Cloning an MC Cycle

Administrators can now clone an MC Cycle from Align. This allows the creation of new MC Cycles and enables administrators to avoid inputting all MC Cycle information manually.

For example, the Align administrator is planning for the upcoming cycle period. Since very little has changed from the last cycle period to the next one, he clones the MC Cycle from the previous cycle period to use as a starting point when planning the next cycle. He then performs a Preview and Commit against the Field Force to generate the plans and their targets.

The clone replicates the mc_cycle__aln record as well as all associated records from the following objects:

  • mc_cycle_channel__aln
  • mc_cycle_product__aln
  • account_rule__aln
  • targeting_rule_channel__aln
  • targeting_rule_product__aln
  • account_rule_criteria__aln

Targets are not cloned.

Admins can clone any production MC Cycle associated with a field_force__aln record. MC Cycles associated with field_force_model__aln records cannot be cloned.

There are two types of MC Cycle clones:

  • Production clones – The cloned MC Cycle associates with the same field_force__aln record as the source MC Cycle
  • Modeling clones – The cloned MC Cycle associates with the field_force_model__aln record corresponding to the field_force__aln field of the source MC Cycle

This feature is enabled by default.

Creating a Production Clone

To clone an MC Cycle:

  1. Select the gear button from one of the following pages:

    • The Cycles list view from the Targeting tab
    • The detail page of an mc_cycle__aln record
    • The MC Cycles related list on the detail page of a field_force__aln record
  2. Select Clone an Existing MC Cycle.

    This option displays as Clone Cycle when selected from an MC Cycle detail page.

  3. Populate the following fields with the appropriate information:

    • MC Cycle – The existing cycle to clone. When cloning from an MC Cycle detail page, this field is automatically populated. When cloning from the detail page of a field_force__aln or field_force_model__aln record, only MC Cycles from the production Field Force may be selected.
    • Name – The name of the new cycle
    • Start Date – The start date of the new cycle
    • End Date – The end date of the new cycle
  4. Select Continue.
  5. Verify the information is correct before selecting Confirm.

A process task displays after selecting Confirm indicating the progress of the clone. An error displays if the Start and End Dates of the newly created MC Cycle overlap with an existing MC Cycle.

Creating a Modeling Clone

To create a modeling clone of an MC Cycle:

  1. Select the gear button on the MC Cycles related list on the detail page of a field_force_model__aln record.
  2. Select Clone an Existing MC Cycle.
  3. Populate the following fields with the appropriate information:

    • MC Cycle – The existing cycle to clone. When cloning from an MC Cycle detail page, this field is automatically populated. When cloning from the detail page of a field_force__aln or field_force_model__aln record, only MC Cycles from the production Field Force may be selected.
    • Name – The name of the new cycle
    • Start Date – The start date of the new cycle
    • End Date – The end date of the new cycle
  4. Select Continue.
  5. Verify the information is correct before selecting Confirm.

A process task displays after selecting Confirm indicating the progress of the clone. An error displays if the Start and End Dates of the newly created MC Cycle overlap with an existing MC Cycle.

Clone MC Cycle Feedback

Align administrators can clone an MC Cycle’s feedback when running an Assignment Preview on a cloned MC Cycle. This enables the end-user to avoid providing the same feedback on the same accounts cycle to cycle, while still enabling the administrator to modify a cloned Cycle’s Targeting Rule, Channels, and Products.

Do not run an Assignment Preview during an MC Cycle's feedback period.

For example, Sarah Jones provided feedback on her current MC Cycle Plan. When it is time for the next cycle, the Align administrator clones the current MC Cycle, refines the Targeting Rule, channels, and products, and then initiates an Assignment Preview. When initiating the preview, the administrator also clones feedback to the new Cycle. When Sarah Jones reviews her new MC Cycle Plan, the targeting and goals feedback she gave in the previous cycle reflect in the new cycle.

Cloning feedback includes the following information:

  • Approved Add Target, Edit Goal, and Remove Target type Targeting Feedback challenges that have been incorporated into the source MCCPs
  • Manual edits to the cycle by the administrator, for example, adjusting a target’s goals or adding a target
  • Data loads made by the administrator to create new targets

To clone an MC Cycle’s Targeting Feedback:

  1. Clone the source MC Cycle.
  2. Apply any refinements to the newly cloned MC Cycle, including its Channels, Products and Targeting Rule. This step is optional.
  3. Initiate an Assignment Preview.
  4. Select Yes in the Target Feedback Cloning section of the Preview Account Assignment Rules modal.

This section only displays if the Preview includes territories associated with a cloned MC Cycle.

Cloning Remove Target Feedback

Remove Target challenges made by users during Targeting Feedback can now be cloned from one MC Cycle to another. Remove Target challenges made in one MC Cycle are retained in the resulting cloned MC Cycle and can be revised via Targeting Feedback.

When an MC Cycle with Targeting Feedback is cloned, account_exclusion__aln records generate for each account and automatically associate with the cloned MC Cycle. These clone account_exclusion__aln records contain the following information:

  • account__aln – References the same account as the source account_exclusion__aln record
  • assignment_type__aln – target__aln
  • end_date__aln – The end date of the cloned MC Cycle
  • exclusion_reason__aln – feedback__aln
  • exclusion_type__aln – territory__aln
  • mc_cycle__aln – The cloned MC Cycle
  • project__aln
  • segments__aln – The list of segment IDs present when the target was initially removed
  • send_to_crm__aln – Yes
  • source__aln – cycle_clone__aln
  • start_date__aln – The start date of the cloned MC Cycle
  • territory_model__aln – References the territory_model__aln record corresponding account_exclusion__aln record

Segment Changes

A target's segment refers to the channel and product groups in the targeting rule the account matched the criteria for, causing it to be designated a target.

If a target’s segment differs between the source cycle and the new cycle, feedback on the associated Channel and Product goals is not cloned. This is because changing the segment changes the target’s worth, and so the end user should review the new goals when providing feedback.

If a target removed using a Remove Target challenge changes segments in the cloned MC Cycle and still matches a targeting rule, the associated account_exclusion__aln record is deleted and the account displays as a target when the MC Cycle is submitted for feedback.

Unlinking Targeting Channel and Product Groups

Channel groups and product groups in a targeting rule can be unlinked to prevent feedback on the targets in those groups from being cloned. This enables the administrator to control if there is a certain channel or product group whose targets should have goals set strictly by the targeting rule.

Unlinking a targeting channel or product group cannot be undone.

To unlink a Targeting Channel or Product:

  1. Navigate to the appropriate Targeting Rule.
  2. Navigate to the appropriate Channel Group or Product Group Label.
  3. Select Feedback Cloning.
  4. Select Unlink.