Attach-A VCSAIS_Retail_System_Summary 4-4-2025.pdf

Veterans Canteen Service Automated Information Systems (VCS-AIS) Retail System Summary

Retail Modules:

Table 1: Retail Modules

Name System (S) Module (M)

Acronym/ Reference Name

Description

Oracle Retail System S Retail Oracle Retail is a suite of on-prem applications that enables the VCS Customer manage their operations, improve customer experience, and increase revenue.

Retail Merchandising M RMS Oracle Retail Merchandising System is a retail solution that allows the user to perform day-to-day merchandising activities such as order fulfillment, purchasing, and distribution.

Retail Extract Transform and Load

M RETL Oracle Retail Extract, Transform and Load (RETL) is a parallel processing data movement technology that addresses primary needs such as database independent applications, platform independent applications, application development, and data processing.

Retail Integration Bus M RIB Oracle Retail Integration Bus Hospital Administration is a software that aids Retail Integration Bus (RIB) hospital error tables by managing RIB messages. This software can stop a RIB message from being retried, retry a RIB message even when the maximum amount of system-set retries have been done, and delete a RIB message from the hospital error tables. Also, Oracle Retail Integration Bus Hospital Administration can be used to create, update, and search for hospital records.

Module (M)

Acronym/ Reference Name

Description

Retail Price Management M RPM Oracle Retail Price Management is designed for retailers who require complete visibility and control to streamline pricing decisions across all selling channels throughout the item lifecycle. Oracle’s solution provides retailers with a rules-based pricing strategy and execution engine to ensure that target margin or a competitive position is achieved in line with corporate objectives. With Oracle Retail Price Management, retailers can manage the entire pricing process with a more predictable and profitable outcome.

Invoice Matching M ReIM Oracle Retail Invoice Matching allows users to manage the reconciliation, payment and matching of supplier invoices in a single, automated solution. Users are also enabled to resolve identified exceptions using workflows that are aligned with business policies.

Sales Audit M ReSA Process and validate all sales transactions from all channels and ensure clean and consistent sales information while managing discrepancies by exception.

Store Inventory Management M SIM Oracle Retail Store Inventory Management is management software that allows the user to view real-time store-stock data and manage inventory levels.

Retail Data Warehouse M RDW Oracle Retail Data Warehouse (RDW) is a decision support solution designed specifically for retail. This technology enables companies to transform the economics of their business by aggregating large amounts of data into a single location which enables companies to make more informed decisions.

Module (M)

Acronym/ Reference Name

Description

VCS Custom Applications built on Oracle Application Express

(RUAM; EDI_PP)

M VCS Custom Apps -

APEX

RUAM – See Retail User Account Management section.

EDI_PP - The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Pre- Processor Application is used to research Invoices and identify issues with Invoices. The application will load and validate all Invoices and if Invoices are rejected, the Invoices are corrected by the Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) Users within the EDI Pre-Processor Application. When the invoice issues have been resolved, Invoices are staged for EDI batch processing and sent to the Oracle Retail Invoice Matching (ReIM) Application.

Reporting Modules:

Table 2: Reporting Modules Name Acronym/

Reference Name Description

Oracle Analytics Server OAS Formerly known as Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE), Oracle Analytics Server is an unmatched and comprehensive business intelligence and analytics platform that delivers a full range of capabilities—including interactive dashboards, ad hoc queries, data visualizations, augmented analytics, mobile analytics, notifications and alerts, enterprise and financial reporting, scorecard and strategy management, business process invocation, unstructured search and collaboration, integrated systems management, and more. Oracle Analytics Server is built on a proven and modern technological foundation that supports the highest workloads and most complex deployments, while providing timely insights to users across an enterprise at a low overall total cost of ownership.

Retail User Account Management:

Table 3: User Account Management Name Acronym Description Interfaces with Dependent

Software Retail User Account Management

RUAM The Retail User Application Management (RUAM) application is a custom developed application built on Oracle Application Express (APEX) low-code development platform. The (RUAM) application allows the VCS Help Desk to provide User Management functions for Oracle Retail applications, OAS applications and all VCS custom built applications. The (RUAM) application allows VCS Help Desk administrators the ability to create new users and edit existing users and roles. The (RUAM) application utilizes an Operational Data Store (ODS) and leverages LDAP for SSOi and PIV authentication. The (RUAM) application is incorporated within the VCS-AIS ATO Security Boundary based in Austin AITC.

Manages access to RMS, RPM, REIM, RPM, SIM, ORACLE

ANALYTICS, BI

PUBLISHER,

SQL_DEVELOPER

WEB, and APEX Custom Applications

APEX

Retail Interfaces:

Table 4: Interfaces

Internal Interfaces Description

RMS to Finance:

ReIM to AP Transfers ReIM matched Invoices to Oracle Financials - Payables for payment.

ReIM to GL Transfers Receipt Writeoffs and Prepaid Invoice matching journal to Oracle Financials - General Ledger.

Stock Ledger to GL Transfers Stock Ledger transactions into Oracle Financials - General Ledger.

ReSA to GL Transfers ReSA sales journals into Oracle Financials - General Ledge.

PCMS to Finance GL Transfers PCMS Back office journals into Oracle Financials - General Ledge.

Finance to RMS:

Suppliers to RMS Suppliers are created and maintained in Oracle Financials - Payables. New suppliers and supplier updates are transferred to Oracle Retail where they are used for Orders, Receipts, and Invoices.

Pay Terms to RMS Vendor Payment Terms are created in the Oracle Financials Payables (AP) application.

These terms are applied to invoices to determine the due date, and calculate discounts takes or interest paid when applicable based on the actual pay date.

Oracle Retail uses the same Payment Terms on vendors, orders, and invoices. As Payment Terms are created or updated in AP, the changes need to take place in the RMS system as well.

This process will be automated as part of the ebs to rms batch jobs. The job will run hourly, checking the last update on the AP record. Newly updated terms will be created or updated in Oracle Retail.

RMS Year-End Inventory:

Annual Stock Counts Processing

Enhances the base functionality of RMS/SIM by adding custom processing around the year-end counts which includes a series of automated steps outlined below.

Uploading WIS Counts Custom Processing of WIS Counts received to automatically load them into SIM/RMS.

Variance Generation Once the Inventory Counts of all the Retail items are loaded into the system, VCS Users are provided with the ability to run Variance Reports. This is a custom process that has been developed to compare the perpetual inventory values against the counts that were received.

Preliminary Shrinkage Calculations

A custom process has been developed to take into consideration the budgeted shrinkage and generates preliminary shrinkage values at both the location and the location/department levels.

Inventory Counts Consolidation/Comparison

A custom process to consolidate/compare inventory from the previous fiscal year close to the current count date.

Retail Ending Inventory Accountability

A custom process that generates monthly Retail Ending Inventory Consolidation Report which includes the comparison of year over year performance of sales.

Systematic Auto Transfers A custom nightly batch process has been developed to automatically transfer any Retail items that are sold in Food or Coffee locations. This helps in accurately projecting the Retail sales/accountability.

EDI Order Exception Reporting

This custom audit trail report of procurement/invoicing was developed to save the VCS Field Team significant time in researching possible inventory receiving issues, thus improving their operational efficiency.

Transaction Data History Department & Item Level Reports

This set of custom transaction data history reports provides the VCS Users the ability to obtain transaction history from the last inventory count to the current date at multiple levels. These enhancements collectively contribute to a more robust and efficient operational framework for VCS allowing them to make quick inventory decisions.

External Interfaces Description

RMS to POS The Oracle RMS (Retail Management System) is VCS’s master data repository. RMS is providing core foundation data to be loaded into the POS.

Outbound interfaces: SUPPLIERS/SUPPLIER PRICES/MERCHANDISE_HIEARCHY/ORGANIZATION_HIEARCHY/PRICE_BANDS/Sellable Items/Sellable Pricing/SELLING_CODE/US FOOD SUPPLIERS/Non-Sellable Items/FOOD

ITEM TRANSFER/RETAIL ITEM TRANSFER/REGULAR PRICE CHANGE/PROMOTIONS

Inbound Interfaces:

CASH OFFICE DEPOSIT/CASHIER INTERFACE/CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS

Special Order VCS allows customers to call in and order certain products that are not maintained in the stores or on their websites. These orders are created in RMS and sent out via EDI through SPS and are drop shipped directly to the customer who made the order.

These orders are always written for location 990101 and the comments fields is used to identify the Customer ship to location.

External Interfaces Description

VCS Scanner VCS has purchased new scanners that provide offline capabilities that we provide support in its implementation. The interfaces that support the scanner offline interfaces are:

1. The scanner provides offline capability that allows the user to create a pick list based on scanned or manually entered barcodes. These data files are uploaded to the Avalanche server and processed every 5 minutes by Oracle Retail. Every 5 minutes BI publisher looks for these requests and generates Pick List PDF files to e-mail to the Canteens that requested it.

2. The scanner provides offline capability that allows the user to create a Purchase Cards Labels based on scanned or manually entered barcodes.These data files are uploaded to the Avalanche server and processed every 5 minutes by Oracle Retail.

Every 5 minutes BI publisher looks for these requests and generates Purchase Card PDF files to e-mail to the Canteens that requested it.

3. Once a day Oracle Retail will create a data file that supplies Barcode data to the Scanner to be used in the offline application.

SPS Commerce

Inventory Files Stock count file used for mid-year and year-end inventory processing via SPS platform.

Electronic Data Interchange Files

VCS has business requirements to transfer electronic retail information to/from their suppliers. EDI replaces order processes, transactions and communications that were done with paper or fax in the past. It’s an important component for automation in business processes. To accomplish this automation VCS has partnered with SPS Commerce. Below is the list of EDI files that VCS utilizes the SPS platform to implement their EDI requirements:

EDI 810 - EDI Supplier Invoices EDI 850/860 - EDI Supplier Purchase Orders EDI 855 - Supplier Order Changes and Acknowledgement EDI 856 - EDI Advance Shipment Notices EDI_832 - EDI Supplier Cost Changes EDI_816 - EDI Store Location to Vendors

Retail Scripts and Reports:

Table 5: Mainframe CA-7 Scheduler Scripts

Automated Script Type

PROD

HOURLY

PROD

NIGHTLY

PROD

WEEKLY

PROD

MONTHLY

NON-

PROD

HOURLY

NON-PROD

NIGHTLY

NON-

PROD

WEEKLY

NON-

PROD

MONTHLY

TOTAL

Mainframe CA-7 Job Scheduler Scripts

Table 6: Additional Scripts

Automated Script Type

TOTAL

ETL Scripts (Korn Shell Scripts) 104

Automated/Scripted File Transfers (Cron Scripts)

Table 7: Custom Reports

Automated Script Type

TOTAL

Custom Reports (OAS) 67

Platform/Server Types/Environments:

Table 7: Servers and Environments

OS OS Version ENVN/QTY ENVN/QTY ENVN/QTY ENVN/QTY ENVN/QTY

Windows Win2019 DEV (1) STAGE (0) PREPROD

(0) PROD (303) PROD-DR

(3)

Linux RHEL 8.x DEV (2) STAGE (2) PREPROD

(2) PROD (2) PROD-DR

(2)

Solaris Solaris 10_u10 DEV (2) STAGE (3) PREPROD

(3) PROD (3) PROD-DR

(3)

NOTE: There are 300 Citrix VM servers for Oracle Retail Front End Application access