Priority System

Smart conflict resolution when multiple category prices match the same customer and category.

Overview

The Priority System determines which price wins when conflicts occur. Conflicts happen when:

• Same customer has multiple prices for same category
• Customer has both individual price AND group price
• Multiple quantity tiers match
• Multiple date ranges overlap

The system resolves these conflicts predictably and transparently.

How Priority Works

Priority Field

Location: Every price record has a priority field

Type: Integer (0-999)

Default: 0

Rule: Higher priority wins

Example:

• Priority 10 vs Priority 20 → Priority 20 wins
• Priority 5 vs Priority 50 → Priority 50 wins
• Priority 0 vs Priority 0 → First match wins (undefined behavior)

Configuration

Global Price Select Rule

Location: Stores > Configuration > Pricesystem > Categoryprice Settings

Setting: "Price Select Rule"

Options:

1. Select price by priority (Default)

• Uses numeric priority field to determine winner
• Higher priority value takes precedence
• Most flexible and powerful option
• Recommended for complex pricing scenarios

2. Group price first

• Always prefers customer group prices over individual customer prices
• Ignores priority field for customer vs group conflicts
• Still uses priority for group vs group or customer vs customer
• Simpler logic, less flexible

3. Customer price first

• Always prefers individual customer prices over group prices
• Ignores priority field for customer vs group conflicts
• Still uses priority for group vs group or customer vs customer
• Good for customer-centric pricing strategies

Conflict Scenarios

Scenario 1: Customer vs Customer (Same Customer)

Setup:

Price 1: Customer #123 + Electronics + $100 + Priority 10 Price 2: Customer #123 + Electronics + $90 + Priority 20

Resolution:

• Both match: Same customer, same category
• Winner: Price 2 ($90) - Priority 20 > 10
• Configuration: Doesn't matter (same customer type)

Use Case: Promotional override of standard pricing.

Scenario 2: Group vs Group (Impossible)

Setup:

Price 1: Wholesale Group + Electronics + $90 + Priority 15 Price 2: Retail Group + Electronics + $100 + Priority 10

Resolution:

• Conflict: Never occurs!
• Why: Customers belong to exactly ONE group
• Result: Only the customer's group price matches

Note: Magento doesn't support customers in multiple groups simultaneously.

Scenario 3: Customer vs Group

Setup:

Customer Price: Customer #123 + Electronics + $95 + Priority 15 Group Price: Wholesale + Electronics + $85 + Priority 25 Customer #123 is in Wholesale group

Resolution depends on configuration:

With "Select price by priority"

• Both match: Customer #123 matches both prices
• Winner: Group price ($85) - Priority 25 > 15
• Logic: Priority field determines winner

With "Customer price first"

• Both match: Customer #123 matches both prices
• Winner: Customer price ($95)
• Logic: Customer always beats group, priority ignored

With "Group price first"

• Both match: Customer #123 matches both prices
• Winner: Group price ($85)
• Logic: Group always beats customer, priority ignored

Scenario 4: Quantity Tier Conflicts

Setup:

Price 1: Customer #123 + Electronics + Qty 1 + $100 + Priority 10 Price 2: Customer #123 + Electronics + Qty 1 + $95 + Priority 20

Cart:

• Customer #123 ordering 5 items from Electronics

Resolution:

• Both match: Qty 1 ≤ 5 for both prices
• Winner: Price 2 ($95) - Priority 20 > 10
• Result: All 5 items at $95

Note: Quantity tiers are resolved BEFORE priority. The system first finds all matching qty tiers, then applies priority among them.

Scenario 5: Date Range Conflicts

Setup:

Price 1: Wholesale + Electronics + $90 + Priority 10 From: 2025-01-01, To: 2025-12-31 Price 2: Wholesale + Electronics + $85 + Priority 25 From: 2025-06-01, To: 2025-08-31 (Summer sale)

Timeline:

January - May:

• Only Price 1 is active
• Result: $90

June - August:

• BOTH prices active (dates overlap)
• Conflict!
• Winner: Price 2 ($85) - Priority 25 >10
• Result: $85 (summer sale)

September - December:

• Only Price 1 is active again
• Result: $90

Key Point: Higher priority summer sale overrides standard pricing during summer months.

Priority Value Recommendations

Standard Priority Hierarchy

0-9: System Defaults

• Priority 0: Fallback pricing
• Priority 5: Base prices

10-19: Standard Pricing

• Priority 10: Regular customer prices
• Priority 12: Regular wholesale prices
• Priority 15: Regular VIP prices

20-29: Promotional Pricing

• Priority 20: Standard promotions
• Priority 22: Seasonal campaigns
• Priority 25: Flash sales

30-39: VIP/Contract Overrides

• Priority 30: VIP contract pricing
• Priority 35: Special agreements

40-49: Emergency Overrides

• Priority 40: Temporary price fixes
• Priority 45: Urgent promotions

50+: Reserved

• Priority 50+: System overrides
• Priority 99: Testing
• Priority 999: Absolute override

Resolution Algorithm

Step-by-Step Process

When a customer views a product in a category, the system executes:

1. Get all category prices (both customer and group tables) 2. Filter by customer match: - Customer-specific prices for this customer ID - Group prices for this customer's group ID 3. Filter by category match: - entity_id matches category ID of product 4. Filter by website match: - website_id matches current website - OR website_id = 0 (all websites) 5. Filter by date validity: - (from_date IS NULL OR from_date <= today) - AND (to_date IS NULL OR to_date >= today) 6. Filter by quantity: - price.qty <= cart_quantity - Select highest matching qty tier 7. Apply priority resolution: a. If "Select by priority": Sort by priority DESC b. If "Customer first": Customer prices, then groups c. If "Group first": Group prices, then customers 8. Select top result: - First price after sorting - Apply to product

Configuration Examples

Example 1: Customer-Centric Strategy

Business Rule: "Individual customer agreements always take precedence."

Configuration:

• Price Select Rule: "Customer price first"

Behavior:

• Customer price: $95, Priority 10
• Group price: $85, Priority 30
• Winner: Customer price ($95)
• Reason: Customer always wins, priority ignored

Best For:

• Contract-based businesses
• Custom negotiated pricing
• Account management focus

Example 2: Volume-Focused Strategy

Business Rule: "Wholesale groups get best prices, individuals get standard pricing."

Configuration:

• Price Select Rule: "Group price first"

Behavior:

• Customer price: $100, Priority 30
• Group price: $85, Priority 10
• Winner: Group price ($85)
• Reason: Group always wins, priority ignored

Best For:

• Volume discount programs
• Wholesale-first businesses
• Group pricing incentives

Example 3: Flexible Strategy (Recommended)

Business Rule: "Use priority to handle specific cases dynamically."

Configuration:

• Price Select Rule: "Select price by priority"

Behavior:

Standard customer: $95, Priority 10 Wholesale group: $90, Priority 15 VIP customer: $85, Priority 30 Summer sale group: $80, Priority 25

Results:

• VIP customer wins: $85 (Priority 30)
• During summer: VIP still wins (30 >25)
• Non-VIP in summer: Summer sale wins (25 >15)

Best For:

• Complex pricing strategies
• Multiple overlapping campaigns
• Fine-grained control

Priority Management

Setting Priorities

When Creating Prices:

1. Consider the price purpose
2. Check existing priorities for similar prices
3. Set new priority accordingly
4. Document priority reasoning

Example Workflow:

1. Check: "What wholesale prices exist?"
2. Find: Priority 12 for standard wholesale
3. New seasonal wholesale: Priority 22 (promotional tier)
4. Document: "Summer wholesale sale, overrides standard wholesale"

Auditing Priorities

Quarterly Review:

-- Find conflicting priorities (same customer+category+qty) SELECT entity_id, customer_id, qty, COUNT(*) as conflicts FROM pricesystem_categoryprice GROUP BY entity_id, customer_id, qty HAVING COUNT(*) >1; -- Find conflicting group priorities SELECT entity_id, group_id, qty, COUNT(*) as conflicts FROM pricesystem_categoryprice_customergroup GROUP BY entity_id, group_id, qty HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

Resolution:

1. Review business reason for conflicts
2. Adjust priorities to match intent
3. Document exceptions

Bulk Priority Updates

Scenario: Increase all VIP priorities by 10.

-- Customer prices UPDATE pricesystem_categoryprice SET priority = priority + 10 WHERE customer_id IN ( SELECT entity_id FROM customer_entity WHERE group_id = 4 ); -- Group prices UPDATE pricesystem_categoryprice_customergroup SET priority = priority + 10 WHERE group_id = 4;

Advanced Scenarios

Scenario A: Three-Tier Override

Setup:

Base: Wholesale + All Categories + $100 + Priority 10 Campaign: Wholesale + Electronics + $90 + Priority 20 VIP: Customer #123 + Electronics + $85 + Priority 30

Customer #123 in Wholesale group browsing Electronics:

Evaluation:

1. Base wholesale: Matches ($100, P10)
2. Electronics campaign: Matches ($90, P20)
3. VIP customer: Matches ($85, P30)

Winner: VIP price ($85, Priority 30)

Logic: All three match, highest priority wins.

Scenario B: Date-Based Priority Shift

Setup:

Standard: Wholesale + Electronics + $100 + Priority 15 From: NULL, To: NULL Black Friday: Wholesale + Electronics + $75 + Priority 30 From: 2025-11-29, To: 2025-12-02 Cyber Monday: Wholesale + Electronics + $80 + Priority 35 From: 2025-12-02, To: 2025-12-03

Timeline:

November 28:

• Only Standard active: $100

November 29-30 (Black Friday):

• Standard + Black Friday active
• Winner: Black Friday ($75, P30 >P15)

December 2 (Cyber Monday):

• Standard + Black Friday + Cyber Monday active
• Winner: Cyber Monday ($80, P35 >P30)

December 3+:

• Only Standard active: $100

Key: Temporary campaigns override standard with higher priority, expire automatically.

Scenario C: Customer Override of Group Campaign

Business Rule: "VIP customers get better pricing than group campaigns."

Setup:

Group Campaign: Wholesale + Electronics + $85 + Priority 25 From: 2025-06-01, To: 2025-08-31 VIP Standard: Customer #123 + Electronics + $80 + Priority 30 From: NULL, To: NULL

Result:

• VIP customer: Always $80 (Priority 30 >25), even during campaign
• Regular wholesale: $85 during summer campaign

Purpose: VIP customer agreements always honored, even during promotions.

Testing Priority Logic

Manual Testing

Test Case 1: Basic Priority

1. Create: Customer #TEST + Category TEST + $100 + Priority 10
2. Create: Customer #TEST + Category TEST + $90 + Priority 20
3. Log in as customer TEST
4. Browse category TEST product
5. Expected: $90 displays
6. Verify: Priority 20 won

Test Case 2: Configuration Switch

1. Config: "Select price by priority"
2. Create: Customer #TEST + Electronics + $95 + Priority 15
3. Create: Wholesale Group + Electronics + $85 + Priority 25
4. Assign customer TEST to Wholesale
5. Expected: $85 (priority 25)
6. Change config: "Customer price first"
7. Expected: $95 (customer wins, priority ignored)
8. Change config: "Group price first"
9. Expected: $85 (group wins, priority ignored)

Automated Testing

PHPUnit Test Example:

public function testPriorityResolution() { $customer = $this->createCustomer(); $category = $this->createCategory(); // Create two prices $this->createCategoryPrice([ 'customer_id' => $customer->getId(), 'entity_id' => $category->getId(), 'value' => 100, 'priority' => 10 ]); $this->createCategoryPrice([ 'customer_id' => $customer->getId(), 'entity_id' => $category->getId(), 'value' => 90, 'priority' => 20 ]); $price = $this->priceResolver->resolve($customer, $category); $this->assertEquals(90, $price); }

Troubleshooting

Wrong Price Wins

Symptom: Lower priority price is being applied.

Checklist:

1. ✓ Check configuration: "Select by priority" enabled?
2. ✓ Verify priority values in database
3. ✓ Clear cache: php bin/magento cache:flush
4. ✓ Check Pricesystem Core price order
5. ✓ Verify customer/group assignment
6. ✓ Check date ranges (might filter out high priority)

Debug SQL:

SELECT 'customer' as type, customer_id, NULL as group_id, value, priority, from_date, to_date FROM pricesystem_categoryprice WHERE customer_id = 123 AND entity_id = 456 UNION ALL SELECT 'group' as type, NULL as customer_id, group_id, value, priority, from_date, to_date FROM pricesystem_categoryprice_customergroup WHERE group_id = 2 AND entity_id = 456 ORDER BY priority DESC;

Configuration Not Applying

Symptom: Changed config, no effect.

Steps:

1. Clear config cache: php bin/magento cache:clean config
2. Clear full cache: php bin/magento cache:flush
3. Verify config saved: Check database core_config_data table
4. Check config scope: Store view vs website vs global
5. Re-index if needed: php bin/magento indexer:reindex

Undefined Behavior

Symptom: Inconsistent pricing with same priorities.

Cause: Multiple prices with identical priority.

Example:

Price 1: $100, Priority 10 Price 2: $90, Priority 10

Problem: Both priority 10, winner undefined (might be insertion order, ID order, or random).

Solution: Assign unique priorities:

Price 1: $100, Priority 10 Price 2: $90, Priority 11

Best Practices

1. Use Priority Tiers

Don't use arbitrary values. Use consistent tiers:

• 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, etc.

2. Document Priority Meanings

Create internal documentation:

• "Priority 15 = Standard wholesale"
• "Priority 25 = Promotional campaigns"
• "Priority 30 = VIP contracts"

3. Leave Gaps

Don't use consecutive values:

• 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
• 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Gaps allow inserting priorities later without renumbering.

4. Test Configuration Changes

Before changing global config:

1. Test in staging environment
2. Verify expected behavior
3. Document expected changes
4. Schedule during low traffic
5. Monitor after deployment

5. Audit Regularly

Quarterly review:

• Find conflicts (same priority)
• Find obsolete prices (expired dates)
• Find unused priorities (gaps in sequence)
• Adjust as needed

Related Documentation

• Creating Category Prices
• Category Customer Pricing
• Category Group Pricing