1. Integrating with Oracle Commerce
  2. Use Oracle CPQ Cloud Features
  3. Use the Integration Functionality
  4. Use multi-level items

Use multi-level items

This integration features support for a hierarchical structure for items available to shoppers for purchase.

This integration provides support for a hierarchical structure for items available for shoppers to purchase. Commerce supports an “n-level” hierarchical configuration model. This means that a configured item can contain sub-items that are also configurable items and that can in turn contain sub-items that are configurable items.

An example of this would be a bundled package for a cellphone. The bundle itself would be the top-level item. The cellphone would be a configurable sub-item, but this could then itself have configurable sub-items, such as an SD card. Commerce can provide a top-level price for the bundle, but can also provide a price breakdown for each configurable item within the bundle.

If a shopper adds a multi-level item to their cart, Commerce works with Oracle Configure, Price, Quote to display the information about the multi-level item in the shopper’s cart. The cart displays a total price and an item price for any configurable sub-items. If the shopper changes any of the configurable sub-items, the price displayed for that sub-item changes and the total price is also amended accordingly.

When a shopper clicks on the Place Order button a validation check is carried out to ensure that the prices displayed for the configured items is still applicable. If it is then the order can proceed. If it is not, a message explaining this is displayed to the shopper and the cart is reloaded with up-to-date price information included for the configured items.

You can create a multi-level hierarchy in your catalog using either a recommended items model or a bill of materials model. You must refer to the relevant Oracle Configure, Price, Quote documentation for instructions on how to do this.

Use Quadplay/NPlay items

A standard, or single play, configured item represents a single service, such as Mobile Phone or IPTV that has a single set of configuration information, i.e. is based on a single configuration model in Oracle Oracle Configure, Price, Quote.

A Quadplay or NPlay configured item represents a package or bundle that combines multiple services in a single purchase and contains multiple sets of configuration information, i.e. is based on a single configuration model that also contains other configuration models in Oracle Configure, Price, Quote.

As an example, consider a case where the configured bundle contains 4 separate services (or ‘plays’) such as Landline, Internet, Mobile and IPTV. In this example, the bundle is called the Get4 Bundle. Unlike a standard configured item, the Get4 Bundle, as a Quadplay or NPlay configured item has configuration information at the following levels:

  • Root level - in this example, the Get4 Bundle level.
  • Branch level - in this example, the Landline, Internet, Mobile and IPTV levels.

With the support of Quadplay/NPlay configured items, the shopper adds the Get4 Bundle to the Oracle Commerce cart as a standard multi-level hierarchical configured item. This item also has the ability to be reconfigured if needed. The item is then validated and checked out as usual. For more detailed information working with Quadplay and NPlay items, refer to CX Communications - How to Customize and Extend – Configure NPlay Bundles with Oracle Configure, Price, Quote System Configuration white paper on the My Oracle Support site.

Understand Commerce Cloud Administration support for configuration metadata

In Oracle Configure, Price, Quote, a single model is also able to support multiple NPlay offers and additional versions of those offers. For example the same Model, Product Line, and Product Family might contain 3 variations on the same NPlay bundle such as the following:

  • Starter Home Bundle
  • Total Home Bundle
  • Friends and Family Bundle

The same model might also support multiple versions of those bundle variations such

  • Starter Home Bundle
  • Starter Home Bundle 2017
  • Starter Home Bundle 2018

    and

  • Total Home Bundle
  • Total Home Bundle 2017
  • Total Home Bundle 2018

    and

  • Friends and Family Bundle
  • Friends and Family Bundle 2017
  • Friends and Family Bundle 2018

To work with these types of variations, when the shopper selects a version of a bundle in Commerce and chooses to configure it, the configuration request needs to include extra information to allow the configurator to load the correct version of the configuration model. This extra information is provided in what is called configuration metadata. This data is passed along as a collection of key value pairs and aid in helping to identify the correct bundle.

Understand configuration metadata details

Where a Oracle Configure, Price, Quote configuration model supports multiple products and product variations, this information may not be sufficient to pre-load the order iframe with the correct starting point. In such cases extra information (i.e., configuration metadata) can included in the iframe URL created by Commerce.

Again, think of configuration metadata as a collection of one or more key value pairs that identifies the correct starting point for the configuration model. Configuration metadata can be static or dynamic. Static configuration metadata is manually entered by the Commerce Cloud Administrator and stored on the SKU record in Commerce. Dynamic configuration metadata can be captured by the PDP UI widget and can be entirely implementation specific.

Note: Dynamic configuration metadata is not restricted to being captured on the PDP UI widget. The dynamic configuration can be derived from any relevant information such as shopper profile.

This means that merchants can decide what dynamic key value pair data they want to capture and pass in the configuration request for any SKU. Dynamic configuration metadata can be mandatory or optional (i.e., in some cases the shopper MUST enter a value for a key and in some cases they may optionally enter a value for a key).

Configuration metadata lets merchants define a single model for all variants of a configurable product and at purchase time pre-load the configuration model at the appropriate starting point based on the shopper’s selection in Commerce.

The configuration metadata feature builds on the already existing support of the NPlay feature. Earlier there was support of the purchase of NPlay products but only where there is a one-to-one relationship between product and model (i.e., each NPlay product had to have its own unique corresponding configuration model in Oracle Configure, Price, Quote).

Enter configuration metadata via the administration user interface

To provide the configuration metadata needed for processing an order, the configurationMetadata property is exposed so that you can enter the information in the Commerce Cloud Administration interface. To get there click Catalogue then Product and finally SKU. This Administration panel lets you view, add, delete, and edit the Configuration Metadata values as required. Any request from Commerce to configure an item will include configuration metadata where it is available.

An example of using configuration metadata might be a case where a Commerce Cloud Administrator receives an email from a colleague in Oracle Configure, Price, Quote to advise them that the configuration model with the correct configuration metadata for the Family Plan products SKUs is now complete. The email contains the information to further configure the SKU. The SKU is called sku_fp_001 and the information provided is the following:

  • Product Family – mobile
  • Product Line - bundles
  • Model - sku_fp_001
  • Bundle Version - 18.1
  • Region - EMEA

The process for entering the configuration metadata via the Admin interface would go something like the following:

  1. Navigate to the Commerce Cloud administration user interface panel and select Catalog.
  2. Select the Family Plan product and select the SKU sku_fp_001 which is currently flagged as inactive.
  3. Click on Externally Configurable SKU. You see the text “Oracle Configure, Price, Quote can configure this as a part of a complex product.”

    Note: For any SKU where you want to add configuration metadata, you must make sure that Externally Configurable SKU is checked when you first begin entering data. A new input property will be displayed which will allow you to begin to enter one or more key value pairs of data.

  4. Slide the panel down until you see the Product Family, Product Line, and Model fields appear on the panel. Enter all of the correct metadata details (the ones sent to you in the email from your Oracle Configure, Price, Quote colleague) manually.
  5. Slide the panel down to see the Configuration Metadata table, click the Add button to add a row.
  6. Add Bundle Version to the Name field. In the field next to Bundle Version, add 18.1 (as the bundle version number). You can press Tab or Enter to create a value entry. Click the Add button when done. A new row in the metadata value table appears.
  7. Add Region to the Name field. In the field next to Region, add EMEA. You can press Tab or Enter to create the value entry.
  8. Slide the panel back up to the top of the SKU ID panel, click Active, and then click Save.

At this point, you have entered all of the details received from your Oracle Configure, Price, Quote contact. This information must be entered correctly. The details that are entered are not seen by the customer. The information is designed to populate the config iframe window with the correct information. As a final step you activate the SKU and save the details.

Note: Since the configuration metadata must be entered manually via the Commerce administration console, keep in mind the following rules:

  1. There is no support for versioning of configuration metadata so when an SKU record is imported, make sure it does not contain any configuration metadata that should replace any existing configuration metadata assigned to that SKU.
  2. If the imported SKU record includes configuration metadata (columns present in the import file) but there are no values included then any existing configuration metadata will be deleted.
  3. If the import SKU record does not include configuration metadata (no columns present in the import file), then any existing configuration metadata should be retained.

A Commerce administrator can view, delete, edit, or add Configuration Metadata key value pairs for any SKU where the _Externally Configurable SKU_ property is selected. A Configuration request from Commerce to Oracle Configure, Price, Quote always includes the configuration metadata set in Commerce for that SKU.

To work with configuration metadata you must have the following prerequisites:

  • Oracle Commerce account
  • Oracle Integration Cloud account
  • Oracle Configure, Price, Quote account