DCSSettings.cfg file for tasks or calendar items.

• Do not map the Private Flag field.

Note. No extra steps are required for contacts because the concept of “private” is not supported for contacts.

Conflict Resolution

The PeopleSoft CRM and PIM integration provides conflict resolution capabilities. When data conflicts occur during synchronization (for example, when end users modify the same field or the same record in both systems with different values), PeopleSoft Infosync applications resolve the conflict based on the selected conflict resolution rule.

During synchronization, PeopleSoft Infosync applications resolve data conflicts based on the selected resolution rule.

Conflict Resolution Rules: PeopleSoft Infosync Client

The client software delivers five predefined conflict resolution rules. You decide how the system handles data conflicts for the address book, calendar, and to-do list by selecting one of these rules from the client application:

• Add all conflicting items.

• Ignore all conflicting items.

  Warning! It is recommended to not use this option because it has a potential for overwriting data.

• Notify me when conflicts occur. This is the default rule.

• PeopleSoft Infosync Client wins.

• Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook wins.

Conflict Resolution Rules: PeopleSoft Infosync Server

When there is a data conflict, the PeopleSoft side always wins.

Field Mapping

Field mapping dictates where data appears after it is transferred from one system to another. You can review the field map for each object (contacts, calendar, and task) in the Admin Console of PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Server or in the configuration setup of PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Client.

Note. PeopleSoft recommends that you use the delivered field mapping and do not alter it. If you must modify it, make sure the modifications are well tested.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Client: Status Mapping for Tasks - Microsoft Outlook

This table shows the task status mapping between PeopleSoft CRM and Microsoft Outlook.

Note. In Lotus Notes, status is not available in individual task records, so there is no task status mapping between PeopleSoft CRM and Lotus Notes.

PeopleSoft Enterprise Infosync Client: Assignee Mapping for Tasks - Microsoft Outlook

This table shows the task assignee mapping between PeopleSoft CRM and Microsoft Outlook:

Performance Logging

PeopleSoft Infosync applications provide a lightweight debugging feature that can be used to identify possible synchronization bottlenecks in systems when the application server debugging options are not available, namely the production system. Administrators can enable any supported objects (contact, calendar, task, and email) where performance issues are reported and select the type of events to capture in the log. Depending on the scale of the impact, administrators can choose to put individual users, certain groups of users by PIM preference ID, or all users on the debug mode. Each of these selected types is then associated with a debug profile, in which objects and activities that are subject to debugging are specified.

The log page lists out by user the date and time when the log information is captured for each selected object and event. Administrators can review the times spent on different activities and further investigate those that took an unreasonably long time to finish.

Note. Use this feature with assistance from Oracle PeopleSoft Consulting or Global Support Center.

See Also

Setting Up Logging Options

Synchronization Rules and Considerations

PeopleSoft Infosync applications are supported in multiple PeopleSoft CRM and PIM versions. In each of these environment combinations, the behavior of the system changes slightly. This section discusses general and object-specific rules that govern the synchronization process, as well as considerations that describe how the system works in different situations.

General Rules

Here is a list of rules or considerations that apply to the entire integration:

Contact Rules

Here is a list of rules or considerations that apply only to contacts:

Calendar Item and Task Rules

Here is a list of rules or considerations that apply only to calendar items and tasks:

Task Note Rules

Here is a list of rules or considerations that apply only to notes.