Calculation Results

The calculation is typically run at least once per calendar period. This generates results data that can be viewed for each phase based on compensation processing for each period. Using the associated results workspaces, compensation can be tracked from transactions to payments for specific periods.

Once a calculation is run, the Pipeline Details pane displays a summary of results, as well as information regarding Stage Statistics, Errors and Logs.

The Stage Statistics tab shows information about the processing of each individual stage.

The Errors tab shows brief information about any errors produced by the pipeline run. If you see an error, this tab shows specific information that helps with troubleshooting.

The Logs tab contains links to each log file generated by the pipeline. As we saw earlier, each stage produces a log file. You can use log files to help diagnose pipeline and rule behavior, and to browse errors, warnings, and processing statistics.

To view log files from the Pipeline Results workspace:

1. Select the Logs tab
2. Expand the stage containing the log you wish to see.
3. Select the link to the log file.

This downloads the log as a text file.

Once the calculation is complete, the results of the compensation rules can be viewed in their respective workspaces. Results data is associated with the period for which the pipeline was run.

Each type of compensation rule has its own results workspace, which is populated with the output for each position assignment for the period. You can see the results workspaces under the Calculation menu.

Some results can be edited manually in the workspace, while others can only be updated by updating a rule and re-running Compensate and Pay.

Editable results are Orders, Transactions, Credits, and Deposits.

Read-only results are Measurements, Incentives, Commissions, and Payments.

The final result of the Compensate and Pay Sequence is either a Payment or a Balance.

A Payment is the amount that is paid out for the period, taking into account outstanding balances from prior periods and other adjustments.

Deposits with the same Position Assignment, Period, and Earning Group are combined to create a single Payment. Payments also incorporate outstanding balances from prior periods. As a result, it is possible for the value of the Payment to be different from the value of the Deposit for a period.

A Balance is the difference between the amount paid and the amount owed to a payee. This may be simply because the payment amount is negative. However, a Balance can be negative or positive.

One reason a balance can be generated is if a result is calculated for a period that has been finalized. Since by definition no new payments can be generated for a finalized period, that amount will be generated as a balance, which is then applied to the payment for the next unfinalized period.

Keep in mind that payments are in the context of the Position, not the Participant.

Post and Finalize are additional calculation stages that are run after Compensate and Pay.

Post: During the Post stage, payments and balances from the Pay stage are permanently stored. Each posted payment represents a payout to a participant. This stage is generally run only once at the end of the period, although it can be run multiple times if needed.

Key points regarding the post stage:

• The Post stage should be run only after Compensate and Pay.
• Once a payment or balance has been marked as posted, it can’t be reset.
• If you rerun the Pay stage for payments that are marked as posted, the Post stage creates a new posted payment.
• Once a payment has been posted, it can't be modified.
• Post can be run for a specific Position Group.

Finalize: Finalizing a period stops any new compensation from being paid in the current period. Further transactions, credits, or deposits can be processed in a finalized period, but any values that are calculated are marked as a balance for payment, in the next open period.

Key points regarding the Finalize stage:

• The Finalize stage should be run only after Post has been run.
• No new payments can be generated for a period that has been finalized.
• Finalize can be run for a specific Position Group.

Both Post and Finalize have an Undo option. However, it’s important to be careful with this feature, as it only affects the most recent Pipeline run.

Payments And Balances Example

The following example demonstrates how five different Calculations impact payments and balances over time:

1. The first calculation generates a posted payment of $100 for January. This means that the Post process has been run, and $100 has been sent to payroll.
2. The second calculation shows that additional earnings need to be paid for January. This is an incremental deposit. Because the original $100 has been posted, it cannot be modified. Compensate and Pay is rerun, followed by Post. The incremental amount is posted and the additional payment of $20 will be paid for January. Finalized was also run, so no additional payment is made for January.
3. The third calculation identifies a trial payment of $200 for February. This payment has not yet been posted, so no actual payment has been made. This means this amount can still be modified.
4. The fourth calculation, while done in March, is for the January period. The deposit indicates that an additional $10 should have been applied in January. Since January is already finalized, this amount is stored as a balance, which can be applied to the next open period (February in this case).
5. The fifth calculation shows that earnings for February remain at $200, but when Pay and Post are run, the $10 balance is applied resulting in a payment of $210 for February.

Transactions, Credits, and Deposits can be manually created, modified, or adjusted.

Data can be:

• Imported from source systems
• Entered manually through the user interface
• Credits and Deposits calculated by plan rules

Many reasons to manually enter or adjust information exist. Some examples are:

• A transaction wasn't created before the end of the compensation period, preventing the payee from receiving a bonus or accelerated commission.
• A transaction was preassigned to the wrong payee.
• Management would like to split a credit between the original payee and another person who helped with a sale.
• The CEO would like to pay an ad-hoc bonus to a small set of payee outside of the compensation plan rules.

• The first time you run Compensate and Pay in each period, run in Full Mode.
• Before running Post, always run Compensate and Pay in Full Mode.
• Only use Advanced Logging when testing or troubleshooting.
• Make sure any errors that come up in testing are resolved before moving to production.