XML Publisher – A Real
World Experience
Presented by:
Senthil Thangavelu
Agenda
• Introduction
• XML Publisher Concept
• AR Customer Statement
• Development Overview
• Design and Setups
• AP Checks
• Development Overview
• Design and Setups
Ask Jeeves
• 7’th largest global web property
• Owns ask.com, ajkids.com, bloglines,
excite.com, iwon.com, myway.com, Evite
• Part of Interactive Corp(IAC) which also
own TicketMaster, HSN, Match.com,
citysearch, LendingTree,
• Oracle Apps version 11.5.10
XML Publisher Concept
Classic Reporting Tools Issue
Data logic
Layout
Report file
Translation
Less flexibility
XML Publisher
• Template based publishing solution delivered with
E-Business Suite
• New approach to report design and publishing
• Report template in MS Word or PDF
• Easy to generate customer ready PDF documents
like Invoices, Purchase Orders, Financial
Statements, Checks etc
• Output in PDF, Excel, HTML
XML Publisher Concept
Separate data / layout / translation
Data Logic
Layout
XML Publisher
Translation
Report
output
More flexibility
Reduced maintenance
AR Customer Statement
Challenges in seeded statement
• Not customer ready
• Includes all activities
• Not Easily customizable
• Less flexible
Development overview
Data Design
Layout Design
Execution
Custom Oracle
Report
XML Output
MS Word using XML
Publisher Template
builder
Oracle Application
Data Design
• Used Oracle Reports
• Set output
(DESFORMAT) to XML
• Used Invoice print view
(ar_invoice_header_v,
ar_invoice_lines_v). See
Metalink Note:
Note:68149.1 for more
details
Layout Design
•
•
•
Used Microsoft Word and
XML Template builder
Need XML data for testing
Preview available in PDF,
HTML, EXCEL and RTF
format
Setups in Applications
• Register the report as concurrent program
with output format as XML
• Using XML publisher Administrator
responsibility, create a data definition. The
code must be same as concurrent program
short name
• Register the template
Checks
Introduction
• Historically required 3rd party software for
formatting
• Expensive in implementation, maintenance
and complexity
• Design checks in MS Word using XML
publisher
Development Overview
Data Design
Layout Design
Execution
Standard Oracle
Report
XML Output
MS Word using XML
Publisher Template
builder
Tip: Set output of
the format
program to XML
Oracle Application
Major Features
• Check Amount – Both as number and words
• Multiple addresses – Both payee and payer
address
• Banking Information – Bank routing
number, payer’s account number and check
number in specific MICR font
• Signature block – Secure dynamic images
Setups in Oracle Applications
• Change output format of check format
program to XML
• Register the report as Data Definition with
XML Publisher
• Register the template in template manager
MICR Printing
• Freeware and commercial MICR fonts are
available
• Needs to installed as font in the client
machine for unit testing
• In the template, make the field type to
MICR font
MICR Printing – Server changes
•
It can be done in 2 ways
•
•
Configuration file – Change
configuration file to include the
font path eg.
<fonts>
<font family="MICR"
style="normal" weight="normal">
<truetype
path="/usr/fonts/MICR.ttf"/>
</font>
All inclusive template – Add the
font path as custom property.
Property should be prefixed with
xdo- . This works only with XML
Publisher 5.0 or later
Secure signature printing
• Dynamic signature image at run time
• Create dummy image with URL location
pointing to image location eg. url:{SIG_LOC}
where SIG_LOC is signature location in the
server
• Conditional logic if different people to sign
different check based on conditions
Conclusion
• XML publisher offers customers to design
their own documents using familiar desktop
tools
• Reduces the complexity of the system
• Reduces overall cost of ownership
QUESTIONS
ANSWERS