

Creating Questions

The question is the basic element of a SmartScript, and is thus created first when you build a new SmartScript. You create questions in the Questions Administration view. Questions are stored separately from the script itself, and can be used more than once in a script as well as in multiple scripts.

Questions can serve various functions in your SmartScripts, such as:

  • Eliciting information. Questions can be asked by a call center agent to elicit sales or service information from a customer. Over the Web, questions can be presented to a customer as a a survey or a series of questions to isolate a problem. The answers given may then be stored for later use.
  • Providing information. A question can provide text to be read by an agent to a customer, or read directly by a customer on a Web site. Examples of this type of question are policy statements, legal disclaimers, and product descriptions. These types of questions do not have answers.
  • Guiding a process or question flow. A single question can determine which path the script will follow. On the Web, a customer's answer to a single question dictates the use of one form or another, or one part of a form rather than another. The answer to a call center agent's question can lead that agent to a different series of questions.

Many of the fields in the Questions Administration form are related to storage of answer data (also known as question control data). The Answer Type and Must Answer fields are obvious examples. The fields labeled Save Business Object, Save Bus Camp, and Save Field all serve to define the location for answer data given in response to the question. The fields labeled Width, Height, Minimum and Maximum all refer to the user interface space provided for answers.

To create a question

  1. Navigate to Site Map > SmartScript Administration > Questions.
  2. Click New, and in the More Info form, enter the question's attributes.

    Table 5 details attributes a question can have.

    Table 5. Questions Form Field Descriptions
    Question Setting


    The question's name is a label that identifies the subject of the question. When you build a page, you select each question by name.

    Answer Type

    Data type for the answer to this question.

    n String - Alphanumeric characters
    n Integer - Whole number only
    n Number - Numerals only
    n Currency - Numerals only; uses currency code and exchange date for currency conversion
    n Boolean - Yes or No answer; usually displayed as a check box
    n Date - Date only
    n Date & Time - Date and time
    n Time - Time only

    Answer Control

    The type of answer control you would like to use.

    n Check box - single-select (Boolean) and multiselect check boxes
    n Default- Siebel 2000 and Siebel 7 logic for displaying answer controls
    n Dropdown- displays list of answer selections
    n None- no answer control; question text only
    n Radio Button- single select list of items displayed as radio buttons

    Pick Only

    Indicates that the answer must be chosen from the list of answers attached to the question.

    Minimum and Maximum values

    Used with Date, Integer, Number, Date & Time, and Time answer types to constrain the values that can be entered.

    These fields can also be used with String answer types to indicate the minimum and maximum number of characters (bytes) allowed in the string.

    Note that in Asian (double-byte) languages, each character requires two bytes. Therefore, the minimum or maximum string length the user is allowed to enter in an Asian language will actually be half the number entered in these fields.

    Auto Substitute Parameters

    Specifies a list of parameters that can be used to automatically substitute values into the question text. In the question text, if brackets appear around a word, the word is interpreted as a substitution parameter. This parameter could be a user parameter set up in the SmartScript, a business component field, or a parameter pulled from an application, such as a CTI parameter. Any question text in brackets that is listed in the auto substitute parameters field will be converted into the current value for that parameter.

    Note: The [BC.Field Name] only works if the SmartScript is positioned on the relevant Business Component. If the user has positioned on a business component by scripting behind the SmartScript, nothing will be retrieved.


    [User.Last Name], [User.First Name], [Contact.Phone Number]

    Must Answer

    Indicates whether this question is optional, always required, or required only if it is reached.

    Required only if reached means that if a user goes down a branch in the SmartScript where a question is displayed, the question must be answered before the user can proceed in the script.

    Always required is the strictest answer setting as the user cannot finish the script unless these designated questions are answered.

    Default Answer

    The default answer displayed for the question. This is one of the answers defined for the question. If the answer is to be selected from a pick applet, then the default answer will not be shown.


    The width, in pixels, of the text box provided for answers.


    The height, in pixels, of the text box provided for answers.

    Search Spec

    Applies the entered search specification to make a specific record active in a business component. Search Spec can be used for many purposes. For example, a search spec can be used along with user parameters to search, for instance, in a particular BC for a record with some field value equal to an answer in a previous question (assuming the answer to the previous question had been saved to a user parameter). A search spec can also be used in conjunction with Auto Substitute Parameters to insert field values into the text of a SmartScript question. Search Spec syntaxes are the same as those used in Siebel Tools. For more information on setting up Search specifications see Siebel Search Administration Guide. For more information on Siebel Tools, see Siebel Tools Reference.

    Save Business Object

    The business object in which the answer to the question will be stored.

    Save Bus Comp

    The business component in which the answer to the question will be stored.

    Note that to save a question's answer to a business component field, the business object and the business component and the field name must be specified for the question. See Displaying Answers Within a SmartScript for details.

    Save Field

    The field in the business object or business component table that is to contain the answer data, or that will be used to identify the specific record that will contain the answer data.

    Note that special steps may be required to set up a save field. See Displaying Answers Within a SmartScript for details.

    Save User Parameters

    Specifies a field in a BC as a user parameter. The record that is set as active in that BC supplies the value. (Note that a Search Spec can set the record as active.) The result is that the field value from the active record is saved to the parameter.

    One common usage is to insert the answer to one question into the text of a subsequent question. An answer can be comprised of a field value or values picked from a business component. The field variable can then be inserted into the text of another question using the Auto Substitute Parameters field. The result is that the variable value is inserted into the question text.

    If any user property variables are entered in the Save User Parameter field, then the answer values or any field from any BC record or both can be saved to this variable. For example, you can select a particular record in the question (such as a contact) and then save that record's ZIP Code to the user parameter, even though the selected answer was the last name, not the ZIP Code.

    If the answer includes multiple values from a picklist, then each of the fields accepted from the selected record in the picklist can be saved to multiple user parameters by separating the properties by commas.

    Syntax: If you want to save the answer to a question to a user parameter, enter the name of the user parameter. It is also possible to save the value of a field in the current record, such as (User Parameter Name, [BC.FieldName].

    To save multiple fields, separate the user variables with a comma. For example, enter (User Parameter Name,[BC.field name]), (User Parameter Name2,[BC.field name]), (User Parameter Name3,[BC.field name])

    Save Currency Field

    The field in the business object or business component table that will contain the currency setting.

    Pick Applet

    Indicates the pick applet that the end user will use to select and save business component record data as the answer data. When the end user clicks a select button, the pick applet opens as a dialog box, or as a drop-down combo-box. The end user can save a row of data to the specified business component. The Save Field in the business component must have a mapping to the picklist.

    For more information, see Displaying Answers Within a SmartScript.

    Mvg Applet

    Indicates the multi-value group (MVG) applet to be used to save answer data to the specified business component when that data includes multi-value fields. The MVG applet must be mapped to the specified Save Field. For example, to save Project Team data, you might select the Project Team list applet. For more information, see Displaying Answers Within a SmartScript.

    Detail Applet

    Indicates the Detail applet that will be used to save answer data of a specific configuration and format to the specified business component. The Detail applet must be mapped to the specified Save Field. For more information, see Displaying Answers Within a SmartScript.

    Save Answer Table

    Indicates whether the answer is to be saved to the generic answer table.


    The currency code used to identify the saved currency data, if such data is saved.

    Replication Level

    Indicates different levels of replication for Siebel Remote: All, Regional, and None. The default state is All.

Siebel SmartScript Administration Guide