Business Flows in Oracle CRM Service Business Flows in Oracle CRM Service are as follows: 1.

Request to Resolution - Tele Service Module a) Dispatch to Debrief (Request to Dispatch)- Field Service Module b) Request to Repair (Request to Depot)- Depot Repair Module 2. Contract to Renewal - Service Contract Module a) Author to Sign Service Contract Flow - Oracle Service Contracts Module b) Quote to Warranty / Extended Warranty Flow - Oracle Quoting & Order Management Modules c) Expiring Contract to Renewal - Oracle Service Contracts Module Request to Resolution Flow: 1.Receive Customer Contact (iSupport, Call, Email) 2.Capture Service Request Information (like Product Serial No. , Problem Description) 3.Verify the entitlements (like Service Contract, SLAs) 4.Create Service Request 5.Identify the Solution (Knowledge Base, Depot Repair, and Field Service) 6.Resolve Service Request 7.Maintain Knowledge Base 8.Create Charge Order

Dispatch to Debrief Flow: (Request to Dispatch) 1.Receive Customer Contact (iSupport, Call, Email) 2.Capture Service Request Information (like Product Serial No. , Problem Description) 3.Verify the entitlements (like Service Contract, SLAs) 4.Create Service Request

5.Create Field Service Task 6.Schedule Field Service Task 7.Execute Field Service Task 8.Debrief Field Service Task 9.Close Task and Service Request Request to Repair Flow: (Request to Depot) 1.Receive Customer Contact (iSupport, Call, Email) 2.Capture Service Request Information (like Product Serial No. , Problem Description) 3.Verify the entitlements (like Service Contract, SLAs) 4.Create Service Request 5.Create Repair Order 6.Issue RMA 7.Receive RMA 8.Manage Repair Jobs 9.Record WIP Charges 10.Create Sales Order 11.Ship the Sales Order 12.Invoice the Customer 13.Close the Repair Order 14.Close the Service Request

Contract to Renewal Business Flow Author to Sign Service Contract Flow (Oracle Service Contracts) 1.Enter Service Contract

2.Define Contract Renewal Triggers 3.Apply Customer Payment Information 4.Review Contract for QA compliance 5.Approve Contract 6.Sign Contract Quote to Warranty / Extended Warranty Flow (Oracle Quoting & Order Management) 1.Determine Service Interest 2.Negotiate Price, Discounts and Terms 3.Convert Opportunity to Quote 4.Determine Order Details 5.Convert Quote to Order 6.Create Extended Warranty 7.Maintain Customer Install Base 8.Verify Entitlement Expiring Contract to Renewal (Oracle Service Contracts) 1.Identify Contracts for Renewal 2.Automatic Renewal 3.Renew Contract Automatically (Or) 1.Identify Contracts for Renewal 2.Manage Contract Changes 3.Review Contract for QA Compliance 4.Approve Contract Renewal 5.Notify Parties of Customer Change 6.Sign Contract In addition to the above mentioned modules, iSupport, Oracle Common Application Components like Task Manager, Territory Manager, Assignment Manager, Resource Manager, Calender, Notes, Knowledge Management will also be taking part in the execution of business flows. Oracle Install Base and Service Contracts Overview - Presentation Transcript 1. Oracle Install Base & Service Contracts Overview o Abbreviations: IB = Install Base SC = Service Contracts CRM = Customer Relationship Management TCA = Trading Community Architecture 2. Oracle E-Business Suite Integration 3. Simplified Standard Oracle Out-of-Box Application Flow Order Management Installed Base Service Contracts Accounts Receivable 4. o The Oracle Service contracts (SCs) module and the Oracle Install Base (IB) module are very tightly integrated o IB instances represent the products that are owned by customers o The IB is populated from Order Management (OM) when new software license orders are fulfilled o Service contracts must cover IB instances to represent precise customer entitlement o SCs are also populated from OM when new orders are fulfilled Integration Between IB and SC

5. o Tracks products owned by customers o Cradle to grave tracking of products Tracking starts from the time the product is rcvd in inventory Auto updates IB at shipment and other inventory transactions Tracks Updates/Replacements sold from OM o Configuration management (bundles) o Managed primarily from Order Management most users generally only have read-only access to IB o Integration Service Contracts Order Management Overview of Oracle Installed Base (IB) 6. o Tracks warranties, extended warranties and service agreements o Most software companies only track Service Agreements o Coverage determines entitlements (what is the customer entitled to support and/or free upgrades) o For some process flows, 95% of SCs will be created from Order Management (OM) o Actions: Renew and terminate service contracts o Authoring SCs as required (for some clients, not often used) o Integration Installed Base, TeleService Order Management, Accounts Receivable Overview of Oracle Service Contracts (SC) 7. o o o o o

Different options available: Right to Use (RTU) Maintenance / Right to Support (RTS) Updates Only (no Support, only updates) Often Separate items for separate coverage levels (Silver, Gold, etc.)

Types of Services (Service Inventory Items) 8. o Contract Management - once a SC is created, various management activities can be performed on the SC Update : Oracle version control tracks changes made to contracts. Cancel : Contracts may be cancelled for various reasons. (canceling only applies to contracts not yet signed customer declines renewal) Terminate : Contract is ended prior to expiration date. (option to credit customer) (terminating only applies to contracts that have been signed and usually invoicing for renewal has gone to AR) Renew : Contract can be renewed at any time for a future period. Delete : Contract is removed. Only contracts not signed can be deleted. This not a maintenance activity per say, but a status change occurs automatically after the end date of a contract passes: Expire: Contract ends. Expired contracts are stored and can be retrieved for future reference

Contracts Maintenance 9. o The status of a contract is a label identifying where the contract stands in its life cycle. Examples of status types include: o Entered : The contract is currently being edited and has never been approved. o Signed : The contract is approved, but not yet effective. This status is used when we have not reached the SC start date, but has the same protection from changes as an approved contract. o Active : The contract is approved, signed, and effective. Protections in place to prevent changes. o Hold : The contract was set on hold from signed, active, or another hold type. For example, use the Hold status when a customer is moving or the contract is in dispute. o Expired : The contract was active, but is not effective anymore. o Terminated : The contract was active, but was terminated by either party before the contract expired. o Canceled : the contract never was active and is not planned to become active o Custom statuses can be added Contract Statuses 10. o When an IB instance is replaced by another IB instance (e.g., product upgrade to a new inventory item): Any active SC coverages on the old IB instance will transfer to the new IB instance The active SC coverages on the old IB instance will be terminated o When an IB instance is manually terminated: Any active SC coverages on the IB instance will be terminated. o (Note: these impacts vary depending on system configuration) IB Transactions Which Impact SC 11. o Users have the option of Selling Maintenance in Oracle via two different modules: OM - generally used to sell Maintenance on new product sales Also possible to sell maintenance on existing products via OM SC - generally used to renew contracts Also possible to sell maintenance on existing products via SCs In SCs it is also possible to author new SCs from scratch Methods of Selling (Billing) Maintenance Oracle 11i Install Base Interview Questions Explain about Oracle Install Base Oracle Install Base is an item instance life cycle tracking application. It tracks an item from the time it is received in the inventory (INV), in work in process (WIP), in projects, in customer sites, and throughout the return and repair process. It is a centralized repository for an item instance and its tracking details including location, status, ownership, party relationships, account relationship, etc. Also, it provides detailed information from

contracts, service requests, and repair orders initiated for an item instance and counters associated with the item instance. Oracle Install Base is capable of tracking serialized and non-serialized item instances including tangible (manufactured, purchased, shipped) and intangible (Software, license, agreement, service) items. What is a System? A System is a construct that item owners can define to group their items. Eg: PCs in a particular department can be grouped under a system. What is the background process that updates the transaction from CRM, OM and Inventory modules? Oracle Install Base uses SFM (Service Fulfillment Manager) event queue for communicating transactional updates from Oracle Service, Inventory and Order Management. When does oracle install base instance gets created? Once the item is received into the inventory (thru PO Receipt, Miscellaneous Receipt, WIP assembly completion, etc) What happens to the instance during Inventory transfer? For serialized item, the location of the item instance is updated to reflect the new location. For Non-Serialized item, the quantity of the From Location is subtracted and quantity of To Location is increased. If the item is issued to WIP job, location of the item reflects the WIP job number. What are the APIs in Oracle Install Base? CSI_ITEM_INSTANCE_PUB Create_Item_instance Update_Item_Instance Expire_Item_Instance Get_Item_Instance Get_Item_Instance_Details Copy_Item_Instance CSI_INSTANCE_RELATIONSHIP_PUB Create_Relationship Update_Relationship Expire_Relationship Get_Relationships

CSI_SYSTEMS_PUB Create_System Update_System Expire_System Get_Systems What happens to the item instance during sales order shipment? For a serialized item already in inventory, shipping causes a change of location and ownership for already existing instance. For an item serialized at order issue, the first time shipment transaction causes the creation of new instance with the serial number. For Non-serialized item, the quantity is subtracted from the instance at the inventory location and a new instance is created with the customer ownership and location. What are the three mandatory inventory setups for an item that needs to be tracked in install base? Synchronize on-hand quantity with Oracle Inventory Setup Inventory serial control at Master Level Setup Oracle Install Base Items in the Item Master i.e. Track in install base to be checked in Service tab When the tracking starts for the intangible items in Oracle Install base? As intangible items has no direct interaction with inventory, the tracking commences with sales order fulfillment. Workflow and Order Transaction Types need to be modified for the intangible (nonshippable) items. How many seeded item instance statuses are there in Oracle Install Base? There are 16 seeded statuses. They are Created, Expired, Latest, Loaner, Repaired, Replaced, Replaced No Return, Replacement, Return for Replacement, Returned for Credit, Returned for Repair, Returned for Upgrade, Returned Loaner, Spare Part, Updated, Upgraded. What is the purpose of Install Base Source Transaction Types and Subtypes? Transaction types and subtypes are used to specify the kinds of transactions that the interface program can use. The main purpose of the Source Transactions Subtypes window is to specify what kind of update can be done to an Oracle Install Base instance when transactions come from other applications.

Can you create Item Instance manually? Yes Is it possible to change the serial number after creating and saving an item instance? No What is the concurrent program you run to correct and reprocess the failed transaction to update item instance? Install Base Error Correction and Synchronization Program Installed Base and its integration with Inventory - In Depth The fact that this product tracks life cycle of an instance, we need to understand how an instance takes birth in the first place. An instance gets life in IB, when we receive a product into inventory from supplier (buying), customer (returning), making (WIP) or simply migrating from legacy applications to Oracle. Also an instance can be created in Installed Base directly (if the instance has a serial number, it gets created in Inventory into mtl_serial_numbers table immediately). As you might have guessed by now, you cannot create an instance that is in inventory manually in IB as what is in Inventory always comes from Inventory to IB and not from IB to Inventory. So what is created in IB manually is always out of Inventory. An instance is always owned by an owner. If it is in inventory or deployed for internal use it is always owned by internal party and if it is deployed outside then the owner is the outside customer who owns it. When we say internally owned, an instance can be not only in Inventory but also can be deployed in Project or is sitting in WIP or even In-transit. If the instance is in any of these locations, owner of the instance is internal party (as you see in this screen shot highlighting Party Name). Not all products are required to be tracked in Installed base. Companies usually track products that require service or need tracking because of financial value. Spare Parts and Supplies usually do not need any tracking. This process of tracking is controlled at the item creation process level using an item attribute called Installed Base Trackable. Only transactions of IB trackable items are published for processing. Every transaction performed in Inventory for these items, either creates or updates the IB depending on the nature of transaction. These items can be serial and or lot controlled. IB captures all these attributes as well. An inventory transaction can have multiple quantities and hence can have multiple serial numbers. If a serialized item is received into inventory with a quantity of 10, against one inventory transaction, there will be 10 separated instances created for each of these serial numbers. Once the item is received into Inventory, this can be sold to a customer or issued for a specific purpose within the organization. Transactions are performed in Inventory to move material. These transactions are used to synchronize the inventory with IB. In essence every transaction in inventory has to be synchronized with IB for IB trackable items. Likewise as shown in integration diagram, lot of products send messages to IB to either create or update. If the message cannot be processed successfully, error is created in the csi_txn_errors table for that message. And all subsequent transactions are not processed until the first error is cleared. Technical Details

Here are some useful SQLs you can use to understand the relationship between inventory and IB.

SELECT transaction_id FROM mtl_material_transactions WHERE transaction_id = &your_transaction_id; SELECT serial_number FROM mtl_unit_transactions a, mtl_material_transactions b WHERE a.transaction_id = b.transaction_id AND b.transaction_id = &trx_id_from_above UNION SELECT serial_number FROM mtl_unit_transactions a, mtl_transaction_lot_numbers b, mtl_material_transactions c WHERE a.transaction_id = b.serial_transaction_id AND b.transaction_id = c.transaction_id AND c.transaction_id = &trx_id_from_above; SELECT transaction_id FROM csi_transactions WHERE inv_material_transaction_id = &trx_id_from_above; SELECT instance_id FROM csi_item_instances_h WHERE transaction_id = &csi_trx_id_from_above;this is from csi_transactions SELECT serial_number FROM csi_item_instances WHERE instance_id IN (SELECT instance_id FROM csi_item_instances_h WHERE transaction_id = &csi_trx_id_from_above); SELECT instance_party_id FROM csi_i_parties WHERE isntance_id = &instance_id_from_above; SELECT ip_account_id FROM csi_ip_accounts WHERE instance_party_id = &instance_party_id_from_above;

Here is the process flow and technical details of transaction. I am taking a simple case of miscellaneous transaction from inventory.

Changes / Enhancements in Oracle Depot Repair R12 from 11i Few changes/enhancements in Oracle R12 Depot Repair are explained below: Support for unexpected flows: Flexible Repair Order Repair Type supports the change in transition from originally intended workflow to new unexpected workflow. Example: Repair and Return Type can be changed to Exchange Type in course of repair. Bulk Receiving: This functionality reduces the time and number of clicks for the receiving process. It just scans the serial Number and that creates repair order and receives the item. High Volume Repair: This functionality reduces the number of clicks needed for a technician to create a repair job. It allows the Repair Technician to just select the diagnostic code for the repair work and from there - the system recommends the service code and creates the repair job with needed operations, materials and labor. Charges: Charges can be created and submitted for any operating units across the organization without switching the responsibility. This is due to the enhanced feature of Multi-Org Access Control (MOAC). Repair Types: In addition to the 8 Seeded Repair Types available in 11i, 2 more repair types are added in R12. So, totally 10 Seeded Repair types are available in Oracle R12. 1.Repair & Return 2.Loaner, Repair and Return 3.Loaner

4.Exchange 5.Advance Exchange 6.Replacement 7.Standard 8.Refurbishment 9.Third Party Repair For Third Party Repair execution, Outside Processing (OSP) is created in the Repair Technician portal. Completion of OSP triggers the creation of Purchase Order (PO) with a request to procure service from Third Party. 10.Return only Repair The item is returned only for accountability of credit. Only RMA is created and No ship line is created for this Repair Type. API's in Oracle CRM Service Few important APIs in Oracle CRM Service are as follows Depot Repair: CSD_REPAIRS_PUB Create_Repair_Order Update_Repair_Order Field Service: CSF_DEBRIEF_PUB CREATE_DEBRIEF CREATE_DEBRIEF_LINES UPDATE_DEBRIEF_LINE UPDATE_DEBRIEF Install Base: CSI_DATASTRUCTURES_PUB CSI_ITEM_INSTANCE_PUB Create_Item_instance Update_Item_Instance Expire_Item_Instance Get_Item_Instance Get_Item_Instance_Details Copy_Item_Instance CSI_INSTANCE_RELATIONSHIP_PUB Create_Relationship Update_Relationship Expire_Relationship Get_Relationships CSI_SYSTEMS_PUB Create_System Update_System Expire_System Get_Systems CRM Foundation: Notes: JTF_NOTES_PUB Create_Notes Update_Notes

Resource Manager: JTF_RS_RESOURCE_PUB Create_Resource Update_Resource JTF_RS_GROUPS_PUB Create_Resource_Group Update_Resource_Group JTF_RS_SALESREPS_PUB Create_SalesRep Update_SalesRep Task Manager: JTF_TASKS_PUB Create_Task Update_Task Delete_Task JTF_TASK_ASSIGNMENTS_PUB Create_Task_Assignment Update_Task_Assignment Delete_Task_Assignment JTF_TASK_REFERENCES_PUB Create_References Update_References Delete_References Tele Service: CS_SERVICEREQUEST_PUB Create_ServiceRequest Update_ServiceRequest Update_Status Update_Serverity Update_Urgency Update_Owner Update_Problem Code Link_KB_Statement Link_KB_Solution CS_INCIDENTLINKS_PUB Create_Incident_Link Delete_Incident_Link Update_Incident_Link Charges: CS_Charge_Details_PUB Create_Charge_Details Update_Charge_Details Delete_Charge_Details CS_CHARGE_CREATE_ORDER_PUB SUBMIT_ORDER CS_MULTIORG_PUB GET_ORGID

Oracle Apps CRM Service Questions What are the components of CRM Foundation or Oracle Common Application Components?

Components include Task Manager, Resource Manager, Notes, Escalation Manager, Territory Manager, One to One Fulfillment, Business Rule Monitor, Interaction History, Calendar and Assignment Manager. What is a knowledge base and what purpose does it serve for a service organization and its customers? The knowledge base is a repository of seeded data used by a service organizations employees and customers to diagnose and solve problems. Describe how Resource Manager is used by a service organization The CRM Resource Manager can be used as a stand-alone module by a service organization to set up resource roles for each of its service employees and nonemployees. The CRM Resource Manager also permits a user to import resources from other applications, such as the Oracle HRMS module. What purpose does the installed base serve to a service provider, and how are installed base records updated? It is the main repository of all of the service organizations customers, installed products, and service contracts. Installed Base records are created for each product that is sold, shipped, and maintained by the service provider. It provides a snapshot of the products configuration each time that it has undergone a maintenance or overhaul procedure. Contract information is also stored in the installed base. What are the three most important things recorded in the installed base? The three most important things are: customers, installed products, and service contracts. What are service counters and how are they used by a service provider? Service counters are provided in the CRM Foundation, and they can be set up to trigger a service contract or warranty expiration date, automatically schedule a preventive maintenance service call, or automatically schedule a billing cycle, just to name a few examples. What are profile options and how are they used in the setup? Profile options are default values that are setup during installation and used to customize softwares integration points and behavior characteristics. Profile options can be set at Site, Application, Responsibility and User Levels. What are concurrent programs and how are they used? A concurrent program is an executable file that runs simultaneously with other concurrent programs and with online operations, fully utilizing the hardwares capacity. Typically, a concurrent program

performs a long-running, data-intensive task, such as posting a journal, processing a batch, or generating a report. What are Shared Entities in Oracle 11i Apps? Shared entities enable one-time definition of object and are accessed by several products/Modules. Few shared entities and the owned applications are Set of Books General Ledger Items Inventory Unit of Measure Inventory Suppliers Purchasing Customers Receivables Locations Human Resource Employee Human Resource Organization Human Resource

How data are secured (partitioned) in Oracle 11i Applications? General Ledger and Fixed Assets Set of Books Human Resource Business Group Order Management, Accounts Receivables, Accounts Payables, Purchasing, Cash Management, Projects, Service, Sales Compensation, Sales and Marketing Operating Unit Inventory, Manufacturing Inventory Unit Oracle Service Contract Questions

What are the elements of Oracle Service Contract? Header Lines Sub Lines What are the three Line Types available? Service Lines Eg: For Depot repair, Field Service, Technical Support, etc Usage Lines Eg: For usage of Photo copier within a period, etc Subscription Lines Eg: For Magazines, etc (May be Tangible or Intangible) When the Warranty Contract is created? Warranties are created automatically once the item is shipped to the customer. When does the date of warranty become effective?

Warranties go into effect on the shipment date. But administrator can automatically delay the warranty start date when there is delay in installation of the product. What is the concurrent program you run to create contract automatically from Sales Order? Service Contract Order Capture Integration What is the difference between warranties and extended warranties? Warranties Free Service Associated with serviceable item in BOM Automatically added after an Order is shipped Extended Warranties Chargeable Service Not included in BOM Can be created automatically from order or manually in Oracle Service Contract What are the APIs in Service Contract? OKS_ENTITLEMENTS_PUB Coverage time, reaction time, resolve by time, contract details, contacts, preferred engineers, coverage type, Txn Billing type, validate contract line, expiration date. OKS_CON_COVERAGE_PUB Apply contract coverage, Get Business Process Price list OKS_OMINT_PUB Check for availability of service for particular customer and a product. How the Agreements and Lines are supported in Service Contract? Service agreement can have Service and Usage Lines. Subscription agreement can have Service, Usage and Subscription Lines. Warranties can have only Warranty lines Extended Warranties can have only Extended Warranty Lines