Managing Partner Relationships

This chapter provides examples of tasks and processes that channel managers and partner users perform to manage partner relationships. Your company can customize the tasks to meet its requirements. The chapter includes the following topics:

About Partner Account and Profiling Management

A partner account in partner relationship management is an account with the account type set to Partner, the Account Partner check box selected, and the Managed Partner flag set to Y. Partner accounts are records that track information about partners that have or will have users in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

It is recommended that two separate records are created if the brand owner company works with another company both as a PRM partner and as an account to which the brand owner sells.

Working with partner records, you can define the business and the partnership profile information as well as the partnership information for the brand owner and the partner. Examples of partner profile information are company name, address, phone numbers, fax number, Web site, annual revenue, number of employees, market, industry, and a description of the business.

You can work with partner accounts through the Accounts tab or through the Partners tab, but some actions are possible in only one of the tabs. For more information about partner accounts, see Guidelines for Working with Partner Accounts.

Guidelines for Working with Partner Accounts

When you are setting up and working with partner accounts, consider the following guidelines:

Partner accounts are a subclass of accounts. Because the partner record type is a subclass of the account record type, custom fields added to the account record type also appear in the partner record type. However, the reverse is not true. Custom fields added to the partner record type are not available in the account record type.

Note: When you edit a partner account from the Accounts tab, the Account Type field (set to Partner) is visible. When you edit a partner account from the Partners tab, the Account Type field is not visible, because the only account type that a partner account can have is Partner.
Create partner accounts using the Partner tab. It is recommended that a PRM partner account is created and managed through the Partner tab.
You can create PRM partner accounts through the Accounts tab, or through the Partners tab. If you create the account through the Partners tab, then the account type is automatically set to Partner and the Managed Partner Flag is automatically set to Y. If you create an account through the Accounts tab and want to designate it as a partner account, then you must set the Account Type field to Partner and the Managed Partner Flag to Y if you want the record to be treated as a PRM partner account in the partner record type. Designating an account as a partner account results in the account being visible through the Partners tab.
Changing the account type of a partner is restricted. You cannot change the account type of a partner account to anything other than Partner while the partner organization status on the partner account is set to Active.
To change the account type of a partner account, you must first set the partner organization status on the account to Inactive through the Partners tab. You can then change the account type value through the Accounts tab.
Deleting partner accounts with an active status is not allowed. Oracle CRM On Demand does not allow you to delete an active partner account (that is, an account of the type Partner, where the partner organization status is set to Active) from the Accounts tab. This is because partner accounts can have opportunities and other records associated with them. Also, you cannot delete an account from the Partners tab, you can only make the partner account inactive.
To delete a partner account, you must first set the partner organization status on the account to Inactive through the Partner tab. You can then delete the account through the Accounts tab.
When you delete a partner account from the Accounts tab, Oracle CRM On Demand checks to make sure that the partner organization status on the account is set to Inactive, to prevent accidental deletion of an active partner record. For more information, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.
Defining a partner hierarchy is allowed. You can indicate partner hierarchies, such as a company that is a subsidiary of another company, by defining a parent-child relationship between accounts. The user of the parent account allows a hierarchy to be defined. For more information about partners, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About Book Management

Using books to manage visibility to partner records ensures that one partner organization’s critical information or records are secure from users in another partner organization unless one partner organization explicitly gives another access rights. Books also control visibility to records, so that all of the users who are associated with a partner organization’s book have visibility to the partner organization record, and to all records that are linked to the partner organization’s book. When a partner account is linked to another record, the linked record can also be associated with the partner organization’s book.

Records can be associated with books either manually (by adding the book to the Book related information section on a record), or through workflow rules. For information about using workflow rules to associate books with records, see Process of Configuring Books and Workflow Rules for Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

The record types that books can be associated with are as follows:

Account
Application
Deal Registration
MDF Requests
SP Requests
Partner
Partner Program
Opportunity
Lead
Fund

The following table describes some of the fields that are important when defining a book for a partner organization.

Table Fields Supporting Book Management in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management

Field	Description
Book Type	Used to define a partner organization’s book. When you create partner organization books, you select the Partner Organization value, which is set up by the company administrator.
Partner	The partner organization associated with the book.
Partner Location	The Partner Location value is derived from the partner account record and is populated by default. The value is determined by the partner account relationship that is created when the Partner field is populated.

Example Process of Creating Partner Accounts

This topic provides one example of a process for creating partner accounts. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To create a partner account, channel managers perform the following tasks:

Creating Partner Accounts (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Creating Partner Accounts.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a partner account.

To create a partner account

Navigate to the Partners tab, and create a new partner account.
Set the status of the partner account to Active.
Save the partner account.
For more information about creating partner accounts, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

Note: Fields can be added to or removed from the Partner Detail page. If there are fields that you want to add to the Partner Detail page, then contact your PRM administrator to add the fields.

What Happens When a Partner Is Created and the Partner Organization Status Is Set to Active?

When a PRM partner is created, the partner organization status set to Active, and the record is saved, a partner book is automatically created. As users are added as members of this PRM partner organization, the following actions occur:

The users are automatically added to the book that was created.
A partner record is placed in this book when a partner relationship is defined for the partner and Partner Access or Reciprocal Access is selected.

You can access this book in the book related item for the partner.

Creating Partner Organization Books (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Creating Partner Accounts.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a partner organization book.

To create a partner organization book

In Oracle CRM On Demand, click Admin.
In the User Management and Access Controls section of the Admin Homepage, click Book Management.
On the Book Hierarchy page, click New.

On the Book Edit page, enter the information for the book, including the fields shown in the following table, and then save your record.

The following table describes the settings for the fields on partner organization books.

Field	Description
Book Name	It is recommended that you define a naming convention such as the following: Partner Book - Company A - Location.
Book Type	Choose the partner organization value from the picklist.
Partner	Click the lookup icon, and select the partner organization with which the partner book will be associated.
Can Contain Data	Select the check box.

On the Book Details page, on the title bar of the Book Users section, click Add Users.
In the Book Users Edit page, choose the users whom you want to associate with the book.
These users have visibility to the partner account record and to the records linked to the partner account.
Select a book user role (optional) and a book access profile for each user.
For information about book user roles and book access profiles, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.
Save the record.
For more information about books, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About Managing Partner Programs

Partner programs are designed by the brand owner company to help manage the life cycle of partners, from recruiting and segmenting partners to supporting funding programs, and to encourage the registration of deals. A partner program describes the requirements and benefits for partners when they are members of the partner program. Partner program records allow you to manage different types and levels of partner programs and to administer partner program memberships. For more information about the fields on the Partner Program page, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

Defining a Partner Program (Channel Manager)

Complete the steps in the following procedure to define a partner program.

To define a partner program

Navigate to the Partner Programs tab, and create a new partner program.
Define the Partner Program name and status, and the other fields, as applicable.
Save the Partner Program record.
In the Partner Program Details page, scroll down to the Program Membership section, and click New to add a partner to the partner program.
In the Partner Name field, click the lookup icon, and choose the name of the partner that you want to add as a member of the partner program.
Complete the other fields on the Program Membership Detail page, as required.
Save the record.

About Lead Management

A brand owner can assign a lead or group of leads to a partner organization or to a specific partner user, such as a partner sales representative. The partner can then accept or reject the ownership of the lead. After the lead is accepted, the partner can follow the same lead management processes that are defined for an internal field sales representative. For more information, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

The following table describes the fields that support lead management in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

Table Lead Management Fields for Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management

Field	Description
Ownership Status	Defines the current ownership status of the lead. The values include: Transfer to Partner. The channel manager has transferred the lead to a partner. Accepted. A partner selects Accepted to accept the lead. Declined. A partner selects Declined to decline the lead.
Channel Manager	Read-only. This field contains the channel manager's name. The value is derived from the Channel Manager field on the partner record.
Owner Partner Account	Read-only. By default, this field displays the name of the partner company that the current owner of the lead works for. If the current owner is a brand-owner user, then this field is blank by default.
Principal Partner Account	The partner company that is currently responsible for the lead. Typically, this field is the same as the Owner Partner Account, but might sometimes be different, for example, when the owner has out-sourced the follow-up work.
Originating Partner Account	The name of the partner company that uncovered the lead.

Example Process of Managing Leads

This topic provides one example of a process for managing leads. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To manage leads, channel managers and partner users perform the following tasks:

Creating Leads for Partners (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Leads.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to create a lead.

To create a lead for a partner

Navigate to the Lead tab, and create a new lead.
Enter the lead’s name and complete the other fields.
In the Owner Full Name field, click the lookup icon, and choose the new owner from a list of partner users.
Set the ownership status to Transfer to Partner.
This status indicates that you have transferred this lead to the partner user.
Save the lead record.
When you save the record, the Owner Account field and the Channel Manager field are populated automatically from the partner account record associated with the new owner of the lead.

Taking Ownership of a Lead (Partner Users)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Leads.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to take ownership of a lead.

To take ownership of a lead

Sign in to Oracle CRM On Demand, review the new lead in your list of leads, and determine whether you want to own the lead.
Accept or reject the lead, as follows:
- To accept the lead, set the ownership status to Accepted.
- To decline the lead, set the ownership status to Declined.
Save the record.
Follow the standard lead management process.
For more information, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About Managing Deal Registration

Deal registration is a process by which a partner user registers a business opportunity with the brand owner in order to become eligible for benefits, such as exclusive rights to the opportunity, additional rebates, presales support, and so on. Typically, a partner user requests registration for an opportunity that he or she discovered. However, it is also possible that the partner might register an opportunity that was previously offered by the brand owner. Oracle CRM On Demand supports both possibilities by enabling a partner user to register new as well as existing opportunities.

The following table describes the fields that support deal registration in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

Table Deal Registration Fields for Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management

Field	Description
Name	The name of the deal registration.
Type	The type of deal registration.
Submission Status	Indicates the current submission status of the registration. The possible values are Not Submitted, Submitted, and Recalled.
Expiration Date	The date after which the registration becomes invalid.
Special Price Reqd.	Indicates whether or not a special price might be required for one or more products.
ID	Unique identifier for the deal registration assigned by Oracle CRM On Demand.
Principal Partner	The partner company that is leading the effort for the registration.
Principal Partner Location	The location of the principal partner.
Partner Program	Partner Program in which the principal partner is enrolled.
Support Reqd.	Indicates whether or not any presales support is required for the deal.
Associated Opportunity	An existing opportunity for which the registration is being requested.
New Opportunity	Indicates whether or not the registration is for a new opportunity.
Currency	The type of currency on the deal.
Close Date	Date by which the deal is likely to close.
Product Interest	Broadly indicates the product area of the opportunity.
Next Step	The next logical step in the selling process of the deal.
Associated Customer	The customer associated with the deal. The customer must be an existing customer.
New Customer	Indicates whether or not the customer on the registration is a new customer.
Company Name	Name of the customer company.
Country	The country where the customer company is located.
Address 1	First line of street address of the customer company.
Address 2	Second line of the street address of the customer company.
City	City where the customer company is located.
Postal Code	Postal code of the customer company address.
Associated Contact	Contact associated with the deal. The contact must be a contact already present in Oracle CRM On Demand.
New Contact	Indicates whether or not the contact is new to Oracle CRM On Demand.
Mr./Ms.	Salutation of the contact.
First Name	First name of the contact.
Middle Name	Middle name of the contact.
Last Name	Last name of the contact.
Job Title	Job title of the contact.
Email	Email address of the contact.
Telephone #	Telephone number of the contact.
Cell Phone	Mobile telephone number of the contact.
Fax	Fax number of the contact.
Approval Status	Indicates the current approval status for the deal registration.
Current Approver	Name of the approver who must approve the registration next.
Final Approver	Name of the person who granted final approval for the deal registration.
Submitted Date	The date and time when the registration was most recently submitted for approval.
Approved Date	The date and time when the registration received final approval.
Reject Reason	Indicates why the registration was returned or rejected.
Owner	Current owner of the registration.
Owner Partner Account	The partner company associated with the current owner. If the current owner is a brand owner user, then this field is blank.
Originating Partner Account	Partner company that initially discovered or referred the deal.

Example Process of Managing Deal Registration

This topic provides one example of a process for managing deal registration. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To manage deal registration, channel managers and partner users perform the following tasks:

Creating and Submitting Deal Registrations (Partner Users)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Deal Registration.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to create and submit a deal registration.

To create a deal registration

Navigate to the Deal Registrations page, and create a new deal registration.
Specify the details for the deal registration as follows:
1. Specify the name for the registration and other details, such as the expiration date and so on.
2. If the registration is for an existing opportunity, then fill out the Associated Opportunity field as appropriate. Otherwise, if the registration is for a new opportunity, then select the New Opportunity check box, and specify the additional details, such as Deal Size, Close Date, and so on.
3. If the registration is for an existing customer, then specify the Associated Customer field. If the deal is for a new customer, then select the New Customer check box, and specify the additional details about the new customer.
4. Perform the preceding three steps for Contact records as well.
5. If you want to assign the ownership of the deal registration to a different user, then specify the user in the Owner field.
6. Save the record.
If you know the likely products for the deal, then specify each product as a line item on the registration. Provide as much information as possible, including the price, quantity, and so on.

To submit a deal registration

Update the Submission Status field from Not Submitted to Submitted.
Save the record.

Associating Deal Registration with an Opportunity (Channel Manager)

When creating a new deal registration, it might or might not be associated with an opportunity. In most cases, the partner user has a new opportunity in mind when creating a deal registration and thus does not associate it with an existing opportunity. However, a deal registration cannot be approved unless it is associated with an opportunity. Thus, associating a deal registration with an opportunity is an important activity, usually performed by a brand owner user. The user can do it manually by populating the Associated Opportunity field or automatically by converting the deal registration to an opportunity.

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Deal Registration.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to associate a deal registration with an opportunity.

To manually associate a deal registration with an opportunity

Select a deal registration that has the appropriate approval status, for example, Pending Approval.
Populate the Associated Opportunity field with the appropriate opportunity.
Save the record.

To automatically associate a deal registration with an opportunity

Select a deal registration that has the appropriate approval status, for example, Pending Approval.
If your role has the privilege, PRM: Convert Deal Registration, then you see a button labeled, Convert to Opportunity, on the Deal Registration Details page.
Click Convert to Opportunity.
The Deal Registration Conversion page is displayed. Some fields are prepopulated with the values from the deal registration.
Modify the default values, as appropriate, and click Save.
If the conversion is successful, then a new opportunity is created and automatically associated with the deal registration. The Associated Opportunity field on the registration is populated with the newly created opportunity.

Approving, Rejecting, or Returning Deal Registrations (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Deal Registration.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to approve, reject, or return a deal registration.

To approve or reject a deal registration

Navigate to the deal registration home page. Drill down on the list named, Deal Registrations Waiting for My Approval.
A list of all deal registrations for which you are the current approver. appears.
Review the deal registrations in the list, and click the Edit link for the deal registration that you want to review and change.
As part of your review of the deal registration for approval, it is recommended that you determine whether the business opportunity specified on the deal registration already exists as an opportunity in Oracle CRM On Demand.
Determine whether a matching opportunity exists, then do one of the following:
- If a matching opportunity exists, then associate it with the deal registration by updating the Associated Opportunity field in Oracle CRM On Demand.
- If no matching opportunity exists, then convert the deal registration to an opportunity before giving it approval.
  For more information on converting a deal registration to an opportunity, see Associating Deal Registration with an Opportunity (Channel Manager).
Determine what the approval status on the deal registration should be, and update the Approval Status field. The options are as follows:
- Approved. Use this status to indicate that the deal registration is approved, if you have the final approval authority.
- Pending Approval. Use this status to indicate that you approve the deal registration, but another person in the approval hierarchy must make the final approval.
- Returned. Use this status to return the deal registration to the partner user because additional information is needed. Optionally, you might also specify why you are returning the registration by typing the appropriate reason in the Reject Reason field.
- Rejected. Use this status to reject the deal registration. Specify the reason for rejection in the Reject Reason field.
If you set the approval status to Pending Approval in the Approver field, then choose the name of the brand owner user who must review this deal registration.

About Fund Management

The creation, approval, and administration of Market Development Funds (MDF) and Special Pricing Authorization (SPA) programs are supported using funds and fund request records. Funds and fund request records support financial information that can simplify the MDF and SPA management process, including information, such as fund establishment, fund administration, and managing requests, approvals, and claims. Funds can be set up to support MDF or SPA processes by specifying an appropriate fund type.

Managing Funds (Channel Managers)

This topic provides one example of a procedure for managing funds. Your company may follow a different procedure according to its business requirements.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to manage a fund.

To manage a fund

Navigate to the Fund page, and create a new fund.
Complete the required fields.
In the Type field, choose a value. The options are as follows:
- MDF for a Market Development Fund
- SPA for a fund that supports Special Pricing Authorizations
Save the record.
In the Fund Detail page, navigate to Fund Partners, and add a new member to the fund. Fund members are partner accounts that have visibility to the fund.
Save the record.
For more information about managing funds, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About Fund Request Management

Fund requests are used to support MDF requests and SPA requests. MDF requests can be made so that a partner can have access to market development funds. SPA requests are requests from partners for price adjustments that are submitted for approval. Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management allows brand owners to approve or reject each request. Within the fund request, the relationship to an opportunity can be defined, if applicable. This definition allows a brand owner to review and understand the opportunity that the fund request supports.

The following table describes the fields that support the fund request requirements for Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

Table Fields Supporting Fund Requests in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management

Field	Description
Fund	The fund associated with the fund request.
Type	Defines the type of request. The options are as follows: MDF (Market Development Fund) SPA (Special Pricing Authorization)
Opportunity	The opportunity that the fund request is associated with.
Opportunity Account	The account associated with the created opportunity.
Begin Date	The start date on which the preapproval is valid.
End Date	The date when the preapproval is no longer valid.
Owner Account	Read-only. The value is automatically populated after the record is saved. The field is populated with the record owner’s partner organization as defined on the user record.
Channel Manager	Read only. This field is populated with the channel manager's name derived from the channel manager field on the partner record.
Approver	The next approver for fund requests. The next approver must be an employee of the brand owner company.

Managing Fund Requests (Partner Users)

This topic provides one example of a procedure for managing fund requests. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to manage a fund request.

To manage a fund request

Navigate to the Fund Request page, and create a new fund request.
Specify the details for the fund request, as follows:
1. Enter the Fund Request Name, and complete other required fields.
2. Select the fund to which the fund request is related.
3. Specify the type of fund (SPA or MDF).
4. Enter the requested amount in the Pre-Approval Req field.
5. If you want to assign ownership of the fund request to another user, then choose the appropriate partner user in the Owner field.
Save the record.
When you are ready to submit the request, change the value in the Status field to Pre-Approval Submitted, and save the record.

About Fund Request Claims Management

Using fund request claims, brand owners can automate the claims process. The claim can be submitted for the fund request that has been preapproved, allowing for a direct correlation between the resources that were requested and the payments made to the partner.

Example Process of Managing Fund Request Claims

This topic provides one example of a process for managing fund requests. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To manage fund requests, channel managers and partner users perform the following tasks:

Submitting Fund Request Claims (Partner Users)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Fund Request Claims.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to submit a fund request claim.

To submit a fund request claim

Navigate to the Fund Request page, and click the Edit link for the fund request for which you want to submit a claim.
Enter a value in the Claim Req field to indicate the amount of money you are requesting.
Set the value in the Status field to Claim Submitted.
Save the record.

Approving or Rejecting Fund Request Claims (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Fund Request Claims.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to approve or reject a fund request claim.

To approve or reject a fund request claim

Create a fund request list named, Claims Submitted for Approval, with the criterion defined as fund requests with the status of Claim Submitted.
Review the submitted claim.
Determine what amount, if any, to approve for the fund request, and edit the fund request as follows:
- If the fund request is approved, then do the following:
  1. Enter the approved amount in the Amount Approved field.
  2. Enter the date of the decision in the Claim Decision Date field.
  3. Set the Status field to Claim Approved.
- If the fund request is not approved, then set the Status field to Claim Denied.
Save the record.

After the fund request is approved, the fund management process continues. For more information, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About MDF Request Management

MDF requests can be made so that a partner can have access to market development funds (MDF) and promote the brand owner’s products in certain geographical areas or promote the brand. Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management allows brand owners to approve or reject an MDF request.

The following table describes the fields that support MDF requests for Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

Table Fields Supporting Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management MDF Requests

Field	Description
Request Name	The unique name of the MDF request.
Principal Partner Account	The partner company that is leading the effort on the MDF request.
Fund	The name of the fund associated with the MDF request.
Due Date	The date by which you must have the MDF request approved.
Expiration Date	The date on which the MDF request is no longer valid.
Start Date	The date and time the marketing activity starts.
End Date	The date and time the marketing activity ends.
Approver	The name of the current approver.
Approval Status	Indicates the current approval status of the MDF request. Status values are Pending Approval, Approved, Returned, Rejected, Expired, and Cancelled.
Owner	The name of the user who currently owns the MDF Request record.
Owner Partner Account	The partner account for which the owner works.

Managing MDF Requests (Partner Users)

This topic provides one example of a procedure for managing MDF requests. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to manage a MDF request.

To manage an MDF request

Navigate to the MDF Request page, and create an MDF request.
Specify the details for the MDF request, as follows:
1. Enter the request name, and complete the other required fields.
2. Select the MDF fund to which the request is related.
3. Enter the start and end dates and time for the marketing activity.
4. Enter the requested amount in the Pre-Approval Req field.
5. Provide additional details and the return on investment (ROI) justification for the event.
6. If you want to assign ownership of the MDF request to another user, then choose the appropriate partner user in the Owner field.
Save the record.
When you are ready to submit the request, change the value of the Submission Status field to Submitted, and save the record.

About MDF Claims Management

Using MDF claims, brand owners can automate the claims process. The claim can be submitted on the MDF request, regardless whether it has been preapproved or not. Preapprovals are optional for MDF claims.

Example Process of Managing MDF Claims

This topic provides one example of a process for managing MDF claims. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To manage fund requests, channel managers and partner users perform the following tasks:

Submitting MDF Claims (Partner Users)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing MDF Claims.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to submit an MDF request claim.

To submit an MDF request claim

Navigate to the MDF Request page, and click the Edit link for the MDF request for which you want to submit a claim.
Enter a value in the Total Claim Amount Requested field to indicate the amount of money you are requesting.
Set the value in the Claim Status field to Claim Submitted.
Save the record.

Approving or Rejecting MDF Claims (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing MDF Claims.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to approve or reject an MDF request claim.

To approve or reject an MDF request claim

Navigate to the MDF request list named, MDF Requests Pending My Approval.
Review the submitted claim with the claim status of Claim Submitted.
Determine what amount, if any, to approve for the MDF request, and edit the MDF request as follows:
- If the MDF request is approved, then do the following:
  1. Enter the approved amount in the Total Claim Amount Approved field.
  2. Enter the date of the decision in the Claim Decision Date field.
  3. Set the Claim Status field to Claim Approved.
- If the MDF request is not approved, then set the Claim Status field to Claim Denied.
Save the record.

After the MDF request claim is approved, the fund management process continues. For more information, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About Special Pricing Request Management

Special pricing requests are requests for price adjustments that partners submit for approval. A partner user can add multiple products to the special pricing request and indicate the requested cost for each one of them. A partner user can provide additional information that justifies the requested discount.

Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management allows brand owners to approve or reject each request. Within the special pricing request, the relationship to an opportunity can be defined, if applicable. This definition allows a brand owner to review the opportunity for which the special pricing request has been created.

The following table shows the fields that support special pricing requests in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

Table Fields Supporting Special Pricing Requests in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management

Field	Description
Request Name	The unique name of the special pricing request.
Principal Partner Account	The partner company that is leading the effort on the special pricing request.
Fund	The name of the fund associated with the special pricing request.
Due Date	The date by which you must have the special pricing request approved.
Expiration Date	The date on which the special pricing request is no longer valid.
Deal Registration	The deal registration for which the request is related.
Partner Program	The partner program with which the special pricing request is associated.
Start Date	The date and time when the marketing activity starts.
End Date	The date and time when the marketing activity ends.
Approver	The name of the current approver.
Owner	The name of the user who currently owns the MDF Request record.
Owner Partner Account	This is the partner account for which the owner works.

Managing Special Pricing Requests (Partner Users)

This topic provides one example of a procedure for managing special pricing requests. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to manage a special pricing request.

To manage a special pricing request

Navigate to the SP Requests page, and create a special pricing request.
Specify the details for the special pricing request, as follows:
1. Enter the request name, and complete other required fields.
2. Add the number of products to the special pricing request.
3. Enter the requested cost for each product in the Requested Cost field.
4. Provide additional information (competitive information, and so on) that would justify the price reduction.
5. If you want to assign ownership of the special pricing request to another user, then choose the appropriate partner user in the Owner field.
Save the record.
When you are ready to submit the request, change the value of the Submission Status field to Submitted, and save the record.

About Special Pricing Claims Management

Brand owners can automate the claims process, using special pricing claims. A claim can be submitted on the preapproved special pricing request. This type of claim allows for a direct correlation between the resources that were requested and the payments that were made to the partner.

Example Process of Managing Special Pricing Claims

This topic provides one example of a process for managing special pricing claims. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To manage special pricing claims, channel managers and partner users perform the following tasks:

Submitting Special Pricing Claims (Partner Users)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Special Pricing Claims.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to submit a special pricing request claim.

To submit a special pricing request claim

Navigate to the SP Request page, and click the Edit link for the special pricing request for which you want to submit a claim.
Enter a value in the Total Claim Amount Requested field to indicate the amount of money you are requesting.
Set the value in the Claim Status field to Claim Submitted.
Save the record.

Approving or Rejecting Special Pricing Claims (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Special Pricing Claims.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to approve or reject a special pricing request claim.

To approve or reject a special pricing request claim

Navigate to the special pricing request list named, Special Pricing Requests Pending My Approval.
Review the submitted claim with the claim status of Claim Submitted.
Determine what amount, if any, to approve for the special pricing request claim, and edit it as follows:
- If the special pricing request is approved, then do the following:
  1. Enter the approved amount in the Total Claim Amount Approved field.
  2. Enter the date of the decision in the Claim Decision Date field.
  3. Set the Claim Status field to Claim Approved.
- If the special pricing request is not approved, then set the Claim Status field to Claim Denied.
Save the record.

After the special pricing request claim is approved, the fund management process continues. For more information, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About Applications

Note: Applications is a record type in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management.

You can use the Applications record type to manage partner applications.

The following table describes the fields that support Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management Application Requirements.

Table Fields Supporting Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management Applications

Field	Description
Request Name	The unique name of the application.
Principal Partner Account	The partner company that is leading the effort on the application.
Fund	The name of the fund associated with the application.
Due Date	The date by which you must have the application approved.
Expiration Date	The date on which the application is no longer valid.
Start Date	Date and time the application starts.
End Date	Date and time the application ends.
Approver	The name of the current approver.
Approver status	Indicates the current approval status for the application.
Owner	The name of the user who currently owns the application.
Owner Partner Account	The partner account for which the owner works.
Channel Manager	Read-only. This field is populated with the channel manager's name, which is derived from the Channel Manager field on the partner record.

Managing Applications (Channel Manager)

This topic provides one example of a procedure for managing applications. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to manage applications.

To manage applications

Navigate to the Application page, and create a new list to show all applications where you are the channel manager and the status is Submitted.
Drill down on an application, and then do the following:
1. Verify that all appropriate information is filled out.
2. If appropriate, approve the application.
  The application record is updated with a timestamp. For more information about managing applications, see Oracle CRM On Demand Online Help.

About Partner Content Management

Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management uses existing functionality to help brand owners do the following:

Manage and deliver partner-specific content and collateral.
Ensure that important materials are accessible only by the internal sales team.

Use the content management feature by selecting the Publish to PRM Users check box on the solution records. The brand owner can select this check box when adding or editing solutions. One of the following conditions applies:

If this check box is selected for a solution, then partner users can see the solution when they sign in to Oracle CRM On Demand.
If the check box is not selected, then the solution is not available to partner users.

The following table describes the solution field that supports content management for PRM.

Table Solution Field Supporting Content Management for Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management

Check Box	Description
Publish to PRM Users	Selecting this check box on a solution allows the solution to be viewed by partner users.

Caution: It is important for brand owner users who are developing content to understand that if the Publish to PRM User check box is selected on a solution, then the solution and supporting material are visible to partner users.

Example Process of Managing Partner Content

This topic provides one example of a process for managing partner content. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To manage partner content, channel managers and partner users perform the following tasks:

Publishing Solutions for Partners (Channel Managers)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Partner Content.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to publish solutions for partners.

To publish a solution for partner users

Navigate to the Solution page, and add a new solution record.
Enter the name of the solution, and complete other required fields.
Select the Publish to PRM Users check box.
Save the solution.

Reviewing Solutions (Partner Users)

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing Partner Content.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to review solutions.

To review solutions

Navigate to the Solutions tab, where the you can access solutions that have been made available to partner users.

About Training and Certification Management

The Training and Certification functionality was introduced in Oracle CRM On Demand Release 18. The Training and Certification features help you to offer training courses to your partner employees and track their skills and competencies in selling, installing, and providing after-sales service of your product offerings. Additionally, because a partner company is made up of partner employees, you can also assess its competency by the number of certified employees on its payroll. Training and Certification is part of Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management. In other words, you have access to the Training and Certification functionality only if Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management is provisioned for your company.

The Training and Certification module in Oracle CRM On Demand for Partner Relationship Management consists of four major functional subareas:

Courses
Exams
Certifications
Accreditations

You can configure the page appearance, security and behavior for each of these record types to suit your business requirements.

About Courses

A course is a structured educational program that imparts a specific set of skills to an individual. Many companies, especially those that deal with complex products or services, require their partners and resellers to be adequately trained in and familiar with what they sell. Courses thus become a mechanism to disseminate knowledge and information about a company's offerings. Typically, courses focus on a specific product or product family. However, at times, they might also deal with generic concepts or principles.

In Oracle CRM On Demand, a course is defined as being associated with a specific product or a set of products. Likewise, a course can also be associated with a single product category, several product categories, or no product categories at all. Oracle CRM On Demand enables you to capture several basic attributes of a course. However, you also have the flexibility to define your own fields and relationships on the course record to better help you meet your business requirements.

Courses might be offered by the company itself, out-sourced to designated training service providers, or both. With Oracle CRM On Demand you can define the list of third-party vendors offering the course and publish the list to partners. After a course is published, partner employees can enroll contacts on the course.

About Exams

An exam measures the competency of a contact in a specific set of skills. Exams are usually the next logical step for a contact after completing a course. Typically, a course culminates in exams, and the contact is expected to register and appear for the exams upon completing the course. Many companies consider that a course has been successfully completed only if a minimum score has been achieved in the exams.

You can associate an exam with products, one or more product categories, or both. You can also associate an exam with one or more courses, so that the logical progression from courses to exams is accurately reflected. Because exams are usually administered and managed by authorized testing service providers rather than by the company itself, you can also define the list of such third-party vendors for each exam. Finally, Oracle CRM On Demand enables a partner employee to register for an exam any contact to whom the partner employee has visibility.

About Certifications

A certification is a proof of a contact's competency in a specific set of skills. While an exam measures a person's competency, a certification actually confirms that the person is adequately competent. Certifications are typically awarded after a person has passed exams. Therefore, certifications can be thought of as a logical progression after courses and exams.

Certifications usually have an expiration date associated with them. A person who holds a certificate can claim to be certified only for a defined period, after which he or she must be recertified. When a certification does have an expiration date, the reason is usually because the skill for which the certificate was awarded is expected to either evolve or become obsolete.

Unlike courses and exams that may or may not be associated with products, a certification is usually awarded for a specific product or set of products. Oracle CRM On Demand supports the association of a certificate with courses, exams, products, product categories, and solutions. None of these associations are mandatory. You can associate as many or as few of these with a certification as appropriate. You can even define a certification that is not associated with any course, exam, product, product category, or solution.

Certifications can be requested online through Oracle CRM On Demand. Any user with the appropriate access rights and privileges can request certification for any contact to whom the user has visibility.

About Accreditations

An accreditation is proof of a partner company's competence to deliver a service of acceptable quality. While certifications are for an individual, accreditations are for a company. A partner company is awarded an accreditation upon satisfying several requirements. Usually, one of the requirements is to have a pre-defined minimum number of employees with specific certifications on the payroll. Thus, in some ways, an accreditation can be thought of as a collection of certifications. It is the next step in the sequence of courses to exams to certifications.

Just as with the other three Training and Certification objects, accreditations can be associated with products, product categories, and solutions. Accreditations can also be related to each other. Oracle CRM On Demand also allows a user to request accreditation of the user’s partner organization or of any partner company to which the user has visibility.

Example Process of Managing a Course

This topic provides an example of a typical process for managing a course. Your company may follow a different process according to its business requirements. This process is similar for accreditations, certifications, and exams.

To manage a course, perform the following tasks:

Creating a Course

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing a Course.

Only three fields are required when creating a course: the Name, Status, and Owner fields. You can make additional fields mandatory through configuration. Complete the following steps to create a course.

To create a course

Navigate to the Course page, and create a new course
Specify the details for the course as follows:
1. Type a name for the course.
  The name must be unique and is case-sensitive.
2. Modify the status to an appropriate value, if necessary.
  The default status is Draft.
3. Select the primary product only if you believe that this course is mainly targeted at a single product. If this course is appropriate for several products, then leave this field blank.
4. Select the primary product category only if you believe that this course is mainly targeted at a single product category. If this course is appropriate for several product categories,then leave this field blank.
5. Select the Available From and Available Till dates, if known.
  These two dates determine the Recently Introduced Courses and Retiring Courses lists on the course home page.
6. Enter all the known details about the course, such as the duration, course fee, format, and so on.
7. In the Contact Information Section, specify the point-of-contact for the course. Do one of the following:
  - If the point-of-contact already exists as a contact in Oracle CRM On Demand, then use the Contact drop-down list.
  - If the point-of-contact is not defined in Oracle CRM On Demand, then enter the details using the text fields, such as First Name, Last Name, and so on.
8. The default value for the owner is your user name. If you want to make some other user the owner of the course, then specify that user name in the Owner field.
Save the course record.

Associating a Course with Products, Product Categories, and Solutions

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing a Course.

You can associate a course with one or more products and product categories. If the course is appropriate for only one product or one product category, then use the Primary Product field or Primary Product Category field. If the course is applicable to more than one product or more than one product category, then perform the following task.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to associate a course with products, product categories, and solutions.

To associate a course with products, product categories, and solutions

In the Course Products, Course Product Category, or Course Solutions related item section, click Add.
On the edit page, specify the product, product category, or solution, and click Save.
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 of this procedure as many times as necessary to define all the relationships.

Note: Perform the previous task to relate a course to solutions, regardless of whether the course is related to one solution or many solutions.

Defining Dependencies on Other Courses

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing a Course.

A course is usually related to other courses as a prerequisite, follow-up, and so on.Oracle CRM On Demand enables you to define these relationships by performing the following task. However, these relationships are not enforced and exist only for informational purposes.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to define dependencies on other courses.

To define dependencies on other courses

In the Related Courses related item section, click Add.
In the Related Course edit page, specify the related course and the relationship.
Click Save.
Repeat Step 1 through Step 3 of this procedure as many times as necessary to define all the relationships.

Note: The list of values in the Relationship field is configurable. You can add, modify, or remove items from the relationship list.

Associating a Course with Exams and Certifications

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing a Course.

A course usually culminates in one or more exams. If the contacts pass the exam, then they are awarded certificates. You can associate a course with exams or certifications or both.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to associate a course with exams and certifications.

To associate a course with exams and certifications

In the Course Exams or Certification Courses related item section, click Add.
On the Edit page, specify the exam or certification, as appropriate.
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 of this procedure to add additional exam or certificate relationships.

Making a Course Visible to Partners

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing a Course.

A course does not automatically become visible to partners. You can make the course visible by adding partner employees to a team, and associating that team with the course record.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to make a course visible to partners.

To make a course visible to partners

In the Course Team related item section, click Add.
On the Edit page, specify the user name, team role, and record access.

Note: It is recommended that you grant read-only access to the team member employees of the partner.
Click Save

Enrolling in a Course

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing a Course.

Oracle CRM On Demand enables a partner user to enroll in any course that is visible to him or her.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to enroll in a course.

To enroll in a course

In the Course Enrollment related item section, click Enroll.
The course name is automatically populated. However, you can modify it, using any valid course.
In the Candidate field, specify a contact.
You can specify any contact to whom you have visibility.
If this enrollment is part of a broader business objective, then you can specify the objective as well.
Complete the other fields, such as Enrollment Date, Completion Date, and so on.

Note: The Enrollment Status field is read-only for the Partner Sales Representative role.
If you are enrolling in a course that is offered by a third-party vendor and not by the company itself, then specify the vendor name in the Course Partner field, assuming the vendor is defined as a partner in Oracle CRM On Demand and is visible.
Specify the other fields, as appropriate.
Click Save.

Note: Sometimes, an individual might repeat a course. Therefore, Oracle CRM On Demand supports multiple enrollments for the same individual so long as the enrollment date is different. An individual cannot enroll in the same course with the same enrollment date and the same owner more than once. Additionally, the course enrollment record also provides you with the flexibility of adding custom fields.

Updating the Course Enrollment Record

This task is a step in Example Process of Managing a Course.

The course enrollment record can be updated by users with the appropriate access rights. Only brand-owner roles, such as channel manager, can update the Status field on the enrollment record. All other fields can be updated by partner roles as well. You can modify this behavior by updating the appropriate page layouts.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to update an enrollment record.

To update an enrollment record

On the Course Enrollment related item section, click the Edit link for the enrollment record that you want to modify.
On the Course Enrollment Edit page, modify the fields as appropriate.
Click Save.

Note: The default permissible values for the Enrollment Status field are Enrolled, Completed, and Incomplete. However, your company administrator can modify this list to suit your business requirements.