Working with Lists of Values

This chapter provides guidelines to administrators for working with lists of values within Siebel Business Applications. It includes the following topics:

About Lists of Values

A list of values (LOV) is a set of values that populates the list when a user accesses a drop-down list in the user interface.

The following types of lists are available in a Siebel application:

Static drop-down lists. A static drop-down list is a selection list with values that change only when administrators change them. An example of a static drop-down list is a list containing postal abbreviations for states and countries.
Dynamic lists. A dynamic list is a selection list that usually contains transactional data. An example of a dynamic list is a list containing account names.

Generally, dynamic lists include all lists that do not retrieve values stored in the S_LST_OF_VAL table. Dynamic lists are typically rendered through a pick applet, such as the list used to select an account for a contact. However, they can be configured to appear as drop-down lists.

The remainder of this chapter focuses on static drop-down lists. You administer these lists from the views for lists of values. For information about how to set up a new list of values and configure both static drop-down lists and dynamic lists, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

This chapter describes how to work with the values that populate static drop-down lists, including how to create or modify values in an existing list of values, and deactivate values when you do not want them to appear. In addition, it describes how you can constrain lists of values through selections in other lists. For information about creating multilingual lists of values (MLOV), see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

You can view data for lists of values in the following views of the Administration - Data screen:

In the List of Values view, a list view
In the LOV Explorer view

The values in these two views are the same. Only the format in which the information is presented is different. The procedures in this chapter give instructions that specify using the list view. You can also use the explorer view.

Your Siebel Business Applications come with numerous lists of values that support the static drop-down lists used in Siebel screens. You can use these lists of values as they are, or you can modify them to support your organization’s requirements.

Adding a New Value to an Existing List of Values

To add an item to an existing list of values so that it appears in a drop-down list, you must know its type. You can find out the type by querying the list-of-values list to determine the type associated with a specific display value. Then you can create a new record with that type. For example, in the Accounts list you can see the Status drop-down list. Also, you use this field to indicate ratings for your accounts’ reliability. Initial settings are Gold and Silver. You might want to add another status of Bronze to this list, to give to customers who have a reliable account rating. The procedure in this topic uses this example.

The maximum number of values allowed for one LOV type is 10,000.

To identify the list-of-values type for a display value

Navigate to the screen displaying the drop-down list to which you want to add a value (for example, the Accounts screen).
Select the drop-down list and make note of one of the choices.
For example, in the Accounts screen, select the Status drop-down list and make note of the value Gold.

Tip: Be sure to note the capitalization and spacing of the choice.
Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, then the List of Values view.
In the list-of-values list, perform a query in the Display Value field, using the value you note in Step 2.
In the list of records that is returned, identify the appropriate record by reviewing the entries in the Type field.
List-of-values types usually have names that relate to the field labels in the screens where they are used. In this example, you look for a type labeled something like ACCOUNT_STATUS.

When you create a new value for this list, you use this type.

Adding the New Value

Complete the following procedure to add a new value to an existing list of values.

To add a new value to an existing list of values

Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, then the List of Values view.

Create a new record, and complete the necessary fields.

Some of the fields are described in the following table.

Field	Comments
Type	Select a type for the list of values. For example, select ACCOUNT_STATUS.
Display Value	Type the new value for the list of values. For example, if Bronze is the status that your organization gives to customers who have a reliable account rating, and you want to make Bronze available as in the Account Status drop-down, then enter Bronze as the display value. Make sure that the length of the display value you enter does not exceed the allowed length of the destination column.
Language Independent Code	Type the Language Independent Code for the list of values. This value is usually the same as the value in the Display Value field. Make sure that the length of the Language Independent Code you enter does not exceed the allowed length of the destination column. Note: The Display Name field and Language Independent Code field must both be unique within a list-of-values type, except when configuring a multilingual list of values. If you add a value that already exists, then an error message appears. For example, there cannot be two ACCOUNT_STATUS records that have a display value of Bronze. For information about multilingual lists of values, see the definition of the Language Independent Code field in List-of-Values Fields.
Order	Type a number to indicate the numerical order in which the value appears in a drop-down list. For example, if the order numbers for Gold and Silver are 1 and 2, respectively, then the order number for Bronze is 3.

If appropriate, complete the remaining fields in the record.
For a description of these fields, see List-of-Values Fields.
Clear the LOV cache by clicking Clear Cache.
After you have cleared the cache, you can navigate to a screen and select the new value in the related drop-down list. For example, you can navigate to the Accounts screen, select a record from the Accounts list, and then select Bronze in the Account Status drop-down list for the record.

Clearing the Cache

A particular list of values is cached the first time a user opens a drop-down list that uses the list of values. This feature improves performance by avoiding having to retrieve the list from the Siebel database when subsequently using of the drop-down list. However, this feature also means that updates to a list of values do not appear in a drop-down list until you clear the cache. Clearing the cache instructs the Siebel application to read the updated values out of the Siebel database and display them.

Users who log in after you add or change a list of values can see the addition or change that you made. However, in order for you to see the changes that you made in real time, you must perform one of the following actions:

For the Siebel Developer Web Client, log out of the Siebel application and log back in.
For either the Web Client or the Siebel Developer Web Client, clear the cache.

About LOV Caching on Screen Home Pages

LOV caching behaves slightly differently on screen home pages.

On screen home pages, the LOVs are cached when the home page appears. It is not necessary for the user to open the drop-down list to have the LOVs cached.

Clearing the Cache

You can use the Clear Cache button to clear the cache.

To clear the cache using the Clear Cache button

Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, then the List of Values view.
In the List of Values list, click Clear Cache.

List-of-Values Fields

Some list-of-values fields, such as High, Low, and Weighting Factor, are for use by specialized Siebel C++ code to store additional information about the selected list-of-values record. In addition, pick maps can use list-of-value fields such as High, Low, and Weighting Factor. Pick maps normally use the Display Value field, which causes the list item selected by the user to be stored in the Siebel database exactly as it appears in the list. These fields can be used to populate other fields of the business component in which the pick map is defined.

If you must use the High or Low fields, or other extra fields, then use Siebel Tools to extend the PickList Generic BusComp by adding fields mapped to the corresponding columns on the S_LST_OF_VAL table. For example, you can use the High and Low fields to automatically populate the high and low temperatures when a user picks a Month value in a Date drop-down list. To do so, you add two pick maps to the Month field by adding the High and Low list-of-value fields to the Pick List field of Pick Map. For more information about the PickList Generic BusComp, and about configuring static drop-down lists and pick maps, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

Note: The Target High and Target Low fields are used exclusively with Smart Reports. For more information, see Siebel Reports Guide.

The following table shows the fields for List-of-Values records. Not all fields for list-of-values records appear in the standard user interface. You can use the Columns Displayed option in the menu for the cogwheel icon to display a field that does not appear.

Table List-of-Values Fields

Field	Description
Type	The type of list of values (the field name).
Display Value	The value appears in the drop-down list.
Translate	A check box that, when checked, indicates that internationalization is needed. (No client or server functionality ia associated with this field.)
Multilingual	A check box that, when checked, indicates that the list of values is part of a multilingual list of values (MLOV). (No client or server functionality is associated with this field.)
Language Independent Code	A value that, along with the Display Value, uniquely identifies a value for a particular LOV type. In most cases the Language Independent Code is the same as the Display Value. However, the Language Independent Code and Display Value are different for multilingual lists of values (MLOVs). MLOVs allow a single logical list item to support multiple display values for users who are accessing the Siebel application in different languages. For example if the MR_MS (Personal Title) list of values were multilingual, then there might be three list-of-values items with a Language Independent Code of Mr. These lists of values might have a display value and language of Mr. (English-American), Senor (Spanish - Modern), and Herr (German), respectively. German users see Herr in the Personal Title drop-down list, Spanish users see Senor and English users see Mr. Although the display values vary across language instances, the value stored in the Siebel database when a user selects any one of these values is always Mr. because that is the Language Independent Code associated with Herr, Senor, and Mr. Values entered in the Language Independent Code field are sometimes referred to as LIVs (language independent values).
Parent LIC	The Language Independent Code of a parent list of values. This field is used in hierarchical lists of values, where the values that appear in a drop-down list are constrained by the value selected in the parent drop-down list of values. For more information, see Constrained Lists of Values. There are only parents and children in this hierarchy. Grandchildren are not allowed. This hierarchy is enforced by limiting the values in the Pick Parent dialog box to those values that do not themselves have parent display values.
Replication Level	A value that specifies whether the translation is intended for use at all levels in the translation hierarchy or only at the regional level.
High	An extra field available for use by pick maps or for customization.
Low	An extra field available for use by pick maps or for customization.
Order	The numerical order in which a value appears within a drop-down list.
Active	A check box that, when checked, indicates that the value appears to the user, and that when unchecked, indicates that the value does not appear to the user.
Language Name	The language used for the Display Value field in the list of values.
Target Low	An extra field used in Smart Reports.
Target High	An extra field used in Smart Reports.
Weighting Factor	An extra field available for use by pick maps or for customization.
Bitmap	The bitmap file that appears.
Description	A description of a specific value.

Modifying a List of Values

Caution: Use caution when modifying lists of values that are part of the seed data. Modifying some list-of-values fields that are used programmatically by the Siebel application can adversely impact standard Siebel functionality. However, you can modify the Display Value field without affecting standard Siebel functionality both when the list is a multilingual list of values (MLOV) and when it is a standard list of values.

Modifying some lists of values can adversely impact standard Siebel functionality:

Do not change the Language Independent Code values for lists of values because the internal Siebel application uses the Language Independent Code field.
Some lists of values are for use only by the internal Siebel application. Do not modify these lists of values. For example, the list-of-values SOURCE_TYPE (Internal) and list-of-values types that begin with REPOSITORY, WFR, or WF in the Type field name are for internal use only.
Some list-of-values modifications can have unwanted results. For example, changing all lists of values in the Siebel application to uppercase or changing the Language Independent Code from the Siebel standard can result in values not appearing or appearing improperly.

Note: Modifying a Display Value field does not automatically update records that have been populated with the old value. For example, if you change Ms. to Miz in the Display Value field, then Miz appears in the drop-down list, but all contact records that were previously entered with Ms. in the Personal Title field still have Ms. in the Personal Title field.

To modify a value in a drop-down list, you must know its display value and type. You can find out the type by querying the list-of-values list for a specific display value. For example, if you must make a change to the value 1-ASAP in the Priority drop-down list in the Activities screen, then you can do so using the following steps. For more information about multilingual lists of values (MLOVs), see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

To modify an item in a list of values

Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, then the List of Values view.
Perform a query to locate the record you want to change.
For example, you might query for a value of 1-ASAP in the Display Value field. In this example, a list of records appears that includes the display value that you enter. Multiple records can appear, and the records can have different types.
In the list of records, select the record that you want to modify, and change the record.
To see the list-of-values modification in the Siebel application, click Clear Cache.
For instructions about how to clear the cache, see Clearing the Cache.

Deactivating a Value in a List of Values

You can deactivate individual values in a list. Inactive values do not appear to users in a drop-down list, and active values appear to users. Inactive values are not deleted. To delete values, the No Delete property in the List Of Values business component must be FALSE.

Caution: Deactivating some lists of values can adversely impact standard Siebel functionality. Be careful when deactivating a list of values because the Siebel application might depend on the list of values. Do not deactivate list-of-values types or values used internally by the Siebel application. For example, do not deactivate list-of-values types that include “Repository" in the Type field name. Be careful when deactivating values. For example, if you deactivate the value Commercial in the Account_Type list of values, but account data with an Account Type of Commercial exists, then you might introduce inconsistencies in your data. If you want to deactivate a value, then first clean up the account records in the Siebel database.

To deactivate a value in a list of values

Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, then the List of Values view.
If necessary, perform a query to locate the record that you want to deactivate.
Select the record that you want to deactivate.
In the Active field, click the check mark to clear the field.
Click Clear Cache.
You can navigate to the list of values to see that the value no longer appears.

Constrained Lists of Values

Some drop-down lists are set up to display a subset of values that are based on a value set in another drop-down list. For example, if you have two fields for Service Request, Area and Subarea, then the values shown in the Area drop-down list might include Network and Upgrade. If the user selects Network, then that user might see a drop-down list for Subarea that includes Ethernet Card and 3rd Party Software. If the user selects Upgrade for the Area, then that user might see CD-ROM, Disk Drive, Memory, and Operating System in the Subarea. This type of filtering is a constrained drop-down list. In such a case, the lists of values are configured to depend on each other. In this example, the Area drop-down list is the parent, and the Subarea drop-down list is the child. For information about constraining both static drop-down lists (maintained through lists of values) and dynamic lists, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

Constrained drop-down lists (or lists of values) must first be set up through Siebel Tools. After they are configured through Siebel Tools, specific values in lists can be made hierarchically dependent through the List of Values view. You use the Parent LIC field in the list-of-values record to specify the values that appear when a value is selected in the parent drop-down list.

For example, the LOV Type SR_AREA is used by both the Area and Subarea drop-down lists in a Service Request. The values that appear in the Area drop-down list are constrained to those that have a Parent LIC value of External.

The values that appear in the Subarea drop-down list are constrained to those that have a Parent LIC value that matches the user’s selection for the Area. For example, if the user selects Network in the Area drop-down, then only those values that have the Parent LIC field set to Network appear in the Subarea drop-down list, while if the user selects Upgrade in the Area drop-down, then only those values that have the Parent LIC field set to Upgrade appear in the Subarea drop-down list.

If you want to change the parent Area of a Subarea list item, then you must modify the Parent LIC field of the Subarea list item. Similarly, to add a new Subarea list item, you must create a new record, setting the list-of-values type to SR_AREA and the Display Value, Language Independent Code, and Language as described in Adding a New Value to an Existing List of Values.

Then you set the Parent LIC field to the appropriate parent area. By contrast, to add a new item to the Area drop-down list, you follow the same steps, but specify that the Parent LIC field have the value External.

Note: The usage of the External value to identify items in the parent drop-down list is specific to this example. To determine this value for any pair of constrained drop-down lists, reference the underlying configuration in the Tools Repository.

SR_AREA LOV is used by the SR_TYPE, Area, and Sub Area LOVs in a Parent-Child-Grandchild hierarchy. SR_AREA LOV configuration is different when compared with other LOVs. While creating SR_AREA LOV values make sure that:

SR Type value has no Parent LIC field and the order number is 1000 or more.
SR Area LOV value’s Parent LIC field is the LIC of the parent SR Type.
Sub Area’s Parent LIC field is a combination of the SR TYPE and SR Area LIC Values. The SR Type and SR Area LIC values are concatenated to create a new record that appears in the Parent LIC list.

Note: In the example using the Area and Subarea drop-down lists, both parent and child lists of values have the same list-of-values type. This condition is not required, but it has the advantage of avoiding EIM unique key violation errors. These errors can occur when constraining drop-down lists using Siebel Tools, when the parent and child lists of values contain different list-of-values types. If you plan to use Siebel EIM to exchange list-of-values data, then consider constraining drop-down lists by configuring them so that the parent and child lists of values have the same list-of-values type.