Modeling Settings in Align

Settings in Align control most of the functionality available to field forces. Modeling these settings allow admins to control functionality in modeling records, for example, model projects or model field forces. These modeling settings interact with the existing import, clone, and publish processes as part of Territory Modeling and enable greater flexibility and automation of these processes.

For example, the Align admin creates a new model project with two model field forces, Field Force A, which is imported from production, and Field Force B, which is a brand new field force. A modeling settings record for Field Force A is automatically created as part of the import process. The admin realizes she needs to update settings for Field Force A. She navigates to the model field force settings record from Field Force A’s Modeling Settings related list and edits the settings appropriately. The admin also creates a modeling settings record for Field Force B and enables Territory Feedback for the field force. The modeling settings are published to production alongside the model. The next time the admin creates a model with Field Force A and Field Force B, those settings are automatically imported.

Considerations

  • Updates to modeling settings override corresponding production settings when the model publishes
  • Updates to production settings while a project is in progress do not automatically update the corresponding modeling settings. Changes in production settings must also be made in modeling settings to avoid the changes being reverted when the model project publishes
  • Modeling settings are included when cloning projects
  • If a model project or model field force is deleted, any associated modeling settings records are deleted as well
  • If modeling settings are not defined, the behavior for modeling records is controlled by production settings records. Settings are applied using the following priority:
  • Field force-specific modeling setting
  • Project modeling setting
  • Field force-specific production setting
  • Global-level production setting
  • The following settings are not supported in modeling:
  • Account Status Inactive Values
  • Automated Feedback Handling
  • Days CRM Sourced Assignments Expire – This field can be populated in modeling settings records, but does not impact or control behavior

Importing Modeling Settings

Production settings automatically import as modeling settings when the following imports are executed:

In both of these cases, if a production field force included in the import has an associated field force-specific production settings record, a modeling settings record is automatically created and associated with the corresponding model field force.

A project-level modeling settings record is created automatically using the values of the global-level production settings record.

Viewing and Defining Modeling Settings

For ease of use and visibility purposes, admins should add modeling settings as a related list to project__aln and model_field_force__aln page layouts.

Modeling settings can be created or viewed from one of the following locations:

  • The Modeling Settings page in the Align Admin tab

  • The Model Align Settings related list of a specific modeling project__aln or model_field_force__aln record

    Users can only create modeling settings records from a model_field__force__aln record. Only one modeling settings record can exist against a model field force. If a modeling settings record was imported from production, users can view, but not create, modeling settings records from this related list.

When the user saves changes to a modeling settings record, a modal displays stating changes in modeling settings overrides production settings when the project is published.

Publishing Modeling Settings with a Project

When a model project is published, the following changes occur:

  • If the project has an associated modeling settings record, the values from that record are applied to the global-level production settings. Existing values in the global-level production settings are overridden.
  • If the project has associated model field force-specific modeling settings records, those records are added as production settings records. If a production field force already has an associated production settings record, the values of the record are overridden with the values from the modeling settings record.