Update 19B

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	Feature	Notes
28 MAR 2019	Update the VMI Network Using Spreadsheet Uploads	Updated document. Edited Steps to Enable details.
28 MAR 2019	Review and Resolve Failed Replenishment Requests	Updated document. Edited Steps to Enable details.
22 MAR 2019		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.

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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)

We continue to add many new features to the Oracle Cloud Applications, and for some features, you can take advantage of new functionality at a pace that suits you by “opting in” to the feature when you’re ready. You can opt-in to a feature in two ways:  by using the New Features work area, or by using the Setup and Maintenance work area.

To opt-in using the New Features work area:

1. Click the Navigator, and then click New Features (under the My Enterprise heading).
2. On the New Features page, select the offering that includes new features you’d like to review.
3. Click Opt-In for any feature that you want to opt-in to.
4. On the Edit Features page, select the Enable option for the feature, and then click Done.

To opt-in using the Setup and Maintenance work area:

1. Click the Navigator, and then click Setup and Maintenance.
2. On the Setup page, select your offering, and then click Change Feature Opt-In.
3. On the Opt-In page, click the Edit Features icon.
4. On the Edit Features page, select the Enable option for any feature you want to opt-in to. If the Enable column includes an Edit icon instead of a check box, then click the icon, select your feature options, and click Save and Close. 
5. Click Done.

OPT-IN EXPIRATION

Some features include an opt-in expiration update, after which they are no longer optional. If you have not opted in to the feature by the expiration update, it will automatically be enabled for you in that update.

Click here to review details of all Oracle Applications Cloud features with an upcoming opt-in expiration update.

Feature Summary

Collaboration Messaging Framework

Business-to-business (B2B) messaging is a key component of collaborative relationships and can increase the quality, quantity, and frequency of information that can be exchanged between trading partners.  However, the differences in B2B standards, technical capabilities of trading partners, and the diversity of trading partners can make this costly to establish and maintain.  Oracle Supply Chain Collaboration and Visibility Cloud manages B2B communications with trading partners by leveraging the Oracle Collaboration Messaging Framework, a next-generation B2B messaging platform that maps and routes standards-based B2B messages through a B2B solution provider, on-premise B2B application, or direct to the trading partner.  Oracle Collaboration Messaging Framework is a common infrastructure component that is included with all Oracle Cloud Applications environments at no additional charge.  It is also tightly integrated with Oracle Cloud Applications, making it easy for Oracle Supply Chain Collaboration Cloud customers to set up and manage multiple trading partner connections.

Migrate Trading Partner Configurations from Oracle B2B Gateway to Oracle Cloud Collaboration Messaging Framework

Oracle Collaboration Messaging Framework Cloud provides better capabilities to set up and manage B2B messaging with trading partners, including features such as message configuration and the ability to reprocess messages.

In Oracle Procurement Cloud, when setting up a Supplier site, there is an option to specify the B2B communication method to be used to exchange B2B messages with the supplier.

There are three values that can be selected for the B2B communication method – None, Oracle B2B, or Collaboration Messaging Framework. Of these, two of the options, Oracle B2B and Collaboration Messaging Framework achieve the same end result but have different setup and management capabilities.

The Oracle B2B option is being deprecated, and is not available to new customers. Existing customers that are using this B2B communication method need to migrate their setup to use Collaboration Messaging Framework.

Steps to Enable

The migration involves the following steps:

1. Export B2B configuration from Oracle B2B.
2. Upload the B2B configuration compressed file to the scm$/B2BConfigurationImport$/import$ account.
3. Run the Create Collaboration Messaging Setup Data scheduled process. This will result in Collaboration Messaging Framework setup data records getting created.

• If the processing is unable to find any Oracle Supplier Network trading partners in the export, then the job status is set to Error, with the details mentioning that no Oracle Supplier Network trading partners were found.
• Otherwise, if at least one trading was found, then the job status is set to Success.

4. Review the status of the import using the Manage Collaboration Messaging Setup Data Import task. Review the CSV files that are created and update as required (verify trading partners and documents, remove unwanted records, update status for documents to Enabled/Disabled).
5. Run the Import Collaboration Messaging Setup Data scheduled process.
6. Review the results of the import in the Manage Collaboration Messaging Setup Data Import task. If needed, delete the import batch, make updates to the CSV file and attempt import again.

Tips And Considerations

There are too many variations of B2B setup to be able to provide a completely automated, touchless migration capability. Accordingly, the migration is a manual, multi-step process.

The scheduled processes that are provided assume a very specific approach for modeling Trading Partners in B2B, and can extract and import collaboration messaging framework setup data only if your setup uses this approach.

B2B setups that fall in any of the following categories, and use the B2B Supplier Site Code as the Trading Partner identifier, can be migrated using the scheduled processes that are provided:

• Oracle B2B setup with one trading partner per supplier site, with the delivery channel configured for Oracle Supplier Network delivery 
• Oracle B2B setup with a single trading partner setup for multiple supplier sites, with the delivery channel configured for any third-party endpoint (not Oracle Supplier Network)
• Oracle B2B setup with one trading partner per supplier site, with the delivery channel configured for any third-party endpoint (not  Oracle Supplier Network)

Role Information

• Job Role:
  • Name: B2B Administrator
  • Code: ORA_CMK_B2B_ADMINISTRATOR_ABSTRACT

• Privilege:
  • Name: Create Collaboration Messaging Setup Data File
  • Code: CMK_OSN_B2B_MIGRATION_SCHEDULER

Specify an Alternate Delivery Method for Sending Large Messages

Specifying alternative delivery methods for outbound messages is linked to the specifying size limits for delivery method types, which is also introduced in this update. Any alternative delivery method that is set up for a trading partner and outbound message combination is used by Oracle Collaboration Messaging Framework Cloud during processing only if there is a size limit specified for the primary delivery method type.

Message size limits for delivery method types are generally a constraint of the underlying network protocols. For example, the size of a message delivered using HTTP (HTTP post or web service delivery) is limited based on the connection timeout limit parameter setting.

In Oracle Applications, the size of any business message can vary widely. For example, most invoices or purchase orders might contain 20 lines on average, but a very large order with 5000 lines, or a very large invoice with 20,000 lines, might be created for a specific supplier.

If you use web services for message delivery, then these one-off large messages will fail delivery and could result in system instability. They will also require unplanned human intervention, because the frequency of such messages is not known.

By specifying limits on the delivery method type, and by specifying alternate delivery methods, you can implement specific processes for handing such large messages, eliminating the need for exception management.

Steps to Enable

You can now specify a maximum message size in Oracle Collaboration Messaging Framework Cloud for each supported delivery method.

Additionally, you can optionally specify an alternate delivery method to be applied if message size exceeds the limit for the primary delivery method (for both service provider or a trading partner with no service provider).

When outbound messages are processed, if a delivery method type size limit is set up, then the message size is calculated and compared with the size limit setup for the delivery method after the message is transformed to the partner’s message format.

If the calculated size exceeds the size limit, then the processing checks if there is an alternate delivery method set up for the trading partner message. If it isn't, then the message is logged with status as Error. If it is set up, the processing evaluates if the message size exceeds the alternate delivery method limit. If it does, then the message is logged with status as Error. If not, the alternate delivery method is used to deliver the message.

If the calculated size does not exceed the delivery method type size limit, the message is processed as usual.

Tips And Considerations

Both the alternate delivery method and the delivery method type size limit settings are optional.

The Maximum Attachment Size property setting is independent of the maximum size settings for the delivery method types.

The Maximum attachment size property is only used to limit the size of embedded attachments. If this is set as 0, then collaboration messaging does not process any attachments for outbound messages. If this is set to any other positive integer value (for example, 1), then the maximum size of the embedded attachments is restricted accordingly.

Examples:

Maximum Attachment Size = 0 MB, Web Service Delivery Method Type

1. No Maximum Message Size specified for the delivery method type: In this case, no attachments are processed by outbound processing, so there will be no embedded attachments in the XML payload. There is no size limit for web service delivery, so regardless of the message size, all messages will be processed.
2. Maximum Message Size of 4 MB specified for the delivery method type: In this case, no attachments are processed by outbound processing, so there will be no embedded attachments in the XML payload. The size of the payload will be just the size of the XML message, and only messages that are less than 4 MB in size will be processed for web service delivery.

Maximum Attachment Size = 2 MB, Web Service Delivery Method Type

1. No Maximum Message Size specified for the delivery method type: In this case, attachments up to 2 MB will be embedded within the XML payload. Anything beyond that will not be embedded or processed. Since there is no Maximum Message Size specified, the overall size of the XML payload is not calculated, and the message will be processed with the embedded attachments.
2. Maximum Message Size of 4 MB specified for the delivery method type: In this case, attachments up to 2 MB will be embedded within the XML payload. Anything beyond that will not be embedded or processed. The total size of the payload will be the size of the XML payload before embedding, plus the size of the embedded attachments, and only messages that are less than 4 MB size will be processed for web service delivery.

Role Information

• Job Role:
  • Name: B2B Administrator
  • Code: ORA_CMK_B2B_ADMINISTRATOR_ABSTRACT

• Privilege:
  • Name: Manage Collaboration Messaging Configuration
  • Code: CMK_MANAGE_COLLAB_MESG_CONFIG_PRIV

Use a Web Service to Exchange Messages with Oracle Supplier Network

You can now use a web service to exchange messages with Oracle Supplier Network, instead of routing messages through Oracle B2B and using HTTP post for message exchange.

Using web services significantly simplifies message exchange between the Oracle Cloud Applications and Oracle Supplier Network. Messages are not routed through Oracle B2B, and there is no need to for any setup or management tasks in Oracle B2B to exchange messages with Oracle B2B.

Steps to Enable

You must perform configuration on both Oracle Supplier Network and on Oracle Applications Cloud, and the steps detailed here apply both to new and updating customers.

ORACLE APPLICATIONS CLOUD

Select the OracleSN or the OracleSNTest service provider (new customers will not have OracleSNTest as a pre-seeded service provider). You will see two additional delivery methods that were not present earlier:

If you are updating your stage (non-production) pod, then you need to perform the following tasks:

Update the ORA_B2BMessageTestService Delivery Method with the following values, and save your changes:

• Endpoint: https://osn.oracle.com/HTTPService/ProcessSOAPCollaborationMessage
• User Name: The buyer account user name that was used for the HTTP connection
• Password: The buyer account password that was used for the HTTP connection

In the Outbound Collaboration Messages tab, change the status of all messages to Inactive, and then update the Delivery Method from ORA_OracleSNOneWayHTTP to ORA_B2BMessageTestService, Save the changes. Note that this step is not applicable to new customers.

Change the status of all outbound messages to Active (applicable for all customers).

If you are updating your production pod, then follow the same procedure, but the Endpoint should be set as https://osn-prod.oracle.com/HTTPService/ProcessSOAPCollaborationMessage.

ORACLE SUPPLIER NETWORK

Sign in to your buyer account on Oracle Supplier Network, and select Messaging Setup. In the page that appears, click Add in the Communication Parameters section. On the Add New Delivery Method page, select SOAP Service from the Select Delivery Method drop-down list.

Specify the endpoint URL for the service that Oracle Supplier Network will invoke to send messages to Collaboration Messaging Framework. The URL is:

https://<host>/soa-infra/services/default/CmkCollaborationMessagingInboundServiceComposite/CollaborationMessageServiceV2.

Replace the <host> with the appropriate values from your test and production pods.

Specify a user name and password for your test and production pods. Note that the user specified here must be a valid Fusion user and must have the Invoke Collaboration Message Inbound Service privilege (CMK_INVOKE_INBOUND_COLLAB_DOC_SERVICE_PRIV) in the respective pod.

You should not update the Oracle Supplier Network ID field. The value here is used to identify the service provider setup in Collaboration Messaging Framework, and defaults to the name of the pre-seeded service provider for Oracle Supplier Network (OracleSNTest and OracleSN for test and production respectively).

After you specify the appropriate values, click Submit. The Communication Parameters table now shows the newly added Delivery Method.

In the Transaction Management table, edit the Transactions with the Receive action. These are the transactions that Oracle Supplier Network sends to Oracle Applications Cloud. If you are a new customer setting up Oracle Supplier Network for the first time, this table will not have any records.

For all transactions that have the Receive action, update the Delivery Method to use Collaboration SOAP Service.

Tips And Considerations

Ensure that the user name and password that is specified in Oracle Supplier Network when configuring the SOAP service is a valid user in Oracle Applications Cloud. Additionally, this user must have the Invoke Collaboration Message Inbound Service privilege (CMK_INVOKE_INBOUND_COLLAB_DOC_SERVICE_PRIV).

Role Information

• Role:
  • Name: Invoke Collaboration Message Inbound Service
  • Code: CMK_INVOKE_INBOUND_COLLAB_DOC_SERVICE_PRIV

Use B2B Location Codes to Identify Ship-To and Bill-To Locations for Order-to-Cash Messaging

You can set up codes to identify ship-to and bill-to locations for order-to-cash B2B messages. The codes can be used as an alternative to providing the full ship-to and bill-to address in inbound and outbound order-to-cash messages.

If B2B location codes are set up, then when any inbound order received by the Oracle Collaboration Messaging Framework Cloud has codes specified for the bill-to and ship-to locations, it will retrieve the relevant internal keys that identify the bill-to and ship-to site, and include them in the payload. For outbound invoices and shipments, the B2B location code for the bill-to and ship-to location is retrieved and included in the message sent to the partner.

Steps to Enable

After setting up bill-to and ship-to sites for customers, you can assign B2B location codes to them using the Manage Customer Collaboration Configuration task. The search page in this task has a Manage B2B Location Codes tab.

Selecting a customer from the search result and clicking this tab brings up a page that shows all the sites for the customer that currently have B2B Location codes assigned. (There are none in the example.)

To assign location codes, click Add Locations. The Add Locations page appears. It lists all the sites that have been defined for the customer, and that do not have B2B location codes assigned.

Select one or more sites, and click Add. In the Customer Sites dialog box, specify location codes for all the sites you selected.

Click Save. The Add Locations page updates to show onl y those sites that do not have location codes specified.

Role Information

• Job Role
  • Name: B2B Administrator
  • Code: ORA_CMK_B2B_ADMINISTRATOR_ABSTRACT

• Privilege
  • Name: Manage B2B Customer Trading Partners
  • Code: CMK_B2B_CUSTOMER_TRADING_PARTNERS_PRIV

Integrate and Extend Collaboration Messaging Framework Using REST Services

Query B2B Service Providers Using a REST Service

Use the B2B Service Providers REST API to query collaboration message definitions. You can use this REST API to view B2B service provider details automatically, instead of using the Oracle Collaboration Messaging Framework Cloud pages.

Steps to Enable

Review the REST service definition in the REST API guides to leverage (available from the Oracle Help Center > your apps service area of interest > REST API).  If you are new to Oracle's REST services you may want to begin with the Quick Start section.

Key Resources

Refer to the REST API for Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud guide available on the Oracle Help Center.

Query B2B Application Partners Using a REST Service

Use the B2B Trading Partners REST API to query B2B trading partners. You can use this service to find the trading partners associated with a supplier site, customer, or customer account, and the collaboration documents that are enabled for messaging with each partner.

Steps to Enable

Review the REST service definition in the REST API guides to leverage (available from the Oracle Help Center > your apps service area of interest > REST API).  If you are new to Oracle's REST services you may want to begin with the Quick Start section.

Key Resources

Refer to the REST API for Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud guide available on the Oracle Help Center.

Supply Chain Collaboration

Today’s global supply chains increase manufacturers’ reliance on suppliers, contract manufacturers, and other trading partners. To be successful, companies must synchronize their activities across multiple tiers of trading parties. Oracle Supply Chain Collaboration Cloud enables companies to jointly plan supply, gain visibility into trading partner data, coordinate contract manufacturing execution, and measure performance across their trading networks. Trading partners are actively involved in the decision-making process, so they can exchange early warning signs and collaboratively resolve supply chain issues. Depending on the size and technical sophistication of each supplier, your company can interact using a portal-based user interface, standards-based B2B messages, or web services. Customers can also tailor Oracle Supply Chain Collaboration Cloud’s flexible, predefined business processes to their unique requirements. Enhanced collaboration results in more dynamic trading relationships, as well as increased reliability and efficiency of supply.

Buy-Side, Vendor-Managed Inventory

Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) is a family of business models in which a buyer provides inventory and consumption information about a product to the supplier. Based on the agreement between the buyer and supplier, the supplier is responsible for maintaining the inventory thresholds close to or at the buyer's facility. This process streamlines inventory management by delegating replenishment calculations and execution of the process to suppliers.

Oracle Supply Chain Collaboration Cloud enables both partners to monitor inventory performance, receive exception alerts, and collaborate to resolve replenishment issues. Both pay-on-use and pay-on-receipt are supported.

This model ensures that both the enterprise and the supplier come together to provide better service to the customer. In addition, the enterprise’s planning and ordering cost will reduce as the responsibility will shift to the supplier while the overall service level will increase by providing the right product at the right facility. The supplier benefits by having visibility into the enterprise’s demand and stock levels. Further, the supplier will be able to incorporate promotions into the inventory plan more easily.

Update the VMI Network Using Spreadsheet Uploads

Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) relationships define a supply chain network that suppliers can use to replenish and manage inventory thresholds at the enterprise facilities. To simplify the management of these networks, this update allows administrative users to upload VMI relationships by using flat files.

Watch a Demo

Steps to Enable

To enable this feature, you must opt in to the Vendor-Managed Inventory feature that was included in update 19A. Use the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Materials Management offering to opt in. For opt-in instructions, refer to the Optional Uptake of New Features section of this document.

After you opt in, you can use file-based data import (FBDI) to create vendor-managed inventory relationships. To add a new relationship for your VMI network, perform the following steps:

1. Download the VMI Relationships file-based data import template from the File-Based Data Import for Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud guide, available on the Oracle Help Center.
2. Enter the VMI relationship data, generate the CSV compressed file, and save the data file locally.
3. Upload the VMI relationships using the Load Interface File for Import scheduled process. The following screenshot shows the Load Interface File for Import process details. Select the Import Vendor-Managed Inventory Relationships import process and the data file to import.

Load Interface File for Import Process Details

NOTE: If you had previously uploaded a file to the scm/vmirelationship/import account using File Import and Export, you can select the file from the list of values for Data File. To upload a new file from this location, select Upload a new file.

Key Resources

• File-Based Data Import for Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud guide, available on the Oracle Help Center.
• Watch Update VMI Network Using Spreadsheet Uploads Readiness Training

Review and Resolve Failed Replenishment Requests

Replenishment requests indicate the quantity of an item to be replenished to ensure the inventory levels at the enterprise facilities are maintained at or above the desired inventory targets. The replenishment requests are converted to purchase requisitions in Oracle Purchasing Cloud. If any of the configuration data is missing, the replenishment requests are moved to the Failed status and the purchase requisition is not created. In this update, you can now view the reasons for the failure of a replenishment request. This helps administrators to correct the errors related to the configuration data and to streamline the setup process required in Oracle Purchasing Cloud for vendor-managed inventory.

NOTE: This applies only to Oracle Supply Chain Collaboration Cloud. Your suppliers cannot view errors in Oracle Supplier Portal Cloud.

The following screenshot shows a failed replenishment request on the Manage Replenishment Requests page. Click the link for the Failed status to open the Replenishment Requests Errors dialog, which displays the errors that caused the replenishment request to fail.

Failed Replenishment Request

Watch a Demo

Steps to Enable

To enable this feature, you must opt in to the Vendor-Managed Inventory feature that was included in update 19A. Use the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Materials Management offering to opt in. For opt-in instructions, refer to the Optional Uptake of New Features section of this document.

Key Resources

Watch Review and Resolve Failed Replenishment Requests Readiness Training

Role Information

• Privilege Name and Code:
  • View Replenishment Requests as Enterprise (VCS_VIEW_REPL_REQUESTS_ENTERPRISE)

• Job Role Name and Code: 
  • Vendor-Managed Inventory (ORA_VCS_VENDOR_MANAGED_INVENTORY_ANALYST)

Supply Chain Orchestration

Use the Supply Request REST Service to Request a Buy Supply in Addition to a Transfer Supply

Use a Supply Request REST service to request a supply of the Buy type in addition to the Transfer supply type. You can use this service to streamline integration with external systems and to reduce integration costs.

With the Supply Request REST service, you can now:

• Create supply requests of the Buy supply type in addition to the Transfer supply type

• Get one or all supply requests of the Buy supply type in addition to the Transfer supply type

• Create supply requests of either the Buy or Transfer supply type based on the Oracle Global Order Promising Cloud sourcing rules when you don't specify a supply type in supply requests. 

Steps to Enable

Review the REST service definition in the REST API guides to leverage (available from the Oracle Help Center > your apps service area of interest > REST API).  If you are new to Oracle's REST services you may want to begin with the Quick Start section.

Key Resources

• REST API for Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud guide, available on the Oracle Help Center.

Role Information

• Job Role Name and Code:
  • Supply Chain Operations Manager (ORA_DOS_SUPPLY_CHAIN_OPERATIONS_MANAGER_JOB)