The item catalog contains all items defined for your company or organization. Within the item catalog, item catalog categories provide a way to logically classify items that have similar characteristics. For example, you can classify a computer monitor in an item catalog category named Computer Parts and Components. Item catalogs are hierarchical, and relationships between the various item catalog categories (such as an item's catalog category attributes) are inherited. You can define a rich hierarchical taxonomy of item catalog categories that enable you to set up item attribution, lifecycles, and their change policies, security, attachment categories, results formats, criteria templates, and import formats.

When defining item catalog categories, do the following:

• Create a list of all your items.

• Classify the items in unique item catalog categories and sub-categories that suit your business needs.

• Consider which category is a sub-classification within a category (for example, SRAM, DRAM could be subcategories of the item catalog category Memory).

• List the required and optional item attributes for each item catalog category.

Item catalog categories provide metadata common to all items that share the category. For example, the item catalog category "Engine" describes attributes, functions and other characteristics common to several item numbers, such as Engine M10000 and Engine M20000. Item catalog categories are hierarchically structured, with characteristics (such as attribute groups, functions, pages, lifecycles, criteria templates, and result formats) inherited throughout the hierarchy.

Following are some of the basic item catalog category terms:

• Item Catalog Categories

  Item catalog categories inherit attributes from the parent category; so consider which attributes to associate at higher levels in the item catalog category. Inheritance helps to simplify maintenance.

• Item Lifecycles

  Item lifecycles enable you to track and control the lifecycle phases of items. You can specify an item lifecycle for each item catalog category. Item lifecycles are inherited from the parent item catalog category.

• Change Policy

  Item behavior is described by defining a change policy for each lifecycle phase in a given lifecycle.

• Security

  You can control item creation, viewing and update access by assigning a role on the item catalog category to a user or group of users.

• Attachment Categories

  You can classify a file that is attached to an item using an attachment category. Attachment categories are inherited from the parent catalog category, and those most commonly used can be defined at a higher node. You can then add more specific attachment categories for the child item catalog categories.

Creating Versions of Item Catalog Categories

You can choose to create a different version of an item catalog category (ICC) when you change a transaction attribute or structure component in the ICC if you set the profile option "Enable PIM for Telco Features" to Yes. Enabling the use of ICC versions enables the use of transaction attributes and ICC structures. Transaction attributes differ from other types of attributes such as operational or user-defined attributes because the choices of transaction attribute values for an item can change depending on the date. For more information about transaction attributes, see Defining Transaction Attributes.

ICC structures enable you to create a default structure for use by all items created within a certain item catalog category. For more information about ICC structures, see Creating an Item Catalog Category Structure.

Once you set the profile option "Enable PIM for Telco Features" to Yes, you must create a released version for each existing ICC. Oracle provides an upgrade API that automatically performs this task. Your database administrator can invoke the upgrade API from the back end once you enable the Telco features.

DECLARE
		uid NUMBER;
		rid NUMBER;
		rad NUMBER;     
		sgid NUMBER;   
BEGIN     
SELECT 
		USER_ID,RESPONSIBILITY_ID,RESPONSIBILITY_APPLICATION_ID,SECURITY_GROUP_ID 
INTO 
		uid, rid, rad, sgid     
FROM 
		FND_USER_RESP_GROUPS     
WHERE 
USER_ID = (SELECT USER_ID FROM FND_USER WHERE USER_NAME = 'SYSADMIN')     
AND RESPONSIBILITY_ID = 
(SELECT RESPONSIBILITY_ID FROM FND_RESPONSIBILITY_VL WHERE RESPONSIBILITY_KEY = 'SYSTEM_ADMINISTRATOR');            
FND_GLOBAL.apps_initialize (uid, rid, rad, sgid);      
ego_p4t_upgrade_pvt.upgrade_to_pim4telco(null);   
END;

When creating a child ICC version, the Draft version inherits the transaction attributes and structure components defined in the latest released versions of any of its parent categories. You can then define additional attributes or structure components for the child ICC, in addition to the attributes and structure components of the parent ICC. Any new transaction attributes and structure components added to a parent ICC draft version and released in a new version appear in all child ICC draft versions unless the new parent ICC version is released with a start date in the future.

When an item is assigned to an ICC that contains transaction attributes or an ICC structure, links to the Transaction Attributes and Structure pages appear in the item's Overview page in the same way as links to other ICC pages containing operational and user-defined attributes appear. The Transaction Attributes page shows the attribute details in read-only mode, but you cannot assign an attribute value since transaction attribute values are assigned when a transaction takes place. Any items created at any given time within an ICC with versions inherits the ICC version effective during item creation.

   To create an item catalog category:

The following steps apply to creating an item catalog category with the profile option "Enable PIM for Telco Features" set to either Yes or No.

1. On the item Search: Item Catalog Categories page, click the Create Item Catalog Category link.

2. On the Create Item Catalog Category page, enter the following:

   Catalog

   Defines the category name. The number of segments (and respective labels) for item catalog category depends on how the item catalog group flexfield is defined in Oracle Inventory setup.

   Note: Any leading or ending white spaces in the key flexfield segments are trimmed automatically.

   Description

   Optionally enter a brief description of the item catalog category.

   Parent Item Catalog Category

   Specify the immediate parent of the item catalog category you are creating, thereby determining the item catalog category hierarchy.

   Default Template

   Optionally specify an item template to use to populate the Create Item page for any item of the item catalog category you are creating. On the Create Item page, you can modify the template applied upon item creation or choose not to apply a template.

   Item Creation Allowed

   Select to specify that items of the item catalog category can be created (if you do not select, the category only serves as a placeholder in the catalog hierarchy). If item creation is not allowed, the category typically specifies characteristics (attribute groups, etc.) that are inherited by its descendants.

   Inactivate

   Optionally specify a date on which to inactivate the item catalog category. You cannot specify an inactive date that is later than the inactive date of an item catalog category's parent, nor can you specify an inactive date that has already passed. Also, all children of a parent catalog category with an inactive date should be made inactive at the same time or earlier. Making a category inactive has the following implications:

   • You cannot create items in that item catalog category or any of its descendants.

   • You cannot use that item catalog category or any of its descendants as the parent catalog category upon creation of an item catalog category.

3. Click Apply.

   The system returns you to the Basic Information page. From here, you can perform all remaining item catalog category setup steps described in this chapter.

   This is the last step when creating an item catalog category with the profile option "Enable PIM for Telco Features" set to No. If this profile option is set to Yes, continue with the following steps.

To release an item catalog category draft version

Clicking Apply in the previous step creates a locked item catalog category draft version. Only the user listed in the Locked By field can release a draft version. Add all transaction attributes and associate a structure before releasing the draft version to create a numbered version. Once you release an item catalog category, you cannot update the released version. The following information associated with the item catalog category is not included in a version. If you make any changes to the following information, the changes apply to all versions.

• Basic information

• People

• Attribute groups, both operational and user-defined

• Item pages

• Lifecycles

• Attachment categories

• Search criteria

• Display formats

• Import formats

• Templates

• Report templates

• Item creation details

4. In the Basic Information page, click Release.

To lock and unlock a draft item catalog category version

A version enabled item catalog category is automatically locked upon creation of the draft. Only the user listed in the Locked By field can update the item catalog category transaction attributes or structure or release the item catalog category to create a new version. To enable another user to update the item catalog category, unlock it. The other user can then lock it and make updates or release the item catalog category. Locking the item catalog category only locks the draft version's transaction attributes, structure, version description, and start date. You can update the item catalog category primary information, such as description and the inactivate date, regardless of the lock status. This primary information applies to all versions.

5. On the Basic Information page, if the draft is locked and you are the user who locked it, the Unlock button is visible. Click Unlock.

   The Locked By field displays the name of the person who locked it. Only the person displayed in the Locked By field can unlock the draft.

6. If the draft is unlocked, the Locked By field is blank and the Lock button is visible. Click Lock.

To update an item catalog category

Before updating an item catalog category draft version, you must lock it.

To update an item catalog category with no versions, refer to Updating Item Catalog Categories.

7. To change the item catalog category primary (header) information for all item catalog category versions, in the Basic Information page, click the Update button.

8. To change the draft version's description or start date, in the Basic Information page, click the draft version's Update icon.

9. To change the draft version's transaction attributes or structure, in the Basic Information page, click the Draft link.

   On the Transaction Attributes page, you can update, delete, or add transaction attributes to the item catalog category. See: Defining Transaction Attributes.

   On the Structure page, you can update, add, or delete components and validate the structure. See: Creating an Item Catalog Category Structure.

To revert the draft item catalog category to an earlier version

The Revert Draft to button enables you to refresh the draft version's characteristics with a released version's characteristics.

10. Select a released version that contains the characteristics that you want the draft version to contain.

11. Click Revert Draft to.

    The draft version now contains the same characteristics as the released version selected.