Add a partner

For a description of partners, see Partners.

Select a method for adding a partner

There are several methods for adding a partner. When you launch the Add Partner Wizard, you select one of these methods from the first screen that is displayed:

• Manually create a new partner – If you choose this option, the system prompts you to provide much of the required configuration information. The system adds additional configuration information by default. You can modify this information after you complete the creation steps.
• See Manually create a new partner.
• Import a partner profile from a file – Use this option is to import a partner definition that was previously exported as a partner profile. Use this method to import one partner definition at a time.
• See Import a partner profile from a file.
• Import all partner profiles found in a directory on the server – Use this method to import all partner definition files that reside in a specified directory. You typically use this method to import multiple partner definitions that were exported from an earlier version of the trading engine.
• See Import all partner profiles found in a directory on the server.

Manually create a new partner

Prerequisites

Use the partner data form to collect information about the partner. See Partner data form.

Procedure

1. In the user interface, from the Partners menu select Manage partners.
2. Click Add a partner.
3. Select an Manually create a new partner and click Next.
4. Complete the fields:
   • Partner name – Enter a name to identify this partner in the user interface.
   • Country code – Select the country code that corresponds to the country where the partner is located.
   • Contact name – Enter an administrative contact name for this partner.
   • Phone number – Enter a phone number for the partner contact.
   • Email address – Enter an email address for the partner contact
   • Routing Id – Enter an ID to use as a routing reference in the user interface.
   • ebXML party ID type or cXML domain –
   • For ebXML traders only, enter an ebXML party ID type only if the routing ID you enter is not a URI.
   • For cXML traders only, enter the matching cXML credential domain type.
   • Choose communities for this partner – From the displayed list of available communities, select the communities that you want this partner to be a member of. Partners do not have to be members of any community, but partners must be a community member for trading to occur.
5. Click Next to display the Define partner properties screen.
6. Optionally add partner properties.
7. Click Finish.
8. The new partner is added to the list of available partners on the Partners page.

Import a partner profile from a file

Use this procedure to import an XML file containing a partner profile. If your trading partners use Activator software they can export partner definitions (partner profiles) and provide them to you. Upon receiving a partner profile from a trading partner, make sure the file is accessible on your file system.

Prerequisites

If you are expecting the imported partner profile to include the partner's certificate and public key, check whether a partner's certificate is trusted. Go to the partner summary page and click Certificates in the navigation graphic at the top of the page. Click the certificate name and then click the Trusts tab. Check the details of third-party certificates imported with profiles to make sure trusted roots are present.

Procedure

1. From the Partners menu, select Manage partners.
2. Click Add a partner to open the wizard.
3. Select Import a partner profile from a file and click Next.
4. Next to the File name box, click Browse and locate the .xml partner file.
5. Under Choose the import mode, select how the system should handle the partner if a current partner exists with the same name.
6. Select the appropriate options:
   • Choose communities for this partner – From the displayed list of available communities, select the communities that you want this partner to be a member of. Partners do not have to be members of any community, but partners must be a community member for trading to occur.
7. Click Finish.
8. The partner is imported. The new partner is added to the list of available partners on the Partners page.

Import all partner profiles found in a directory on the server

Use this procedure to import multiple partner profiles only. To import a single profile, see Import a partner profile from a file.

1. From the Partners menu, select Manage partners.
2. Click Add a partner to open the wizard.
3. Select Import all partner profiles found in a directory on the server and click Next.
4. Next to the Directory name box, click Browse to locate the directory where you store one or more partner definition files.
5. Under Choose the import mode, select how the system should handle instances where a partner currently exists with the same name as a partner you are importing.
6. Select the appropriate options:
   • Choose communities for this partner – From the displayed list of available communities, select the communities that you want each imported partner to be a member of. Partners do not have to be members of any community, but partners must be a community member for trading to occur.
7. Click Next to define partner attributes. This option is displayed only if attributes are optional. If there are mandatory attributes, this option does not display and the Finish button is displayed.
8. Click Finish.
9. The partners are imported. The new partners are added to the list of available partners on the Partners page.

After you create a partner

The partner creation wizard enables you to create a partner with basic configuration settings. After you create a partner, you can view, modify and extend the partner configuration. See Modify a partner.

Related topics

• Community trading partners
• Add a partner to a community
• Partner data form
• Modify a partner
• Delete a partner
• Group partners by categories
• Use the partner search tool