To create a new item request:The create item process enables you to request new items through a standard approval and creation process. Using this process, companies can promote reuse of items and maintain tight controls over item/part creation, avoiding costly maintenance of duplicate items. The item request approval routing ensures that all relevant parties participate in the item's definition.
Note: If there is no item request associated with an item catalog category, then new items are created with an approval status of Approved. For items such as this, users can define the item status during item creation. If there is a new item request associated with the item catalog category, then the approval status of the item is either Not Submitted for Approval, Submitted for Approval, or Approved, depending upon the approval status of the corresponding new item request. The default approval status of the new item request (NIR) is Not Submitted for Approval. For such items, regardless of the default approval status, the item status is Pending (all status controlled flags are disabled). Only Oracle Product Hub users can view items with the item status of Pending. Users cannot view these items in the Master Item window or in any other Oracle application. Users can manually update the item status after the new item request is approved.
| Item Creation Process Steps | Item Status | Approval Status (for the item) | Approval Status (for the NIR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Create item. | Pending | Not Submitted for Approval | - |
| 2.Create and save NIR. | Pending | Not Submitted for Approval | Not Submitted for Approval |
| 3. Submit NIR for approval. | Pending | Submitted for Approval | Not Submitted for Approval |
| 4. NIR in approval workflow. | Pending | Submitted for Approval | Approval Requested |
| 5. NIR is approved. | Pending | Submitted for Approval | Approved |
| NIR is implemented. | Pending | Approved | Approved |
Benefits associated with the new item request process:
Companies can standardize item numbers and descriptions
Prevents duplication and promotes reuse of item number that are functionally equivalent
You can automatically trigger actions based on the item creation business event. See: Item Business Events and Managing Business Events, Oracle Workflow Developer's Guide.
New item requests are change objects. See the Using Change Management chapter in the Oracle Product Hub User's Guide for more information about managing change objects in general.
To create a new item request:Create a new item request from either the item Search Results page or the item Overview page.
In the Search Results page, select the item(s) that you want to add to a new item request. In the Select Items field, select Create New Item Request, then click Go. Using this method, you can create a new item request that contains one or many items.
In the Overview page, select Create New Item Request in the Actions field, then click Go. Using this method, you create a new item request for only one item, the item displayed, or you can add this item to an existing new item request in the next step.
In the Create New Item Request: Select New Item Request Type page, choose whether to create a new item request or to add the selected item(s) to an existing new item request.
Click Continue.
On the Create New Item Request page you can customize/edit the new item approval request.
The following list provides additional information for some fields on this page.
New Item Request Name - required. Enter a descriptive name for the new item request.
Assigned To - the assignee is defaulted based on the item catalog category role specified in the assignment rule for new item requests.
Priority and Reason - use these fields to track the degree of urgency and the reason for requesting the new item.
Source Type and Name - use these fields to document who requested the new items.
You can also update information in the following tabs:
New Items (Lines) - lists all of the items included in the new item request. You can select items and remove them from the new item request or add additional items to the request.
Note: You can only add items that have a status of Not Submitted for Approval, Cancelled, or Rejected.
Dependencies and References - add change object dependencies and item reference information in these two tabs. See: Creating Relationships.
Workflow Approval - approval routing templates are available for routing the new item request definition/approval. Routing templates are typically defined for standard business processes associated with new item creation/approvals. You can also use the approval routing template to route the new item request to different functional groups, providing those groups the ability to participate in the creation and definition of new items. For example, the Design Engineer may be responsible for entering the item's user-defined attributes. See: Defining New Item Request Workflows.
If the new item request type has more than one workflow attached to a phase, the Switch Template button appears. Click Switch Template to choose a different workflow. To view workflows associated with a different phase, use the Phase pull down list.
Attachments - attach any supporting files, URLs, or text. See: Adding Attachments.
You can submit the new item request or save it if you wish to enter additional information later.
Submitting the NIR starts the workflow listed for the Open status. Once you submit it, you cannot add more items to it. If you save it for later, the new item request is saved with a Draft status. Upon submission, if set up, an assignment notification is sent via e-mail.
All new items requiring approval have the item status Pending. After the new item is approved, you can change the item status manually to enable the item for viewing/use outside of the system.
To add SKUs to a new item request:First, create the SKUs as described in Creating Style and SKU Items. You can then add each SKU to a new item request individually as described above in "To create a new item request:" or you can add multiple SKUs all at once to the same new item request as described below.
In the Overview page for the style item, select the associated SKUs that you want to add to a new item request. Click Add to New Item Request.
From this point on, refer to the steps in "To create a new item request:" above.
To update a new item request:Within a new item request, you can perform the following updates on each individual line item or on all line items, depending on their status and your role:
Remove - you can remove an item from a new item request (NIR) as long as the NIR has not been submitted for approval (the NIR status is Draft).
Add Items - you can add new items to a NIR when the NIR status is Draft and the item you want to add meets one of the following criteria:
the item is not assigned to another NIR and the item's catalog category requires a NIR.
if the item is assigned to another NIR, the item's status is Cancelled or Rejected.
This action effectively copies the item from the original NIR into the NIR currently in view.
Update Item Attributes - you can use the following methods to update operational and user attributes before the NIR status is Approved.
Apply a template. In the item's Overview page, select the Update action. In the Update Overview page, select a template, then click Apply.
Update item attributes from within the item's Overview page. In the item's Overview page, select the Update action. Update any primary attribute values in the Update Overview page. Select a link to an attribute page to update a user attribute. Click Apply.
Update item attributes using a spreadsheet. See: Updating Existing Items Using a Spreadsheet. Select a template within the spreadsheet. If you want to specify attribute values that differ from the template values, then add a column for a particular attribute and specify the attribute value.
Export more than 200 items to a spreadsheet, update the attributes, and import the item. See: Mass Updating Items, Item Categories and Item Associations.
Caution: You can not update Status controlled attributes unless the NIR is Approved, except for the BOM Allowed flag. The values of the following status controlled attributes depend on the status of the item.
STOCK_ENABLED_FLAG
MTL_TRANSACTIONS_ENABLED_FLAG
PURCHASING_ENABLED_FLAG
INVOICE_ENABLED_FLAG
BUILD_IN_WIP_FLAG
CUSTOMER_ORDER_ENABLED_FLAG
INTERNAL_ORDER_ENABLED_FLAG
Add to Category - you can add approved items only to existing catalog categories.
Assign Items to Suppliers
Assign Items to SupplierSites
Approve - this action enables you to approve only certain lines in a NIR, while other lines may have a status of Cancelled or Rejected.
Reject or Cancel - you can add a rejected or cancelled line to another NIR at a later time, enabling other, approved lines to continue with the current NIR towards final approval.
Add to New Item Request - only available for rejected or cancelled items.
Adding a cancelled or rejected item from one NIR to another effectively copies the cancelled or rejected item to a new NIR.
To manage a new item request from Open to Approved status:A new item request can have many workflows to complete before reaching Approved status. After each workflow is complete, you must promote the NIR to the next workflow.
Navigate to the new item request's Overview page. Select the Workflow tab.
If a Workflow/Approval Status is Completed and the Workflow/Approval Status of the next workflow is Not Started, then click Promote.
In the Promote Status: (NIR number) page, select the next status, then click Apply.
The approver can approve, reject, or transfer the new item request from the Notifications page to complete the workflow or perform these actions on each NIR line item individually from the New Items page.
To navigate to the New Items page, click the New Item Request Details link in the Notifications page, then select the Lines tab.
You can now select each new item individually and perform the actions described above in "To update a new item request:", depending on your role.
Once you (the approver) are satisfied that each line item in the NIR is at the correct status (Approved, Rejected, or Cancelled), you must approve, reject, or cancel the entire NIR to complete the workflow.
From the new item request's Overview page, click on the Approve/Reject link, then approve or reject the NIR.
In the item Overview page, the approval status should now reflect the status of the new item request, but the item status remains at Pending. If the approval status is Approved, you can now update the item status to Active.
