iStore R12 – Direct Punchout Catalog

Another cool feature, in an already long list of New features of iStore R12. This feature is useful for companies who have implemented iProcurement.

A buyer who logs into the iProcurement application and can start a new purchase requisition. The iProcurement system may or may not provide its own catalog, but will have links to one or more supplier catalogs. If the buyer selects an Oracle iStore catalog link, the iProcurement application sends the login request document to Oracle iStore. Oracle iStore validates the user credentials and sends a login response document to iProcurement. If the login was successful, the system redirects the buyer to the Oracle iStore catalog URL available in the login response document. If the buyer has access to only one site, he will be redirected to that site’s catalog (this is standard, non-punchout behavior in Oracle iStore).

The buyer, can then, browses and/or searches the catalog and selects items to purchase. These items are temporarily stored in an Oracle iStore shopping cart. When the buyer is finished shopping, he selects the Checkout button. The items in the shopping cart are carried to the procurement application in real-time, and those items appear in the shopping cart in the iProcurement. The shopping cart’s quote status is updated to Store PunchedOut. The buyer checks out with his shopping cart in the procurement application to complete the purchase requisition created in the beginning.

The advantage, that I can see, from this feature – iProcurement does not need to maintain a separate catalog and the buyers have direct access to all the items available. However the disadvantage is the cost to implement both the modules – iProcurement and iStore, as well as making sure that all the items sold by the organization is available online. Normally, in the case of Purchase requisitions, the inventory could be stocked and fulfilled for the PO, even if they are not Web published or available to be ordered online.