Factor set hierarchy
System administrators can configure a detailed factor set hierarchy to control the order in which factor sets are checked for relevant factors when compiling monthly data in accounts and meters.
As a system administrator you can use the factor set hierarchy that IBM® Envizi ESG Suite configured when it onboarded your organization. Alternatively, you can use the client facing factor set hierarchy configuration page to adjust the order in which the system checks factor sets for your data.
Factor set hierarchy structure
The factor set hierarchy has 4 configurable sections:
- Starting Global Hierarchy
- Add client custom factor sets here. The system applies factor sets added here globally. Use this section for factors you want the system to apply before any regional variation.
- Country Default Hierarchy
- Use this level to choose specific factor sets for specific countries.
- Continent Default Hierarchy
- Use this level to choose specific factor sets for specific continental regions.
- Global Default Hierarchy
- The system applies factor sets added here globally. Use this level as a final fall-back for factors after the system exhausts all options in the previous 3 sections.
Tip: Avoid excessive configuration of factor sets. If you already have a particular
factor set configured in section 3 or 4 then you likely don't need to also configure it for
individual countries in section 2 that would fall under the regions of section 3 and 4. Each
additional entry in the factor set hierarchy has a very small impact on the processing time of the
factor selection algorithm. When compounded over thousands of factor checks these slight increases
can impact performance.
Important considerations
Consider the following important notes when working with the detailed factor set hierarchy:
- Transition date for existing clients
- If you are an existing Envizi ESG Suite client and you don't want changes to the factor set hierarchy to impact your historical data, set a transition date to the detailed method. For data prior to this date the system uses the legacy factor set hierarchy and for data after this date the system applies factors based on the factor set hierarchy you configure in the detailed factor set hierarchy section.
- Effective dates
- The detailed factor set hierarchy approach removes support for effective dates. When using the detailed factor set hierarchy the system applies all factors based on the published dates of the factors. If you need to apply the factors to a different time frame than the Envizi ESG Suite published dates then you can use the factor set shift functionality to change the period for which the system applies the factors. For example if a particular factor set uses calendar year publication dates (Jan 2026 to Dec 2026) but you need to apply those to your organization's financial year (July to June), you can set a factor set shift of +6 months to effectively change the publication dates of the set to July 2026 to Jun 2027.
- Data type availability
- Not all data types have factors in more than one factor set. Just because a factor set is configured for a particular region doesn't mean there are factors for all data types in that region.