Understanding WebCenter Services

Note:

As of PeopleTools 8.54, integration with Oracle WebCenter through the delivered related content services has been desupported. These service definitions may be removed from a future release of PeopleTools.

Oracle WebCenter exposes social networking and shared productivity features through a comprehensive set of services. The services are integrated so that you can use them together. For example, you can add a discussion forum to enable shared discussion, upload documents for shared review, and a blog to keep your personal notes regarding a particular PeopleSoft transaction. You can associate these Oracle WebCenter services with PeopleSoft application pages through the Manage Related Content component:

• Oracle WebCenter Blogs service

• Oracle WebCenter Discussions service

• Oracle WebCenter Documents service

• Oracle WebCenter Links service

• Oracle WebCenter Wikis service

While the related content service definitions are provided in PeopleTools, an active Oracle WebCenter database is required to provide the services and to store the related data.

Important:

With the exception of the links service, each WebCenter service uses a set of corresponding WebCenter pages for managing the elements of the group space. The WebCenter application, not PeopleTools, controls the behavior of these pages.

See Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter, Getting WebCenter Portal Applications Up and Running.

Oracle WebCenter Blogs Service

The Blogs service enables users to create instance specific or shared WebCenter blogs. When users access the service for the first time from a transaction page, WebCenter creates a new group space and associates it with that transaction page. Blog posts to the group space become shared blogs of that transaction page, which means the blogs appear for all transaction instances of the transaction page. When you specify one or more transaction key fields, WebCenter creates an additional group space and associates it with the transaction instance. Blog posts of the group space appear when the user selects the specific transaction instance on the transaction page.

This service supports Related Content Security only. The permissions that the service creates for the group spaces are set equivalent to the content reference for the associated transaction page. All user roles with access to the content reference become user group members and are granted the contributor privilege to the group spaces. If you specify a default moderator role on the WebCenter Options page, a moderator is also added.

When the transaction page permissions change, you should run the WebCenter security sync batch process to synchronize content reference permissions to the group spaces.

Important:

Currently, the service does not support transaction instance-level data security.

Oracle WebCenter Discussion Service

The Discussions service lets you expose discussion forums on your application pages, so users can create forums, post questions, and search for answers. For example, customers can share product reviews, or a customer service department can answer questions online. Discussion forums additionally provide the means to preserve and revisit discussions.

The Discussion service enables users to create instance specific or shared WebCenter discussions. When users access the service for the first time from a transaction page, WebCenter creates a new group space and associates it with that transaction page. Discussions in the group space become shared discussions of that transaction page, which means the discussions appear for all transaction instances of the transaction page. When you specify one or more transaction key fields, WebCenter creates an additional group space and associates it with the transaction instance. Discussions posts of the group space appear when the user selects the specific transaction instance on the transaction page.

This service supports Related Content Security only. The permissions that the service creates for the group spaces are set equivalent to the content reference for the associated transaction page. All user roles with access to the content reference become user group members and are granted the contributor privilege to the group spaces. If you specify a default moderator role on the WebCenter Options page, a moderator is also added.

When the transaction page permissions change, you should run the WebCenter security sync batch process to synchronize content reference permissions to the group spaces.

Important:

Currently, the service does not support transaction instance-level data security.

Oracle WebCenter Documents Service

The Documents service provides features for accessing, adding, and managing folders and files; configuring file and folder properties; and searching file and folder content in the connected content repositories. When you set up a content repository connection to integrate the Documents service, you can add content to the transaction pages of the PeopleSoft application.

The Documents service enables users to create instance specific or shared WebCenter discussions. When users access the service for the first time from a transaction page, WebCenter creates a new group space and associates it with that transaction page. Documents in the group space become shared documents of that transaction page, which means the documents appear for all transaction instances of the transaction page.

When you specify one or more transaction key fields, WebCenter creates an additional group space and associates it with the transaction instance. Documents in of the group space appear when the user selects the specific transaction instance on the transaction page.

The Documents service uses corresponding WebCenter pages for actions such as, uploading new documents, listing and searching documents in the group space, and managing documents. The WebCenter application, not PeopleTools, controls the behavior of these pages.

This service supports Related Content Security only. The permissions that the service creates for the group spaces are set equivalent to the content reference for the associated transaction page. All user roles with access to the content reference become user group members and are granted the contributor privilege to the group spaces. WebCenter also adds a moderator user group member, if you specify a default moderator role on the WebCenter Options page.

When the transaction page permissions change, you should run the WebCenter security sync batch process to synchronize content reference permissions to the group spaces.

Important:

Currently, the service does not support transaction instance-level data security.

Oracle WebCenter Links Service

The Links service provides a way to view, access, and associate related information. For example, in a list of project assignments, you can link to the specifications relevant to each assignment. In a discussion thread about a problem with a particular task, you can link to a document that provides a detailed description of how to perform that task.

Unlike other WebCenter related content services, the Links service is a PeopleSoft component-based page. The Links service enables users to search and create links to existing WebCenter group spaces. The service also enables users to add links to external web pages. When you click the links that appear on the service page, the target opens in a new browser window.

The Links service enables users to create instance-specific or shared WebCenter links to resources.

This service supports Related Content Security only. When the transaction page or instance includes other WebCenter related content services such as the WebCenter Document service or the WebCenter Discussion service, the group spaces created for those services appear as related links by default; you cannot remove these links. Conversely, the service does not alter user access to a linked service. When one user does not have access to a group space that is the target of a link added by other users, the group space link does not appear to the unauthorized user.

Note:

For this service, related content security governs whether links appear. The service does not control the security of the target content.

Oracle WebCenter Wiki Service

A wiki is a collection of useful content or information that users can browse, update, and remove, sometimes without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and the variety of operations make wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring, where multiple people create written content together.

The wiki service enables users to create instance specific or shared WebCenter wiki. When users access the service for the first time from a transaction page, WebCenter creates a new group space and associates it with that transaction page. Wikis in the group space become shared wikis of that transaction page, which means the wiki page appear for all transaction instances of the transaction page.

When you specify one or more transaction key fields, WebCenter creates an additional group space and associates it with the transaction instance. Wikis in the group space appear when the user selects the specific transaction instance on the transaction page.

This service supports Related Content Security only. The permissions that the service creates for the group spaces are set equivalent to the content reference for the associated transaction page. All user roles with access to the content reference become user group members and are granted the contributor privilege to the group spaces. WebCenter also adds a moderator user group member, if you specify a default moderator role on the WebCenter Options page.

When the transaction page permissions change, you should run the WebCenter security sync batch process to synchronize content reference permissions to the group spaces.

Important:

Currently, the service does not support transaction instance level data security.