Resource Search Service Settings

Custom settings are a Salesforce feature. The Resource Search Service custom setting has the Setting Type "Hierarchy" which means you can store settings information at user, profile, or organization level. Settings for an organization are overridden by profile settings, which, in turn, are overridden by user settings.

Resource Search Service settings enable resources to be weighted or prioritized when ranked using Intelligent Staffing. These settings also provide the defaults used by auto-staffing and Resource Request Staffer.

Note:

In some circumstances, the defaults in Research Search Service settings can be superseded by other settings, for example, staffing preferences, and schedule availability. For more information, see:

When Intelligent Staffing is enabled, weighting and priority settings can be set in combination to determine a recommendation rank for displaying resources in the PSA Resourcing component.

Weighting settings determine the weighted importance of the following for matching when filtering resources:

  • Role
  • Region
  • Practice
  • Group
  • Worked with customer
  • Custom filter fields

Priority settings determine the priority ranking of the following:

  • Role, Region, Practice, Group, Worked With Customer, and custom filter fields
  • Skills fields
  • Resource percentage availability. When schedule availability is configured, it is fixed as the lowest priority when ranking resources.

For more information about Intelligent Staffing, including enabling it, and some examples illustrating how these settings influence weighting of fields and ranking resources, see the following:

Fields

Resource Search Service Settings Fields
Field Supported by Resource Optimizer Description Default
Availability Priority Yes

Determines the priority of percentage availability when ranking resources with Intelligent Staffing. The default value is 3. The highest priority is 1, the next highest is 2, and so on.

Priority values must be unique. The Availability Priority value must not be not the same value as Filter Fields Priority or Skills Priority.

 3
Custom Filter Fields Weighting No

Determines the importance of the resource matching custom filter fields.

Essential means all custom filters must match the fields for the resource. Other possible values from most important to least important are Ideal, Desirable, and Suggested.

Ideal, Desirable and Suggested mean a resource does not have to match any custom filter fields.

You cannot set a different value for individual custom fields. For example, you cannot set Desirable for a custom filter field, and Ideal for another custom filter field.

 Essential
Exclude Aspirational Skills and Certs No

If selected, a resource's aspirational skills and certifications are excluded when matching resources. When this is selected, the Include Aspirational Skills and Certifications checkbox is automatically deselected in the Filters panel in the following places:

  • Resourcing tab on resource requests
  • Assign Multiple Resources to Project window on projects
  • Work Planner

If Exclude Aspirational Skills and Certs is deselected, Include Aspirational Skills and Certifications is automatically selected.

Note:

To exclude aspirational skills and certifications when using Resource Request Staffer, you must grant users Read permission for the Aspiration field on the Skill or Certification Rating object.

 False
Exclude Expired Skills and Certs No

If selected, a resource's skills and certifications are excluded when matching resources if their expiration date is on or before the resource request's end date. When this is selected, the Include Expired Skills and Certifications checkbox is automatically deselected in the Filters panel in the following places:

  • Resourcing tab on resource requests
  • Assign Multiple Resources to Project window on projects

If Exclude Expired Skills and Certs is deselected, Include Expired Skills and Certifications is automatically selected.

Note:

To exclude expired skills and certifications when using Resource Request Staffer, you must grant users Read permission for the Expiration Date field on the Skill or Certification Rating object.

 False
Filter Fields Priority Yes

Determines the priority of Role, RPG, and custom filter fields when matching and ranking resources with Intelligent Staffing. The default value is 1. The highest priority is 1, the next highest is 2, and so on.

Priority values must be unique. The Filter Fields Priority value must not be the same value as Skills Priority or Availability Priority.

 1
Group Weighting Yes Determines the importance of the resource matching the Group filter. Other possible values from most important to least important are Ideal, Desirable, and Suggested. Essential
Practice Weighting Yes Determines the importance of the resource matching the Practice filter. Other possible values from most important to least important are Ideal, Desirable, and Suggested. Essential
Region Weighting Yes Determines the importance of the resource matching the Region filter. Other possible values from most important to least important are Ideal, Desirable, and Suggested. Essential
Role Weighting Yes Determines the importance of the resource matching the Role filter. Other possible values from most important to least important are Ideal, Desirable, and Suggested. Essential
Skills Priority Yes

Determines the priority of skill ratings when matching and ranking resources with Intelligent Staffing. The default value is 2. The highest priority is 1, the next highest is 2, and so on.

Priority values must be unique. The Skills Priority value must not be not the same value as Filter Fields Priority or Availability Priority.

Note:

If Exclude Aspirational Skills and Certs or Exclude Expired Skills and Certs is selected, aspirational or expired skills are excluded when matching resources, regardless of skill ratings.

 2
Skill or Cert Rating: Required Statuses No

A comma-separated list of approval statuses that skill or certification ratings must have to be included in the resource matching process. By default, any status is valid. This determines the value on the Approval Status field in the Filters panel in the following places:

  • Resourcing tab on resource requests
  • Assign Multiple Resources to Project window on projects

For Resource Request Staffer, this determines the approval statuses that are included in the matching process.

Note:

To add statuses, you must replace All with the relevant statuses. For example, you must delete All and enter Approved,Submitted.

 All
Worked With Customer Weighting No Determines the importance of the resource matching the Worked With Customer filter. Essential means the Worked With Customer filter must match the field for the resource. Other possible values from most important to least important are Ideal, Desirable, and Suggested. Essential

The following from the highest to the lowest weighting represent the amount of weight to apply to a match.

Highest to Lowest Weighting Options
Option Description Default
Essential A resource must match on the attribute to be returned in the results. Essential is the highest possible weighting. Yes
Ideal A resource does not need to match on the attribute to be returned in the results. No
Desirable A resource does not need to match on the attribute to be returned in the results. No
Suggested A resource does not need to match on the attribute to be returned in the results. Suggested is the lowest possible weighting. No