Attribute Configuration

When you initially configure the MVS, you are required to configure the attributes that determine how the processor finds matches between the staffing requirements and staffed shifts when the Create Unstaffed Shifts or reconciliation processes are run.

You can either relax or restrict the criteria used when determining a match. Attribution configuration enables you to:

  • Include certain attributes in the match criteria, which defines the fields that must have the exact same values in order to make a match.
  • Exclude certain attributes from the match criteria, which takes the specified fields out of the equation to provide additional flexibility.
  • Prioritize the importance of each included attribute so that each attribute has a ranking.

Notes

  • Historically, the system used an algorithm that required an exact match between all attributes specified by the employee and those specified by the shift. (This meant that every field contributed towards matching, even if most fields did not actually define a requirement.) The system now uses an algorithm that supports wildcard matching, which enables you to leave staffing requirements’ attribute fields blank (without any value) and, thus, returns employee matches that have any value in those fields.
  • Historically, labor metrics (activity, project, docket, department) used to factor into unstaffed shift processing because staffing requirements automatically populated the Activity field (using the value of the DEFAULT_ACT_NAME registry parameter) and Project, Docket, Department fields (using values set in the Time and Attendance module). In addition, MVS also populated unstaffed shifts with these values.

    Staffing requirements no longer automatically populate any of these values. MVS continues to use the labor metrics, as specified for the employee, but never automatically populates the activity value. (The DEFAULT_ACT_NAME parameter is no longer utilized.)