Automatically Locking Account-Product Nodes

To prevent overwriting numbers, account nodes must be locked before their numbers can be edited. Locking a node prevents other people from making any modifications to any ascendant account node or any descendant account node. The SVP module uses an allocation lock process during the allocation and aggregation process. An allocation lock is a Boolean variable that is kept at the highest account level. When an allocation lock is set, the lock prevents all subordinate account levels from updating SVP data. Before an allocation lock is granted, the application checks the current account node to confirm that its upper lock is active and searches to ascertain that no allocation lock is currently held in the superior account node.

Allocation locks are maintained for the account hierarchy. In a single instance of the category-product hierarchy, all updates are allocated and aggregated immediately.

After a user completes SVP allocation-related updates, the actual allocation is invoked, and the application modifies the locks as follows:

• By updating the upper lock in the originating allocation node

• By disallowing further changes there until the user performs the Aggregate action

• Note: You can see the nodes that are locked by viewing the Allocate Lock column in the Accounts list in the Sales Volume Planning screen. You might need to manually refresh this view to see the results of a recently attempted lock request.