Oracle Email Center in R12 (Download/Outbox Processor)

Oracle Email Center : is comprehensive email response management system tightly integrated into the eBusiness Suite (11i/R12). From R12, You can use any Mail Server(IMAP compliant) with email center. (For pre-R12 (i.e. 11i), only mail server certified with email center is “Oracle Email Server” (Oracle Email Server is Mail Server from Oracle).

Oracle Email Center Architecture – Oracle Email Center consists of

1) Database– containing various schema’s (IEM) to stores messages and other data. (This is same database as Apps R12 Database)

2) Mail Server Processes– These are processes of IMAP compliant Mail Server. eMail Message come to SMTP Server via SMTP and Mail Server communicates with Web Server via IMAP

3) Web Tier– Application Logic for email center sits here (this tier is same as R12 WebTier). HTTP server on Web Tier listen for requests from Administration Console, Agent Console and Message Component. This tier also manage load and connection to server (outgoing/SMTP , incoming/IMAP).
This tier also includes Outbox Processor which is queue for outbound email .

4) Agent Console– browser based console for Agents (handling call)

5) Message Component – contains functionality to compose, reply or view email from Email Center. Message Component is browser windows (similar to console) and launched from Agent Console.

6) Supervisor Console – similar to Agent Console but this Console is for Supervisor’s to preview, assign, reply to, or delete queued messages; assign agents to accounts or accounts to agents.

7) Administration Console – similar to Agent/Supervisor Console but for Administrator’s to define Email Center accounts, configure email processing rules and assign agents to email accounts.

8) Download Processor – is Java Service and acts as inbox processor. Download Processor polls the Inbox folder of Email Accounts for new incoming mails and copies them to Local Message Store. For Apps DBA’s– If you are cloning R12 Production Instance, stop Download Processor before taking a backup (source copy for clone) and start after backup. This is to avoid processing email messages from production instance. For more information check Metalink Note 842621.1 Cloning Email Center, Release 12.

9) Message Access Layer– is collection of APIs that handle reading and writing messages to Local Message Store.

How to stop/start Email Center Download Processor ?
Email Center Download Processor is controlled by GSM (Generic Service Management) Console . Login to OAM -> Application Services -> Select and click the Email Center Download Processor link.

Do I need Oracle EMail Server with Email center in R12 ?
No, Oracle Email Center in R12 works with any IMAP compliant Mail Server. For pre-R12(i.e. 11i) only mail server certified with Email Center is Oracle Email Server 5.2 and the emails were downloaded to the OES schema. In R12, there is flexibility to go with any IMAP4 mail compliant server and there is no governing requirement to continue to with OES 5.2.

Can I use one single Mail Server (IMAP compliant) with Multiple Apps R12 Instances (Prod/Dev) running Email Center ?
Yes, You can have single Mail Server but EMail Accounts configured in Email Center (IEM_MSTEMAIL_ACCOUNTS) should be different and there should be corresponding (different) Email Accounts in Mail Server.

How to deactivate email accounts configured in Email Center (useful in cloned instances) ?SQL>UPDATE iem_mstemail_accounts SET active_flag = ‘N’;

Tables useful for DBA’s –

IEM_MSTEMAIL_ACCOUNTS
IEM_AGENT_ACCOUNTS
IEM_EMAIL_ACCOUNTS
IEM_MSG_PARTS – contains live email messages that are actively worked by Email Center Agents
IEM_ARCH_MSGS – email message move from IEM_MSG_PARTS table to IEM_ARCH_MSGS table Once the agent completes work on an email message. (To purge this table use Email Center Archive/Purge concurrent request)

Context variable in XML file related to Email Center:

s_load_emailcenter_servlet – This variable is used to determine whether the Email Center Outbox Processor is started when the OC4J server starts. The Outbox Processor is controlled via the InitializationServlet class defined in orion-web.xml. The default value is ‘-1’ which means that the servlet is not loaded. If you wish to enable this feature set the value to ‘1’.

.
Profile Option useful for DBA’s –

IEM: Outbox Processing: Number of threads processing the Outbox (Default value NULL i.e. One).

References

Email Center Implementation Guide
Email Center User’s Guide
290831.1 Cloning Email Center
842621.1 Cloning Email Center, Release 12
549036.1 Oracle Email Center Migration to Release 12
417866.1 Installation, integration and troubleshooting of eMail Server with Email Center
340727.1 Using Microsoft Exchange with Email Center With Email Server
728668.1 White Paper on eMail Routing with R12 Oracle eMail Center

About the Author Atul Kumar

Oracle ACE, Author, Speaker and Founder of K21 Technologies & K21 Academy : Specialising in Design, Implement, and Trainings.

follow me on:

Leave a Comment:

9 comments

balasaheb says March 8, 2010

Hi Atul,
this is bala,i saw your article on email center it is graet one .right now i’m trying to build set up email center so if u could help me out into that then that highly appresiable
Thanks

Atul Kumar says March 8, 2010

@ balasaheb,
email center is by default part of R12 (or 11i with some additional configuration). Do let me know what do you mean by setup ?

Are you hitting any issue ?

Srini says April 3, 2010

Hi Atul,
Thanks for the article. It has very good information.

As per my business requirement, I need to extract attachments stored in the system.
om_data is storing attachment files in raw/binary format.I see some difficulties in extracting raw/binary data from om_data as I am not sure of the encoding technique used there.
As you know
iem_msg_parts contains live email messages that are actively worked by Email Center Agents. I think attachment data is coming from om_data table to iem_msg_parts table when an agent click any action.

Can you please share what is the mechanism of getting data from om_data table to iem_msg_parts table ?

JimboC1963 says May 12, 2011

Greetings.

We are currently using Oracle eMail Center as part of 11i. We will soon be upgrading from 11i to 12. Do you know of anyone who has migrated 11i to 12i OEC, we are trying to find a way to clone/copy the existing Oracel eMail Server to another box thus keeping all of the historical emails intact and used for testing, currently Oracle does not have a way to perform this task, you can clone an OES from one server to another, however historical emails do not show up.

Any information from anyone would be appreciated.

Jim

bab says April 10, 2012

Hi Atul,

We are using Apps 12 and have a requirement to produce answers/reports on email center for e.g. number of inbound or outbound emails etc..

Trying to find out whether there is an out off box solution available or not. But there is a node for Email Center in the Presentation layer.

Thanks.

Sundaram says January 22, 2013

Am setting up the email center in R12.1.3. Facing a issue here .Unable to view the emails received in the Oracle email center page i.e Inbox.
The SR are not getting created automatically.
If you can mail me on the mentioned id.It should be gr8.

Regards,
Sundaram

syed says September 26, 2013

Is oracle email center or oracle email server is available for Solaris x68-64 bit platform and from where I can download. I cannot find the above product on oracle site?

Atul Kumar says September 26, 2013

@ Syed,
Raise an Service Request, quick way to find out if this is available to download .

Some Email Center Agents Not Available for Email Account Assignment says January 29, 2014

I have imported five employees as resources along with me.
But when I try to assign agent to email account through email center supervisor responsibility , I can only see my self in list whereas I should see 4 other agents in list as well.

regards

Add Your Reply