03 workflow

Technical Functionalities

Copyright © 2011, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Siebel Web Architecture Overview

• At a high level, the Siebel architecture consists of:
– Siebel Web clients that access the business data
– A Web server that handles interactions with the Web clients
– Servers that manage the business data and provide batch
and interactive services for clients
– A database and file system that store business data
Siebel SWSE
Clients Web Server Siebel Gateway
Enterprise Name Server

Siebel Server(s)

More
Database Siebel File
Server System

3-2 Copyright © 2011, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Siebel Web Architecture Overview
Reference: "Siebel Enterprise Server Architecture" in the Siebel System Administration Guide.
Diagram: The diagram shows a variety of Siebel clients on the left, including a cellular telephone,
desktop, PDA, and laptop. The PDA and laptop have local databases. In the middle is a Siebel Web
server with the Siebel Web Server Extension installed, then a set of Siebel Servers labeled an
Enterprise, and then a database server next to the Siebel File System. Finally, to the right is the
Siebel Gateway Name Server. The cell phone and desktop are shown connecting to the Web server,
while the PDA and laptop are shown connecting to the database server, with a dotted line between
them and the Siebel Servers. The Siebel Web server is also connecting to the Siebel Servers, which
are connecting to the database server, the Siebel File System, and (using a dotted line) to the Siebel
Gateway Name Server. Details of this diagram will be discussed over the next few slides, and the
diagram will be repeated with different areas highlighted.

Siebel CRM 8.1.x 3 - 2

Example: Sample Deployment
External Internal Mobile Web clients access
Web Clients Web Clients Web Clients and display the
Internet Internet business data
Firewall
Web Server Load Balancing
Siebel Remote
Web Synchronization
External
Applications Servers
with SWSE
Web servers with the SWSE
Firewall extension distribute requests to
Siebel Server Load Balancing the Siebel servers
External
Data
Siebel
Siebel Siebel Gateway
Remote Servers Name
Siebel Server
EIM AOM AOM AOM AOM

Siebel
Tools
Siebel Siebel
Database Servers Gateway
Siebel Siebel Siebel Siebel Name Server
Siebel Configurator Communications Workflow EAI stores
File Server
System configuration
Siebel Enterprise Server information


Example: Sample Deployment
AOM: Application Object Managers, used to manage user sessions in the Enterprise.
EIM: Enterprise Integration Manager, used to import and export data to and from an external source.
LAN Requirements: When on separate machines, the Siebel Server(s) should have a high-speed LAN
connection to the database server.


Automating Business Processes in Siebel
Applications
• A business process is a series of activities executed to
achieve a business objective
• Siebel applications support automating some steps in a
company’s business processes
– Can automate one or multiple steps in a business process
• Automation can result in:
– Consistency in execution
– Better performance
– Enforcement of best practices
Customer

Request Receive
Start
Business service Assistance
process
Service
Agent

Generate Investigate Provide Manage
new SR resolution response Critical SRs


Automating Business Processes in Siebel Applications
Reference
Bookshelf’s Siebel Business Process Framework: Workflow Guide

Diagram
The diagram shows an example business process, which specifies how a service request is handled.


Automating Business Processes in Siebel
Applications
Using capabilities such as:
• Workflow Processes
– Automates steps in a business process
• Tasks
– Guides users through a series of views to complete a step in
business process
• iHelp
– Use iHelp for assistance with complex procedures
• Assignment Manager
– Automates assignment of data (such as opportunities and
service requests) to the desired people



Automating Business Processes
with Siebel Workflow
• Siebel Workflow is a general purpose facility for
automating steps in a business process
• Workflow is a graphic "language" for executing business
process steps

Step with
Customer

Request workflow
Start
service potential
What the
Service
Agent

company Generate Examine Manage
does new SR Conditions Critical SRs

What Siebel
Workflow
automates


Automating Business Processes with Siebel Workflow
Diagram
The diagram depicts how Siebel Workflow can be used to automate one or more steps in a company's
business process. The top half shows the business process for handling Service Requests (SRs), while
the bottom half shows a workflow process for automating the Manage Critical SRs step in the
business process.


Siebel Workflow Process

• Is an ordered set of steps executed in response to a
defined set of conditions
• Is used to automate parts of a business process in a
Siebel application
• Can be used as a solution to a business requirement
– Example Requirement:
— If an open SR’s Severity is critical for two hours, update the SR’s
priority to ASAP, and notify the service manager via email
– Workflow Implementation:

Workflow Process



Workflow Designer

• Workflow processes are created Siebel Tools’ Workflow
Designer
– Contains workspace and property windows, and a palette

Right-click to open
Workflow Designer
Workspace for
designing Workflows

Properties of Palette of
selected step workflow steps


Workflow Designer
Diagram
The screenshot shows Siebel Tools' Workflow Designer. To view a workflow in the Workflow
Designer:
• Select Workflow Process in the OE
• Query for the workflow process in the list editor
• Right-click the workflow definition and select Edit Workflow Process.
The Workflow Designer includes a palette of workflow steps and connectors and a design pane,
where steps can be dragged and dropped. The Properties window can be used to configure the steps.


Basic Workflow Process Steps

• Every workflow process must have Start and End steps
– Start provides an entry point into the workflow
– End specifies when a process is finished
• A Decision Point step provides branching capability
• A connector links steps and can contain branching logic
• A Siebel Operation step inserts, updates, or queries BC
records
• A Business Service step runs a small program

Decision Point Connector Siebel Business
Operation Service


Basic Workflow Process Steps
Diagram
The diagram shows a workflow process as it appears in the Workflow Designer. The workflow has
several basic workflow step types, each with its own color and shape:
• Start and End: all workflows have these steps
• Decision Point: used to branch
• Connector: link steps and can have branching conditions
• Siebel Operation: inserts, updates, or queries records
• Business Service: executes a program.


Branching

• Is specified on one or more Connectors
– Can be specified on a connector following any step that can
have multiple branches
— Start Step, Decision Step, User Interact Step
– Example: Follow this branch if the Severity field =
1-Critical in the BC called Service Request

Branching
conditions are
attached to this
connector

3 - 10 Copyright © 2011, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Branching
Diagram
This diagram shows the workflow seen in earlier slides and highlights the connector labeled Severity
Critical. Branching conditions are attached to connectors immediately following a Decision Point
step.


Siebel Operation Step

• Performs operations on a business component:
– Insert, Update, Delete, Query
— Example: Update the SR’s Priority to ASAP

Updates the Service
Request BC


Siebel Operation Step
Diagram
The screenshot shows the same workflow seen earlier in the Workflow Designer. The Siebel
Operation step labeled Priority ASAP is selected, and its properties appear in the Properties window
to the left of the Design pane. Two properties are highlighted: Business Component = Service
Request and Operation = Update.


Siebel Business Service Step

• Runs a Siebel-supplied or custom business service
– A business service is a small program that can be reused
— Consists of a set of “methods” that specify the action to take
— The method invoked is based on the step’s Business Service
Method property
– Enables business logic to be executed repeatedly in multiple
contexts, for example:
— Send a notification email to the service agent who owns this SR
— Some other examples include calculating shipping costs and
taxes, performing a credit check, and performing email services
Business
service step


Siebel Business Service Step
Diagram
The screenshot shows the same workflow seen earlier in the Workflow Designer. The Business
Service step labeled Send Email is identified.


Additional Workflow Steps

• Siebel workflows may contain additional types of steps
– A Sub Process invokes another workflow process
— Can nest workflow processes
– A User Interact step navigates to a view and waits for user
activity
– A Wait step pauses the workflow for a specified period of
time before proceeding
– A Task step invokes a Siebel task (Task UI)
– Error Handling
— A Stop step halts the workflow process instance if a predefined
exception occurs
— An Error Exception connector handles system and user-defined
errors


Additional Workflow Steps
User Interact Steps
User Interact steps are unnecessary in many workflows: instead, Task steps can be used to guide user
navigation. Siebel Task UI is covered in a subsequent lesson.


Invoking a Workflow Process

A workflow process can be invoked by:
• Workflow policies
• Run-time events
• Custom controls

Workflow
Workflow Run-time
Run-time Custom
Custom
Policy
Policy Events
Events Control
Control



Workflow Policy

• Is a defined set of conditions and actions
– Actions are executed when conditions are met
– All policy conditions must be satisfied to invoke action
• Is typically used to monitor conditions over time
• Does not prevent the user from continuing

Workflow
Workflow
Policy
Policy
If all conditions Duration == 2 hours
Duration 2 hours . . . then
are met. . . execute actions

Conditions:
Conditions: Actions:
Actions:
--Service Request Status = Open
Service Request Status = Open --Invoke the Urgent SR workflow
Invoke the Urgent SR workflow
--Service Request Severity = Critical
Service Request Severity = Critical process
process


Workflow Policy
Monitoring Conditions Over Time
Workflow in Siebel applications monitors conditions over time by periodically "waking up" and
checking to see what read/write activity has occurred in certain parts of the database. Depending on
how frequently a workflow checks this read/write activity, there could be a delay before the
workflow actually runs. This frequency can be adjusted by the administrator.

Diagram
The diagram shows the relationships between workflow policies, conditions, and actions. A
workflow policy has one or more actions and one or more conditions. If all the conditions for a
workflow policy are met, then all of the policy's actions are executed. The example shows a
workflow policy with duration (period) = two hours. Its conditions are:
• Service Request Status = Open
• Service Request Severity = Critical
Its action is: invoke the Urgent SR workflow process.


Run-Time Events

• Are a mechanism that allows customer-configured
processing to be triggered by user activity
• Consist of:
– A specification of some user activity such as:
— Record being updated
— Navigating to or from an applet
– The resultant processing:
— Execution of a workflow process
— Calls to one or more business services
— Known as an action set
• Example: when a Service Request is saved, execute a
workflow to handle high priority Service Requests


Run-Time Events
Run-time events were introduced as part of Siebel Personalization and are described in Bookshelf’s
Siebel Personalization Administration Guide, “Tracking Run-Time Events”.


Custom Controls

• User explicitly clicks a custom button or menu item to
invoke the workflow
• Example Requirement
– Add a button to the SR form so the user can click to notify of
a change to Critical status

Custom control
invokes a
workflow


Custom Controls
Diagram
The screenshot shows an applet with a custom control: a button labeled "Send Critical Notification".
A workflow process will be executed when the button is clicked.


Workflow Scenarios

• Can be addressed by one of the three invocation methods:
– Workflow Policy
— Send out welcome letters at the end of the day to all new
accounts that were created that day
— Send an email alert to the manager when SR Status = Critical
for more than one hour
– Run-time Events
— Send out a welcome email immediately when a new account is
created
— Send an immediate email alert to the manager when SR Status
is set to Critical
– Custom Control
— Click Send Info (a new button) on the Account screen to send
account summary to the team lead



Siebel Task UI

• Uses a wizard-like interface to guide users through steps
in a task
– Consists of a sequenced set of views, each of which collects
a small set of relevant data from the user
• Extends business process automation to the UI layer


Business Solution: Siebel Task UI
Siebel Task UI extends business process automation to the UI layer as Task UI allows developers to
build tasks that direct users through a series of task views in a prescribed order.
Siebel Task UI also replaces the use of Interactive Workflows.


Features of Siebel Task UI

• Task UI supports:
– Forward and backward navigation through a sequence of
views
— Allows for a set of records to be reviewed and corrected prior to
completion of the task
– Branching based on user input
– Pausing and resuming tasks if users are interrupted
— An instance of the partially completed task is saved in the user’s
universal inbox
— Context and all data are maintained
— Task is resumed from the universal inbox
– Transfer of paused tasks to other users


Features of Siebel Task UI
Task UI
Task UI refers to both the wizard-like style of the user interface as well as to the underlying Task UI
framework that consists of the development, run-time, and administrative features that support this
type of user interface

Task
The term task (in the context of Siebel Task UI) refers in general to a unit of work to be performed
by a user as part of larger business process. The term task is also used to refer to a specific task
developed using the Task UI framework.
Bookshelf uses the term "task UI" to refer to a task as created by a developer. This course uses the
term task.

Reference
“Overview of Siebel Task UI” in Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide


Using Task UI

• Click the Task button to expose the task pane
– Displays links to tasks that can be invoked in the current
application context
Task button

Task
pane

Task group
(a collection
of related
tasks)

Task link


Using Task UI
Task Group
A task group can be associated with a specific view or can be configured to appear in all regular
views. An individual task is also assigned to a responsibility and a task link will appear only for users
with the corresponding Responsibility.

Diagram
The screenshot shows the Contact Detail - Activities View on the right. The task pane on the left is
highlighted, as is the Task button (which is a check mark on a clipboard) on the application toolbar.
The task pane displays several tasks that can be invoked through a task link. The picture also shows
several task groups.


Invoking a Task

• Click the link for the desired task
– A task view replaces the standard Siebel view
– The task pane displays the other views in the task
— Provides context for the overall task
• Enter data in fields in the first view
• Click Next to proceed to subsequent views

Click Next
to proceed

Task pane shows
current position in task

Enter data


Invoking a Task
Reference
“Siebel Task UI Interface Elements” in Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide

Diagram
The screenshot shows the Create a Contact task in progress. The task pane displays task steps, with
the current step highlighted. On the right is a task view, which presents a simplified form to enter
Contact information. Several buttons are visible in the upper right of the task view: Pause, Next, and
Cancel. (Previous is grayed-out, because this is the first step in the task.)


Invoking a Task

• Task views are typically characterized by:
– A small number of fields in each applet in the view
– A set of navigation buttons (the playbar applet) located
above and/or below the applets
– Absence of navigation options such as view tabs and
hyperlinks

Playbar applet

Task view
Small number of
related fields


Invoking a Task
Diagram
The screenshot shows the same task as the previous slide. This picture identifies the task view and
the playbar applet, which is the set of buttons in the upper right.


Progressing Through a Task

• Enter data in each subsequent view
• Click Next to proceed
• Click Previous to return to the prior view to inspect or
modify previously entered data

Task views in a chapter
are listed as the user
navigates to the view


Progressing Through a Task
Task Chapter
A task chapter is an optional grouping of sequential task steps. When task chapters are configured,
only the task chapters are shown at first in the task pane. When a user reaches a task step in a task
chapter the chapter is expanded and all the steps in that chapter are then displayed.
Task chapters provide a mechanism for showing the high-level flow.

Diagram
The screenshot shows how a task is divided into chapters. The Create a Contact task is currently in
the Next Steps chapter, which has two views (Pick an Option and Add Activity to Contact).


Branching in a Task

• Tasks can branch based on data the user inputs
– Example: branching based on lead quality of an opportunity
• Some views may explicitly present the user with a choice
about the next step to be executed
– Select the desired activity and click Next

User makes a selection


Branching in a Task
Diagram
The screenshot shows an example of branching in a task. The user selects an option from a radio
button list: Create an Activity, Associate an Account, Manage Contact Team, or Review and Submit
Contact. The task flow will branch based on the user's selection.


Pausing a Task

• Click Pause to suspend task activity
– All data and context is retained
– A link to the paused task is added to the user’s Inbox
• Navigating outside the task view implicitly pauses a task
– For example, clicking a screen tab or the site map button

Inbox


Pausing a Task
Diagram
The screenshot illustrates pausing task execution. The user clicks the Pause button. The paused task
is stored in the user’s Inbox (Inbox > My Inbox Items).


Resuming a Task

• Click the link in the Inbox to resume the task
– Task resumes exactly where it was paused

Inbox

Task view
reappears


Resuming a Task
Users can navigate to their Inbox by clicking the link at the bottom of the task pane. They can also
use the site map to navigate to the Inbox.

Diagram
The screenshot shows how to resume a paused task. The user clicks on the task's Name in his or her
Inbox and a task view will reappear. Task resumption starts at the point in the task flow where the
user paused.


Completing a Task

• Review the data if a final summary view is provided
• Click Submit or Finish to complete the task
– Commits all remaining uncommitted data to the database
• Task view closes and previous standard view is displayed


Completing a Task
Diagram
The screenshot shows how to complete task: click Submit in the playbar applet.


Task Designer

• Siebel Tools includes a Task Designer used to create,
examine, and modify Siebel tasks
– Contains a palette, workspace, and property windows

Property window
(displays Workspace for
properties of editing task flows
selected item)

Palette of
task steps
Multi value property
window (displays
properties of child object
definitions of selected item)


Task Designer
Diagram
The screenshot shows Siebel Tools' Task Designer. It is very similar to the Workflow Designer. Both
have a palette of steps and a workspace for editing the workflow/task flow. The Multi Value Property
window is displayed below the design workspace.


Task Flow

• Is an ordered set of steps in a task that:
– Displays a sequence of views to users
– Enables users to create and modify records


Task Flow
Diagram
The screenshot shows a task flow in the Task Designer. The task flow closely resembles a workflow,
but it uses a step type that is unavailable in workflows: Task View steps.


Task Flow Steps

• Task flows contain a variety of types of steps

Task View step:
displays a task
view to the user

Decision Point step: Siebel Operation step:
allows branching in a operates on a
task flow business component

Subtask step:
Invokes a
subtask


Task Flow Steps
Reference
Bookshelf's Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide, "Defining Steps and Connectors".

Diagram
The screenshot shows a complex task flow in the Task designer. The task flow has some familiar step
types:
• Decision Point
• Siebel Operation
The green Task View step displays a task view to the user. Yellow Subtask steps allow a task to
invoke another task.


Tasks and Workflow Processes

• A workflow process can invoke a task
– Invokes a Task step in the workflow process
• A task can invoke a workflow process

Task step in a
workflow process


Tasks and Workflow Processes
Diagram
The screenshot shows the Workflow Designer, which is displaying a workflow process. The
workflow contains a Task step.


iHelp

• Provides optional context-sensitive guidance for end users
– Text instruction in step format with embedded navigation
links

iHelp item

iHelp pane provides
step-by-step instructions
for common tasks


iHelp
Diagram
The screenshot shows the Create a New Account iHelp item on the left side of the client UI. A link to
this iHelp item appears on the Accounts Home Page.


iHelp Components

• An iHelp item may include
– Navigable links to the views being discussed
– Links to external sites

Clicking the view
link here. . .
. . .causes the view
to display


iHelp Components
Diagram
The screenshot shows an iHelp step on the left with a navigation link to the My Accounts view.
Clicking the iHelp link navigates the user to the view (shown on the right).


iHelp Components

• An iHelp item may include steps and sub-steps
• Many steps can be expanded to show detailed instructions

Click the arrow to
expand instructions


iHelp Components
Diagram
The screenshot shows how the curved arrow beneath some iHelp steps can be clicked to expand that
step’s instructions.


iHelp Locates Controls

• Guides a user by highlighting controls in the view being
supported
– Fields and buttons in iHelp text may be highlighted


iHelp Locates Controls
Diagram
The screenshot shows how an iHelp item can highlight controls to guide a user. The iHelp step asks
the user to set an Account’s Name, Site, Main Phone #, and Main Fax #. These fields are highlighted
in yellow in the form applet by iHelp.


iHelp Designer

• Represents an iHelp item’s flow and steps graphically

Graphical
representation of the
Drag and drop steps
iHelp item’s flow


iHelp Designer
Diagram
The screenshot shows an iHelp item in the iHelp pane and in the iHelp Designer. The top applet in
the designer specifies the iHelp item. The Designer applet allows an iHelp developer to drag and
drop iHelp steps and modify step properties. Each box in the iHelp flow corresponds to a numbered
iHelp item.


iHelp Designer

• iHelp step attributes are shown in iHelp Designer’s child
applet
– Other data for a step are viewable via the tree applet


iHelp Designer
Diagram
The screenshot shows the iHelp designer. An explorer view below the Designer applet on the left
allows the developer to add additional step data, such as branches, field and button highlights,
substeps, and translations. The applet to the right of the explorer applet provides editable data on the
selection in the explorer applet.


Siebel Assignment Manager

• Allows companies to assign business data to the most
appropriate positions, people, and organizations
• Assignment of data affects:
– Visibility of data
– Responsibility for the data according to a company’s
business needs
— A Sales representative gets responsibility for managing an
Opportunity and converting it to a revenue-producing order
— A Service representative assumes responsibility for closing a
Service Request
• Siebel Assignment Manager consists of:
– Administrative functionality to define assignment rules
– Server components to automatically assign business data
according to the rules


Business Solution: Siebel Assignment Manager
Assignment Manager is documented in Bookshelf’s Siebel Assignment Manager Administration
Guide.


Assignment Rules

• Assignment Manager uses assignment rules to assign
data
– Rules assign one or more candidates to assignment objects
based on one or more criteria
Skills
Expertise Criteria
Availability
Workload
Territory
Assignment Objects
…

Candidates
Accounts
Campaigns
Service Requests Employees
Assignment
Product Defects Positions
Opportunities Manager Organizations
Activities
…


Assignment Rules
Creating assignment rules and configuring Assignment Manager is covered in detail in Bookshelf’s
Siebel Assignment Manager Administration Guide, as well as the Siebel 8.1 Business Automation
course. Refer to http://education.oracle.com for class details and schedule.

Diagram
The diagram shows the major components of an assignment rule:
• Assignment Objects
• Criteria
• Candidates.
These components are described in subsequent slides.


Assignment Objects

• Assignment objects identify the type of data being
assigned
• Several assignment objects are pre-configured in the as-
delivered application
– Examples:
— Account
— Contact
— Service Request



Assignment Candidates

• Candidates are instances of entities that data can be
assigned to:
– Position
– Employee
– Organization
• Examples of candidates:
– Accounts can be assigned to both positions and
organizations
– Activities can be assigned to employees
– Service Requests can be assigned to both employees and
organizations
• Types of candidates must be consistent with the allowed
access control mechanisms for the object


Assignment Candidates
The allowed access control mechanism for a business component is configured through the creation
of BusComp View Mode, a child object type of Business Component. A BC’s view mode can be:
• Person
• Position
• Organization
• Group
• Catalog Category.
A BC can support multiple view modes. For example, Opportunity ownership is determined by
Position and Organization.


Assignment Criteria

• Criteria express conditions that must be satisfied for data
to be assigned
– Are expressed in terms of attributes of objects and/or
candidates
– Examples:
— Account State = CA
— Account Product = a product that candidate has expertise for
• Rules often include multiple criteria


Assignment Criteria
You can use Siebel Tools to extend the attributes available for use in assignment rules by configuring
Assignment Attribute and Assignment Criteria object definitions. These two object types and their
child types allow you to create attributes for use in assignment rules and complex criteria. These
object definitions link to an Assignment Object definition to make the attributes and criteria available
for that assignment object. For information on configuring these objects, see Bookshelf’s Siebel
Assignment Manager Administration Guide, “Basic Assignment Manager Configuration”.


Administering Assignment Rules

• Assignment rules are created and administered using the
Siebel Web Client
– Are not part of the Siebel repository
– Are not compiled into the .srf file
– Can be deployed during run time


Administering Assignment Rules
Administration of Assignment Rules
The assignment objects available are dependent on object definitions in the Siebel repository, as is
the availability of assignment object attributes. The primary point of this slide is that assignment
rules are administrative data and users do not require Siebel Tools to create and maintain rules.

Navigation
Assignment rules are defined in Administration - Assignment > Assignment Rules List.

Diagram
The screenshot shows the Administration - Assignment > Assignment Rules List view. The
Assignment Rules List applet shows two rules: AUT SR Rule, which assigns Service Requests, and
AUT Sales Rule, which assigns Opportunities.


Assignment Manager Examples

Example scenarios for Assignment Manager:
• Assign accounts based on sales region
• Assign service requests based on skill



Scenario 1: Assign Accounts by Sales Region

• ABC Company assigns accounts to its sales organization
– Makes account data visible within the organization
• ABC Company also assigns accounts to its sales reps by
sales region
– Opportunities in the Western Region (CA, OR, WA) are
assigned to the Sales Rep – West position
– Opportunities in the Eastern Region (CT, MA, NJ, PA) are
assigned to the Sales Rep – East position
BAF Sales Organization
BAF VP Sales - US
Pat

BAF Sales Rep – West BAF Sales Rep – East
Alex Janet


Scenario 1: Assign Accounts by Sales Region
Diagram
The diagram shows an organizational chart for the BAF Sales Organization. The positions shown are
BAF VP Sales - US (Pat) and two subordinate positions, BAF Sales Rep - West (Alex) and BAF
Sales Rep - East (Janet).


Rule to Assign Accounts by Sales Region

• The assignment rule includes:
– Candidates (desired organization and positions)
– Criteria for determining region to assign the account

Rule: BAF Assign East Accounts
Object: Account
Candidates:
Position candidate BAF Sales Rep – East
Organization candidate BAF Sales Organization
Criteria: Account State is one of
Rule applies when
CT,MA,NJ, PA


Rule to Assign Accounts by Sales Region
Diagram
The diagram shows the components of the BAF Assign East Accounts assignment rule:
• Assignment Object: Account
• Candidates: BAF Sales Rep - East (position candidate) and BAF Sales Organization
(organization candidate)
• Criteria: Account State is one of CT, MA, NJ, PA.


One Rule Per Sales Region

• A separate rule is required for each sales region

Rule: BAF Assign West Accounts Rule: BAF Assign East Accounts
Object: Account Object: Account
Candidates: Candidates:
BAF Sales Rep – West BAF Sales Rep – East
BAF Sales Organization BAF Sales Organization
Criteria: Account State is one of Criteria: Account State is one of
CA,OR,WA CT,MA,NJ, PA

This rule applies when This rule applies when


One Rule Per Sales Region
Territory is another name for sales region. Formally, a territory is a collection of Accounts, Contacts,
and/or Assets that is managed by a team of positions. Most often a territory is based on a
geographical area such as states.

Diagram
The diagram shows two assignment rules: one per sales region. BAF Assign West Accounts assigns
accounts when Account State is one of CA, OR, or WA. BAF Assign East Accounts assigns accounts
when Account State is one of CT, MA, NJ, or PA. The rules also have different positions candidates.


Candidates for Rules

• Candidates are listed in Candidates views
– Employee Candidates, Position Candidates, Organization
Candidates
Assignment Rule

Position Candidate


Candidates for Rule
Diagram
This screenshot shows the Assignment Rule detail applet on top and the Position Candidates list
below. The candidates view tabs are highlighted: Employee Candidates, Position Candidates, and
Organization Candidates.
The Position Candidates for the BAF Assign East Accounts shows a single position: BAF Sales Rep -
East.


Criteria for Rules

• Account States for each rule are listed in the Criteria view

Account State
must match a
value in this list


Criteria for Rules
Diagram
The screenshot shows the rule Criteria applet. The criterion shown compares a list of states shown in
the bottom to account records. If the account has a matching Account State, then the record is
assigned to a rule candidate.


Scenario 2: Assign Service Request to Skilled
Agents
• ABC Company assigns service requests to employees with
the correct skills to resolve them
– Skills are properties that reflect the candidate’s abilities in
various areas such as:
— Product expertise
— Installation and upgrade skills
— Languages
Service Organization
VP Service
Chris
(no skill)

Service Agent 1 Service Agent 2 Service Agent 3
Craig Ellen Jack
(Network) (CPUs) (Power supplies)


Scenario 2: Assign Service Request to Skilled Agents
Diagram
The diagram shows a position hierarchy used in the second scenario. The Service Organization
position hierarchy has four positions:
• VP Service (Chris): the top of the position hierarchy; no skills
• Service Agent 1 (Craig): reports to VP Service; network expertise
• Service Agent 2 (Ellen): reports to VP Service; CPU expertise
• Service Agent 3 (Jack): reports to VP Service; power supplies expertise.


Assign Service Request to Skilled Agents Rule

• Rule includes:
– Criteria for assigning request
— Employee skill matches the area of the service request
– Candidates to be considered
— Can list select employees or consider all available employees

Rule: Assign Service Request
Object: Service Request
Candidates:
Employee candidates All service agents

Rule applies when Criteria: Candidate’s product skill =
a product associated with the
Service Request


Assign Service Request to Skilled Agents Rule
Diagram
The picture shows the Assign Service Request view. It has the following components:
• Assignment Object: Service Request
• Candidates: All service agents
• Criteria: Candidate’s Product skill = a product associated with the SR.


Other Assignment Scenarios

• Assignment rule criteria can be based on factors such as:
– Candidate attributes
— Example: Languages spoken by a call center agent
– A candidate’s workload
— Example: Do not assign any service requests to a candidate
who has 20 or more open service requests
– Assignment object attributes
— Example: Assign all opportunities with revenue > $10,000 and
sales stage not equal to Lost or Closed
• A rule may incorporate multiple criteria
– Assignment Manager allows you to define weights for
multiple criteria and score candidates



Running Assignment Manager

• Assignment Manager can be invoked in three modes
– Batch Assignment: can be used to submit batches of data for
one-time assignment or reassignment
— Example: A trade show generates many new leads
(Opportunities); use batch mode to assign them to sales reps
– Dynamic Assignment: invokes Assignment Manager to
assign data in real time as records are created or modified
— Example: New service requests are dynamically assigned as
they are created
– Interactive Assignment: Can be used to manually assign
candidates in real time
— Enabled for Service Request and Activity assignment objects
— Assignment Manager presents a list of scored assignment
candidates



Lesson Highlights

• Siebel Web Architecture
• Siebel Workflow provides a way to automate business
process activities
• A workflow process is an ordered set of steps executed in
response to a defined set of conditions
• Siebel task UI is a wizard-like interface that guides users
through steps in a task
• Siebel iHelp Provides optional context-sensitive guidance
for end users
• Assignment Manager assigns data by considering
Assignment Objects, Candidates, and Criteria



03 workflow

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03 workflow