This chapter covers the following topics:
Oracle Partner Management helps you connect with your indirect channels to create a functional business relationship. Partners can help you close business by selling your products and assisting in your pre-sales, sales and post-sales inter-company processes. They can provide industry expertise or add value to your products and services. Different types of partners may include prospects, end users, original equipment manufacturers, resellers, and value added distributors.
The Partner Advanced Search to Marketing List flow involves two primary steps:
Search Partner
Partner List
You can search for a partner using the Advanced Search feature. This feature enables you to search for partners based on a partner's profile information. You can modify your search criteria using the Modify Criteria button. Based on profile attributes, you can save your search. You can customize your search criteria by adding or removing attributes to tailor your search. You can save your search as a list and associate this list with a marketing campaign or a promotion.
Based on your search criteria, partners will be displayed and this can be created as a list. Oracle Partner Management integrates with Oracle Marketing to enable you to generate partner lists. These lists can then be used to run marketing campaigns and events thereby enabling marketing to partners.
You can view details of the list only if you have the appropriate Audience Workbench permission.
You can search for partners based on profile attributes such as partner name, partner contacts, leads, opportunities and so on. You can customize your search criteria by adding or removing attributes to tailor your search. You can save your search criteria and also use it as the default search page.
While searching for a partner, you can select the organization, address, partner, sales team and relationship parameters and optionally set the display and sort options.
The Personalize Screen is divided into three sections:
Search Section: You can include partner contact and partner attributes in the search criteria. You can add or remove fields pertaining to Partner Contact or Partner Attributes.
Display Option: You can choose the display columns, sort order and the number of rows that should be displayed on the Partner Contact Summary page.
Save Search: You can save your search and make it the default search for the Partner Contact Summary Screen by selecting the Use As Summary Page Default checkbox.
Use this procedure to enter details for a search criteria.
Navigation
Log in as a channel manager and navigate to Partners Quick Link > Partner Summary, and then click Search or Personalize to display the Partner Search page.
Prerequisites
None.
Notes
Partner Information region: Enter details about the partner that you would base your search upon.
Display Options region: Enter the columns to be displayed after performing a search.
Save Search As region: Enter a name for the search and select the Use As Summary Page Default check box to save it as the default search page.
Modify Criteria: Use to modify the information for your search. You can select or deselect the partner contact and partner attributes that should be present in the search section of the Personalize page. Each attribute has its own defined display style.
There are three ways that a partner can be created:
The vendor invites a partner to enroll into programs.
A vendor user converts an existing customer to partners.
A partner can self register using the self-service registration process.
For information on how partners can register themselves, see Partner Registration in the Oracle Partner Management Partner User Guide.
The channel manager or channel representative can invite new partners to enroll into a program. The user can capture basic information about the partner organization, address details, partner contact details and program related information in which the channel manager or channel representative wants to enroll this organization. An invitation is sent to the newly created partner contact via e-mail.
Use this procedure to invite a new partner to join a partner program
Navigation
Log in as a channel manager and navigate to Partners Quick Link > Partner Summary page and then click Invite New Partner. The Create Partner page appears.
Prerequisites
None.
Notes
Enter basic information about the partner, including partner type information, address, and a contact.
Partner Type: Select the appropriate partner type. A partner of type Value Added Distributor (VAD) can be given the ability to set up its own partners as well. You can assign multiple partner types to a single partner.
Member Type: Select the type from the list. A global partner can have subsidiary partners underneath it. A subsidiary of a global program can inherit some of the partner program benefits from a global partner. When you select Subsidiary, the Global Partner field is added to the page. You must select the Global organization for the Subsidiary.
Click Next. The Invite Partner page appears. Enter partner program information.
Select a program from the Program Name drop-down list. The list that appears is determined by the Partner Type selected for the partner.
An existing customer can become a partner of your organization at any time. Before converting a customer, you must decide the Partner type and Member type that the converted customer will fall under. When the customer is converted to a partner, the partner will be enrolled in the default program.
Use this procedure to convert existing customers to partners.
Navigation
Log in as a channel administrator and navigate to Partners > Convert Customer to Partner page. The Partner Conversion page appears.
Prerequisites
None.
Notes
Customer Name: Select a customer. The list contains organizations that are currently identified as customers of your organization.
Note: The result of a search query for customers depends on how DQM matching rules are set up.
Member Type: If you select the Subsidiary Member Type, the Global Partner LOV will be enabled.
Convert to Partner: Click to start the conversion process.
Upon conversion, the partner is enrolled in the Default Program, which is specified by the channel administrator during implementation. You can now manage partner contacts and their user information.
Oracle Partner Management integrates with Oracle Marketing to allow vendor users to generate partner lists. Lists can be used to run marketing campaigns for partners. Based on profile attributes, you can create a list and save your search. Based on the search criteria, partners will be displayed and this can be created as a list. A channel manager can create a partner list if she sees a Create as List button on the Partner Summary page.
Use this procedure to create a list.
Navigation
Log in as a channel manager and navigate to Partners Quick Link > Partner Summary.
Prerequisites
None.
Steps
Personalize your search, view the results, and click Create as List.
The Save List page appears.
Enter necessary details and click Save. You will receive a confirmation message.
Click Show List Details to view details of the list. You can view details of the list only if you have the appropriate permission.
To return to the summary page, click Return to Partner Summary.
You manage a partner's information in the Update Partner page. The Update Partner page is available via the Update Partner button in the Partner Details page. The Update Partner button is available if you do have privileges to that allow you to update a partner's details. You can access additional information about the partner through various sub tabs displayed on this page.
The Partner Summary page has a seeded search called My Partners, which is the default saved search. It displays partners where the logged in user and his direct and indirect reports are on the partners' channel team. So, you can view partners only if you are a channel manager.
Based on the role of the logged in user, the Partner Details page can be viewed and updated. The subtabs available in the Partner Details page are described below. Depending on the role and responsibility of the logged in user these subtabs are displayed or hidden.
For more information on attributes that you can view or update, see Setting up Attribute Security, Oracle Partner Management Implementation and Administration Guide.
This tab displays the seeded performance metrics for different categories. The attributes that you view in the Key Metrics bin in the channel manager dashboard are a subset of the information contained in this tab.
The sales performance chart that appears on this tab displays the trends of a partner's performance over a period of time. You can filter your search based on performance attributes that are used to track partner performance. For example, currency amounts, quantity or ratios (percentages).
This tab displays a partner's transactions, such as claims, offers, opportunities, orders, referrals, deals, fund requests, and special pricing requests. You can filter the transactions according to status, and you can also drill into the details of the transaction if you have appropriate permissions.
This tab displays profile attributes. You can edit attributes, add validation information and view validation history. You can also add contacts and the organization address.
This tab displays a partner's memberships and the benefits associated with the membership. From this tab, you can invite the partner to join a partner program and provide discounts on the program membership fee.
You can view this tab if the selected partner is a global partner or a distributor or both. You can see a summary view of subsidiary partners or managed partners.
If you are a channel manager, you are added to the partner's channel team in addition to the channel managers returned by the Territory Assignment Program.
If you are not a channel manager, channel managers returned by the Territory Assignment Program, are assigned to the partner.
If the Territory Assignment Program does not return any channel manager, and the logged in user is not a channel manager the Default channel manager is assigned to the channel team.
You can view a partner's notes and also add a note.
You can view a partner's interactions. These can include interactions associated with deal registrations, program memberships, enrollment requests, opportunities, referrals, fund requests, and special pricing requests.
Partner contacts are people in a partner's organization with whom you interact to perform business transactions. They are extensions of the marketing, sales, and support staffs in a partner's organization.
There is a difference between partner contacts and partner users. Both are created for partner organizations, and a list of contacts can be created for a partner. However, partner users use the Partner Dashboard and are directly involved on a regular basis with the Vendor organization. Partner contacts can also be partner users if they are assigned a username and password.
For example, a salesperson at the partner organization is a partner user, as he needs to access the Partner Dashboard and complete transactions. On the other hand, the partner’s legal counsel is listed as a contact because she does not use the application but needs to be identified in case questions arise about program contracts.
A channel manager can create a partner contact or partner user from a partner’s Profile tab on the Partner Details page. A partner administrator can create either a contact or user from the Create Contact page in the Profile. In addition, a partner employee can self register to become a partner user.
Use this procedure to create a partner contact.
Navigation
Log in as a channel manager and navigate to Partners Quick Link > Partner Summary page, and then select the Profile tab and click Create Contact. The Create Contact page appears.
Prerequisites
None.
Steps
Enter the necessary details and click Apply.
The Contact Details page appears.
Optionally, you can click Create User Account to create a user while creating the contact.
Enter a user name, password, default country, default currency, user type, and click Apply.
The details that you entered are published.
Enter details in the Profile, Address, and Notes tabs.
The Profile tab displays profile attributes. You can edit attributes and view attribute history. The Address tab displays the contact's address. You can also create an additional mailing address. The Notes tab displays additional free form text information about a partner. You can add additional notes.
For more information on viewing or updating attributes, see Setting Up Attribute Security, Oracle Partner Management Implementation and Administration Guide.
Access to partner information is controlled based on user types and permissions.
User Types
Vendor Users - Employees in the vendor organization who can view partners that they created. An example of a vendor user is a channel manager who is responsible for managing a set of partner.
Vendor Managers - Employees in the vendor organization who can invite partners to enroll into a program, and view or update partner profile information and partner attributes. This depends on permissions assigned to the role.
Permissions
PV_INVITE_NEW_PARTNER - The Invite New Partners button is displayed if the logged in user is a channel manager and has this permission.
PV_VIEW_ALL_PARTNERS:
If a vendor has this permission and is not a channel manager, the Update icon is disabled for partner records displayed in the Partner Summary page. The user can view partner information.
If a vendor has this permission and is also a channel manager, the Update icon is enabled for partner records in the Partner Summary page, where the vendor is in the partners' channel team.
If the vendor does not have this permission and is not a channel manager, but has the role of a manager in a PRM group and has channel managers reporting to hi, the system brings all partners where the vendor's direct and indirect reports are in the partners' channel team. The user cannot update partner details.
PV_UPDATE_ALL_PARTNERS:
If a vendor user has this permission, the Update icon is enabled for all partners displayed in the Partner Summary page.
If a vendor user has this permission and is a channel manager, the Create As List button is displayed.
If a vendor does not have this permission and is not a channel manager, but has the role of a manager in a PRM group and has channel managers reporting to him, the system brings all the partners where the vendor's direct and indirect reports are in the partners' channel team. The logged in user cannot update partner details.
If a vendor does not have this permission and is not a channel manager, and does not have a manager role in a PRM group, records are displayed in the Partner Summary page.
PV_PARTNER_UPDATE_PROFILE_ATTRIBUTE
If the PV: Enable Profile Attribute Security profile option is set to Yes, the vendor user with this permission can update the attributes to which this role is assigned.
PV_PARTNER_VIEW_PROFILE_ATTRIBUTE
If the PV: Enable Profile Attribute Security profile option is set to Yes, the vendor user with this permission can view attributes to which this role is assigned but cannot update them.