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Date: | Author: | Version: | Changes: | Completed | Ext. | Int. | Is in Core |
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27 October 2011 | Rida Riaz | 1.0 |
| No | x |
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31 October 2011 | Luca Casarini | 1.1 | Review | No | x |
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31 October 2011 | SD | 1.1 | Checked | Yes | x |
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| 9 May 2014 | Luca Casarini | 1.2 | New diagram, improved explanation. | No | x |
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Rating Process
This page describes the activities which the Rating Process executes in order to rate billing records against subscribers. Any missing information throughout the process will move the billing record to the error queue; hence this document could also be used to track down rating errors by following the steps of the rating process and finding out which information is missing in the system (and most likely in the product configuration). Please note that understanding the rating process requires knowledge of the product configuration.
Rating Flow
The rating process starts when a billing record is received. The first activities of the rating process are aimed at finding the subscriber and his/her rate plan.
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Step 1 - The Billing Record
The billing record contains the subscriber's information such as the ICC, IMSI or the A-number - depending on the implementation of the system. The billing record also contains the event information, i.a. the date and time when the event took place, the rating code and rating key or the b-number. This information is very important, because each step of the rating process will use it against the product configuration.
Step 2 - Find the Rate Plan
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The rate plan could be seen in the *Product Configuration.* In the screenshot below, the rate plan is 'Fixedline'.
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Step 3 - Find the Number Plan
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In the screenshot below, the rate plan 'Fixedline' has the service code 'NATIONAL CALL', and the number plan associated with this service code is 'Mobile National'. The rating process will compare the event/charge date present within the billing record with the from and to dates listed in the number plan configuration.
Step 4 - Find the B-number Method
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The rating key or b-number method for the number plan could be seen by looking at 'Number Plans'. Select the number plan that was selected in the 'Edit Rate Plan' from the 'Number Plans' panel. After selecting the number plan, click Edit. In the 'Edit Number Plan' pop-up the b-number method can be seen. In the screenshot below, the b-number method for the number plan 'Mobile National' is getRatingKey. This means that the rating key mentioned in the billing record will be taken in order to find the plan element in the next step.
Step 5 - Find the Plan Element
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In the example above,the price is defined in the element Group 1. The elements below Group 1 do not point to a charge item; the parent defines the price. Remember that if double dot ''..'' is not put in the beginning of the children, then they will not call the parent ''.'' for accessing the charge item, hence the rating would fail. Since the parent Group 1 is defining the charge item so it is being edited to use ''.'' in the beginning and not the double dot ''..''.
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Step
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6
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-
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Check
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the
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Rate
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Days
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Now
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the
...
rating
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process
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looks
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at
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the
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configured
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rate
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days.
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The
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rating
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process
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will
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compare
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the
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event/charge
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date
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present
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within
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the
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billing
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record
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with
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the
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start
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and
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end
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dates
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listed
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in
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the
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'Rate
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Day'
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configuration.
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In
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order
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to
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look
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at
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the
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'Rate
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Day'
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configuration,
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select
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the
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relevant
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plan
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element
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and
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then
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have
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a
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look
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at
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the
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'Rate
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Day'
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panel.
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Please
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note
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that
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the
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charge/event
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date
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should
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be
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equal
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to
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or
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should
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lie
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between
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the
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configured
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dates.
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In
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the
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screenshot
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it
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can
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be
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seen
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that
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the
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rate
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day
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is
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'N-SINGLE'
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and
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has
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an
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open
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start
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and
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end
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date.
Step 7 - Check the Day Charges
After the rating process has found the rate day, it looks at the day charges. It again compares the charge/event data present in the billing record with the configured day charges.
In order to look at the 'Day Charge' configuration, select the relevant 'Rate Day' and then click Edit. On the 'Edit Rate Day' pop-up, there will be a 'Day Charge' panel. Please note that the day the charge/event took place should be within the configured days. In the screenshot it can be seen that all the days of the week are selected for the rate day 'N-SINGLE'.
Step 8 - Check the Time Charges
After looking at the day charge, the rating process looks at the time the event occured. The rating process would look at the start and the end time configured for the day the event occurred.
In order to look at the 'Time Charge' configuration, select the relevant 'Day Charge', to see the 'Time Charge' configured for the selected day. Please note that the time the event took place should be within an already configured time charge. In the screenshot below the time configured is 00:00 til 24:00.
Step 9 - Find the Charge Items
The rating process will now look at the charges defined for the time the event took place. It would pick up the relevant charge and use it for rating the event.
In order to look at the configured charge items, double click or Edit the 'Time Charge'. In the 'Edit Time Charge' pop-up, the configured charge items are present. Please note that the charge item for the time selected should be present, otherwise there can be no rating and the rating would fail. In the screenshot below, both the 'Initial' and 'Recurrent' charge items have been configured.
Step 10 - Successfully Rated Billing Record
If there are no missing or misconfigured items in each of the above mentioned steps, and they run successfully, then the rating process will result in the successful rating of the billing record. The output of a successfully rated billing record is an invoice detail line, linked to the original billing record.