Customizing Objects

This chapter describes how to customize objects. It includes the following topics:

Overview of Customizing Objects

You can edit workspace-enabled repository objects directly without locking any project. Note that only workspace-enabled repository objects can be edited inside workspaces. By default, all workspace-enabled objects are locked at the database level. Therefore, you are not required to lock projects when you edit the objects or perform any type of CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operation.

However, locking a project is still required before you edit the non-workspace objects. The non- workspace objects are Table, Task, Repository, Type, EIM Table, Projects, Dock Objects, Schema Maintenance, and Server Components.

Creating, Modifying, Copying, Validating, and Deleting Objects

This topic describes how to create, modify, copy, or delete an object. It includes the following information:

This task is a step in Roadmap for Setting Up and Using Siebel Tools.

Creating Objects

You can use a wizard to create an object, or you can create it manually. It is recommended that you use a wizard. For example, to create a new business component, you use the Business Component Wizard. A wizard guides you while you configure a new object. It prompts you for the required property values and automatically configures any required child objects. If a wizard is not available for the object type that you want to create, then you can create it manually in the Object List Editor. For more information about using wizards and creating objects, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

Using a Wizard to Create Objects

This topic describes how to use a wizard to create an object.

To use a wizard to create objects

Click the File menu, and then click New Object.
Choose the appropriate wizard to create the new object.
Follow the instructions that the wizard shows.
For more information on editors, see Using IDE in Web Tools

Using the Object List Editor to Create New Objects

This topic describes how to use the Object List Editor to create a new object. For more information, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor.

To use the Object List Editor to create new objects

In the Object Explorer, click the object type that you want to create.
Right-click in the Object List Editor, and then click New Record.
Enter property values in the new row in the Object List Editor.
You must enter values in the Name and Project properties. Siebel Tools might require that you set other properties, depending on the object type.
To save your modifications, click anywhere outside of the new row.

Modifying Objects

You can use the Object List Editor or the Properties window to modify an object. For more information, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor. For guidelines about when to modify an object or when to create a new object, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

Using the Properties Window to Modify Objects

This topic describes how to use the Properties window to modify an object.

To use the Properties window to modify an object

Create or open a workspace.
In the Object List Editor, locate the object that you want to modify.
For more information, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor.
Click the View menu, Windows, and then click Properties.
In the Properties window, enter a new value for a property.
To save your modifications, choose another property or click anywhere outside the Properties window.
Siebel Tools saves your modifications and places a check mark in the Changed property.

Renaming Objects

It is recommended that you copy an object, and then rename the copy instead of only renaming the original object. If you rename an object, then Siebel Tools might display an error message that is similar to the following:

Modifying the name of a checked out or locked object causes "unique constraint" error 
during check-in. To avoid this error, modify the name of the object back to the 
original name. Do you want to continue?

For more information, see Copying Objects.

Copying Objects

This topic describes how to copy an object. For guidelines about copying an object, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

To copy an object

Create or open a workspace.
In the Object List Editor, locate the object that you want to copy.
For more information, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor.
Click the Edit menu, and then click Copy Record.
Siebel Tools inserts a new record preceding the record that you copied. This new record includes all of the same values as the record that you copied, except the Name property is empty and the Changed property contains a check mark. Siebel Tools also creates a copy of any child objects for the record you copied. For example, if you copy the Account business component, then it creates a new business component that includes several hundred business component fields.
Enter a new value for the Name property.
If necessary, modify other properties and child objects.
To save your modifications, click anywhere outside of the new row.

Validating Objects

The Validate Tool is an error correction tool that you can use to make sure each object that you customize does not contain a configuration error. For example, you can use it to make sure an error workflow process does not itself contain an error workflow process. When you validate a workflow process, Siebel Tools displays warnings that describe errors that the workflow process contains. The validation dialog box allows you to correct these errors. This dialog box is without a mode. You can keep it open to view the error messages while you correct the problems that the dialog box reports, or you can proceed with deployment without fixing these validation errors.

Validation uses a set of rules that help make sure your configuration modifications are logically consistent with other objects. If you validate an object, then Siebel Tools also validates the child objects of this object. For example, if you validate the Account business component, then Siebel Tools also validates the child objects of the Account business component, such as fields, joins, and so on.

Using the Object List Editor to Validate Objects

This topic describes how to use the Object List Editor to validate an object.

To use the Object List Editor to validate objects

In the Object List Editor, locate the object that you want to validate.
For more information, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor.
Click the Tools menu, and then click Validate Object.
Siebel Tools displays the Validate dialog box. For more information, see Elements of the Validate Dialog Box.
Click Options.
In the Validation Options dialog box, in the Rules section, choose the validation rules that Siebel Tools must enforce.
For more information, see Elements of the Validation Options Dialog Box.
(Optional) In the Time Filter section, choose one of the following options:
- Last Validated. Validates objects that you modified since the last time you ran validation.
- Custom. Validates objects that you modified since the date and time that you enter. Enter a date and time to use this option.
(Optional) In the Action section, choose the following options:
- Do Not Report Warnings. Siebel Tools reports only errors, not warnings. It sets the Enforce field for warnings to No.
- Abort Validation After. You enter a number in the window that this section shows. If Siebel Tools identifies the number of errors that you specify in this window, then it stops validating the object, and then displays the Error dialog box. For example, if you enter 8, then Siebel Tools stops validating after it identifies 8 errors.
Click OK.
In the Validate dialog box, click Start.
Siebel Tools validates the object, and then displays any errors that it finds in the Validate dialog box.

Using the Command Line to Validate Objects

You can use the command line to validate objects.

To use the command line to validate objects

Open a command line, and then navigate to the SIEBEL_TOOLS_ROOT\BIN folder.
Enter the following command:
```
siebdev.exe /bv
```
The /bv switch runs all validation rules for the entire repository.

Deleting Objects

This topic describes how to delete an object.

To delete objects

In Siebel Tools, create or open a workspace.

Note: In case of workspace-enabled objects, you cannot delete any predefined object. If you try to delete the object, it will throw an error indicating that deletion is possible only for object created in the current version and that you have to inactivate the record to proceed further. For more information on making an object inactive, see Using the Inactive Property.
In case of non-workspace enabled objects, in the Object List Editor, locate the object that you want to delete.
For more information, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor.
Ensure that either the project or the object is locked.
From the Edit menu, choose Delete Record.
Check out the project that you examined in Step 3.
Click the Edit menu, and then click Delete Record.

Caution: It is recommended that you do not delete a predefined object. Other objects might reference this predefined object. Instead, you can make this object inactive. For more information, see Using the Inactive Property.
Siebel Tools deletes the object, and it also deletes any child objects of this object. For example, you create a business component named My Account Business Component. If you delete this business component, then Siebel Tools deletes all child objects of this business component, such as fields. It does not delete objects that only reference the object that you delete. For example, if you delete a view, then it does not delete the applets that reference this view.

Examining Objects

This topic describes how to examine objects. It includes the following information:

Searching the Repository

This topic describes how to locate object definitions for multiple object types. For information about how to locate object definitions for a single object type, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor.

If you know that one or more properties includes a value, then you can search the repository across all properties of multiple object types to locate the objects that include this value.

To search the repository

Click the Tools menu, and then click Search Repository.
Searching the repository can consume a significant amount of time. You can click Cancel in the Search Repository dialog box to cancel a search at any time while the search runs.
In the Search Repository dialog box, in the Parameters section, enter the search criteria in the Search value window.
To limit the search to values that are case-sensitive, make sure the Case Sensitive check box contains a check mark.
For example, select this check box to locate objects that include a value of Account and not account.
To limit the search to values that match the entire search string that you enter in Step 2, make sure the Exact Match check box contains a check mark.
In the Types to Search list, choose the object type that Siebel Tools must search.
Note the following:
- Siebel Tools searches all object types, by default.
- You can click the object type to choose a single object type.
- You can use multiselect to choose multiple object types.
  For more information, see Choosing More Than One Record in the Object List Editor.
- For improved performance, search only the minimum number of object types.

Click Search Now.

Siebel Tools runs the search and lists the results in the window at the end of the Search Repository dialog box. This window lists all the objects that match the search criteria. It includes the following columns:

Column	Description
Type	Object type of the object that the search returns.
Name	Name of the object that the search returns.
Property	Property name of the object that the search returns.
Value	Property value of the object that the search returns.

To display the object definition of an item that the search returns, double-click this item in the results window.
Siebel Tools displays the object definition of the item in the Object List Editor.
To export the search results to a file, click Export.

Viewing Object Relationships

You can use a visualization view to examine how objects relate to each other.

To view object relationships

Open Siebel Tools.
Set options for the visualization views:
1. Click the View menu, and then click Options.
2. In the Development Tools Options dialog box, click the Visualization tab, and then set the options.
  For more information, see Development Options for Visualization Views.
To open a visualization view, do one of the following:
- Click the View menu, click Visualize, and then click one of the following menu items:
  - View Details
  - View Relationships
  - View Descendents
  - View Web Hierarchy
- Right-click an object in the Object List Editor, and then choose a Visualization view.

The following table describes the Visualization views.

Table Description of Visualization Views

View	Description
Details	Displays a diagram that illustrates relationships depending on the following object type that you choose in the Object List Editor: Business Component. Illustrates the relationship between this business component and tables that this business component references. Business Object. Illustrates the relationship between this business object and the links and business components that this business object references.
Relationships	Displays a diagram that illustrates relationships depending on the following object type that you choose in the Object List Editor: Business Component. Illustrates the relationship between this business component and links to other business components. Table. Illustrates the relationship between this table and other tables.
Descendents	Displays a dialog box that lists all objects that reference the current object in their Upgrade Ancestor property. For example, if you right-click the Proposal Template Section business component, and then choose View Descendents, then Siebel Tools lists the Proposal Template Section Hierarchy business component. This is the only business component that includes Proposal Template Section in the Upgrade Ancestor property.
Web Hierarchy	Displays a diagram that illustrates a Web hierarchy depending on the following object type that you choose in the Object List Editor: Applet Application Business Component Screen View The Web hierarchy displays the parent-child relationships between the object you choose and the parent and child objects of this object throughout the hierarchy.

Comparing and Synchronizing Objects Between Repositories and Archives

You can compare two objects that are of the same object type. Siebel Tools uses color-coded icons to highlight differences. You can choose and copy properties and individual child objects from one object to another object. You can use this feature to propagate a modification that you make to an ancestor object to the descendents of this object or to other objects that are of a similar type. You can assess and adjust differences between objects. You can also compare properties of checked out objects with their counterparts on the Siebel Server. For more information about ancestor objects, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

You can compare two objects that are of the same type. The Object Comparison dialog box displays a line-by-line comparison between the two objects. You can compare the top-level objects that are defined in the following items:

Current repository
Different repositories
Archive files

Note: You can compare and synchronize objects between repositories and archives if the Workspace feature in not enabled (a flattened repository) and the concept of Workspace is not applicable.

For information about top-level object types, see Displaying Object Types in the Object Explorer.

Comparing Two Objects in the Same Repository

You can compare two objects that reside in the same repository.

To compare two objects in the same repository

In the Object Explorer, click an object type.
In the Object List Editor, choose two top-level object types.
For more information, see Choosing More Than One Record in the Object List Editor.
Click the Tools menu, Compare Objects, and then click Selected.
Examine the results in the Compare Objects dialog box.
For more information, see Elements of the Compare Objects Dialog Box.

Comparing Two Objects in Different Repositories

You can compare an object in the current repository to an object in a different repository.

Note: The objects that you compare must have the same name in both repositories. A workflow name is appended with the version number of the workflow. Consequently, to compare two workflows in different repositories, the workflows must have the same name and the same version number.

To compare two objects in different repositories

In the Object Explorer, click an object type.
In the Object List Editor, choose one top-level object type.
Click the Tools menu, Compare Objects, and then click Selected vs. Repository.
In the Open Repository dialog box, choose the repository that includes the object you want to compare, and then click Open.
Examine the results in the Compare Objects dialog box.
This dialog box displays the following:
- The object in the current working repository in the one window
- The corresponding object in the other repository in the other window
  You can update the current working repository or the other repository from the Object Comparison dialog box. To do an update, you must make sure the project that the object references is locked. For more information, see Elements of the Compare Objects Dialog Box.

Comparing an Object in the Current Repository to an Object in an Archive

You can compare an object in the current repository to an object in an archive.

To compare an object in the current repository to an object in an archive

In the Object Explorer, click an object type.
In the Object List Editor, choose one top-level object type.
Click the Tools menu, Compare Objects, and then click Selected vs. Archive.
In the Select Archive File to Compare Against dialog box, choose the archive file that includes the object you want to compare.
Siebel Tools saves an archive file as a SIF file. For more information, see Overview of Archiving Objects.
Click Open.
Siebel Tools starts the comparison at the project level. It does the following:
- If it finds a corresponding object in the archive, then it displays the Compare Objects dialog box.
- If it does not find a corresponding object in the archive, then it does nothing.
For more information, see Elements of the Compare Objects Dialog Box.

Comparing Objects in Two Different Archives

You can compare an object in an archive to an object in another archive.

To compare objects in two different archives

In the Object Explorer, click an object type.
In the Object List Editor, choose one top-level object type.
Click the Tools menu, Compare Objects, and then click Archive vs. Archive.
In the Select Archive File for Left Side of Comparison dialog box, choose an archive file, and then click Open.
In the Select Archive File for Right Side of Comparison dialog box, choose an archive file, and then click Open.
Siebel Tools displays the Object Comparison dialog box. It populates with the contents of the archives you choose in Step 4 and Step 5. During the comparison, these archives are read-only. For more information, see Elements of the Compare Objects Dialog Box.

Synchronizing Objects Between Repositories

You can use the Compare Objects dialog box to synchronize objects.

To synchronize objects between repositories

Lock the projects that the objects that you want to synchronize reference.
In the Object List Editor, choose two top-level object types of the same object type.
For more information, see Choosing More Than One Record in the Object List Editor.
Click the Tools menu, click Compare Objects, and then click Selected.
In the Compare Objects dialog box, choose an object in the First Selection box.
For more information, see Elements of the Compare Objects Dialog Box.
Click the right arrow button.
Siebel Tools does one of the following, depending on whether or not a corresponding object exists in the repository that the Second Selection section represents:
- Corresponding object exists. Siebel Tools modifies the properties of the object in the repository that the Second Selection section represents. It modifies these properties so that they are equal to the object properties of the object that the First Selection section shows.
- Corresponding object does not exist. Siebel Tools creates a corresponding object in the repository that the Second Selection section represents.
If you synchronize an object from one repository to another repository, then Siebel Tools synchronizes this object and any child objects that this object includes.

Comparing Different Versions of a Workflow Process or Task UI

Siebel Tools allows you to compare two different versions of the same workflow process or task UI. It uses two separate windows to display these differences.

To compare different versions of a workflow process or task UI

Log in to Siebel Tools.
In the Object Explorer, click Workflow Process.
Alternatively, you can compare two versions of a task UI.
In the Workflow Processes list, choose two versions of the same workflow process.
Make sure you choose two versions of the same workflow process and that these versions include different values in the Version property. Siebel Tools allows you to choose two entirely different workflow processes, but the comparison is not meaningful. You must click Revise to create a new version of the same workflow process.
For more information about Revise, see WF/Task Editor Toolbar. For more information about choosing two workflow versions, see Choosing More Than One Record in the Object List Editor.
Click the Tools menu, Compare Objects, and then click Selected.
Siebel Tools displays each workflow process version in a separate window. It displays the first record that you choose in Step 3 in the first window and the second record that you choose in Step 3 in the second window. It compares the first record to the second record. It considers the first record as the newer record. It uses the following colors to indicate differences between these records:
- Yellow. You modified the object. For example, you added a process property to a business service step.
- Red. You deleted an object from the old version.
- Green. You added an object to the new version.
Note the following behavior:
- If you click an object that is not red or green in one window, then Siebel Tools chooses the corresponding object in the other window. This functionality works only if a corresponding object exists. For example, if you click a red or green object, then Siebel Tools does not choose any object in the other window because no corresponding object exists.
- You can double-click the object to view details about your modifications.
- You can repeat Step 3 and Step 4 to compare multiple sets of workflows. Siebel Tools displays each set in a separate tab. You can click each tab to navigate between sets.
- To compare the workflow process properties of the two versions, you can double-click the background of either version, and then Siebel Tools displays an object comparison dialog box that allows you to view the differences for process properties instead of the differences between process steps. If a difference exists between the process properties of the two versions, then Siebel Tools sets the background color of one of the versions to yellow.

Determining When Siebel CRM Created or Updated a Record

You can determine the last time Siebel CRM created or updated a record and who made the modification or update.

To determine when Siebel CRM created or updated a record

In Siebel Tools, create or open a workspace.
In the Object List Editor, locate the object you want to modify.
For more information, see Locating and Modifying Object Definitions in the Object List Editor.
Click the Help menu, and then click About Record.
In The Siebel Tools dialog box, click Details to display more information about the record.