Use the VendorPartnerSync collaboration to move vendor partner data from one application to another. Depending on the participating applications, VendorPartners can be vendor master records, addresses, or any functional link to an entity that expands the functionality of a vendor.
Vendor partner data is essential to the procurement and accounting functions within an enterprise. Vendor partners typically stipulate the person and location to which goods should be shipped or billed. The relationship of vendor partners to vendors is similar to that of ShipTo and BillTo customers to SoldTo customers. From a supply perspective, vendor partners are referred to as goods suppliers and payees.
Typically, Purchase Orders not only identify the Vendor who is to fulfill the order, but also the partners that will receive the goods and pay for them. A vendor can, and typically does, play all roles in a procurement process.
The VendorPartnerSync collaboration template, in conjunction with the other collaborations that compose the Vendor Manager collaboration-object group, specifies a common process for maintaining and synchronizing vendor information across all systems that use it. This synchronization enables a common view of vendor information throughout the organization.
The Vendor Manager collaboration-object group synchronizes vendor information between a Customer Interaction Management (CIM) application and an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application. Either of these types of applications can serve as the source of or destination for the synchronized information.
This replication of data allows separate applications to use information consistently whenever data is added, changed, or deleted in the enterprise. The collaboration assures the accuracy of duplicate information in the destination application without duplicate entry.
See the reference page for the VendorSync collaboration for more information about:
This section includes information on port bindings and required steps for setting up collaboration objects based on VendorPartnerSync. For information on standard features, ports, and configuration properties for collaboration templates, see the Collaboration Development Guide. For general information on creating collaboration objects, see the System Implementation Guide.
Figure 1 illustrates VendorPartnerSync's ports, as they are displayed in System Manager. The tables that follow Figure 1 provide information about each port.
Figure 1. VendorPartnerSync collaboration ports
Note: To prevent the collaboration object from using a port, bind that port to the Port connector. Binding the port indicates that the port is unused without causing the collaboration object to provide additional functionality.
Business object | Bound to | Function | Verbs used |
---|---|---|---|
VendorPartner | The destination application's connector | Sends a reference-valued business object to retrieve the full-valued business object. The result determines the verb to use when synchronizing the VendorPartner. |
Retrieve |
Business object | Bound to | Function | Verbs used |
---|---|---|---|
VendorPartner | Source application's connector or calling collaboration. | Receives the triggering business object. At the end of a synchronous call, this port also returns the triggering business object to the source application when the collaboration ends successfully. |
Create Retrieve Update Delete |
Business object | Bound to | Function | Verbs used |
---|---|---|---|
VendorPartner | The destination application's connector |
Sends the triggering business object out of the collaboration. |
Create Update Delete |
VendorPartnerSync is triggered directly by a source application's connector when a subordinate vendor entity (VendorPartner) is created, modified, or deleted in a source application. To set up VendorPartnerSync as a stand-alone collaboration object, follow these steps:
VendorSync uses the intermediate VendorPartnerWrapper Collaboration to call VendorPartnerSync. VendorPartnerSync creates new subordinate VendorPartner entities that are related to the primary Vendor being created or updated by VendorSync. When running this collaboration as a member of a collaboration-object group, it is important to configure all collaborations. For more information, see Using VendorSync in a Collaboration-object group Using VendorSync in a Collaboration-object group and the Checklist for Setting Configuration Properties in the reference page for the VendorSync collaboration template.
This section illustrates the process logic for this collaboration template:
Figure 2 illustrates VendorPartnerSync's process logic. Note that the Create, Update, and Delete processes all use the same main process, dispatching different verbs depending on the action required.
Figure 2. VendorPartnerSync collaboration process logic
This collaboration template uses the following standard collaboration business processes:
For information on these processes, see the Collaboration Development Guide.
InterChange Server Express can roll back a transaction when any step in a transactional collaboration fails. For example, when VendorPartnerSync is a member of a collaboration-object group that participates in a transactional collaboration, its actions are one subtransactional step of a larger transaction. If any step in the collaboration-object group's business process fails, the transactional collaboration details how InterChange Server Express rolls back the processing of every collaboration in the group.
When a VendorPartnerSync collaboration object is used independently of other collaboration objects or the collaboration object's From port is bound to a source application rather than to another collaboration, its process comprises a single transactional step. In such a situation, it is not necessary to perform rollback.
To cause a collaboration object or a collaboration-object group to perform rollback requires modification of the collaboration template. For information about these processes, see the System Implementation Guide. For information about adding transaction processing to the collaboration template, see the Collaboration Development Guide.
To extend the collaboration object to handle transaction processing, complete the following steps:
Because the Vendor Manager collaboration-object group represents three collaborations, configuring all collaboration templates is critical to achieve the desired behavior. For more information, see the Checklist for Setting Configuration Properties in the reference page for the VendorSync collaboration template.
Note: VendorPartnerSync does not have unique configuration properties. All of its properties are standard.
This collaboration template uses the following standard configuration properties for collaboration templates:
For information on these configuration properties, see the Collaboration Development Guide.
To view an explanation of the messages of this collaboration template, launch the Log Viewer and open the collaboration template's message file. To launch the Log Viewer and open the collaboration template's message file:
To upgrade to a newer version of the collaboration template, perform the following steps: