Overview

This self-paced course introduces learners to the technical framework of the Sterling Order Management application. It covers how to customize the application to meet specific business requirements and provides an overview of the technical architecture of the system, including installation and deployment.

The course deep dives into the concepts of extending transaction workflows, fulfillment pipelines, and transferring data between applications. Learners will discover how to create, extend, and customize agents, agent servers, APIs, and services. Additionally, the course explores database extensibility, object extensibility, presentation framework, and customization of the Sterling Order Management System user interface.

Audience

This course is designed to train developers, implementers, and technical architects.

Prerequisites

Objective

After completing this course, learners should be able to:

• Understand the technical environment of the Sterling Order Management System.
• Extend transaction workflows and fulfillment pipelines.
• Use Sterling Order Management APIs to transfer data between Sterling Order Management System and other applications.
• Create new agents and agent servers.
• Configure services.
• Customize the user interface, database, printed documents, and objects.
• Extend application screens using the Web UI Framework.

Course Outline

Unit 1: Introduction

This unit provides you a high-level overview of the architecture of the IBM® Sterling Order Management system.

Lesson 1.1 : Introduction to Application Architecture

Duration: 1.5 hours

Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Discuss the footprint of the Sterling Order Management system.
• Identify the various components of Sterling Order Management.
• List the frameworks that are part of Sterling Order Management.
• Identify the user interfaces of the Sterling Order Management system.

Exercise 1.1.1 : Launching User Interfaces

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Launch various application screens present in the Sterling Order Management system.

Unit 2: Installation and Deployment

This unit provides you information about installation, configuration, and deployment of IBM Sterling Order Management.

Lesson 2.1 : Introduction to Application Architecture

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Identify the prerequisites for installing the Sterling Order Management.
• Differentiate between single schema and multi-schema installations.
• Learn about Shards and Colonies.
• Understand different types of deployment.
• Install the Sterling Order Management in silent mode.
• Install the Sterling Sterling Order Management in GUI mode.
• Process to enable sharding in multi-schema installation.
• Configure the Sterling Order Management and the supporting Application Server and database components.
• Create the "Factory Setup" base data set.
• Configure the property files.

Exercise 2.1.1 : Viewing the Directory Structure

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Navigate and view the installation directory.
• View the Liberty server directory.

Exercise 2.1.2 : Viewing Property Files and Fulfillment Architecture

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Navigate to the properties folder in the installation directory.
• View the DB Name and other details pertaining to the database.

Lesson 2.2 : Deploying the Application

Duration: 1.5 hours

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Describe a typical deployment environment.
• Deploy the application in production mode.
• Deploy the application in exploded mode.
• Pre-compile the JSPs.
• Understand promising server and its implementation.
• Configure and use the Configuration Deployment tool.
• Overview of Initial Data Loading tool.

Unit 3: APIs and Custom Business Logic

This unit provides you with conceptual and procedural information to work with APIs provided by IBM Sterling Order Management system.

Lesson 3.1 : APIs and Custom Business Logic 

Duration: 1.5 hours

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Describe the Process Modeling terms briefly. 
• Identify the system APIs. 
• Determine API behavior via the API Java documentation. 
• Modify output template XML. 
• Use the API Tester to invoke APIs. 
• Deploy custom Java classes. 
• Extend standard transactions by using User Exits. 
• Configure custom transactions. 
• Extend transaction events. 
• Extend statuses.

Exercise 3.1.1 : Using Order Console

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create an order using the order console in Application Console.

Exercise 3.1.2 : Using API Documentation 

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Navigate to and use the API documentation in the application directory.

Exercise 3.1.3 : Using the API Tester

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Use the API tester to create an order.

Exercise 3.1.4 : Modifying XML Template

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Modify a standard output XML and retrieve specific details using the API tester.

Exercise 3.1.5 : Configuring User Exits

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Configure and test a user exit.

Unit 4: Agent Framework

This unit describes overview of agent architecture. The process to set up the agent architecture, schedule, and call an agent is described in detail.

Lesson 4.1 : Agent Framework

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Differentiate between Task Queue and Non-Task Queue Based Agents. 
• Explain the Agent Framework architecture. 
• Create an agent's infrastructure. 
• Start an agent server. 
• Trigger an agent. 
• Schedule an agent to trigger. 
• List the best practices when working with agents.

Exercise 4.1.1 : Viewing the YFS_TASK_Q Table

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Connect to the database and view the YFS_TASK_Q table.                                                                                                                                                                                   

Exercise 4.1.2 : Verifying the JMS Service

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Navigate to MQ Manager and start the queue manager and listener.

Exercise 4.1.3 : Viewing the Agent Criteria Details

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• View the agent criteria details.                                                                                                                                                                                   

Exercise 4.1.4 : Configure Agents

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Configure an agent server.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Exercise 4.1.5 : Configure Agent Criteria Settings

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Configure and trigger an agent server.                                                                                                                                                                           

Unit 5: Service Definition Framework

This unit provides an overview of the Service Definition Framework in the Sterling Order Management system. This unit also details the procedure to create and configure a service using the Service Builder graphical interface.

Lesson 5.1 : Service Definition Framework

Duration: 2.5 hours

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Create reusable business services using the Service Builder. 
• Integrate with external systems using services. 
• Invoke APIs via services. 
• Implement services via synchronous and asynchronous protocols. 
• Invoke services via integration servers in the runtime environment. 
• Handle exceptions that are logged by the Service Definition Framework using the exception console.

Exercise 5.1.1 : Create a Service

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create a service using Service Builder and execute a service.                                                                                                                                                                     

Exercise 5.1.2 : Event Handling

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create, test and execute a service that provides order alerts.                                                                                                                                                               

Exercise 5.1.3 : Order Capture Integration

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create a service that allows external order entry system to pass an XML.                                                                                                                                                                     

Exercise 5.1.4 : Create an Order

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create a service that reads an xml file from the JMS queue, to create order.                                                                                                                                                                     

Exercise 5.1.5 : Exception Handling

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Identify and resolve exceptions in the console.                                                                                                                                                     

Exercise 5.1.6 : Rapid Deployment Tool/ Troubleshooting

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Use the RDT tool to load items to the organization catalog.                                                                                                                                                           

Unit 6: Extensibility

This unit provides information on how to extend the database by adding new columns and table to the IBM Sterling Selling and Fulfillment Foundation data model. You will also learn about the configuring object extensibility in the IBM Sterling Business Center.

Lesson 6.1 : Database Extensibility

Duration: 1 hour

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• List the restrictions on extending the database. 
• Explain the Entity Definition Framework. 
• Use Entity Relationship Diagrams to view the Sterling Order Management system entity relationship mapping. 
• List the steps to extend the database to meet implementation needs. 
• Extend database entities by creating custom columns, custom tables, and hang-off tables. 
• Create the Extension.xml file. 
• Modify API XMLs to accommodate database changes. 
• Create the Entities.jar. 
• Create services to call Extended Database APIs.

Exercise 6.1.1 : Viewing ERDs

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• View the ERDs available in the standard documentation.                                                                                                                                                       

Exercise 6.1.2 : Database Extensibility

Duration : 45 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create a custom table and a hang-off table.                                                                                                                                                   

Lesson 6.2 : Object Extensibility

Duration: 45 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Configure Object Extensibility.

Exercise 6.2.1 : Add an Extensible Attribute

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create an extensible attribute.                                                                                                                                                       

Unit 7: Presentation Framework

This unit describes information about how to use the Presentation Framework to create unique User-View associations, modify existing UI screens, and create new UI screens.

Lesson 7.1 : Presentation Framework

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Describe the Presentation Framework architecture. 
• Identify the Application Console screen elements. 
• Work with UI resources to customize screen layout and behavior. 
• Change the basic look and feel of the Application Console by using menus, themes, and logos.

Exercise 7.1.1 : Viewing the Order Entity

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• View the various resources that form an entity.                                                                                                                                                   

Exercise 7.1.2 : Associating an User with a View

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Create a view for a specific user.                                                                                                                                               

Exercise 7.1.3 : Presentation Framework

Duration: 30 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Build custom console screens to meet the requirements of the organization.                                                                                                                                           

Unit 8: Web UI Framework

This unit provides a brief overview about the framework on which Sterling Business Center and Sterling Field Sales are developed. It also provides detailed procedure on how to extend these applications.

Lesson 8.1 : Web UI Framework

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• The underlying framework of Sterling Business Center and Sterling Field Sales. 
• Web UI Framework and its components such as screens, mashups, and struts. 
• Loading of screens and pages, and the data flow. 
• Extensibility in terms of extending a screen and the required components.

Exercise 8.1.1 : Setting up Extensibility Environment

Duration: 15 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Launch the Extensibility Workbench in the Sterling Business Center application.   

Exercise 8.1.2 : Web UI Extensibility

Duration: 1 hour

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this exercise, students should be able to:

• Creating a new screen in SBC using Designer Workbench.                                                                                                                                                 

Unit 9: Case Study

This unit provides a scenario-based case study to reinforce the concepts. The process to extend the database by adding a custom column is explained in detail. Additionally, you modify the UI screens to display and populate this new column.

Lesson 9.1 : Case Study

Duration: 3 hours

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Create a custom column 
• Modify the UI screens to display and populate a new column

Course Wrap Up

Duration: 10 minutes

 Learning objectives:

1. After completing this unit, students should be able to:

• Explain how the course met its learning objectives.
• Submit an evaluation of the class.
• Identify other IBM Education courses related to this topic.
• Locate appropriate resources for further study.