Working with Roles

3 Working with Roles

In Oracle Communications Unified Inventory Management (UIM), you use roles to define the functions that certain types of entities perform in your inventory. For example, a Place entity could be assigned the role of Warehouse or Data Center. Roles can have characteristics to store details. An entity can have multiple roles simultaneously, and its roles can change over time.

Entities that are role-enabled have a Roles section in their Summary pages. The following entity types can be assigned roles:

Custom object
Device interface
Equipment
Flow interfaces
Logical device
Network
Network edge
Network node
Party
Physical device
Physical port
Pipe
Place

Role specifications determine the entity types to which roles can be assigned. For example, the Warehouse role could be restricted to Place entities. You can open a Role specification to see its valid entity types. See "Working with Entity Specifications" for more information.

Role specification can be assigned to one of the following role types:

Technology: This role defines the technology that an entity operates under or supports. For example, devices and connections that support a Frame Relay WAN could be assigned a Frame Relay role.
Function: This role defines the function that an entity plays. For example, a router can function as a CE device or a PE device.
Topology: This role defines the topology type for an entity. For example, you might want to associate a Network entity with a topology role.
Target. This role identifies the entity as a target for activation systems. See "About Network Targets" for more information.

Roles can also be use to qualify the relationships of other entities with each other. For example, when you create a custom involvement between two entities, you can choose which of the entities' roles are included in the involvement. See "Working with Custom Involvements" for more information.

Roles do not have Summary pages. You work with them only in the context of the entities to which they are assigned.

See the following topics for more information about working with roles:

About Network Targets

A network target is a resource on which services or other resources must be activated. For example, in a GSM network, a voice mail service must be activated on a voice mail server. In this scenario, the voice mail server is the target for the voice mail account.

In UIM, you use the Target role type to identify Logical Device or Party entities as network targets. This capability enables UIM to pass information about network targets to activation systems. When you assign a Target role to a Logical Device or Party entity, it becomes a target for other certain entities associated with it. See UIM Concepts for more information about which entities can use logical devices and parties as network targets.

You can see information about network targets in two places in UIM:

In Logical Device and Party Summary pages. The Roles section includes a list of all roles assigned to the entity. The Type column in the list displays Target for network target roles.
In the Configuration Items section of Configuration pages. When a configuration includes a resource that has a network target, the Network Target column displays the ID of the target. For example, if a service configuration includes a configuration item for a voice mail account (a Logical Device Account entity), the Configuration Items hierarchy displays the ID of the voice mail server (Logical Device entity) associated with the account.

Assigning a Role in an Entity Summary Page

You assign roles in an entity's Summary page. The roles available depend on the type of entity.

To assign a role to an entity:

Open the Summary page of the entity.
In the Roles section, click Associate.

The Inventory Role - New dialog box appears.
From the Specification list, select the specification of the role you want to assign to the entity.

If the role you selected includes characteristics in its specification, they appear in the page.
(Optional) If the role includes characteristics, enter information as required.
(Optional) To assign additional roles to the entity, click Save and Add Another.
Click Save and Close.

The entity Summary page includes the roles you added.

Related Topics

Removing a Role from an Entity

You cannot remove a role if it is in use for a relationship or involvement of the entity.

To remove a role from an entity:

Open the Summary page of the entity.
Select the role you want to remove and click Delete.

The role is removed from the list.

Creating a Role While Associating a Party to a Service

You can create and associate a role when you search for a party to associate with a service.

To create a role while associating a party to a service:

Open a Summary page of a Service entity.
In the Parties section, click Associate.

The Associate Party dialog box appears.
Search for or create a party to associate to the service.
In the Search Results section, select the party you want to associate.
In the Party Role column, select Create Role.

The Inventory Role - New section appears. The section heading displays the name of the party to which the role will be assigned.
In the Specification field, select a Role specification.
Click OK.

The Inventory Role - New section disappears and the new role appears in the Party Role column.
Click OK to associate the party to the service.

The Associate Party dialog box disappears and the party is listed in the Parties section in the Service Summary page.

Related Topics

Associating Parties to Entities

Creating a Role While Associating a Place to a Service

You can create and associate a role when you search for a place to associate with a service.

To create a role while associating a place to a service:

Open a Summary page of a Service entity.
In the Places section, click Associate.

The Associate Place dialog box appears.
Search for or create a place to associate to the service.
n the Search Results section, select the place you want to associate.
In the Place Role column, select Create Role.

The Inventory Role - New section appears. The section heading displays the name of the place to which the role will be assigned.
In the Specification field, select a Role specification.
Click OK.

The Inventory Role - New section disappears and the new role appears in the Place Role column.
Click OK.

The Associate Place dialog box disappears and the place is listed in the Places section in the Service Summary page.

Related Topics

Associating Places to Entities