Domains, Standard Schema and Data Dictionary

OTM organises all of its data using a domain model. Understanding domains, the database schema, and how business objects are identified is foundational for anyone working with OTM data — whether you are building integrations, writing reports, or troubleshooting transactions.

Domains:

What is a domain? A domain is a logical grouping of OTM data for a business unit. A corporation with multiple shipping divisions — say, Merchandise and Food & Beverage — would typically have one domain per division. Users and roles are tied to a domain, so a user in one domain cannot see or modify data in another.
Domain hierarchy: Domains can be nested — a parent domain at the corporate level with child domains under each business unit. Configuration defined at the parent level (e.g. Item Numbers, Agents, Rate Offerings) is shared across all child domains, while each child domain can also maintain its own configuration.
DOMAIN_NAME column: Every table in OTM includes a DOMAIN_NAME column that ties each row to its domain. This is how OTM isolates data between business units within a single database instance.

GID and XID — How OTM Identifies Business Objects:

Domain, Items, Locations, and Equipment

This is the first in a series of eight posts that walk through a complete OTM end-to-end transaction flow — from initial setup through planning, tendering, invoicing, and cost allocation. Each post builds on the previous one. Use this series as a starting point and refer to OTM Help documentation to explore each topic in depth.

Recommendation for new OTM consultants: If you are early in your OTM career, the single most effective way to build confidence is to complete this entire series hands-on in a non-production environment. Step through each post in order, create every object yourself, and verify the results — rather than just reading through them. You will make mistakes, and that is exactly the point: troubleshooting your own configuration teaches you far more than any documentation can.

You do not need to create a new Domain. Skip the Domain creation step and work inside your existing business domain instead. Everything else — Items, Locations, Equipment, Service Providers, Rates, Itineraries, Bulk Plan, Tender, Invoice, and Voucher Allocation — can be built and tested within your current domain without affecting production data.

Business Scenario: