Integration Overview
Overview
Integration is a term with many definitions. For software applications, it typically refers to a process that sends and receives data from different software applications. These applications often include CRM and ERP software.
There are many benefits to integration, including:
- Streamlining the marketing and sales processes
- Organizing and updating customer information
- Preventing manual data entry
- Removing redundant, unnecessary or tedious everyday steps
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Integration
The process of linking several applications to simplify and automate business processes. -
FTP - File Transfer Protocol
FTP is a common way of transferring data. This is particularly useful for transferring large amounts of data on a regular basis. -
Web Services
A software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction of a network. -
WSDL - Web Service Description Language
Describes services as a collection of ports (network endpoints).
The Oracle CPQ application can integrate with different types of applications, in different ways. Some integration needs can be handled by the default functionality within the software packages themselves, with some additional configuration. Other functionality may need to be built on a custom basis, depending on the business's needs and the limitations of the software.
Integrating with Other Software Applications
Oracle CPQ provides an integration between Oracle CPQ and Oracle CX Commerce. Self-service users in Oracle CX Commerce can configure complex products for purchase in Oracle CX Commerce using the Oracle CPQ configurator. In addition, Oracle CX Commerce self-service users can request an Oracle CPQ quote, thereby initiating an Oracle CPQ transaction that a sales specialist can modify, reconfigure, or discount. Once finalized in CPQ, the quote is returned to Oracle CX Commerce for acceptance and ordering by the self-service user.
For more information, refer to:
Oracle CPQ supports several ways to integrate data and functionality with Oracle Commerce On Premise. These include:
- A standardized, basic, integration to Oracle Commerce On Premise (Commerce), which combines the eCommerce capabilities of Commerce with the advanced quoting engine and automated approvals process of CPQ.
- Additional integration options to further streamline the eCommerce process by offering a self-service configuration and checkout option for complex products, as well as customer-specific pricing.
- A completely custom integration, using Configuration Integrations.
For more information, refer to:
- My Oracle Support: Oracle CPQ to Oracle Commerce (ATG) Integrations contains documents to guide your CPQ-Commerce integration implementation.
- Oracle Commerce On Premise
Oracle CPQ currently allows customers to perform certain contract management activities such as contract generation, negotiation of terms, and electronic signature for contract documents. Oracle CPQ enables integration with Oracle Enterprise Contracts to provide a comprehensive Contract Lifecycle Management solution. Oracle Enterprise Contracts has extensive functionality that supports the legal definition, negotiation redlining, execution, and ongoing management of contracts. Oracle CPQ - Oracle Enterprise Contracts integration allows customers to create and manage legal aspects of a Transaction and maintain the contract throughout its lifecycle, long after the initial Transaction that created the contract is completed.
For more information, refer to:
Oracle CPQ supports several ways to integrate data and functionality with Oracle EBS. These include:
- A base integration to streamline the quoting and order creation process, using the following EBS applications:
- EBS Customer Data Management (CDM)
- EBS Order Management
- Additional integration options, using the following EBS applications:
- EBS Inventory On Hand Balance (optional)
- EBS Material Reservation (optional)
For more information, refer to:
- My Oracle Support: Oracle CPQ to Oracle EBS Integrations contains documents to guide your CPQ-EBS integration implementations.
- Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS)
Oracle EBS Configurator Reference Integration
The External Configurator Integration feature available in Oracle CPQ is part of an ongoing effort to integrate Oracle CPQ with other products both internal and external to Oracle. Customers can now integrate and leverage the use of the Oracle EBS Configurator while using the pricing and quoting capabilities of CPQ. Oracle CPQ sales specialists can access the Oracle EBS Configurator from the Oracle CPQ Home page and then return to Oracle CPQ to price, discount, propose, and order the configured product.
For more information, refer to:
Oracle Fusion Configurator Reference Integration
The External Configurator Integration feature available in Oracle CPQ is part of an ongoing effort to integrate Oracle CPQ with other products both internal and external to Oracle. Customers can now integrate and leverage the use of the Oracle Fusion Configurator while using the pricing and quoting capabilities of CPQ. Oracle CPQ sales specialists can access the Oracle Fusion Configurator from the Oracle CPQ Home page and then return to Oracle CPQ to price, discount, propose, and order the configured product.
For more information, refer to:
Oracle Identity Cloud Service (IDCS)
Customers can leverage Oracle Identity Cloud Service (IDCS) as an integrated identity management solution. The integration simplifies the identity services requirements common to Enterprise customers. With the integration, administrators delegate user management activities such as user creation, activation, revocation, and password management for host company users to IDCS.
For more information, refer to:
Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC)
By integrating with Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC), also sometimes referred to as Oracle Autonomous Integration Cloud Service (OAIC) or just Integration Cloud Service (ICS), we provide an all-encompassing, standard Oracle solution to all integration needs. By using the power of OIC, system integrators can manage all Oracle CPQ integrations from a single location with a consistent toolset. OIC integration enables Oracle CPQ to connect to back office systems, on premise environments, and other Oracle products in a consistent, enhanced manner.
OIC is the recommended go-forward Oracle solution for customers who have previously relied on third-party middleware solutions, such as Cast Iron, to integrate Oracle CPQ with a variety of other systems.
Oracle Process Cloud Service (PCS)
The Oracle Configure, Price, and Quote (CPQ) application includes approval functionality and now provides customers with the ability to integrate Oracle CPQ with Oracle Process Cloud Service (PCS) or other remote approval systems to customize their approvals. Remote approval systems such as PCS also allow customers to consolidate all of their approvals into a central location and provide a common configuration and common attributes to manage approvals for an entire suite of applications. This eliminates the need to migrate approval data from one system to another. When customers choose remote approvals, Oracle CPQ sends approval requests to external approval systems for processing. Once complete, the associated approve or reject action is performed on the remote approval system, which then calls the appropriate approve or reject Oracle CPQ REST endpoint to update the Oracle CPQ quote history and status.
For more information, refer to:
An integration that leverages built-in functionality. This supersedes the Oracle Fusion integration information.
Oracle Subscription Management
As part of the end-to-end subscription solution Oracle CPQ provides integration with Oracle Subscription Management application. This allows customers to create and manage products and services they can sell using a subscription model. The subscription model supports the ability to manage a given product or service as a recurring or usage-based price item.
Leveraging this integration customers can enable their sales teams to capture subscription orders and perform subscription management activities throughout the lifecycle of these customer relationships. The integration, enabled by Oracle’s next generation middleware Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC), sometimes called Oracle Autonomous Integration Cloud (OAIC) or (ICS), comes with a Subscription Management package that includes installable artifacts for both Oracle CPQ and OIC.
- Oracle Subscription Management (OSS) is a separately licensed product. Please contact your Oracle Sales representative for more details.
- For more information about integration, refer to Oracle CPQ with Subscription Management Integration Guide.
Akamai Content Delivery Network Integration
Oracle CPQ provides an integration with Akamai to allow our customers to deploy Oracle CPQ content using the Akamai Content Delivery Network (CDN). Customers can enable better end-user performance by integrating Oracle CPQ with a CDN to help manage internet content and traffic. CDNs offer geographically distributed proxy servers to provide enhanced availability and performance by distributing services close in proximity to end-users.
Oracle CPQ provides JD Edwards customers with an integration that enhances their direct, channel, and web Commerce sales experience. After receiving customer approval of a quote, Oracle CPQ sales users can use the information in the quote to create an order in JD Edwards and maintain an up-to-date view of order status in CPQ.
Supported by Oracle Integration Cloud Service (ICS) and Commerce attributes, actions, and BML functions created within the Oracle CPQ platform, the integration substantially reduces the risk, time, and effort associated with implementing a custom integration between Oracle CPQ and JD Edwards.
Microsoft Azure Active Directory Integration
The Oracle CPQ and Microsoft Dynamics 365 user integration supports the use of Microsoft Azure Active Directory to grant application access to user data. This enhancement provides initial functionality in support of a BML integration between Oracle CPQ and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Using Azure Active Directory as the identify provider (IdP), Microsoft Dynamics 365 users can seamlessly access Oracle CPQ using the integration's Single-Sign On (SSO) functionality.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Integration
Many sales organizations accelerate deals and increase margins by adding Oracle CPQ to their CRM system. This allows sales reps to get quotes in front of their customers quickly and accurately without help from their support staff. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Oracle Sales (CRM) customers can integrate Oracle CPQ to allow their users to create quotes from opportunities with a seamless single-sign on experience.
Setting up the integration is simplified by installable integration packages delivered and supported by Oracle. The data integration is extensible and configurable using user integration for Azure Active Directory and improvements to the urlData function that allow it to use session tokens and the Patch method.
The Microsoft Dynamics 365 - Oracle CPQ integration enables users to punch into Oracle CPQ from the Opportunity to create new quotes and edit existing quotes. Quote data and line items are synced back to Dynamics using REST web services.
There are several ways to integrate Oracle CPQ with Salesforce
- Use the Salesforce CRM Integration.
- Use a Managed Package for pre-built integrations.
- Implement an integration without a Managed Package.
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Data Cube Export gives you a way to transmit Oracle CPQ data, as a text file, to another location. This is typically done to provide data to a third party reporting or warehouse tool.
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Bulk Upload is used for several reasons.
- To import large sets of data into Oracle CPQ
- To add, update, or delete different types of data
- To move XML/CSV files containing upload data from your local system to an internal server.
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Bulk Download is used for several reasons.
- To export large sets of data from CPQ, typically so the data can be imported into another software application
- To add, update, or delete different types of data in another software application
- To move XML/CSV files containing upload data from your internal server to your local system.
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Similar to Bulk Uploads, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Automation allows scheduled uploads to an FTP server. These uploads can be automatically imported into an Oracle CPQ site. Automated uploads can include:
- Parts
- Part Extended Descriptions
- Data Tables
- File Manager Files
FTP Automation is useful for Oracle CPQ sites that require stored data to be refreshed regularly. For example, your configuration might require updates to pricing tables from an ERP system.
There are additional ways to move data and files in CPQ. See the table below to determine which topic to open for more information.
To Move... | See... |
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Data Tables | Import & Export of Data Tables |
File Manager files, such as images, .PDFs, or XSL files | File Manager |
Documents in Document Engine | Document Migration: Document Engine |
Migration changes between Oracle CPQ environments | Migration Management Overview |
The following applications work with Oracle CPQ data to enhance the functionality within CPQ.
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- Sends CPQ-generated documents to DocuSign for execution by specified signers
- Allows signers to sign and save documents
- Allows sales users to initiate or cancel the eSignature process
- Tracks status of eSignatures that are in process
- Manages the eSignatures of multiple documents by distinct signers, all from the same Oracle CPQ quote
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Microsoft Word
Many aspects of Microsoft Word are available in the Document Designer. For example, headings styles from Microsoft Word are available in Document Designer. For more information, see the topic Document Designer and Heading Styles.
Oracle CPQ works with several other applications to leverage their expertise in application security and login functionality.
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OAuth
Using OAuth, admins can grant access to their application from third-party applications without sharing user passwords.
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As the name implies, using SSO allows customers to leverage their corporate infrastructure for authentication and automatically log into Oracle CPQ without the need for and additional login and re-authentication.
Oracle CPQ Single Sign-On (SSO) is configurable at the User and Partner Org levels.
There are three options:
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Federated Authentication via SAML (Security Assertion Mark-Up Language)
Users are managed in an Identity Provider or Portal (IDP) which supports SAML.
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Users are managed with an IDP that doesn't support SAML. Instead, Partner applications submit a login request through a SOAP API call to the Oracle CPQ Login web service.
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This is a combination of the "Federated Authentication" and "Remote Web Service" methods.
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If Oracle CPQ is integrating with another software application, you may need to use the User Integration page for authentication.
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Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC)
This is Oracle's middleware product solution to easily integrate applications with each other. Any application with an integration to OIC can integrate with any other application with an integration to OIC.
The OIC interface contains both pre-defined and customized data mappings between applications. It discovers all SOAP and REST services available from CPQ.
For information on how to set up these connections, and to find out which connections have been pre-built, see the Oracle Cloud Integration web site.
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The Interface Catalog is a “catalog of catalogs” that provides the framework to expose and describe the available interfaces for all services supported by CPQ.
This feature is designed to discover existing SOAP and REST web services, along with their definitions, shapes, and endpoints. The Interface Catalog also provides additional information to help you discover, learn, and use the correct interface.
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Integrations created within CPQ
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A Configuration integration can be created with a partner system that requires Oracle CPQ Configuration data.
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Admins can create Commerce Integrations for custom integrations with a CRM product other than those that are supported with a default integration (Oracle Sales, Oracle On Demand, Salesforce, or Microsoft Dynamics).
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- SOAP and Web Applications Integration
- XML
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REST APIs
Oracle CPQ exposes objects and data through REST APIs and RESTful standards. Exposing objects and data through REST APIs promotes simpler API calls and more robust integrations using HTTP standards. With appropriate HTTP Basic authentication, any other third-party system can query CPQ’s REST APIs, get a response, and use the return data as needed.
Notes
Oracle CPQ 20B implements XML Translation Line Limits to prevent performance issues that could occur when generating XML for quotes with an extremely large number of transaction lines.