5Scenarios for Using Siebel EAI
Scenarios for Using
This chapter describes several examples of how is used to achieve data integration. You might use for data integration differently, depending on your business model. This chapter includes the following topics:
Although allows you to accomplish integration within the scope of these scenarios, it is not limited to only the scenarios described in this topic. For more information, see Overview of Integration with.
Scenarios for Common Integrations
The common integration scenarios described in this topic apply to many of the integration requirements you might encounter.
Outbound Message to a File
In this scenario, you define a Siebel workflow process that creates a unique file when a support representative closes a service request. The file is then sent to a central directory on a network server, where at midnight it is bundled automatically into an Adobe PDF file along with other closed service requests for that day.
Round Trip Message from a File to Siebel Applications
In this scenario, a service request that is entered from within your Web site must also be entered as a service request in Siebel Service. Also, you must pull, from Siebel Service, a service request number that is automatically generated, add it to the service request, generate a file that is attached to a confirmation email message, then send the email to the individual who requested service.
Round Trip Message from an External Application
In this scenario, when your back office Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system recognizes a reorder point on a popular inventory item, it sends a message to your Siebel application to notify salespeople that a popular item is about to be reordered. If a salesperson must order from the remaining supply at the current price, then the salesperson can respond to the message.
Round Trip Message to an External Application with a Different Code Page
In this scenario, a salesperson must send an order from a Siebel application to your back office ERP system which is using Japanese 932, while the code page used by the Siebel application is UTF-8. The salesperson must receive a confirmation that includes an order number which is generated by the ERP system.
Inbound Message from an External Application
In this scenario, when product information in your SAP R/3 system is updated, the SAP R/3 system must send an updated IDOC to your Siebel system, then the product information must be updated in the Product business object in Siebel.
Outbound Message to an External Application
In this scenario, account information must be updated in your SAP R/3 IDOC from Siebel Business Applications.
Scenarios for Data that is Accessed, Exported or Replicated
This topic describes scenarios where a business process requires access to specific data in order to accomplish a process goal.
Export Customer Data to an External System
In this scenario, a change to contact information in the Siebel Database must be sent to an external mainframe system through IBM WebSphere MQ. Work you can perform in this situation can include:
Define and configure the message that must be exchanged. In the Siebel Database, the Contact business object contains several business components, and each business component includes several fields. It is not desirable to send all of this information to the external system. You must choose only a subset of this information.
Use Siebel Tools to define the integration object for the contact message you must exchange. Siebel Tools provides an Integration Object Builder that assists you to define an integration object.
Define how the message is handled. The contact message must be sent to the external system by using EAI MQSeries Server Transport. You can use the Siebel Workflow Process Manager to model the message flow for this integration, and to send the message. The flow for an integration message is a sequence of business services that are connected.
The following table describes the requirements to export customer data from a Siebel application to an external system.
Table Integration Requirements to Export Customer Data to an External System
| Business Requirement | Technological Requirement | Siebel Solution |
|---|---|---|
To access the Siebel Database |
Use a business service to query the integration object. |
EAI Siebel Adapter |
To convert an internal Siebel message format into XML |
Use Siebel conversion technology to convert the message to XML. |
EAI XML Converter |
To place the converted XML document in the destination queue |
Use technology that is compatible with IBM MQSeries. |
EAI MQSeries Server Transport |
Access a Company Catalog through Replication
In this scenario, salespeople must be provided access to a product catalog while they are on the road. Therefore, you import the catalog information into a Siebel application so that Siebel Remote can handle the mobile replication. Siebel Enterprise Integration Manager (EIM) imports this information.
The following table describes the requirements to provide access to a company catalog through replication.
Table Integration Requirements to Access a Company Catalog through Replication
| Business Requirement | Technological Requirement | Siebel Solution |
|---|---|---|
To import the product catalog for the company |
Use high volume batch replication. |
Siebel Enterprise Integration Manager (EIM) |
Access Customer History Information Without Replication
In this scenario, a company is in the financial industry. Because a financial service institution is typically cautious when handling customer data, the company must provide access to data while replicating as few times as possible, if at all. However, the customer service agent must access the transaction history for your customer in order to provide the best service. This information is typically stored in Customer Information Files (CIF) on a mainframe computer.
The Siebel Virtual Business Component (VBC) can handle this business requirement. A VBC abstracts external data and presents it to a Siebel application as part of the Siebel data model. Siebel business logic and user interface components process a VBC in the same way that they process a standard business component.
The following table describes the requirements to integrate customer transaction history information into a Siebel application.
Table Integration Requirements to Access Customer Data Without Replication
| Business Requirement | Technological Requirement | Siebel Solution |
|---|---|---|
To provide access to the Customer Information Files (CIF) that are stored on a mainframe computer, and display this information in the customer portal |
Use access to non Siebel data without replication. |
Siebel Virtual Business Component (VBC) |
Access to Java Data
In this scenario, a customer service Web application is written with JavaServer Pages (JSP). To pass this data into a Siebel application so that the account record is updated, you call Siebel Java Data Beans in the Siebel Object Interface. This way, a customer service representative can use the information from the Web application JSP while serving the customer.
The following table describes the requirements to access Java data.
Table Integration Requirements to Access Java Data
| Business Requirement | Technological Requirement | Siebel Solution |
|---|---|---|
To update Siebel account data from an application that uses JSP |
Use a programmatic interaction. |
Siebel J2EE Resource Adapter and Application Service |
Scenarios for Data that Crosses a Boundary
A business process might be required to cross functional, departmental, or enterprise boundaries. Because different organizations might use different applications, you require a way to make sure an application can hand off the execution of a business process to another application.
Access to Business to Business Data
Business-to-business (B2B) integration allows partner companies to work together in order to satisfy a customer demand. Because B2B is fundamentally about carrying out a transaction over the Internet, the technology must work over the infrastructure that is used with the Internet. To meet this requirement, provides the EAI HTTP adapter and the Siebel Workflow Process Manager.
The following table describes the requirements to implement a B2B transaction.
Table Integration Requirements To Implement a B2B Transaction
| Business Requirement | Technological Requirement | Siebel Solution |
|---|---|---|
To create a B2B integration in order to send an order directly to a partner over the Internet |
Use XML messaging over HTTP. |
Siebel solutions include:
|
Access to Legacy Data
Interfacing with a custom legacy application presents challenges that are similar to those described in Access to Business to Business Data. On the Internet, HTTP is a standard protocol that is used to exchange data. In a mainframe environment, IBM MQSeries is a common application messaging transport. Therefore, you can replace the HTTP protocol in this solution with MQSeries and still finish the transaction.
The following table describes the requirements to access legacy data that exists on a mainframe.
Table Integration Requirements to Access Legacy Data
| Business Requirement | Technological Requirement | Siebel Solution |
|---|---|---|
To create an order with a mainframe system |
Use business process management that can cross applications. |
Siebel solutions include:
|
Scenarios for Data that is Transformed
When performing data transformation within the Siebel environment, you use two types of integration objects:
An Internal integration object mirrors the data structure of a Siebel business object and contains a subset of business components and fields.
An external integration object mirrors the data structure of an external system.
The EAI Siebel Adapter performs the same function whether the data transformation is performed inside or outside the Siebel environment. The XML Converter and the transports also perform the same function, whether they are used within the Siebel environment or outside the Siebel environment.
The only difference is that, if used outside the Siebel environment, then both of these business services perform an operation on an external integration object instance, as opposed to performing an operation on an internal integration object instance when used within the Siebel environment.
You use business services to define data mapping and data transformation rules. provides many mappings and transformation rules in the prebuilt external adapters. You define internal and external integration objects in Siebel Tools.
Pass Data to an External Application
In this scenario, an order is created in a Siebel Business Application, and is then passed to an external application. The external application returns the order status and an order number. Work you can perform in this situation can include:
Identify the Siebel business object to update. For that business object, identify the components and fields to update.
Identify the object in the external system with which you must integrate.
Determine the mapping between the Siebel business object and the external object.
In Siebel Tools, use the Integration Object Wizard to create a new internal integration object. Choose only the components and fields that must be updated.
In Siebel Tools, create a new external integration object.
In either Siebel Tools or in the Siebel client, use business services to define the data mapping and data transformation.
In Siebel Tools, define an integration workflow process and add exception handling to it.
Test the workflow process using the process simulator.
Add a mechanism to call the workflow process from Oracle’s Siebel applications.
The following table details the requirements for data transformation integration.
Table Integration Requirements to Pass Data to An External System
| Business Requirement | Technological Requirement | Siebel EAI Solution |
|---|---|---|
To create a new internal Integration Object |
Use the integration object tool or wizard. |
Siebel Integration Object Wizard |
To create a new external Integration Object |
Use the integration object tool or wizard. |
Siebel Integration Object Wizard |
To create a new business flow |
Use workflow process technology. |
Siebel Workflow Process Designer |