Oracle Sales Cloud Custom Extensions: All new possibilities

While implementing medium to large scale Oracle Sales Cloud (OSC) CRM projects, developing Custom Extensions/Batch Automation solutions to meet specific business requirements of the customer can’t be avoided.

Generally, these Custom Solutions are developed leveraging SOAP/REST API integration capabilities using J2EE/MSFT/PHP technology stack.

In the past, there was a limited provision to host/run such custom solutions within OSC. Which means customer should procure & maintain the hosting server. This not only incurs additional cost but also defeats the purpose of choosing SAAS solution. This is one of the biggest complaint/pain point customers have expressed over the years whenever we propose the custom solutions.

With the latest releases of OSC, we see all new possibilities to develop & run the custom extensions/batch automations kind of programs within OSC.

In this article, I would provide insights on how do we leverage various integration capabilities & hosting possibilities provisioned by OSC to develop custom solutions which can run within OSC.

The following are the hosting possibilities within OSC,

1. Web Center: Supports hosting of JS/HTML file. These files can be made accessible in public or only within OSC
2. Narrative Reports: We can write JS/HTML code here
3. OSC Administration/Configuration: Supports working with OSC/External Web Services in this area using Groovy Scripts

And the integration capabilities offered by OSC to develop custom extensions & automated batch programs are,

1. SOAP
2. REST
3. Groovy

SOAP is the traditional mode of integration mechanism been around almost since the inception of OSC; REST API is introduced in the latest releases to align with current trend offering lots of flexibility to develop custom solutions

And we have Groovy which is another option to make web service calls from within OSC Administration/Configuration area. Using Groovy, we can perform CRUD operations (both parent & child objects) on records in specific triggers events(like Create, Update, Delete,..). We can also call external web services/OSC SOAP WSDL from within OSC Configuration area using Groovy.

So the new approach to develop custom extensions could be to use Client Side technologies(Java Script) and SOAP/REST API. This solution can then be hosted within Web Center/Narrative Reports.

Also, if we can effectively & intelligently leverage full potentiality of Groovy Scripts; over 90% of requirements for which we end up developing custom automated batch programs can be implemented only using Groovy Scripts.

So considering these varied integration capabilities & hosting possibilities, it is now possible to develop custom extension solutions to OSC without a hosting server. This is a step towards a true SAAS model, run everything within Cloud, Save Cost and keep customer happy.

And the matrix shown below can be used as a quick reference guide while arriving at a solution for any of the custom extensions,

Mobile Business Apps – How to choose the right development framework?

While developing mobile business apps, choosing the right mobile application development framework is a key decision making process. It is highly important that, the decision maker invests significant time upfront towards making the right decision considering the factors such as application type, domain, target device platforms, UI & UX design, usability requirements,..

When the right mobile development framework is selected after considering all of the above mentioned key parameters, we can reasonably be assured that the mobile app can be implemented & maintained within the budget & timeframe meeting customer business needs.

In this article, I would like to share some of the available mobile app development approaches, frameworks, its pros & cons.

A few mobile approaches;

1. Mobile Web: An app specifically developed for limited real estate and mobile usage on the go. Ex: m.facebook.com!
2. Full Native: An app fully developed in the platform’s frameworks, they offer the best experience. However developing for multiple platforms usually means writing the app multiple times. Example: Apps developed using Android, iOS SDK’s.

3. Hybrid:
An app built using a mix of native and web technologies. Hybrid frameworks comes in two flavors,

a. Free and open source framework: The following would be mobile app development approach with this option:
• Develop App UI/pages using UI Development frameworks such as WebIx, Bootstrap, Sencha, Ionic, Intel® XDK,..
• Use Apache Cordova to access the Mobile Device features such as Camera, Dialer, Geolocation,..
• Build the Mobile app to the target platforms (Adroid, iOS,..) using frameworks such as Phone Gap, Titanium, ..

b. Licensed frameworks: Example: Oracle Mobile Application Framework (MAF). Licensed frameworks come prepackaged with inbuilt UI controls, API’s to access device features and the hybrid app build framework as well

Pros & cons of the above popular approaches:

Full Native:

Pros:
• OS default themes can be leveraged to design the app UI & Navigation in line with native device UI
• More control in accessing the device features and functionalities

Cons:
• Talents with technical competencies such as Java, Objective C & .NET are required to develop Native apps for Android, iOS & Windows platforms
• Separate front end code base has to be developed for each of the platforms
• Development/Maintenance time & cost increases significantly to deploy the app in different platforms

Hybrid – Open Source

Pros:
• Write Once & Run Anywhere (WORA)
• Write code in familiar Client Side programming languages such as Java Script
• Significant reduction in development & maintenance cost compared to Full Native approach

Cons:
• App UI & Navigation may not match the standard Mobile OS themes
• Detailed Client Side Technology competency (Java Script, HTML 5, CSS 3,..) & Knowledge on UI development frameworks (Bootstrap, Sencha, WebIx,..) is required to develop complex business apps using this model

Hybrid – Licensed (Ex. Oracle MAF)

Pros:
• Write Once & Run Anywhere (WORA)
• Significant reduction in development & maintenance cost compared to Full Native approach
• Extensive ready to use UI controls are available using which complex web pages can be easily designed & developed
• Prebuilt Binding tools can be used to automatically bind the web pages with the backend data feeds (such as DB, SOAP or REST based services)
• MAF Plugin is available for both Jdeveloper & Eclipse IDE’s
• Significant reduction in development & maintenance cost compared to other Mobile App development approach

Cons:
• App UI & Navigation may not match the standard Mobile OS themes
• Available in Licensed mode only
Note: There are other Licensed Mobile application development frameworks in the market. Since I have experienced on using Oracle MAF, I have considered this as an example in this article.

There are no hard-and-fast rules which can help us to decide on the development framework. Every mobile app development initiative has to be analyzed & evaluated in detail considering the above factors to arrive at the right development framework suiting the context.

I hope the information in this article will help you to evaluate & choose the right mobile application development framework to develop your mobile business apps.

— Prashanth N

Oracle RightNow – Customer Portal Migration (Version 2.0 to Version 3.0)

RightNow (RN) introduced a new customer portal framework as part of November 2012 release. This framework is called Customer Portal Framework 3 (CP 3). And a new framework is mainly launched to address some of the challenges & limitations with CP 2 (November 2009 release) and for software modernization & modularization.

 As part of this blog article, I would cover the features & benefits of CP 3. And the activities involved while migrating from CP 2 to CP 3. 

Before we proceed further, let us understand the difference between Migration & Upgrading. Migration is moving from one version of the Customer Portal framework to a newer one. Upgrading is moving from one release of Oracle RightNow CX to a newer release. Before the November 2012 release, upgrading your Oracle RightNow CX application meant you also had to migrate to the new Customer Portal at the same time, absorbing all new features whether you needed them or not. 

With CP 3, migration process is quite simplified – you migrate the features you want when it’s convenient for you.

CP 3 – Features & benefits:

1. Independent frameworks and versioning – Control when you migrate and what you migrate. Upgrading to new releases of RN will not have any impact on the existing functionalities of Customer Portal (CP).
2. Automatic updates of backward compatible changes – All new upgrades are backward compatible
3. Widget builder – Creation of custom widgets become simpler, quicker and accurate using the widget builder feature.
4. Widget changes – New structure & process is defined to create custom widgets. This would help to modularize, easy code maintenance & fasten the development process.
5. Easy migration – Migrating to new releases doesn’t have any impact  on the custom widgets.
6. New file structure – Intuitive and easy-to-navigate file structure
7. Connect PHP API – Framework Version 3 is built on the Connect PHP API and uses data objects from the Connect PHP API rather than internal APIs
8. Software modernization – Usage of YUI 3.X in CP 3 improves performance and simplifies the coding

CP 2 to CP 3 – Migration Activities:

• Adhering to new file structure
• Widget changes (major activity):  

1. Widgets created using standard widgets: re-create the widget (extending standard widget) using the widgets builder feature of CP 3. Post creation, edit the code to duplicate (implement) its CP 2 functionality.
2. Widgets developed from scratch: If the widget was developed from scratch to implement the functionality which was not available in CP, it is better to convert this widget code to work with CP 3 following CP 3 development standards. The detailed widget conversion process is defined in the migration guide referred below.

• PHP namespacing: To avoid the conflicts between CP reference implementation PHP files and customer files RightNow and Custom namespacing is introduced. RightNow namespace contains reference implementation files and the customized files are available under Custom namespace.
• Modifying display elements,

1. Using HTML5 on custom pages: CP 3 standard widgets and pages conform to HTML 5 specification. To take advantage of this, it is recommended to use HTML 5 doctype in all custom pages and templates.
2. Editing widgets that open in a separate window: As mentioned above, YUI 2.X is replaced by YUI 3.X in CP 3 framework. This change impacts display of standard widgets such as Login Dialog, Advanced Search Dialog and Product Category. So standard template needs to be edited as per the procedure mentioned in the document to correct the display.
3. Changing the width of the Email Address field: In CP 2, email fields are <input type=”text”>. In CP 3, HTML 5 input types are used for email fields, so email fields are now <input type=”email”>.
4. Editing the width of the OpenLogin dialog: The dialog that opens when your customers click one of the open login icons (for example, Facebook, Twitter, or AOL) needs to be adjusted editing OpenLogin CSS file after migrating to CP 3.
5. Modifying the SocialBookmarkLink widget: The SocialBookmarkLink in CP 3 offers Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit options, eliminating Delicious, Digg, and StumbleUpon, which were used in CP 2, and adding LinkedIn. If you want to continue using the earlier social networking sites with the widget, edit it according to the procedure mentioned in the migration guide.
6. YUI resources: If your CP 2 custom widgets includes calls to YUI modules, this code has to be modified as per YUI 3.X standard. Refer the guide for the details.
7. Adding the PasswordInput widget: To support password hardening, CP 3 includes new password input widget.

• Other functional changes,

1. Using high-contrast mode for accessibility:  Edit the CSS files as per the instructions in the guide to make your customer portal pages viewable in high-contrast mode.
2. Disabling incident receipt emails: In CP 3, by default the customer would be sent email notifications after submitting the question. This feature can be deactivated.
3. Changing incident source for rules: If you have been using Connect PHP API in CP 2, review your incident rules to see if any of them have an IF condition of Incident.Source equals End-User Pages > Ask a Question. If they do, edit the rule to also add the condition IF Incident.Source equals End-User Pages > End-User Connect
4. Removing customer search preferences: The Connect PHP API does not store contact preferences in the database, so the use of profile_default attributes is no longer supported for CP 3
5. Changing the SmartAssistantDialog widget: Several default values are changed to simplify the code.
6. Editing the CommunitySearchResults widget: See if the display_initial_posts attribute of this widget is used in CP 2 code. This attributed is not supported in CP 3 because community posts are displayed by default when the widget loads on a page. You can remove the attribute from your widget code.
7. Login required configuration setting: CP 3 introduced a new configuration setting, CP_CONTACT_LOGIN_REQUIRED, which lets you require your customers to log in to most customer portal pages.
8. Adding label attributes: Because of the data structure of the Connect PHP API, some business objects use more generic labels than those used in CP 2. So additional attribute named label_input should be added to input widgets in CP 3.

• Customer portal changes on the agent desktop,

1. Guided assistance styling on the agent desktop: CSS edits to make the desktop styling (of guides) more consistent with what customers experience on your customer portal.
2. Replacing variables on the preview page: Variables names to be changed in the CP answers preview page that is displayed to the agents in CX console.

• Converting custom code,

1. Using Connect PHP API in custom scripts: If CP 2 site includes custom PHP scripts that call normally unavailable product API functions (that is, functions you could use only after applying for access through the whitelist process), you cannot use these functions in Framework Version 3. Instead, check for equivalent functions in the Connect for PHP API.
2. Direct SQL queries: CP3 doesn’t support this feature. Replace this with equivalent Connect PHP & ROQL.
3. Using PHP5 style constructors: Instead of using the old PHP4 style PHP constructors (where the method name that matches the class name is the constructor), you should use PHP5 style constructors
4. Custom models: Your custom models must use namespacing to indicate that they are extending RightNow models.

• Optional code cleanup: Although it’s not necessary, you might want to take the time now to clean up Framework Version 2 code now so that you won’t be required to do it at some future migration

1. Replacing business objects: naming convention changes
2. Replacing unused widgets: ChatLaunchFormOpen, MobileEmailAnswerLink, and ContactNameInput widgets of CP 2 to be replaced with equivalent replacement widgets of CP 3.

Please refer to the CP 2 to CP 3 Migration Guide from Oracle for more details.

Prashanth.

Integrate RightNow with open source Asterisk Contact Center Solution

Oracle RightNow (RN) helps deliver great customer experiences across the primary engagement points of web, social, and contact center by integrating internal business processes with external channels customers mainly use to interact with organizations.

Even after the emergence of new service channels such as social, web self-service etc, traditional Telephony or Contact Center service channel is still very popular among the Customers & Service Industry.

RN provides out of box solutions for web and social service channels in the form of Customer portal, Facebook app and Social cloud monitoring tools.

RN doesn’t provide out of box connectors to any contact center solutions. Instead it provides a development framework (referred as Multi channel toolkit in RN terms) for building these connectors.

Using this development framework we have developed a connector to integrate RN & Asterisk Contact center solution.

Asterisk is a low or no cost; world’s most widely adopted communication platform. The below screen shows some stats about Asterisk and click this link for more details on Asterisk, http://www.asterisk.org/

 

 

 

Integration Architecture:

 

Approach:

• RN specifies a Multi-Channel Toolkit framework to enable Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) to RN Applications.
• Asterisk provides Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) to facilitate Integration with external applications.
• Asterisk’s TAPI is consumed in RN’s Multi-Channel Toolkit framework to develop Integration Bridge (connector) between RN CTI Toolbar and Asterisk Telephony Server to facilitate a seamless integration.
• Since integration bridge (Connector) is developed by customizing Multi-Channel Toolkit, we don’t need a separate hosting server to host this customization. The customized framework/toolkit can be deployed directly in RightNow server.
• This solution can be a right fit for customers who have a Contact Center channel and are looking for a low cost solution working with RN.

Note: The Integration approach suggested in this article is suitable for any other contact center solution (Avaya, Cisco etc.) integration with Oracle RN.

 

Microsoft Skype and Oracle Cloud CRM – Be where your customers are!!

This blog article provides insights about Skype IM, its business benefits & on how to Integrate “ORACLE Cloud CRM” Products with Skype.

Introduction:

Skype started in Europe in 2003, got acquired after 3 years by eBay and currently owned by Microsoft (bought in 2011) in a decade long run since its launch.

Using Skype one can call, see, text & share with others – wherever they are.

Being one of the most popular IM tool, Skype is available on computer, mobile, tablet, TV and even on home phone. Latest stats suggests around 300 million around the globe use Skype to stay in touch with those who are most important in their lives, from friends, to family, to business connections. One in three international voice calls is now made using Skype. Few more stats,

To get started with Skype all we need is – Skype installed device with microphone and speaker/headset, a web cam and an internet connection.

Skype (Microsoft) has been investing in technology improvements, these changes are expected to significantly improve the reliability & performance of Skype to provide users with the best experience possible, across devices and platforms.

When you download & create Skype account, the free and paid services are, 

Skype in business world:

Skype, the low-or-no-cost voice-over-Internet service was first launched for individuals and is now popular with businesses too.

If access to information is democratized by Google, then Idea of communications is democratized by Skype.  If Amazon’s cloud services made it easy for start-ups to get in business, then Skype helped tiny start-ups go global adopting Skype as communication platform.

Skype is a good tool for High-tech technical support services, demonstrations & global meetings.

In cases where customers are having issues using a product, service reps could initiate a Skype call (i.e. Video conference & Screen share) with customers to see what the problem or issue is. This helps the service reps to quickly determine the root cause and show the customer how to solve the problem then and there. This also allows companies to have a kind of “face time” with the customers.

For more business use cases – “10 Cool Ways Companies Use Skype”.

Skype with “ORACLE Cloud CRM” Products:

Skype URIs are the preferred mechanism for integrating with the Skype client, and are supported on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows (8, 7, Vista, XP), and Mac OS X.

Skype URIs enable developers to create innovative mobile, web, and desktop apps that initiate Skype calls and chats, enabling users to reach target group in a convenient yet familiar way.

The below listed Skype features are integrated with “ORACLE Cloud CRM” products using Skype URIs,

Skype Features Integrated with CRM:

1. Click to Audio Call /Audio Call – Conference
2. Click to Video Call /Video Call – Conference
3. Click to Chat/Multi-Chat
4. Group Video Call (GVC)

ORACLE Cloud CRM products:

1. ORACLE Sales (Fusion) Cloud
2. ORALCE Service (RightNow) Cloud
3. ORACLE CRM On Demand

In their pursuit to provide better customer experience companies are identifying suitable channels where thier customers ‘hang-out’ and building processes around them. Skype with “Oracle Cloud CRM” enables businesses to be more customer driven and deliver defined customer experience at the same time reducing transactional costs making the combo the preferred solution 🙂

Special thanks to my good friend & colleague Mohammed Chand Ahmed for his contribution to this article.

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Note: The other means to integrate Skype is to use Desktop API’s and these API’s were launched nearly 10 years ago. Microsoft has decided to decommission these API’s by the end of 2013 to improve the overall Skype Experience. Also, URIs based Integration approach is  much easier & simpler compared to desktop API’s for integration.

Information sources on decommissioning API’s: Skype Developer, Skype to retire Desktop API support by end of 2013 & Skype says it will kill its Desktop API by end of 2013

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Fusion CRM Sales Cloud CTI Toolbar – Empowering CX & UX

This is the age of a customer where the expectations are to be able to serve customers anywhere and anytime. Companies are using multiple channels to engage customers. And Contact centers serve a major role in customer relations for a company. The call center CRM applications enable companies to improve customer service and gain efficiency.

With this article, I would like to share my experience while integrating Fusion CRM Sales Cloud with Asterisk contact center solution.

Asterisk is the world’s most widely adopted open source communications platform.

The following are the Integration requirements of the project,

1. Click to dial from Fusion CRM
2. Predictive or Auto dialing
3. Inbound Screen pop based on customer phone number

CTI Toolbar Introduction,

CTI toolbar is one of the finest & very useful features of Fusion CRM Sales Cloud. To integrate Fusion CRM with Telephony systems, fusion provides CTI toolbar framework.

CTI Toolbar framework is open and extensible to integrate with any Telephony systems by writing our own connectors.

Oracle also provides a prebuilt connector for ORACLE CCA Telephony system. Customers who are already using ORACLE CCA or willing to buy CCA Contact center solution can largely benefit from this existing connector.

Telephony Operations supported by the Toolbar,

1. Login/Logout
2. Ready/Not Ready
3. Answer Call/Screen Pop
4. Click to dial
5. Hold/Retrieve
6. Transfer
7. Consult, Conference
8. Hang up

Key features,

• CTI toolbar is embedded within Fusion CRM Application. Call center users don’t have to switch between the applications (Telephony & CRM) to carry out their regular activities which results in improved productivity & usability.

• Provision to configure look up (Inbound screen pop) on any of the Fusion CRM object. This can be done using configuration and no coding is needed here.

• Record look up using multiple IVR attributes is supported – ANI (Phone Number), DNIS, Customer Id, Contact Id, Relationship Id.

• Configure Object look up sequencing for inbound screen pop.

• For Screen pop, send simple JSON request (with parameters) to toolbar without executing any WS operations. Record Identification & screen pop is taken care automatically by Fusion.

• Click to dial link will be enabled by default on all phone number fields across objects

• Call wrap up notes can be captured as Interaction (linking to the customer) using inbuilt Customer Interaction feature

Integration approach,

Oracle specifies a set of APIs to enable Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) to the Oracle Fusion CRM Applications. This consists of a JavaScript API.  And Asterisk Telephony provides Java Telephony Application Programming Interface (JTAPI) to facilitate Telephony Integration with external applications.

Based on the Asterisk JTAPI framework & Fusion CRM CTI API’s, we have developed 2 custom connectors (highlighted in Green in the below architecture diagram) to achieve this integration, Java Script connector & Telephony connector. 

Solution in Action – sample screen shots,

CTI Toolbar:

Incoming Call – Screen Pop:

Click to dial:

I hope this article helps you to better understand CTI toolbar framework, features and its capabilities.

I would also like to thank my colleagues, Mohammed Chand Ahmed & Sharan Kumar Desai for their valuable contributions to this blog article.

 

Getting Started with ORACLE Service Cloud (Right Now) Customization, Extension & Integration.

As many of us know, ORACLE’s Fusion CRM Strategy is to position home grown Fusion CRM as Sales Cloud, and recent acquisitions – Right Now & Eloqua as Service & Marketing Cloud offerings respectively. ORACLE is currently developing automated integration bridges to facilitate out of box seamless data transfer/communication between these three clouds.

This article provides an introduction to Right Now (RN) Service Cloud Customization, Extension & Integration provisions. And would be useful for beginners.

RN Service Cloud is a leading customer service software that helps organizations deliver exceptional customer experiences across the web, social networks and contact centers. RN Supports multiple Service channels to provide unified, personalized experience through all customer touch points.

The Customize, Extend & Integrate provisions are provided to the following Service Channels (Modules),

1. Customer Portal – both Desktop & Mobile Versions
2. Agent Desktop
3. Multi-channel toolkit (Telephony Integration)
4. Chat Interface
5. Customize, Extend and Build your own Custom Solutions & Integration Apps (Web/Batch) to meet the customer’s unique business requirements.
6. Facebook App

Above mentioned Modules are built-on & supported by the following most popular Technologies/Programming Languages.

1. J2EE
2. Microsoft Technologies (MSFT/Dot Net)
3. PHP
4. Presentation/Web Layer Technologies (Such as HTML, AJAX, JSON, JQUERY, Java Script, YUI,..)
5. SQL

Hence, RN projects with a need to Customize, Extend & Integrate all Service Channels to meet customer’s business goals require all segments of programmers (Java/.Net/PHP/Web/DB) to play a significant role for successful execution !!!.

Organizations so far focusing only on specific technologies will have to invest on grooming talents on all these technologies.

RN also provides good opportunity to developers with specific skills to learn new technologies. Developers who are keen to continue working on their area of expertise can still  do so & focus on a RN Integration modules which supports their technology strength.

The below table lists the Customizable & Extensible RN Modules; API’s supported by RN for Customization & Extension; Technologies to be used.  

 

#	RN Modules	Customization/Integration API	Technology to be used	Comments
1	Customer Portal, available in both Desktop & Mobile versions	Connect for PHP	PHP, AJAX, JSON, JQUERY, Java Script, YUI, HTML, SQL.
2	Agent Desktop	The Connect Desktop Add-In Framework (.NET) The Connect Desktop Integration (JavaScript) API	Dot Net, JS, Visual Studio, SQL.
3	Telephony Integration	The Multi-Channel Toolkit	Dot Net, JS, Visual Studio.
4	Chat Interface	The Chat Consumer Interface API The Chat Third Party Queue Integration APIs	J2EE or Dot Net.
5	Custom Extensions & Integrations (Web/Batch)	Connect Web Services For SOAP The Connect Knowledge Foundation API	J2EE or Dot Net, SQL.
6	Facebook Integration App	NA	NA	Limited Configuration of existing functionality is supported. Customization/Code changes to the app is not supported

 

I hope this information helps & provides you with better insights on your area of focus w.r.t Right Now Customization, Extension & Integration provisions based on your technology expertise & strength.

Few more useful Resources related to Customize, Extend & Integrate aspects of RN are listed below,

For Technical Documentation & Code Samples refer to the below URL,

https://cx.rightnow.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5169

Discussion Forum link,

http://communities.rightnow.com/groups/eedd6685ae/summary

Share your Ideas & Enhancements requests using the below link, 

http://communities.rightnow.com/resources/255b24b92b/summary

Happy Learning! 

Prashanth N Reddy

Technical Manager, CRMIT Solutions.

ORACLE Fusion CRM Integration Capabilities. How different are they from CRMOD?

This article provides an introduction to Fusion CRM(FCRM) integration features/capabilities and insights on what is missing when compared to CRMOD Integrations. This should be helpful for beginners and people who have worked on CRMOD Integration projects and are now on a transit route to start with FCRM Integrations.

When ORACLE launched FCRM, like many we were excited to explore & learn the integration side of the story to see what it offers and how it is different from CRMOD. We got our opportunity in the form of our Fusion CRM Sales++ (R4) Internal Project Implementation to which our Sales team was on-boarded from CRMOD. Currently we are using FCRM R5 version and the application is getting more stabilized by every release.

My first cut feedback would be that “the technical architecture of FCRM is very well thought off and designed to suit the enterprise class CRM application”. When compared to CRMOD it provides extensive API support and offers most of the features offered by CRMOD integration with many really nice add-ins. Here is the quick look on some of the distinctive features of FCRM,

• FCRM Web Services are developed using ADF & JAX WS specification

• FCRM Web Services can be broadly classified as Transactional data access services, migration services & composite services

• Transactional data access Services are services that provide access to the ADF Business objects and provide Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) operations to these objects (e.g. Opportunity web service)

• Migration Services are used primarily for moving data from various systems into Fusion CRM (e.g. Bulk import web service) 

• Composite Services represent end-to-end process flows that act on business events produced by the ADF services. Composite services are typically non-object based services that represent backend processing flows (e.g. Scheduling an order fulfillment, Converting marketing response to Lead/Opportunity Service)

• FCRM supports Stateless Session Pooling for session management. Big relief for the integration developers as the session pooling is managed by the server automatically. This frees the integration developers from maintaining the client side session pooling.

• FCRM WSDL Changes dynamically based on the data structure configured in FCRM App. Data Structure changes such as Parent Child Association & adding of new fields will reflect dynamically in the WSDL.

• Query/Read limit is 500 records per transaction.

• Provision to create Unlimited Custom Objects. The WSDL schema is dynamically generated at run time upon creation of Custom Objects.

• Apart from basic CRUD operation we could find many other operations (Ex. Convert Lead to Opportunity,  Qualify Lead, Auto Opportunity Assignment, ..) under each of the object which could help to automate  the business processes.

• Sync and Async Web Services Transactions are supported for every operation. This is another nice feature. As definition says, using Async Web Services we can initiate the web services transaction and proceed to perform the next transaction asynchronously without having to wait for the initial transactions to complete.

• Flexibility to create Index Fields on our own. Effectively using this feature in application design would help improve application performance significantly.

• No allotments & limiters imposed on FCRM Web Services Usage (at least not yet!)

• FCRM Supports a new field called Object Version Number Field which will be updated internally by FCRM on every transaction (record modification). Concurrent record modification use cases can be better handled using this feature.

• Generate Unique Sequence No. in your own format. We might have come across many use cases where customers have asked us to generate sequence no. in their own format. This is possible now with FCRM but only for Custom Object records.

• Support of Rich text data for notes. This is one another feature which is frequently asked by customers and is supported by FCRM.

• MTOM is supported for high volume(Attachments) & Rich Text data transfer. This should improve performance of web services transactions.

• CTI Integration Framework & Toolbar is supported. CRM user can perform Telephony operations within FCRM using CTI Toolbar. CTI Framework can be extended to integrate with any of the backend Telephony system.

• Outbound Message (Trigger External Web Services from FCRM), we can configure an object workflow to send an outbound message to a Web service at a specified endpoint URL. An endpoint URL is an external Web service that shares data with Oracle Fusion CRM. This feature can be a substitute for CRMOD Integration Event Queues.

Note: In FCRM, we can download/view WSDL only from OER (ORACLE Enterprise Repository), WSDL’s are not available within FCRM application. OER is the separate web site where Integration Assets of all Fusion Stack of Applications are listed. You need ORACLE account to access the OER.

Now let us see the key features of CRMOD that are missing in FCRM (as of Release 5).

• Web Services Utilization Monitoring

• Ability to use 20 record per transaction in Create/Update/Delete Operations. Currently most methods in FCRM supports one record per transaction for these operations

• Web Services for Pick Lists & Export/Import Configuration

• Mapping Services

As solutions addressing these short falls and many more add-ins are expected in upcoming releases, working with FCRM is truly going to be an enterprise class experience for all of FCRM System Integrators.

Prashanth N Reddy

Technical Manager, CRMIT Solutions.