Configuring and Enabling Effectivity Groups

Starting with Simphony 19.6, when Allow Local Control is set, corporate can announce a Start Date/Time and Must Activate By date for a promotion. Stores may not be ready for a promotion until they receive all the required inventory or promotional materials. When the store is ready, they can set the Enable Effectivity Group checkbox, activating the effectivity group. The Effectivity Group Status can be overridden, allowing stores to independently enable the effectivity group for their location. When the Must Activate By threshold is reached, the effectivity group automatically becomes active.

Attention:

When configuring effectivity groups with overlapping date and time settings, the active record with the Start Time the closest to the current date always takes precedence over all other effectivity groups.

Table 19-1 Effectivity Groups - Examples of Overlapping Start Times

Hierarchy Level Object # Name Start Time End Time
Enterprise A Default Effectivity 1/01/2025 00:00:01 12/31/2025 24:59:59
Location (property) B Fall 9/21/2025 00:00:01 12/21/2025 24:59:59
Location (property) C Thanksgiving Day 11/ 27/2025 00:00:01 11/ 27/2025 24:59:59
Based on the above table, the following outcomes are obtained:

  • Record A is used at any time other than during the Fall.

  • Record B is used during the Fall period, except on Thanksgiving Day.

  • Record C is used only on Thanksgiving Day.

To configure effectivity groups:

  1. Select the Enterprise, location, revenue center, or zone, click Configuration, and then click Effectivity Groups.
  2. Insert a record for the effectivity group, enter a descriptive name, and then click OK.
  3. Double-click the record to open it.
  4. Enable the Allow Local Control checkbox.
    1. When you enable Allow Local Control, the following two fields become active and configurable:

      • The Enable Effectivity Group checkbox is located in the Effectivity Group Status section. Enabling this checkbox lets you use the effectivity group prior to the date and time configured in the Must Activate By field.

      • Configure the Must Activate By field using a date which falls after the effectivity group’s configured Start Time, but prior to the End Time.

    2. In instances where effectivity groups are configured at the Enterprise level, the location or revenue center effectivity groups can be inherited. When Allow Local Control is enabled, if necessary, an effectivity group’s status can be overridden (by clicking the Override hyperlink) or a current override can be deleted (by clicking the Delete hyperlink) from the Effectivity Group Status section. This allows more flexibility for users who want to override inherited effectivity groups for their specific location.

      Figure 19-1 Effectivity Groups Status Override and Delete Links


      This figure shows the Effectivity Group Status override and delete links.
  5. From the Active Times section, click the Add link, and select the Start Time and the End Time from the calendar.

    If applicable, select the Must Activate By date and time as determined by corporate.

  6. Click Save.
  7. After creating an effectivity group, you need to associate the effectivity group with one of the following types of records to make it active:

    • Tender/Media

    • Menu Item Master

    • Menu Item Prices

      When adding (or editing) effectivity group records from menu item master and menu item price records, a record’s sequence number can only be associated with one effectivity group. Oracle recommends configuring (and saving) effectivity groups one price record at a time to avoid errors.

    • Discounts

    • Service Charges

    • Taxes

    • Page Content Areas

    • Combo Meal Groups

    • Combo Group Detail Prices

    You can make the association in the record type. For example, to associate a Tender/Media record with the Effectivity Group, click the Tender/Media module, and then click the Effectivity tab.

    Important:

    Most valid property and revenue center effectivity date settings take precedence over enterprise effectivity date settings. If no valid effectivity dates are configured for a property or revenue center, valid enterprise effectivity dates are then used by the system. An exception to this rule is when configuring Combo Group Effectivity Group settings for combo meal items. In this case, the Menu Item Master module’s effectivity group setting takes precedence over any other combo item effectivity settings. For example, if the menu item master effectivity setting is disabled (or expires), the menu item does not appear on the workstation (including combo meal items), despite being linked to an active effectivity group within a combo meal group.

    See Assigning Effectivity Groups to Combo Meal Group Menu Items for more information.

    See Configuring Effectivity for Table Management Reservations in the Dining Room Tables and Seating chapter for more information.

Parent topic: Effectivity Groups