1. Modeling Configurations for SCM
  2. Configurator Models

Configurator Models

A configurator model is a hierarchical representation of an item that you import from the Product Information Management work area into the Configurator Models work area. You set up a configurator model to help your users configure the item in your host application.

A model in the Product Information Management work area has all the structures and attributes that are part of the model, including components that aren't optional.

A configurator model in the Configurator Models work area has only the structure for the optional components of the model that you import from Product Information Management. It also has the attributes that are part of that optional structure. A configurator model can also have supplemental structures, rules, and user interfaces that you create in Configurator.

For example, assume you create a Car configurator model, and you add a user interface to it that helps you select the exterior color, interior color, engine, wheels, seats, radio, and so on.

You use the Configurator Models work area to add supplemental structures, rules, and user interfaces to your model

Here's what you can do.

  1. Set up a basic model in the Product Information Management work area.

    For details, see Overview of Configure-to-Order.

  2. Import your model into the Configurator Models work area, then use the Configurator Models work area to add a supplemental structure, rules, and user interfaces to the model.

    • Add a supplemental structure and rules to help simplify life for your users when they configure the item.

    • Use predefined templates to help you create the user interface that your host application displays. Include images, stylized text, various controls for configurable options, and so on.

    • Rapid prototype the user interface to make sure it works as you expect it to, then release the model into your production environment.

  3. Use the Configurator user interface in your host application to configure the item so it meets your customer's unique requirements.

    Configurator comes predefined with an integration to these host applications:

    • Oracle Order Management so you can configure an item in a sales order

    • Configure, Price, and Quote Cloud (CPQ) so you can configure an item in a quote in a sales channel

Supplemental Structure

An item that you import from Product Information Management already has a structure, but it might not be the structure that your customer needs, so you can supplement it.

A supplemental structure is a structure that you add to your configurator model after you import the item from the Product Information Management work area into the Configurator Models work area. Use a supplemental structure to:

  • Add choices and structure to your model.

  • Provide guided questions to help your end-users easily configure the item.

  • Use rules to reduce the number of options that the user has to choose in the host application, and to make sure that the choices will work.

Assume you have a model named zCZ_CAR4DRSDN in Product Information Management. Buying a new car can be a daunting process because there are so many options to choose from, such as 20 different exterior colors, 10 different interior colors, 4 types of wheels, 6 different types of seats, 2 different radios, and so on. You can import the zCZ_CAR4DRSDN model into Configurator.

an example where you have a model named 4 Door Sedan in Product Information Management

What the Numbers Mean

  1. The car already has a hierarchical structure in Product Information Management where you organize these options into option classes. For example, the Seat option class contains six different types of seats, such as Manual Driver Seat, Manual Passenger Seat, 8-Way Power Driver Seat, and so on.

    4 Door Sedan
  Interior Options
    Seats
      Manual Driver Seat
      Manual Passenger Seat
      8-Way Power Driver Seat
      . . .
  Mechanical Options
  Exterior Options

  2. You import the zCZ_CAR4DRSDN model into the Configurator Models work area. The import creates the exact same structure in Configurator that you have in Product Information Management (PIM). We refer to this as a PIM structure.

  3. Each model in Configurator has a root node. In this example, the root node is zCZ_CAR4DRSDN. You can add a supplemental structure to the root node.

    To simplify life for your users, you can add a supplemental structure named Trim Packages, then add options to it, such as Basic Package, Luxury Package, and so on.

    4 Door Sedan
  Trim Packages
    BP - Basic Package
    LP - Luxury Package
    GLP - Grand Luxury Package
    SP - Sports Package
  Interior Options
  Mechanical Options
  Exterior Options

    Your user can select the package they want at run time.

Rules

You can use the Trim Packages supplemental structure to ask a question and store an answer, but the answer doesn't tell Configurator what items and options to select in reply to the question. Instead, you use a rule to do that.

Assume the Trim Packages structure asks your customer an important question.

  • What are you looking for in your car: price, comfort, or performance?

You can create rules that specify the model's behavior in the host application. For example:

  • If the customer wants comfort and selects the LP Luxury Package, then automatically select the 8-Way Power Driver Seat option for the seat type, select the Leather option for the seat trim, select the Surround Sound Radio option for the radio, select the Stainless Steel option for the tires, and so on.

The supplemental structure and the rules work together to simplify the configuration and make life easier for your end-users, and for your customers. Rules also help to validate the configuration so it meets your business requirements.

You use the Constraint Definition Language (CDL) in a rules editor to create each rule. For details, see Overview of Creating Rules for Configurator.

User Interfaces

You can use user interface templates that come predefined with Configurator to help you create the user interface that Configurator displays in the host application.

  • The host application uses templates from the configurator model to dynamically create the user interface at run time.

  • Templates determine how the interface looks and behaves, and they allow the end-user to interact with and configure the item.

  • You can use a WYSIWYG editor in the Configurator Models work area to modify and test the user interface before you deploy it to your production environment.

  • Create more than one user interface for each model. For example, you might need different interfaces for various host applications, languages, geographic areas, and so on.

  • Create rules that determine whether to display or hide each element in the user interface according to choices that your user makes, which simplifies and improves the experience.

Assume you sell a model named CN92777 Custom Desktop, and Order Management is the host application.

Oracle Configurator allows your customers to configure each configured item according to their specific requirements.

The Order Entry Specialist is an end-user who uses the Order Management work area to create a sales order. The Order Entry Specialist creates a sales order, searches for the CN92777 item on the catalog line, then clicks Configure and Add.

  • This example uses the predefined control template, layout template, and shell template.

  • Order Management embeds the Configurator user interface directly on the Create Order page of the Order Management work area, and the Order Entry Specialist uses it to configure the item.

  • The CN92777 has configurable options that the user can set, such as memory, casing, the processor, and the operating system.

  • The Order Entry Specialist finishes the configuration and Order Management adds the item as an order line.

  • The user clicks Submit, then Order Management uses a validation service to make sure the user selected all the required options, and that the configuration will work. For example, if one of the options is to choose the operating system, then the validation makes sure the configured item includes an operating system because a computer doesn't work without one.

For details, see Overview of Model User Interfaces.

Pricing

Configurator integrates with Oracle Pricing to display accurate pricing details in the host application.

  • Pricing uses the pricing segment and pricing strategy on the sales order to price the configured item.

  • Configurator displays prices and totals for the item in the user interface and on the configuration Review page.

  • You use the Pricing Administration work area to set up pricing for a configured item.

Learn how to set up pricing. For details, see Overview of Oracle Pricing.

Who Manages a Configurator Model

You do tasks in the Configurator Models work area to create and maintain your models.

Who You Are

What You Do

Why You Do This

How You Do It

Product Expert

Maintain the item in the Product Information Management work area.

Use product data that's current and valid when you create the model.

  • Models

Product Configurator Manager

Bring product data from the Product Information Management work area into the Configurator Models work area.

Prepare the model so you can implement the configuration behavior that you need.

Use a workspace so you can experiment with and test different ways to model your item.

  • Snapshots

  • Workspaces

  • Draft Models

  • Model Designer

  • Rules Programmer

  • UI Designer

Add business logic to the selections that your user makes for the configuration.

  • Add supplemental structures so your users can do more complex configurations in the host application.

  • Add rules to control how your users configure the item.

  • Add user interfaces to display the model in the most effective way.

  • Supplemental structure

  • Configurator rules

  • User interfaces

  • Product Release Strategist

Make the model available in your production environment.

Put the latest version of your model into production so your users can use it configure the item.

  • Workspaces

  • Release process

  • Product Life Cycle Strategist

Maintain the model.

Keep up with or get ahead of changes in your product line as it evolves.

  • Versions

More Resources

The book you're reading now has a lot of the detail that you need to create and maintain configurator models, but you can get more to meet your specific needs.

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