CC&B 2.5 Installed.. :-)

Update Aug 8th 2021: Kindly refer my latest blog for C2M installation for reference on how to install latest version of CC&B.

https://myouafworld.blogspot.com/2020/06/ouaf-c2m-2703-installation-on-windows64.html

Finally installed CC&B 2.5 from scratch. What a relief when the home page of CC&B 2.5 loaded up.

Unique points about this installation

Installed on Windows 10
Database used was Oracle 12 c - Pluggable Database used
Latest Framework version 4.3 used
Latest CC&B version 2.5

Lot of learnings from this installation. Will be putting up a separate blog for lessons learnt and the steps to be followed for installation of CC&B 2.5.

Some points noticed in CC&B 2.5
Completely New UI - Oracle Alta - A refreshing change. Also I notice the UI is more responsive as compared to previous version.

XAI replaced with IWS - XAI has been completed removed from the menu.

How to format an OUAF script

This is a very small post explaining how to automatically format a script in OUAF framework.

As an example I have created a sample script and intentionally scrambled it.
As observed below in the screenshot the script code is not properly formatted.

Now to automatically reformat the script, just click on the Renumber Button.

As soon as you click on the renumber button, as seen below the entire script code gets formatted automatically. After that just click on the save button to save the formatted script.

This is useful if you are not using any other tool for editing the script code. Another advantage is that it formats all the steps in the script at one go. If you were using another tool you would have to manually do it for step in the script.

Debugging Service Script using BPA script in OUAF Framework

Many a times in OUAF framework products, we have to create our own custom scripts. Since OUAF framework does do not offer an inbuilt testing/debugging option for scripts, we have to go through some round about way for achieving the same. Lets explore how to do the same for a service script.

Earlier had covered using XAI Inbound Service for testing a service script. This is another option using a BPA script to do the same, Using this you can test your service script for various input options and verify the output for each.

Lets take up a sample service script which takes two numbers as inputs and gives their sum back as output.

Below is the script schema:

Following is the script code. As seen it takes the two inputs sums it up and sets the sum in the output field.

Now lets create a BPA Script for testing the same. Go to Admin Menu => S => + Script

The script page opens up. Give a name to the script e.g. "CM-TestBPA" and in the script type select BPA Script Type. In Accessibility option select Accessible from Script Menu.

Go to the Data Area tab and add a row for the service script you wish to test. In our case it is CM-TestSS. Save the data entered so far.

After that go to the Step Tab and Enter steps as shown below.

Create User input prompts and get the required input data to pass to the service script. The number of inputs required will depend on the service script being tested.


Step 10: Prompt user to input First number and store the number entered in the first input element on of your service script data area.

Step 20: Prompt user to input Second number and store the number entered in the Second input element on of your service script data area.

After all inputs have been captured, invoke the service script that you want to test. Below image shows the configuration required for the same.

Finally retrieve and display the output of the service script.
After the service script is executed we would want to see the output values. For that used the display text step type and in the Text area would the Xpath of the value that you wish to see within the '%+' tags. In our case we want to view the output tag. So our text is %+CM-TestSS/output+%

Finally save the script.


Now to execute the bpa script. Do the following. On the application screen, click on Ctrl + Shift + S
The BPA script search screen opens up. Search for your BPA script using the description that you had entered.

On clicking on the BPA script in the search screen, the BPA script opens up in the BPA area.
As seen it is prompting the user to enter the first number.

Enter the first input, in this case '10' and click on Continue Button

Enter the second number '20' and click on Continue button

As seen below the service script is called and the output is displayed to the us. In this case the output of the script is 30 which is the sum of the two inputs.

Thus we have successfully tested a service script using a BPA script. So for testing any service script all you have to do is create the required number of input prompts as required for passing inputs to your service script. For output you can choose to pass the complete script Xpath in the display text section to see the entire data returned by the service script.

Oracle MDM Certification Cleared

Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management 2 Implementation Specialist Certification

This post is targeted at anyone who is attempting to give the Oracle MDM Certification. Just cleared the certification recently and wanted to share my experience about the same. Hopefully it is helpful for others who are targeting the same.

Exam Complexity
Exam is relatively easy as compared to Oracle CC&B. Passing percentage is 74%. I cleared with 91% with about only 2 weeks of preparation. So I guess I can safely say it is easy to clear the exam.
Total number of questions is 74 and duration is 120 min.

Exam Preparation Material:
Oracle Functional ppts that are available for MDM both basic and advanced. This material is enough for clearing the exam. In addition if you have access to the application you can go through the application help and also through configuration screens of some of the important entities.

Exam Preparation
Just 1-2 weeks of preparation with 2-3 hours of effort everyday is enough to clear this certification. Concentrate only on the MDM functional areas for this certification. Technical areas like MO, BO don't come under this certification scope.

Exam Topics
Go to the following link to get details of exam and the exam topics.

http://www.oracle.com/partners/en/products/applications/utilities-exam-1Z0-598/index.html

The topics are pretty detailed and you just have to cover the basics of each topic.

Exam Questions
The questions are relatively easy and straight forwarded. Questions are all objective ones. There are both single right answer and multiple right answer questions. In case of multiple right answers they provide the number of right answers to be selected so it becomes relatively easy to select the answers.

All the best for the exam. Share your experience in giving the exam in the comments section below. Also you can put any doubts and queries in the comments section below. Would be glad to help out.

Oracle CC&B Certification Cleared

Hi All,

This post is just to help out anyone trying to clear Oracle CC&B Certification

Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing 2 Certified Implementation Specialist

The certification exam is tough. Just managed to scrap through with 68%. Passing percentage is 60%. I think the reason it is tough is because CC&B by itself is functionally and technically vast and you are not clear which all areas the exam would touch upon. This is an attempt to enlighten on the scope of the exam so that everyone gets an idea of the level of complexity involved and are well prepared. 

Exam Preparation
Studying time required I would say is around one month. With 2-3 hours of preparation every day. Go through all the exam topics. Whatever comes in the exam comes from the exam topics only and nothing outside syllabus is there. Not like other certification where we study for a week or two and we clear it. CC&B requires dedicated preparation effort from your side. Even if you are an experienced professional with hands on experience in CC&B, my suggestion would be to put in some effort for the exam.

Below is the link for the exam topics as provided by Oracle.
https://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=5001&get_params=p_exam_id:1Z0-562

Go through all the topics that are going to be present in the exam. Idea is to get all basic details on all the topics that are present. They do make a point to include at least one question on each topic.Given that there are 41 topics and 70 questions in all, they can barely ask more than 2 questions on one topic without skipping a topic. So it makes sense to cover the basics of all topics.

Almost equal distribution is given in the exam to both functional and technical areas. So ensure you give equal importance to both of them.

Exam Preparation Material Sources
Oracle provides a collection of ppts for both CC&B functional and technical. Go through both of them keeping in mind the relevant topics for the certification. In case you don't have access to the ppts, then the next option would be the application documentation that is present online. That is more detailed and more cumbersome to read. 
In case you have access to a working application, go through the context specific help that is present on the application page on the top right. Also go through important configurations on the application screen so that you are clear on the different configurations options for the important entities.

Exam Topics
Have listed down all the topics for the certification. In addition have added comments in italic for some of the topics which are more relevant from certification point of view. Ensure that they are covered.

Control Central & User Interface Standards

• Navigate the Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing User Interface 

Navigation buttons, different areas of the main screen, using application viewer and the different entities present in it

• Use and Maintain Control Central 

Default home page and how to reach control center

• Locate Help Documentation and Text 

Kind of help that is available. How to navigate to help. Where all you can reach help from.

Framework Overview 

• Use the Oracle Utilities Application Framework

Overview of the framework, location of business logic etc

• Understand Maintenance Objects 
• Create Plug-In Logic 

Difference between plugin and service script, input and output diff for plugin and service scripts

• Extend the Database 

Rules for extending the database

• Enforce Security Rules

Where security layer is present and how rules are configured, 'Data access group' config and logic

Customer Information

• Maintain and Manage Customer Information

Customer V, relationship between basic V entities, types of service point, badged, unbadged

• Determine Customer Account Structure 
• Manage Customer Contacts 

Customer contact configuration like customer contact class and customer contact type

To Do

• Configure and Manage To Do Functionality 

Check out the basic config of todos. The different algorithm events on todos, the color bar. The searching and assigning pages, use of roles

Sales and Marketing

• Configure and Manage Campaigns, Packages and Orders 

Difference between different entities. Which objects allows creation of SA and SP etc, eligibility criteria, algorithms attached on the entities

Device (Meter and Item) Management

• Configure and Manage Meters and Items

Configuration admin data like. Meter type, Meter configuration etc.

Field Work

• Manage Field Activities and Field Orders

Lifecycle states of Field Activities and Field Orders, Difference between field activity and field order, batch processes for uploading field activities, FAs that are created by the system like connect, disconnect etc.

Meter Reading

• Maintain Meter Reads

Meter Remark, meter read staging and different batches involved in uploading, the basic validations done on meter reading that are uploaded.

Route Management and Field Activity Upload

• Maintain Service Cycles, Routes and Field Activity Upload

Just basics

Financial Transactions

• Manage Financial Transactions

Algorithms that control financial transactions particularly which ones affect current or payoff balance, Processes or states which create FTs

Billing

• Manage Bills

Lifecycle of bill, different states and sequence, different algorithms calling flow for a bill for creation to completion, configuration of bill messages, where all bill messages can be added, Offcycle Bill generator

• Maintain Bill Segments 

Logic for number of bill segments on a bill, different scenarios and you have to select the number of bill segments created, bill segment header creation scenarios

• Complete Bills

Reopening bills, cancelling and rebilling, Creation of credit notes, difference between credit notes and corrections note.

Rates

• Manage and Apply Rates

Different options for configuring rates, e.g Fixed rate configuration. Just go through all configuration basics, different types of rate components and different options on the rate component configurations, effect on bill segment header due to changes in rate versions or bill factors.

• Apply Proration  

Different scenarios in which proration is applied. Rates changing, bill factor changing etc

• Apply Bill Factors 

Scenarios which justify bill factor usage, bill factor configuration

Payments

• Manage Payments

Basic Payment process, relation with tenders and payment events. Payment lifecycle

• Manage Overpayment and Payment Distribution 

Basic logic used for overpayment and payment distribution including configuration of adjustment type on SA Type for the relevant scenario

Adjustments

• Configure and Manage Adjustments 

Configuration of Adjustment Type. FT creation for adjustment

Monitor Overdue Debt

• Configure and Manage Credit & Collections and Overdue Processes

Configuration of credit and collections, configuration of collection class, champion challenger model, SAs included in a collection/severance event.

• Manage Payment Arrangements and Pay Plans 

Case Management

• Configure the Case Management Functionality 

Configuration of Case type

Business Object Elements

• Configure using Business Object Elements 

Different tags/attributes used in schema definition, best option to add new fields to a BO

Business Object Business Rules

• Use Business Object Rules 

Sequence of algorithm calling and lifecycle algorithm calling sequence, determineBO algo use

Business Object Inheritance

• Share Business Object Properties

Basic inheritance configurations, entities that are inherited from parent object

Business Object Lifecycle

• Apply Business Object Life Cycle

Difference between Transitory state, interim state, final and initial state

Business Object Options

• Use Business Object Options

Different type of BO options, number of options allowed on BO, Inactivating algorithms

Business Object Access Rights

• Configure Access Rights

Access rights configuration, access rights working  for BO inheritance

Service Scripts

• Configure Service Scripts

Difference between service script and plugin scripts

Business Services

• Configure Business Services

Advanced BPA Script Features

• Configure and Manage Business Process Assistant (BPA) scripts

BPA display areas - popup, BPA area etc

Revision Control

• Use Revision Control

Basic revision control configuration, supervisor control. What events can be controlled using revision control, which objects can be controlled by revision control

Bundling

• Configure using Bundling Capabilities

Entities that can be bundled. Bundling steps

Exam Registration and Taking

Register for the exam at this link

https://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=654&get_params=p_id:99

Once you feel you are adequately prepared take a date. Or as one of my friend says take a date and then you automatically start preparing. Just be careful that you put in one month of preparation period when you take a date. Exam cost is 150 USD and it is not cheap.

Finally I would like to say All the Best to everyone attempting the certification. Go for it. It is an important and well earned certification. Let me know about your experience with the exam in the comments section below. Also you can post your doubts and queries in the comments section below would be glad to help out.