Automatic owner assignment

Automatic owner assignment fills the person responsible for a new record without anyone choosing them. xMatix has two ways to do it: assignment rules under Setup → Process Studio → Assignment rules, which work for any entity and any field, and the older partner-resource assignment rules, which set the Executive on new leads, opportunities and appointments from rules attached to partner resources. This page explains both, how they interact, and how to set up and test the partner-resource rules.

Overview

Both mechanisms run inside the save of a new record, so the person is already filled in when the record first appears. They answer different needs:

For new setups, prefer Process Studio assignment rules. The How it works? button on that screen opens an in-app guide with recipes, and the Dry run tab shows what a rule would pick before you switch it on. Use partner-resource rules only when your organization already relies on them.

When to use it

• You want new leads, opportunities or appointments for a partner account (and, optionally, a branch) to land with a specific executive, depending on values on the record.
• You maintain an existing partner-resource setup and need to understand why an executive was or was not assigned.
• You are moving to Process Studio assignment rules and need to know when the partner-resource rules stop applying.

How xMatix handles it

Which records and fields

Partner-resource assignment runs when one of these records is created:

It never runs when a record is edited, and it does not run for quotes, orders, service orders or any other entity.

When Process Studio takes over

Before the partner-resource rules run, xMatix checks whether an active Process Studio assignment for the same entity writes that same field when a record is created, and has no configuration error. If one does, the partner-resource rules are skipped for that field. The Process Studio assignment has already decided, and the older rules never overwrite it. As soon as you switch that assignment off, the partner-resource rules apply again.

Finding the candidates

The candidates are the partner resources that have a Resource and whose scope fits the new record's Partner Account and Branch:

• A partner resource with a partner account and no branch applies to every record of that partner account, in any branch.
• A partner resource with a partner account and a branch applies only to records of that partner account in that branch.
• A partner resource with a branch but no partner account applies only to records that have that branch and no partner account.
• A record with neither a partner account nor a branch gets no candidates.

The candidates are evaluated in ascending Assignment Sequence Number order. Candidates without a sequence number come first. Candidates that share a number, or that all lack one, are evaluated in no guaranteed order.

The partner resource's From Date and To Date are not considered here. Neither is whether the resource is active. An expired posting, or a person who has left, can still be assigned.

Deciding whether a candidate matches

Each candidate's Rule Success Criteria decides how its rules combine. The value must be one of these exact texts, including capital letters:

A candidate with any other value is skipped, and evaluation moves on to the next candidate. A candidate with All Rules Are Met or Any Rule Is Met and no rules never matches.

Evaluating a rule

Each Resource Assignment Rule compares one field of the new record with a value:

• Field Name is the field's internal name on the record (for example Industry or NumberOfEmployees), not its on-screen label. Capitals do not matter here. A name that does not exist on the record makes the rule fail. Custom fields you added to the entity are not visible to these rules, so a rule on a custom field always fails.
• Operation must hold one of these stored values: equals, notEqual, lessThan, greaterThan, lessOrEqual, greaterOrEqual. The shipped Operation list offers only Equal, and its stored value Equal matches none of them. A rule saved with it always fails until an administrator adds the correct values (see Configuration).
• Field Value is the value to compare with, typed as text.

How the comparison works depends on the field:

Amount and quantity fields fall into the last group. greaterThan on a revenue or budget field always fails, and equals needs the amount written exactly as it is stored.

A rule's own Sequence Number and Assignment Type are not used during evaluation.

What the winner changes

The first matching candidate's Resource is written into the record's Executive field, and evaluation stops. This replaces any executive the user picked on the form, or the one filled in by default. If no candidate matches, the field keeps whatever it held.

The assigned person is not checked against their dated company and branch postings. A person who is not authorized for the record's branch can still be assigned. Existing records are never changed when you add, edit or delete partner resources or rules.

Prerequisites

The shipped screens do not expose everything partner-resource assignment needs. Before the procedure below can work, an administrator has to:

• add Assignment Sequence Number and Rule Success Criteria to the Partner Resource forms. Neither is on the shipped create or record layout. See Design a form layout.
• add the engine's operation values to the Operation picklist of Resource Assignment Rule (see Configuration).

You also need:

• a Resource for each person who should receive records (see Resources);
• access to the Partner Resource and Resource Assignment Rule entities (see Permissions).

Procedure

Step 1 — Check that no Process Studio assignment covers the field

Open Setup → Process Studio → Assignment rules and look for an active assignment on Lead, Opportunity or Appointment whose Fields to set includes the Executive field and that runs when a record is created. If one exists, it decides the Executive, and partner-resource rules for that entity have no effect. Either change that assignment, or switch it off if you really want the partner-resource rules.

Step 2 — Create the partner resources

1. Open the person's Resource record and select the Administration tab.
2. Under Partner Resources, select New.
3. Fill Partner Account, Branch (leave it empty to cover every branch of the partner account) and Resource, then save.

Each partner resource is one candidate. Create one for every person who may receive records for that partner account and branch.

Step 3 — Set the order and the success criteria

On each partner resource (with the fields added to the form):

1. Enter a unique Assignment Sequence Number. Give specialists low numbers and the catch-all person the highest number. Fill it on every candidate, because a candidate without a number is evaluated before all the numbered ones.
2. Type the Rule Success Criteria exactly: All Rules Are Met, Any Rule Is Met or Always (No Criteria). Use Always (No Criteria) only on the last candidate, the fallback.
3. Save.

Step 4 — Add the rules

The rules are not listed on the Partner Resource record, so create them from the Resource Assignment Rule list:

1. Open the App Launcher and search for Resource Assignment Rule. The entity is not placed in any app.
2. Select New.
3. Fill the form:
   • Name: a short description, such as "Banking leads". It is required, and no number series fills it for you.
   • Field Name: the record field's internal name, for example Industry.
   • Field Value: the value to compare, for example Banking.
   • Operation: one of the engine values you added, for example equals.
   • Partner Resource: the candidate this rule belongs to.
4. Save. Repeat for each condition.

To change a rule later, use the row's Edit or Delete in the list, or change the fields in place on the rule's own page.

Step 5 — Test with real records

In a sandbox, create a lead (or opportunity, or appointment) whose Partner Account, Branch and field values should match exactly one candidate. Save it and check the Executive. Then test:

• a record that should fall through to the fallback candidate;
• a record that should match nobody (the Executive should stay as entered);
• boundary values for any number or date rule.

If a result surprises you, work through Common problems.

Fields

Resource Assignment Rule

Partner Resource (assignment-related fields)

Business rules

• Assignment runs only when a Lead, Opportunity or Appointment is created, never on edit.
• An active Process Studio assignment that writes the Executive on create switches partner-resource assignment off for that entity.
• Candidates are partner resources with a resource and a matching partner account and branch, ordered by Assignment Sequence Number with empty values first.
• The first matching candidate wins. Its resource replaces the Executive on the form.
• An unrecognized Rule Success Criteria skips the candidate. All Rules Are Met or Any Rule Is Met with no rules never matches.
• A rule fails when the field does not exist, the operation is not one of the six engine values, or the field kind does not support the operation.
• From and To dates, resource status and branch authorization are not checked.

Example

A distributor sells through one partner account, "Riverbend Distribution", and wants its banking-sector leads to go to a specialist and every other lead to go to the sales lead for that partner.

1. The administrator checks Setup → Process Studio → Assignment rules: no active assignment on Lead sets the Executive.
2. On the resource Banking Specialist, they add a partner resource: Partner Account "Riverbend Distribution", no branch, Assignment Sequence Number 10, Rule Success Criteria All Rules Are Met.
3. On the resource Partner Sales Lead, they add a partner resource for the same partner account: Assignment Sequence Number 20, Rule Success Criteria Always (No Criteria).
4. They create a Resource Assignment Rule "Banking leads": Field Name Industry, Operation equals, Field Value Banking, Partner Resource = the Banking Specialist's partner resource.
5. A user creates a lead for Riverbend Distribution with Industry Banking and picks themselves as Executive. After saving, the Executive is Banking Specialist.
6. A second lead with Industry Retail is assigned to Partner Sales Lead, because the banking rule fails and the fallback candidate always matches.

Training

Practice exercise

In a sandbox where the Partner Resource form shows Assignment Sequence Number and Rule Success Criteria, and the Operation list contains greaterOrEqual:

1. Create two partner resources for the same partner account: one with sequence 1 and criteria All Rules Are Met, one with sequence 2 and criteria Always (No Criteria).
2. Add a rule to the first: Field Name NumberOfEmployees, Operation greaterOrEqual, Field Value 500.
3. Create a lead for that partner account with No. of Employees 800, then another with 50.

Expected result: the first lead's Executive is the first person, the second lead's is the fallback person. Edit the second lead's No. of Employees to 800: the Executive does not change, because assignment runs only on create.

Quick reference

• New Process Studio setups: Setup → Process Studio → Assignment rules.
• Partner-resource rules set only the Executive, and only on new leads, opportunities and appointments.
• An active Process Studio assignment that writes the Executive on create overrides them.
• Lowest Assignment Sequence Number first, and empty numbers come before everything.
• Criteria texts must be exact: All Rules Are Met, Any Rule Is Met, Always (No Criteria).
• Operations must store equals, notEqual, lessThan, greaterThan, lessOrEqual, greaterOrEqual.
• Amounts compare as text. Only whole numbers and dates support greater/less.
• The winner replaces the executive the user chose. No match leaves it alone.
• From/To dates and resource status are ignored.

Permissions

• Partner Resource and Resource Assignment Rule records follow the entity permissions in the user's security profile (Setup → Access Control). In the shipped profiles, System Admin, Standard User, Sales Executive and Sales Manager have full access to both. A user without read access does not find the entities in the App Launcher.
• Changing the Partner Resource layout or the Operation picklist needs Design Studio access.
• Setup → Process Studio → Assignment rules needs the same Setup permission as Business rules. Without it, the menu item is not shown.
• Any user who can create the lead, opportunity or appointment triggers assignment. No separate permission is needed to run it.

Configuration

Common problems

The Executive is not assigned

Check in this order:

1. The record is a new Lead, Opportunity or Appointment. Edits never assign.
2. No active Process Studio assignment writes the Executive on create for that entity.
3. A partner resource exists with a Resource, the record's Partner Account, and either no branch or the record's Branch.
4. Its Rule Success Criteria is empty or exactly one of the three texts.
5. It has at least one rule, unless the criteria is Always (No Criteria).
6. Each rule's Operation stores an engine value. Equal never works.
7. Each Field Name is the internal name of a standard field, and the operation suits the field kind.

The wrong person was assigned

An earlier candidate matched first. Look for a candidate with no Assignment Sequence Number, which is evaluated before every numbered one. Then look for duplicate numbers, or a broad Always (No Criteria) or Any Rule Is Met candidate placed too early.

The executive I chose was replaced after saving

On a new lead, opportunity or appointment, a matching candidate replaces the Executive on the form. Change the Executive after the first save. Assignment does not run again on edit.

A person whose posting has expired is still assigned

Assignment ignores the partner resource's From Date and To Date and the resource's status. Remove or edit the old partner resource (or its rules) to stop it matching.

A rule on an amount field never matches

Amount fields are compared as exact text, so greater/less operations always fail on them. Use a whole-number field, or create a Process Studio assignment whose rule condition can compare amounts.

Common questions

Do assignment rules run again when a record is edited?

Partner-resource rules do not. They run once, when a Lead, Opportunity or Appointment is created, and changing the record afterwards never re-triggers them. To reassign, change the Executive on the record or use the dispatch console. Process Studio assignment rules can also re-run when chosen fields change, from a business rule, or on existing records with Run on existing records. Those options are set on the assignment itself.

Should I use Process Studio assignment rules or partner-resource rules?

Use Process Studio assignment rules for anything new. They work for every entity and any field, can pick fairly with round robin or fewest open records, can skip people on leave, and come with a dry run and a run history. Partner-resource rules only set the Executive on three entities, need form changes before they can be configured, and give no diagnostics. Once a Process Studio assignment writes the Executive on create for an entity, the partner-resource rules for that entity stop applying.

How do assignment rules differ from queue routing?

Assignment rules stamp an owner when the record is saved, from conditions on the record. Queue routing is live dispatch. It weighs presence, skills and current load at the moment of routing, and the work arrives as an offer to accept or decline. Use assignment rules for predictable ownership, and queue routing for shared-pool work. See Skills, capacity and work routing.

Can a rule test a custom field I added?

No, not with partner-resource rules. They only see the entity's standard fields, so a rule naming a custom field always fails. Process Studio assignment rules use a different condition language. If you route on a custom field there, confirm the result with the assignment's Dry run before you switch it on.

Related topics

• Resources — where partner resources are added
• Resource groups — candidate pools for Process Studio assignment rules
• Leads — how the Executive is set on a new lead
• Opportunities
• Appointments
• Skills, capacity and work routing
• The dispatch console
• Configuration reference
• Business rules
• Resource Assignment Rule — entity reference
• Partner Resource — entity reference