Creating and Managing Partner Programs

Administrators can create comprehensive partner tiering programs that define structured progression pathways with distinct tier levels, measurable qualification criteria, and progressive benefit frameworks. The Partner Program Tiers module provides flexible tools for building performance-based partner recognition systems that integrate seamlessly with existing opportunity, lead, and training management while supporting diverse partner types and business objectives.

Program creation enables administrators to design multi-tier partner experiences with configurable criterion types, automated progress calculation, and manual tier advancement controls that guide partners through achievement levels while maintaining administrative oversight and strategic control throughout the program lifecycle.

Requirements

To create and manage partner programs, users must be assigned a security role with one of the following permissions:

• Administrator System Role
• Users in Roles that have Additional Settings: Enable Partner Program Tiers Access

Activating the Partner Program Tiers Module

Before creating programs, the Partner Program Tiers module must be activated:

1. Navigate to Setup > Partner Management > Partner Program Tiers
2. Toggle the Enable Partner Program setting to active
3. Click Save

This activation enables access to all program configuration capabilities including program creation, tier definition, criterion configuration, benefit assignment, and partner enrollment management.

Creating a New Partner Program

Accessing Program Creation

1. Navigate to Setup > Partner Management > Partner Program Tiers
2. Click the Programs tab
3. Click New Program

Configuring Basic Program Properties

Configure the essential program settings that define how the program functions and appears to partners:

Name:

• Enter the program name (maximum 120 characters)
• Use clear, descriptive names that communicate the program's purpose and value proposition
• Examples: "Global Reseller Program 2025", "Connected Growth Program"
• Names appear in partner interfaces, navigation elements, and enrollment records

Description:

• Enter a comprehensive description of the program (maximum 512 characters)
• Provide context about program objectives, tier structure, and partner benefits
• Use engaging language that motivates partner participation and communicates value
• Descriptions are visible to enrolled partners and support internal program documentation

Currency:

• Select the base currency for all financial criteria within this program
• Currency selection establishes the evaluation standard for revenue-based criteria
• In multi-currency environments, the system automatically converts opportunity values to program currency during calculation
• Important: Changing currency on active programs triggers complete recalculation of all enrolled partner progress

Saving Initial Program Configuration

Click Save to create the basic program structure. This establishes the program foundation and enables access to advanced configuration options including tier creation, criterion definition, and benefit assignment capabilities.

Defining Program Tiers

After saving the initial program, you can define the achievement levels partners can reach within the program.

Adding Tiers

1. From the Program Details page, click New Tier
2. Maximum number tiers that can be added to a program are 6.
3. Configure the tier properties:

Tier Name:

• Enter the tier name (maximum 60 characters)
• Common naming conventions include: Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum, Launch/Build/Scale/Elevate, Member/Select/Premier/Elite
• Tier names should clearly communicate relative achievement levels

Sequence:

• Enter the tier sequence number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4)
• Sequence establishes tier hierarchy and progression order
• Lower numbers represent entry-level tiers; higher numbers represent top achievement levels

Badge:

• Upload or select a tier badge image from cloud assets
• Minimum image size: 100 x 100 pixels
• Badges provide visual tier differentiation in partner interfaces
• Partners display their tier badges in the Partner Programs tab

Description (Optional):

• Enter a brief description of the tier
• Describe tier significance, typical partner characteristics, or key benefits
• Descriptions provide context for partners and support internal program communication

3. Click Save to create the tier
4. Repeat this process for all tiers in your program

Configuring Tier Criteria

Criteria are the specific, measurable goals partners must meet to qualify for each tier. The Partner Program Tiers module supports six distinct criterion types, each with unique configuration requirements.

Understanding Criterion Types

1. Total Revenue

• Purpose: Measures cumulative opportunity revenue
• Data Source: Opportunity records
• Required Fields:
  • Rollup Field: Select the currency field from Opportunity that contains revenue amounts (e.g., Amount, Annual Revenue, Total Contract Value)
  • Attainment Date Field: Select the date/time field from Opportunity that determines when revenue is counted (e.g., Close Date, Created On)
• Filter Object: Opportunity fields
• Use Case: Annual Partner Revenue, Total Sales Volume, Quarterly Revenue Achievement

2. Approved Deal Registrations

• Purpose: Tracks approved lead registrations submitted by partners
• Data Source: Lead records
• Required Fields:
  • Attainment Date Field: Select the date/time field from Lead that determines when registrations are counted (e.g., Created On, Approval Date)
• Filter Object: Lead fields
• Use Case: Deal Registration Volume, Qualified Lead Submissions, Pipeline Generation Activity

3. Closed Deals

• Purpose: Counts successfully closed opportunities
• Data Source: Opportunity records
• Required Fields:
  • Attainment Date Field: Select the date/time field from Opportunity that determines when closures are counted (e.g., Close Date)
• Filter Object: Opportunity fields
• Use Case: Win Count, Successfully Closed Opportunities, Deal Closure Volume

4. Number of Deals Registered

• Purpose: Measures deal registration activity volume
• Data Source: Lead records
• Required Fields:
  • Attainment Date Field: Select the date/time field from Lead that determines when registrations are counted (e.g., Created On, Registration Date)
• Filter Object: Lead fields
• Use Case: Total Deal Registrations, Registration Activity Level, Lead Submission Count

5. Certifications

• Purpose: Monitors completion of designated training courses
• Data Source: Course Assignment records
• Required Fields:
  • Training Course: Select the specific training course that partners must complete
• Filter Object: Course Assignment fields
• Use Case: Sales Certifications Held, Technical Certification Count, Required Training Completion

6. Custom

• Purpose: Enables manual verification of qualitative requirements
• Data Source: Manual administrator verification
• Required Fields:
  • Unit of Measure: Select how the criterion is measured (Revenue, Percent, or other measurement types)
• Filter Object: None (manual verification)
• Use Case: Joint Business Plan Submission, Executive Sponsor Assignment, Partnership Agreement Signing, Webinar Hosting

Adding Criteria to Program

1. From the Program Details page, scroll to the Program Criteria section
2. Click Add Criterion
3. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) for the new criterion row
4. In the Edit Criterion dialog, configure the criterion:

Name:

• Enter a descriptive criterion name
• Use clear names that communicate what is being measured
• Examples: "Annual Partner Revenue", "Deal Registrations", "Sales Certifications Held"

Type:

• Select the criterion type from the dropdown:
  • Approved Deal Registrations
  • Certifications
  • Closed Deals
  • Number of Deals Registered
  • Total Revenue
  • Custom

Type-Specific Required Fields:

Based on your Type selection, configure the appropriate required fields:

For Total Revenue:

• Rollup Field: Select the Opportunity currency field to measure
• Attainment Date Field: Select the Opportunity date/time field to determine counting period

For Approved Deal Registrations or Number of Deals Registered:

• Attainment Date Field: Select the Lead date/time field to determine counting period

For Closed Deals:

• Attainment Date Field: Select the Opportunity date/time field to determine counting period

For Certifications:

• Training Course: Select the specific course from the lookup

For Custom:

• Unit of Measure: Select how the criterion is measured (Revenue, Percent, etc.)

Configuring Filter Logic

Filters enable you to focus calculations on specific records that meet your business requirements. Filters are available for all criterion types except Custom.

Adding Filters:

1. In the Edit Criterion dialog, locate the filter configuration section

2. The filter row contains three fields:

   • Stage (dropdown 1): Select the field from the relevant object (Opportunity, Lead, or Course Assignment based on criterion type)
   • Operator (dropdown 2): Select the comparison operator:
     • equals
     • not equals to
     • greater than
     • less than
     • less or equal
     • greater or equal
     • contains
     • does not contain
     • starts with
     • does not start with
   • Value (dropdown 3): Enter the comparison value

3. Click Add Filter to create additional filter conditions

4. Use the Filter Logic (optional) field to combine multiple conditions:

   • Enter logic like "1 and 2" to require both conditions
   • Enter logic like "1 or 2" to require either condition
   • Enter logic like "(1 and 2) or 3" for complex combinations
   • Leave blank if you have only one filter condition

Filter Examples:

Total Revenue - Only Count Closed Won Opportunities:

• Field: Stage
• Operator: equals
• Value: Closed Won

Deal Registrations - Only Count Approved Registrations:

• Field: Status
• Operator: equals
• Value: Approved

Certifications - Only Count Completed Courses:

• Field: Status
• Operator: equals
• Value: Completed

5. Click Save to apply the criterion configuration
6. Click Reset if you need to clear all filter conditions and start over

Defining Tier Threshold Values

After configuring the criterion properties and filters, define the qualification requirements for each tier:

1. In the Program Details page, locate the criterion row in the Program Criteria section
2. Enter threshold values in each tier column:
   • For numeric criteria (Total Revenue, Deal counts), enter the minimum value required
   • For Yes/No criteria (Custom criteria), select Yes or No from the dropdown
   • Leave values blank for tiers where the criterion does not apply

Example Threshold Configuration:

3. Click Save to apply the threshold configuration

Assigning Program Benefits

After defining tiers and criteria, assign benefits that partners receive at each tier level.

Prerequisites

Before assigning benefits to programs, you must create benefits in the central benefit library. See Defining and Assigning Program Benefits for complete benefit creation procedures.

Adding Benefits to Program

1. From the Program Details page, scroll to the Benefits section
2. Click Add Benefit
3. In the lookup field, search for and select the benefit from your library
4. The benefit appears as a new row with input columns for each tier

Note: If no benefits exist in the benefit library, the Add Benefit button will be grayed out. You must create benefits in the benefit library before they can be assigned to programs.

Configuring Tier-Specific Benefit Values

For each benefit row, enter appropriate values based on the benefit type:

For Percent Benefits (e.g., Margin Uplift):

• Enter percentage values (e.g., 5, 10, 15)
• System displays as percentage in partner view

For Revenue Benefits (e.g., MDF Allocation):

• Enter currency amounts (e.g., 5000, 20000, 50000)
• System displays with program currency symbol

For Yes/No Benefits (e.g., Partner Portal Access):

• Select Yes or No from dropdown
• System displays as binary availability

For Blank Values:

• Leave the field blank if that tier does not receive the benefit
• Blank values indicate benefit unavailability at that tier level

Example Benefit Configuration:

5. Repeat for all benefits you want to include in the program
6. Click Save

Activating a Program

Programs remain inactive until explicitly activated. Inactive programs cannot enroll partners and do not appear in partner interfaces.

Program Activation Process

1. Ensure all tiers, criteria, and benefits are configured correctly
2. On the Program Details page, click Actions > Edit
3. Check the Active checkbox in the Edit Program dialog
4. Click Save

Important: Activating a program triggers an initial recalculation for any enrolled partners and makes the program visible to partners with active enrollments.

Editing Active Programs

Active programs can be modified to adjust tier requirements, add new criteria, include additional benefits, or update program details.

Modifying Program Details

1. Navigate to Setup > Partner Management > Partner Program Tiers
2. Click the Programs tab
3. Click the program name to open Program Details
4. Click Actions > Edit
5. Modify the program Name, Description, or Status (Active/Inactive)
6. Click Save

Adding or Editing Criteria

1. From the Program Details page, locate the Program Criteria section
2. To add new criteria, click Add Criterion and configure as described above
3. To edit existing criteria, click the Edit button (pencil icon) beside the criterion
4. Modify criterion properties, filter logic, or tier threshold values
5. Click Save

Adding or Editing Benefits

1. From the Program Details page, locate the Benefits section
2. To add benefits, click Add Benefit and select from the library
3. To edit benefit values, simply update the tier-specific values in the benefit rows
4. Benefits can only be selected from the existing benefit library
5. Click Save

Deleting Criteria or Benefits

1. Locate the criterion or benefit you want to remove
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon) beside the row
3. Confirm the deletion
4. Click Save

Understanding Recalculation Logic

The Partner Program Tiers module uses an automated recalculation system to maintain accurate partner progress tracking while optimizing system performance.

5-Minute Delayed Recalculation

To improve performance and allow administrators to make multiple changes without triggering unnecessary jobs, the system uses a 5-minute delayed recalculation mechanism. When an administrator performs any of the following actions, the system schedules a recalculation to run in 5 minutes:

• Updating tier criteria (add, edit, delete, or change threshold values)
• Changing program currency
• Activating a program
• Changing a partner's enrollment date

If multiple changes occur within the 5-minute window, they are all processed by a single recalculation job, ensuring efficiency and preventing system overload.

Manual Recalculation

Administrators can trigger manual recalculation for individual partner enrollments:

1. Navigate to the specific enrollment detail page
2. Click the Recalculate button
3. The system immediately recalculates that partner's progress

Use manual recalculation when:

• Partners request current status visibility
• After correcting data issues affecting calculations
• Verifying that recent activities have been counted

Managing Program Currency

Currency management is a critical aspect of program configuration, particularly for organizations operating in multi-currency environments.

Program Currency Selection

• Each program must have a designated base currency
• Currency establishes the evaluation standard for all revenue-based criteria
• In multi-currency environments, the system automatically converts opportunity values to program currency during calculation

Changing Program Currency

When changing currency on an active program:

1. Navigate to Program Details
2. Click Actions > Edit
3. Select the new Currency from the dropdown
4. Click Save

Important Considerations:

• Changing currency triggers complete recalculation of all enrollments using the new currency
• All revenue-based criteria are re-evaluated with the new currency standard
• Partner progress and tier qualification status may change after recalculation
• Communicate currency changes to enrolled partners proactively

Multi-Currency Environment Handling

In multi-currency environments:

• Partners' opportunities may be in different currencies than the program currency
• The system automatically converts opportunity values to program currency during calculation
• Currency conversion ensures fair evaluation regardless of opportunity currency
• Conversion uses standard Magentrix currency conversion rates

Program Deactivation

Deactivate programs that are no longer active while preserving historical data:

1. Navigate to Program Details
2. Click Actions > Edit
3. Uncheck the Active checkbox
4. Click Save

Effects of Deactivation:

• Prevents new partner enrollments
• Preserves existing enrollment data and historical progress
• Maintains tier placement records for reporting
• Partners can still view their enrollment history

Best Practices and Recommendations

Program Design Strategy

Balanced Tier Structures: Design tier progression that balances aspiration with attainability. Entry-level tiers should have requirements that new partners can reasonably achieve within one enrollment period, while higher tiers set stretch goals that motivate sustained performance improvement.

Criterion Diversity: Combine quantitative criteria (revenue, deal counts) with qualitative requirements (certifications, custom criteria) to encourage well-rounded partner development that extends beyond pure sales performance.

Meaningful Thresholds: Set threshold values that create clear differentiation between tiers. Avoid minimal threshold differences that make tier progression feel arbitrary or insignificant.

Filter Logic Validation

Thorough Testing: Test criterion filter logic before program activation by creating test enrollments with known data sets, verifying calculations match manual counts, and adjusting filters until accurate.

Common Filter Examples:

• Only count Closed Won opportunities: Stage equals "Closed Won"
• Exclude internal opportunities: Account Type not equals "Internal"
• Only approved registrations: Status equals "Approved"

Filter Logic Syntax: Use parentheses for complex logic: "(1 and 2) or (3 and 4)" to combine multiple conditions appropriately.

Operational Management

Pre-Activation Verification: Before activating programs, verify all tiers have complete threshold values, benefits are properly assigned, and filter logic is tested and accurate.

Regular Program Review: Monitor tier distribution patterns to identify whether progression pathways are balanced, criteria thresholds remain appropriate, and benefit values provide meaningful differentiation.

Clear Documentation: Maintain internal documentation of criterion logic, filter rationale, and threshold setting methodology to support consistent program management as personnel changes occur.

Limitations and Considerations

Manual Tier Advancement Only: The system does not automatically advance partners to higher tiers even when qualification criteria are met. Administrators must manually edit enrollments to change tier placement, ensuring strategic control over partner progression.

Currency Lock for Enrollments: Once a partner is enrolled in a program, the program currency cannot be changed without triggering recalculation. Plan currency selection carefully before enrolling partners.

Primary User Access Dependency: Progress calculations depend entirely on the Primary Partner User's data access permissions. Restrictive access causes undercounting of partner activities.

Custom Criteria Manual Verification: Custom criteria require manual administrator verification and do not automatically calculate based on system data.

Troubleshooting Tips

Partner Progress Not Calculating:

• Verify the partner has an active enrollment with current dates
• Check Primary Partner User data access permissions
• Review filter logic for overly restrictive conditions
• Verify activities occurred within enrollment period
• Trigger manual recalculation from enrollment details

Criteria Not Including Expected Records:

• Review Attainment Date Field selection
• Verify filter logic syntax and values
• Check that records meet all filter conditions
• Confirm Rollup Field selection for revenue criteria

Add Benefit Button Grayed Out:

• Verify benefits exist in the benefit library
• Check if all existing benefits are already assigned
• Create new benefits in the library if needed

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