Subscribe to HCM Updates ( via ATOM Feed ) | Oracle Integration Cloud

In this Article I have tried to explain HCM Atom Feeds and also have develop one end to end Integration to let you know how you can subscribe to changes made to feed-enabled resources in Oracle HCM Cloud through OIC Integration.

What are Atom Feeds ?

• HCM Atom Feeds offer a real time mechanism to subscribe to changes in the application
• Atom feeds enable you to track changes made to feed-enabled resources in Oracle Global Human Resources Cloud
• For any updates of interest to downstream applications such as new hires, terminations, employee transfers, and promotions, Oracle Global Human Resources Cloud publishes Atom feeds.
• Oracle Global Human Resources Cloud currently supports creation of Atom feeds for the employees and work structures resources in the following scenarios:

1. When an employee is hired, updated, or terminated
2. When an assignment is created, updated, or end dated
3. When any of the following work structures is created, updated, or end dated.

• Grades
• Jobs
• Locations
• Organizations
• Positions

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Use Case : Lets develop one Scheduled Integration which can get the Employee update details ( for ex   : if employee email got updated ) via ATOM Feed and can write the Employee Update details  as a file in the FTP Server.

Prerequisite : Make sure that you have the below connections available in your OIC Instance. We need both connections while developing the Integration.

• HCM Adapter Connection (can access this link to see the configuration steps)
• FTP Adapter Connection (can access this link to see the configuration steps)

NOTE :  !

HCM Atom Feeds : Can use this feature only as an Schedule Integration (invoke),not as an App Driven Integration (Trigger).

Step 1: Create one Schedule Integration.

                                       

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Step 2 : Search for the HCM connection and select it. Endpoint configuration window will get open.

• Enter any meaningful name for the endpoint and click Next.

• Select Subscribe to Updates (via ATOM feed ). Click Next

• Select 'Employee Update' Atom feed and leave max entries to process as 10 and then click Next.

Knowledge :  👀 

Max Entries to process List?:  This sets the value of the page-size query parameter that is sent as part of the request to the Atom server to get the feed. The Atom feed size is limited by this number. The recommendation is to use a small number for this option and have the integration execute more frequently.

Knowledge :  👀 

What does "Process Future Dated Entries Immediately" means?:   This option allows users to process future-dated entries from HCM Cloud immediately, instead of processing them only when they become effective. Integration Flow that is subscribing to a feed with this option selected will receive the future dated entries along with currently effective entries. The integration flow is responsible for handling yet to be effective future dated entries. Leave this option unchecked if you want the future dated entries to be processed when they become effective.

• HCM endpoint configuration is completed. Click Done.

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Step 3 :  Now to read the Response of the  'Employee Update' Atom Feed we need to configure two For Each action.

• Search for the For Each action and select it.

• Enter the below details :

• Name : enter any meaningful name 
• Repeating Elements : drag and drop repeating parent element from the Employee Update Response (take reference from below image)
• Current Element Name : enter any meaningful name and then click Create

Step 4 : Now we need to add one child For Each inside the above configured For Each action. So that we can iterate over the Current Element Name (configured in above for each action) 

• Search for the For Each action and add it inside above configured For Each action

• Just like above For Each action, configured the below details. 

• Name : enter any meaningful name 
• Repeating Elements : drag and drop the Current Element Name which we have configured in above For Each Action (take reference from below image)
• Current Element Name : enter any meaningful name and then click Create

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Step 5 :  Lets configure FTP to write the Update Employee Atom Feed response in the FTP directory.

Knowledge :  👀 

FTP Adapter ?:  Using the FTP Adapter, Oracle Integration Cloud Service can retrieve files for processing in Oracle Integration Cloud Service and upload files and messages from Oracle Integration Cloud Service to a directory on a remote FTP server.

• Search for the FTP connection and select it.

• Enter any meaningful name for the endpoint and click Next

• Configure the below operations :

• *Select Operation : Write File
• *Select a Transfer mode : Binary
• *Output Directory : here you need to provide the FTP directory path where you want to write the file
• *File Name Pattern : here you need to provide the name with which file will get generated in FTP (ex : EmployeeUpdate%SEQ%.csv) and then click Next

• Select Sample Delimited document (e.g. csv) to define the content of the file and click Next

• Now in this configuration wizard window we need to provide the details to create the Schema from a sample CSV file. Copy the below line and save it as .csv file in your computer (ex: UpdateEmployee.csv)

PersonId,PersonNumber,Attribute,New,Old 

• Lets Configure schema using the above saved .csv file. Browse the file and enter the other details as shown in below image  and then click Next

• Configuration of FTP is done. Click Done.

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Step 6 : Now we need to create one Schedule Parameter, which will actually be the Input Parameter of the Invoke HCM ATOM FEED. This Parameter will store the Timestamp value. This value will get updated after every run of the Integration. This enables new updates to be processed every time and prevents the same update from being processed multiple times.

• Click on Edit icon 🖉of the Scheduler

• Declare one variable and pass sample timestamp  value (take reference from below image).

• In the request mapper between the schedule and the Oracle HCM Cloud Adapter, map the above scheduled parameter (timestamp value)  to Updated-min. Click Validate and Close the mapper.

NOTE :  !

The Oracle HCM Cloud Adapter sends the updated-min query parameter to the Atom server when requesting a feed. The Atom server returns a feed with updated entries occurring after newer updates to the timestamp value. This enables new updates to be processed every time and prevents the same update from being processed multiple times.

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Step 7 : Now we need to complete the Mapping of the FTP. Open the FTP mapper and complete the mapping as shown in below image and then click validate and close the mapper

Step 8 :Add one Assign activity to update the Scheduled Parameter Variable value (timestamp value)

• Enter any meaningful name and click create.

• Select the scheduled parameters variable from the drop down list and then click on edit icon 🖉

• Drag and drop updated timestamp element from then employee update response (as shown in below image). Click validate and close.

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Step 9 :  Enable the Tracking Variable for the Integration (as shown in below image)

• Integration development completed. Click Save and Close the window.

TESTING :

• Activate and Submit the Integration. You can enter New Value ( timestamp ) for the schedule parameter or just submit the flow with the default value that is already present.

• Open your respective Output FTP directory which you have passed above in Step 5.  You can see the file got generated in the Directory with the details of the changed Attributes of the employees.

• Open any file, you can see the Details (like Employee Id, Employee Number, Attributes Name for which value get updated and its new value and old value as well )

TADA !👋