This chapter describes how to use the ImportExportPricing utility of Oracle Communications Pricing Design Center (PDC) to import pricing and setup components to and export pricing and setup components from the PDC database by using XML files. See "ImportExportPricing" for the utility's syntax and parameter descriptions.
You should have a basic understanding of the following:
PDC. See "About Pricing Design Center" for more information.
Product offerings. See "About Creating Product Offerings" for more information.
To use ImportExportPricing, you must also understand the following:
Extensible markup language (XML) programming
XML schema definition (XSD)
The ImportExportPricing utility is a command-line interface for importing pricing and setup components to and for exporting pricing and setup components from the PDC database by using XML files.
ImportExportPricing is a role-based utility that authenticates and authorizes the users based on their role. The role of the users determines what tasks the users can perform and the information they can see.
The users of this utility can have the following roles:
Pricing Design Admin: The user having this role can import and export all the pricing and setup components.
Pricing Reviewer: The user having this role can only export all the pricing and setup components.
Pricing Analyst: The user having this role can import only pricing components and cannot import setup components and profile data. The user can export all the components.
ImportExportPricing allows you to filter the data that you want to import to or export from PDC. For example, you can export all pricing and setup components from PDC or specify specific pricing and setup components to export.
You can use ImportExportPricing to:
Export pricing and setup components from the PDC database to an XML file. See "Exporting Pricing and Setup Components from PDC" for more information.
Import pricing and setup components defined in an XML file into the PDC database. See "Importing Pricing and Setup Components" for more information.
List pricing or setup components available in the PDC database. See "Listing Pricing or Setup Components" for more information.
Delete setup components from the PDC database if it is not prerequisite data for any other component. See "Deleting Components Mastered in BRM" for more information.
Create pricing and setup components in an XML file and load the data into the PDC database. See "Creating the Pricing and Setup Components by Using XML Files" for more information.
Obsoletes pricing components from the PDC database if it is not prerequisite data for any other component. See "Obsoleting PDC Components" for more information.
Before importing a pricing component, you must import the setup components that the pricing component references. You must ensure that the setup components referenced by the pricing components are either in the XML file or are already imported into PDC.
For example, to import a charge, you must ensure that the balance elements that it references already exist in PDC.
This section assumes that the following prerequisite data is already available in PDC:
Service
Event
Account Attributes
Service-Event Map
Profiles
Table 6-1 lists the prerequisites for importing the pricing components into PDC. Some of the prerequisites are optional depending on your business functions and the rating system used with Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management (BRM).
Table 6-1 Prerequisite Data for Importing Pricing Components
| Pricing Component | Prerequisite Pricing Component | Prerequisite Setup Component |
|---|---|---|
|
Discount Filter |
None |
None |
|
Time Model |
None |
None |
|
APN Selector |
None |
Impact Categories and Zone Models |
|
Pricing |
None |
RUMs, Balance Elements, G/L IDs, and Tax Codes |
|
USC Selector |
None |
Impact Categories and Zone Models |
|
Discount Trigger |
None |
Balance Elements |
|
Generic Selector |
None |
Custom Rules and Profile Attribute Specification |
|
Price Selector |
Pricing |
None |
|
Charge |
Time Models, Pricing, USC Selectors, APN Selectors, and Price Selectors |
RUMs, Balance Elements, Tax Codes, G/L IDs, and Zone Models |
|
Charge Selector |
Charges |
Value Maps and Zone Models |
|
Charge Offer |
Charge Selectors and Charges |
RUMs, Tax Codes, Tax Suppliers, and Provisioning Tags |
|
Discount |
Pricing, Discount Trigger, and Discount Filter |
Balance Elements, Tax Codes, and G/L IDs |
|
Discount Selector |
Discounts |
None |
|
Discount Offer |
Discount Selectors and Discounts |
Provisioning Tags |
|
Discount Offer Exclusion |
Discount Offer |
None |
|
Bundle |
Charge Offers and Discount Offers |
None |
|
Best Pricing |
Bundles |
None |
|
Bundle Dependency |
Bundles |
None |
|
Bundle Transition |
Bundles |
None |
|
Package |
Bundles |
Balance Elements |
|
Package Discount Restriction |
Bundles |
None |
|
Package List |
Packages |
None |
|
Package Transition |
Packages |
None |
|
Chargeshare |
Pricing, Trigger, Filter, and Charge Selector Spec |
Balance Elements, Tax Codes, and G/L IDs |
|
Chargeshare Offer |
Distribution Rate Plan |
None |
ImportExportPricing uses separate XSD files for importing or exporting pricing components, setup components, and profile data. The XSD files are available in their respective directories in the PDC_home/apps/xsd directory, where PDC_home is the directory in which the PDC software is installed. The XSD files describe the structure of the XML document. The XML file you create must comply with the structure defined in the XSD.
The XSD defines the following items for an XML file:
The elements and attributes, their data types, and the default and fixed values for the elements and attributes.
Elements that are child elements, and the number and order of the child elements.
If an element can be empty or can include text.
To use ImportExportPricing, you must:
Ensure that the XML files used by this utility conform to the format detailed in the corresponding XSD files. See "About the XSD Files" for more information.
Ensure PDC_home/apps/bin is in your PATH environment variable.
Exporting by using ImportExportPricing involves extracting the pricing and setup components from the PDC database into XML files.
Before exporting pricing or setup components, consider the following:
You can export all or a subset of pricing and setup components.
When exporting pricing components, the utility does not export the setup component referenced by pricing components. You must export the setup components explicitly.
ImportExportPricing enables you to export the following from a PDC database to an XML file:
All pricing and setup components. See "Exporting All the Pricing and Setup Components" for more information.
A subset of pricing and setup components. See "Exporting a Subset of Pricing and Setup Components" for more information.
To export all the pricing and setup components to XML files, enter the following command:
ImportExportPricing -export [FileNamePrefix] -config -pricing -profile -appsvruser ApplicationServerUserName -pdcuser PdcUserName
See "ImportExportPricing" for a description of parameters used in this command.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export MyData -config -pricing -profile -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
exports all the pricing components, setup components, and profile data in the PDC database in a UNIX environment to the MyData_export_pricing.xml, MyData_export_config.xml, and MyData_export_profile.xml files, respectively.
You can export specific pricing and setup components based on the object type, modification time, and the user who modified the data. You can also filter the exported data based on the object name.
To export a subset of pricing and setup components, enter the following command:
ImportExportPricing -export [FileNamePrefix] -config [SetupObjectType1,SetupObjectType2,…] -pricing [PricingObjectType1,PricingObjectType2,…] [-n "ObjectName1, ObjectName2,…"] [-productSpecName ProductSpecName1,ProductSpecName2,…] [-expRefs | -expAllRefs] [-ma time] [-mby user1, user2,… ] -appsvruser ApplicationServerUserName -pdcuser PdcUserName
See "ImportExportPricing" for a description of parameters used in this command.
See "About Supported Pricing and Setup Components" for more information about the command line representations for the pricing components and setup components.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export MyPricingComponents -pricing ALTERATION_RATE_PLAN, CHARGE_RATE_PLAN -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
exports the ALTERATION_RATE_PLAN and CHARGE_RATE_PLAN pricing components from the PDC database in a UNIX environment to the MyPricingComponents_export_pricing.xml file.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export -brmobject
exports all the setup components that are mastered in PDC from the PDC database in a UNIX environment to the MySetupComponents_export_pdc_config.xml file.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export -brmobject GLID GLID
exports the G/L IDs into the GLID.XML file.
If you do not specify BRMObjectType, the utility exports all the components mastered in BRM into the XML file.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export MyChargeOffers -pricing CHARGE_OFFERING -name ChargeOffer-RealtimeUsage, ChargeOffer-Batch -expAllRefs
exports the ChargeOffer-RealtimeUsage, ChargeOffer-Batch including the corresponding metadata and setup components from the PDC database in a UNIX environment to the MyChargeOffers_export_pricing.xml, MyChargeOffers_export_metadata.xml and MyChargeOffers_export_config.xml files.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export MySetupComponents -metadata
exports all the event, service, account, and profile attribute specifications from the PDC database in a UNIX environment to the MySetupComponents_export_meta_config.xml file.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export MySetupComponents -config -ma 2010-01-05T19:05:09GMT+05:30 -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
exports all the setup components modified after the 2010-01-05T19:05:09GMT+05:30 time from the PDC database in a UNIX environment to the MySetupComponents_export_config.xml file.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -export MyPricingComponents -pricing -mby User1, User2 -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
exports the modified pricing components (by User1 and User2) from the PDC database in a UNIX environment to the MyPricingComponents_export_pricing.xml file.
For example:
ImportExportPricing –export MyPromotedComponents –pricing CHARGE_OFFERING -name "COTest" -expRefs
exports the latest version of only the successfully promoted and transformed pricing components in ChargeOffer COTest along with the reference components from PDC in a UNIX environment to the MyPromotedComponents_export_pricing.xml file.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -exp -pricing -expObsolete MyPricingObsoleteComponents -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
exports all the obsoleted pricing components (including metadata and setup components) from PDC in a UNIX environment to the MyPricingObsoleteComponents_export_pricing.xml file.
Table 6-2 lists the type of pricing components and their representation in the command line and the XML file that you can import to or export from PDC by using ImportExportPricing utility.
Table 6-2 Supported Pricing Components and Their Representation in the Command Line and XML File
| Pricing Component Type | Represented in the Command Line and XML File As ... |
|---|---|
|
Charge |
CHARGE_RATE_PLAN |
|
Discount |
ALTERATION_RATE_PLAN |
|
Chargeshare |
DISTRIBUTION_RATE_PLAN |
|
Rollover |
ROLLOVER_RATE_PLAN |
|
Discount Selector |
ALTERATION_RATE_PLAN_SELECTOR |
|
Generic Selector |
GENERIC_SELECTOR |
|
Charge Selector |
CHARGE_RATE_PLAN_SELECTOR |
|
Price Selector |
PRICE_MODEL_SELECTOR |
|
APN Selector |
APN_MAP |
|
USC Selector |
USC_MAP |
|
Time Model |
TIME_MODEL |
|
Trigger |
TRIGGER_SPEC |
|
Filter |
CHARGE_SELECTOR_SPEC |
|
Discount Pricing |
ALTERATION_POP_MODEL |
|
Rollover Rules |
ROLLOVER_POP_MODEL |
|
Recurring Pricing |
RECURRING_POP_MODEL |
|
One-Time Pricing |
ONE_TIME_POP_MODEL |
|
Charge Offer |
CHARGE_OFFERING |
|
Discount Offer |
ALTERATION_OFFERING |
|
Chargeshare Offer |
DISTRIBUTION_OFFERING |
|
Discount Exclusion |
ALTERATION_EXCLUSION |
|
Bundle |
BUNDLED_PRODUCT_OFFERING |
|
Bundle Transition |
BUNDLE_TRANSITION |
|
Bundle Dependency |
BUNDLE_DEPENDENCY |
|
Package |
PACKAGE_OBJ |
|
Discount Restriction |
PACKAGE_EXCLUSION |
|
Package Transition |
PACKAGE_TRANSITION |
|
Package List |
PACKAGE_LIST |
|
Best Pricing |
BEST_PRICING |
Table 6-3 lists the type of setup components and their representation in the command line and the XML file that you can import to or export from PDC by using ImportExportPricing.
Table 6-3 Supported Setup Components and their Representation in the Command Line and XML File
| Setup Component Type | Represented in the Command Line and XML File As ... |
|---|---|
|
Value Map |
ZONE_MAP |
|
Event |
EVENT_ATTRIBUTE_SPEC |
|
Service |
PRODUCT_ATTRIBUTE_SPEC |
|
Account Attribute |
CUSTOMER_ATTRIBUTE_SPEC |
|
RUM |
RUM_CONFIGURATION |
|
Impact Category for Zones |
ZONE_RESULT_CONFIGURATION |
|
Service-Event Map |
ATTRIBUTE_SPEC_MAP |
|
Balance Element |
BALANCE_ELEMENT |
|
G/L ID |
GLID |
|
Tax Code |
TAX_CODE |
|
Tax Supplier |
TAX_SUPPLIER |
|
Geographical Zone Model |
GEO_ZONE_MODEL |
|
Standard Zone Model |
STANDARD_ZONE_MODEL |
|
Provisioning Tag |
PROVISIONING_TAG |
|
Special Day Calendar |
HOLIDAY_CALENDAR |
|
Custom Rule |
CUSTOM_ANALYZER_RULE |
|
Profile Attribute Specification |
PROFILE_ATTRIBUTE_SPEC |
|
Item Type Selector |
ITEM_TYPE_SELECTOR |
|
Business Profile |
BUSINESS_PROFILE |
Importing pricing and setup components by using the ImportExportPricing utility involves retrieving data from an XML file and loading it into the PDC database. For the ImportExportPricing utility to import pricing and setup components, the XML file must conform to the format detailed in the XSD files for pricing or setup components. See "About the XSD Files" for more information.
Before importing pricing and setup components, consider the following:
If you import the pricing and setup components at the same time, the utility imports setup components before importing the pricing components. If the import of setup components is not successful, the utility does not import the pricing components. When importing data, you must specify at least -pricing, -config, or -profile in the command.
During import, the utility modifies the objects in the database:
If the -ow parameter is used and the objects already exist in the database, the utility overwrites the existing objects.
If the -ow parameter is not used and the objects already exist in the database, the utility generates an error.
If the object does not exist in the database, the utility creates the object, regardless of the usage of the -ow parameter.
If the -ignoreID parameter is used, the utility ignores the internal IDs in the specified XML file and imports the components based on the input file name.
To import pricing and setup components, enter the following command:
ImportExportPricing -config SetupFileName -pricing PricingFileName -profile ProfileFileName -appsvruser ApplicationServerUserName -pdcuser PdcUserName
See "ImportExportPricing" for a description of parameters used in this command.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -import -config /MySetupComponents.xml -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
imports the setup components from the MySetupComponents.xml file to the PDC database in a UNIX environment.
The ImportExportPricing utility imports the data from the XML file into the PDC database and commits the data. If there is a failure, the ImportExportPricing utility rolls back the data and logs the errors in the log file.
You can use the ImportExportPricing utility to display the pricing or setup components available in the PDC database.
To list the pricing or setup components, enter the following command:
ImportExportPricing -t config | pricing -appsvruser ApplicationServerUserName -pdcuser PdcUserName
See "ImportExportPricing" for a description of parameters used in this command.
You can use the ImportExportPricing utility with the -publish and -target parameters to publish the components from PDC to the specified target engines, such as batch rating engine, real-time rating engine, and Elastic Charging Engine (ECE).
To publish setup components, enter the following command:
ImportExportPricing -publish [Component] [ObjectType1,ObjectType2,…] -target Target_Engine
-appsvruser ApplicationServerUserName
-pdcuser PdcUserName
See "ImportExportPricing" for a description of parameters used in this command.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -publish BALANCE_ELEMENT -target ece
All the balance elements in PDC are published to ECE.
You can use the ImportExportPricing utility to delete components mastered in BRM from the PDC database if they are not being used by any other setup component or pricing component.
To delete components mastered in BRM, enter the following command:
ImportExportPricing -d FilePath -appsvruser ApplicationServerUserName -pdcuser PdcUserName
See "ImportExportPricing" for a description of parameters used in this command.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -d /Temp/BRMMasteredComponentsToDelete.xml -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
deletes the components mastered in BRM defined in the /Temp/BRMMasteredComponentsToDelete.xml file in PDC in a UNIX environment.
You can also use the ImportExportPricing utility to delete pricing profiles if they are not being used by any pricing component.
To delete pricing profiles, enter the following command:
ImportExportPricing -dp FilePath -appsvruser ApplicationServerUserName -pdcuser PdcUserName
See "ImportExportPricing" for a description of parameters used in this command.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -dp /Temp/ProfilesToDelete.xml -appsvruser weblogic -pdcuser pdcuser
deletes the pricing profile data defined in the /Temp/ProfilesToDelete.xml file in PDC in a UNIX environment.
You can delete old versions of PDC components that are obsolete in PDC or in the associated target engines, such as Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management (BRM) Elastic Charging Engine (ECE), and keep only the latest versions of successfully promoted PDC components.
To delete old versions of PDC components:
Navigate to the PDC_home/apps/bin location.
Run the following command:
ImportExportPricing -keep [metadata | config | pricing | all] -numVersion N
Where N is a positive integer that specifies the number of latest successful versions to be kept in the PDC database.
Note:
PDC keeps N+1 versions of the successfully promoted components if they are available in the PDC database. For example, if you want to keep the latest two versions of successfully promoted components and there is only one version available in the PDC database, PDC keeps only that one version of successfully promoted components.You can use the ImportExportPricing utility to obsolete PDC components in the Promoted status if they are not referenced by any other pricing components.
To obsolete PDC components:
Export the PDC component that you want to obsolete into an XML file. See "Exporting Pricing and Setup Components from PDC" for more information.
In the XML file, set the <obsolete> element for the PDC component to true:
<obsolete>true</obsolete>
Import the PDC component into the PDC database with the -ow parameter. See "Importing Pricing and Setup Components" for more information.
For example:
ImportExportPricing -import -pricing export_pricing.xml -ow
The imported PDC component is obsoleted.
Note:
If you want to reuse an obsoleted PDC component, you must set the <obsolete> element for that component to false and import it into the PDC database.You can use XML files to create pricing and setup components in the PDC database.
Creating the pricing and setup components by using the XML files involves:
Creating the XML file containing the pricing or setup components. See "Creating the XML Files" for more information.
Loading the data in the XML file into PDC by using ImportExportPricing. See "Importing Pricing and Setup Components" for more information.
You create the XML file containing the pricing or setup components in an XML editor or a text editor.
You can create:
One consolidated XML file containing all the pricing or setup components
Separate XML files for each type of pricing or setup component
The XML files that you create must conform to the format detailed in the XSD files for pricing or setup components. See "About the XSD Files" for more information.
Some pricing components have dependencies on other pricing and setup components. Before loading such pricing components, ensure that the prerequisite data is available in the PDC database. See Table 6-1, "Prerequisite Data for Importing Pricing Components", for more information.
If you create XML files for specific pricing or setup components, you must load the XML files in the order based on the dependencies. See "About Dependencies between Pricing and Setup Components" for more information.