Product Administration Guide > Configuration Constraints >

Creating Configuration Constraints

You can create configuration constraints for customizable products or for product classes.

If you create the constraints for product classes, they are inherited by products with attributes that are in this class and by products with components that are in this class.

CAUTION:  The maximum size for a Siebel Configurator constraint is 900 characters. Do not enter a constraint longer than this.

To navigate to the constraints view for products with components

1. Navigate to the Administration - Products screen, then the Product Definitions view.
2. In the Product list, select and lock the desired product.
3. In the Versions list, click the desired version.
4. Click the Constraints view tab.

   The Constraints List appears with all the constraints that have been created for this product.

To navigate to the constraints view for product classes

1. Navigate to the Administration - Products screen, then the Products Classes view.
2. In the Product Classes list, select and lock the desired product class.
3. In the Versions list, click the desired version.
4. Click the Constraints view tab.

   The Constraints List appears with all the constraints that have been created for this product.

To create a configuration constraint

1. Navigate to the Constraints view, as described previously.
2. In the Constraints List, click New Constraint.

   The Pick a Constraint list appears and lists the constraint templates available for creating constraints. The Constraint Statement form displays the syntax of the currently-selected constraint.

3. In the Pick a Constraint list, select the desired constraint template and click Continue.

   The Constraint Statement form and "Insert a" list appear. The Constraint Statement tab contains the constraint template you selected. The "Insert a" tab lists the item groups available for the currently-selected variable in the constraint.

   To return to the display of all the Web templates, click Back. To exit and return to the Constraints List, click Cancel.

4. In the Constraint Statement form, click the first variable you want to work on.

   Variables are enclosed in square brackets. When you click a variable, it turns red to indicate it is selected.

5. In the "Insert a" list, select the item grouping containing the item you want to insert. In the dialog box, choose the desired item.

   When selecting products, click the product's select button. If you click the product name, the dialog box displays product information.

   The variable in the constraint template is replaced by the item.

6. Repeat these steps for each variable until you have built the desired constraint.
7. Click Save Constraint to save the constraint.

   The Save button becomes active when you have selected values for all the variables in the constraint. Clicking the Save button causes the Save Constraint form to appear.

8. Fill out the fields in the Save Constraint form, and then click Save. Some fields are described in the following table.

   Field	Comments
   Name	Enter a name for the constraint. You should use names that help you to locate the constraint using the Find button. For example, consider including the constraint type (excludes, requires and so on) in the constraint name, so you can search the Name field to find groups of constraints having the same constraint type, for example, all the exclude constraints.
   Explanation	Enter an explanation of how the constraint works. You should enter explanations that help you to locate the constraint using the Find button. For example, consider including information that uniquely identifies the constraint, such as item names, so you can search the Name and Explanation fields to find a specific constraint.
   Rule Statement	Displays the constraint statement that you built. To edit the constraint, click Edit.
   Start Date	Optionally, specify a start date on which the constraint becomes effective.
   End Date	Optionally, specify an end date after which a constraint becomes inactive. For more information about Start Date and End Date, see About Start and End Dates for Configuration Constraints.
   Active	Select this checkbox to activate the constraint, so it is used to compute solutions. Use this feature in the current work space to simulate the behavior of constraints that will have a start date, end date, or both when you release the product. You can also use this feature to deactivate a constraint but retain it in a released version of the product. For more information, see Activating and Deactivating Configuration Constraints.

   The constraint displays in the Constraints List.

9. From the Constraints List menu, select Validate.

   This starts a configuration session. Verify that the constraint works correctly.