Siebel supplies a sample data base with along with Siebel business applications to play around the application. But this sample only works for a limited period of time. Usually developers set their machine clock to back date to keep working with sample.

Siebel supplies a set of license keys every quarter at oracle website. Once you add these keys to your Siebel database, you would be allowed to work on Siebel with sample data with out changing the system date. You can add license keys to your Siebel sample database by clicking Siebel Tools -> Help -> Technical Support -> License Key -> Add Key

But, Siebel Inactivates the License Key button for Siebel Sample Application.

This trick tells you how add license keys to Siebel Sample Database.

Open Siebel Tools -> Help -> Press the shift key and click on License Key.

Now you can observe the License Key button is activated. You can copy the license keys from oracle website and add them to your Siebel Sample application. Once you successfully added the keys you don’t need to change the system date to back date.

After 3 months (the date specified in oracle website) if you get the message “License expires” again go to oracle website, get the new keys and add them to your Siebel sample application.

Siebel CRM: Integrating Google Map

Introduction

Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free (for non-commercial use), that powers many map-based services, which offers street maps, a route planner for traveling by foot, car, or public transport and an urban business locator for numerous countries around the world.

Siebel users would have frequent travel to meet their customers, partners, dealers, etc on their day-to-day business. Now a day’s most of the people are using Google Maps or other service similar to that for their route map to customer location. This is a simple step towards integrating Siebel with Google Maps, so that user can get the route map with just one single click, avoiding manual activities.

Business Need

Imagine a case of automotive industry, when a customer wants to give his vehicle for servicing or want to check the new models, prices, etc, Customer can use the Siebel Dealer Locator utility to find the list of dealers located near by region to him with the details of the dealer. With this customer can contact the dealer/ service provider and would get served.

But what happens, if the customer is new to the city or not clear how to locate/ reach the address?

In the case of sales, the marketing people get leads from various sources and they need to follow-up them to get them converted to opportunities. For this marketing people would need to travel to customer location.

In the case of service, the executive may need to reach a customer for service or collecting RMAs.

In all the above case, usually people uses Google maps to find the route map. They opens the browser, Google maps portal and then enters destination address collecting from Siebel.

How about if, the Siebel is integrated with Google Maps and the user is able to get the directions with just one click of mouse?

This is document describes how Siebel can be integrated with Google maps to get directions to reach customer place. Siebel takes logged in user address as source and selected customer/ dealer/ company address as destination.

Assumptions

• The solution is built on Siebel 8.0, but works with other versions also
• User should have the access to internet and Google maps site
• Map/ directions accuracy would depend on the quality/accuracy provided by Google

Siebel Functional requirements

The following section defines the required steps users must perform to use the custom feature as designed:

1. User should setup his address details correctly under contacts à Address screen
1. Query for logged in user’s contact record using Last Name, First Name, etc in top form applet
2. In the bottom form applet create/ update primary address with correct data.
2. User should enter complete address details for the selected entity (Accounts/ contacts/ Dealers, etc)

Proposed Solution

1. User selects the customer/ contact/ dealer/ partner record in respective screen
2. User clicks on icon in directions field

(Or)

User clicks on Google Map View tab

3. Siebel shows route map/ directions to selected customer/ contact, etc address from user’s address
4. User can change the commutation choice to car/ Walk/ Public Transport to get the route map/ directions accordingly.

Solution Walk-through

• Automotive Industry scenario

1. User logs into Siebel Automotive Application and access Dealer Locator utility to locate nearest dealers.

2. User selects a dealer and clicks on Directions icon, which gives the route map in a browser window

3. Siebel Opens Google Map in a browser and gives the routes map.

• Sales/ Service Scenario:

1. Sales Rep/ Marketing Agent/ Field service Agent would login to Siebel Application and access respective Account or Contact and selects Google Map View.

Solution Benefit

1. No need to maintain Latitude, Longitude values in Siebel database
2. No additional infrastructure is needed
3. Easy to implement

Implementation Procedure

1. Create 2 calculated fields for Source and Destination Address (Ex: Account BC, Contact BC, etc)
1. Source Address: Expression to populate logged in users Address
2. Destination Address: Expression to populate Selected Dealer/ Contact/ Account Address
2. Create a calculated field with below expression