Introduction
In IBM Sterling OMS, task queue transaction entries are recorded in the YFS_TASK_Q table to manage the progression of orders through the pipeline. These entries are typically generated automatically by the processing transaction, if the next transaction is time-triggered.
However, when modifications are made to the pipeline, such as introducing a new transaction, for the in-flight orders new transaction entry must be manually added to the YFS_TASK_Q table to ensure seamless processing. IBM Sterling OMS provides the Synchronize Task Queue transaction, an out-of-the-box (OOB), time-triggered transaction designed to populate the YFS_TASK_Q table with entries for the updated time-triggered transactions in the pipeline.
Why Synchronize Task Queue is needed
When the processing pipeline for an order or shipment is modified (transaction being added, removed or re-ordered) at the time in-flight order or shipment will follow the previous version of the pipeline, leading to inconsistencies. To resolve this, implementing the “Synchronize Task Queue” agent in IBM Sterling OMS ensures that the task queue (YFS_TASK_Q) records are updated and synchronized with the latest pipeline transaction, keeping in-flight orders or shipment aligned with the new pipeline.
There are five different syncher’s in IBM Sterling in OMS,
- Load execution task queue syncher
- Order delivery task queue syncher
- Order fulfillment task queue syncher
- Order negotiation task queue syncher
- Quote fulfillment task queue syncher
Scenario
In the Sales Order flow, the pipeline was originally designed as: Created → Scheduled → Released → Included in Shipment → Shipped. All the orders are currently follow this version of the pipeline. Now modify the pipeline by adding the new transaction (Order Validation) between Create Order and Schedule Order transaction. However, the in- flight orders that are still in Created status don’t have an entry in the YFS_TASK_Q table for the “Order Validation” agent. To address this, use the “Synchronize Task Queue” agent to create an entry for the newly added transaction (Order Validation) in the YFS_TASK_Q table.
- Synchronize Task Queue agent
Configure a new agent for the ‘Synchronize Task Queue’ transaction at the DEFAULT level within the Order Fulfillment process types. This agent is responsible for monitoring the task queue and orchestrating order execution in alignment with the updated pipeline.
- Sales Order Pipeline
To fulfill a customer order, the sales order follows a structured pipeline consisting of multiple key transactions. The initial sales order pipeline includes the following stages.
Created → Scheduled → Released → Included in Shipment → Shipped
- Sales Order creation
The Sales Order has been successfully created in the Order Management System (OMS), and the order is now in ‘Created’ status, ready for further processing.
A record has been created in the YFS_TASK_Q table for the ‘ScheduleOrder’ transaction. The order is now eligible to be picked up by the ScheduleOrder agent, which will process it and move the order to the ‘Scheduled’ status.
- Order Validation agent creation
Create a new transaction (not derived from an abstract transaction) at the DEFAULT level under the Order Fulfillment process type. This transaction should validate the order and update its status upon successful validation.
- Modify the pipeline
A new transaction called ‘Order Validation’ has been introduced between the ‘Create Order’ and ‘Schedule Order’ transactions. This transaction should validate the order and update its status upon successful validation.
- Trigger Synchronize Task Queue
In-flight orders continue to follow the existing pipeline, which does not include the newly introduced Order Validation transaction. Since this transaction was added after these orders were created, no corresponding entry is automatically generated in the YFS_TASK_Q table for the Order Validation agent. As a result, orders that remain in Created status prior to the pipeline modification lack the necessary task queue record.
To align these orders with the updated pipeline, trigger the Synchronize Task Queue agent. This will create the required entry in the YFS_TASK_Q table for the newly added transaction, enabling proper processing.
The Order Validation agent was triggered, which picked up the corresponding record from the YFS_TASK_Q table and successfully processed it.
The Order Validation agent has successfully validated the order and updated its status to “Order Validated”.
The status change was performed by the Order Validation agent, “MGMOrderValidationServer”.
After this, the Schedule agent will process the order.
Conclusion
The Synchronize Task Queue Agent ensures consistent task queue execution based on the latest pipeline update for the flows. By using this agent, we can ensure that time-triggered transactions are executed accurately and no transactions are missed.