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Siebel Consumer Sector Guide > Product Distribution > Administrator Procedures >

Creating and Modifying Distribution Lists

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Typically, marketing administrators create distribution lists that control which of their company's products are distributed to a customer's distributor accounts and the retail outlets they serve.

Creating a Distribution List

Before creating a distribution list for a customer, you must already have created the appropriate distribution codes. Distribution codes impose a logic on the distribution of products across the account-category hierarchy that is either inclusive or exclusive. In both systems, the distribution codes govern how products move from key accounts to subaccounts.

With inclusive distribution, the sequence or order, which is assigned to a group of distribution codes in the list of values (LOV), is used to assign rank to accounts. For example, a number of outlets might have different distribution codes within the Beverages category. The distribution codes and the order that is assigned to those codes in an inclusive system is shown in Table 10.

Table 10. Distribution Codes, Order, and Products in an Inclusive System

Distribution Code	Order	Subaccount Receives:
Premium	1	Premium, Standard, Limited
Standard	2	Standard, Limited
Limited	3	Limited

In an inclusive distribution system, subaccounts with the distribution code Premium receive the entire key account's list of beverages, that is, products with distribution codes Premium, Standard, or Limited. Outlets with the distribution code Standard receive a subset of the entire list, which includes products with Standard and Limited distribution codes. Outlets with the distribution code Limited in the Beverages category receive only those products with the distribution code of Limited.

With exclusive distribution, each distribution code defines a specific subset of products that is independent of the order assigned to the distribution codes. Table 11 shows an example of distribution codes and products that might be found in an exclusive distribution system.

Table 11. Distribution Codes and Products in an Exclusive System

Distribution Code	Order	Subaccount Receives:
Premium	1	Premium
Standard	2	Standard
Limited	3	Limited

In an exclusive distribution system, outlets with the distribution code Premium in the category Beverages receive a subset of the key account's distribution list of products, which includes products that are part of the Premium category with distribution codes Premium. Outlets with the distribution code Standard for the category Beverages receive a subset of the entire list, which includes only those products with the distribution code of Standard in the Beverages category. Outlets with the distribution code Limited in the category Beverages receive only the products with the distribution code of Limited in the Beverages category.

You can also add unauthorized products to subaccount distribution lists. An unauthorized product is a product that is added to a subaccount's distribution list outside the inclusive or exclusive distribution system.

To set up distribution codes

Navigate to Site Map > Application Administration > List of Values.
In the List of Values screen, in the Type column, query for RTL_PRFL_DIST_CODE.

The query results show all the account distribution codes that have been created.

In the Order column, assign a different number to each distribution code to create a sequence.

NOTE:  The sequence that is applied to this LOV determines the order in which the distribution codes appear on the Dist. Code list. The sequence does not impose organization, but applies a rank in an inclusive distribution system.

To create an account distribution list and define subaccounts

Navigate to Site Map > Authorized Distribution List Administration.
In the Accounts view, select the account for which you intend to create an account distribution list by performing a query in the list.

NOTE:  For direct distribution, this key account should represent a key distribution point for the customer, such as a distribution warehouse. For indirect distribution, it should be the key account responsible for indirect distribution, such as a third-party distributor.

Optional. Check the Inclusive field to assign inclusive distribution properties.
Click the Authorized Accounts view tab.
In the Authorized Accounts list, click New.
In the Pick Account dialog box, select an account to add as a subaccount to this key account, click OK, and fill in the necessary fields.

Some of the fields in the Authorized Accounts list are described in the following table.

Field	Comments
Account Channel	Determines which type of distribution channel the account belongs to.
Distribution Code	Determines the products that this account receives. LOV Type: RTL_PRFL_DIST_CODE
Category	Determines the category of products this account receives.

NOTE:  You can create multiple records for one subaccount. Each record for the same subaccount must have a different category and each category may have a different distribution code.

To define products for an account distribution list

Navigate to Site Map > Authorized Distribution List Administration screen.
In the Accounts view, select the account for which you intend to define products by performing a query in the list.
Click the Authorized Category Products view tab and click Category.
In the Select Category dialog box, query for a product category to add to this account's distribution list and click OK.

All products in the selected category appear in the Authorized Category Products list, and the Categories list displays the selected category.

In the list of Authorized Category Products, assign the appropriate Distribution Code to each product.

NOTE:  By default, the distribution code in the Categories list is the distribution code of the associated record in the Authorized Category Products list, although you may change it to a different code.

Optional. Click New in the Authorized Category Products list to add a new product without a category.
In the Categories list, assign the appropriate Distribution Code to each product-category record.

In this list, you can define multiple category-distribution-code combinations to a product.

Click Apply to propagate the key account's distribution list to the subaccounts that are associated with this account.
Repeat Step 3 through Step 8 for each additional product you want to add to the account's distribution list.
Click the Authorized Distribution List view tab.

All the subaccounts are listed with the categories and products that have been assigned to them.

NOTE:  To view competitor products, for example in conducting retail audits, the competitor products must be present in the distribution list of the account. Only administrators can add competitor products to end user's products list. End users responsible for account audits can then associate competitor products with the account they plan to audit.

To delete a product from a key account distribution list

Navigate to Site Map >Authorized Distribution List Administration > Accounts > Authorized Accounts.
Select the key account for the distribution list by performing a query in the list.
Click the Authorized Category Products view tab and query for the product you want to delete.
Click Delete.

The product is deleted from the key accounts distribution list. It is also deleted from the subaccounts distribution list if the key account is the sole supplier of the deleted product.

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