Web Services can be used by organizations using Oracle applications to build an environment of a cluster of applications coming from multiple vendors. Organizations can use this cluster of applications only if they are properly integrated and the flows are orchestrated through them. This integration can be both outward and inward into Oracle applications.
Web services is available in the Oracle Integration Repository.
The Integration Repository is an integral part of Oracle E-Business Suite. It provides a complete catalog of Oracle E-Business Suite's Business Service interfaces. You can identify and use the appropriate Business Service interface from the catalog for integration with any system, application, or business partner. The user with Integration Administrator role can navigate to the Integration repository.
The following are the steps for navigating to the Integration Repository:
Login as an Integration Administrator.
Select the Integrated SOA gateway responsibility.
Select Integration Repository.
The following Web Services are available for integration with any system, application, or business partner solution:
Contract Open Interface
Termination Quote Interface
Third-Party Billing Interface
Create Funding Request
Update Asset Return
Contract authoring process can be complex and cumbersome, especially when entering a large number of assets or numerous fees and services. It results in errors and delays because routine contract creation cannot be initiated through a simple contract upload from a different system or manual. This can result in increased costs and reduced margins for lessors. Lessors can overcome these difficulties by using the Contract Open Interface Web Service.
Contract Open Interface Web Service allows lessors to load and create large volumes of contracts. Oracle Lease and Finance Management supports importing of lease and loan contracts through a standard set of interface tables. The import program imports data from interface tables into the Oracle Lease and Finance Management tables. You must enable the web service, which will invoke the concurrent program and submits the request.
For table level information and minimum attributes required for Contract Open Interface, refer to the Oracle Lease and Finance Management Implementation Guide.
You can create and process a termination quote in Oracle Lease and Finance Management by using the Termination Quote Interface. This helps the financier to terminate the process effectively and without any time delays.
This interface executes the open interface for importing termination quote information. It reads termination quote information from open interface table(s), validates record(s), and then creates termination quote(s) in Oracle Lease and Finance Management.
For table level information and minimum attributes required for Termination Quote Interface, refer to the Oracle Lease and Finance Management Implementation Guide.
Billing is the process of claiming amounts due from customers on their lease and loan contracts. Billing charges for rent, fees, and services are processed to include taxes and generate accurate accounting transactions. Invoices or statements of account are created as a notice to the customer for payment.
Compliance with regulatory tax and accounting requirements and efficient collection of payment is essential in this process. Clear representation of billing charges on invoices is necessary to meet the internal billing policies and procedures. The processing of payments should be easy to ensure that customers make prompt and correct payments.
The following are the steps followed by the financier for the billing process:
Determine amounts to be billed
Process options to format and present invoices in Oracle Lease and Finance Management
Create invoices
View and adjust invoices
A contract with status Active defines the payment schedule and streams for rent, fees and services to be billed. Although the processing of billing data from different billing sources varies, every billing transaction of each billing type results in a record in Oracle Lease and Finance Management.
Third-party billing involves the financier importing billing charges to the customer and passthrough to the third-party. For example, you may want to import and bill for a country's property tax liability, a bank's non-sufficient funds charge, or a vendor's maintenance fee and pass the receipts back to the third-party.
After you import billing transactions, you review them, correct errors, and download them into tables.
The Third Party Billing Interface executes the open interface for importing property tax and relevant transactions from Oracle Lease and Finance Management interface tables and creates internal transactions and accounting entries.
For table level information and attributes required for Third Party Billing Interface, refer to the Oracle Lease and Finance Management Implementation Guide.
Funding disbursements are payments to suppliers or other third parties for the cost of equipment, maintenance, insurance, and other service expenses. Some disbursements, such as passthroughs and investor payments, are processed as the result of billing or cash receipt transactions. Oracle Lease and Finance Management supports different kinds of funding request. Asset funding, expense funding and prefunding are some kinds of funding request.
Oracle Lease and Finance Management provides the Funding Processing API which can create funding request from any external system and can validate the same as per the business rules set. If the financier want to bring the funding request from a third party system, they can import all the funding requests after all setting up all the necessary prerequisites.
For table level information and attributes required for Funding Request API, refer to the Oracle Lease and Finance Management Implementation Guide.
Oracle Lease and Finance Management automatically creates an asset return request by the following three sources:
Acceptance of a termination quote without purchase.
Repossession of the asset. This sets the Asset Status to Scheduled and the Asset Return Type to Repossession Request. For asset repossessions, this process must occur before other repossession-related activities, such as Repossession Request or Unsuccessful Repossession.
Ending of contract term without exercising the purchase option. This sets the Asset Status to Scheduled and the Asset Return Type to Contract Expiration upon termination of a contract.
The returned off-lease asset undergoes various stages of examination and evaluation. Hence, the lessor should maintain the asset return information. When a customer makes a request to return an asset before the contract's specified end-of-term, the lessor must manually create an asset return request. Lessors do not manually create an asset return request for assets that have reached their end-of-term because Oracle Lease and Finance Management automatically generates those asset return requests upon contract expiration.
Whenever the lessor creates an asset return request, they should specify:
A return type for the asset. Return types include Contract Expiration, Repossession Request, Executed Termination Quote, and Intent to Return.
The status of the returned asset. Statuses include Returned, Scrapped, Repossessed, and Available for Sale.
Relevant dates, such as Date Return Due, Date Returned, and Date Notified.
The re-marketer involved with remarketing the returned asset. Assignment of a returned asset goes to a re-marketer, who:
Is part of the group assigned to managing remarketing for the asset based on the asset's item category.
Is responsible for the asset until disposal.
The Update Asset Return API enables the user to update the off-leased asset from an external system. Oracle Lease and Finance Management facilitates the financier to update the asset return request.
For table level information and attributes required for Update Asset Return, refer to the Oracle Lease and Finance Management Implementation Guide.
Meters or counters are used to track the usage output when the usage of the equipment is the basis for billing the customer. This usage information is valuable in understanding the customers' use of the equipment. It can be used to determine recommendations about changes in asset mix and provide optimal services. However, capturing, managing and reporting metered usage can be time-consuming.
The Web Service for Meter Readings Update helps lessors and vendors provide this usage information. This web service enables them to automate, streamline and simplify the capturing of metered usage. It ensures that the cost of business does not increase and preserves slim margins.
In metered usage services, the serviced assets are equipped with counters or meters that monitor and report usage. Pricing is based on a minimum usage level and overages are charged based on the number of units. This usage cycle is generally typified by a service schedule which is defined in a contract by the servicing vendor. The lessee in turn makes cash payments according to the contract terms. When the servicing vendor is not the lessor, a passthrough arrangement is made where the lessor bills the usage-based service charges with the financing charges and disburses the service payments to the vendor. In these cases, an agreement is made between the vendor and lessor to control the obligations being created and managed. Hence, all passthroughs involve at least all the three parties, that is the lessee, lessor and vendor. To keep track of payments and services, a service schedule is maintained. All payments and disbursements are tracked to the service schedule to ensure that all the three parties know the receiving amount and payment amount between the parties.
The Web Service for Meter Readings has the following functions:
Since the usage billing is based on periodic readings of the counter or meter, the reading aligns with the service schedule.
All transactions, including adjustments, contract modifications from revisions, terminations, restructures, or changes in prior meter readings are with respect to a period of service and reported accurately.
To support vendors with varying levels of automation and capabilities, lessors must be able to collect timely and accurate meter readings from many sources. Lessors must also help vendors to collect and correct invalid readings.
Meter readings must be captured for metered usage services to bill and collect from customers. Since meter readings are connected to cash flows (both for the lessor and the service vendor), timeliness and accuracy are critical.
Meter readings are captured using the following methods:
Automatic upload from the service vendors' systems where readings have been entered and associated to vendors' invoices.
Automatic and electronic uploads from the equipment meter without user intervention on a predefined schedule or a requested schedule. These may also be uploaded into the vendors' systems and then transmitted or requested by the lessor's system
Upload or manual entry by a vendor or another user (for example, the customer or the lessor's agent) from a common portal or through a scanning device that can report the reading electronically.
Upload using a spreadsheet or direct entry by a lessor's user from a submitted vendor report.
The Web Service is used to read the meters, import these readings and make the necessary changes using the methods mentioned above.
The Web Service for Meter Readings executes the open interface to import meter reading from any external application. The program reads meter information from open interface tables, validates records and then creates meter readings in Oracle Lease and Finance Management. It uses the OKL_CTR_RDG_INTERFACE_LNS_ALL table.