Understanding PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management Setup

This topic discusses general setup information that the system uses to control the document authoring system. Using supplier contract authoring to generate documents for transactional data requires basic setup. For example, basic document authoring includes set up for:

• A database server or file-transfer program (SFTP) server directories for file storage.

  Either a database server or an attachment SFTP server and its appropriate directories must be available for use by the system to store and retrieve files that are used for the clause library and authored documents. Users may consider storing attachments within the database server preferable to storing them on an SFTP server because data management is more contained in the database server. However, before choosing a database server or SFTP server, you should also consider the following:

  • Are you currently using SFTP server or database server attachment setup for other products such PeopleSoft eProcurement?

    If so, you would likely use the same setup for Supplier Contract Management.

  • When considering database servers, consider the database platform you are running and any restrictions within the platform that depend on the expected attachment volume and database size.

  • When large volumes of documents are expected consider the benefits of using SFTP servers versus database servers for Search Framework Collections.

    Because Search Framework collections require the collection to be built from a saved file outside of the database, rebuilding collections using SFTP servers and a mapped server drive may perform better than extracting attachments from the database and storing them to temporary files for builds.

  See Setting Up Servers and Directories.

• Installation of Microsoft Office Word 2007, or later version, on workstations for users interacting with the system.

  This is a minimum requirement.

  See Installing and Configuring Microsoft Word Components on Devices.

• A basic contract library.

  You use several core setup features to provide the basis for managing the contract library and to establish basic elements of documents. For example, clause groups and libraries, and configurator types and groups help you organize the library. Approval types and clause classes assist with document approvals.

  Bind definitions, mappings, and source transaction structures enable the document authoring system to apply transactional values to clauses. You can also use these binds in rules.

  For additional information about the contract library, see Understanding the Contract Library and Contract Library Setup.

• Optional configurations, such as.

  • Setting up Microsoft Word components on workstations.

    This feature enables selected users to interact directly with the PeopleSoft database from within Microsoft Word by retrieving bind values and clause content.

  • Comparing and rendering document capability.

    This feature enables users to create system-generated comparisons of a current authored document to a re-created or refreshed version of the document. It also enables the rendering of the Microsoft Word .xml authored document into a Microsoft Word .doc or Adobe .pdf format. You should configure this feature if you intend to dispatch documents externally in a .doc or .pdf format versus the default .xml format that requires the use of Microsoft Word 2007, or later version.

    For additional information about comparing and rendering documents, see Setting Up Document Comparison and Rendering.

  • Automatic numbering.

    The system uses automatic numbering to automatically assign numbers to ad hoc documents, clauses, and sections. See Setting Up Automatic Numbering.

• Installation options.

  These setup features support a variety of processes including requiring approvals for documents and clauses, enabling document types, syndication, and document comparisons. You can also define chunking for Search Framework searches, enable transaction sources, enable cycle times, set up internal and external collaboration, and set up digital signatures. See Installation Options - Supplier Contract Management Page.

• User preferences.

  You use these features to define authorizations for document administrators and librarians and to delegate document authorizations to other users. See User Preferences - Supplier Contract Management Page.

For information about setup issues, see Implementation and Setup and Contract Library Setup.