Cascading

Learn more about cascading plans

What is Cascading?

Sometimes, the output generated from one or more Plans needs to be used as input to another Plan. This feature of using one Plan’s output in another Plan is called cascading.

Need for Cascading

By default, cascading is turned off as a feature. It can be turned on by sending a request for the same to the Empuls team.

If the incentive structure has multiple subincentives that are to be added up to a singular final reward, then cascading will be needed. The output of individual Plans for each vertical will be used as input for the final Plan, which will have the total incentives.

Cascading may end up complicating the plans for a non-technical user if they are overused and not needed.

Additionally, any changes must be propagated to all the metrics and Plans in the cascade, deriving directly or indirectly from the modified metric/Plan. This may increase the time taken to implement changes. So, it is vital to use cascading ONLY when needed.

How Cascading works

The essence of cascading lies in the “Views” and Metrics. Whenever a Plan is created with the cascading enabled, a View of the same name is also created.

This View of the Plan shows all the data generated by the Plan, along with the metrics used in the Plan.

Now, in a particular Plan, the rewards within a single milestone can be denoted by Reward 1, Reward 2, and Reward 3…, in order of their occurrence in the milestone.

So, if a particular reward is at the second position in each milestone, we can get its value as a metric by summating Points and so on for each milestone.

The view used to create this reward will be the Plan from which we want to sum the reward, i.e. the view that was automatically generated when the Plan was created with the same name as the Plan.

These metrics can then be used in another Plan to get another value by applying a formula, using it as a task condition, or displaying it as it is.

A chain of such Plans and their derived metrics will form a visual branch-like structure, with views at the bottom-most level. The below-shown screenshot shows what a simple 2- level cascading looks like.

It will be discussed in depth in the latter part of the documentation.

Processing of Plans in a cascaded structure

When Plans are to be processed in a cascaded structure, the Plans in the lower layer are to be processed first, and then, based on their output, the Plans in the higher levels are calculated.

So, in a scenario where new/updated data is uploaded, the Plans must be reprocessed. However, manually reprocessing/recalculating each plan can be tiresome.

The simple process is to click on the three-dot options menu for the Plan at the top level and then click on view incentives. From there, re-calculate this Plan at the highest level in the cascade. This will reprocess all the Plans beneath it with the updated data.

In a case where multiple plans are at the highest level, this reprocessing is not directly possible, as there are multiple branches for multiple Plans. Although this scenario is rare, it is still possible.

You can ask the backend team to set up ARP or Auto ReProcessing to combat this. Here, the Plans will be reprocessed at fixed intervals, as you mentioned.

For the system to know which Plans to reprocess, you need to provide the team with the ID of the Plan group(s) that you want to be reprocessed periodically. This eliminates the need to manually recalculate the Plans from the “View Incentives” tab.

Plan views for Cascading

As mentioned above, the views are automatically created when a Plan is created with the same name as the Plan. However, plan names are editable even after the plan has been published.

So, if the Plan name is changed, the view for that Plan will still have the same name. It is advised to keep a log of the plan’s original name and subsequent changes so as to know which view is correct.

Backtracking/Debugging

There may arise a need to backtrack on the so-called cascading structure. Or, if you encounter an error and need to know exactly which Plan in the flow is causing the error.

Backtracking means mapping out the structure such that one can understand which Plans are made from which metrics and those metrics are made from which Plans.

To backtrack, start with the topmost level of the Plan in the cascade. Then, note down all the metrics used in this Plan, including the ones in task conditions and the reward.

For each of these metrics, look them up in the metric section and open them. Note the view/connection used to create this metric. This view refers to the Plan of the same name, where the metric was created.

Now repeat the process on the Plan/ Plans in the above steps. Different metrics in a Plan may be generated from the same Plan/view or from different ones.

Repeat this process till one reaches the metrics that were made using the initial user-event view. All the structure branches must end in a view that is not directly generated by a Plan.

This structure will help one understand where the calculation issue is occurring and where to make the changes to correct it.

Documentation for ease of use

Cascading can get a bit complex for Admins to remember, especially if it is for a complex incentive structure. If that is the case, it makes sense to have it documented so as to be able to replicate it when needed.

The above image shows that the cascade structure is mapped out in the visual format.

The View - “April 22” is the initial user-event view.

Four metrics are made from that view using some logic, so we can say that all metrics are derived from the same view.

Each of these metrics is for a different incentives vertical. The metrics are used in respective plans to generate four rewards using different logic.

Now, these 4 Plans will generate a view with the same name, and from the view, we can create the subsequent metrics. These metrics are made as a sum of the reward in which the reward is given in each milestone, such as a sum of points, the sum of scores, etc.

They denote the total summation of rewards for that particular vertical from all milestones. These four metrics, denoting each milestone, are then used in a final Plan, which sums them all up to display the individual reward from each vertical and the total reward.

One can also add the view or Plan ID and the names to facilitate searching when needed. The Plan ID can be found by opening the Plan, clicking on it, and then getting the alphanumeric code at the end of the URL.

Mapping this out also allows the admins to have a visual view of the structure from the backend, facilitating clarity and ease of access to Plans, metrics and views.

In this scenario, cascading is necessary, as there are four different KPIs with different logic for reward calculation. With straightforward KPIs, it would be preferable not to use cascading.

How to make a plan a cascaded one?

You can choose to make a Plan a cascaded one, i.e., a view will be created for it. In the settings tab of plan creation, select the checkbox shown below to make the cascaded Plan, or uncheck it to keep it a simple Plan.

When making a cascaded Plan, you can use either the same or a new one.

If the logic or metrics do not change, you need not create the metrics for the subsequent Plans, only if you are using an existing view.

Need help? Reach out to your support team or [e-mail].