Proven Solutions for

Complex Customer
Relationship Structures
Roger Hartman, INRANGE Consulting
April 16, 2007
Agenda
• Executive Summary
• Objectives
• TCA Overview
• Modeling Approaches
• Key Challenges
• Solutions
• Conclusions
• Questions & Answers
Executive Summary
• TCA customer data is core to EBS
• Structure allows for significant
granularity and flexibility
• Challenge of leveraging the TCA
• Resulting usability Issues
Objectives
• Provide TCA Overview relevant to this
topic
• Acknowledge TCA Customer Modeling
Approaches
• Identify Key Challenges
• Review Specific Solutions
TCA Overview
• Introduced with EBS Release 11i
• Inclusion of Party Layer
• Ability to establish Party Relationships
• Account Layer separate from Party
Layer
• Account Relationships
TCA Overview – Logical Model

Party

Party Party
Person Relationship Organization
Relationship

Account
Account
Relationship
TCA Overview - Terminology
• Party - person, organization,
relationships
• Account - customer financial details
• Party Relationship - establishes the
relationship between two parties
• Account Relationship - establishes the
relationship between two accounts
TCA Overview – Party Layer
• Details independent of our selling
relationship
• Separates these details from account
record
• Allows for significant modeling
effectiveness
TCA Overview – Account Layer
• Financial details specific to our selling
relationship
• Traditional R10.7/11.0.3 Customer
• Cannot exist without Party record
TCA Overview – Party Relationships

• Describes relationship between two

parties
• Unlimited number of relationships
between parties
• Unlimited number of relationship types
• Relationship is separate entity
TCA Overview – Account Relationships

• Allows for transactional shipping and

billing relationship between accounts
• Less flexible than Party Relationships
• Essential to customer modeling in 11i
Modeling Approaches
• Various acceptable modeling
approaches
• Child Sites Approach
• Customer Organization Entities as
Parties
• Clear “Best Practice” approach for B2B
Child Sites Model
Headquarters

Headquarters

Subsidiary1

Subsidiary2

Subsidiary3

Party Account Site

Best Practice Model
Headquarters

Headquarters

Subsidiary1 Subsidiary2
Subsidiary3

Sub1 Sub2
Sub3

Site Site
Site

Party Account Party Account Site

Relationship Relationship
Best Practice Approach
• Most organizational entities modeled as
parties
• Any entities with DUNS number
modeled as parties
• Offers significant flexibility and power
• Introduces significant usability concerns
Key Challenges
• Challenges can arise around usability,
interfaces, integration, reporting,
performance, etc.
• Our focus today is usability
Key Challenges - Usability
• Difficulty searching for and finding customer
records
• Visibility to the associated account or party
layer
• Require additional details about the
relationship
• Require additional details about the
organizational structure
Solutions
• Broad and universal impact
• Simple to moderately complex
• Consistency in model is key
• Standard functionality and extended
functionality
• Customizations should be avoided
when possible
Sample Organization Structure
Global
Ultimate

Domestic
Ultimate

Subsidiary1 Subsidiary2 Subsidiary3

Level 1 Level 1 Level 1

Subsidiary2 Subsidiary2
Level 2 Level 2
Solutions
• Grouped into the following:
– Finding the Correct Party
– Identifying the Correct Account
– Understanding the Party Relationships and
Structure
– Account Layer Visibility
– Party/Account Structure Exceptions
Finding the Correct Party
• Increased number of parties means
more difficulty distinguishing between
records
• Party name should be proper name
• Address Line option can be effective in
some cases
Finding the Correct Party
• Extend standard search capabilities to
include additional name details in
results
• Universal Search is common to several
EBS modules
Finding the Correct Party
Spreadtable Modifications
• Standard capability within the EBS
• Include values in the datasource
relational view
• Include values from other tables by
joining to key in the datasource view
• Be mindful of performance impact
Spreadtable Modifications
Identifying the Correct Account
• Introduction of Party Layer means less
focus on customer account number
• Common concern with upgrades from
10.7 or 11.0.3
• Account number not included in many
standard search capabilities
Identifying the Correct Account
• Add Account Number to Universal Search
results
• Extend seeded Spreadtables to
accomplish
• Assume in this model most parties have
only one account
• If multiple accounts, display earliest active
record
Identifying the Correct Account
• Expose Account Number in standard
Universal Work Queue (UWQ) nodes
• The UWQ is common across EBS
product families
• Deliver work to application users
• Gain efficiencies by adding necessary
details
Identifying the Correct Account
Identifying the Correct Account
Understanding Party Relationships
• Party Relationships allow for significant
modeling flexibility
• Standard EBS functionality is insufficient for
users to fully understand existing
relationships
• Example: inbound sales lead call
Understanding Party Relationships
• Objective to allow users to view and maintain
additional relationship detail
• Define DFF on Relationship
• Available on standard eBusiness Center
(eBC) Relationship tab
Understanding Party Relationships
Understanding Party Relationships
• Standard Relationship forms display
immediate relationships only
• eBC allows hyperlink access to related
parties
• Users require more information and simple
access
Understanding Party Relationships

• Customer Support Dashboard

– Accessible from forms such as Contact
Center, eBC, At-a-Glance
– Easily extended by defining new Customer
Profile Variables
– Includes Drilldown capabilities
Understanding Party Relationships

• Sample Dashboard Profile Variables

– Global Ultimate
– Domestic Ultimate
– Levels to GU
– Levels to DU
Understanding Party Relationships
Dashboard Modifications
Understanding Party Relationships

• Add similar logic to standard UWQ

nodes
– Tasks
– Leads
– Opportunities
Understanding Party Relationships
Party Structure Details
• Users benefit significantly from increased
access to details relevant to the overall
structure
• Leverage the Dashboard to include:
– Critical Customer within Structure
– Open SR’s within Structure
– Escalated SR’s within Structure
– Open Opportunities within Structure
Party Structure Details
Account Layer Visibility
• Users require visibility to account details
• Customer Standard form, eBC Account
tab often excluded from most users
• Continue to leverage Dashboard to
include Account detail
Account Layer Visibility
Adding the Account Layer
• TCA model requires manageable
process to initiate Account creation
Adding the Account Layer
Conclusions
• The TCA best practice approach is highly
desirable
• This approach leads to usability issues not
addressed by standard EBS functionality
• The solutions offered address universal
usability concerns
• These solutions are reusable and can be
replicated across additional EBS areas
Questions & Answers

roger_hartman@inrangeconsulting.com