= The Concepts =
In bxp software (bxp) an outbound campaign is the process of working through records one after the other, to achieve the campaign goal. There is a distribution engine in bxp which enables those records to be given out in a controlled manner. Queue Management is the collective term given to the management of this process.
= Lexicon (Key Terms) - Basics =
The first and single unit is a '''Record''', a '''CDA''' (Campaign DAta). This is usually based on a Noun, a person, place or thing. This can be likened to a row of data in an Excel spreadsheet.
Every contact with a Record is called a '''Contact''', a '''CCL''' (Campaign CaLl). This is a record of the interaction with the CDA.
Every CDA has two key fields. A Status (strCDA_X_Status) and a Count of Attempts to be in touch with that record (intCDA_X_NoOfAttempts).
* '''Status''' : strCDA_X_Status contains the last outcome used
* '''Attempts''' : intCDA_X_NoOfAttempts contains the total number of contacts (CCLs) had with this CDA.
When a volume of records are loaded en mass into a Form, they are given an initial Status of "Imported" and an initial number of Attempts as 0.
Records can be represented in a grid layout. On the vertical axis is the Status. On the horizontal axis is the number of Attempts.
[[File:Queue_management_001.png|800px]]
As can be seen in the grid, we have 500 records with Status = Imported and Attempts = 0
We also have Status = Imported and Attempts = 1 which has 0 records in it.
Each one of these groups of Status and Attempts is called a '''Stack'''. Imagine the records, as record cards piled up in a big stack on a table.
= Lexicon (Key Terms) - Operation - Management =
bxp as a system must be told which records the users are to work on. The stacks to work on can be queued up. e.g.
# Work through all Status = Imported and Attempts = 0
# Then work through all Status = Imported and Attempts = 1
This is called the '''Queue'''. '''Queue Management''' is the process of selecting a number of stacks to work on.
To set the queue use [[Outbound_-_Queue_Management#Set_the_current_working_outcome]]
The top item in the list of the queue is the '''Current Working Outcome'''
To view what has been queued up to work on [[Outbound_-_Queue_Management#View_contact_queue]]
As an outcome is used they will increase the amount of items on the vertical axis.
= Lexicon (Key Terms) - Operation - Processing =
One the queue has been set, records will be distributed sequentially to users.
For a user to take a record they use ''Main Menu > Outbound Contact > My Data > Make an Outbound Contact > Choose the Form >'' They will be presented with the first record in the stack
If you review the queue before an outcome has been chosen, a new Status and Attempt count will have appeared.
[[File:Queue_management_002.png|800px]]
'''Taken to process''' is a system generated Status to flag that the record has been distributed. You can see that the Attempts have increased to 1.
When a user chooses an outcome and updates the record they were working on, the record is said to '''return to the stack'''. In this example the outcome "To be called" was used.
[[File:Queue_management_003.png|800px]]
= Lexicon (Key Terms) - Operation - Outcomes =
For any campaign records will need to be contacted again or not. This gives rise to outcomes being of one of two existences
* Finished
* Incomplete
Each outcome can be set individually to flag is the record '''Finished (Complete)''', i.e. we're not to bother queuing it up again, or is it '''Incomplete (Incomplete)''', it should be queued up again in the future.
''Main Menu > Form Management > Outcome Manager > Outcome - Edit > Choose the Form > Choose the Outcome > Basic Details > Display Category''
= Queue Management functions =