Oracle Unveils Oracle Application Integration Architecture

Oracle Unveils Oracle Application Integration Architecture Oracle Enables Application Agility with Open Architecture, Packaged Integrations and Industry Reference Models

LAS VEGAS - COLLABORATE 07 16-APR-2007 05:00 PM Today at COLLABORATE 07, Oracle announced the Oracle Application Integration Architecture, an open, standards-based platform for business process management across Oracle, third-party and custom applications. As part of the Oracle Application Integration Architecture, Oracle is delivering pre-built integrations across Oracle ERP, CRM and industry applications using a common object model and an open, Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) based platform.

The Oracle Application Integration Architecture will be open to the industry so ISV's can use it to integrate with Oracle Applications and customers can extend the platform to their legacy applications. The common object model is the same object model to be used in Oracle Fusion applications. Additionally, customers will be able to extend the object model and have those extensions protected during upgrades.

"Oracle Application Integration Architecture will help us solve our problem of managing processes that rely on several different applications," said CIO of Subaru Brian Simmermon. "By leveraging an open, standards-based architecture, we will have the flexibility to make discrete changes without disrupting the entire business process."

Pre-Built Integration Using Standard Business Process Execution Language (BPEL)
As part of the Oracle Application Integration Architecture, Oracle plans to deliver horizontal and industry specific Process Integration Packs, which provide pre-integrated business flows across Oracle's portfolio of applications. Each Process Integration Pack will leverage the Oracle Fusion Middleware SOA Suite and use a methodology that should enable a quick implementation by customers or partners. By offering pre-built, integration packs, Oracle intends to help significantly reduce the cost to deploy and maintain integrations, while supporting a more adaptive application infrastructure.

The initial process integration packages that will be available include:
* Oracle's Siebel CRM On Demand Integration Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite, which is intended to support the opportunity-to-quote process and includes auto conversion of opportunities to quotes and quotes to orders; and,
* Oracle's Siebel CRM Integration Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite Order Management, which is expected to support the order-to-cash process lifecycle, including capabilities for complex product configuration, inventory availability, automated order processing, price synchronization and real time order status.

The following Process Integration Packs are planned for subsequent releases:
* Oracle's Siebel CRM Integration Pack for i-flex FLEXCUBE Account Originations, which is intended to provide an integrated front-to-back-office banking solution that gives banks a single view of the customer and a streamlined account opening and fulfillment process;
* Oracle's Siebel Call Center Integration Pack for Oracle Adverse Event Reporting System, which is intended to support a complete closed-loop adverse event and complaint solution from the moment of notification through reporting and monitoring, which is critical for the life sciences industry;
* Siebel CRM Trade Promotions and Deductions Integration Pack for Oracle E-Business Suite, which is expected to provide a closed-loop trade promotional process for consumer goods companies, encompassing trade promotion creation and settlement flows;
* Communications Integration Packs for Siebel CRM, Oracle Billing and Revenue Management and Oracle Financials, which is intended to support the concept-to-launch and order-to-cash processes enabling product and price synchronization, account hierarchy management, billing activation for sales orders, bill presentation, payments, adjustments and revenue accounting;
* Multi Order Channel Management Integration Pack for Siebel CRM, Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle Retail, which is expected to provide a uniform customer experience regardless of sales channel, and will enable customer-service and sales representatives in the retail industry to view and manage orders across sales channels;
* Siebel CRM On Demand Integration Pack for Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, which is planned to include support for the lead-to-order process, new account creation and maintenance process and product look up synchronization;
* Oracle Transportation Management Integration Pack for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, which is planned to include support for rate and route shopping during sales order entry, optimized shipment planning and consolidation, freight audit and settlement processing and carrier payment;
* Oracle's PeopleSoft Financials Integration Pack for Oracle Financial Services Accounting Hub, which is expected to allow users in the financial services industry to consolidate information from back-office systems into the Oracle Financial Services Accounting Hub and PeopleSoft General Ledger.

Industry Reference Models Enable Process Integration across Multiple Applications
As part of the Oracle Applications Integration Architecture, Oracle plans to deliver Industry Reference Models, which will give customers and partners tools and documented business processes to create unique, integrated process flows across heterogeneous environments. With these models, customer and partners are expected to more easily adopt industry best practices and implement unique processes that meet specific business needs and should be protected through upgrade cycles. Additionally, Oracle is working with the leaders in the systems integrator community to co-develop best practice industry processes and model.

Value Extended through Partner Ecosystem
To provide customers access to a broader set of pre-integrated best-in -class processes, Oracle is expanding the Oracle PartnerNetwork Applications Integration Initiative by providing Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) with industry process content, governance methodology, testing and validation. By developing a formal program for third parties, Oracle intends to give partners access to specialized resources that can help develop supported industry specific solutions that best-fit customers� unique needs.

Path to Oracle Fusion Applications
With the announcement of the Oracle Application Integration Architecture, Oracle has met another commitment in providing an evolutionary approach to Oracle Fusion Applications. The processes, objects, services and methodology planned as part of this architecture are expected to be leveraged in Oracle Fusion Applications, allowing customers to quickly address their integration needs and start adopting a standards-based, SOA architecture to prepare for the next generation of applications.

"The Application Integration Architecture will satisfy customer demands for integration of its acquired applications, while creating a gradual migration path to the future Fusion Applications. The Process Integration Packs combined with BPM tools will give customers an opportunity to implement cross-functional business processes and then create a unique competitive advantage on top of standard enterprise applications." Bill Swanton, AMR Research, "Oracle Application Integration Architecture: We Love It When A Plan Comes Together," April 16, 2007.

Oracle Business Accelerators

Oracle Business Accelerators are powerful, easy-to-use rapid implementation solutions for Oracle E-Business Suite and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne customers through Oracle's approved partner channel or Oracle Consulting.

Oracle Business accelerators bring proven, best-in-class business flows to reduce the time and costs of implementing enterprise-wide solutions. Using intellectual property from both Oracle and our partners, business accelerators reduce implementation discovery, setup, and testing project phases. The result is predictable and expedited access to proven solutions that minimize the risk of new technology adoption.

Get Real Results

Best-in-class applications

Leading industry expertise

Proven methodologies

See What Customers Are Achieving

"Oracle Business Accelerators have allowed DAZ Systems, Inc. to take a client from answering the set-up questionnaire to testing and training on their conference room pilot instances with lightning speed—in one day. That�s much quicker than a typical implementation." (Source: Deborah Arnold, Partner, DAZ Systems, Inc., Oracle E-Business Suite implementation partner in the United States)

"Just by our leveraging the Oracle Business Accelerators, we have been able to deliver a high-quality Oracle E-Business Suite implementation while cutting the implementation duration and implementation costs by 30 percent." (Source: Mike Smith, principal and officer, Delivery Specialists, Baytree, Oracle E-Business Suite reseller and implementation partner servicing the United States)

"We leverage the Oracle Business Accelerator assets on every engagement to manage complexity and reduce time to implement. At Towers Perrin, for example, we were able to utilize the Business Accelerator�s business flows and pre-packaged scripts to quickly develop automated regression testing scripts and dramatically reduce the overall time to complete the functional prototype." (Source: Tom Connolly, president, director of Technical Services, BizTech, Oracle E-Business Suite reseller and implementation partner)

"We find that the Oracle Business Accelerator allows us to provide our clients a lower-cost, lower-risk implementation option. Oracle's systematic approach provides rapid installation, and enables our subject matter experts to begin working in a client's personalized instance much earlier than with traditional consulting approaches. The result — happier customers and a quicker time to benefit for their investment." (Source: Hal Hawisher, principal and chief marketing officer, Baytree, Oracle E-Business Suite reseller and implementation partner servicing the United States)

Oracle Financials delivered to a an expanding business in three weeks. Using Oracle Business Accelerators Explorer allows a rapidly growing business to implement enterprise-class applications in under one month. (Source: Explorer UK Limited, implementation partner for multiple Oracle Business Accelerators for Oracle E-Business Suite projects)

Siebel Universal Customer Master

Part of Siebel Customer Data Integration solutions, Oracle's Siebel Universal Customer Master is a comprehensive customer data hub that unifies customer data across multiple business units and functionally disparate systems. It's a software solution that takes the complexity out of maintaining clear, accurate customer data to provide a trusted, authoritative source of customer information across the enterprise. Using prebuilt integration components, the application takes the complexity out of the manual maintenance of clear, accurate customer data.

	FEATURES
	Enhance Customers' Experience—by providing more targeted, differentiated customer service Improve Cross-Sell and Up-Sell Efforts—by providing a complete picture of the existing customer relationship Streamline Business Processes—by eliminating manual rework caused by bad data Improve Risk Management—by aggregating customer risk exposure across product lines and business units Compliance—with stringent privacy and regulatory requirements

Siebel Workflow

Workflow Processes Configuration Overview

♦ Workflow Processes allows you to define your company’s business processes using the Process
Designer in Siebel Tools. Using Workflow Processes, you can define a process that consists of process steps such as start steps, decision points, subprocesses, or business services steps to complete tasks.
♦ A task can be completed with either a predefined business service or a custom business service. Predefined tasks include updates to the Siebel database, notifications (such as an email or page), integration messages to external systems, and calls to invoke server tasks. Custom tasks can be defined by using Siebel VB or Siebel eScript.

Workflow Processes Administration Overview

♦ Workflow Processes can vary from a simple process such as entering a product order to a complex process such as managing call center workflow. Complex processes can comprise multiple smaller processes.
♦ Workflow Processes are administered through the Administration - Business Process views in the Siebel Client.

Using Workflow Processes

♦ Workflow processes can be invoked from events in the Siebel application or from external systems. Within the Siebel application, a process can be invoked from a workflow policy, an event (such as an insert of a record or a button click), or a server component.

Steps in Siebel Workflow:

■ Start. This is the start step initiating the process instance. The work item is the new service
request.
■ Assign Service Request. This is a subprocess task. The service request is assigned to the
appropriate agent based on the assignment rules defined in the Assign Service Request
subprocess.
■ Severity. This is a decision step. The service request severity determines the next step in the
process instance of the three possible paths: Critical, High, or Medium.
■ Send Email. This is an automated business service task. If the service request priority is critical,
an email is sent to the assigned agent. This task calls the Outbound Communications Manager
business service.
■ Priority High. This is a Siebel Operation update task. This step updates the service request
priority to High.
■ Substatus Assigned. This is a Siebel Operation update task. This step updates the sub status
to Assigned.
■ Email Error Activity. This is a Siebel Operation insert task. This task is triggered if an error is
returned in the Send Email task.
■ Priority Very High and Dispatch. This is a Siebel Operation update task. This step changes
the service request priority to Very High and the sub status to Dispatch.
■ End. This step defines the completion of the process.

Siebel EIM

Siebel Enterprise Integration Manager (EIM) is a server component in the Siebel eAI component
group that transfers data between the Siebel database and other corporate data sources. This
exchange of information is accomplished through intermediary tables called EIM tables. (In earlier
releases, EIM tables were known as interface tables.) The EIM tables act as a staging area between
the Siebel application database and other data sources.
EIM is your primary method of loading mass quantities of data into the Siebel database. You should
use EIM to perform bulk imports, updates, merges, and deletes of data. Examples of each of the
main EIM functions (import, export, update, and delete) are provided in “EIM Functions.”
In the Siebel application database, there are application tables (known as base tables), which Siebel
applications use. For data to come from other corporate data sources (external databases) into
Siebel application tables, the data must go through EIM tables. So the data exchanges between the
Siebel database and external databases occurs in two parts:
1 Load data into EIM tables.
2 Run Siebel EIM to import the data from the EIM tables into the Siebel base tables.
NOTE: While the first part of this data-exchange process involves the intermediary tables that
are called EIM tables, only the second part of the process involves the functionality of Siebel EIM.
When data is entered through the Siebel user interface, the application references properties set at
the business component object type. However, when data is entered into Siebel base tables through
EIM, EIM references properties set at the table object type.
NOTE: You must use EIM to perform bulk imports, exports, merges, and deletes, because Siebel
Systems does not support using native SQL to load data directly into Siebel base tables (the tables
targeted to receive the data). You should also be aware that EIM translates empty strings into NULL.

Siebel Configuration

“About Siebel Objects”
“About the Siebel Object Architecture”
“About Classes in Siebel Tools”
“About the Siebel Operating Architecture”
“About Standard and High Interactivity”
“About Siebel Partner Connect and Siebel Tools for Partner Connect”
“About Configuring Siebel Applications”
“About Object Reuse”
“About Scripting and Object Interfaces”
“About Localization”
“Other Ways to Customize Application Behavior”
“Setting Up Developers as Mobile Users”

Overview of Siebel

Siebel Systems, Inc. was a software company principally engaged in the design, development, marketing, and support of CRM applications. The company was founded by Thomas Siebel in 1993. At first known mainly for its sales force automation products, the company expanded into the broader CRM market. By the late 1990s, Siebel Systems was the dominant CRM vendor, peaking at 45% market share in 2002.

On September 12, 2005, Oracle Corporation announced it had agreed to buy Siebel Systems for $5.8 billion. Siebel is now a brand name owned by Oracle Corporation.

Siebel EAI

Organizations need to integrate business processes across a large number of disparate applications
in order to drive revenue growth, increase productivity, and gain visibility into business performance.
The velocity of business is accelerating and only by integrating and streamlining their business
processes can organizations achieve the agility to respond to fast-changing customer and market
demands in real time. The integration imperative is even more pressing as supply and demand chains have become increasingly interdependent, requiring organizations to integrate the extended
enterprise to make sure the viability of their entire partner ecosystems.
To meet these requirements, Siebel Systems has pioneered Universal Application Network. To
integrate Siebel eBusiness Applications into the Universal Application Network, Siebel Systems
continues to enhance the integration tool set within Siebel applications—Siebel eBusiness Application
Integration (Siebel eAI).