1. Siebel What's New in This Release
  2. What's New in Siebel CRM Release 26.1

1What's New in Siebel CRM Release 26.1

Here's what's new in Siebel CRM Release 26.1:

In addition to the documentation provided on the Oracle Siebel Help Center, please visit the Siebel CRM Learning Subscription site where authorized partners and customers can find free courses and transfer of information (TOI) videos on many Siebel CRM features.

Preserve Customer Configuration Changes During Monthly Updates

This feature decreases the time and effort needed to uptake new features released in Monthly Updates. Effective with this feature, the RepositoryUpgrade process has been replaced with "RepositoryUpdate". This new process reduces the number of changes made by the utility, with an overall benefit of a smoother uptake of the content introduced in a Siebel Monthly Update, allowing customers to leverage new features more easily than before.

Background:

Formerly, during a Monthly Update, there was a process known as "RepositoryUpgrade", which updated the Siebel CRM environment to incorporate Repository changes, schema changes, seed data, and other modifications introduced by new features. This utility delivered optional Repository changes made by the Oracle Siebel CRM development team. During execution, the RepositoryUpgrade utility imported data from the intervening releases since the last time it was run.

If the Siebel CRM environment wasn't kept up-to-date regularly with the latest Siebel CRM Monthly Updates, then the number of Repository changes that needed to be applied increased as well, leading to greater effort and cost involved with applying a Siebel CRM Monthly Update.

Many new anticipated benefits come with the RepositoryUpdate:

  • Fewer conflicts to resolve by decreasing the payload from the utility to include only attribute-level changes (as opposed to entire objects).
  • With a more focused set of changes, the time taken to resolve any possible conflicts drops significantly.
  • Because Oracle will now provide only atomic level changes, the chance of overwriting customer Repository changes will be significantly reduced.
Note: You don't need to do a Repository update for this feature.

Learning Resources:

This feature is documented in the Siebel Database Upgrade Guide: RepositoryUpdate Utility.

Training on this feature is available on Oracle University.

User Experience – Web Component Framework

Oracle JavaScript Extension Toolkit (Oracle JET) is a complete, modular JavaScript development toolkit that helps developers build engaging user interfaces (UIs). Based on industry standards and popular open-source frameworks, Oracle JET adds advanced functionality and services to help developers build better applications faster.

To facilitate the seamless interoperation for UI development between Siebel CRM and Oracle JET, a Web Component framework has been introduced. This provides a user experience aligned with Oracle Redwood aesthetics and components, with the following benefits:

  • The Web Component Framework will expose the functionality of the OJET component within the Siebel application context through “binding”, enabling seamless interoperation with application data. It enables the creation of more reusable UI elements that in turn can be used to build more engaging user experiences.
  • Accelerates innovation with shorter development cycles and faster feature delivery.
  • Reduces total cost of ownership by minimizing custom code.
  • Improves user satisfaction and adoption through a consistent Redwood experience.

In summary, the Web Component Framework will provide more options for Siebel customers to create bespoke user experiences based on industry standards and popular open-source frameworks.

Note: You do need to do a Repository update for this feature.

Learning Resources:

This feature is documented in the Configuring Siebel Open UI Guide: Overview of the Siebel Web Component Framework.

Training about this feature is available on Oracle University.

Event-Based Reward Triggers for Loyalty Members

A good loyalty program recognizes events in their members' lifes or journeys with the brand by rewarding members at specific milestones. Loyalty programs often use "surprise and delight" marketing to re-engage dormant customers by exceeding their expectations with unexpected perks and gestures. These tactics create a positive emotional experience and make customers feel valued, which can remind them why they enjoyed their brand experience in the first place.

Siebel Loyalty now facilitates the automatic creation of transactions for members who meet certain triggers such as birthdays, anniversaries, referral completion, specific redemption, non-activity, and so on. These transactions are then processed to reward members.

This new functionality allows Loyalty Administrators and Program Managers to enhance their loyalty programs with the ability to create and process transactions to reward members at defined milestones or special occasions.

Note: You do need to do a Repository update for this feature.

Learning Resources:

This feature is documented in the Loyalty Administration Guide: About Event Based Rewards in Siebel Loyalty.

Support for Microsoft Azure SQL Databases

Note: This is only an announcement of support for the Azure SQL Database and doesn't affect any past or future statements regarding support for the Azure platform itself.

Consistent with Siebel CRM's strategic approach to open-platform support, we're announcing certification for Microsoft's Azure SQL Database platform for the Siebel Enterprise Application. This support gives our customers more options as they look to move their Siebel CRM instances into a cloud platform.

Note: You don't need to do a Repository update for this feature.

Learning Resources:

This feature is documented in the Siebel Installation Guide: Running the grantusr.sql scripts on Azure SQL.

Training on this feature is available on Oracle University.

Redwood UX for Tablet Applications

Redwood UX for Tablet Applications provides all the functionality of our feature-rich Siebel application, but with a new Redwood user-experience.

Tablet users will enjoy a refreshed interface that aligns visually and functionally with the desktop experience. Recognizing the unique demands of tablet usage, the redesign focuses on streamlining information and minimizing navigation—helping users complete tasks quickly on the go. The design reduces excessive information, displaying only the most relevant actions and essential data

Note: You do need to do a Repository update for this feature.

Learning Resources:

This feature is documented in the Siebel Mobile Guide: Connected: About the Siebel Redwood UI Theme.