A subscriber can listen to multiple publishers. In order to add a publisher you will "listen" to, proceed as follows:

• [In the menu toolbar]

  (If the server is running) Execute the stop function

  This function is a prerequisite in order to continue with the following steps.

• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the Add publisher function

• [In the popup]

  Enter the following information:

  • Name: the name of the publisher.
    • Address: the address of the publisher should respect the following format: https://server:port/CPQDesigner
      information: The name of the publisher is important: it will define the name of the folder inside which the exported versions from that particular publisher will be copied.

In order to delete a publisher you no longer will listen to, proceed as follows:

• [In the publisher table]

Select the line corresponding to the publisher you want to remove

• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the “Remove publisher” function

  Warning: The removal of a publisher does not physically remove the folder containing the exported versions received from that publisher.

In order to update the publisher settings, proceed as follows:

• [In the publisher table]

  Select the line corresponding to the publisher you want to update

• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the Edit publisher function

• [In the popup]

  Enter the following information:

  • Name: the name of the publisher.
    • Address: the address of the publisher should respect the following format: http://server:port/CPQDesigner
  • Publisher Key
    Warning: When updating the publishers’ name, a new folder will be created to “receive” versions distributed by that publisher. The old folder will not be modified or deleted.
    Warning: The distribution process is secured thanks to a Publisher Key which is a token shared between the Publisher and the Subscriber servers.

    This token is set in the ‘Manage Publisher’ step of the Publisher Designer and has to be used by the subscriber in the ‘Manage Subscription’ Designer.

If the download process is entirely manual, nothing has to be declared in the "Download frequency" section. If not, you can add one or multiple download "triggers" to automate it.

In order to add a download trigger, proceed as follows:

• Select the “download settings” table
• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the Add trigger function

• [In the popup]

  You can now setup the frequency by which a download will be triggered. Use the following fields in order to setup that frequency. You can setup a download:

  • Every Month at a certain Day and a certain Time
  • Every Week at a certain Day and a certain Time
  • Every Day at a certain Time
  • Every X hours or every X minutes

In order to update a download trigger, proceed as follows:

• [In the download table]

  Select the line corresponding to the trigger you want to update

• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the Edit trigger function

• [In the popup]

  Update the download frequency setup.

In order to delete a download trigger, proceed as follows:

• [In the download table]

  Select the line corresponding to the trigger you want to remove

• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the “Remove trigger” function

HOW TO MANAGE THE INTEGRATION PROCESS

If the version integration process is entirely manual, nothing has to be declared in the “Import frequency” section. If not, you can add one or multiple import triggers to automate it.

The version integration process concerns both the import as well as the version creation itself.

Some features can be activated to apply on each import. In details, you can: Check (or uncheck) the “export the version” function

• This function will immediately export the version in order to make it available for subscribers.
  • Check (or uncheck) the “warn me by email” function
    • This function will send an email whenever an import is done automatically.
  • Check (or uncheck) the “generate conflict files” function
    • This function will automatically generate files showing the potential conflicts faced during the automated import.
  • Check (or uncheck) the “generate cache” function
    • This function will automatically generate the cache for the version being imported.
  • Check (or uncheck) the “generate Search Index” function
    • This function will automatically generate the search index for the version being created.
  • Check (or uncheck) the “Clear Rich Media gallery” function
    • This function will automatically clear the rich media gallery on an import.
  • Check (or uncheck) the “Import Working version and fixes from the upload directory” function
    • This function will automatically import Working version and fixes from the upload directory.
  • Check (or uncheck) the “generate Sitemap” function
    • This function will automatically generate the sitemap for the version being created.
    • Check (or uncheck) the "Push metadata to CRM" function. The checkbox is visible only if a corresponding java class is declared in cameleon.properties file on the server. If checked, the "export the version" function is automatically checked as well.
      • This function will automatically push CPQ XML structure to a CRM like MS Dynamics, so that CRM and CPQ meta elements remain in sync, meaning that every change done on the model in CPQ is proactively applied accordingly in the CRM. The declared Java class will be called automatically on a successful export.

In order to add an import trigger, proceed as follows:

• Select the “import settings” table
• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the Add trigger function

• [In the popup]

  You can now setup the frequency by which an import will be triggered. Use the following fields in order to setup that frequency. You can setup an import:

  • Every Month at a certain Day and a certain Time
  • Every Week at a certain Day and a certain Time
  • Every Day at a certain Time
  • Every X hours or every X minutes

In order to update an import trigger, proceed as follows:

In order to update an import trigger, proceed as follows:

• [In the import table]
  • Select the line corresponding to the trigger you want to update
• [In the menu toolbar]
  • Execute the Edit trigger function
• [In the popup]
  • Update the import frequency setup.

In order to delete an import trigger, proceed as follows:

• [In the import table]

  Select the line corresponding to the trigger you want to remove

• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the “Remove trigger” function

In order to enable the complete end-to-end version distribution, proceed as follows:

• [In the import section]
• Choose the default conflict resolution policy that will be applied. In order to:
  • Keep local objects, choose “Keep”
  • Override local objects, choose “Replace”

    Also tick the “Generate conflict files” checkbox if necessary

• [In the import section]

  Tick the checkbox “Generate cache”

  This function will automatically generate the database cache for the distributed version once it has been successfully created.

  Tip: In order to completely automate the distribution process, everything needs to be automatic: the download, the import, the conflict resolution as well as the generation of the database cache.
  information: If the “import” is automated, the content of the published versions will be imported automatically and the versions will be automatically created with the same label, comment and application date as the exported version

MANAGING THE AUTOMATION

The distribution process is automated, but will have to be started explicitly and will be stopped immediately if an error arrives. If necessary you can also manually stop the automation.

When a new version arrives, it will be downloaded automatically if you have scheduled the download accordingly. If not, or if you would like to download a newly published version beforehand, you can proceed as follows

• [In the table]

  Select the line corresponding to the version you would like to download.

• [In the menu toolbar]

  Execute the download function

If you have worked (meaning, done some modeling work) on the subscriber, it could be that conflicts appear when you import a version.

In order to detect conflicts, proceed as follows:

• [In the table]

  Select the line corresponding to the version you would like to import.

  [In the menu toolbar]:

  Execute the detect conflicts function

Once the conflict detection has finished, a popup will enable you to:

• Download the log file, indicating all objects that will be added, removed or updated
• Download the source conflict file, containing the XML representation of all conflicting objects from the source export file
• Download the destination conflict file, containing the XML representation of all conflicting objects in the working version

When a new version has been downloaded, it will be imported automatically and a new version will be created on-the-fly if you have scheduled the integration process accordingly. If not, or if you would like to import a newly published version beforehand, you can proceed as follows:

• [In the table]

  Select the line corresponding to the version to be imported

• [In the popup]

  Select the scope of the import, by:

  • Ticking the “Model” checkbox
  • Ticking the “Rich Media Gallery” checkbox
  • Ticking the “Themes” checkbox

    If you have chosen to import the Model, you will have to:

  • Decide upon the default conflict resolution (“Keep Local” or “Replace”)
  • Decide if you want to generate conflict files (which will automatically check for conflicts)
  • Decide if you want to create a new version on the fly

    If you have decided to create a version on the fly, you will have to:

  • Verify (and if necessary change) its label
  • Verify (and if necessary change) its application date
  • Verify (and if necessary change) the associated comment
    Decide to generate the database cache for that version immediately by ticking the associated checkbox:

    [In the popup]

    Click OK

    Tip: Whenever the Rich Media Gallery file is imported, it will be decompressed and the content will be copied into the folder containing the Rich Media Gallery for the current server. Therefore, the import of the rich media gallery will make the current rich media gallery grow (nothing will be removed). The same reasoning goes for the themes.

Whenever a version is scheduled for import, a line will be added to the table in the working section. This table contains the following information:

At any time, lines in this table (and associated export files) can be removed by checking these lines and clicking on the Delete function in the menu toolbar.