Runtime Interaction of Advisor Applications with Server-Based Configurator

You can integrate your Advisor applications with the server-based Configurator. For example, you may want to use an Advisor application to gather data from users and present a solution, such as a recommended product, but for further customization provide a link to the server-based deployment of Configurator. For information on the difference between browser-based and server-based applications, see "Siebel Application Deployment Methods".

Figure 14-6 shows an Advisor application that links to the server-based Configurator.

Figure 14-6 An Advisor Application That Links to Server-Based Configurator

In this example, when a user clicks the Configuration button shown in Figure 14-7, the server-based Configurator opens to allow the user to further customize their minivan.

Figure 14-7 An Configurator Session Started from an Advisor Application

For more information about the functions referred to in the following procedure, see Siebel Advisor API Reference.

To integrate with the server-based Configurator

1. Model your Feature and Configuration table data to integrate with customizable products if you are using them.

   For more information, see "About Modeling for Customizable Products in Advisor".

2. Add a link, such as ”Configure This Product,” to your UI.

3. Open the Pageset UI file and add an OnClick event to call one of the following functions:

   • GotoSSConfigurator(optional productDescriptionString)

     GotoSSConfigurator hands off a product to the Siebel server-based Configurator, replacing the browser-based view in the browser with the server-based Configurator view. If a string is specified, it is used to describe the customizable product, which is used to start up the Configurator. If a string is not displayed, the current model and state are used to build a customizable product.

     If you are building a product description string, you need to build customizable product strings in the data model using cell functions. Helper functions are provided to help create a string in the correct format. For more information, see ISS.BuldProductStr in the Siebel-Specific Functions chapter of Siebel Advisor API Reference.

   • GetPrice(optional product)

     GetPrice shows the final price of the selected product for the current user in a popup window. This price is based on the pricing information you have set up in Siebel Pricer.

   • ShowProductDetails(product)

     ShowProductDetails opens the detail view for the currently selected product ID using the parameters defined in the Siebel configuration file to determine which Siebel view to open. ShowProductDetails can be called from any frame within the application and can be executed anywhere a JavaScript function can be used. For more information, see ShowProductDetails in the Siebel-Specific Functions chapter of Siebel Advisor API Reference.

   • GotoSSView(viewName)

     GotoSSView switches the current browser-based view to the specified view name.

   For other interactions, use SendSelectionInformationToServer and write your own business service method.

4. Set the following parameters in the Siebel application CFG file to specify the product detail view the browser-based application navigates to at runtime.

   • ISSCDAProdDetBusCompName: defines the Business Component Name that a product detail view uses.

   • ISSCDAProdDetBusObjName: defines the Business Object Name that a product detail view uses.

   • ISSCDAProdDetViewName: defines the product detail view name.

Example 14-1 Creating a Cross-Sell

This section provides a procedure for creating an example of an up-sell from a cat with a leash to a dog in the server-based Configurator. In this example, the user can select a kind of cat and leash in a browser-based application. An up-sell link is provided ”Get a dog instead!” When clicked, the dog is displayed in server-based Configurator.

For more information on the following steps, see Siebel Advisor API Reference.

To create the cross-sell example

1. Create a Feature table named LEASH.

2. Enter the following data in the LEASH Feature table.

   To enter data in the Desc column, map the column to one of two leashes in the Internal Product business component.

   Code	Desc	Default
   S	Short Leash	DEFAULT
   L	Long Leash

   
   

3. Create a Feature table named PERSONALITY.

4. Enter the following data in the PERSONALITY Feature table.

   Code	Desc	Default
   IND	Independent	DEFAULT
   SUB	Submissive

   
   

5. In the MAIN Configuration table, enter the following data.

   MAP ROOT_PROD to one of two cats in the Internal Product business component.

   Map UPSELL_ROOT_PROD to one of two dogs in the Internal Product business component.

   LEASH(1)	PERSONALITY(1)	ROOT_PROD(0)	UPSELL_ROOT_PROD (0)
   (=*)	IND	CAT-TABBY	DOG-PITBULL
   (=*)	SUB	CAT-BURMESE	DOG-LAB

   
   

6. On the Output UI page, add the following link to the up-sell:

   <a href="#" onclick = "ISS.GotoSSConfigurator(ISS.GetBusCompID(&rsquor;UPSELL_ROOT_PROD'));
   return false;">Get a dog instead!</a>
   

7. Create the following prodStr:

   ISS.AddToCart(ISS.BuildProductStr(ISS.GetBusCompID("ROOT_PROD"), 1, null, ISS.BuildChildList(ISS.BuildProductStr("LEASH.DESC", 1, null, null, "RESTRAINT"));