Understanding Multilevel Product Bundle Integration

This chapter provides an overview of the integration between PeopleSoft Order Capture, Configurator Controller, and Advanced Configurator to support multilevel products, and discusses how to:

• Configure integration parameters for the Configurator Controller component

• Map Order Capture Active Analytic Framework (AAF) terms to Configurator Controller counting functions

Understanding Multilevel Product Bundle Integration

An agent creating a multilevel product bundle order can click the Configure icon on the Order page and access a new application, called Configurator Controller, to perform a number of product configuration actions, such as add or delete product components to include in bundles, enter product attributes in new orders, change service features and modify attributes for multilevel installed products in service management orders. The Configurator Controller application functions as the configuration manager for multilevel product bundles and is responsible for the initialization and management of the configuration session.

The Configurator Controller application:

• Accepts configuration requests from orders.

• Initializes configuration sessions.

  For example, Configurator Controller retrieves data from installed products and configurations that are stored in orders.

• Provides product catalog configuration to the user interface solution.

• Processes configuration actions.

• Initializes and executes validation rules store in the Advanced Configuration application.

• Submits configuration operations to orders.

Note. Before you can initiate configuration sessions for multilevel product bundles, you must first configure integration parameters for the Configurator Controller application.

See Configuring Integration Parameters for the Configurator Controller Component.

Logical Diagram of the Integration Architecture

The configuration process for multilevel product bundle orders requires the Configurator Controller application to manage the exchange of data between the Order Capture and Advanced Configurator applications.

Logical Diagram of the Integration Architecture

The Configurator Controller application manages input from the graphical user interface, configuration sessions, web service requests, and configuration rule logic originating from the Advanced Configurator application. The Advanced Configurator application stores configuration rules and template models required to execute and evaluate the rules.

For more information about PeopleSoft delivered configuration rules, please use the see reference to review Understanding Configuration Rules.

See Understanding Configuration Rules.

Logical Diagram of Configurator Controller Java Objects

The following diagram describes the java objects that comprise the Configurator Controller application and the accompanying APIs.

Logical Diagram of the Configurator Controller Java Objects

Understanding Design Time Integration and Product Catalogue Synchronization

For multilevel product bundle configuration to function properly, product catalogue data (which consists of multilevel product bundle rule definitions) must be synchronized between Order Capture definitions and Advanced Configurator models. The Order Capture application contains configurator data structures, which are a set of database records designed to store all products and rules data required by the Configurator Controller application. The configurator data structures act as a staging area for product catalogue data after the data is transformed and exported from Order Capture records and before they are loaded into generic models.

The product catalogue synchronization process consists of the following steps:

1. Product Catalogue data is transformed and exported from the configurator data structures in the Order Capture application into Advanced Configurator models.

   Only active rules, multilevel product bundle components, and related rules definitions data are exported.

2. Advanced Configurator model compilation extracts product catalogue data and deploys it.

Note. Product catalogue data is synchronized in asynchronous mode.

Data Transformation and Export

During data transformation and export, the Product Catalogue Export batch process transforms product catalogue data to facilitate the model compilation process and to optimize the Configurator Controller run time operations:

• Product attributes are assigned to products based on the attributes matching criteria stored in object type attributes definitions.

  All logic is included in the batch process resulting in a simple mapping between products and attributes without any additional logic.

• Product definitions are extended with dedicated flags that indicate which specific presentation or rules logic need to be applied, for example, relies on links and brings on creation rules.

You should run the Product Catalogue Export batch process whenever you add new or update existing product catalogue definitions in the Order Capture application. When you run the batch process it provides messages to the Process Scheduler log, which indicate whether the process completed successfully.

You can run the batch process in validation only mode, but doing so only determines whether the product catalogue is valid using a product catalogue integrity check, there are no staging table transformations.

Model Compilation & Deployment

Using the Configurator Administration console, you must manually recompile all models after a new version of Product Catalogue is exported. Product Catalog information is loaded into generic Advanced Configurator models when they are recompiled.

All selection points in generic Advanced Configurator models based on the product definitions data are defined as external selection points (for example, populated based on the SQL queries from Configurator data base structures).

Use the following reference for more information on the Configurator Administration console.

See Administration Console.

Note. PeopleSoft provides a lock flag in the Advanced Configurator data structures that controls the execution of the Product Export Batch Process.

If you set the flag to Y, the process does not run and the product catalogue data is not updated (overwritten) in the Advanced Configurator data structures.

If you set the flag to N, the process runs and the product catalogue data is updated in the Advanced Configurator data structures.

The default for the lock flag is N, and you cannot modify the flag using PeopleSoft user interface pages.

Understanding Run-Time Integration and Validation

During run time the Configurator Controller component:

• Initiates the configuration session for multilevel product bundles.

• Retrieves and processes all data from Order Capture data structures to complete configuration of multilevel product bundles.

• Queries models to retrieve product information necessary to perform configuration session operations.

  Information loaded into models will be also used by Configurator Controller to execute validation rules.

• Validates the configuration session for multilevel product bundles when an order is submitted.

  Depending on validation results, the order is either put on hold or sent to fulfillment.

The following diagram depicts the run time integration between the Order Capture, Configurator Controller, and Advanced Configurator applications, and the sequence in which data flows between the applications.

Run time integration between the Order Capture and Advanced Configurator applications

The following web services retrieve Order Capture data:

• Installed product

  • Create installed product

  • Get installed product

  • Search installed product

  • Update installed product

• Get eligibility criteria

• Customer

  • Get customer

  • Get related customer

• Billing account

  • Get billing account

  • Search billing account

Note. The Order Capture application supports all previous integration models.

Delivered Web Services for Multilevel Product Bundles

A web service is a standards-based web application that can be used to interact with other internet applications over a network. It is a standard way of exposing some operation or group of operations so external clients can make use of them. To facilitate the integration of multilevel product bundles, PeopleSoft delivers the following web services.

Installed Product

This web service accepts the HTTP SOAP synchronous requests from the Advanced Configurator application and retrieves information on installed multilevel products. This web service also initializes the configuration session and retrieves current information from installed products during configuration session, when it is necessary to create the installed link to the multilevel component that is beyond the scope of the current configuration session (for example, a component that belongs to different Multilevel Contract that is not being configured within the current configuration session).

Get Eligibility Criteria

This web service accepts the HTTP SOAP synchronous requests from the Configurator Controller application and retrieves current information on all user and customer eligibility criteria necessary to evaluate eligibility rules. The configuration session initialization calls the Get Eligibility Criteria web service.

Customer

These web services accept the HTTP SOAP synchronous requests from the Controller application. During configuration initialization, the Controller application uses these web services to retrieve the active Bill-To Customers for all the distinct Sold-To customers associated with the top-level products. The Configurator Controller invokes the web services when you enable the customer level split billing flag, which enables you to select billing accounts that belong to other customers. These web service execute once per Configurator Controller session for each Sold-To customer.

Billing Account

These web services are called from the Order Capture and Configurator Controller applications. These web services search or retrieve active or pending activation billing accounts associated with either the sold-to or bill-to customer and return prepaid and postpaid type billing accounts for the specified customer.

Offline Validation

This web service accepts the HTTP SOAP synchronous request from the Configurator Controller application and passes to Advanced Configurator all the order data necessary to revalidate configuration saved on the order without launching Configurator GUI solution. The validation results are returned to the ordering application and stored on the order.

Configuring Integration Parameters for the Configurator Controller Component

To define error codes, use the Error Codes Setup component. Use the CFG_ERR_CODE component interface to load data into the tables for this component.

Before you initiate a configuration session for multilevel product bundles, you must configure integration parameters for the Configurator Controller component, which serves as the configuration manager.

PeopleSoft delivers the following set up pages to configure integration parameters for the Configurator Controller component:

• Multilevel Configurator Setup page

  Use this page to configure user interface and validation service nodes, debugging, and configuration session settings.

• Error Codes Setup page

  Use this page to configure validation error codes and messages shared between the Order Capture and Advanced Configurator applications.

  The configuration error messages dictionary is used to associate an Advanced Configurator error code with an Order Capture message catalogue entry. Message catalogue entries associated with configuration error codes are used in Order Capture to display configuration status information based on data returned from the configuration session. Message catalogue entries associated with configuration error codes are exported to the Advanced Configurator Application together with Product Catalogue export to enable displaying of error message in the configuration session.

• Export Product Definitions page

  Use this page to set up execution parameters for the Product Catalog Export process.

Pages Used to Configure Integration Parameters for the Configurator Controller Component

Configuring Integration Nodes, Debugging, and Configuration Session Settings

Access the Multilevel Configurator Setup page (Set Up CRM, Product Related, Advanced Configurator, Installation, Multilevel Configurator Setup).

Integration Broker Setup

Configurator Debug Information

Session Settings

See Also

Specifying Message Node and Debugging Information

Configuring Validation Error Codes and Messages

Access the Error Codes Setup page (Set Up CRM, Product Related, Advanced Configurator, Error Codes Setup).

Error Code	Specify an error code to associate with the message catalogue entry.
Message Set Number	Select the message set you want to associate with the message catalogue entry.
Message Number	Select a message number you want to associate with the message catalogue entry.
Message Text	Displays the error message text associated with the message you selected for the Message Number field.
Add Error Message	Click to add a new validation error code.

Note. PeopleSoft delivered error codes should not be modified.

Delivered Error Messages

PeopleSoft delivers the following error messages.

Configuring the Product Catalog Export Process

Access the Export Product Definitions page (Set Up CRM, Product Related, Advanced Configurator, Export Configuration, Export Product Definitions).

Run Control Details

General Options

Mapping Order Capture AAF Terms to Configurator Controller Counting Functions

To define modification types, use the Define Modification Type component. Use the RB_MOD_TYPE_DFN_CP component interface to load data into the tables for this component.

Before you begin to set up group offers, which use Order Capture modification count type Active Analytics Framework (AAF) terms to calculate operations, you must map Order Capture AAF terms to Configurator Controller counting functions.

Refer to PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM 9.1 PeopleBook: Active Analytics Framework for more information about AAF components and how to set them up.

Page Used to Map Order Capture AAF Terms to Configurator Controller Functions

Defining Modification Type

Access the Define Modification Type page (Set Up CRM, Product Related, Advanced Configurator, Define Modification Type).

SetID

Displays the SetID associated with the mapping.