As a product grows in complexity and the number of rules increases, organizing your rules becomes highly important.
Standardized rule names
The first step toward organizing rules is to name them in a consistent manner. A good practice is to include the names of the parameters or values involved in the rule within its name. You can use a symbol like "->" to separate the triggering parameters from the action parameters.
Examples:
•An assignment rule named Model.A -> Length = 100 could mean that if the Model parameter is set to value A, the Length parameter will automatically be set to 100.
•An inclusion rule named Any Motor -> Gearbox could mean that when the Motor parameter is set to any value, the Gearbox parameter becomes included in the model.
•A disallowed combination rule named MaxPressure > 200 <> ReliefValve.Small could mean that a MaxPressure greater than 200 cannot be combined with a Small value for the ReliefValve parameter.
These naming conventions help you quickly identify the purpose of a rule. However, if you need to find all rules that affect or are affected by a specific parameter or value, performing a where-used analysis is the best option.
Classification of rules with categories
The next step in organizing rules is to classify them into categories. Since a CPQ system often contains multiple products (configuration models), it is important to follow a consistent pattern for rule classification. To support this, rule categories are shared across the system and are created from the Manage menu.
To link a rule to a category, simply select the desired category on the rule's profile card.
Once a category contains at least one rule for a given product, a folder icon appears in that product's rule tree, displaying the rules of that category as children. From that point forward, more rules can be added to the category via drag-and-drop, or by creating new rules while the category is selected in the rule tree.
Categories that contain no rules for a specific product are hidden from that product's rule tree.
