5How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles Oracle CRM On Demand Data
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles Oracle CRM On Demand Data
This chapter describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles certain types of Oracle CRM On Demand data. It includes the following topics:
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles Microsoft Outlook Calendar
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles a Microsoft Outlook Task
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles a Microsoft Outlook Email Message
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles Items If the User Removes Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop
How a User Can Link an Oracle CRM On Demand Record to a Microsoft Outlook Record
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles an Activity
This topic describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles an activity. It includes the following information:
Overview of How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles an Activity
In Oracle CRM On Demand, an activity is a work item that the user must track or display as an interaction. The following items are examples of activities:
A task item
An email sent to a contact
An appointment that includes a contact
Oracle CRM On Demand can display an activity in the Home tab or the calendar. The Activity field of the Activities list determines where in Microsoft Outlook an activity displays. The following values are included:
Appointment
Task
The Type field specifies the type of activity. It can contain a wide range of possible values, including the following:
Appointment
Field Repair
Email
Research
An Oracle CRM On Demand activity does not map to a single native object in Microsoft Outlook. Instead, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop synchronizes an activity from the Oracle CRM On Demand server to Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop as a custom activity record rather than as a Microsoft Outlook task or calendar item. After synchronization, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the following:
Creates a Microsoft Outlook calendar item that matches the appointment activity from Oracle CRM On Demand
Creates a Microsoft Outlook task item that matches the task activity from Oracle CRM On Demand
Because Microsoft Outlook does not synchronize directly between native Microsoft Outlook items and records on the Oracle CRM On Demand server, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uses the Oracle CRM On Demand activity as an intermediary between a native Microsoft Outlook item that resides in the user mailbox and an Oracle CRM On Demand activity that resides on the Oracle CRM On Demand server. If the user creates a shared Microsoft Outlook appointment, email, or task, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates another item in Microsoft Outlook that represents the Oracle CRM On Demand activity record in addition to the native Microsoft Outlook item that is shared.
You also have the option to determine how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop shares newly created Microsoft Outlook items such as appointments, contacts and tasks with Oracle CRM On Demand. This is controlled by the SharedByDefault:NewItems Windows registry key. For more information on Windows registry keys, see Setting Behavioral Limits for Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop. The following procedure describes how to access this option in Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop.
How an Activity Is Created or Modified
The user can use one of the following ways to perform read, update, create, and delete operations:
Use the Add Appt or Add Task buttons.
Use a form for an item in Microsoft Outlook that includes a relationship with an activity, such as all the activities for an account. This form allows the user to link the activity with an Oracle CRM On Demand record in Microsoft Outlook, such as an account, opportunity, lead, or contact, and to display the link to the corresponding activity.
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop can create an activity for an item in Microsoft Outlook, such as an appointment in the calendar, a task, or an email.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Processes an Activity
To process an activity, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uses the following types of objects:
A native Microsoft Outlook item, such as an appointment in the calendar, an email, or a task
An Oracle CRM On Demand activity record in Microsoft Outlook that Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop synchronizes from the Oracle CRM On Demand server
An Oracle CRM On Demand activity record on the Oracle CRM On Demand server
The following figure illustrates the relationships between Microsoft Outlook items in Microsoft Outlook, Oracle CRM On Demand records in Microsoft Outlook, and Oracle CRM On Demand records on the Oracle CRM On Demand server. Multiple activity types map to the Activity value of the Activities Only list, for example, demos, and so on. For brevity, the following figure does not include these types.
Explanation of Callouts
To process an activity, the following work occurs:
An activity is created in Microsoft Outlook.
For more information, see How an Activity Is Created or Modified.
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop adds a record as an Oracle CRM On Demand activity in Microsoft Outlook. If the user marks as shared a Microsoft Outlook appointment, email, or task, and then saves and closes this item, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop immediately creates the Oracle CRM On Demand activity in Microsoft Outlook.
During synchronization, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop maps the Oracle CRM On Demand activity in Microsoft Outlook as a one-to-one relationship with the corresponding activity in the Oracle CRM On Demand database on the Oracle CRM On Demand server. If the user shares a new Microsoft Outlook item or creates an activity in Microsoft Outlook, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uploads this activity during synchronization to the Oracle CRM On Demand server and inserts it in the Oracle CRM On Demand database.
For more information, see How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Creates a Corresponding Native Microsoft Outlook Item.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Creates a Corresponding Native Microsoft Outlook Item
When synchronizing data, if the user has the privileges to view the activity, and if the activity meets the requirements that the filter settings for the user defines, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop downloads any new activities to Microsoft Outlook that reside on the Oracle CRM On Demand server.
The following table describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates a corresponding native Microsoft Outlook item depending on the settings of the Activity field.
Table How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Creates a Corresponding Native Microsoft Outlook Item
| Activity Value for the Oracle CRM On Demand Activity | Description |
|---|---|
Appointment |
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates a calendar item as an appointment only. A start date is required by the Oracle CRM On Demand server to create a calendar item in Microsoft Outlook Calendar. The calendar item is linked to this activity. |
Task |
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates a native Microsoft Outlook task that is linked with this activity. |
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Resolves Participants and Email Recipients of an Activity
This topic describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop resolves participant lists and email recipients in Microsoft Outlook calendar.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Resolves Attendees of a Meeting
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop performs the following actions:
If the meeting organizer adds an email address in the To line, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates an association with a user or contact.
If the meeting organizer uses an MVG (Multi Value Group) in the activity form to add an association, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not update the To line. An MVG is a list of records of the same type that is associated with a parent record. For example, a user can link multiple contacts to a task activity (parent record). This link allows the user to associate the Oracle CRM On Demand activity with a contact but not invite the contact to the meeting.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Resolves a Task Owner and Assignees of a Task
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not add the email addresses to the To field if the associations to users or contacts are made through the User or the Contact MVG dialog box for the activity that is linked to a shared task. Creating an association with a user or a contact does not assign the task to this user or contact.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Resolves Recipients of an Email
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop performs the following actions:
If the user shares an email that a user manually sent to or received from a contact, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the following:
Suggests associations for resolved contacts for the email activity.
Suggests a list of accounts and opportunities that are related to the resolved contacts.
If the user chooses an account or opportunity, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop associates the account or opportunity with the activity that the user creates from the email.
If the user sends a shared email, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the same processing except it does not resolve the sender as a contact.
If the user manually associates the shared email with an Oracle CRM On Demand record before the user sends the email, then the automail processing feature does the following:
Preserves the associations that the user makes
Updates the email activity with contact associations that Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop resolves from the email addresses of the recipients.
If, to associate a contact, the user uses the Contact MVG dialog box for an activity that is linked to a shared email, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not add email addresses to the To field. An association that is created to a contact does not update the recipients list for the email message.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Displays an Activity in Microsoft Outlook
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop displays data for an Oracle CRM On Demand activity in Microsoft Outlook in the following ways:
For a shared appointment, email, or task, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop displays details of the related activity in the native Microsoft Outlook form. For example, the native Microsoft Outlook appointment form displays the following information:
The subject of the Oracle CRM On Demand activity in the Subject field of the native Microsoft Outlook Calendar item.
The account that is associated with this Oracle CRM On Demand activity in the Account field in the extended area of the form.
For example, to review and change the account, opportunity, contacts, leads and users for the Oracle CRM On Demand activity that is related to the shared item, the user can use the native Microsoft Outlook form.
As a list of Oracle CRM On Demand activity records that are related to a parent sales record, for example, a list of activities that are related to an account or opportunity.
By default, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop displays a folder for activities in the Microsoft Outlook navigation pane.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Sets the Owner of an Activity
This topic describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the owner of an activity, for an appointment or a task.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Sets the Owner of an Appointment
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the owner of an appointment according to the record ownership mode of the activity type, as follows:
The Record Ownership Mode is Set to Owner Mode
In this case, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the OwnerId field of an appointment according to the following priority:
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop resolves the email address of the native Microsoft Outlook appointment to an Oracle CRM On Demand user. If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop finds a user record that contains this address, then it sets the meeting organizer of the Microsoft Outlook Calendar event as the owner.
If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not find a user that contains this address, then it compares this address with addresses from email accounts in the Microsoft Outlook profile. If it finds a match, then it returns the user from the user object. This situation can occur if the email address that is set for the current user is not the same as the account address in the native Microsoft Outlook record for this user.
If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not find a match among the email accounts in the Microsoft Outlook profile, then no user is found. In this situation, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the owner to the value in the Current User. For more information, see How Oracle CRM On Demand Assigns the Meeting Organizer.
The Record Ownership Mode is Set to Book Mode
In this case, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the BookId field of an appointment according to the following priority:
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop extracts the default book for the activity type from the picklist containing the default books for each record type and sets this selected book as the appointment's book.
If no default book for the activity type is specified in the picklist, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop extracts the default book for the user from the corresponding picklist and sets this selected book as the appointment's book.
If no default book for the user is specified in the picklist, then the user is prompted to select the book for the appointment.
The Record Ownership Mode is Set to Mixed mode
In this case, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets either the BookId or OwnerId field of an appointment according to the following priority:
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop extracts the default book for an activity type from the picklist containing the default books for each record types and sets this selected book as the appointment's book.
If no default book for the activity type is specified in the picklist, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop attempts to populate the OwnerId field, using the same algorithm as The Record Ownership Mode is Set to Owner Mode.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Assigns the Meeting Organizer
An Oracle CRM On Demand user is a user who is registered to use Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop or Oracle CRM On Demand. The meeting organizer is the user who creates the meeting. If a user creates a meeting, then Oracle CRM On Demand does the following:
If the meeting organizer is an Oracle CRM On Demand user, then Oracle CRM On Demand sets the value in the Owner field of the activity to the following value:
Meeting Organizer
If the meeting organizer is not an Oracle CRM On Demand user, then Oracle CRM On Demand sets the value in the Owner field of the activity to Current User.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Assigns the Meeting Organizer If The Organizer Is Not an Oracle CRM On Demand User
Oracle CRM On Demand requires the following:
Every activity must include an owner, if the activity uses owner-only record ownership mode.
An Oracle CRM On Demand user record must exist for this owner.
Assume an Oracle CRM On Demand user creates an appointment in Microsoft Outlook. In this situation, a user record exists for this user, so Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets this user as the owner and then synchronizes this appointment with the Oracle CRM On Demand server.
A user record does not exist in the following situations:
Assume user A in your organization is not an Oracle CRM On Demand user. This user creates a meeting and then invites another user in your organization (who is an Oracle CRM On Demand user) to this meeting. An Oracle CRM On Demand user record does not exist for User A, and this user cannot own an Oracle CRM On Demand record.
A contact who is external to your company creates a meeting. An Oracle CRM On Demand contact cannot own a meeting.
To create the meeting in this situation, Oracle CRM On Demand must first determine the owner for this activity. To avoid duplication errors and access conflicts between users for this meeting, Oracle CRM On Demand does the following:
Creates a meeting.
Assigns the Current User as the owner of this meeting.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Sets the Owner of a Task
This topic describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the owner for a task for different ownership modes.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Prefills with a Default Book
Throughout this topic, the phrase prefills with default book refers to the following logic performed by Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop:
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop extracts the book selected by the user for an Activity type in the Record set tab on the Control Panel.
If the book selected in the Record Set tab cannot contain data, than Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop extracts the default book for the Activity type specified on the Oracle CRM On Demand server, and sets this selected book as the appointment's book.
If no default book for Activity type is specified on the Oracle CRM On Demand server, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop extracts the default book for the user specified on the Oracle CRM On Demand server and sets this selected book as the appointment's book.
If no default book for the user is specified on the Oracle CRM On Demand server, than the user is prompted to select the book for the appointment.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Sets the Owner of a Task for Mixed Mode
If mixed mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop checks the settings specified on Record Set tab on Control Panel and uses the following logic:
The logic pertaining to Team and Owner mode if you have selected the
All records where I am owner or on the teamsetting.The logic pertaining to Book mode if you have selected the
All records in a bookor theAll records in my default booksettings.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Sets the Owner of a Task for Owner and Team Ownership Mode or Book Mode
The following list describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the owner of a task for Owner and Team ownership mode or for Book ownership mode:
If a user creates a shared task that is shared only with the user and:
If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop resolves the user as the owner of the Oracle CRM On Demand activity.
If Book ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop associates the task creator with the activity team but does not make the creator a primary team member, and so there is no owner. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop also prefills the activity with the default book.
If a user creates a task that is shared and delegated, and if the user keeps a copy of the tasks in the user mailbox, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates an activity and sets the owner according to the following rules:
If the user delegates the task only to another user, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the following:
Creates an activity in Microsoft Outlook for the user.
Note: In this case, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop specifies this user as an association with the user’s team.If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the first user in the To line as the owner.
If Book ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop associates the creator and the user with the activity team but does not make either of them primary team member, and so there is no owner. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop also prefills the activity with the default book.
If the user delegates the task of a shared contact to a mixture of shared, unshared, or native Microsoft Outlook contacts, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the following:
Creates the activity.
If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the user as the owner.
If Book ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop associates the creator with the activity team but does not make the creator a primary team member, and so there is no owner. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop also prefills the activity with the default book.
Associates all shared contacts that it resolved from email addresses in the task To line. It makes these associations in the Contacts list.
If the user delegates the task to shared contacts and users, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the following:
If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop sets the first user in the To line as the owner.
If Book ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop associates all users in To line with the activity team but does not make any of them primary team member, and so there is no owner. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop also prefills the activity with the default book.
Associates the creator with the activity team.
Associates contacts with the Contacts list.
If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not create associations with other users.
If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then this configuration helps to avoid having two similar activities for the same user:
For each assigned user who accepts the task, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates an activity with this user, sets the owner, and associates the task creator to the user’s team. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not create any other associations.
The activity that Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates in Microsoft Outlook for the first user in the task To line is the same as the activity that it creates in Microsoft Outlook for the task creator.
If the user delegates the task to an external contact, and:
If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates an activity and sets the creator as the owner.
If Book ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop associates the creator with the activity team but does not make the creator a primary team member, and so there is no owner. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop also prefills the activity with the default book.
If a user receives and shares a task, and:
If the Owner and Team ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates the activity, sets the user who received the task as the owner and adds the user who sent the task to the user’s team as a nonprimary member.
If Book ownership mode is selected, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop associates the creator and the user who sent the task with the activity team but does not make either of them primary team members, and so there is no owner. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop also prefills the activity with the default book.
If a user changes the book on a task to a book that is different from the one selected on the Record Set tab on the Control Panel, and if it is a book that is synchronized between Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop and Oracle CRM On Demand, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop deletes the activity corresponding to the Microsoft Outlook task, but does not delete the task itself.
Ownership Modes of Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop
You can apply the following ownership modes to the record types with owner and book-based visibility:
User Only mode. In User only mode, the owner is required for the record type. In this case, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop disregards the Record Set settings from the Synchronization Control Panel. Other users can be added as team members.
Book Only mode. In Book only mode, the book is required for the record type. In Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop, records can be associated only with those books that can contain data that is configured in Oracle CRM On Demand.
Mixed mode. In Mixed mode, neither the owner nor the book is specified for the record type. You can set the owner-based or book-based visibility options on the Record Set tab of the Synchronization Control panel.
How the Origin of an Activity Affects Handling
This topic describes how the origin of an activity affects how the activity is managed in Oracle CRM On Demand and Microsoft Outlook.
Handling an Item from Oracle CRM On Demand
In this situation, Oracle CRM On Demand creates the activity on the Oracle CRM On Demand server. When Oracle CRM On Demand downloads this activity from the Oracle CRM On Demand server, it creates a native Microsoft Outlook item if the current user is the owner of the task, or if the current user is in the meeting participant list. Oracle CRM On Demand creates the activity as a simple appointment. No additional handling occurs in Microsoft Outlook.
Handling an Item from Microsoft Outlook
In this situation, the activity is created in Microsoft Outlook, uploaded to the Oracle CRM On Demand server during synchronization and then downloaded to another user during an incremental synchronization. When Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop downloads this activity from the server, it does not add an item in the Microsoft Outlook calendar. Instead, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop expects Microsoft Outlook to create the necessary item in the user mailbox. To create the item, Microsoft Outlook executes the native process it uses to send a meeting invitation or to assign a task.
If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does this work before it synchronizes the Oracle CRM On Demand activity with the Oracle CRM On Demand server, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop links the Oracle CRM On Demand activity with the meeting or task and then displays the item in shared mode. In shared mode, the share bar is active and any related details of the Oracle CRM On Demand activity display in the extended area of the native Microsoft Outlook form. If the user shares the item, then the item might not include all the details that the meeting organizer or task owner specified. These details arrive only after Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop synchronizes the Oracle CRM On Demand activity from the Oracle CRM On Demand server.
Example of How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles a Microsoft Outlook Meeting with Multiple Attendees
The following figure illustrates how user 1, who is a meeting organizer, creates a native calendar item in Microsoft Outlook and shares it. User 2, the invitee, accepts the invitation and also shares it.
The following process is performed:
User 1, the meeting organizer, creates a shared meeting with user 2, a meeting attendee who is a user.
User 1 saves the meeting and sends an invitation to user 2. The ConversationId is the same for the organizer and other meeting attendees.
A ConversationId is the name of the field of Microsoft Outlook PIM items (Email, Appointment and Task) and is used to link a PIM item to an activity. When a PIM item is shared and a new related activity is created, the ConversationId field value is copied to the activity's iCRMId field so that both identifiers are the same. The activity's iCRMId is then synchronized with Oracle CRM On Demand as a part of the activity's field set. This synchronization makes it possible to link activities that are synchronized from Oracle CRM On Demand to PIM items.
User 1 synchronizes, and then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates the activity on the Oracle CRM On Demand server.
User 2 receives and accepts the invitation.
User 2 shares the meeting, saves it, and then synchronizes. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop determines user 1 already synchronized this Microsoft Outlook meeting with the Oracle CRM On Demand server because these items use the same ConversationId and include the same meeting organizer. In this situation, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop identifies a duplicate during synchronization.
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop detects that the activities are the same, and it then proceeds to perform deduplication conflict resolution without displaying an error message.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles Microsoft Outlook Calendar
This topic describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles data for a native Microsoft Outlook calendar item. It includes the following information:
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles a Microsoft Outlook Calendar Item That the User Saves, Changes, or Deletes
The following actions occur if the user saves, changes, or deletes an item in the Microsoft Outlook calendar:
If the user saves a new Microsoft Outlook calendar item that is shared, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates a new Oracle CRM On Demand activity in Microsoft Outlook.
If the user changes an appointment in the Microsoft Outlook calendar, and if the user is the owner of the activity or the ownership mode is set to Book or Mixed, then Oracle CRM On Demand changes the activity.
If the user changes an appointment in the Microsoft Outlook calendar, and if the user is not the owner of the activity and the ownership mode is Owner and Team, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not change the organizer appointment in Microsoft Outlook. It is not necessary to synchronize the appointment. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not update the Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop activity.
If the user deletes an appointment from the Microsoft Outlook calendar, and if the user is not the owner of the activity or the ownership mode is set to Book, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop removes the user from the participant list. If the activity is not synchronized with the Oracle CRM On Demand server, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop deletes the activity in Microsoft Outlook for each participant.
If the user deletes an appointment from the Microsoft Outlook calendar, and if the user is the owner of the activity, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop removes the activity.
If the user synchronizes an All Day event from Microsoft Outlook with the Oracle CRM On Demand Calendar, then the synchronization does the following:
Saves the event with a start time and end time of 12:00 A.M.
Uses the start and end date values that the user specifies in Microsoft Outlook.
For a single All Day event, this behavior results in an Oracle CRM On Demand Calendar entry that includes a start time of 12:00 A.M and an end time of 12:00 A.M.
If the user’s record ownership is configured to book mode, then records with an owner value are not synchronized between Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop and Oracle CRM On Demand. Records with no book value are also not synchronized. If the record ownership is in mixed mode, then synchronization does occur. However, if no Owner ID or Book ID is provided, then the records are not synchronized unless the user is on the team. User mode visibility is the same visibility as in Version 2.0 and is the default visibility mode for this release.
For more information, see How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Maps Fields Between Oracle CRM On Demand Activities and Microsoft Outlook Calendar.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles an Oracle CRM On Demand Activity That the User Saves, Changes, or Deletes
Microsoft Outlook internally associates an Oracle CRM On Demand activity with an appointment or task. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop applies the following logic if a user saves, changes, or deletes an Oracle CRM On Demand activity:
If the activity does not include an associated item, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop attempts to find the related Microsoft Outlook item, and then associates it with the activity.
If the activity exists in Microsoft Outlook, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop links it to the corresponding Microsoft Outlook item.
If the activity originates as Oracle CRM On Demand data, and if Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop cannot find a correlation, then it creates a new Microsoft Outlook item and associates it with the activity. The type of Microsoft Outlook item that Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates depends on the following value in the Activity field of the activity:
If the value in the Activity field is Appointments, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates an appointment.
If the value in the Activity field is Tasks, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates a task.
The mapping that Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates between the Microsoft Outlook calendar item and the first Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop activity is the same as that described in How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Maps Fields Between Oracle CRM On Demand Activities and Microsoft Outlook Calendar. However, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop performs the following additions:
Sets the value in the Show Time As field of the native Microsoft Outlook appointment to Busy
Sets the appointment label to None
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles an Appointment
This topic describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles an appointment.
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop can handle multiple users who attempt to synchronize the same appointment in Microsoft Outlook with the Oracle CRM On Demand database. In this situation, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates a single activity in the Oracle CRM On Demand database and executes a preprocessing step when the user creates a new activity in the client:
If a duplicate record exists in the Oracle CRM On Demand database, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop treats the insert operation as a conflict and silently merges it with the activity created by user in the client.
If a duplicate record does not exist in the Oracle CRM On Demand database, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop proceeds with the insert operation in the Oracle CRM On Demand database.
For more information, see How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Uses Natural Keys to Identify a Duplicate Activity.
If the insert operation is not successful, then no rows on the mapping table are created. A native ID is the unique identifier of the record in Microsoft Outlook.
A ConversationId is an attribute of an appointment record that is used by Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop to link Microsoft Outlook items, for example, an appointment to a shared activity that is synchronized from Oracle CRM On Demand. Activity and related PIM items both have a ConversationId property with the same value. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop populates this ID when a user creates a new appointment and adds the appointment to a related activity when the PIM item is shared. When meeting invites are sent for this appointment, the ConversationId value is attached to the invites. In this way, every meeting attendee has the same ConversationId.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Correlates an Oracle CRM On Demand Activity with PIM Data in Microsoft Outlook
When Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop synchronizes an Oracle CRM On Demand activity with Microsoft Outlook, it attempts to find the personal information manager (PIM) data that resides in Microsoft Outlook, which corresponds to the activity. PIM data is a calendar event, appointment, task or email. If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop finds this item, then it shares it and correlates it with the Oracle CRM On Demand activity. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop performs this correlation for each meeting where the Activities value of the Oracle CRM On Demand activity is Calendar and Activities. To perform the correlation, it uses the following keys:
Key 1:
The iCRMId equals the ConversationId of the calendar event.
The owner is the meeting organizer of the calendar event.
Key 2:
The owner is the meeting organizer of the calendar event.
The subject is the calendar event subject.
The StartTime equals the start time of the calendar event.
If the user creates an activity in Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop from a Microsoft Outlook calendar event, and if the user shares this activity with Oracle CRM On Demand, then the iCRMId field in the activity record in the Oracle CRM On Demand database contains a value.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Correlates Data If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Is Installed
The following sequence describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uses key 1:
User 1 does the following:
Creates a meeting in Microsoft Outlook
Shares this meeting with Oracle CRM On Demand
Sends the meeting request to User 2
In this situation, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates an Oracle CRM On Demand activity. To populate the value in the iCRMId field in this activity record, it uses the value from the ConversationId field of the meeting. This value is unique for this meeting. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uses this same value to identify the meeting organizer and all the participants for this meeting.
User 1 synchronizes this activity, and Oracle CRM On Demand adds it to the Oracle CRM On Demand database.
User 2 sets the user preference to not create a PIM item automatically, which Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop will share with Oracle CRM On Demand. If user 2 receives the meeting invitation from user 1, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not share the meeting for this user in the calendar and does not create an Oracle CRM On Demand activity.
When User 2 synchronizes, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop synchronizes the activity that it added in Step 2 with Microsoft Outlook. It uses the find_ol_item function to find the Microsoft Outlook item that corresponds to this activity. It finds the unshared meeting because the following situations are true:
This meeting contains the same ConversationId field that the iCRMId field of the Oracle CRM On Demand activity contains.
This meeting contains the same meeting organizer that the Activity Owner field of the Oracle CRM On Demand activity contains.
If the meeting attendee synchronized the activity from the Oracle CRM On Demand server before this attendee receives an invitation, and if this attendee sets the preference in the Options dialog box to not share new PIM items, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uses the find_proxy_item function to find the Oracle CRM On Demand activity. If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop finds this activity, then it shares the meeting with Oracle CRM On Demand.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Correlates Data If Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Is Not Installed
Assume the following situation is true:
To track activities, a user uses Oracle CRM On Demand and Microsoft Outlook.
This user has not installed Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop.
This user enters activities in Oracle CRM On Demand and Microsoft Outlook.
The user has an activity in Oracle CRM On Demand. The user also has an appointment in the Microsoft Outlook calendar that matches this activity. This activity and this appointment each include the same subject, start date, and activity owner.
The user installs Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop and then synchronizes.
In this situation, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop cannot use Key 1, described in Step 1 in the topic How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Correlates an Oracle CRM On Demand Activity with PIM Data in Microsoft Outlook, because the Oracle CRM On Demand activity does not include a value in the iCRMId field.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Uses Natural Keys to Identify a Duplicate Activity
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uses natural keys to detect a duplicate between Microsoft Outlook data and Oracle CRM On Demand data. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop defines the following natural keys for an activity:
Activity Owner and iCRMId, which matches the ConversationId of an appointment
Activity Owner and Description, which matches the subject of the appointment and start date
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop uses these keys to query the Oracle CRM On Demand database. This query determines if a duplicate exists for this activity in the Oracle CRM On Demand database. The following is an example of the natural keys that Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop might define in the connector_configuration.xml file:
<natural_keys>
<natural_key>
<field>iCRMId</field>
</natural_key>
<natural_key>
<field>Subject</field>
<field>StartTime</field><!--Appointment-->
<field>OwnerId</field>
</natural_key>
<natural_key>
<field>Subject</field>
<field>DueDate</field><!--Task-->
<field>OwnerId</field>
</natural_key>
</natural_keys>
For more information, see Files in the Customization Package.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles a Recurring Microsoft Outlook Appointment
If you have a recurring calendar event in Microsoft Outlook when you synchronize with Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop, then this recurring event is transformed into a series of individual nonrecurring Oracle CRM On Demand appointments.
When Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop transforms the recurring calendar activity, it also includes any modifications and deletions made to these occurrences, known as exceptions.
However, there is a limit to the number of individual Oracle CRM On Demand appointments that can be created to represent a recurring Microsoft Outlook calendar activity. Even if the end date on the recurring appointment in Microsoft Outlook is specified, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop limits the number of instances of a recurring activity, depending on the recurrence pattern.
The maximum number of occurrences for the individual appointment activities created in Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop depend on the recurrence pattern of a Microsoft Outlook calendar:
Daily. 60 occurrences
Weekly. 26 occurrences
Monthly. 12 occurrences
Yearly. 5 occurrences
You can modify the recurring appointment in Microsoft Outlook and the individual appointments in Oracle CRM On Demand. However, you cannot modify the list of participants in a single appointment occurrence in Microsoft Outlook.
If you modify a recurring appointment that is shared with Oracle CRM On Demand in Microsoft Outlook, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the following:
If a single occurrence of a recurring appointment is modified, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop applies the modification to the corresponding individual appointment activity created in Oracle CRM On Demand for this appointment.
If the entire series of a recurring appointment is modified, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop applies the modification to all individual appointment activities created in Oracle CRM On Demand for this appointment.
If a single instance of a recurring appointment is deleted in Microsoft Outlook, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop deletes the corresponding appointment activity in Oracle CRM On Demand after synchronization.
If all occurrences of the recurring appointment are deleted in Microsoft Outlook, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop deletes all appointment activities on Oracle CRM On Demand.
When an Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop user who is the participant of a recurring meeting has the default preference to automatically share new Microsoft Outlook activities with Oracle CRM On Demand, the following happens:
When the meeting request arrives in the meeting participant's Inbox, the number of Oracle CRM On Demand appointment activities that are created corresponds to the maximum number of supported instances for the recurrence pattern.
If the meeting participant declines the meeting request, then the Oracle CRM On Demand appointment activities created in the participant's Microsoft Outlook are deleted.
If the meeting participant declines the meeting after the individual appointment activities have been synchronized with Oracle CRM On Demand, then the participant is removed from the list of users on all appointment activities.
When the meeting participant modifies a single occurrence, or the entire series of the recurring Microsoft Outlook meeting, the modification is not applied on the Oracle CRM On Demand appointment activity.
When the meeting participant deletes a single occurrence, the modification is not applied on the corresponding Oracle CRM On Demand appointment activity.
If the user modifies an appointment activity in Oracle CRM On Demand that corresponds to a single occurrence of the recurring Microsoft Outlook meeting shared with Oracle CRM On Demand, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop behaves in the following way:
If the appointment activity is modified, then the corresponding occurrence of the meeting will be updated in Microsoft Outlook after synchronization for all the meeting participants.
If the appointment activity is deleted, then the corresponding occurrence of the meeting will be deleted in Microsoft Outlook after synchronization for all the meeting participants.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles a Microsoft Outlook Task
This topic describes how Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles data for a native Microsoft Outlook task. For more information, see How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Maps Fields Between Oracle CRM On Demand Data and Microsoft Outlook Data.
If the user changes or saves a native Microsoft Outlook task and the activity type is set to Task, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does the following work:
If the user saves a new Microsoft Outlook task that is shared, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop creates a new Oracle CRM On Demand activity.
If the user changes a native Microsoft Outlook task, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop changes the corresponding Oracle CRM On Demand activity.
If the user deletes a native Microsoft Outlook task, and if the user:
Is the owner of the activity, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop deletes the corresponding Oracle CRM On Demand activity.
Is not the owner of the activity, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop removes the user from the activity team. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not delete the corresponding Oracle CRM On Demand activity.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles a Microsoft Outlook Email Message
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles a Microsoft Outlook email message in the following ways:
Saves the email message as an Oracle CRM On Demand activity and sets the activity type to Email. The customization package specifies the type of activity.
Sets the Activity value to Task.
Creates one Oracle CRM On Demand activity for each Microsoft Outlook email message that is created.
Allows the user to link the Oracle CRM On Demand activity to an Oracle CRM On Demand record. For more information, see How a User Can Link an Oracle CRM On Demand Record to a Microsoft Outlook Record.
Saves the first email message as an .msg attachment along with the activity that is created.
If the user deletes the source email message or moves it to a new folder, then Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not change the activity. Deleting or modifying the activity does not affect the source email. For more information, see How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Maps Fields Between Oracle CRM On Demand Data and Microsoft Outlook Data.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles Oracle CRM On Demand Data with Manual Email Processing
The user starts manual email processing from the email form. For more information, see How a User Can Link an Oracle CRM On Demand Record to a Microsoft Outlook Record.
How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop Handles Items If the User Removes Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop
If the user removes Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop, then it removes all Oracle CRM On Demand data. How Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles a shared Microsoft Outlook item when the user removes Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop depends on if the item is Microsoft Outlook data or Oracle CRM On Demand data, and on the type of object. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles objects in the following ways:
Shared appointments. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop removes appointments that originate in Oracle CRM On Demand from the Microsoft Outlook calendar. For a Microsoft Outlook appointment, it removes any Oracle CRM On Demand activities that are related to the Microsoft Outlook appointment. The appointment no longer displays as shared and no contextual Oracle CRM On Demand data is related to the appointment.
Shared contacts. Because Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop cannot determine whether a contact is Microsoft Outlook data or Oracle CRM On Demand data, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop removes all shared contacts from the user’s Contact folder in Microsoft Outlook. It is recommended that you back up or unshare contacts that the user must preserve before removing Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop.
Shared emails. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop removes Oracle CRM On Demand activities that are associated with shared emails so they no longer display as shared in Microsoft Outlook and so that Microsoft Outlook does not display any contextual data.
Shared tasks. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop handles tasks in the same way that it handles appointments. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop removes tasks that originate in Oracle CRM On Demand from Microsoft Outlook. Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop does not remove a native Microsoft Outlook task. Microsoft Outlook does not display the task as a shared task, and it does not display any Oracle CRM On Demand data that is related to the task.
How a User Can Link an Oracle CRM On Demand Record to a Microsoft Outlook Record
Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop allows the user to change linked values. For example, to choose Oracle CRM On Demand records to link with the email, the user can use the email form, and then perform the following work:
Use the autocomplete feature when the user types in the field.
Use the autosuggest feature when the user clicks Contact, Account, or Opportunity on the Extension Bar of the email form.
Choose an item from an Oracle CRM On Demand control on any shared Microsoft Outlook item:
The Oracle CRM On Demand control calls the appropriate dialog box that allows the user to choose one or more records.
The dialog box supports creating a new record so long as the permissions on the source dialog box allow that operation.
In another example, Oracle CRM On Demand Desktop allows the user to link an Oracle CRM On Demand activity to one of the following Oracle CRM On Demand records:
One account
One lead
Multiple users
A book