Update 21A

Revision History

This document will continue to evolve as existing sections change and new information is added. All updates appear in the following table:

Date	Product	Feature	Notes
18 DEC 2020			Created initial document.

Overview

This guide outlines the information you need to know about new or improved functionality in this update, and describes any tasks you might need to perform for the update. Each section includes a brief description of the feature, the steps you need to take to enable or begin using the feature, any tips or considerations that you should keep in mind, and the resources available to help you.

Security and New Features

The Role section of each feature identifies the security privilege and job role required to use the feature. If feature setup is required, then the Application Implementation Consultant job role is required to perform the setup, unless otherwise indicated. (If a feature doesn't include a Role section, then no security changes are required to use the feature.)

If you have created job roles, then you can use this information to add new privileges to those roles as needed.

Give Us Feedback

We welcome your comments and suggestions to improve the content. Please send us your feedback at oracle_fusion_applications_help_ww_grp@oracle.com.

Optional Uptake of New Features (Opt In)

Oracle Applications Cloud delivers new updates every quarter, often containing new features for offerings. Some features are enabled by default and are readily available for use. Features that aren’t enabled by default require you to use the New Features work area to review and decide whether to opt in to them or not.

To do that, you need these privileges:

• Review Applications Offering (ASM_REVIEW_APPLICATIONS_OFFERINGS_PRIV)
• Configure Oracle Fusion Applications Offering (ASM_CONFIGURE_OFFERING_PRIV)

Here’s how you opt in to new features:

1. Click Navigator > My Enterprise > New Features.
2. On the Features Overview page, select your offering to review new features specific to it. Or, you can leave the default selection All Enabled Offerings to review new features for all offerings.
3. On the New Features tab, review the new features and check the opt-in status of the feature in the Enabled column. For a feature already enabled, you would see a check mark. Otherwise, you would see an icon to enable the feature.
4. Click the icon in the Enabled column and complete the steps to enable the feature.

For more information and detailed instructions on opting in to new features for your offering, see Offering Configuration.

Opt In Expiration

Occasionally, features delivered Disabled via Opt In may be enabled automatically in a future update. This is known as an Opt In Expiration. If your cloud service has any Opt In Expirations you will see a related tab in this document. Click on that tab to see when the feature was originally delivered Disabled, and when the Opt In will expire, potentially automatically enabling the feature. You can also click here to see features with Opt In Expirations across all Oracle Cloud Applications.

Feature Summary

Common Compliance and Regulation

Add Neighborhood Group Map Layer for Public Notification

The Public Notification map enables you to define an area on a map and generate .csv files for the parcels, owners, addresses, and neighborhood attributes that are included in that area. Use the .csv files to create your mailing list. The notification area consists of all properties that are at least partially within a specified distance of the selected property or properties.

This feature supports the public notification feature to include mapping for a neighborhood group map layer. Agency staff can define a neighborhood group map layer that can be used to generate a public notification list.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Key Resources

• See Using Community Development Planning and Zoning, Working with Maps, "Creating Map-Based Notification Lists" on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Trade License Validation for Multiple Contractors During Intake

Intake forms support the collection of multiple contractors so that the applicant can identify all of the contractors associated with the permit. The trade license information for contractors is validated when the contractors' license number is entered in the application.

Agencies are able to validate the licenses of all contractors and sub-contractors involved in a project that have been added to the application.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Tips And Considerations

When creating a permit type application in the intake form designer, use the multiple contractor predefined field group in the application. If you have used the single contractor predefined field group, you will need to update the permit type with the multiple contractor predefined field group. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Communication Actions and Default Rules for Business Rules Framework

Actions are the activities that occurs in the system as a result of the conditions being met. Action types include:

• Send Communication. Triggers a communication such as an email or notification based on a communication event template.

• Update Workflow. Updates a human task in the underlying workflow process.

The Business Rules Framework enables you to define conditions that express the requirements for sending the notification.

Multiple events are activated for Business Rules Framework. Default business rules have been delivered for each event with an action to share communication.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Key Resources

• See Implementing Your Agency, Implementing the Business Rules Framework on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Property Map for Search

During application intake, you can now select a map icon to select the parcels from a map. Alternatively, you can select multiple parcels from a list.

 This allows you to search a map directly from the property search map during application intake or you can select multiple parcels from a list.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff and public users can utilize this feature. 

System Administration

Updated Applicant Information Saved to Profile

When an applicant changes their information within the intake form, they have an option to save the information to their profile. This replaces any existing information in the profile fields.

This allows the applicant to maintain current contact information in their profile, which is pulled into the next application they begin, without having to update the profile directly.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Public users can utilize this feature. 

Concatenated Address Fields

This feature automatically combines the address component fields into a single, read-only full address field. This prevents the full address field to get out of synch whenever any of the address fields are manually updated. 

When updating an address, this feature will automatically combine the individual address component fields (for example, address street number, street name, suffix, and so forth) into a single read-only concatenated address fields. 

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature.

Enhancements to Agency Staff Configuration

Agency staff configurations have been enhanced to include the ability to simplify the configuration by associating agency staff to all permit types and inspection types instead of specifically assigning each separate type to the staff. 

This feature allows agency staff to be assigned role-based privileges to a group of actions or objects as an alternative to separately assigned role-based privileges.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Manual Entry of Date Application Was Received

The submission date is a default value generated when the application is submitted. There may be times when this date is not accurate and needs to be updated. In these instances, agency staff can override and manually enter the correct date the application was received.

Agency staff can update the application received date on the intake form or on the Transaction Summary page.

This feature allows agency staff to update the application received date.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Financial Framework

Agency Assisted Partial Payment

Agency assisted partial payment allows public users to pay for individual fee items as well as to pay for the entire fee amount. This offers a public user the flexibility to pay a portion of the fees due as allowed by an agency and deferring payment for other fees that are also due but can be subsequently paid.

When agency staff assists a public user with payment of fees using the Pay Now button, the agency staff can accept payment for one or more fee items from the list of all fee items that are due as an alternative to paying the entire amount.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Tips And Considerations

When a subset of fees are paid using the Pay Now button, if any of those fees are in the public user's payment cart then they will be removed and the payment cart is updated accordingly.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Support of Balance Overpayment

Agencies have had the ability to accept a cash payment for an amount that exceeds the balance due and to immediately provide change. Now an agency can also accept a check payment for an amount that exceeds the balance due and the overpayment can be processed as a refund through the agency's accounting system.

This allows an agency to accept a check payment for an amount in excess of the balance due, which often occurs when a check is written ahead of time.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Generate Accounting in Oracle Financials Cloud

This feature allows Oracle Financials Cloud to be used as an alternative to Public Sector Compliance and Regulation accounting for financial accounting.

Accounting is generated using Receivables within Oracle Financials Cloud.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Tips And Considerations

Requires Oracle Financials Cloud.

Key Resources

• See Implementing Your Financial Framework, Integrating with Oracle Receivables on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

PayPal Payments

PayPal is available as a supported payment method. Note, this feature cannot be used in production until Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance is complete. 

This feature allows an agency to accept PayPal for payment of fees in addition to other agency-supported payment methods.  Many agencies allow payment using PayPal.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Tips And Considerations

When PCI compliance is complete, you will be able to configure PayPal as as support payment method. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Fee Schedule Effective Date

Fees can be calculated based on a fee schedule with a selected effective date. The effective date must be populated when the fee schedule is created. 

Fee schedule effective dating allows an agency to configure multiple fee schedule dates to reflect prior, current, or planned fee changes.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Cash and Check Payment Methods for Cashier Session Payments

Cashiers accept and process in person cash and check payments.  The cashier session now has a drop down for the cashier to select either cash or check as the payment method.

Cash and check payment methods have been added from the drop down selection for cashier session payments. Additionally, supervisors have access to cashier sessions.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Fee Calculations Based on Property's District

Fees are often based on attributes of an application, including property information such as district.  Property district can be used as one of the attributes for calculating fees.

Fee calculations can be based on property districts. This includes, fixed and variable fees based on a district, a fixed fee based on a combination of districts and one or more application attributes, or a variable fee based on a combination of districts and one more application attributes.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Partial Refunds of Planning Entitlement and Business License Payments

Partial refunds of fee items can be granted for planning entitlement and business license payments. The refund is given using supported payment methods.

This feature allows agency staff to initiate refunds on behalf of a public user to reimburse for overpayment of Planning Entitlements and Business License fees.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Workflow

Integration Cloud Service Connector for Workflow Integration

Rather than having to configure an individual transaction and communication connector within each process definition, agencies can configure them once and use them across all workflow process definitions. This greatly reduces implementation and maintenance of Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) integration to support workflow.

This is one time configuration of workflow connector for use across multiple process definitions. 

Steps to Enable

To enable this functionality from within Oracle Integration Cloud:

1. Create and activate two ICS Connections:
   1. The first one should use a basic REST trigger, which will start the integration.
   2. The second one should use a REST invoke, which will be used as a callback to Public Sector Compliance and Regulation. This connector points to the Public Sector Compliance and Regulation environment using a base URL and authentication parameters.
2. Create and activate an ICS Integration in Oracle Integration Cloud.
   1. The integration begins with the REST trigger, then using various operations, makes calls to PSCR using the REST invoke.
   2. If data is returned from the REST invoke, the response can be mapped to provide information back to the workflow application.  For example, an operation can retrieve transaction data from PSCR.  This data can then be used to drive workflow decision points.
3. Link the ICS Integration into the process application, which will allow the workflow model make calls to PSCR using the ICS Integration operations.
4. Once linked, the ICS Integration is used in the same way as the built-in integration provided within the process application.

Tips And Considerations

Starting from update 21A, you can optionally implement the workflow integration between Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) and Public Sector Community Development using an Integration Cloud Service (ICS) connector.  Currently, this integration is handled solely within the workflow process model; however, transitioning to the Integration Cloud Service connector will provide the following benefits.

• The ICS connector supports improved security using OAuth Client Credentials.  Using OAuth will also remove the need to occasional reset a basic auth password.

• Since the ICS connector is outside of the workflow application, it can be leveraged by many workflows; therefore, the maintenance is centralized to a single integration.

Key Resources

• See Implementing Your Cloud Integrations, Setting Up Workflow on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Business Rules Framework Workflow Support

The Update Workflow action is available to the Planning and Zoning offering, Activity Updated event. Agency staff can configure business rules to update workflow when the entitlement activities are updated.

This allows agency staff to leverage the business rules framework to automatically update workflow when the entitlement activities are updated.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Tips And Considerations

Update Workflow action is only available to the Activity Updated event. To access, navigate to the Business Rules Framework page, select the Planning and Zoning offering, and then select Activity Updated event.

Key Resources

• See Implementing Your Agency, Implementing the Business Rules Framework on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Permits

Inspections

All Inspections Tab Added in Oracle Inspector

Inspection supervisors can view scheduled inspections for all inspectors, as well as view all scheduled inspections for which they are the assigned inspector on the My Inspections or All Inspections tab in the Oracle Inspector mobile application. 

This feature allows an inspection supervisor to quickly and easily view inspections by inspector from Oracle Inspector while on the go. This grants supervisors greater flexibility in keeping track of inspection assignments. 

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Planning and Zoning

Planning and Zoning Plan Review for Conditions of Approval

Plan review options are included for planning and zoning applications and pre-application types, including Manual Plan Review and Electronic Document Review.

Plan reviews for planning applications work the same way as plan reviews for permit applications. Planning staff can use the Plan Review page to manage plan review cycles and assign plan reviewers to collect comments and conditions of approval.

This feature allows planning staff to create manual and electronic plan reviews for Planning Applications.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Tips And Considerations

When configuring a planning application type, at the Plan Reviews section, select Plan Review type Manual or Electronic.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Enhancements to Entitlement Activity Tracking

The activity tracking default view shows activities with an in progress or pending status. Agency staff can turn on the Show All Statuses switch to view a complete list of activities, including activities in complete or canceled status.  Agency staff can also view and add internal notes for each activity by clicking on the Comments icon.

Entitlement activity tracking now supports comments and activities based on the date the application was received. The tracked activities can be filtered to show all statuses or only activities that are in progress.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Hearings

Staff Recommendations, Decision and Appeal Dates, and Comments for Public Hearings

When updating the public hearing decision, agency staff can add recommendations, comments, and update the hearing decision dates.  They can also update the appeal request date to reflect the actual date the appeal was requested.

This feature allows agency staff to add staff decisions and provide additional comments for Public Hearings. In addition, agency staff can manually update the appeal request date. 

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Code Enforcement

Ad Hoc Fees and Billing

In addition to auto-calculating citation fees, you can now add new fees on demand. Fees are added to the fees and payment tab and to the overall balance associated to a case.

This feature allows code enforcement staff to manually assess fees for abatement or other enforcement-related activities.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Key Resources

• See Using Community Development Code Enforcement, Managing Cases, "Working with Citation Fees and Payments" on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Support for Ad Hoc Notices

In addition to notices of violations and citations which are auto-generated, you can now use ad hoc notices to generate notices on demand.  Once completed, notices are associated to the code enforcement case.

This allows code technicians and code officers to generate agency-defined notices on demand. 

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Key Resources

• See Using Community Development Code Enforcement, Managing Cases, "Working with Notices" on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Edit Code Violations

Code violations and corrective actions can be modified so that Code Officers can add specific details to a case. This includes the ability to select and edit a predefined code violation or the corrective action, which in turn will available when generating notices.

This allows Code Officers to manually edit a code violation or corrective action.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Key Resources

• See Using Community Development Code Enforcement, Managing Cases, "Working with Code Violations" on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

Code Enforcement Intake Integration

In addition to using the Report an Issue feature on the public landing page, an agency can opt to further integrate with an external, third-party system to trigger a incident. Bi-directional updates can be set up to inform the reporter regarding the status updates for a particular incident.

This feature allows agencies to integrate with external, third-party systems such as Oracle Engagement Cloud, to report code enforcement incidents.

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Tips And Considerations

Use of this feature requires a valid third-party system such as Oracle Engagement Cloud or other external application. 

Key Resources

• See Using Community Development Code Enforcement, Overview of Working with Incidents and Cases, "Using Third-Party Integration for Incident Intake" on the Oracle Help Center for more information. 

Role Information

Agency staff implements this feature, while public users can utilize this feature. 

Appeal Due Date Updates

The appeal by due date is now displayed in the code case detail page to inform code enforcement staff about the time frame in which an appeal can be initiated. In addition, the appeal due date can now be printed in a notice of violation or citation when generating notices.

This feature displays the appeal by due date in the case details and can used when generating notice of violations or citations. 

Steps to Enable

You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.

Role Information

Agency staff can utilize this feature. 

IMPORTANT Actions and Considerations

UPGRADE ACTIONS

With every upgrade, make sure to complete the following steps in the Initial Set Up functional area in Functional Setup Manager. This process ensures all new security definitions, such as job roles, duty roles, privileges, and so on, are included in your implementation.

• Run Public Sector Security Setup Process
• Manage Custom Roles

REST API UPDATES 20D TO 21A

The following REST API changes were made for Fee Line Maps:

• EffectiveStartDate and EffectiveEndDate were added as new mandatory fields without default values.
• EffectiveStartDate and EffectiveEndDate were added to the existing primary key.
• EFFECTIVE_START_DATE and EFFECTIVE_END_DATE were columns added to PSC_FEE_LINE_MAP.