Microsoft Word Integration with PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management

One of the key objectives of document authoring using Supplier Contract Management is to keep the user in a native working environment as much as possible. The Supplier Contract Management application provides this environment through integration with Microsoft Word.

This release of Supplier Contract Management supports the Microsoft Office 2007, or later versions, using the Microsoft Office Open XML format. It is highly recommended that new customers use the 2007, or later version, because versions of Microsoft Word purchased after January 11, 2010 do not support a custom xml feature used within the 2003 xml format. Microsoft Word 2007, or later version, xml formats support Supplier Contract features through the use of content controls.

If you are upgrading PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management from previous releases and are using Microsoft Word 2003 XML, please see My Oracle Support, note number 1329290.1. This posting provides information about upgrading your contract library to a 2007, or later version using the Microsoft Office Open XML format. The contract library upgrade can be performed after you have upgraded to PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management 9.1, but it is not mandatory to do this as part of your upgrade. In addition, a test upgrade should be performed in a test environment.

Microsoft Word enables you to access documents in a familiar format for viewing and editing. You use Microsoft Word to edit and preview clauses, sections, and documents using check-out and check-in procedures. You can also preview documents for binds.

To integrate and author Microsoft Word documents, the PeopleSoft system uses Microsoft Word XML (Extensible Markup Language). This Microsoft Office Open XML format is available with Microsoft Word 2007 or later version, which is required for use with this release of PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management. The system provides content controls that are extensions to Microsoft Word XML.

Using the clause library, you can optionally use Microsoft Word for editing and maintaining rich-text content in a clause. Even when you maintain the clause as plain text in PeopleSoft pages, the system stores the equivalent Microsoft Word version of the clause for later use with document generation. You can also import clauses into the clause library. Using a special set of content controls, you can define elements of a clause using content controls and import multiple clauses into the library. After the clauses are in the library, you can use them as if they were created in the document authoring system.

When the system generates a document in Supplier Contract Management, it assembles each appropriate content element from the library to create a draft version of the contract in .xml format. The system can render a .doc template version of the document when you dispatch the contract to external contacts.

When the system assembles the document during the generation process, the PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management application enables you to define a numbered setting for the PeopleSoft content. When that setting is combined with a Microsoft Word template that contains Microsoft Word paragraph styles and outline numbering, it enables flexible, consistent, and automatic numbering, styles, and indentation of authored documents.

While you are working in the native Microsoft Word environment, you can use the Research task pane to search the PeopleSoft database for bind variables and insert them into the Microsoft Word clause you are creating or editing. You can also search the database for clauses and insert them directly into the document without having to sign in to the PeopleSoft system or exit Microsoft Word.

For more information about Microsoft Word integration with Supplier Contract Management, see Understanding Microsoft Word Integration with Supplier Contract Management, and Setting Up Document Templates and Styles.

Microsoft Word Setup

System administrators and end users must perform setup procedures to use Microsoft Word saving document in compatible Word .xml format for reviewing and editing documents from the document authoring system. System administrators can also set up optional features of the system for use with Microsoft Word by defining uniform resource locators (URLs), message objects, nodes, and gateways that enable authors to search for clauses and bind variables in the PeopleSoft database from within Microsoft Word.

Document Templates, Styles, and Formats

Microsoft Word document templates and styles enable you to manage default and custom-style templates. You use specific elements of these templates, such as paragraph styles, during document generation. The system uses the Microsoft Word template along with document configurator to determine layout, content, and style of authored documents.

See Setting Up Document Templates and Styles and Setting Up Document Formats and Options.