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7 Creating a Rules Based Regular Pricing Run
This chapter provides step-by-step guidance for completing the Scope stage, reviewing the Business Rules stage, and triggering optimization for a Rules Based Regular Pricing run. It also explains how batch and What-If runs differ in practice.
Scope Definition
The Scope stage is the first stage of the run workflow where you define the scope of the optimization and select the pricing strategy to apply. Navigate to the Scope stage by opening a run from the Run Overview workspace. If the run has just been created, it opens directly at the Scope stage.
The following fields must be completed for a Rules Based Regular Pricing run:
Table 7-1 Field - Description
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Season | The retail season for which prices are being optimized. Select from the list of active seasons configured in the system. The season drives the set of items included in scope. |
| Merchandise | The merchandise hierarchy node to optimize. Select the department, class, or subclass you want recommendations for. All items within the selected node and season are in scope. |
| Location / Price Zone | The location scope for the run. Select a price zone or location hierarchy node. All items in the selected merchandise node are optimized for the selected location scope. |
| Effective Week | The pricing week for which the recommended prices will be effective. LPO generates recommendations to be implemented during this week. |
| Strategy | The pricing strategy containing the N/F rules to apply during optimization. For batch runs, this defaults to DEFAULT_SET. For What-If runs, select a custom strategy. F rules in the selected strategy are ignored. |
| Best Feasible Solution | Best Feasible Solution is enabled by default for Rules Based Regular Pricing because recommendations are based on resolving rule conflicts rather than forecast-driven optimization objectives. |
The remaining fields, such as Start Week, End Week, and Base Period, are applicable only to Forecast-Based Regular Pricing and are disabled for Rules Based Regular Pricing.
After completing all required fields, click Save or Next to advance to the Business Rules stage.
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Table 7-2 (Cont.) Auto Approval Thresholds
| Configuration | Purpose |
|---|---|
| PRO_REG_AUTOAPPROVE_RECOM_BELOW_C HG | Auto approves when the absolute difference from the last regular price is below the configured threshold. |
A batch push job picks up Auto Approved and Export Failed recommendations from the integration view for downstream processing. Recommendations in Export Success status should not be pushed again.
Note
Auto Approved recommendations cannot be selected for price override, date override, accept/reject, review/submit/approve, undo review, or undo approve actions.
When the run reaches Ready for Review, compare the What-If results against the batch run using the Compare Runs feature.
If the What-If results are preferable, the Pricing Manager can finalize the run to promote the What-If recommendations to replace the active batch recommendations.
Recommendation Effective Date Timing
Recommendation effective dates are controlled separately from the batch job schedule. Rules Based Regular Pricing uses timing configuration to determine the earliest date when a recommendation can take effect for an item.
Table 7-3 Recommendation Effective Date Timing - Parameters
| Configuration | Purpose |
|---|---|
| PRO_REG_MIN_DAYS_SINCE_LAST_REG | Minimum number of days to wait since the last regular price change before another regular price recommendation can take effect. |
| PRO_REG_MIN_DAYS_SINCE_LAST_PROMO | Minimum number of days to wait after the previous promotion before a regular price recommendation can take effect. |
| PRO_REG_MIN_DAYS_TO_EXECUTE | Minimum lead time required to execute a regular price recommendation. |
| PRO_REG_START_DAY | Preferred day of the week for regular price recommendations to take effect. |
Re-optimization and Failed Runs
If a run fails, error details are available in the Contextual Panel on the Run Overview workspace and in the run log. Common causes include incomplete or invalid scope parameters, no items found in scope for the selected combination, or strategy rules with missing or invalid configuration values.
To re-optimize a failed run, correct the underlying issue then select the run and choose Actions > Optimize. Re-optimization is also available for runs in Ready for Review status when you
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have updated the pricing strategy or underlying business rules and want to regenerate recommendations with the updated rules. Re-optimizing replaces the previous recommendations for the run.
Working with Batch Runs
Batch runs are created automatically by the LPO scheduling engine on a configured frequency, typically weekly, aligned with the retailer’s pricing cycle. The batch run uses the DEFAULT_SET strategy and generates recommendations for all merchandise and location combinations in scope.
As a Pricing Analyst, your interaction with batch runs typically begins when a run reaches Ready for Review status. You can also create an what-if run using the DEFAULT_SET strategy to generate recommendations outside the scheduled batch cycle. The process is identical to creating any regular run, with the DEFAULT_SET strategy selected.
Creating and Finalizing a What-If Run
A What-If run lets you test an alternate strategy or rule configuration without affecting the live recommendation set. To create and finalize a What-If run:
1. From the Run Overview, create a new run. Select Regular as the run type and What-If as the run mode.
2. At the Scope stage, select the same scope as the current batch run you want to compare against.
3. In the Strategy field, select the custom What-If strategy you want to test.
4. Complete the scope, review the Business Rules stage, and trigger optimization.
5. Open the completed run, select Finalize, handle any existing finalized-run conflict, and confirm the impact on the active recommendation set.
Run Results
The Results stage is where you review the price recommendations generated by the Rules Based Regular Pricing engine. Access the Results stage by opening a run in Ready for Review status and clicking the Results step in the Process Train. This chapter describes the layout, components, and analytical tools available on the Results screen.
Results Screen Layout
The Results screen is divided into three main areas:
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Results Tiles : summary metric tiles at the top of the screen providing an aggregate view of the recommendations for the run.
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Recommendation Table : a detailed, item-level table listing every item in scope with its current price and the LPO recommended price.
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Contextual Panel : on the right side of the screen, showing detailed information for the selected item including price path, rule applications, and margin data.
You can also switch between Chart View and Table View for the Recommendation Table. Chart View provides a visual distribution of price change magnitudes across the run.
Result tiles summarize the optimization output at a high level. For Rules Based Regular Pricing runs, the following tiles are displayed:
Rules Based Regular Pricing User Guide G58167-03 Copyright© 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Table 7-4 Tile - Description
| Tile | Description |
|---|---|
| Regular | Total number of regular price recommendations generated for this run. |
| Price Increase | Count and percentage of recommendations where the recommended price is higher than the current regular price. |
| Price Decrease | Count and percentage of recommendations where the recommended price is lower than the current regular price. |
| No Change | Count and percentage of recommendations where the recommended price equals the current regular price. |
| Violations | Count of recommendations where at least one soft rule could not be fully satisfied. Best Feasible Solution was applied for these items. |
| No Recommendation | Count of items in scope for which no recommendation was generated, for example items with hard rule conflicts that could not be resolved. |
Note
The Revenue, Gross Margin, and Volume tiles visible in Forecast-Based Regular Pricing runs are not populated for Rules Based runs. These metrics require demand forecast data and may appear grayed out depending on your configuration.
Recommendation Table
The Recommendation Table lists every item in scope with its recommendation details. Key columns include Item (description and number), Current Regular Price, Recommended Price, Price Change (absolute and percentage), List Margin % at the recommended price, a Violations indicator, and Status. Click any row to select an item and update the Contextual Panel. Use Manage Columns from the View menu to add or remove columns. Sort and filter using column headers and the Query Builder.
Price Path
The Price Path is a time-line chart displayed in the Contextual Panel when an item is selected on the Results screen. It shows the item’s price history and the recommended future price in a visual format, making it easy to assess whether the recommendation is consistent with the item’s historical pricing pattern.
The Price Path chart shows historical regular prices over recent weeks, the recommended price for the Effective Week shown as a point on the time-line, and the current regular price as a reference line. Hover over data points to see price values and dates. The Price Path helps analysts quickly identify outlier recommendations that fall significantly outside the item’s normal price range.
Rules Based Regular Pricing User Guide G58167-03 Copyright© 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Rules Panel and Violated Rules
The Rules Panel is displayed in the Contextual Panel below the Price Path when an item is selected. It shows the full list of N/F rules evaluated for the selected item during optimization, along with their outcomes:
-
Satisfied : the recommended price fully satisfies this rule.
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Violated : the recommended price does not satisfy this rule. For soft rules, this means the Best Feasible Solution was applied. A hard-rule violation typically indicates a data or configuration issue that should be investigated.
-
Not Applicable : the rule exists in the strategy but does not apply to this specific item based on the rule criteria.
For each violated rule, the Rules Panel shows the rule code, the rule’s target or threshold, and the actual value at the recommended price. This detail helps analysts understand why a specific recommendation was made and whether to reject it, update the price, or proceed with review.
No Recommendation and Show No Recom
Items for which LPO could not generate a recommendation are marked with a No Recommendation status. Common reasons include hard rule conflicts where all candidate prices violate at least one hard constraint, insufficient data such as no competitor price available for a competitor match rule, or the item falling outside the merchandise or location criteria of all rules in the selected strategy.
By default, No Recommendation items are hidden from the Recommendation Table to focus the analyst’s view on actionable items. To display them, select Show No Recom from the View menu or the table toolbar toggle. No Recommendation items cannot be reviewed, submitted, approved, or exported. They must be resolved through data correction or rule configuration changes, after which the run should be re-optimized.
Rules Based Regular Pricing User Guide G58167-03 Copyright© 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates.