There are many times when using Oracle Sourcing that you need to search for information. Some examples include searching for negotiations in which to participate, or finding reusable invitation lists to apply when creating a negotiation. To save time and perform accurate searches, use the search tips below.
Searches are conducted using a search criteria and one of that criteria's search value. In most cases when specifying a search value, you can use the wild card ( % ) as necessary
The search process varies depending on what you are searching for.
Searching for your negotiations in which you are participating:
At any point in time, you may have several negotiations that are in different states. One may still be in its preview period, another open and being responded to, and a last closed and being awarded. A common task is monitoring and administering all these different negotiations. All these negotiations can be viewed and accessed from the Your Negotiations at a Glance section of the Negotiations Home page.
The Your Negotiations at a Glance section shows all negotiations you created in order of time left before their close date/time. Note that the display shows only a limited number of negotiations. To see the complete list of negotiations you created, click Full List.
From the Your Negotiations at a Glance display, you can click the negotiation number link to go to the negotiation summary page to see details of the negotiation. You can click the responses link to go to the History page where you can see the details of any responses.
Searching for all negotiations to which you have access:
In addition to the negotiations you own, you may have access to negotiations owned and created by other buyers either because you collaborated on that negotiation or because the negotiation is public. There are several criteria you can use when performing a search to restrict the number of search results. These include number, title, item, line category, event, creator, or supplier. To perform a search, enter a value for the search criteria in the Search Negotiations fields at the top of the Negotiations Home page.
You can select one of two search methods: simple and advanced..
When using the simple search method, you select one of the criteria mentioned above from the drop down menu, supply a search value, and click Go.
When using the advanced search, you enter search values for multiple search fields. These include those mentioned above as well as type, status, security level, style, project number, and task number. You can use any combination of these search criteria to reduce the number of results you receive.
To perform a simple search, on the Negotiations Home page, select the type of search from the "Search Negotiations" menu, specify a search value and click Go. To perform an advanced search, click Advanced Search. Enter search values for as many search fields needed to qualify your search. For some fields you select menu options. For others you enter values. When entering values, you can use % as a wildcard. When you are finished, click Go. .
Scroll through the Results: Negotiations display until you find the correct negotiation. Click the Number link to go to the negotiation summary page where you can see information on the negotiation. Click "Responses" to go to the negotiation History page where you can see information on current responses.
Searching for draft negotiations
You can have draft negotiations which you and/or a group of collaboration team members are preparing for submission at some time in the future. To search for and manage a draft negotiation:
Click the Manage quick link under Drafts on the Negotiations Home page.
On the Manage Draft Negotiations page, select a search type from the menu. You can search on negotiation number, negotiation title, negotiation creator, and proximity to open date (specified as the number of days until the negotiation opens). You can use % as a wild card value
Enter your search values, and click Go.
Scroll through the Results display until you see the target draft .
Select the draft and continue processing. If the draft is locked, click Unlock to access it. Click Edit to update the draft. Click Review and Submit to publish the draft.
When creating a negotiation, you can send invitation notifications to particular suppliers inviting them to participate in the negotiation. You can also search for suppliers to add them to reusable invitation lists and/or negotiation templates. You can identify approved suppliers you wish to notify by searching information in the Approved Supplier List, the Supplier Master, as well as information provided by the supplier company itself.
You can search the Approved Supplier List to identify suppliers who sell a particular item or commodity. You can also search the Approved Supplier list for suppliers of a particular status (for example, approved or new).
You can search the Supplier Master to identify suppliers who meet certain criteria, for example, minority-owned or small business.
You can search both the Approved Supplier List and the Supplier Master at the same time. This includes prospective suppliers who have registered with the system, but whose registrations have not yet been approved.
On theSuppliers: Add Supplier page:
Specify whether you wish to search for approved suppliers or prospective suppliers.
Enter as many search values as are needed to efficiently qualify your supplier search.
If you know the name of the supplier you wish to invite, enter a full or partial supplier name.
If you wish to see all suppliers who provide a particular commodity, use the flashlight to search and select commodity or category. You can search the commodity or category in Supplier Profile, Approved Supplier List (approved suppliers only), or Negotiation History (approved suppliers only).
To search by Supplier Business Classifications , click Show Business Classifications and select the attribute values by which you wish to search.
To search the Approved Supplier List Criteria (approved suppliers only), click Show Approved Supplier List Criteria and select the attribute values by which you wish to search.
After you have entered your search values, click Search.
From the search results display, select the supplier(s) and click Add to Invited Suppliers, and the click Apply.
Searching for lines and categories
While creating your negotiation, you must define line(s) on which you wish to negotiate. This can include searching for category values or item numbers. The fields you have to search on depend on the line type. The search fields you have available are indicated by the magnifying glass to the right of the field. Depending on the fields for which you supply a value, other fields may be populated (including other search fields).
To use the Search and Select fields:
Click the flashlight icon next to the field on which you wish to search.
On the Search and Select: page, select the type of search from the drop down menu, enter appropriate search values search values, and click Go.
Scroll through the Search Results display and find the appropriate value. Click Select and then click Go, or click the Quick Select icon. You are returned to the create page with the category value inserted.
You can also search the Oracle iProcurment Unified Catalog or your Favorites list to add items to a negotiation. See the Oracle iProcurement online help for instructions on searching the catalog.
See information on Understanding Large Negotiations for instructions on searching for lines in large or very large negotiation.
While creating negotiations, many attributes default according to the organization you select. This includes addresses such as Bill-To and Ship-To. In some cases, however, you may need to change the default to a different address.
To search for and select a different address:
Click the flashlight icon next to the address field.
On the Search and Select page, enter a search value in the Search field and click Go. The search value can be an address name, a partial name, or the search wildcard, %. The system performs a begins with search using any search values you entered. If you do not know the beginning of the name, use a wildcard, such as the percent sign (%). For example, a search on %Boston might return North Boston as a billing address; a search on b% returns both Beijing and Brussels; a search on br% returns only Brussels.
The Search Results display shows all addresses that matched your search criteria. Find the correct address and click Select. You are returned to the negotiation creation page with your new address appearing in the address field.
When creating a negotiation, there are many predefined lists which you can apply to your negotiation to save time and standardize your sourcing practices. Such lists include lists of line attributes, cost factors, Requirements lists, and invitation lists.
To search and apply a list:
On the negotiation creation page, click the link to apply a predefined list.
For each list, you can search using multiple criteria. For example, most lists allow you to search by the list name and/or words in the list description. Additionally, you can search for all lists that contain a particular list entry. For example, you can search for all cost factor lists that contain a particular price element. Enter as many search values as required to efficiently qualify your search. Click Go.
From the Search Results display, select the list and click the appropriate links or buttons to process the list if necessary and to apply it to your negotiation.