Creating a Document

Introduction

The Document configuration helps in defining and structuring the content that needs to be delivered to the customers through various communication channels. It involves creating the Document, along with its versions, and associates User Defined Data Structure, Layouts and Styles. User Defined Data Structure is used to determine the available customer specific data fields to define the Document configuration. Layouts are used to position Content elements efficiently, while Styles define the visual presentation, including fonts, colors, background and so on.

Prerequisites

Following are the prerequisites to consider before creating a Document in Communication Cloud Service.

Note:

Ensure that you complete the prerequisite before proceeding.

Prerequisites	Details
Set the Config ID	Config ID must be Active. Ensure that all dependent configurations and associations are part of the same open Config ID. See Creating Config ID for more details.
Configure Entitlements	Ensure that you have the required entitlements to create a Document. See Understanding Entitlements Management for information on Entitlements. See Document Configuration for entitlements required for Documents.
Create Marketing Company configuration	Ensure that you have created the Marketing Company configuration that needs to be associated to the Document configuration. See Creating Marketing Company for more details.
Create User Defined Data Structure and Field configuration	Ensure that you have created the User Defined Data Structure that you want to associate to the Document configuration. See Creating a Structure and Creating a Field Iteration, for more details.
Create Layout configuration	Ensure that you have created the Layout configurations that need to be associated to the Document Version configuration. See Configuring a Layout for more details.
Create Style configuration	Ensure that you have created the Style configurations that need to be associated to the Document Version configuration. This is optional. See Configuring Styles for more details.
Create Rule configuration	Ensure that you have created the Rule configuration that you want to associate to the Rule configuration. See Creating a Rule, for more details.

Before you start creating a Document, it is essential to identify the Document configuration requirements to determine the User Defined Data Structure, Style, Rule, User Defined Data Fields, and Layouts. This includes specifying personalized content, defining how the Document should be organized, and determining the required visual and branding elements. Each Document configuration is associated to User Defined Data Structure which determine the corresponding output and specific Layouts and Styles, which collectively ensure the Document is structured and styled appropriately before generating the output.

Components involved in Document Configuration:

Document configuration involves several key components that enable the creation of personalized, dynamic communications. These components include User Defined Data Structure, Layouts, Contents and Styles, which can be reused across various configurations, ensuring efficiency and consistency in Document creation.

1. User Defined Data Structure Configuration

   The User Defined Data Structure determines the availability of the fields required for the associations between document and layout. See Creating a Structure and Creating a Field Iteration.

2. Content Configuration

   Content within a Document can include text, images, or variable data. This Content is personalized based on customer information, such as customer names, financial data, or other dynamic fields. Variables within the Content are mapped to data fields, and these placeholders are replaced with actual values when the Document is generated. Additionally, you can apply Styles on the Content. These Styles enable the presentation of the Content, allowing changes in how text or graphics appear within the Document. See Content Configuration for more details.

3. Layout Configuration

   Layout associated to a Document provides control on how Content is positioned in the communication output. The Layout configuration uses tables, grids, blocks, or lists, to ensure that Content is displayed in an organized manner. For example, in a Grid type Layout, you can include nested Layouts, which help structuring the content side by side or in any desired structure within a Document. See Configuring a Layout for more details.

4. Style Configuration

   Style configuration defines the visual appearance and the design consistency of the Documents. It ensures that the Document is aligned with your organization’s branding requirements, by setting Styles such as fonts, colors, background and so on. Hence, this configuration maintains design consistency across all Documents. See Configuring Styles for more details.

The following image illustrates the Document and the components involved in it:

Creating a Document

Creating Document configuration requires creating the configuration and defining its versions. A Document can have multiple versions. However, it must have at least one version created. You can define different versions of the Document to accommodate variations based on the Active Date. You need to associate each version to the respective Layout and Style configurations.

Creating a Document in Communication Cloud Service involves the following steps:

1. Creating a Document and adding User Defined Data Structure and Marketing Company
2. Creating a Document Version
3. Associating the Layouts and Styles

Creating a Document and adding User Defined Data Structure and Marketing Company

The Document configuration helps in grouping multiple versions of the Document, with the Active Date set during the configuration creation process, to determine when each version is activated.

Perform the following steps:

1. Access the Oracle Financial Services Cloud application.
2. From Menu, select Communication and then select Document.
3. On the Communication Document landing page, select Create.
4. In Basic Information section, enter the Name, Long Name and Description (optional), to identify the Document.
5. In Brand section, select Add Marketing Company and then select the Marketing Company that you want to add to the Document.
6. In User Defined Data Structure section, select Add User Defined Data Structure and select the User Defined Data Structure that you want to associate to the Document configuration.
7. In Status section, under Active Date, the date is set to the current date when the Document is created. You can either leave it blank or modify it to a future date. Once you add a date and save the configuration, you cannot leave it blank later.
8. Select Continue to save the details and to provide the version details of the Document.

Creating a Document Version

Document configuration can have multiple versions. The Active Date helps control when each version of the Document becomes effective for communication output generation.

While a document can have several versions, at least one version must be created for a Document configuration.

1. In Basic Information section, enter the Name and Description (optional), to identify the Document Version.
2. In Status section, under Active Date, the date is set to the current date when the Document Version is created. You can either leave it blank or modify it to a future date. Once you add a date and save the configuration, you cannot leave it blank later.

   This helps in identifying the appropriate version for communication generation.

   Note:

   Ensure that you are not setting the same Active Date for more than one version of the Document.
3. Select Save to save the details and to continue with the association, or Save & Exit to save the details and return to the landing page.

Associating Layout and Styles

For each Document Version, to ensure that the content is organized and visual elements like fonts, colors, background and so on, are displayed correctly, you need to associate Layouts and Styles with the Document Version configuration.

Associating Layouts

To associate Layouts in the Document Version, follow these steps:

1. In Update Communication Document Version page, under Associations, select Add next to Layouts.
2. Select the Layout that you want to associate. You can select multiple Layouts. This redirects you to the Add Contextual Association(s) to Layout(s) page.
3. In Add Contextual Association(s) to Layout(s) page, select and the follow the steps:
   1. You can edit the Layout Placement to Header, Footer or Relative. This decides where the Layout needs to be placed.

      Layout Placement Selection	Output
      Header	The Layout appears at the top of the page as header.
      Footer	The Layout appears at the bottom of the page as footer.
      Relative	Positions the Layout in the body of the Document leaving the header and footer areas intact.

   2. (Optional) Select Add User Defined Data Iteration under User Defined Data Iteration column and select the User Defined Data Iteration that you want to associate to the Layout. Iteration is a feature that allows you to automatically repeat and personalize sections of a communication based on dynamic, repeating data—often stored as arrays or lists (for example, multiple policies, family members, or transactions).
   3. (Optional) Select Add Rule under Rule column and then select the Rule configuration that you want to associate to the Layout. This Rule determines predefined conditions on customer data and then take appropriate course of actions based on the results.
4. After editing, select to save the changes or to discard the changes.
5. To change the sequence, select the Layout, and drag it to your preferred position. This ensures that each Layout is used in the specified order during Document generation, for a structured and consistent presentation of the information.
6. Select Done to return to Update Communication Document Version page.
7. Select Save to save the association.

Associating Styles

You can associate a version of the Document to one or more Style configurations. This helps in defining the visual appearance of the communication.

To associate Style configuration with the Document Version, follow these steps:

1. In Update Communication Document Version page, under Associations, select Add next to Styles.
2. Select the Style configurations that you want to associate. You can select multiple Style configurations. This redirects you to Add Contextual Association(s) to Style(s) page.
3. In Add Contextual Association(s) to Style(s) page, select and then follow these steps:
   1. (Optional) Enter the Style Class Name. Enter the name of the Style Class to apply the corresponding style attributes. When a Style Class is defined, its attributes are inherited and applied to the Layouts and its Contents that use the Style Class. If no Style Class name is provided, the style attributes will be applied directly to the Layouts and Contents.
   2. (Optional) Select Add Rule under Rule column and select the Rule configuration that you want to associate to the Style. This Rule determines predefined conditions on customer data and then take appropriate course of actions based on the results.
4. After editing, select to save the changes or to discard the changes.
5. To change the sequence, select the Style, and drag it to your preferred position. This ensures that each Style is applied in the specified order you have set during Document configuration, maintaining consistent formatting and appearance across the Document.
6. Select Done to return to Update Communication Document Version page.
7. Select Save to save the association.

Video Tutorial

Document Management & Layout Association in Communication Cloud Service video:

This comprehensive guide explains the purpose and benefits of documents, demonstrates how to create, edit, and manage documents, and covers best practices for naming conventions and versioning. Learn how to associate layouts, configure outputs, and integrate reusable documents for streamlined final communications assembly.