How Qualifying Criteria Work With a Rule Hierarchy

Classification and direct credit rule hierarchies consist of rules that include qualifying criteria. The hierarchies and qualifying criteria work together to match transactions for classification and credit processing.

Classification adds credit categories to matching transactions while crediting generates credit transactions based on the matching transactions, for specified credit receivers or participants. Participant role assignment rules identify eligible roles to assign to participants according to participant detail attributes.

Qualifying Criteria

This table shows how classification, direct credit, or participant role assignment rules identify matching transactions or roles using qualifying criteria consisting of attributes and their values:

Matching Criteria	Description	Example 1	Example 2
Qualifying attribute	Choice list of table columns enabled for crediting. The actual list values are the user-defined name for each enabled table column. Attributes relate using AND logic.	Performance	Transaction Type
Qualifying attribute values	Data values stored in the attribute table column. Depending on the attribute selected, you add the values from a choice list or enter them manually. Attribute values relate using OR logic.	Manually enter a performance value, such as 4.25	Add one or more transaction type values, such as Forecast or Invoice

Use the Configure Tables and Columns task in the Setup and Maintenance work area, Sales offering, and Incentives functional area to enable provided table columns for use as qualifying criteria attributes in classification, and direct credit rules. Enabled columns appear in the qualifying criteria selection list. You can also define your own qualifiers.

Rule Hierarchy

You create rules in hierarchies to facilitate inheritance of criteria and reduce rule maintenance.

• Assign common attributes once, to a parent.

• Assign more granular attributes to descendant rules.

For example, to segregate all transactional data for multiple business units, include business unit as a qualifying criterion at the top level of your hierarchy. If business unit isn't a qualifying criterion at the top of the hierarchy, then transactions from all business units are processed. In descendant rules, specify qualifying criteria such as State or Transaction Type.

Tip: You can view the entire qualifying criteria for a rule including the criteria the rule inherits from its parents in the Rules Hierarchy region of Manage Direct Credit Rules or Manage Participant Assignment Rules.

Qualifying criteria of each hierarchy rule relates by AND logic with the criteria in each descendant rule to form the complete matching criteria.

Qualifying Criteria and Rule Hierarchy Example

The chart shows a partial rule hierarchy and rule qualifying criteria for ERP sales to customers in two industries within a business unit.

Here's how the matching criteria evolves as you descend through the rule hierarchy.

1. Business Unit = EMEA and Customer = BriTeleco or Deutsche HSBC or Zellweger and Industry = Telecommunications and Product Category = ERP Software or ERP 1st Year Support

2. Business Unit = EMEA and Customer = BriTeleco or Deutsche HSBC or Zellweger and Industry = Financial Services and Product Category = ERP Software or ERP 1st Year Support