Interface Property Capabilities

OXI Interface Property Capabilities (OXI>Interface Configuration>Interface Property Capabilities) allow the sending system to know whether or not the receiving system supports the specified functionality. The negotiation of interface capabilities is only supported in OPERA to OPERA interfaces today.

Interface Property Capabilities can automatically maintain the capabilities of the remote systems that OXI and OXIHUB communicate with. Interface Resort Capability Exchange is designed to have resort and message specific control of the functionality (or several functions) that a particular property has or has become capable of supporting.

Note: XML Schema Version negotiation has been introduced to the collection for exchange with the external system. This will allow users to synchronize the highest mutually available xml schema version between interfaces in an automated process.

For most resorts, capability records only get inserted either through the 'v420070503_int_capability.sid' (this insertion triggers the Capability Exchange messages) or when a new interface-resort combination is added to the 'int_interface_setup' table and all functions pertaining to this combination get deleted from the 'int_capability' when it is removed from the 'int_interface_setup'.

The flag 'Enabled_YN' is what determines whether a particular functionality is available or not. The Enabled flag for all new functionality is set to N by default. The Enabled flag will only be updated through the Capability Message exchange; the Interface Property Capabilities screen lists all the available functions for the Interface Property combination.

Note: For now Capability Exchange will only be available with OPERA properties, since it is uncertain how other interfaces will respond to such messages.

Fields

Interface. This field contains the name of the OXI interface selected.

Property. This field contains the name of the OPERA Property selected.

Functionality. This field displays the name of the functionality being controlled by this feature.

Enabled. This field displays whether the functionality if enabled or not.

Button Functions

Exchange. Select the Exchange button to manually update the listed function(s).

Note: When this option is selected, the following message will display.

Close. Select Close to exit this utility.

The Three Message Cycle

The message cycle triggers when new functionality is added. When a property receives the Capability Exchange message, it updates the Enabled flag to Y if it was previously set to N. This occurrence also triggers Capability Exchange messages.

The resort that initiated the Capability Exchange will receive the response Capability Exchange message and will set the Enabled flag to Y for the entire list of functions, if any of them were previously set to N. Once again, if the initiating property does indeed update the Enabled flags from N to Y, the update will trigger another exchange of capability messages. This cycle stops on the receiving side when it finds no more functionality to update.

The entire process can take up to 3 exchanges of capability messages to correctly update the resorts functionality.

If the process of updating a resort's functionality results in the Enabled flag remaining set to N, it could mean that either the target property doesn't support the functionality or the initiating property is still waiting for its Capability Exchange message response.

Another trigger of Capability Exchange messages is the creation of a new interface-resort. The insert in the int_interface_setup triggers Capability Exchange messages as all the capabilities available to the interface-resort at that version (through the SID) will be copied for the new interface-resort combination.

Rate Strategy Handling

When RATE_STRATEGY_HANDLING = Y, OXI will exchange rate strategy messages using the ratestrategy.fidelio.2.0 schema
When RATE_STRATEGY_HANDLING = N, OXI will exchange Inventory messages to "set" the strategies in the external system

Interface Property Functionalities

The following interface property functionalities are supported:

BLCK_EXCH_EXCLUDE_PKGS	When enabled, packages with exclude values will be included in the outbound message. Note: The pertinent tag in the ALLOTMENT message is named <quantityExcluded>.
CALC_CHILD_POSTING_RHYTHM	When enabled, dependent rate codes will not be sent to the external system when the posting rhythm is changed on the base rate (More tab).
EXCHANGE_TA_ATTACHMENTS	When enabled, travel agent attachments will be sent to the external system.
RATE_DELTA_HANDLING	When enabled, as rate details are updated in OPERA, only those details that were updated will be sent to the external system. When disabled, as rate details are updated in OPERA, all rate details will be sent to the external system (full overlay).
RATE_STRATEGIES_HANDLING	When enabled, rate strategy configuration messages will be sent to the external system.
XML_SCHEMA_NEGOTIATION	When enabled, XML schema versions cannot be manually maintained in OXI configuration. XML schema versions can only be configured by negotiating with the external system.