Validity Period of Rules 

Use

You can restrict the validity of a rule to a specific period.

Features

The screen for editing rules contains the following fields that you can use to restrict the time validity of a rule:

·        Start Date of Validity of Rule

·        Start Time of Validity of Rule

·        End Date of Validity of Rule

·        End Time of Validity of Rule

The above-mentioned specifications are static. This means that they are features of the rule that you define when you configure the rule.

·        Reference Date

·        Reference Time

In the Reference Date and Reference Time fields you can store a BRF expression with result type D (for the reference date) and/or with result type T (for reference time).

The stored expressions are checked against the above-mentioned fields (Start Date, Start Time, and so on).

The following conditions apply:

¡        If you leave the Reference Date and Reference Time fields blank, the system uses the current date and the current time to determine whether the current rule should be considered or not. 

¡        If you store a BRF expression in the Reference Date and Reference Time fields, the system evaluates the BRF expressions to determine whether the current rule should be considered or not.

This is a way of implementing rules that are only applied in a specific period and based on a business event. This behavior is also known as „versioning“.

With such a date/time pair (start date/time, end date/time, reference date/time), you are not allowed to just fill the time field. However, you are allowed to specify a limit (like just the start or just the end). The other limit is then „unlimited“.

Example

·        The rule is valid from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004. No reference date has been specified.

The rule is always applied if the event in question is triggered within this period.

·        The rule is valid from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004. The reference date is given as being the receipt date of the invoice that needs to be checked.

¡        Receipt date of invoice = December 31, 2003; the invoice is checked on January 2, 2004.

The rule is not applied because the reference date (receipt date of invoice) is outside the validity period of the rule (even through the date of the program flow is within the validity period).

¡        Receipt date of invoice = December 31, 2004; the invoice is checked on January 2, 2005.

The rule is applied, because the reference date (receipt date of invoice) is within the validity period.