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- intro
- learn Siebel
Volume 1: - #v1.sec1.mod1-3#v1.sec1.mod4-6#v1.sec2.mod7-9#v1.sec2.mod10-13#v1.sec3.mod14-18
Volume 2: - #v2.sec4.mod19-21 - #v2.sec4.mod22-24#v2.sec4.mod25-29#v2.sec4.mod30-33#v2.sec4.mod34-37
Volume 3: - #v3.sec5.mod38-41 - #v3.sec6.mod42-49#v3.sec7.mod50-54 -
- common environment

 
intro home - top of the page - email

Siebel is a company producing a CRM product (CRM = Customer Relationship Management). Founded in 1993 by Thomas Siebel. Grew in 1995-99 from 13% to 69% market share !! Consumed most its competitors and became de-facto market leader.

Main product - "Siebel eBusiness Applications" - a set of 114 components, organized into 16 separate product lines.
Turn-key specific solutions: eFinance, eInsurance, eCommunications, eEnergy, ...
Siebel is flexible - but not very flexible, because it consists of pre-built blocks. It is more like MS Word, than like programming language.

One logical database (~1700 tables).
One set of configuration tools (Siebel Tools)
Client interfaces: MS Windows (siebel.exe), Java, HTML
Siebel Server - application server (talks to clients and DB, talks to other servers and messaging services)
Siebel connectors to backoffice (ERP, Supply chain, Procurement, Legacy, etc.)
Siebel Anywhere

Siebel provides services ("Siebel Global Services") - SupportWeb, Expert Services, University, End-user and partner education, consulting, etc.

Deployment options:
  Connected Client - client application talks directly to central DB and App.Server
  Mobile & Handheld Clients - store local database
  Thin & Wireless Clients - via Internet


 
What you need to learn Siebel: home - top of the page - email

What you need to learn Siebel:
 
1. Siebel Client CD & BookShelf CD

2. Set of 3 volumes "Siebel eBusiness Essentials" + 1 volume of Labs for it.
  - vol.1 - common terms, navigation, visibility, data, query, architecture, installation, server manager, creating an Organization, Using S.DataSources, Exploring Application: Object definitions, using S.Tools, data model (tables and table relationships)
  - vol.2 - configuration process: configuring and compiling objects, configuring applications, screens, views, applets, understanding business components (BC) and business objects, adding fields to BC and configuring them, configuring navigation, packlist, multi-value fields, visibility. Using scripting.
  - vol.3 - Data loads ( Enterprise Integration Manager : data mapping, setting options, running it), Business Rule Automation (Assignment Manager to assign rules - sales, service, ...;  Workflow process and policies, configuring components for WF Policies), Deployment using S. Remote and S. Packager

3. Training on CD (Siebel University): "Siebel eBusiness Aplications", "Siebel Call Center Fundamentals", etc.


 
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Some key words:
SRF - Siebel Repository File
SSE - Siebel Sales Enterprise
Siebel eBusiness Enterprise - suite of many products:
Industry applications:  eFinance, eInsurance, eCommunications, eAutomotive, eEnergy, ePharma, ePublic Sector, eConsumer Goods, eApparel & Footware, eTechnology
.COM Applications: eSales, eMarketing, eService, eChannel, eTraining
Call Center: Call Center, Service, Telesales
Field: Sales, Field Service, Configurator, Phone, HandHeld, Pricer
Channel:  eChannel
Marketing:  Marketing

Siebel MidMarket Edition - simplified version, web-based architecture

S.eBusiness applications have a common structure and look and feel. Call Center is used as a sample application for training.

Common eBusiness Entities:
Account - represents current or potential client, partner or competitor. Has an account team (permitted to view/change data)
Opportunity - potential revenue-generating event. Potential revenue, probability of completiong, ending date, sales methodology. Has a sales team (permitted to view/change data)
Service Request - a request from customer (severity, priority, status). Is owned by ONE employee (doesn't have a team).
Contact - external individual (name, email, title, ...). Has an access list (who can view/change the data).
Activity - who should do the task, start and due date. Can be associated with an Account, Opportunity, Service request, and/or Contact.

Organization - group of users (inside: sales, marketing, cust.service. outside: Channel Partners, Customers, Prospects)
 

Select:  Start -> Programs -> Siebel Enterprise Applications 6.0 -> Siebel Call Center
Logon: (username, password, data source)
Help -> Technical Support (to view connection information).
File->Connect - to logon as a differen user
File->Change Password - to change password

User Interface structure: Application -> Screens -> Views -> Applets

Applets: List, Form, Tree
Views: List, Detail, Explorer
    - List View - list on top, form on bottom (like MS Money)
    - Detail View - Form on top, list of related items on bottom
    - Explorer view - tree on left, list on right (like MS Windows Explorer)

Navigating:
  Select screen from menu or from Tab Bar on the top.
  Then select view from menu on the left.
  Click inside an applet to select it (or use Ctrl +  or use special toggle-button)

Siebel window elements:
  Title bar
  Menu Bar
  Tool bar (and query list)
  History/Threads bar
  Horizontal tab bar - to select screens
  Left view bar - to select a view

During navigation a query is created to load data for ~1 screen only.

Navigatin between records in a list:
  - use arrows buttons in the toolbar
  - use vertical scrollbar on the right
  - use alphabet bar on the bottom
  - mouse and arrow-keys
Navigating inside a record: mouse, Tab & Shift-Tab
Drilling Down: some fields may be made links to navigate to a different view.
    - click on them
    - select and press Ctrl-E
    - right-click and select from the pop-up menu
    - double-click on the row indicator

Thread Bar - tracks your path through the views (history) - and allows you to return to previous views (threads).
Help menu - has info about Record (who/when created/modified, version info about SRF file, configuration info)
Context-Sensitive help - select arrow/queston mark from toolbar to activate this feature.

Navigation in thin client is different:
  List views and Detail views are read-only.
  List views - no form appears on the bottom.
  Entry forms function differently. You can do only one record at a time.

 
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Users (employees) - loginID, organization, at least one position, at least one responsibility
Visibility: which users can see which views and which records
  record access - is controlled by position (, organization, login)
  view access - is controlled by responsibility

record access:
Some records are personally owned (service requests, quotes, activities, contacts) - by LoginID
Some records are team owned (Opportunity, Account, Contact, Campaign) - by position
  - An employee may have more than one position.
  - One position may be shared by many employees (then one of them is "Active").
Primary position on a team - manager record access rule active
    ( view all data in the team, merge/delete records, forecast an oportunity).
Change position: File->Change Position
Primary position occupied - default (login)
To view positions for an employee: 
      Screens->Application Administration->Employees , and then press on  [...] near position field in the form

Some records are restricted by Organization(s) - for example grouping geographically (US, Europe, etc..)
Multiple Organizational Visibility - allows to create groups for visibility (for example to allow external organizations to see seom data in the Siebel database).

View Access:
View Access - based on responsibility = job function or role.
A user may have one or more responsibilities - thus they will see a UNION of all the views associated to their responsibilities
View types:
  - My Personal View - user is the owner, only he has access
  - My View - shows records for a team (of which the user is a member)
  - My Team's View - manager can see records of his team members
  - All View - records for the organization, where primary position has been assigned to the team
  - All Accross Organizations View - records for all organizations, where primary position has been assigned to the team
  - Marketing Administration View - ALL records in the database (even those without valid primary or owner)
       Screens->Marketing Administration->

Modifying data:
Inserting/Adding/Copying Records:
  buttons on the toolbar (add new, insert, copy)
  menu:  Edit->Insert Record  (Ctrl-i),   Edit->Add New Record (Ctrl-N),  Edit-> Copy Record (Ctrl-B)
  right-click - select from popup menu (copy or new)

The data will be committed to the database as soon as you move from this record (select another record or another area on the screen)

Note: for easier data-entry, many fields have "Field Control" - a button at the end. Pressing it pop-ups a list or a date selector or a calculator or a multi-line edit window, etc. 

Add multiple values - using MVG (Multi-Value Group) applet for one-to-many relationships
Associate multiple values - using an Association applet for many-to-many relationships

Delete record, Undo/Redo (from Edit menu)
Merge records (select them using shift-click or Ctrl-click). 
   Note - merged records can not be unmerged.
   Note - the last record selected will be the one left after merging

You may attach some external documents to records using an Attachment applet. Just drag and drop it (like attaching files in MS Outlook). Note, though, that Siebel will make and attach a compressed copy of the document as it is at the moment. If the documents changes - Siebel will still have the old version.  Also, If the document is very large - this may create memory problems.

Use Help->About Record to see who/when created and modified it.

Query Operations:
Query - retrieves information from a database (Case sensitive or not - switch for all application)
QBE - Query By Example
To run a query:  create a new query, define query criteria - and execute it
To create a new query:
  Click on the magnifying glass button in the toolbar (or press Ctrl-Q  or select Query->New Query)
  Enter query criteria in the list or in the form on the screen
  Execute query by pressing on the second mugnifying glass icon, or select Query->Execute Query, or simply press ENTER.

To query MVG field(applet) 
  - use EXISTS( ) clause, for example, if you enter this into the address city field:
     EXISTS(San Francisco)
  The query will return all entries (accounts) which has SanFrancisco as at least one city in their addresses.
  Without EXISTS it will return only accounts, which have San Francisco in ALL their addresses

Sorting by a column - select a column and press a button on the toolbar.
Sorting by multiple columns - View->Sort Order  (or right-click on the field and choose "Sort Order")

Modify query:   Query->Refine Query
Save Query:  Query-> Save Query
Delete query:  Query->Delete Query

Cancel  a query which is running too long:
     View->Options->Query  : Enable query cancelation and set a timeout after which it should show a dialog to cancel the query.

Predefined queries (by Sys.admin for each screen)
Application Administration->Predefined Queries

Additional query operators:  <=  <>  OR  * (wildcard)    (for example *Ma* ), etc. (see Help for Operators for Queries)

Find command (and a button on the toolbar)


 
v1.sec2.mod7-9 home - top of the page - email

Siebel Application Environment:
  database, file system (to be accessed by clients), clients (dedicated, mobile, thin):
    - dedicated client doesn't store data localy. It is connected directly to database adn file system
    - mobile client - operates off-line, uses local database to store subset of data, periodically accesses the server to synchronize the data
    - thin client - in the browser via internet, accesses data via server.

There are several different thin clients:
 - HTML - shows interface using HTML in a standard browser, needs web server
 - Java - stand-alone Java applet
 - WML - wireless, using WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)
 - Thin Client for Windows - and ActiveX control or Netscape Plugin - to work in a browser.

Siebel Enterprise Server - one or more servers working together.

Execution engine (siebel.exe)
SRF file (Siebel Repository File) - contains the application configuration (~16 MB).
CFG file - small configuration file (10KB).
Multi-layer Architecture:
    User Interface
    Object Manager
    Data Manager - between Object Manager and database, generates real-time SQL,
    Data Exchange Layer - separate DLL for each target database

Server Architecture:
 - Gateway server - load balancing (option - using Resonate Central Dispatch)
 - Enterprise server - group of several Siebel servers running server components (import/export data, database configuration, processing for thin and mobile clients). Each Siebel Server runs on NT service and uses ODBC (or as Unix Daemon).
 - Database & File system

Dedicated client - starts with siebel.exe using command line parameters,  .cfg and .srf files. Directly talks to the database adn Siebel File system using native drivers, talks to Gateway server to determine correct Siebel server to access if a component is desired.

Mobile Clients - similar to dedicated client, but instead of talking to the remote database server - it talks to local (database & file system), which are getting synchronized (from tme to time) with the server (via Siebel Server).

Windows & Java Thin clients - from the browser launch tclient.htm (on the server). This file knows where Gateway server, Enterprise Server, object manager component, and Siebel server are. Accesses server-side .cfg and .srf files.

HTML clients: browser <=> web server <=> ... <=> object manager component.
    start with html page which specifies a .swe page, which invokes  SWSE (Siebel Web Server Extension) - which defines where .cfg is ...
WML client: WAP => web server ...

Siebel server side: 4 main parts:  Gateway server, Siebel Server, Database, File System.  Can be implemented on one machine - or spread across multiple boxes.

Installing Siebel Software:
  Create Siebel Service Owner Account and Siebel Monitoring Account.
  Create database
  Create File System (a directory on disk with sufficient space) - must be accessible from other machines running Siebel Servers and dedicated clients, must support long and case-sensitive filenames.

NOTE: use short directory names, avoid spaces.

Install and verify:
  - Gateway server (invoke gtwysrvr installation program, then inspect directory and GTWsetup.log file),
  - Enterprise and Siebel Servers (invoke siebsrvr installation program, then inspect directory and SRVRsetup.log file),
  - Database Server (invoke dbsrvr installation program, run grantusr.sql script to create datbase users, edit and run install.ksh script to create database schema and populate seed data, edit and run imprep.ksh script to populate repository data, then inspect everything),
         Example:
Destination Directory: C:\sea601\dbsrvr
Siebel Server Directory C:\sea601\siebsrvr
Database User/Password SADMIN/SADMIN
Database/Tablespace Owner SIEBEL/SIEBEL
ODBC System Datasource SiebSrvr_siebel
  - Dedicated Client (invoke sea installation program to create client program and ODBC data sources,  then inspect directory and SEAsetup.log file),
       Example:
Destination Directory: C:\siebel00
Siebel Remote Server S1
File System: HQ\G1\c:\siebfile
Database Machine Name: D1
Database/Tablespace: siebeldb
Gateway Machine Name: G1
Enterprise Server Logical Name: siebel

ODBC User Data sources:
SAE Local Db c:/siebel00
SAE MMerge c:/siebel00
SAE Text c:/siebel00
SAE Search c:/siebel00
SAE MSQL c:/siebel00

  - Windows Thin Client (invoke thinclient installation program, then inspect directory and WINMTCLsetup.log file),
  - Siebel Web Engine (invoke eappweb installation program on the web server machine, then inspect directory and EAPPSsetup.log file).
Destination Directory: C:\sea601\SWEApp
Gateway Machine Name: G1
Enterprise Server Logical Name: siebel
Siebel Server Logical Name siebel_S1

 
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common environment home - top of the page - email

Install Siebel Client  (includes siebel.exe and a bunch of DLLs).
Install Siebel tools - for development
   Use "Client Disk" and answer some questions:
      Server:  FCNB-SIEB01
      Siebel File System: FCNB-SIEB01\FS
      Database Alias (Connect string):  SIEBDEV
      Table Owner: SIEBEL
copy cfg file (~ 10 KB)
copy srf file (~16 MB) - or compile it ( takes hours)

Start application like this:
       C:\local\data\sea\client\BIN\siebel.exe     /c  T:\siebel\gstest.cfg       /d QAServer
Example of login:
   :   sadmin
   :   pleasechange
   :   QAServer
 

Starting development tools:
     C:\sea630\tools\BIN\siebdev.exe      /c "c:\sea630\tools\bin\tools.cfg"
Example of tools login:
   :   sadmin
   :   pleasechange
   :   local
===========================================
Hierarchy:
  - Application > Screens > Views > Applets > (fields, buttons, tree)