Understanding General Settings for Template-Based CorrespondenceThis chapter provides an overview of general settings for template-based correspondence and discusses how to:
Define system settings for template-based correspondence.
Define merge scripts.
Define merge servers and printers.
Understanding General Settings for Template-Based CorrespondenceThis section discusses:
System-wide settings
Merge processes
System-Wide SettingsThe following system-wide options apply to all template-based correspondence:
These tags are the characters that surround a term name within a correspondence template.
Attachment server information.
There are many types of files that the system stores on your attachments server, such as templates, templates that users have personalized, and final merged correspondence. Access to files on the attachments server is managed through URLs that you create during the PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM install process. When you set up correspondence processing, be sure to enter information about the URLs that you created.
There are additional environment settings as well. These settings are described in the documentation for the Correspondence Management Installation Setup page.
The following system-wide options apply only to correspondence requests:
Correspondence that's based on either .dot or .txt files can be converted to PDF format before it is sent. Choose whether to perform this conversion, and indicate whether users can override the system setting for specific template packages. (End users can never override this when generating correspondence).
Maximum file size for external templates (.dot and .txt template files).
Maximum file size applies only to files uploaded as part of a template definition, not to files uploaded when a user is personalizing correspondence.
Maximum number of template packages than can be used in a single correspondence request.
Correspondence personalization options.
These options affect the amount and type of training your end users require. In particular, if you permit end users to modify templates, be sure users are thoroughly trained in this area. Set options that control whether end users can:
Modify templates before merging.
Preview merged correspondence.
Modify merged correspondence.
Modify the default recipient list that the system builds based on the transaction from which the correspondence is being sent.
The system sends correspondence requests to a Process Scheduler server where the merge and delivery processes run. To save users from having to track their correspondence through Process Monitor, configure the system to send notifications to the sender's worklist. Choose whether to send notifications only when a process fails, only when a process is completed successfully, always, or never. There are separate notification settings for the merge process and delivery processes.
Merge ProcessesWhen users submit template-based correspondence, the system schedules various jobs to run the PeopleSoft Application Engine processes that extract data from the PeopleSoft system, resolve the terms in the correspondence to generate the final merged correspondence, and deliver the final correspondence. To perform various aspects of merge processing, PeopleSoft uses scripts written using Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting language and Microsoft Windows Scripting Host.
This section discusses the scripts and jobs that perform correspondence-related processes, then discusses the configuration of your Process Scheduler servers.
PeopleSoft uses external scripts to perform certain processing that is external to the PeopleSoft system. For example, these scrips are needed to create Microsoft Word documents and to convert them to PDF documents. The scripts are stored in the PeopleSoft system, and must be installed during PeopleSoft CRM installation on the Process Scheduler servers where they will run.
Scripts are bundled into script packages to facilitate the installation process. PeopleSoft delivers one package, Peoplesoft_CM_890 , which includes the following scripts:
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File Name |
Description |
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installation_tester.js |
Verifies that all necessary third-party software has been installed on the server. |
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PSFT_WORD_ENGINE.wsf |
Invokes the other scripts as necessary. The master controller for all of the other scripts. |
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PSFT_UTILITY.vbs |
Contains various functions for data extractions and merging. |
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PSFT_XML.vbs |
Extracts term data from PeopleSoft CRM. |
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PSFT_WORD.vbs |
Performs all Microsoft Word processing, including merging for .dot templates files and printing the resulting .doc files. |
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PSFT_ADOBE_PDF.vbs |
Performs all Adobe Acrobat processing, including converting merged correspondence into PDF files and printing the PDF files. |
You do not normally need to make any changes to these scripts or to the package that PeopleSoft delivers. Any changes are considered customizations. If you need to make these customizations, do not modify the delivered scripts. Instead, use the Define Window Script page to register your script as a new version of the delivered script, then use the Define Window Script Release Package to create a new script package definition that references the new script version. Once you define the script package, you can install your scripts as described in the Supplemental Installation Instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM Applications.
Note. Script versions that start with the number 0 and script packages that contain the word PeopleSoft are considered to be owned by PeopleSoft and cannot be modified. When creating new scripts or script packages, avoid these reserved characters; otherwise you will not be able to edit your own data.
PeopleSoft uses several jobs to run correspondence-related PeopleSoft Application Engine processes. The processes, in turn, call the external scripts to perform certain processes.
The following table lists the correspondence management jobs:
|
Job Name |
Processes |
Actions Performed |
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Data Extraction (EXTRDATA) |
RBC_GENDATA |
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Merge (MERGEDOC) |
RBC_MERGEDOC |
Document merging and PDF conversion. |
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Email Delivery (DELVUNIX) |
RBC_DELIVER |
Delivery of email correspondence. |
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Print Delivery (DELV_NT) |
RBC_DELIVER |
Important! Do not change the names of these jobs.
The Data Extraction job and Email Delivery job can run on any process scheduler server and under any operating system. The Merge job and Print Delivery job can run only on Windows NT servers.
The Process Scheduler servers that run the Merge and Print Delivery jobs must have the appropriate third-party software and PeopleSoft scripts installed. The configuration of these servers is discussed in your installation documentation.
Use standard PeopleSoft Process Scheduler functionality to set up servers, to associate these jobs with the servers, and to implement load balancing. In addition, servers that will run either the Merge or Print Delivery job must be registered in the Define Merge Server component in PeopleSoft CRM. Failure to register Process Scheduler servers that run the Merge or Print Delivery job causes errors during correspondence processing.
When you register a server, you:
Define paths for correspondence-specific processing.
Verify that the appropriate scripts have been installed to the servers.
Define printers that can be accessed from the server (if any).
Associating printers with server definitions creates a list of printers that are available for selection in the Correspondence Request page. The user's printer selection then determines where the delivery process runs. To support printing in geographically dispersed locations, it is usually most efficient to define Process Scheduler servers that run the Print Delivery job in each location and to associate the printers with the nearest Process Scheduler server. You can set up servers that are used only for the printing process.
Note. The user's printer selection and the association between the printer and the Process Scheduler server controls where the Print Delivery job runs. Therefore, do not explicitly assign the Print Delivery job to a specific Process Scheduler server.
PeopleSoft delivers a server definition MERGE_NT that you can use as a model. (To use it for production, first install the necessary scripts and third-party software.) After defining servers, be sure to associate the servers with the appropriate jobs using standard PeopleSoft Process Scheduler features.
See Also
Supplemental Installation Instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM Applications
Enterprise PeopleTools 8.45 PeopleBook: PeopleSoft Process Schedule
Defining System Settings for Template-Based Correspondence
To define system settings for template-based correspondence, use the Install Options component.
This section lists prerequisites and discusses how to define system settings for template-based correspondence.
Prerequisites
Set up URLs for template files, personalize templates, recipient XML recipient documents, and attachments. It's up to you whether to place all types of files in one folder or spread them across multiple folders in one or more computers. However, once your system is in production, modifying the URLs (and thus changing the locations of the files) requires caution: you must move all files from the old location to the new location when you change the URL.
Setting up URLs is documented in the installation instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM.
See Supplemental Installation Instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM Applications
Page Used to Define System Settings for Template-Based Correspondence
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Page Name |
Object Name |
Navigation |
Usage |
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RBC_CM_SYSDEFN |
Set up CRM, Common Definitions, Correspondence, Install Options, Correspondence Management Installation Setup |
Define system-wide settings for all template-based communications and any additional settings that are specific to correspondence requests. |
Defining the Settings
Access the Correspondence Management Installation Setup page.
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Term Start Tag and Term End Tag |
Enter the characters to be used to demark terms within a template. Choose characters that will not appear in your templates except as term markers. The default characters are double curly brackets: {{ marks the start of a term, and }} marks the end of the term. Important! PeopleSoft recommends that you do not change the default start and end tags. All of the delivered templates, including order confirmations, use double curly brackets, and if you change the system setting, you need to manually modify those templates. Also, different operating systems interpret various special characters (such as an asterisk) differently, so any change to the default tags will require thorough testing. |
Document Properties
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Select a system-level setting to determine whether correspondence that is based on external files (Microsoft Word .dot template files, or .txt files created with any text editor) is stored and delivered in their native formats (Microsoft Word or plain text) or as a non-editable PDF file. Delivering files as PDFs prevents recipients from modifying what you send them. Storing files as PDFs prevents your CRM users from accessing a modifiable version of correspondence that you have sent. Select either Convert to PDF Format or Do Not Convert to PDF. |
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Overriding the PDF Option at the Template Package level is allowed |
Select to permit users to set PDF options for individual template packages. The PDF option you select on this page is still used as the default for all new template packages, but users can override it. If you clear this check box, the PDF option you set on this page always applies; the system ignores any package-level PDF options. |
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Enter the maximum size in kilobytes for external template files that are uploaded to template definitions. This limit does not apply to files that end users upload when adding attachments to correspondence or personalizing correspondence. |
Correspondence Request
The page elements in this group box apply only to correspondence that users send from the Send Correspondence page, not from the Send Notification or Outbound Email page.
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Enter the maximum number of template packages that can be included in a single correspondence request. |
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If you select the Allow Preview check box, enter the number of recipients to be included in the preview-mode template merge. Because document merging is processing-intensive, previewing correspondence for a large number of recipients (such as you might have in PeopleSoft Marketing) is not efficient. Limiting the number of recipients for whom you generate a preview enables you to give users preview capabilities that do not require a full merge process. Most of the components from which you request correspondence identify only one or two recipients. For these components, a setting of 2 or greater ensures that the system generates previews for all recipients. However, requests that originate in PeopleSoft Marketing can have many more than two recipients. Marketing-related correspondence is therefore the only type of correspondence that it is necessary to limit. Increasing the limit can result in substantial delays for the preview process. Note. Users can personalize correspondence for individual recipients only when the recipient is included in the preview merge. When the same personalization applies to all recipients, it is more efficient to personalize the template rather than the merged documents. |
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These check boxes work together to control personalization options:
Note. If you change these settings, the changes apply only to new correspondence requests; previously created requests retain the personalization options that were in effect when they were created. |
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Select to enable the Previewbutton on the Correspondence Request page. Clicking this button initiates the merge process without sending the merged documents, thus enabling the user to examine the correspondence in its final form before sending it. The Show Download Button and Allow Agent to Modify check boxes control the user's options on the Correspondence Request - Correspondence Summary page. |
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Select to enable the Edit Recipients link on the Correspondence Request page. Users click this link to access a recipient list that the originating component creates and to indicate which of the recipients to include in the correspondence. Users cannot add new recipients from the list; they can only select which of the already listed recipients to include. The setting on this page is a default; the PeopleCode that transfers a user from a transaction to the correspondence request can override this default. For example, when accessing the correspondence request from the List page in PeopleSoft Marketing, the system hides the Edit Recipients link regardless of the system default. |
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Select one of the following options to control when the system sends notifications related to the merge and delivery processes: Always, Never, On Failure Only, or On Success Only. The same options are available for merge notifications and for delivery notifications. The merge process runs when a user requests a preview, or when a user submits a request that was not previously previewed. The delivery process runs only after a user submits the correspondence request. The notifications for the merge and delivery processes let the user know the process outcome. For previews, the notification also alerts the user that the preview (which can take a while to create) is ready for viewing. The notifications go to the user's worklist. When the Worklist page shows all transaction types, these notifications appear with a type of CM (correspondence management). To filter the worklist to display only correspondence-related notifications, select Corresp Mgmt Worklist (correspondence management worklist) in the Transaction field on the Worklist page. |
The background process that merges and delivers correspondence uses the page elements in this group box. The URLs that you identify here control the locations of various types of files. These URLs must be set up ahead of time as described in the install instructions.
Important! If you change a URL after files have been uploaded, be sure to move the physical files to the new location.
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Select the URL that controls the file location for external template files (Microsoft Word .dot files and .txt files) that are uploaded as part of a template definition. |
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Select the URL that controls the file location for template files that are personalized for a specific correspondence request. Users upload these files by clicking the Replace button on the Correspondence Request - Personalize Template page. |
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Select the URL that controls the file location for XML files that the data extraction process creates. These files contain the data to be merged into the templates. Separating these files from other correspondence files makes it easier for an administrator to periodically purge the files. |
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Select the URL that controls the file location for final merged (and perhaps personalized) correspondence that is delivered to recipients. |
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Select the URL that controls the file location for static attachments that are included in correspondence packages. |
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Enter the minimum interval for refreshing the preview page of the correspondence. Users can click the Refresh button on that page more frequently, but the refresh command will not be executed unless the specified interval has passed since the last refresh. This setting helps you avoid performance degradation when users press the Refresh button continuously. |
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Temp Directory |
Enter the path to the application server temporary directory to be used for parsing terms in .txt template files when they are uploaded. The directory you enter is used only if a temporary directory is not already defined for the application server. Be sure to format the path according to the operating system on your application servers. For example, you might enter /tmp if you use UNIX, or c:\temp if you use Windows NT. |
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Senders Email Address |
Enter the default sender email address for correspondence requests sent by email. This default is used only if the person who created the correspondence request does not have user-level default From addresses defined on the Agent Setup page. This default is used only on the Correspondence Request page, not on the Send Notification page. |
See Also
Defining Merge ScriptsThis section discusses how to:
Define merge scripts
Define script packages
Note. PeopleSoft delivers all necessary merge scripts and a script package called Peoplesoft_CM_890 . As long as you use this delivered package, you never need to use the pages discussed in this section except to install the scripts as described in Supplemental Installation Instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM Applications.
Pages Used to Define Merge Scripts
|
Page Name |
Object Name |
Navigation |
Usage |
|
RBC_VB |
Set Up CRM, Common Definitions, Correspondence, Window Script, Window Script |
Upload the scripts that perform merge processing. |
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RBC_RELEASE_PAGE |
Set Up CRM, Common Definitions, Correspondence, Script Release Package, Script Release Package |
Define a script package by identifying the files in the package. |
Setting Up Merge ScriptsAccess the Window Script page.
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Displays the user-defined identifier (not the file name) of the script. |
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Displays the type of script. The delivered scripts have the type VBScript (Visual Basic script), JavaScript, or Script. Note. This page also shows the Microsoft Word .dot templates that PeopleSoft delivers. These templates have a type of Template File. The templates are registered in this page to support the installation process (a PeopleSoft Application Engine process that downloads the templates to your template server). However, these template files are not included in script packages. |
File Details
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All scripts that PeopleSoft delivers are registered with the initial version as 000000001. Every subsequent version will have the number increased by 1. All version numbers with trailing zeroes are reserved for PeopleSoft. If you upload a custom script to be used instead of one of the delivered scripts, give it a new version number. Use of the number 0 to start the version number is reserved for PeopleSoft; you cannot edit data for any scripts with a version number that starts with 0 even if you created the version. Script packages reference specific scripts by version number. |
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Attached File |
Displays the name of the associated script file. |
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Upload File |
This button appears only when you create a new version of a file. Click the button to upload the script file. The system prompts you to locate the file, and then uploads the attachment to your attachment server. |
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View Script Code |
Click to view the text of the script in a new browser window. |
Defining Script PackagesAccess the Script Release Package page.
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Displays the user-assigned identifier for the script package. This is the ID that you reference when you associate the script package with a specific merge server. PeopleSoft delivers the package Peoplesoft_CM_890. If you define additional script packages (to be used with custom scripts), give it a name that does not include the word PeopleSoft. |
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Enter the release date for the package. This is informational only; it does not affect the availability of the package. |
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File Identifier |
To add a script to a package, enter the file ID that you defined on the Define Window Script page. |
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Version |
Select the version of the script to use in this package. |
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Last Modified By |
Displays information about who last changed the file information. |
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Date Modified |
Displays information when the change occurred. |
Defining Merge Servers and PrintersThis section lists prerequisites and discusses how to:
Define settings for the merge server.
Verify script installation on the server.
Define printers for the merge server.
Prerequisites
Define the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler servers that you intend to use as merge servers, and configure the server as described in the installation documentation for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM.
For the Scheduler servers that run the Print Delivery process, set up the computer's Windows NT printer mappings and verify the ability to print from that computer. The printers must be Windows printers (not line printers).
See Also
Enterprise PeopleTools 8.45 PeopleBook: PeopleSoft Process Scheduler
Supplemental Installation Instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM Applications
Pages Used to Define Merge Servers and Printers
|
Page Name |
Object Name |
Navigation |
Usage |
|
RBC_SERVER_PG |
Set Up CRM, Common Definitions, Correspondence, Merge Server, Server |
Define merge settings for the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler server where the merge process runs. |
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RBC_SERVER_FILES |
Click the Go To Setup Merge Server button on the Server page. |
Verify that the necessary scripts have been installed to the server. |
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RBC_PRINTER_PG |
Set Up CRM, Common Definitions, Correspondence, Merge Server, Printers |
Associate printers with a Process Scheduler server so that users can print correspondence. |
Defining Settings for the Merge ServerTo define settings for the merge server, use the Merge Server component.
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Displays the name of the Process Scheduler server that you are registering for use with correspondence processing. |
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Displays a status that indicates whether the necessary scripts have been installed to this server. Start indicates that the process has not yet started. Once you start the process, possible values are Processing, Completed, and Incomplete. The status must be Completed before you can use this server to run correspondence processes. See Supplemental Installation Instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM Applications. |
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Release Package and Release Date |
Select the release package containing the scripts that are used to perform correspondence merges and PDF conversions. For PeopleSoft 8.9, the release package is Peoplesoft_CM_890 . The package's release date is displayed. |
Network Drive & Folders Detail
When specifying folder information, make sure that all directory paths do, in fact, exist on the Process Scheduler server.
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Enter a fully qualified path to the folder where the system puts the scripts in the selected release package. The default is c:\PeopleSoft_Merge. Important! The path cannot have spaces; use an underscore instead of a space to visually separate words. |
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Enter a fully qualified path to the folder where the scripts store temporary files. The default is c:\temp. The temporary files are purged when they are no longer needed. |
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Enter a fully qualified path to the folder that holds the XML files that carry data between the PeopleSoft Application Engine process that initiates processing and the external scripts that perform the data extraction and merge processes. Two files are created, transaction.xml and transaction_return.xml. Both are purged when the work is complete. The default folder is c:\PeopleSoft_Merge\Transaction. |
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If you activate template caching, the system retrieves the template definition from its storage location only once per correspondence request, even if there are multiple recipients. This action improves performance. Enter a fully qualified path to the folder where the scripts store cached files. The default is c:\PeopleSoft_Merge\Cache. |
Runtime Error Language Support
The process of installing scripts and error message data to Process Scheduler servers uses the settings in this group box to determine which error message data to export.
See Supplemental Installation Instructions for PeopleSoft 8.9 CRM Applications
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Message Set Number, Message Number From, and Message Number To |
Because the data extraction, merge, and delivery scripts run externally to the PeopleSoft environment, they would not normally have access to the PeopleSoft message catalog. Identify a range of messages to be made available to the scripts; these messages are loaded into an XML file on the Process Scheduler server. The scripts then access the XML file to present language-specific error messages. PeopleSoft has set aside messages 6400 through 6500 in message set 17384 for use by the delivered merge executables. |
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Language Code |
Select the languages to export. Message catalog entries use the PeopleTools-related language architecture, which enables you to maintain multiple versions of a message in a single catalog entry. During installation, when you install scripts and error message data to the Process Scheduler server, the system installs error message data only for the languages you select here. |
Additional Page Elements for Setting Up Servers
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Go To Setup Merge Server |
Click to access the Merge Server Setup Monitor page, where you can review the scripts in the selected release package. |
Verifying Script Installation on the ServerAccess the Merge Server Setup Monitor page.
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Displays the installation status for each script that needs to be installed. Select the scripts that you want to install. Normally, you select the scripts with a status other than Completed. |
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Displays the installation status of the message catalog entries for each language. Select the languages that you want to install. Normally, you select the languages with a status other than Completed. |
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Setup |
Click to install the selected scripts and message catalog data to the server. |
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Refresh |
Click to update the install status for the server and for each of the setup files listed. |
Defining Printers for the Merge Server
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Used as Default Printer |
Select to indicate that this printer is the default printer for all correspondence printed by this merge server. Only one of the server's printers can be the default. |
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Printer Server Name and Printer Share Name |
Enter information about each printer that can be used by this server. The server name and printer share name are the names you see when mounting a network printer from a Windows NT computer. |
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Enter a short description of the printer location. Users who submit requests for printed correspondence will see this description when selecting a printer. |
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Long Description |
Enter a long description of the printer or its location. |