INTRODUCTION

The Real-Time Availability Monitor (RTAM) is a key feature of IBM Sterling Order Management System (OMS) that enables near-instant detection of inventory shortages and out-of-stock conditions. When properly configured, the RTAM Agent continuously monitors inventory levels across distribution nodes, generates availability change events, and records alert data in the YFS_INVENTORY_ALERT table.

Despite its importance in order promising and customer service workflows, the official IBM documentation for configuring this agent is spread across multiple sections. This often makes it challenging for developers to understand the complete setup. This guide brings together all the required configuration steps into a single, structured walkthrough, covering distribution groups, inventory monitoring rules, agent scheduling, and JMS configuration.

PREREQUISITES

Before you begin, ensure the following are in place:

  - You have a configured Enterprise node in IBM Sterling OMS.
  - You have access to the Application Manager and Business Center.
  - At least one fulfilment/distribution node exists under your enterprise.
  - The items you want to monitor are already defined in the item catalog.
  - An Agent Server is available and can be targeted during Process Modeler
    configuration.
  - JMS infrastructure (queue/topic) is provisioned for agent communication.

STEP 1: Create a Distribution Group

A Distribution Group (DG) is a logical grouping of fulfilment nodes that the
inventory monitor will track. The RTAM Agent uses the DG to determine which nodes
to evaluate for availability changes. Create one specific to your enterprise
before configuring any monitoring rules.

Navigation:

  DOM (your enterprise) > Cross Application > Order Promising >
  Sourcing and Scheduling > Product Being Shipped > Distribution Group

Instructions:

  1. Navigate to the path above in Application Manager.

  2. Click "Add" to open the new Distribution Group creation form.

  3. Enter a meaningful Name and Description for the distribution group
     (e.g., DG_RTAM_MONITOR).

  4. Click "Save". This enables the node addition panel at the bottom of the
     page. Add your fulfilment/distribution nodes, assigning each a Priority
     value.

     NOTE: Priority values do not need to be unique across nodes. They are used
     to determine the order of sourcing preference and do not affect RTAM
     monitoring behaviour.

  5. Click "Save" to persist the distribution group with its associated nodes.

STEP 2: Create an Inventory Monitoring Rule

The Inventory Monitoring Rule tells the system which distribution group to watch
and defines the thresholds high, medium, and low that determine when an
availability alert is raised. You will also create an ATP Monitor Rule here,
which is attached to individual items in Step 3.

Navigation:

GIV (your enterprise) > Inventory Rules > Monitor Rules

Instructions:

  1. Navigate to the path above in Application Manager.

  2. Check the checkbox labelled "Use activity-based mode for real-time
     availability monitor".

  3. In the Distribution Group field, select the DG you created in Step 1.
     This enables node-level inventory monitoring for that group.

  4. Set  "Availability Monitor/Inventory Monitor Relog Inventory"
     fields to 0.01.

     NOTE: Setting the relog threshold to 0.01 ensures that even a minimal quantity
     changes trigger a relog event, giving the RTAM Agent the most granular view
     of inventory movement without missing small adjustments.

  5. Click "Save" to save the monitor rule.

  6. Scroll to the bottom of the same page and click the "+" button to create a
     new ATP Monitor Rule.

  7. In the creation dialog, provide an ATP Rule Name and Description, then
     select "Event-Based ATP Monitor Rule" as the rule type.

  8. Set the availability thresholds as required for your business context.
     Example values:
       - High threshold : 100 units
       - Mid threshold  :  10 units
       - Low threshold  :   5 units

  9. Click "Save" to save the ATP Monitor Rule.

STEP 3: Assign the Monitor Rule to Items

The ATP Monitor Rule must be explicitly associated with every item you want the
RTAM Agent to track. This is done through the Business Center. Repeat this
configuration for each applicable item in your catalog.

Navigation:

Business Center > Products > [Your Item] > Fulfillment Information

Instructions:

  1. In the Business Center, navigate to the Products section and locate the
     item you wish to monitor.

  2. Open the item detail page and click "Manage Inventory Information", located
     under the Fulfillment Information section.

  3. Under the Promising section, select your ATP Rule from the dropdown.

  4. In the "ATP Monitor Rule" field, select the ATP Monitor Rule created in
     Step 2.

  5. In the "Node Level ATP Monitor Rule" field, also select the same ATP Monitor
     Rule.

     IMPORTANT: Both the "ATP Monitor Rule" and the "Node Level ATP Monitor Rule"
     fields must be populated with your newly created rule. The node-level rule is
     what enables per-node inventory alerting within the distribution group.

  6. Click "Save" to save the item changes. Repeat this process for all items
     that require out-of-stock monitoring.

STEP 4: Configure the RTAM Agent in Process Modeler

This is the core agent configuration step. You will activate the
REALTIME_AVAILABILITY_CHANGE event, wire up a Publish Data action to route alerts
to the Sterling Alert Console, and schedule the three RTAM time-triggered
operations against your agent server.

Navigation:

  Application Platform > Process Modeling > General (top tab) >
  General Process Type > Real Time Availability Monitor

Instructions:

  1. Navigate to the path above in Application Manager.

  2. Click the Events tab. Right-click "REALTIME_AVAILABILITY_CHANGE", check the
     "Is Active?" checkbox in the dialog, and click OK.

  3. Open the Event Handler definition for REALTIME_AVAILABILITY_CHANGE.
     Add a "Publish Data" action by dragging it from:
       Actions > Templates > Publish Data

     a. Double-click the Publish Data action. Navigate to the Others tab, check
        the "Send To Alert Console" checkbox, and set the Destination Name
        to "DEFAULT".

     b. On the same configuration page, locate the System Id section. Remove the
        existing entry labelled "SYSTEM", then add a new System Id with the
        value "RTAM".

  4. Click "Save" to save the transaction.

  5. Still within the same transaction, navigate to the "Time Triggered" tab.

  6. Double-click "REALTIME_ATP_MONITOR_OP1" to open its configuration window.
     Select your Agent Server and configure the JMS Info (connection factory,
     queue/topic) appropriate to your environment.

     a. Check the "Schedule Trigger Message" checkbox and set the interval to
        1 minute.

     b. Navigate to the Criterion tab within the same window. Set the criterion
        "RaiseEventOnAllAvailabilityChanges" to Y.

  7. Repeat the same configuration (agent, JMS, 1-minute schedule, and
     RaiseEventOnAllAvailabilityChanges = Y) for both REALTIME_ATP_MONITOR_OP2
     and REALTIME_ATP_MONITOR_OP3.

     NOTE: All three operations (OP1, OP2, OP3) must have matching agent and JMS
     configurations. Omitting one will result in incomplete inventory evaluation
     across your distribution group nodes.

  8. Start your Agent Server. Once running, the agent will begin evaluating
     inventory levels at the configured 1-minute intervals and writing alert
     records to the YFS_INVENTORY_ALERT database table, which Sterling Call
     Center reads to surface out-of-stock conditions.

VERIFYING THE CONFIGURATION

After starting the agent, use the following checks to confirm the end-to-end flow
is working correctly:

  - Query the YFS_INVENTORY_ALERT table after a known inventory change on one of
    your monitored items. A new row should appear within approximately one minute.

  - In IBM Sterling Call Center, navigate to the out-of-stock or inventory alert
    view and confirm that the alert appears with the correct item, node, and
    threshold level.

  - Review agent log files for REALTIME_ATP_MONITOR_OP1/OP2/OP3 to verify that
    each operation is executing on schedule without errors.

  - If no alerts are being generated, confirm that the item's ATP Monitor Rule is
    saved correctly (Step 3), and verify that RaiseEventOnAllAvailabilityChanges
    is set to Y on all three operations (Step 4).

CONCLUSION

Configuring the RTAM Agent requires careful coordination across four distinct
areas of IBM Sterling OMS: distribution groups, inventory monitoring rules,
item-level ATP assignments, and process model agent configuration. When each
component is set up correctly, the system delivers a reliable, near-real-time view
of inventory availability directly to your Sterling Call Center agents, enabling
them to resolve out-of-stock issues quickly and reduce order fallout.

The three most common sources of misconfiguration are:

  1. Missing the "Node Level ATP Monitor Rule" on the item (Step 3).
  2. Leaving RaiseEventOnAllAvailabilityChanges unset on one of the three OP
     triggers (Step 4).
  3. Leaving the REALTIME_AVAILABILITY_CHANGE event in an inactive state (Step 4).

Double-check these three points if your alerts are not appearing after agent
startup. I hope this guide saves other OMS developers the time and frustration
that comes from piecing together this configuration from scattered documentation.
If you have questions or want to share additional insights, please leave a comment
below.