As a product becomes complex with many rules, organization of the rules becomes important.

Standardized names of rules

The first step towards organization of rules is to name the rules in a consistent way. A good practice is to let the name of a rule include the names of the parameters or values that are part of the rule and use a symbol like "->" for separation of the triggering parameters and the action parameters of the rule.

Examples:

•A template rule named "Model.A -> Length = 100" could mean that if the parameter Model is set to the value A, the parameter Length shall automatically be set to 100 mm.

•A sub parameter rule named "Any Motor -> Gearbox" could mean that when the parameter Motor has been set to any value, the parameter Gearbox shall be shown.

•A disallowed combination rule named "MaxPressure > 200 <> ReliefValve.Small" could mean that a MaxPressure greater than 200 bar cannot be combined with a Small ReliefValve.

These kinds of names help in quickly identifying the purpose of a rule, but if you would like to find all rules that affect or is affected by a certain parameter or value where-used analysis is the best option.

Classification of rules with categories

The next action towards organization of rules is to classify rules in categories. Since a CPQ often contains several products (configuration models) it's important to follow a consistent pattern for classification of rules. Therefore, rule categories are shared across the system and created from the Manage menu.

To link a rule to a rule category you simply select the category in the profile card of the rule.

Once a category contains at least one rule for a given product, a folder icon will be shown in the product's rule tree with the rules of the category as children. From that point more rules can be added to the category via drag and drop or by creating new rules with the category selected in the rule tree.

Categories that have no rules for a product is not shown in that product's rule tree.