Product model properties, editions, and common properties

Scenarios for editions and common properties

You can use editions and common properties to manage product model properties such as usage and availability. The approach you take depends on your scenario.

Scenario: You have not created the product yet

When you create a product, the product has one edition called the base edition. Initially, the base edition does not have any rules. You can create rules on the base edition, but if the number of rules grows too large, consider creating editions. For example, you can create editions based on jurisdiction. These editions do not inherit rules from the base edition.

Scenario: Your product has a small number of rules

If your product has a small number of rules that are unlikely to undergo significant change, you may not need to use editions.

Scenario: Your product has a large number of rules

If your product has a large number of rules, consider creating editions. For example, you can create editions based on jurisdiction.

Scenario: Your product has many editions

If your product has many editions, determine whether any rules are common to multiple editions. For example, for a homeowners product, Year Built might be required for all editions. If so, consider creating common properties. Unlike editions, common properties are not segmented.

Common properties

Use common properties if you have a large number of editions, many of which share a set of common properties. For example, the United States can be divided into the following regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West. So you might have the following sets of properties:
  • Northeast Region Properties
  • Southeast Region Properties
  • Midwest Region Properties
  • Southwest Region Properties
  • West Region Properties
If you have one edition for each of the 50 states, you can apply the appropriate common properties to an edition. For example, you can apply Northeast Region Properties to the Massachusetts edition.

Using common properties simplifies edition maintenance. Instead of maintaining each edition separately, you maintain the common properties. Common properties can be applied to one or more editions, but a single edition can be associated with only one set of common properties. Common properties do not inherit properties from other common properties, nor do editions inherit properties from other editions.

An edition can have both common properties and edition-specific properties. When you apply common properties to an edition, the common properties do not override the edition-specific properties.

Create a set of common properties

About this task

Procedure

  1. Select the Common Properties tab.
  2. In Common Properties, select Create Common Properties.
  3. In Add New Common Properties, type the Common Properties Name and Common Properties Description.
    The Common Properties Identifier is assigned automatically and cannot be modified.
  4. Select Save.

Edit common properties details

About this task

Procedure

  1. Select the Common Properties tab.
  2. In Common Properties, select Edit Common Properties Details from the overflow menu.
  3. Edit the common properties details and select Save.

Edit common properties

About this task

Procedure

  1. In the header, in Editions or Common Properties, choose the set of common properties from the drop-down list.
    The drop-down list is labeled Editions or Common Properties depending on whether an edition or a set of common properties was edited last. Editions are listed above common properties.
  2. Choose Lock.
  3. Edit the properties and select Save in the Properties pane.
  4. Save and unlock the common properties.

Override a common property

You can override a common property with an edition-specific property.

About this task

Procedure

  1. Select the appropriate edition and lock it.
  2. Locate the attribute or clause whose properties you want to modify and display the Properties pane.
  3. Locate the common property that you want to override, for example Field Usage, and expand it.
    Common rule. indicates that a property is a common property.
  4. Choose Clone to Edit or Clear to Edit from the overflow menu.
    Clone to Edit makes the values and any rules editable. Clear to Edit restores the default values and makes them editable. You can choose Restore common property. to restore the values and rules from the common property.
  5. Select Save in the Properties pane.
  6. Save and unlock the edition.

View and edit common properties and overrides

In the Edition Content View, you can view and edit common properties as well as any overrides.

About this task

Procedure

  1. Select the Editions tab.
  2. In Editions, select View Edition Content from the edition's overflow menu.
    In Edition Content View, Common rule. indicates that a property is a common property and Overridden common rule. indicates that a property overrides a common property.
  3. Select Overridden common rule. to view the common property. Select Common rule. to view the property that overrides the common property.
  4. To edit a property, select the property.
    The set of common properties or the edition is available to edit.

Delete a set of common properties

About this task

Procedure

  1. Select the Common Properties tab.
  2. In Common Properties, select Delete Common Properties from the overflow menu.
    If a set of common properties is referenced by one or more editions, you are prompted to unlink the common properties from the editions.