Ranked Assignment Overview

Ranked Assignments Options Overview

After adding candidates and selecting an assignment maximum, the ranked assignment’s options can be configured. Configuring options allows an administrator to fine-tune the algorithm used to assign candidates to facilities. For each ranked assignment, the following options are available:

•     Iterations: This value is the number of times the algorithm runs during the entire ranked assignment process. Increasing or decreasing iterations may affect the assignment results.

The default value is 30. If the value is cleared, the algorithm will use a value of 30.

•     Max Number of Moves Per Iteration: This value is the maximum number of candidate moves that can occur per iteration of the algorithm. Setting this value ensures that the algorithm does not run indefinitely.

The default value is 30. If the value is cleared, the algorithm will use a value of 30.

•     Better Matches Found: This value is the minimum number of better matches required (during an iteration) to initiate the move process of the iteration. When the algorithm begins an iteration, it attempts to find better matches (to move candidates to a better-matching location).

•     Minimum Number of Moves Per Iteration: This value is the minimum number of moves attempted during the move process of an iteration. If the Better Matches Found condition is satisfied, and the move process is about to initiate, the algorithm will attempt to perform the minimum number of moves. The default value is 30. If the value is cleared, the algorithm will use a value of 30.

•     Assignment Maximum: This option defines the assignment maximum used for the algorithm. Only assignment maximums for the current term or later are available. Assignment maximums for past terms are excluded.

•     Disregard Gender: When this option is not checked, all spaces and patrons are split into separate data sets based on the patron genders and the gender limits of the assignment maximum for separate assignments. When checked, the data sets are combined together.

•     Allow Max Preference Rank: This option enables the Maximum Preference Rank field.

•     Maximum Preference Rank: This value defines the maximum patron preference rank to be used in the assignment. If set to 5, the algorithm will ignore preferences that are not in a patron’s top five. Any patrons that cannot be assigned to one of their top five locations are considered failed assignments.

Run a Ranked Assignment Batch

After configuring options for a ranked assignment batch, use the following procedure to run the ranked assignment process from the Ranked Assignments tab of the Automatic Assignment page:

1.  Select Automatic Assignment from the Assignment section of the Patron menu. The List of Assignment Batches grid is displayed in the Search tab on the Automatic Assignment page.

2.  If necessary, search for an assignment batch.

3.  Click  Select on the desired ranked assignment batch, and then select the Ranked Assignment tab.

4.  Click Run to process the ranked assignment batch and display the proposed assignments. The process may take up to a minute to begin running.

When the process is running, a Run Status window will be displayed on the screen. The Run Status window includes real-time information about the ranked assignment algorithm’s process. The window may display the current settings for the batch, the success rate of each assignment, and the total statistics for the batch.

Once the ranked assignment process has finished running, the Job Finished message will be displayed at the bottom of the Run Status window. Information in the Run Status window can be viewed at any time by visiting the Ranked Assignment History page.

5.  After the ranked assignment process has been run, the results statistics can be viewed on the Ranked Assignment Results page.