About Channel Management

OPERA allows companies that use GDS or ADS such as central reservation offices, travel agents, and Web sites read and write access to your OPERA database. For example, a travel agent can use GDS to inquire about a properties' availability, then make a reservation on your OPERA database. To have channels work in your OPERA environment, you need to:

Create and configure channels using OPERA in system configuration mode. The channel you create in OPERA is associated with the GDS/ADS host. The channel can be for your hotel's Web site, one of the four GDS such as Worldspan, or an ADS such as Orbitz. For more information, see Channel Setup.
Map conversion codes that are used in OPERA to the codes used on the GDS/ADS host. For example, if you have a corporate rate for a global company, you need to map this rate code to the GDS/ADS access code equivalent. This means all travel agents in the world can see the same corporate rate and property codes - regardless of which channel or system they are using. For more information, see Channel Conversions.
Install and configure OPERA GWIZ. The GWIZ interface uses XML or ASCII messaging format to translate the transactions that flow between OPERA and GDS/ADS. For more information, see OPERA GWIZ.

Enabling Channel Management in OPERA

If it is not already enabled in OPERA, you must enable channel management functionality to configure the channels.

To activate channel management functionality:

Ensure you have the required license codes.
Select Setup>System Configuration. ORS is now in System Configuration mode.
Select Setup>Application Settings. The Application Settings window opens.
Select GDS and activate the Parameters and Settings.
Important Note. To see the GDS Application parameter group in a multi-property PMS, you must select property CRO in the Application Settings window.

After you perform the above steps, the following commands and functionality are available to use:

When in systems configuration mode, the Channel menu item appears in the menu bar including these sub-menu commands: Channel Setup, Channel Conversions, Channel Restrictions, Status Update, and Channel Reservation Types.
Under CRO, the Parameter Group GDS is now activated.
The GDS Allowed check box is active in the Rate Header screen.

OPERA GWIZ

OPERA GWIZ must be installed and configured before channel management can be put to practical use in OPERA. OPERA GWIZ is an interface that encodes and decodes transactions between OPERA and external systems. Examples of external systems that communicate with OPERA GWIZ include GDS users such as Sabre, SWITCH companies such as Pegasus, or Web booking engines such as Orbitz (ADS).

The transaction messages between these systems include: General Availability requests, Detail Availability requests and Booking messages with the following variations: New, Update, Cancel, Commit (for session controlled processing) and Ignore (for session controlled processing).

For more information on how to install and configure OPERA GWIZ, see the section Installing OPERA Electronic Distribution Suite (OEDS) in this Online Help.

OPERA and GDS/ADS Communication Flow

The following diagram shows how GDS/ADS and OPERA communicate through GWIZ. The top portion of the diagram shows the GDS and ADS hosts that need to be configured in OPERA as channels (Sabre, Apollo, Orbitz etc).

XML Direct Connect with Sabre

Instead of using Sabre with the Pegasus Switch for GDS distribution, an XML direct connect from Sabre to GDS distribution is available. Connecting directly to GDS distribution from Sabre via XML, instead of using Pegasus, results in:

Access to enhanced functionality from Sabre to GDS distribution
Speed when adding new functionality from Sabre for GDS distribution
Eliminating the costs of the use of the Pegasus switch and the potential bottleneck that occurs
A foundation upon which all future Sabre connectivity-related solutions can be developed

To allow Sabre to shop and book into OPERA CRS directly using OTA-conformant XML messaging, an integration interface covers all scope defined in Sabre Shop Level connectivity - Area wAvailability (HOT), General Availability (HOD), Detail Availability (HRD) and Reservations (Sell and End Transaction).

Sabre submit shopping and booking requests to the Hotel Associate’s Central Reservation System (OPERA CRS) that has agreed to communicate via WebServices using Direct Connect Integration Interface. Each request is considered to be independent.