1. Implementation Guide
  2. Oracle SIOCS Implementation Overview

1 Oracle SIOCS Implementation Overview

EICS (Enterprise Inventory Cloud Service) and SOCS (Store Operations Cloud Service) are two separately licensed products.

EICS includes:

  • EICS Browser Client

  • EICS Web Services

  • EICS Server Tier

  • EICS Database tier with data access code, batches, reports

SOCS includes:

  • Oracle MAF Client

In order to use SOCS, EICS needs to be deployed.

The implementation process includes a needs assessment, business impact analysis, requirements gathering, and other activities. However, this document is concerned only with the specific aspects of a technical implementation. In a typical project life cycle, technical implementations can begin only after the environment has been provisioned. Once a subscription agreement has been signed and Service Activation Request is logged, the Oracle Cloud team will start the provisioning process.

Once the account is provisioned, the Oracle Cloud team provides the following:

  • URL to access the EICS Application User Interface (UI) for production and staging environments.

  • One Customer Delegate Administrator user account.

  • URLs to access the various web services associated with the staging and production environments.

  • Details about accessing the SFTP sites.

Noteworthy Differences between V16.x/on premise (SIM) and SIOCS (cloud)

  • UI: No Wavelink UI, No Swing UI. Uses Oracle JET (JavaScript extension technology) based UI for Administration & Oracle MAF (mobile application framework) for mobile UI.

  • Server: No change in technology. Some changes to support modified/new functionalities.

  • Database: Minimal schema change.

  • Integration: Integrates with RICS (Retail Integration Cloud service). RICS includes RSB (retail service bus), BDI (bulk data integration), RIB (retail integration bus).

  • Data Seeding: Now uses BDI (bulk data integration).

  • Security model: "hybrid" model

    • AuthN: using IDCS or OCI IAM/WTSS

    • AuthZ: within EICS administration UI

  • Batch scheduling: Internal to EICS. It has a batch scheduler interface.

  • Printing: Reports would be downloaded to UI. Users can then print from UI.

  • Deployment: Standardized cloud deployment model.

Oracle Retail Integration Components

EICS requires other systems, such as a merchandising system, to provide foundation (item, location, and so on) and transaction data (purchase order, stock order) to operate. This would be integrated through RICS (Retail Integration Cloud Service) that provides RIB/RSB/BDI.

EICS integrates out of the box with Oracle Retail Merchandising System (RMS) or Oracle Retail Merchandising Foundation Cloud Service (RMFCS).

All other web services based integration (such as with Point of Sale and Oracle Retail Order Broker systems) exist as well.

The following Integration Infrastructures are required for EICS to integrate with external systems:

  • RICS (Retail Integration Cloud Service).

    • RSB (Retail Service Bus)

    • BDI (Bulk Data Integration Components)

    • RIB (Retail Integration Bus for Asynchronous message processing).

For more details, see the information on integration in the Oracle Retail Enterprise Inventory Cloud Service Administration Guide.

Implementation Considerations

In general, a technical implementation involves the following key steps areas:

URL Reference

The EICS URLs required for reporting, apex data viewer, EICS to RICS Message Publishing and Web service APIs will need to be formed using the format provided in the Oracle Retail Enterprise Inventory Cloud Service Administration Guide.