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iPlanet BuyerXpert 4.5 Concepts



Chapter 1   What Is iPlanet BuyerXpert?


iPlanet BuyerXpert is an internet-based purchasing system that allows enterprises to automate their procurement processes.

For the first time, interoperability between iPlanet BuyerXpert and the iPlanet marketplace framework product, iPlanet Market Maker, is available to customers of either iPlanet BuyerXpert or iPlanet Market Maker. An overview of this functionality is included in this chapter.

Together these two iPlanet products provide a solid base for implementation of an enterprise e-commerce solution.

This chapter includes the following topics:



iPlanet BuyerXpert Product Overview

iPlanet iPlanet BuyerXpert is an internet e-commerce application that provides centralized control for buying goods and services for enterprise operations. Since it is a business-to-business application, consumers are not usually direct users of the iPlanet BuyerXpert product.

Instead, iPlanet BuyerXpert is designed for use by business-level procurement professionals who are employees of buyer organizations. These buyers generally purchase items and services from catalogs owned by seller organizations on behalf of people who are employees in the buyer organizations.

Other non-procurement employees of the buyer organization can use iPlanet BuyerXpert to purchase items such as office supplies, equipment, and services if the organization has authorized these employees as members of the iPlanet BuyerXpert community.

The core functionality of iPlanet BuyerXpert involves ordering items from electronic catalogs that are supplied to the buyer organization by seller organizations. For example, a manufacturing organization might buy parts from various parts vendors. Using iPlanet BuyerXpert, a buyer for the manufacturing organization can view the catalogs for the parts sellers, select items for an order, send the order for approval, and receive the goods, all using the graphical interface of iPlanet BuyerXpert.

iPlanet BuyerXpert also supports purchasing services from service vendors, such as contractors or consultants. Timecards for these services can be submitted and approved for payment.

The main tasks in the iPlanet BuyerXpert procurement process are:

  • Browsing seller catalogs

  • Creating requisitions

  • Submitting requisitions and timecards for approval

  • Approving requisitions and timecards

  • Tracking orders

  • Receiving items

After a requisition is approved, iPlanet BuyerXpert generates the Purchase Order and electronically submits the purchase order to ECXpert which then sends it to the seller (or to multiple sellers, if the requisition is created this way).


iPlanet BuyerXpert Features

Key iPlanet BuyerXpert features include:

  • Online seller catalogs

  • Advanced search capabilities to quickly find goods in catalogs

  • Automatic routing of requisitions and orders

  • Contract tracking

  • Blanket purchase orders for handling standing orders to suppliers

  • Requisition archiving and restoring

  • Notifications and reminders automatically sent by e-mail

  • Fully configurable approval process

  • Online tracking of purchase order status

  • Invoice matching

  • Receiving of goods ordered

  • Seller performance tracking

  • Extensive set of business rules for tailoring to an organization

  • Reporting capabilities

  • Import/Export utility (export of business rules)

  • Installer utility

  • EDI and OBI compliance

  • Prebuilt portal channels

  • Scalability to support buyer company future growth

  • Internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n) compliance—full multi-byte capability

These features are described in Chapter 2 "How Does iPlanet BuyerXpert Work?


iPlanet BuyerXpert Architecture

Figure 1-1 illustrates the BuyerXpert architecture.

Figure 1-1    BuyerXpert Architecture

iPlanet BuyerXpert has a component-based architecture, consisting of a JSP, Servlet-based top layer, a business logic middle layer, and an engine-driven bottom layer. iPlanet BuyerXpert was designed to take advantage of strengths of the various iPlanet products. Those products include:

  • iPlanet Portal Server—Allows you to perform a single sign-on to iPlanet BuyerXpert, as well as a customized portal interface.

  • iPlanet Application Server (iAS)—Processes transactions and is the primary engine of iPlanet BuyerXpert.

  • iPlanet Process Manager—Handles the approval process, customizable to your organization.

  • iPlanet ECXpert—Accepts inbound orders and transmits outbound orders and timecards. It is also used to accept communication from sellers.

  • iPlanet Directory Server—The iPlanet implementation of LDAP that stores the membership and location data.

  • Oracle—Database that stores the ordering and catalog information.


OBI Interface

The Open Buying on the Internet (OBI) standard is an open, flexible framework for business-to-business internet commerce solutions. The purpose of the OBI specification is to provide a standard framework for secure and interoperable business-to-business internet commerce with an initial focus on automating high-volume, low-dollar transactions between trading partners.

The OBI process flow can be described as the interaction of three entities:

  • A requisitioner

  • A buyer organization

  • A seller organization

Figure 1-2 shows how these entities interact.

Figure 1-2    OBI Process Flow



iPlanet BuyerXpert Interoperability with iPlanet Market Maker


Market Maker is a software product that belongs to the suite of iPlanet e-commerce products. Until the 4.5 release, iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker operated separately, with no ability to navigate among the applications or share data. With the 4.5 release, interoperability has been implemented between iPlanet Market Maker and iPlanet BuyerXpert, allowing each product to use some of the strengths of the other product without having all the overhead of many logins and duplicate data management.

The following sections describe this interoperability:


iPlanet Market Maker Overview

The iPlanet Market Maker software enables organizations to establish and run complete digital marketplaces based on open standards. It is not a marketplace itself, but a rather platform that enables marketplaces.

Complemented by services delivered through external service providers in selected industries, iPlanet Market Maker is designed to help organizations rapidly build their own independent marketplaces. The external services (ESV) module acts as the XML messaging gateway for all the iPlanet Market Maker modules.

The iPlanet Market Maker software provides users with a range of functionality that can be used to:

  • Aggregate supplier catalogs

  • Initiate and run auctions

  • Participate in online negotiations (RF*)

  • Customize and deliver content to participants

  • Offer business directories

  • Provide sophisticated memberships and buying clubs


iPlanet Market Maker Modules


Order Management System (OMS)
The order management system (OMS) module provides a central point for requisition and order processing for all sources of iPlanet Market Maker business, including fixed price catalog sales, auctions, and negotiations (RFx).


Catalog and Pricing
Market makers can create and maintain a flexible catalog from all marketplace participants' catalog data, which is housed in an Oracle database. Customers can design custom catalog views, leveraging custom ontology or standards like the Universal Standard Products and Services Classification (UNSPSC).

Market Maker pricing allows seller companies to create and administer pricing rules. The Catalog module stores list prices, whereas the pricing engine dictates pricing rules.


Auction
The auction module supports multiple forward and reverse auction formats. Your customers can bid on auctions, with the final award resulting in a purchase order.


RFx Negotiation
The RFx module allows buyers to negotiate a purchase by creating a request for information (RFI), a request for proposal (RFP), or a request for quote (RFQ) for items, targeting one or more suppliers.


Community
The LDAP-based community module maintains service and security permissions for your marketplace through a single web-based interface. Customers can self register, administer their own marketplace presence, and delegate marketplace administration tasks across an entire organization.


Portal Manager
You can design custom portal views for your marketplace, plug in value-added content, and stream in syndicated content from third party providers.


Exchange
Buyers and sellers can asynchronously trade homogenous commodities using the exchange module. This functionality is especially useful when buying or selling items that are not physical products, such as shipping space.


External Services (ESV)
ESV is an external services framework that enables the iPlanet Market Maker OMS to transmit and receive documents that represent the business events in the life cycle of requisitions and orders.

Outbound documents go through ECXpert which supports many communication protocols, such as FTP, SMTP, and HTTP. Inbound documents come in exclusively through HTTP.


iPlanet Market Maker Architecture

Figure 1-3 illustrates the iPlanet Market Maker architecture.

Figure 1-3    iPlanet Market Maker Architecture

iPlanet Market Maker was designed to take advantage of strengths of various iPlanet products. Those products include:

  • iPlanet Directory Server—The iPlanet implementation of LDAP that stores the membership and location data.

  • iPlanet Application Server (iAS)—Processes transactions and is the primary engine of iPlanet BuyerXpert.

  • Oracle—Database that stores the ordering and catalog information.

  • ECXpert—Accepts inbound orders and transmits outbound orders and timecards. It is also used to accept communication from sellers.


Interoperability Features

Since iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker are both built on the iPlanet suite of products and use most of the same supporting software, the challenge of interoperability is in the navigation between the two functions and the transmission and sharing of data.

Duplicate functionality has been streamlined, which has resulted in the following changes to the existing products:

  • The pricing and order management service (OMS) and pricing modules of iPlanet BuyerXpert take precedence over the OMS and pricing modules of iPlanet Market Maker. If you are configured for interoperability, the OMS and pricing modules aren't present in the iPlanet Market Maker portal.

  • Requisitions created in the Market Maker modules (catalog, exchange, RFx, and auction) are transported to the iPlanet BuyerXpert OMS using external services (ESV) and ECXpert.

  • All requisitions go through the iPlanet BuyerXpert approval process before becoming purchase orders.

  • iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker share the same repositories for their membership/community and catalog data, specifically iPlanet Directory Server (LDAP-based) and Oracle.

    • iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker have identical catalogs.

    • iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker share the same membership; buyer and seller companies and their users are identical across the two applications.


Key Benefits

  • iPlanet BuyerXpert users now have quick access to the iPlanet Market Maker dynamic commerce functions: Auction and RFx.

  • iPlanet Market Maker has access to the robust iPlanet BuyerXpert OMS, with its requisition approval process.

  • Duplication of data entry is eliminated by the sharing of the iPlanet Directory Server (LDAP) and Oracle databases. This also improves accessibility of data and ease of tracking.


Single Sign-On

You can log into either iPlanet BuyerXpert or iPlanet Market Maker and be able to access the interoperable functions. That is, logging into one application gives you access to the other. Some new buttons and additional screens have been added to facilitate transport between the two applications.

Note Instructions for accessing and navigating the interoperability features are contained in the iPlanet BuyerXpert or iPlanet Market Maker online Help.



Shared Membership and Catalog Data

Any membership/community transactions made in either iPlanet BuyerXpert or iPlanet Market Maker is reflected in the other application. The LDAP repository is shared, so there is no need to enter data twice.

iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker also share the Oracle repository, specifically the catalog. This means that any catalog transactions that affect Oracle data are reflected from either the iPlanet BuyerXpert or iPlanet Market Maker screens.


Interoperability Architecture

Figure 1-4 illustrates the interoperability structure.

Figure 1-4    Interoperability Architecture


Implementation

When you install the iPlanet Market Maker 4.5, the Installer queries as to whether you want to cause iPlanet Market Maker to interoperate with iPlanet BuyerXpert. If so, enter the URL for iPlanet BuyerXpert using the format http://hostname:port. From this URL, the installer configures iPlanet Market Maker for interoperability with iPlanet BuyerXpert.

Note Full instructions are contained in the version 4.5 installation guides for iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker


If you have selected the interoperability configuration, the OMS and pricing modules of iPlanet Market Maker do not display when you start using the iPlanet Market Maker graphical interface. For interoperability, requisitions are actually created in iPlanet BuyerXpert and sent through the iPlanet BuyerXpert approval process.

Note Instructions for using the interoperable functions are contained in the iPlanet BuyerXpert and iPlanet Market Maker online Help.


During deployment of iPlanet BuyerXpert 4.5, you can customize the interoperability for your organization.

  • Configurable approval process

  • Access and roles


Configurable Approval Process

Two new APIs, isRFx() and isAuction(), have been added for workflow regarding interoperability. These APIs can be used in the workflow automation scripts like calc_manager_approval and gatecheck to customize the approval and gatecheck for requisitions created out of the interoperability process.


Access and Roles

RFx and Auction privileges are given to the BuyerXpert users through the permissions rules CAN_CREATE_RFX and CAN_CREATE_AUCTIONS. The RFx and Auction buttons appear in BuyerXpert for those users for whom the privilege is given through the above rules. In addition to these, RFx and Auction need to be enabled separately for the companies in iPlanet Market Maker.



ECXpert Interface


ECXpert provides the foundation for order submission, and the communication between customer legacy systems and iPlanet BuyerXpert.

The interface with ECXpert allows the following:

  • Support for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) ASC X12 and other standards

  • Use of a graphical tool for any-to-any mapping, and translation to convert any file format, such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), to any other file format

  • Support for the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME)

  • Storage of documents, tracking services, and management tasks

  • Secure transmission of data over public and private networks

  • Use of certified interfaces for Oracle applications

  • Legacy integration, with batch scheduling, and robust communications capabilities to interface with mainframe operating systems, UNIX, or NT
    Note
    • Beginning with version 3.6.1, ECXpert was renamed as iPlanet Integration Server B2B edition.

    • For more information, refer to the iPlanet BuyerXpert Administrator's Guide in the ECXpert documentation collection.




Customization Overview

iPlanet BuyerXpert can be customized on two levels:

  • Administrator-level customizations—customizations that can be done by a non-programmer, typically the iPlanet BuyerXpert administrator

  • Developer-level customization—customizations that must be done by a programmer


Administrator-Level Customizations

Administrator customizations generally affect the system settings or look and feel of the product and do not affect the underlying code.

Typical administrator customizations include:

  • Modifying the look and feel of the product by changing such elements as company logo, colors, fonts, or adding graphics or text

  • Modifying system elements, such as time-out and reminder parameters, login elements, or the text for error messages

  • Creating additional information fields (AIFs)


Developer-Level Customizations

Developer customizations can affect any part of the iPlanet BuyerXpert system.

Typical developer-level customizations include:

  • Adding new fields to a data object

  • Adding new fields to the import file for ECXpert

  • Creating new reports; modifying existing reports


    Note For more information, refer to the customizations chapter of the iPlanet BuyerXpert Administrator's Guide.



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Copyright © 2002 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Last Updated June 07, 2002