Link to Me!

Come on you lot. Let get networking!

The 'WebCatalogServiceSOAPKPI' Outbound Service Web Port

Here's a techie from Justin Townsend. We're working on some interesting ideas and clients (and client bids), where this is relevent.


Using the integrated application (Core Oracle/Siebel modules combined with Analytics & Marketing functionality) relies quiet heavily on the use of web services. These services are invoked in a 'traditional' SOAP interface, providing the communication links between the applications.

In a standard installation of the integrated application, web services are used for: pass-through authentication, execution of Marketing jobs and serving up of Analytics and Marketing resources within the integrated environment.

WebCatalogServiceSOAPKPI, as the name may suggest, serves up resources from the Analytics application which are stored in the web catalog file. Using this service you can access: dashboards, requests, iBots, segments, segment trees and list format definitions.

This WebCatalogServiceSOAPKPI is particularly important where the business has many pre-defined reports (visible on dashboards or via requests). In combination with the definition of a symbolic URL, the web service serves up these pages to the user when they access dashboards related screens in the integrated application.

Symbolic URLs are defined in the core Siebel application; when the application's services are started up, the definitions for these symbolic URLs are stored in the web server cache.

When making changes to symbolic URLs, you need to ensure the cache is cleared to make sure the amended definitions are used by the web service.

Symbolic URLs are defined in:

Administration - Integration > Symbolic URL Administration;

the cache is cleared in:

Administration - Marketing > Servers, Outbound Web Service Port (hyperlink) > Outbound Web Services

What Does Metadata mean

I'm i the middle of writing the book (along with Mark) and I was using the word Metadta alot. Then something happened on a client project which made me realise that few people probably understand what this word actually means.

The OraFaq makes a good start
"Data that is used to describe other data"

But does that clear it up?

How about
"Metadata is information about a particular data set which may describe, for example, how, when, and by whom it was received, created, accessed, and/or modified and how it is formatted. Some metadata, such as file dates and sizes, can easily be seen by users; other metadata can be hidden or embedded and unavailable to computer users who are not technically adept"

Every other definition I see just says "Data about data"

So that clears it up then!

More from Oracle

I have been to two Oracle partner events recently, where I am mainly trying to ge tot he bottom of what their ETL tool strategy is.

The issue is on of platform AND application choice.

The fight is between Informatica, OWB and Data Integrator.

Informatica has a huge head start in the Siebel OLTP to warehouse ETL. The process is built and up-and-runnning in many companies.

However, Oracle just bought Sunopsis (and their Data Integrator tool). They also have OWB.

At one event the salesman assured me that Informatica was still the number one choice for CRM ETL, and there are no plans to replace it - it would just cost them too much money to rewrite everything.

At another event I saw this :

Oracle Only •OBI – Standard Edition •Oracle Warehouse Builder •Oracle Fusion Intelligence (Requires OBI-EE) •. . . . . . . . . . .

Heterogeneous •OBI – Enterprise Edition •Oracle Data Integrator •Oracle BI Applications •. . . . . . .

No mention of Informatica!

I'm off to build a new databae and ETL using Data Integrator...

Away day

Just got back from our away day. Great fun, talking shop, eating good food, going sailing and meeting up with the lads.

Revealing photos to follow!

Loyalty Anyone?

Has anyone seen an Analytics repository which connects to the Loyalty vertical? We may be able to come to a commercial agreement with anyone has already built one.

My New Yahoo group

I'm going group crazy

Just added a fourth Yahoo group. They're great to share stuff with your mates. We have some club messages and information that needs sharing, so we put this is the group and hey presto everyone is up-to-date. No excuses!





Click to join papercourt