GNM_RCS_Book_Extracts_TS

• 1. Introduction

     1. Purpose

The document GNM_RCS_Commissions_FS.docx is the functional specification that describes what business functions RCS supports in relation to Commissioning content from contributors.

This document is one of a set of technical specifications that provide details of how those functions are implemented in RCS.

• 1. Scope

This document focusses on the process of commissioning book extracts, which are handled differently all from other commissions.

This document is intended as a high-level technical document outlining how the relevant business functions are implemented in terms of software modules.

Importantly, this document does not aim to provide the level of detail that would be required in a programming specification in areas such as program structure, detailed business rules, data integrity, validation, locking considerations, data security, and calls to/from other software modules, performance considerations, and so forth.

For details of program logic and coding, the reader should refer to the program files themselves.

• 1. Commissioning a new book extract

Book extracts are recorded in RCS as commissions, and additional details are Due to the additional complexity, and the differing relationship, RCS issues a term sheet for signature instead of a letter.

• 1. Create a commission

The standard commissioning process is followed using the standard commission screen, below:

Additional book extract details can be entered by pressing the “Buy-in…” button, at the top–middle:

Once these details have been entered the user can press the “Term sheet…” button to see what the term sheet that will be issued will look like. Once it has been proof read the contributor can tick the “Issue paperwork?” checkbox so that the system can email the term sheet to the contributor for signature.

The names of the contributors e.g. authors of the book, can be listed in the Creative contributor tab of the same window, as shown below:

• 1. Forthcoming book extracts

Book extracts are processed within the Right Department by the Rights Manager. These deals have to be agreed well in advance of the planned publication date and so there are often many pending. To enable the Rights Manager to manage Book extracts separately from other commissions a Forthcoming book extracts screen is available:

Rights → Forthcoming book extracts

This opens an Oracle Form named rcs_comm_060_pc.fmb, but in a mode that is specific to Book extracts.

This screen is deliberately very similar to all other commission processing screens, with much of the data layout inherited from the other screens.

The usual commission payment processing applies to Book extracts.

The user can manage the contract / term sheet workflow by querying those Book extracts that have not been issued, not returned, not published, those that have been cancelled, or they can query them all. These queries are available by selecting the relevant option in the radio group at the top of the screen.

NB This screen is run in 3 modes in RCS i.e. the physical form rcs_comm_060_pc.fmb can be thought of as 3 logical forms, namely (1) Unreturned single assignments, (2) Commission tracking, and (3) Forthcoming book extracts. It has been designed to inherit as much as possible from other *comm* forms to reduce the amount of code that needs to be maintained, and to maintain a consistent look and feel.

• 1. Book extract contracts

Term sheets are issued for Book extracts instead of the standard commission letter.

The following criteria must be met for a Book extract term sheet to be issued:

• • The Issue paperwork? checkbox is checked;

  • The commission is not cancelled;

  • The right are approved; and

  • If commission payments exist they are (all) approved, or the commission may be designated No fee.

• 1. Contract production

Book extracts term sheets are issued using “Event driven publishing”, as described in the core technical documentation. This process involves a database job executing a database packaged procedure that loops through all Book extract contracts ready to send. For each Book extract in the loop the process invokes the Report Server in batch which generates a PDF contract to be emailed to the contributor or their agent.

Where the designated recipient of the contract does not have an email the Rights Manager can print and post the contract.

• 1. Contract storage

The issued term sheets are stored in the database against the commission record, at the time they are produced by the system. This document storage technique is described in the core technical documentation, and so not repeated here.

Contracts printed manually by the Rights Manager and posted can be loaded into the database using utilities available in the commission screens. These utilities are part of Oracle’s Webutil add-on, and documented separately in the core technical documentation.

The contributor is asked to print, sign and return their contract, and once signed by both parties the signed copy will be scanned and then saved against the commission record by the Rights Manager.

• 1. Contract content

The contract (or term sheet) that gets issued is defined in the CONTRACT_TYPES and CONTRACT_TYPE_CLAUSES tables, where the contract type is named “Book Extracts & Serialisations”. Data specific to the commission being processed is merged into the clauses.

End of Document