2 Getting Started in Administrator

This chapter collects information for the Agile administrator that is either basic or pertains to capabilities that are not found or specified by the node on the Administrator user interface.

2.1 Overview

The primary client for administering Agile PLM is Agile's Java Client.

To use Java Client, you must install it on your computer first. Java Client uses Java WebStart technology to download the software and keep it updated. For information about installing Java Client, see the Agile PLM Installation Guide for your application server.

Web Client is a Web-based application. You can use your browsers, as documented in the Agile PLM Capacity Planning guide, to run Web Client.

To see administrative features in Agile PLM clients, users must be assigned the Administrator privilege mask. The "admin" user account is preconfigured to see Administrator nodes and settings. You can use the admin account to create new users and assign the Administrator role to them. For more information, see "Creating New Administrator Users."

Examine the information in "Administrator Privilege and the AppliedTo Capability." It provides information about the AppliedTo property that is a crucial part of all Administrator-related privilege masks. You do not need to grasp everything described on that page at this point, but it is crucial to know about the AppliedTo property.

2.2 Logging in to Agile Clients as an Administrator

For security reasons, you can change the password for the admin account to something only you would know.

To start Agile Java Client and log in as an administrator:

Double-click the Agile icon on your desktop, or choose Start > Agile 9.3, or launch Agile from the URL provided by the system administrator. The Login dialog box appears.
Enter the username admin and the password agile. The username is not case-sensitive, but the password is case-sensitive.
Click OK. The login process is complete. The Java Client window opens, as shown in the following figure, usually with the Search tab displayed in the navigation pane.
Click the Admin tab in the navigation pane (on the left) to display the administrative nodes.

A user who has not been assigned the Administrator privilege mask (or role) will not see the Admin tab, only the Search and Analytics and Reports tabs will be visible.
The Search and Analytics and Reports tabs in Java Client are documented in the chapter "Navigating in Java Client" in Getting Started with Agile PLM.

To start Agile Web Client and log in as an administrator:

Start your browser.
Click the Agile Web Client bookmark, if one exists, or type the URL, for example,

http://webserver.domainname.com/Agile/PLMServlet
Make sure you enter the full domain name for your web server. The Web Client URL is case-sensitive.

The Login page appears.
Enter the username admin and the password agile. The username is not case-sensitive, but the password is.
Click the Log In button. If you make a mistake, click Clear and retype your username and password.

The login process is complete.
The first time you log in, the User Profile page appears. Enter the requested information. When you have finished, click Save.
After you complete this information, the Agile Web Client opens.
To open the administrative functions of Web Client, choose Tools and Settings in the menu bar and select Administration and then select the appropriate administrative actions from the supplied menu options.

2.3 Creating New Administrator Users

Agile PLM uses Roles and Privileges to assign access to PLM solutions and other capabilities. The Agile administrator generally has access to the entire PLM system.

In addition, users can be given tailored privileges that enable them to administer a subset or portions of the Agile PLM system. These lesser PLM administrators are often referred to categorically as user administrators, but other names are perfectly useful, such as assistant administrator, roles administrator, or workflows administrator.

In this section, and in most of this manual, we are addressing users who have the Administrator or User Administrator Privilege Mask. These are powerful, system-impacting roles. They should not be confused with some other solution-specific roles in PLM that contain the word Administrator, for example, Discussion Administrator or Program Administrator. See the organization of roles in "Default Agile PLM Roles."

Whether or not your company requires more than one Agile PLM administrator, it is recommended that you assign at least one user as backup PLM administrator in case the primary administrator is not available.

This section describes how to assign Administrator privileges to a new user using Java Client or Web Client. For more detailed information about how to create Agile PLM users and set user properties, see "Users."

The AppliedTo property—found in the Administrator-related privilege masks, among others—is important to understand, as it controls what nodes an administrator user sees in the Java Client > Admin tree. The following Administrator-specific privilege masks make significant use of the AppliedTo property: Administrator (privilege mask); Admin Access for User Admin (privilege mask); and User Administrator (privilege mask). See "Administrator Privilege and the AppliedTo Capability," and "Options for Building Administrator Assistants."

To create a new Administrator user in Java Client:

Start Java Client and log in as "admin".
Under User Settings, double-click Users. The Users window appears.
Click the New button. The Create User dialog box opens.
Type the UserID, First Name, Last Name, Email, and Password. Repeat the password in the Retype Login Password field.
Click OK. The setup window for the new user appears.
Click the Role(s) list, choose the Administrator role, and click OK.
Fill out other user properties as needed, and then click Save.

To create a new Administrator user in Web Client:

In a browser, go to the Web Client URL and log in as admin.
Click Tools and Settings > Address Book >Users. The Users page appears.
Click Add.
Type the Username and Login Password. Repeat the password in the Retype Login Password field.
Then enter values for First Name, Last Name, and Email.
The General Information page appears.
Under the Profile heading open the Role(s) list, click the Launch the Palette button to the right of the field.
Choose the Administrator role and click OK.
Fill out other user properties as needed, and then click Save.

2.4 Dates and Times in Agile PLM

At the server level:

The format of dates and times for object-related events (recorded by the Agile Application Server, or AAS) conforms to international standards.

The standard date format is Year [4 digits] / Month / Day, or yyyy/MM/dd.

The standard time format is Hour [converted to the 24-hour clock in GMT] : Minute : Second, or hh:mm:ss.

At the Client level:

The format of dates and times in Agile PLM clients depends primarily on the user profile settings for Preferred Time Format, Preferred Date Format, and Time Zone. See "User Properties Defined." The settings that the user specifies do not affect how the dates are stored.

2.4.1 Example

Agile PLM records object-related events based on when they occur at the AAS. However, in History tabs of objects, you see the local client time that an event occurred, that is, the time matches that recorded by Agile PLM clients.

For example, Jerry creates an Agile object at 5:00 PM in San Jose, California. The server that the object is created on is in San Jose, so the server records the object's creation time as 5:00 PM. Jerry's Time Zone user preference is set to "New York (EST)". This means that on his computer, the History tab of this object will indicate that it was created at 8:00 PM, the time it was in New York.

The administrator sets Time Zone for all users, but users can change this setting. Users should set their time zone correctly, otherwise History in business objects will report misleading times.

2.5 Administrator User Interfaces

This manual documents most of the Administrator nodes in Java Client. Documentation of the solution-specific nodes—PC, PCM, PPM, ACS, and PG&C—is available in the respective user guides.

2.5.1 Filtering Data in Java Client

You can use a filter bar (sometimes called "table search") to search for objects in the following nodes: Lists, Criteria, Users, Roles, Privileges, Notifications, Event Management and Commodities. You can also use the filter bar in the Admin History window (available from the Admin tab toolbar).

To use the filter bar in Java Client:

In the filter bar's Filter By drop-down list, select a value.

The Filter By list depends on the type of object being filtered. For example, if you are searching for users, you can select First Name, Last Name, User ID, Business Phone, or Email.
Select an operator from the Match If drop-down list, such as Contains, Starts With, or Show All.
Type the value you want to search for in the text box.
Click Apply.

2.5.2 Administrator Nodes in Java Client

This section lists Agile PLM Administrator nodes found in Java Client. Administration functions that are available only in Web Client are detailed in Chapter 3, "Administrator Functions in Web Client." Your company may not have purchased all the business solutions contained in Agile PLM; in that case, some nodes are not visible.

Data Settings

Classes – Define and manage business objects and their attributes, flex fields, and other properties
Character Sets – Configure lists of valid characters that are used to manage the text attributes
Lists – Manage lists that are used across multiple classes; also contains dynamic lists of objects such as users and items
Process Extensions – Extends the functionality of the Agile PLM system by defining custom actions to create user-driven and workflow-triggered custom actions, custom tools accessible through Agile PLM clients, custom autonumbering, and custom reports.
AutoNumbers – Configure the number sources used in the automatic numbering of objects in Agile PLM
Criteria – Define criteria objects that are used in search conditions, privilege masks, and workflow settings

Workflow Settings

Workflows – Configure, modify, and create workflows to track the progress of changes in your change control process

User Settings

Account Policy – Set up systemwide rules for password age, length, and uniqueness
Users – Add new Agile PLM users to the system and modify properties for existing users, such as passwords, usernames, role and user group assignments, and more
User Groups – Define user groups and assign users to them
Supplier Groups – Select suppliers during the RFQ process; the administrator sets up global supplier groups that can be leveraged by users with appropriate roles
Roles – Define default and custom roles that control which actions groups and individual users can perform in Agile PLM
Privileges – Define privileges and privilege masks, which are assembled into user roles
User Monitor – View which users are presently logged in and terminate user sessions
Deleted Users – If needed, undelete a deleted user; the list of deleted users is maintained to provide a complete audit trail
Deleted User Groups – If needed, undelete a deleted user group; the list of deleted user groups is maintained to provide a complete audit trail

System Settings

SmartRules – Manage the rules that make your change control process consistent
Viewers and Files – Define preferences for files attached to Agile PLM objects, and define viewer settings and banners and watermarks for redlines and attachments
Notifications – Customize templates for notification addressing and content
Full Text Search – Manage the indexing of attachment files
My Assignments – Configures what your users see when they click the My Assignments tab in Web Client's home page
UOM – Manage the units of measure
Company Profile – Stores useful information about the company
Currency Exchange Rates – Manage the Currency Exchange Rates table for in-system currency conversion
Dashboard Management – Enable or disable and rename the tabs of the Dashboard

Product Cost Management

PCM nodes are documented in Product Cost Management User Guide

Ship-to Locations – Data that is factored in defining prices in RFQs
RFQ Terms and Conditions – Limit suppliers' access to an RFQ until they electronically agree to RFQ terms and conditions

Product Portfolio Management

PPM nodes are documented in Product Portfolio Management User Guide

Status Nodes: Cost, Quality, Resource, Schedule – Reports whether a project's targets in the areas of cost, quality, resources, and schedule are currently being met, currently not being met, or are seriously off target
Default Role – Specifies which roles are assigned automatically to users when a task is delegated to them or when a Microsoft Project, along with its users and roles, is published to Agile PLM.
UI Configuration Data – Configures the pop-up windows on the Project Summary page and Content tab.

Agile Content Service

ACS nodes are documented in Agile Content Service User Guide

Subscribers – Create profiles specifying all details of transfer orders
Destinations – Define where the output files of transfer orders will be sent
Events – Define when transfer orders are to be triggered
Filters – Define what content is included in a transfer order
Package Services – Configure the target Agile PLM system for Web services to facilitate Agile-to-Agile communication; these filters are also used for the Agile PLM Export process.
Response Services – An acknowledgment from the remote recipient of data
Format Library – Define custom file formats

Product Governance and Compliance

PG&C nodes are documented in Product Governance & Compliance User Guide

Signoff Message – Define message that the information supplier must agree to and sign off when submitting the declaration back to the buyer/customer
Compliance Rollup Scheduling – Define how often the system runs a scheduled rollup, and start time
Compliance Rollup Rule Setting – Control elements of suppliers' responses on declarations as they potentially impact the results of compliance rollups
Supplier Declaration Process Extensions – Set which process extensions are visible in each type of declaration request that your information suppliers receive.

Note:
The process extensions themselves are not defined in this node folder.
Specification Mapping – Set up a mapping between specifications and Page Two fields that display Result Compliance for the part-spec combination.

Event Management

Event Management nodes are documented in"Event Management."

Events – Create and manage Event masks.
Event Handlers – Create and manage Handler masks based on "Java PX" and "Script PX" handler types.

Notifications, the third handler type, are created and managed in Notifications node.
Event Subscribers – Create and manage Subscriber masks.
Event Types – Library of preconfigured event types, upon which event masks are based.
Event Handler Types – Library of event handler types: Java PX, Script PX, and Notification.
Event Handler Monitor – Review event handler transactions, including start and execution of event handlers.

Server Settings

Locations – Define Agile Application Server, File Manager, and Portal locations
Database – Set systemwide preferences for the database
Preferences – Set systemwide preferences for your Agile PLM system
LDAP – Configure a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol system and dedicated LDAP server to create user accounts
Licenses – Server licenses pertain to products; user licenses pertain to individual users of Java and Web Clients
Task Monitor – Manage and track the progress of certain scheduled tasks
Task Configuration – Manage various scheduled activities such as reports and full text search indexing

Example Nodes

Example Roles – Read-only copies of all default roles
Example Privileges – Read-only copies of all default privileges
Example Criteria – Read-only copies of all default criteria

2.5.2.1 Administrative Capabilities

The features in Agile Administrator help you configure and adapt Agile PLM to fit the way you already do business. Administrator nodes let you manage users and tailor aspects of Agile PLM to meet your company's requirements.

Users, user groups, roles and privileges are all "reusable objects," enabling you to easily manage user accounts, such as in the following tasks:

Add and remove users, or set users as inactive
Assign users to user groups, which consolidates previous use of departments and groups
Assign users to roles, and customize roles for individual users
Enable users to grant temporary privilege access to specified objects for other users

Create one or more user administrators to assist in managing user accounts
Establish a systemwide account policy for password aging, length, rules, lockout, and uniqueness
Configure systemwide business rules that govern how the Agile PLM system responds to certain user actions
Configure and assign AutoNumber sources
Create workflows to route changes, each with their own set of statuses and settings, and each status with its own set of approvers, observers, acknowledgers, and required fields
Create subclasses of existing Agile PLM classes to create new types of objects
Create tabs with new fields—including numeric fields and money fields—for Agile PLM classes and subclasses
Generate reports of Agile PLM users, objects, and administrative data.

2.5.2.2 Guidelines for Implementing Agile PLM

If you are setting up a new Agile PLM system, you may configure PLM by following the sequence of Administrator nodes in the previous tables. You won't necessarily set up everything in each node in this order, and it is useful to become familiar with all the nodes in Administrator before beginning to configure your company's business objects, users, and systemwide settings.

The tree of node folders and nodes is only a suggested starting point, not a comprehensive or certified sequence. Should you begin to configure Agile PLM for your company and find that the process is more extensive than first understood, contact Oracle Consulting – Agile Practice or your Oracle Agile PLM sales representative.

Thorough testing before going live with Agile PLM is strongly recommended. It can take one to several weeks to configure Agile PLM to be production-ready depending on the following:

how many Agile solutions to configure (there are several solution-specific nodes under System Settings, but configuring the solutions for users is a process that goes beyond the settings),
how many Agile Users to be created, including their Roles and Privileges, and
how complex your company's processes are (reflected in such nodes as Classes, AutoNumbers, Workflows, Locations).

You can enlist Oracle Consulting – Agile Practice to install and set up Agile PLM for your company.

2.5.2.3 Example Nodes in Java Client

Example nodes are read-only nodes that provide a backup of default Agile PLM roles, privilege masks, and reusable criteria. The examples cannot be enabled, but they can be used to restore default functionality to the system. For example, if you modified one of the default roles and find that it is not functioning properly, you can restore the original role by saving the example.

To save an example node as an active node:

Under Examples, double-click Example Roles, Example Privileges, or Example Criteria.
Use the filter bar to display the example you want to save.
Double-click an example to open it.
Click the Save As button. The Save As dialog box opens.
Type the new name, and click OK.

To export an example node:

Under Examples, double-click Example Roles, Example Privileges, or Example Criteria.
Use the filter bar to display the example you want to export.
Select an example and click the Export button.
Type the name of the file, and click Save.
You can import the exported file into another Agile PLM system. When you import the example, it becomes an active role, privilege mask, or reusable criteria. For more information about importing administrative data, see "Administrator Import."

2.5.3 Administration in Web Client

If a user has been assigned the Administrator or User Administrator privileges, they can perform certain administrator actions in Web Client.

Click Tools and Settings > Address Book for user administration tasks under the Users, User Groups, and Supplier Groups tabs. The capabilities are documented as follows:

Users – see "Users."
User Groups – see "User Groups."
Functional Teams – see "Creating and Managing Functional Teams."
Supplier Groups – see "Supplier Groups."

Click Tools and Settings > Administration and choose from the drop-down list. The capabilities are documented as follows:

Dashboard Configuration – see "Dashboard Management."
Visual Themes – see "Visual Themes."
Report Templates – see "Report Templates."
Logging Configuration – see "Logging Configuration."
Cache Health Monitor – see "Cache Health Monitor."

2.6 Agile PLM Variables

This section lists Agile PLM variables you can use when you configure the system.

2.6.1 Default Value Variables

The following variables are used for setting default values for attribute properties.

Table 2-1 Default Value Variables

Variable	Description
$TODAY (must be uppercase)	The current date and time $TODAY is not supported in Text type attributes. If you set $TODAY as the default value for a Text type attribute, the time is displayed in GMT.
$NOW (must be uppercase)	The current date and time $NOW is not supported in Text type attributes. If you set $NOW as the default value for a Text type attribute, the time is displayed in GMT.
$LATESTREV (uppercase)	Defines whether or not the latest revision of an item has been released or not. The only values possible are $LATESTREV = Is Introductory $LATESTREV = Is Released. See "Using $CURRENTREV and $LATESTREV in Criteria for Items."
$CURRENTREV (uppercase)	The current revision of the object. See "$CURRENTREV Criteria Logic," "Using $CURRENTREV and $LATESTREV in Criteria for Items," and "Controlling the Ability to Modify Items at Introductory Revision with $CURRENTREV."

2.6.1.1 $CURRENTREV Criteria Logic

Using $CURRENTREV in an item criteria permits the administrator to build in privilege control based on the displayed revision. Using combinations of multiple $CURRENTREV criteria conditions permits the administrator to narrowly define which items a user is allowed to modify.

A $CURRENTREV criteria condition can be set to be Equal To or Not Equal To the following values:

$LATEST (the latest released revision of the item)
Status type variables, for example, $STATUSTYPE.RELEASED.
Workflow statuses pertaining to specific workflows, for example, Default Change Orders.Pending.
Special values for evaluating Introductory revisions:

$INTRODUCTORY_NOCHANGE
$INTRODUCTORY_PENDINGCHANGE
$INTRODUCTORY_RELEASEDCHANGE

For detailed information about $CURRENTREV criteria values, see "Using $CURRENTREV and $LATESTREV in Criteria for Items."

2.6.2 Privilege Mask Criteria Variables

You may select the following variables when establishing privilege mask criteria.

Table 2-2 Privilege Mask Criteria Variables

Variable	Description
$ACKNOWLDEGER	Inserts the name(s) of the acknowledger(s) of the workflow.
$AFFECTEDITEMTYPE	Inserts the type (subclass) of object that is listed in the Affected Items tab or field.
$ATTRIBUTENAME	Inserts the name of the attribute that is selected in the Attribute Watermark field see "Banner and Watermark Properties."
$APPROVER	Inserts the name(s) of the approver(s) of the workflow
$CHECKOUTUSER	The user who checked out the object.
$CREATEUSER	The user who created the object.
$CURRENTREV	The current revision of an object you have selected from the rev list, or the revision of an object you are currently viewing.
$DEFAULTSITE	Specifies if an item's manufacturing site contains the user's default site.
$LATEST	The latest revision of an object; more specifically, the latest released revision for a released item, or the latest pending revision for an unreleased item (with pending changes). $LATEST is meaningful only in the Read and Modify privileges. $LATEST goes on the right side of the equation. Valid use is: $CURRENTREV (equal, not equal) $LATEST. More information about $LATEST is in "Item Relationship Creation Using $CURRENTREV and $LATESTREV Criteria."
$LATESTFILEVERSION	The latest file folder version.
$MAINORG	Supplier users can read and discover all users in the buyer organization in addition to the users in their own organization (which, alone, is handled by $USERORG variable). Supplier users are prevented from reading and discovering users from other supplier organizations.
$NOTIFY	A default list of users selected to be receive a notification(s)
$OBSERVER	Inserts the name(s) of the observer(s) of the workflow
$USER	Inserts the name(s) of PLM users. A criteria such as "$USER Equal to $APPROVER" can be used with certain privileges, for example, Modify.
$USERGROUP	Inserts the name(s) of PLM user groups, based on a given user's User Group property being populated with a value, that is, a Group name. So, If a field is tied to the Admin list for User Groups, criteria can match a user to a user group; this criteria can be used with Read and Discover privileges to grant object access and control to a group or team.
$USERORG	Used to create criteria based on the relationship between an attribute (organization or supplier) that specifies an organization, and the organization of the logged-in user.
$USERSITE	Used to create criteria based on the relationship between an attribute (site) and sites assigned to the logged-in user.

2.6.3 Workflow Assignment and Status Type Variables

You may select the following variables when establishing workflow assignment:

Table 2-3 Workflow Assignment Variables

Variable	Description
$ACKNOWLEDGER	The acknowledger(s) of the workflow.
$APPROVER	The approver(s) of the workflow.
$OBSERVER	The observer(s) of the workflow.
$ORIGINATOR	The originator of the routable object.

You may select the following "status type" variables under the Criteria column when setting up workflows:

Table 2-4 Workflow Status Type Variables

Variable	Description
$UNASSIGNED	Unassigned status type.
$CURRENTSTATUS	The current status type.
$STATUSTYPE.PENDING	Pending status type.
$STATUSTYPE.SUBMIT	Submitted status type.
$STATUSTYPE.REVIEW	Review status type.
$STATUSTYPE.RELEASED	Released status type.
$STATUSTYPE.COMPLETE	Completed status type.
$STATUSTYPE.CANCEL	Canceled status type.
$STATUSTYPE.HOLD	Hold status type.

2.6.4 Routing Manager Variables

Routing manager variables facilitate management of routable objects. These variables represent the user selected from the Change Analyst, Compliance Manager, Component Engineer, Program Manager, Quality Administrator, Quality Analyst, and Price Administrator lists.

Table 2-5 Routing Manager Variables

Variable	Description	Related routable objects
$CHANGEANALYST	User selected from the Change Analyst list	Engineering change orders (ECOs), engineering change requests (ECRs), manufacturer change orders (MCOs), deviations, stop ships
$COMPLIANCEMANAGER	User selected from the Compliance Manager list	All declarations
$COMPONENTENGINEER	User selected from the Component Engineer list	Manufacturer change orders (MCOs)
$PROGRAMMANAGER	User selected from the Program Manager list	Packages
$QUALITYADMINISTRATOR	User selected from the Quality Administrator list	Product service requests: Problem Reports & NCRs
$QUALITYANALYST	User selected from the Quality Analyst list	Quality change requests: CAPAs & Audits
$PRICEADMINISTRATOR	User selected from the Price Administrator list	Price change orders (PCOs)