Parameters

You can configure definitions for parameters that you can use in pricing items such as catalog items, bundles, product offers, and price components.

You can create definitions for the following parameter types:
  • Decimal
  • Integer 32
  • Integer 64
  • Unsigned integer 32
  • Unsigned integer 64
  • Boolean
  • String
  • Datetime
After creating a parameter definition, you can add parameters with that definition to catalog items, bundles, offers, and price components. You must specify a default value for the parameter when you add it to a pricing item. You can use parameters assigned to price components in price component rate tables to set rating formula parts, such as the scale coefficient (slope), constant (intercept), and unit factor (multiplier), as shown in Percentage Discount Example.
After adding a list of parameters to a (parent) pricing item, you can define the linkage that binds parameters in the list to parameters in any associated (child) pricing items. For:
  • Catalog items — Define the linkage to parameters in the associated offer or bundle.
  • Bundles — Define the linkage to parameters in the associated offer or price component.
  • Offers — Define the linkage to parameters in associated price components.
When you add a parameter to a price component, offer, or bundle, MATRIXX creates a default parameter binding to a parameter with the same name in the parent pricing item, and adds the parameter to the list of parameters assigned to the parent. You can edit the default parameter binding to select a different parameter, if required. Otherwise, the default value for the default parameter binding is used during rating.

You can set parameter values within a catalog definition or at purchase time. This feature allows you to customize price components, offers, bundles, and catalog items without requiring you to create and upload new pricing.

Percentage Discount Example

In this example, a percentage_discount parameter is added to a purchase discount price component, and linked to a purchase_discount_percent parameter used in an offer. The price component uses the percentage_discount parameter for calculating the percentage discount to give on a purchase based on the value passed to it using the purchase_discount_percent parameter from the offer.

A catalog item configured for this offer defines a 10% discount by passing a constant of 0.10 to the offer, which then passes it to the discount price component to give a 10% discount. In addition, a second special discount catalog item, configured for the offer, uses a special_discount parameter that is linked to the offer purchase_discount_percent parameter. In this case, at purchase time, the discount percentage can be set to any valid value without having to change the underlying pricing.