Siebel Assignment Manager Administration Guide > Basic Configuration for Siebel Assignment Manager > Process of Creating Assignment Criteria for Use in Assignment Rules >

Creating Assignment Criteria

Assignment criteria define an object and are used in assignment criteria records in assignment rules. After you create and recompile an assignment criteria object definition in Siebel Tools, it becomes available for selection from the Criteria list column picklist in assignment criteria records in Siebel Business Applications.

For static assignment, you use the Assignment Criteria object properties to specify the criteria name (internally and as displayed) and to configure skill tables. However, most of the behavior of assignment criteria is configured in the assignment criteria attribute children. For dynamic assignment, you use special team-based criteria. For more information about criteria for dynamic assignment, see Examples of Dynamic Candidate Assignment.

An assignment criteria can consist of one or more assignment attributes, such as the criteria Account City, Account State, and Account Country. These assignment attributes are grouped as assignment criteria. In this case, a single criterion, called a composite criterion, includes three assignment attributes. To add or change drop-down fields that define assignment criteria in an assignment rule, define or modify assignment criteria. Assignment criteria attributes enumerate assignment attributes for the assignment criteria.

The Criteria list column in an assignment criteria record specifies the assignment criteria that is tested for a match against one or more attributes of the assignment object or candidate. For example, in an assignment criteria that determines whether the state is California, the assignment item would be State, Home State, or Account State, and the value California (CA) would be specified in a child value record.

When you click the drop-down arrow button in the Criteria list column for an assignment rule, a picklist appears for selection of an assignment criteria. The picklist lists the available assignment criteria (assignment criteria object definitions in the repository). When you select an assignment criteria, its name is stored in the Criteria Name field in the current Assignment Rule business component record.

This task is a step in Process of Creating Assignment Criteria for Use in Assignment Rules.

NOTE:  When enabling the standard assignment attributes and criteria to be skill-based, create the new assignment criteria and assignment attributes (based on the existing predefined ones), and set them for skill-based assignment.

To create assignment criteria

1. Start Siebel Tools.
2. In the Object Explorer, select the Assignment Criteria object.
3. Lock the project for the object by choosing Tools, then Lock Project (or Alt+L).

   The pencil icon appears in the W field to indicate the project for the object is locked.

4. In the Assignment Criteria window, choose Edit, then New Record, and set values in the appropriate fields.
   1. In the Name field, type the name of the new assignment criteria.
   2. In the Project field, select the Assignment project.
   3. In the Display Name field, type the name that appears for the assignment criteria.
   4. (Optional) If you want the assignment criteria stored in the skill table, check the Employee Skill field.

      For information about skill tables, see Enabling Assignment Objects for Skills.

   5. (Optional) If you want expertise codes stored for the skill, check the Use Expertise field.

      If you check this field, Assignment Manager uses expertise codes to match objects to candidates.

   6. (Optional) If you do not want the assignment criteria to appear in the Criteria picklist, uncheck the Display Flag field.
   7. If this is a team-based criterion, check the Team flag. In this case, you define only one criteria attribute record and you do not define any attribute columns for the assignment attribute.

      For more information about team-based criteria, see Examples of Dynamic Candidate Assignment.

      For descriptions of these properties, see Table 36.

5. Update the siebel.srf file and run various server administration tasks.

   For instructions on updating your deployment with the new configurations, see Updating Your Siebel Assignment Manager Deployment with New Configurations.

The assignment criteria object definition has two properties to specify the name (internally and as displayed) and two properties that are used to configure skill tables (Employee Skill and Use Expertise). Most of the behavior of an assignment criteria is configured in the assignment criteria attribute children. Table 36 shows some of the properties of the assignment criteria object type.