Enter Assay Rules for a Set of Contract Terms
Security Note: You need the Allow contract maintenance security right in the Contracts domain security rights group for this activity.
Activity Steps
- Open the Sales Contract or Purchase Contract.
- Expand the required set of contract terms.
- Select the Assay Rules node.
- Complete the following fields in the Assays Rules field group.
- Default Settlement Type—Default method to determine which assays are considered when settling disputes between the buyer and the seller. See Assay Rules for more information. Select from:
- By Weighted Average Total
- By Lot (default)
- By Composite Sample
- Default Settlement Method—Default method to determine the final assay if the difference between the buyer and seller results is within the Splitting Limit defined for the analyte. Select from:
- Maximum
- Minimum
- Average Buyer and Seller (default)
- Buyer Result
- Seller Result
- Final Weighing Location—This setting has no effect. The effective final weighing location is controlled by the Despatch Fulfilment Type of the despatch order.
- Default Final Assay Location—Location at which the final assay is to take place if there are no analyte settlement rules. Also used as the default final assay location for analyte settlement rules. Select from:
- At Loading Location
- At Border
- At Destination Location
- Average of Loading and Unloading
- No Assays Required
- Default Laboratories—Laboratories to which samples can be sent. If laboratories are specified, when entering composite, lot, discrete unit (DU) lot or package samples, analyte values and a sample date can be entered for each laboratory. For lot, DU lot or package samples, the analyte columns are grouped by laboratory. The average (that is, the mean) of values for each analyte displays. The value that matches the (Default) Multi-Lab Settlement Method is underlined and is the only downstreamed value until the assay exchange. Select from the organisations and companies defined on the Organisations panel of the Solution Explorer and that have the Organisation Role of Laboratories.
- Default Settlement Laboratory—Laboratory for which to use the sample and assay values by default if the (Default) Multi-Lab Settlement Method is Default Laboratory. Select from the Default Laboratories for the assay rules if that list has more than one laboratory.
- Default Multi-Lab Settlement Method—Default setting for the Multi-Lab Settlement Method in analyte rules. Also used to determine which date is the overall sample date. Select from:
- Minimum—The minimum value is preselected for each sample, and the earliest date is the sample date.
- Maximum—The maximum value is preselected for each sample, and the latest date is the sample date.
- Mean (default)—The mean value is preselected for each sample, and the latest date is the sample date.
- Default Laboratory—The value and sample date from the Default Settlement Laboratory are preselected for each sample.
- Select whether to Use Loading Samples If Assay Exchange Not Finalised. Whether to use loading samples when calculating invoices if the assay exchange has not been finalised. This prevents the use of destination samples or incomplete assay exchange results, even if the final assay location is the destination location. Default: Unchecked.
If checked:
- And there is a despatch order with loading and destination samples, and an assay exchange has not been started, when an invoice is calculated, then the loading samples are used in the invoice calculations.
- And there is a despatch order with loading and destination samples, and an assay exchange has been started but not finalised, when an invoice is calculated, then the loading samples are used in the invoice calculations.
- And there is a despatch order with loading and destination samples, and an assay exchange has been finalised, when an invoice is calculated, then the assay exchange final results are used in the invoice calculations.
If unchecked:
- And there is a despatch order with samples from the final assay location, when an invoice is calculated, then the final assay location samples are used in the invoice calculations.
- And there is a despatch order, but no samples from the final assay location, when an invoice is calculated, then the best-known quality information is used in the invoice calculations. This quality information may be samples from an earlier route point, or analyte specifications from the despatch order, quota or contract product.
- Select whether to Enter Lot Sample Mass In Dry Basis. This setting only affects lot samples and discrete unit (DU) lot samples associated with despatch orders on despatches. The auto-calculation of the number of lots is always by wet mass/quantity.
If checked:
- Dry mass/quantity is editable and wet mass/quantity is calculated by default.
- You can change the calculated value to be the dry mass/quantity or the moisture.
- If there are moisture sample values from multiple laboratories, MineMarket uses the value that matches the (Default) Multi-Lab Settlement Method to calculate the wet or dry mass/quantity.
- If moisture is the calculated value, MineMarket assigns that value to all laboratories.
If unchecked:
- Wet mass/quantity is editable and dry mass/quantity does not display.
- No value can be set to be the calculated value in the sample.
- Complete the following fields in the Umpire Assay Settlement Method field group.
- Between Buyer And Seller—If an umpire is used to settle a dispute, this rule is applied when the umpire result falls between the buyer and seller results. Select from:
- Minimum
- Maximum
- Average Buyer and Seller
- Closest to Umpire—If the umpire result equals the average of the buyer and seller results, the final assay result is the average of the buyer and seller results.
- Umpire
- Average Umpire and Closest
- Middle Assay
- Buyer Result
- Seller Result
- Calculated
- Within One Splitting Limit—If an umpire is used to settle a dispute, this rule is applied when the umpire result is outside the buyer and seller results, but is within one Splitting Limit of the closer result. This includes the case when the umpire result is exactly on the limit of Within One Splitting Limit away. Example: If the average is 2.8%, the splitting limit is 0.3 and the umpire assay is 3.1%, then the Within One Splitting Limit rule is used. Select from the same options as Between Buyer And Seller.
- Outside Splitting Limit—If an umpire is used to settle a dispute, this rule is applied when the umpire result is outside the buyer and seller results, and is more than one Splitting Limit away from the closer result. Select from the same options as Between Buyer And Seller.
- Umpires—List of organisations used to settle assay disputes. Select from the organisations and companies defined on the Organisations panel of the Solution Explorer and that have the Organisation Role of Umpires.
- If any of Between Buyer And Seller, Within One Splitting Limit or Outside Splitting Limit have been set to Calculated, select a tested expression or create an expression for the Calculated Expression. See Expression Editor Examples.
The expression only needs to cover the umpire assay settlement methods that have been set to Calculated. The following formula shows the structure of an expression that can be used if Between Buyer And Seller, Within One Splitting Limit and Outside Splitting Limit are all set to Calculated. The values 10, 20 and 30 should be replaced with the required results.
If(IsWithinBuyerAndSeller(), 10,
If(IsWithinSplittingLimit(), 20,
If(IsOutsideSplittingLimit(), 30, null)))Note: Including null in the expression ensures that if the conditions are not met, an error message displays.
- Right-click in the Analyte Settlement Rules field group and select New from the menu.
Alternatively, drag analytes and analyte groups from the Quality panel of the Solution Explorer.
- Complete the following fields for each analyte settlement rule.
- Analyte—Select from payable analytes specified in the contract, penalty analytes specified in the contract and contract product specification analytes.
- Apply Exchange—Whether analytical results are to be exchanged between the buyer and seller.
- Apply To Dry Mass—Whether the analytical grade is to be determined using the dry mass. Default: Checked if the Basis of the analyte is Dry, as defined in the Analyte Definition Editor.
- Settlement Type—Method to determine which assay results are considered when settling disputes between the buyer and the seller. Default: The Default Settlement Type selected in the Assay Rules field group. Select from:
- By Weighted Average Total
- By Lot
- By Composite Sample
- Final Assay Location—Location at which final assays are entered. Default: The Default Final Assay Location selected in the Assay Rules field group. Select from:
- At Loading Location
- At Destination Location
- Average of Loading and Unloading—Should only be used if Settlement Type is By Composite Sample.
- No Assays Required
- Assay Resolution Rule—If Apply Exchange is checked, select from:
- Include Assay Exchange (default)—The assay exchange values will affect invoice calculations.
- Do Not Include Assay Exchange—The assay exchange values will not be included in invoice calculations.
- Only Include Final Assay Exchange—The assay exchange values are included in invoice calculations only if the assay exchange has been finalised. An assay exchange is finalised if a final result has been calculated for each sample and analyte, based on buyer, seller and umpire (if required) results.
Note: If Use Loading Samples If Assay Exchange Not Finalised in the Assay Rules field group is checked, then the option Include Assay Exchange is not available and Only Include Final Assay Exchange is the default value.
- Do Not Include Assay Exchange (default)
- Deemed—The contractual target assay for the analyte becomes final, rather than having the material analysed.
- Pre-Settlement Method—Evaluation method to use if settlement is not complete. This method is applied if the buyer and seller results are known and fall outside the splitting limit; however, the umpire results are not yet available. Select from:
- Average Buyer and Seller
- Minimum
- Maximum
- Buyer Result
- Seller Result
- Enforce in Final—Whether to enforce the analyte settlement rule in the final invoice. If checked, and the assay exchange is not finalised for all analytes, a final invoice cannot be created. Only applicable to sales and purchase invoices. Freight, service and demurrage invoices always display analytes on final (and other) invoices, even if the assay exchange is not finalised.
- Base Analyte—Analyte definition to use as the base analyte if the assayed analyte should be adjusted based on an analyte other than H2O. Example: Molybdenum is usually measured on a Dry Oil Free basis; however, can also be measured on a Natural basis. The following configuration enables values for molybdenum to be entered on either basis in a despatch certificate:
- In the analyte configuration, set the Mo (Natural) analyte to Wet basis and the Mo (Dry Oil Free) to Dry basis.
- In the basis configuration, create the Dry Oil Free and Natural bases.
- Specify these bases in the contract on the Basis List tab.
- Create a contract assay rule for Mo (Dry Oil Free) with a Base Analyte of Mo (Natural).
- UOM—Select from the Proportion units defined in the Unit Conversion Editor.
- Original Grade Decimal Places—Number of decimal places to which to round the original grade of the analyte.
The analyte original grade displays in the Despatches table in the Overrides field group on the Preview tab of invoices. The original grade is used to calculate the analyte payable grade, which is used to calculate revenue line items and analyte-based contract charges in the invoice.
The Original Grade Decimal Places can be specified for an analyte settlement rule for which Apply Exchange is unchecked. This ensures that the original grade is rounded, even for analytes where no assay exchange is required; for example, moisture.
The Original Grade Decimal Places can also be specified for an analyte settlement rule for which Apply Exchange is checked. This ensures that the original grade is rounded, even if the assay exchange is not yet complete; for example, for a provisional invoice.
When creating samples for a despatch with one despatch order, the analyte values have this number of Original Grade Decimal Places. However, if the despatch has more than one despatch order, the number of decimal places specified for the analyte in the Analyte Definition Editor is used.
- Exchange Lot By Lot Decimal Places—Number of decimal places for the seller, buyer and umpire results for each lot.
- Exchange Weighted Average Total Decimals—Number of decimal places for the weighted average of the seller, buyer and umpire results.
- Final Lot By Lot Decimal Places—Number of decimal places for the final result of each lot.
- Final Weighted Average Total Decimal Places—Number of decimal places for the final result for the analyte for the despatch order.
- Composite Mode—Method for considering composite lots and shipments. Select from:
- N/A—Initial setting.
- Traffic—Taken at time of despatch.
- Monthly—Taken across all the lots and shipments associated with the sales contract for the month.
- Multi-Lab Settlement Method—Method for selecting which laboratory's sample results are to be used in the assay exchange. Irrespective of this setting, manual selection of another result is allowed in the assay exchange. This setting does not determine the overall sample date. Default: The Default Multi-Lab Settlement Method selected in the Assay Rules field group. Select from:
- Minimum
- Maximum
- Mean
- Default Laboratory
If Apply Exchange is unchecked, select from:
Note: The value that matches the (Default) Multi-Lab Settlement Method is underlined in samples and is the only downstreamed value. Assays must be retrieved and approved for the assay exchange via the Analyte Values Selection tab. See Approve Sample Results for an Assay Exchange. If the Multi-Lab Settlement Method is modified after sample results have been entered, the laboratories must be synchronised on each applicable despatch in order for the correct results to be used in snapshots. For example, see Enter Lot Sample Data for a Despatch.
- Configure the splitting limit(s) for each analyte settlement rule:
- Set Splitting Limits to Splitting Limit.
- Select the Evaluation Method for the splitting limit from:
- Fixed—The splitting limit is defined by the Value.
- Calculated—The splitting limit is calculated with a formula created in the Expression Editor.
- Tiered—The splitting limit is determined by tier levels defined in the Tier Group table.
- Configure the splitting limit:
- If the Evaluation Method is Fixed, enter the Value of the splitting limit.
- If the Evaluation Method is Calculated, select a tested expression or create an expression for the Calculation.
- If the Evaluation Method is Tiered, enter tiers. See Enter Tiers for a Splitting Limit in Assay Rules.
- If the Settlement Type is By Weighted Average Total, set Splitting Limits to Splitting Limit Total and repeat steps B and C for the splitting limit total.
Note: In an assay exchange where the Settlement Type is By Weighted Average Total, MineMarket first checks to see if the difference between the weighted-average buyer and seller results exceeds the splitting limit total. If no, then no split is required. If yes, MineMarket checks lot by lot and uses the splitting limit to determine if a split is required for each lot.
- If the Settlement Type is By Lot, it is optional to set Splitting Limits to Splitting Limit Total and repeat steps B and C for the splitting limit total.
Note: In an assay exchange where the Settlement Type is By Lot and a splitting limit total is specified, MineMarket first checks to see if the weighted-average difference of the lots exceeds the splitting limit total. If no, then no split is required. If yes (or if no splitting limit total is specified), MineMarket checks lot by lot and uses the splitting limit to determine if a split is required for each lot.
- To rotate the umpires:
- Select the Umpire Rotation tab.
- Select whether to Auto-Rotate Umpires so that the next umpire in the list of Umpires is used for the next settlement.
- Select the Rotation Method from:
- By Lot
- By Element—By analyte.
- By Despatch Order—If there are parent and child despatch orders, umpires are rotated by child despatch order.
Note: A summary of results of umpire decisions displays on the Umpire Rotation tab. See View Assay Exchange Umpire Wins and Losses.
- Click Save.