Bookshelf v7.5: Using MVG to Improve Searches

Siebel Personalization Administration Guide > User Profiles > Working with Multiple Value Profile Attributes >

Using MVG to Improve Searches

Siebel Personalization provides a hook for entering dynamic search specifications on applets and business components. Administrators can use these dynamic search specifications to target the content to the user based on their profile information. To extend the profile, Personalization now supports MVG attributes, which can be used to track information on customers that cannot be captured in single value fields. These attributes could be hobbies, interests, and so on.

Profile Attributes in Siebel 7.5

In Siebel 7, MVG profile attributes were not supported. Administrators could still use comma delimited lists as a substitute for MVGs, for example, profile attributes of states where there are Siebel offices might have a value of CA,MA,GA. In Siebel 7.5, profile attributes with more than one value are supported through MVG profiles.

About the GetProfileAttrAsList Function

A new function, GetProfileAttrAsList, is introduced in Siebel 7.5. This function returns the MVG value as a list, but can also be used in the EXISTS operator to create the right expressions for matching the MVG profile attributes with content within Siebel applications.

The following describes using the GetProfileAttrAsList outside and within the EXISTS operator:

When GetProfileAttrAsList is used outside the Exists operator, it returns a comma separated list of the MVG value.

For example, if you are using a MVG called State that has the values CA, MA, GA, and CA is primary, then GetProfileAttrAsList (State) would return CA, MA, GA.

Within the EXISTS operator, the GetProfileAttrAsList function returns the value of the profile attributes in the format expected by the operator. For example, a typical usage of the EXISTS operator in this scenario would be EXISTS ([Targeted States] = GetProfileAttrAsList("State")). This would do a many-to-many match of the MVG Business Component Field Targeted State against the MVG profile attribute State.

Semantics of GetProfileAttr also should be modified for MVG profile attributes. So if GetProfileAttr function is called for an MVG, it returns only the primary value of the MVG.

For example, an MVG called State, with the values CA, MA, GA, where CA is primary, GetProfileAttr (State) would return CA.

For matching content with MVG profile attribute, EXISTS operator would be used.

There are three potential cases when using EXISTS with a profile attribute:

MVG profile attribute and MVG Business component field:

Expression: EXISTS ([Targeted State] = GetProfileAttrAsList("State"))

This expression tests whether any of the states in the MVG profile attribute, State, exist in the BC MVG field Targeted State.

MVG profile attribute and single value business component field:

Expression: EXISTS ([State] = GetProfileAttrAsList("State"))

This expression tests whether any of the states in the MVG profile match states in the Targeted State single value BC field.

Single value profile attribute and MVG Business component field:

Expression: EXISTS ([Targeted State] = GetProfileAttr("State"))

This expression tests whether single value state in the user profile match states in the MVG Targeted State BC field.