Siebel Field Service Guide > Scheduling and Dispatch > Optimization Engine >

Requirements for Optimization

The following settings are required for running the Optimization Engine:

• A service region
• Server Key mapping
• Cost function
• Cost list
• Travel cost
• Minimum travel time
• Travel U/M
• Parameter set
• Parameters:
  • Optimizer - Activity Category
  • Optimizer - Default Priority
  • Optimizer - Glued
  • Optimizer - Save interval
  • Optimizer - Tardiness Cost
  • Optimizer - Task Excl Cost
  • Optimizer - Timeout

The Optimization Engine has the following additional requirements:

• An activity cannot span more than one day; multi-day activities are not scheduled. The Optimizer can schedule other activities during the time intended for multi-day activities. However, the penalties for not scheduling these activities still contribute to evaluating the potential success of an optimized schedule. For more information, see  Cost Function.
• Activities that cross between the end of the Optimizer horizon and the ABS horizon are treated as locked by both the ABS and the Optimizer.

When loading activities into the Optimizer cache for the first time, the Optimizer produces an initial solution to the schedule by accepting the existing order and assignment of appointments. While finding the initial solution, the Optimizer first processes the activities that have Lock Assignment and Lock Schedule flags set to TRUE. This helps to ensure that these requests are honored in the optimized schedule. For more information, see Making Changes to a Schedule.

While the schedule for a service region is being optimized, only insert activity and stop optimization requests are accepted. These are queued, and the queue is processed when the optimization finds the next solution. Any other request is returned. For more information, see Insert Activity Button and Service Regions View.