6 Managing Searches

6.1 Search Overview

At the core of Oracle I/PM is the capability to define and execute searches that retrieve the relevant documents for the user. Search management allows the creation and modification of searches that other users may use to find specific documents.

Remembering that most often Oracle I/PM is integrated with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system such as Oracle E-Business Suite or PeopleSoft, consider the following example:

Clark works as a shipping clerk in the US Shipping and Receiving department at XYZ Company. He sees in his daily task list that an invoice is queued for his approval. The listed invoice shows the invoice number and associated purchase order number. Clark enters the purchase order number from the invoice into a field of their ERP system and clicks a button that displays a list of several shipping receipts associated with that purchase order number. The associated receipts are documents in the ShippingReceipts_US application of Oracle I/PM, and the returned listing was generated by running a predefined search for all documents in the application associated with that purchase order number.

Clark views the invoice and each shipping receipt in a browser page and compares the items listed on the invoice with the shipping receipts to verify that the items were received. When satisfied that all items were received, Clark annotates the invoice with his or her initials and the date and time and sends it on the next step of the workflow. In actuality, the documents were viewed in the Oracle I/PM viewer, and because Clark has Standard Annotation security rights to the documents in the ShippingReceipts_US application, he was able to annotate it.

Once the invoice moves on in the workflow, the HR department manager, Bob, is notified that the invoice needs his approval. Bob enters the purchase order number and a list is displayed of all invoices and shipping receipts associated with that purchase order. Several invoices and shipping receipts are listed because the large order was delivered over several months and invoices were sent from the vendor as each group of items was delivered. The list is the result of a search through the documents in both the ShippingReceipts_US application and the Invoices_US application.

Bob reviews the list and sees that a critical item on the purchase order still has not been delivered, despite an annotation on the purchase order that the vendor had promised delivery by this month. He stamps the invoice On Hold and annotates the purchase order that the vendor must be contacted to determine why the critical item was not delivered and explain that anymore payments against that purchase order will be withheld until the critical item is delivered.

This example illustrates how searches are created and managed through the Oracle I/PM administration interface, but are generally executed through some other means, such as an ERP system. It also shows that a business need often requires one search to search multiple applications and that careful thought should be applied to application and search creation to ensure successful solutions.

6.2 Creating a Search

Create a search using the Manage Searches panel in the navigator pane of the Oracle I/PM user interface.

You can reuse an existing search definition within Oracle I/PM by exporting the desired definition to XML. You can then import that definition file into other systems and modify it appropriately. For more information about exporting and importing, see "Exporting and Importing Definitions".

To create a search, complete these steps:

1. Open the Manage Searches panel and click the Create New Search icon. If you have View security rights to at least one application, the Search Properties Page displays.

   Note:

   If you do not have View security rights to at least one application, and error message is displayed.

2. In the Search Name field, type a descriptive name for the search. For example, HR Invoices to Pay. This search name is displayed under the Searches panel in the navigator pane. This field is required, and it must be unique within I/PM.

3. In the Description field, type a description of the new search that will be helpful to the user. For example, Open Invoices for the Human Resources Department. The description is displayed when the cursor hovers over the search name in the navigator pane. The field contains a maximum of 2000 characters.

4. Enter instructions for the search. The instructions provide helpful information about what criteria is being searched for and how a user should use the search. For example, Enter a purchase order number or shipping receipt number to view associated invoices not yet paid. These instructions are available on the search form and also appear on the Search Tab display. The field contains a maximum of 2000 characters.

5. In the Maximum Search Results field, enter the maximum number of search results returned. This limits how many results retrieved from the repository are displayed, per the number of applications being searched. For example, if the search spans both the ShippingReceipts_US application and the Invoices_US application, and the Maximum Search Results is set to 10, the results table could have up to 20 rows. A setting of 0 defaults to the maximum number of rows set in the I/PM MBean configuration variable.

   Note:

   Three configuration variables affect the maximum number of search results returned:

   • The value specified in the Maximum Search Results field when defining a search. This value is checked first and used if it does not exceed the Content Server MaxResultCount setting.

   • The value specified in the MaxSearchResults MBean. This value is used if the value specified in the Maximum Search Results field is 0, provided the MaxSearchResults MBean value does not exceed the Content Server MaxResultCount value.

   • The value specified in the MaxResultCount Content Server configuration file config.cfg.

   Each setting is per the number of applications being searched.

   For example, if a search is defined to include two applications, and the Maximum Search Results field value is set to 100, the MaxSearchResults MBean is set to 50, and the Content Server MaxResultCount is set to 300, then the value specified in the Maximum Search Results field is used and 200 results are returned - 100 for each application searched.

   If a search is defined to include two applications, and the Maximum Search Results field value is set to 0, the MaxSearchResults MBean is set to 300, and the Content Server MaxResultCount is set to 200, then the value specified in the Content Server MaxResultCount is used and 400 results are returned - 200 for each application searched.

6. Click Next. The Search Results Formatting Page is displayed.

7. Select the application or applications in which to search from the Source Application field. For example, the Invoices_US application and the ShippingReceipts_US application.

8. Select the metadata to be displayed on the search results. Choices are determined by the metadata field options in the applications being searched. For example, you may want to display the invoice number, the vendor name, the received date, the paid date, the invoice total.

9. Modify how the columns are displayed by clicking the Column Options icon, displayed as a pencil in the column header. Modification options are:

   • Modify Column Name: Allows you to rename the column header. This is useful if the same metadata information is returned from multiple applications that have different names for the metadata. For example, in the Invoices_US application the metadata column may be named Purchase Order No., but in the ShippingReceipts_US application it is named PO. Using this option you can consolidate the information under the heading name PO No.

   • Move Column Left: Moves the column one space to the left.

   • Move Column Right: Moves the column one space to the right.

   • Delete Column: Displays a dialog window asking you to confirm deleting the column.

10. Click Next. The Search Conditions Page is displayed.

11. Select the fields, operators, and values you want to use to find the documents in the selected applications. These options are dependent on the applications being searched. For example, select PO as the Field, = as the Operator, and Parameter Value as the Value to search for the purchase order number in the ShippingReceipts_US application to enable a person to enter a PO number and return the associated shipping receipts.

    You can also enter search conditions that have a static value hidden from the user to help narrow the search. For example, if looking for only unpaid invoices in the Invoices_US application associated with the entered purchase order number, you could select the Date Paid field as a condition, set a static value and leave it blank. Then all invoices where the Date Paid field has not been updated will display.

12. Click Next. The Search Parameters Page is displayed.

13. Select how you want the user to be prompted to enter parameters into the search:

    1. Enter a name for each field to be used to enter parameters. For example, Purchase Order Number.

    2. Enter the prompt text for each field. The prompt text precedes the operator on the search form to more clearly define the required entry for the parameter. This can help clarify the field name and is especially useful if the parameter spans multiple fields.

    3. Click the icon in the Operator Text column. The Operator Properties dialog box is displayed. Use the Operator Properties dialog box to enable users to choose from a set of operator options, then click OK.

    4. Click the icon in the Default Value column. The Modify Default Value dialog box is displayed.

    5. Select the value data type and default value and click OK.

    6. Enable which parameters, if any, that you want to be required or Read Only, and click Next. The Search Security Page is displayed.

14. Click Add to search and select users and groups who will be able to use this search. The Add Security Member Page page is displayed.

    1. On the Add Security Member Page, select whether you want to search for groups or users and click Search. A listing of results is displayed.

    2. Select the users or groups you want to add and click Add. You can select more than one from the results listing by holding the Ctrl key on your keyboard while clicking on the search results. The Add Security Member Page closes.

15. Select the permission each user and group will have: Modify, Delete, or Grant Access and click Next. For a description of the permission options, see "Search Security Page". The Search Preview and Test Page is displayed.

16. On the Search Preview and Test Page, review how the search form will display for the user. Test it and if necessary, go back and make modifications where necessary. When satisfied with the display and operation, click Next. The Search Review Settings Page is displayed.

17. Review the details of the new search and go back in the navigation train to make changes, if necessary. When satisfied with the search, return to the Search Review Settings Page and click Submit.

6.3 Modifying an Existing Search

To modify an existing search, complete these steps:

1. Expand the Manage Searches panel in the navigator pane.

2. Click the name of the search you want to change. The Search Review Settings Page is displayed.

3. Click Modify. The Search Properties Page for that search is displayed.

   Note:

   If you only have the Grant Access security rights, the Search Security Page is displayed. The Search Security Page and the Search Review Settings Page are the only two you will have access to.

4. Navigate to the appropriate page or pages to make the desired modifications using the navigation train. Review the section "Creating a Search" for information regarding page options. Once you have made the desired modifications, return to the Search Review Settings Page.

5. On the Search Review Settings Page, click Submit to enter the changes.