Import Custom Constraints

You can import custom constraints from:

  • Categorical Alternative Attributes - establish strategic buckets for use use in "Balance and Coverage" analysis and to for use as a constraint
  • Numerical Alternative Attributes - useful as constraints and for analysis

Navigate to Allocate > Custom Constraints, then click the Import Custom Constraints button:


From Categorical Alternative Attributes (Strategic Buckets)

You can view and manage alternative attributes from the Alternatives or Strategic Buckets pages. 

For example, from the Strategic Buckets page below we see an attribute named "Time frame" with Short, Medium, and Long term category items:

To import the Time Frame attribute as a custom constraint, select Import Custom Constraints > From Categorical Attribute... 

You can link any custom constraint that came from an Alternative Attribute to its source attribute as "Auto-Updating" (Read-Only). 

When this option is checked, any updates to the attribute will automatically update the constraint.  The constraints in the Allocate Main grid will be disabled for editing (Read-only).

When "Auto-Updating" is unchecked, when you want to update or reload the constraints, use the  button.  This button is also available in the Allocate Main Grid

Custom constraints that are linked to an alternative attribute have a blue chain icon when auto-updating is checked, and a gray chain icon  when auto-updating is unchecked.  You can click the icon to toggle on and off.

When creating custom constraints created from a categorical alternative attribute, all attribute categories are selected by default. You can create a separate custom constraint for each categorical alternative or, by deselecting some categories, a sub-set of the attribute categories.  In the image below, all the categories of the Sponsor attribute are selected and a separate constraint will be created for each category.

In the image below, the Long, Medium, and Short constraints belong to the Alternative Attribute named "Timeframe."  When a project has a particular alternative attribute, a "1" will be placed in the appropriate column.  The primary purposes of this is to get a count and to allow for balance and coverage constraints (the totals and constraint rows are not shown in the image below).  For example, you can constrain the portfolio to fund a minimum of 3 projects for each of Long, Medium, or Short timeframe.

From Numerical Alternative Attributes

Navigate to Allocate > Custom Constraints, then click the Import Custom Constraints button and select From Numerical Attribute:

Then select the desired custom constraint to import.