Certain optimization rules allow you to specify offer versions as part of your rule definition. This allows you to write a query that determines the exact set of offer versions to which a particular rule applies. For example, rather than applying a rule to any version of the "Gold credit card" offer, you may want to apply it only to the versions of that offer where the "go to interest" rate is below the current prime rate, where "go to interest" is a parameterized attribute of the "Gold credit card" offer. You can create a query based on any offer attributes and specify the exact version(s) of an offer that are included in the scope of the rule, for example, go_to_interest_rate < 5.

An offer version is a unique instance of an offer that is created by using parameterized offer attributes. A parameterized offer attribute is an offer attribute for which a user can provide a unique value when the offer is used in a marketing campaign. Each unique permutation of offer attributes creates a new offer version. For example, if the "Gold credit card" offer had two parameterized offer attributes called "promo interest rate" and "go to interest" rate, and the first could have a value of 0% or 2.9% and the latter could be 18.9% or 21.9%, there could be a total of 4 offer versions created:

You could then write a rule that limits the number of 0% interest promo rate offers your company will give out in any given 30-day period. (The values for a non-parameterized offer attribute are predefined as part of the offer.)

For example, the Campaign administrator may create a parameterized offer attribute named Card Type in an offer template. When a user assigns the offer to a cell in Campaign (for example, in the Optimize Process), that user provides a value for the offer attribute—Gold or Silver, or any other value that makes sense.

In certain rules in Optimize, you can then search for these offer versions. For example, you could create a Customers In rule whose scope will include all items of type Gold (Card Type=Gold). You include an offer version in your rule by using the offer versions query builder, which allows you to choose the values for offer attributes to which the rule will apply.

For more information on parameterized offer attributes, see the IBM® UnicaCampaign Administrator’s Guide.

For more information on offer versions, see the IBM® UnicaCampaign User’s Guide.