4 Charge Offers
Charge offers determine how customers can purchase and use your services and how you track and charge for usage. Each charge offer contains one or more charges, which specify the events to track and the fees to charge when the events occur.
To set up a charge offer, perform the following tasks:
-
Create the charge offer (see "Creating a Charge Offer").
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Add charges to the charge offer (see "Adding Charges to a Charge Offer").
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If necessary, add extended pricing features and date ranges to the charges (see "Adding Impact Categories and Time Periods to a Charge" and "Adding Date Ranges to a Charge").
-
Configure charge pricing (see "Setting Up Pricing for a Charge").
To make charge offers available for purchase, you group them, with discount offers, into bundles.
For an overview of charge offers, see "Configuring Charge Offers" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.
Creating a Charge Offer
To create a charge offer:
- In the Pricing section of the navigation pane, under Offers,
click Create Charge Offer.
The Create Charge Offer page appears.
- Enter general information. See "Specifying General Information for a Charge Offer" for more information.
- Specify values for any product specification attributes configured in XML templates for charge offers. See "Specifying Product Specification Attribute Values" for more information.
- Specify offer settings. See "Specifying Charge Offer Settings" for more information.
- Optionally, add one or more deliverables. See "Adding Deliverables" for more information.
- Add charges. See "Adding Charges to a Charge Offer" for more information.
Related Topics
Specifying General Information for a Charge Offer
To specify general information for a charge offer:
-
In the Create Charge Offer page, enter a unique name and a description.
-
From the Type list, select a charge offer type.
-
From the Applicable To list, select the service to which the charge offer applies.
Specifying Product Specification Attribute Values
If you have configured product specification attributes in an XML template file, you can specify values for them. The attributes and input types available depend on what is configured in the XML template file.
The values are validated against the XML template file. Any invalid values are highlighted and errors are displayed in a pop-up message.
See "About Product Specification Attributes for Pricing Components" in PDC Creating Product Offerings for more information.
Specifying Charge Offer Settings
The settings in this section have valid defaults, but you can change them.
To specify charge offer settings:
- In the Create Charge Offer page, expand Offer Settings.
The Offer Settings subsection appears.
- In the Available for Purchase fields, specify the period during which customers can purchase the charge offer.
- (Optional) In the Cycle Alignment Day of Month list, select the day of the month on which to align recurring charges and product validity. For example, select 5 to apply recurring charges on the 5th day of each month regardless of the billing or purchase date.
- (Optional) Select a provisioning tag for the charge offer.
In Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management (BRM), provisioning tags implement extended rating attributes (ERAs), which provide special charges or discounts based on a specific attribute of a service or an account, such as a telephone number.
- (Optional) Select a supplier tax ID.
- Enter the charge offer's priority.
When multiple charge offers apply to the same service-event pair, your billing system can consider them in the order of their priority.
- In the Ownership Rules fields, specify the number of charge offers that a customer can purchase and own at one time.
- Specify whether customers can purchase only part of the offer.
- Specify whether the charge offer is shared with all members of a corporate sharing group when it is purchased by the group's owner.
- Specify whether to notify customers when their offer is about to expire.
- Specify whether to notify customers when their offer is about to renew.
- Specify what happens when you are using date ranges for versioning. From the Existing subscriptions menu, if you select Continue to use the old rates and grants, also specify whether to determine the balance impacts to apply based on the charge offer purchase date or the service instantiation date.
- (Optional) Select the name of the tax exemption selector to apply.
- Specify whether you want to round the validity for the charge offer.
- Specify whether to charge for a full day or a partial day for the first day of the billing cycle.
Adding Deliverables
Use deliverables to specify when and how much revenue can be recognized from a customer's purchase of a good or service. A deliverable defines the type of good or service you are selling, its standalone selling price, its revenue earning schedule, and the revenue general ledger ID (G/L ID) to associate with financial transactions.
Add one or more deliverables to a charge offer when the following is true:
-
Your company is using deliverable-based revenue recognition.
-
The charge offer contains a recurring or one-time charge.
To add a deliverable to a charge offer:
-
In the Create Charge Offer page, expand the Deliverables section.
-
Click the Add icon in the table toolbar:
The Select Deliverable dialog box appears.
-
Select a deliverable.
-
Click OK.
Adding Charges to a Charge Offer
A charge specifies how to calculate the cost of an event. In a charge offer, you can configure charges for any event associated with the service to which the offer applies.
Note:
The charge features displayed in Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management Pricing Design Center (PDC) are determined by the pricing profile that you associate with the charge. Not all the features described in this procedure and related procedures are supported by all pricing profiles.
To add a charge to a charge offer, use one of the following procedures:
Related Topics
Adding a New Charge
See "Adding a New Fold Charge" to add a new fold charge.
To add a new charge of any other type:
-
In the Charges section of the Create Charge Offer page, from the Add Charge list, select Add New Charge.
The Create Charge dialog box appears. See "Create Charge Dialog Box" for details.
-
From the Charge Category list, select the event category to which the charge applies.
See "About Charge Categories" for descriptions of the categories.
-
From the Charge Type list, select the type of event to which the charge applies.
-
From the Pricing Profile list, select a pricing profile for the charge.
-
From the Measured By list, select the ratable usage metrics (RUMs) to use in the charge.
To configure conditional balance impacts, select a RUM of type Conditional.
This step does not apply to rollover charges.
-
(Optional) Select the Using same pricing rule for all RUMs option.
Note:
This option appears only if you selected multiple RUMs.
If you select this option, a single charge tree is created for multiple RUMs. This enables you to quickly publish the charges to ECE.
If you do not select this option, multiple charge trees are created for multiple RUMs, each representing the charge for a different RUM.
-
(Optional) Enter a name for the charge.
If you leave this field blank, PDC generates a name.
-
From the Stop Charging list, select whether to stop applying charges to accounts that have an Inactive status, a Cancelled status, or a Suspended Active custom life cycle state.
Note:
This setting also affects the rerating process. If you specify to:
-
Stop charging accounts with an Inactive, Cancelled, or SuspendedActive status, the charge is not used if it has that status during the rerate period.
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Continue charging with an Inactive, Cancelled, or SuspendedActive status, the charge is used when it has that status during the rerate period.
-
-
From the Currency list, select the required charge currencies.
This step does not apply to rollover charges.
-
(Optional) Select the Use extended pricing features for this charge option.
If you select this option, the Charges tree is displayed when the charge first appears. You use the tree to add extended pricing features (such as impact categories, time periods, and price overrides) to the charge.
If you do not select this option, the Charges tree is hidden and only a pricing table is displayed when the charge first appears. This enables you to quickly configure pricing for a simple charge.
To display the hidden Charges tree, click the Restore Pane arrow in the lower-left corner of the Pricing Details section of the charge tab.
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(Optional) In the Taxation section, specify when to apply taxes and how to apply taxes. See "Taxation Section" for details.
This step does not apply to rollover charges.
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(Usage charges only) In the Advanced section, specify settings for processing events. See "Advanced Section" for details.
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(Recurring charges only) In the Cycle Settings section, specify settings for the following:
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In-Advance Billing
-
Cycle Alignment
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Proration
See "Cycle Settings Section for Recurring Charges" for details.
-
-
(Rollover charges only) Under Proration, specify how the charge should be handled if the charge offer is purchased or canceled in the middle of a billing cycle. See "Proration Section for Rollovers" for details.
-
Click OK.
A tab for the fold charge is added to the Charges section of the charge offer.
You can now configure pricing for the charge.
Adding Additional Currencies to a Charge
To add additional currencies to a charge:
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In the Charges section of the Create Charge Offer page, do one of the following:
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If you are adding the currency to a multi currency graph, click the Charge Currency list.
-
If you are adding the currency to a single currency graph, click the Tier Currency list.
-
-
Select Add.
The Manage Currencies dialog box appears listing all the currencies that are available for the charge.
-
Select the required currencies.
-
Click OK.
The selected currencies are added to the charge.
Removing Currencies from a Charge
To remove currencies from a charge:
-
In the Charges section of the Create Charge Offer page, do one of the following:
-
If you are removing the currency from a multi currency graph, click the Charge Currency list.
-
If you are removing the currency from a single currency graph, click the Tier Currency list.
-
-
Select Delete.
The Manage Currencies dialog box appears listing all the currencies that are configured for the charge.
-
Select the currencies to be removed.
-
Click OK.
The selected currencies are removed from the charge.
About Charge Categories
Charges can apply to the following categories of events:
| Event Category | Description |
|---|---|
|
Fold |
Charges used to zero-out a balance, such as unused free minutes or to convert one balance to another. Fold charges must be associated with an existing charge selector whose event matches the fold event. |
|
One-Time |
Nonrecurring charges, such as setup or cancellation fees. |
|
Recurring |
Ongoing charges that are not generated or affected by usage, such as a monthly subscription fee. |
|
Remittance |
Charges that calculate the manner in which you share revenue with third parties, such as resellers or service providers. This category is available only for charge offers that apply to accounts. |
|
Rollover |
Charges that extend the validity of unused balances to succeeding cycles. For example, unused included minutes are often rolled over. |
|
Usage |
Charges for service usage, such as telephone calls or Internet sessions. |
Related Topics
Adding a New Fold Charge
To add a new fold charge:
-
In the Charges section of the Create Charge Offer page, from the Add Charge list, select Add New Charge.
The Create Charge dialog box appears.
-
From the Charge Category list, select Fold.
-
Click Search.
The Search for Charge Selectors dialog box appears.
-
Search for a charge selector to add to the charge. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
-
In the Results section, select the charge selector to add, and click OK.
-
In the Create Charge dialog box, click OK.
A tab for the charge is added to the Charges section of the charge offer.
To edit the charge selector and its associated charges, click the Charge Selector link above the Rules section on the charge tab. See "Charge Selectors" for more information.
Adding an Existing Charge
To add an existing charge:
-
In the Charges section of the Create Charge Offer page, from the Add Charge list, select Add Existing Charge.
The Search for Charges dialog box appears.
-
Search for a charge to add to the charge offer. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
-
In the Results section, select the charge to add, and click OK.
A tab for the charge is added to the Charges section of the charge offer.
-
(Optional) Modify the pricing in the charge.
Note:
When using an existing charge, any changes you make to the charge, including price changes, will affect all the charge offers and charge selectors where this charge is used. To avoid unintended consequences of changing prices in a reusable charge, use the Change Price dialog box provided in the charge.
Adding an Existing Charge Selector
See "Charge Selectors" for information about charge selectors.
To add an existing charge selector:
-
In the Charges section of the Create Charge Offer page, from the Add Charge list, select Add Existing Charge Selector.
The Search for Charge Selectors dialog box appears.
-
Search for a charge selector to add to the charge. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
-
In the Results section, select the charge selector to add, and click OK.
A tab for the charge selector is added to the Charges section of the charge offer.
-
In the Charges section, click Charge Selector Configuration. See "Charge Selector Configuration" for more information.
-
Select Proration Settings from the list.
The Proration Settings dialog box appears.
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Specify how the charge should be handled if the charge selector is purchased or canceled in the middle of a customer's billing cycle by selecting one of the following options:
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Prorate: Calculate the charge based on the amount used.
-
Full Charge: Charge for the entire cycle.
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No Charge: Do not charge for the cycle.
-
-
Click OK.
Note:
The proration settings are applicable to all charges in the charge selector.
-
(Optional) To edit the charge selector and its associated charges, click the Charge Selector link above the Rules section on the charge tab.
-
(Optional) To edit the charge selector and its associated charges, click the Charge Selector link above the Rules section on the charge tab.
Working with Charges
After adding a charge to a charge offer, you use the Charges tree to add extended pricing features, such as impact categories and time periods, to it.
Note:
If you did not select the extended pricing option when you created the charge, the Charges tree is hidden. Display it by clicking the Restore Pane arrow in the lower-left corner of the Pricing Details section of the charge tab.
You then configure pricing for each branch of the Charges tree. If necessary, you can add date ranges to your charges and edit charge details.
About the Charges Tree
Use the Charges tree to build a complex charge, which is a charge that contains extended pricing features, such as impact categories, time periods, and multiple pricing instances.
The Charges tree shows the hierarchical structure of a charge. Initially, the tree contains only the Charges root node. The pricing profile associated with a charge determines which elements can be added to the tree and the order in which they can be added.
The last node of each branch of the Charges tree is a pricing node. Each pricing node has its own pricing table or tables in which balance impacts for that branch of the tree are configured. The tables appear in the Pricing Details section of the charge tab when the pricing node is selected. When a node other than a pricing node is selected, read-only information about that node appears in the charge tab.
The Charges tree is typically used to configure usage charges, but it supports all charge categories except folds and rollovers.
Related Topics
Editing Charge Details
To edit details of a charge, such as the RUMs used to measure it or the currency to which it applies:
-
Open the charge offer that contains the charge.
The Charge Offer page appears.
-
If the charge offer is in read-only mode, click Edit in the charge offer toolbar.
-
In the Charges section, click the appropriate charge's tab.
-
From the Charge Actions list, select Charge Details.
The Charge Details dialog box appears.
-
Edit the details, and then click OK.
Removing a Charge from a Charge Offer
To remove a charge from a charge offer:
-
Open the charge offer that contains the charge.
-
If the charge offer is in read-only mode, click Edit in the charge offer toolbar.
-
In the Charges section of the charge offer, click the charge tab.
-
From the Charge Actions list, select Remove Charge.
-
In the confirmation message, click OK.
The charge is removed from the charge offer, but it is not deleted from PDC. See "Deleting Pricing Components" for information about deleting charge offers from PDC.
Adding Impact Categories and Time Periods to a Charge
After adding a charge to a charge offer, use the Charges tree to perform the following tasks:
-
Add impact categories to the charge. See "Adding Impact Categories to a Charge" for more information.
-
Add time periods to the charge. See "Adding Time Periods to a Charge" for more information.
-
Group multiple impact categories or time periods to apply the same pricing configuration to all members of the group. See "Grouping Components in a Charge" for more information.
Related Topics
Adding Impact Categories to a Charge
You use impact categories to enable a charge to apply different balance impacts based on various event attributes, such as the destination of a call.
To add impact categories to a charge:
-
In the Charges tree, select the root node, Charges.
-
From the Add or Insert list in the Charges tree, select Impact Categories.
The Add Impact Categories dialog box appears.
-
Select the zone model that contains the appropriate impact categories.
The impact categories in the selected zone model are listed in the dialog box.
-
(Optional) To list enhanced impact categories for differentiated network services, select a Usage Scenario (USC) selector. See "USC Selectors" for more information.
This step is mandatory if the Online Usage pricing profile is associated with the charge.
-
(Optional) To list enhanced impact categories for GPRS calls, select an Access Point Name (APN) selector. See "APN Selectors" for more information.
-
Select the impact categories to add to the charge.
-
(Optional) To add all the selected impact categories to the same node in the tree, select Add Impact Categories As a Group.
Grouping impact categories enables you to use the same pricing for all the impact categories in the group.
-
Click OK.
The impact categories are added as children of the Charges node.
Adding Time Periods to a Charge
You use time periods to charge different prices for the same service depending on the day and time the service is used.
To add time periods to a charge:
-
In the Charges tree, select the parent node for the time period.
Possible parent nodes are Charges or an impact category.
-
From the Insert or Add list in the Charges tree, select Time Periods.
The Add Time Periods dialog box appears.
-
Select a time model.
-
Select the time periods to add to the parent node.
-
Do one of the following:
-
To add each time period to a separate node, click Add.
-
The add the time periods to the same node, click Add As a Group.
Grouping time periods enables you to use the same pricing for all the time periods in the group.
The time periods are added as children of the selected parent node.
-
Grouping Components in a Charge
Grouping components on the same node in the Charges tree enables you to use the same pricing for all the components in the group. You can group the components either as you add them to the tree or after you add them.
To group components after adding them to the Charges tree:
-
In the Charges tree, right-click the node on which to group the components, and select Group.
The Group dialog box appears.
-
Select the components to group on the node.
Note:
If the selected components have child nodes, they will lose those nodes. Only the child nodes of the component currently residing on the selected node are retained.
-
Click OK.
The components are moved to the selected node.
Ungrouping Components in a Charge
Ungrouping components that currently reside on the same node in the Charges tree enables you to use modify each component's pricing without affecting the pricing of the other components.
To ungroup components in a charge:
-
In the Charges tree, right-click the node containing the components to ungroup, and select Ungroup.
The Ungroup dialog box appears.
-
Select the components to remove from the group.
-
Click OK.
Individual nodes are added to the tree for the selected components. The original group's child nodes are copied to the new node of each former group member.
Setting Up Pricing for a Charge
After adding a charge to a charge offer, perform the following tasks to configure pricing for the charge:
-
Add pricing instances if necessary. See "Adding Pricing to a Charge" for more information.
-
Configure debit, credit, and counter balance impacts. See "Configuring Balance Impacts for Charges" for more information.
-
Configure minimum charges for balance impacts. See "Specifying a Minimum Charge" for more information.
-
Add effective periods to manage price changes. See "Adding Effective Periods to Charge Pricing" for more information.
-
Add quantity ranges to vary prices based on usage. See "Adding Quantity Ranges to Charge Pricing" for more information.
-
Configure dynamic charging to override the charge per subscriber based on the date. See "Adding Pricing Tags for One-Time and Recurring Charges" for more information.
-
Configure dynamic pricing to override the price in a charge per subscriber at run time. See "Adding Pricing Tags for Usage Charges" for more information.
After configuring pricing for a charge, you might need to perform the following task:
-
Rename the pricing instance. See "Renaming Charge Pricing" for more information.
Adding Pricing to a Charge
If you do not select the extended pricing option when creating a charge, the charge initially contains a single new pricing instance. This is a simple charge, which contains no extended pricing features, such as impact categories and time periods. You do not add pricing to simple charges; you just configure their new pricing instance.
If you select the extended pricing option when creating a charge, the charge initially contains no pricing instances. After adding extended pricing features to the charge, you must add pricing to each branch of the Charges tree. A branch can have only one pricing node. The pricing node is the last node on a branch.
Depending on the pricing profile associated with a charge, you can add the following pricing elements to a charge:
-
Pricing. See "Adding Pricing to a Charge" for more information.
-
Price selector. See "Adding a Price Selector to a Charge" for more information.
-
Generic selector. See "Adding a Generic Selector to a Charge" for more information.
-
Price override. See "Adding a Price Override to a Charge" for more information.
Adding Pricing to a Charge
To add pricing to a charge:
-
In the Charges tree, select the parent node for the pricing instance.
Possible parent nodes are Charges, an impact category, or a time period.
-
From the Add list, select Pricing.
A Pricing child node is added to the selected parent node, and a corresponding table is displayed in the Pricing Details section of the charge tab.
Adding a Price Selector to a Charge
To add a price selector to a charge:
-
In the Charges tree, select the parent node for the price selector.
-
From the Add list, select Price Selector.
The Search for Price Selectors dialog box appears.
-
Search for a price selector to add to the charge. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
-
In the Results section, select a price selector to add to the charge, and click OK.
The price selector is added to the Charges tree.
-
(Optional) To edit the price selector and its associated charges, click the Price Selector link above the Rules section in the charge tab.
Adding a Generic Selector to a Charge
To add a generic selector to a charge:
-
In the Charges tree, select the parent node for the generic selector.
-
From the Add list, select Generic Selector.
The Add Generic Selector dialog box appears.
-
From the Generic Selector list, select the generic selector to add to the charge.
-
From the Generic selector results to add list, select the generic selector results to add to the charge and click OK.
The generic selector results are added to the Charges tree.
-
(Optional) Select Add Generic Selector results as a group, which adds all the selected generic selector rules to the same node in the Charges tree.
If necessary, you can later ungroup the generic selector rules to individual nodes.
-
(Optional) To edit the generic selector and its associated rules, from the Charges tree, select the node for the generic selector rule and click the Generic Selector link in the Generic Selector Details section.
Adding a Price Override to a Charge
A price override replaces or adjusts a previously applied charge. For example, suppose a content provider has specified a price for downloading its content. The service provider who makes the content available to customers and does the billing might use a price override to add a surcharge or a discount to the content provider's original price.
To add a price override to a charge:
-
In the Charges tree, select the parent node for the price override.
-
From the Add list, select Price Override.
A Price Override child node is added to the selected parent node, and a corresponding table is displayed in the charge.
-
In the Impact to Original Price column, select the type of override.
-
In the Amount column, enter the amount of the override.
-
In the Balance Element column, select the balance element affected by the override.
-
In the Measured By column, select the RUMs to use in the price override.
Note:
The Measured By column appears only if you selected to create a single charge tree for multiple RUMs when adding a charge.
-
In the GLID column, enter the general ledger (G/L) ID for the event associated with the charge.
Configuring Balance Impacts for Charges
Balance impacts define how a charge affects a specified balance in an account.
Each charge can contain one or more balance impacts. For example, you can configure different balance impacts for different impact categories, different time periods, and different balance elements in the same charge.
For all charges except folds and rollovers, balance impacts are specified in the Pricing Details section of the charge tab or in the associated price selector.
For folds, balance impacts are specified in the associated charge selector.
For rollovers, balance impacts are specified in the Rollover Rules section of the charge tab.
Because charge and price selectors reference existing charges and pricing in which balance impacts are already configured, all balance impacts are ultimately configured in the tables in the Pricing Details or Rollover Rules section of a charge.
Each row in those tables represent a balance impact. To configure balance impacts for charges, you configure, add, and delete rows. The information required in each row depends on the charge category and pricing profile associated with the charge.
Caution:
Changing balance impacts in charges that are used in multiple places can impact all the components that use it. See "Modifying Pricing without Inadvertently Affecting Other Components" for information about avoiding unintended consequences when changing pricing.
Adding Balance Impacts to Charges
To add a balance impact to a charge:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Add Balance Impact icon in the pricing table toolbar:
-
Edit the values for the balance impact.
Adding Balance Impacts to Fold Charges
To add a balance impact to a fold charge:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Add Balance Impact icon in the pricing table toolbar.
-
Edit the values for the Debit balance impact.
See "Pricing Table" for details.
-
Click the Add Balance Impact icon to add Credit balance impacts.
The Debit balance impact is converted into each Credit balance impact that you specify.
Adding Balance Impacts to Rollover Charges
To add a balance impact to a rollover charge:
-
In the Rollover Rules section, click the Create Balance Impact icon in the table toolbar:
A row for the new balance impact is added to the table.
-
Edit the values for the balance impact.
See "Rollover Rules Section" for details.
Configuring Counters for Charges
Counters track a balance for a specified period, increasing or decreasing the balance accordingly. For example, a counter can track the number of minutes talked during a period. The total number of minutes talked can then be used to determine a billing-time discount.
To configure a counter for a charge:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Add Counter icon in the pricing table toolbar:
A row for the new counter is added to the table.
-
Edit the values for the counter.
See "Pricing Table" for details.
Configuring Conditional Balance Impacts
Conditional balance impacts credit or debit a customer's balance when the customer uses a charge offer for the first time within a specified period; for example, the first time in a day or the first time in two days. For example, you can use conditional balance impacts to grant daily included minutes to a customer, instead of using recurring events.
You can configure conditional balance impacts only for a charge that includes a RUM of type Conditional. If a charge uses multiple RUMs, the conditional balance impact is displayed only in the tab for the RUM of type Conditional. Conditional balance impacts are applicable only for charges with the Convergent Usage pricing profile.
Note:
Conditional balance impacts can only be used with charge offers that are associated with a service, not with the charge offers associated with an account.
To configure conditional balance impacts:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Add Balance Impact icon in the pricing table toolbar.
-
Edit the values for the conditional balance impact.
See "Pricing Table" for details.
Adding Multiple Validity Periods to Noncurrency Balance Impacts
Note:
This functionality is supported only for recurring and one-time charges that have validity periods with a specified end date.
You can add multiple validity periods to a noncurrency balance impact. This allows you to distribute free minutes, Gigabytes, or so on in smaller portions on an incremental basis. For example, you could distribute 500 free minutes to your customers in 100-minute buckets every 7 days.
To add multiple validity periods to noncurrency balance impacts:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the link in the Amount Is Valid column on the pricing table toolbar.
The Amount is Valid dialog box appears.
-
Specify a validity start date and a fixed validity end date.
Additional fields are displayed in the Amount is Valid dialog box if you entered a fixed end date.
-
In the Distribute Credit list, select one of these options:
-
All at once: All of the noncurrency resources are granted at the start of the validity period.
-
Periodically over a fixed period: The noncurrency resources are granted in buckets on an incremental basis, such as daily. This splits the noncurrency resources into multiple incremental validity periods.
-
-
Specify the length of the incremental validity periods, such as 5 hours or 14 days.
-
In the Unused Credit Valid Until list, select one of the following:
-
The end of the periodic distribution period: Each bucket of noncurrency resources expires at the end of its incremental validity period.
-
The end of the overall validity period: All of the noncurrency resources expire at the end of the total validity period.
-
-
Click OK.
Specifying a Minimum Charge
You can specify a minimum amount to charge for each balance element in a pricing instance. The minimum charge applies only to the current tier and effective period.
To specify a minimum charge:
-
If the charge has multiple tiers or effective periods, select a tier and an effective period.
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Minimum Charges icon in the toolbar of the first pricing table:
The Edit Minimum Charge dialog box appears.
-
Enter a minimum charge for one or more balance elements in the pricing instance.
The minimum charge applies only to the current tier and effective period.
-
Click OK.
Adding Effective Periods to Charge Pricing
You add an effective period to pricing to make a price modification take effect on a future date.
To add pricing effective periods:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Change Price icon in the pricing table toolbar:
The Change Price dialog box appears.
-
Select one of the options to indicate the scope of the price change:
-
This charge wherever it is used
Affects every component that uses this charge.
-
The current offer only
Affects only this charge offer. Other components that use the charge are not affected.
-
-
In the Change Price section, select Effective On.
-
Click the Select Date icon, select the start date of the new effective period, and click OK.
A new effective period is added to the pricing. A copy of the pricing details for the preceding effective period is associated with the new period.
-
In the new effective period, make the appropriate price change.
Note:
When pricing has multiple effective periods, a Prices Effective list appears above the pricing table or set of tables to enable you to display the pricing details for each period.
Deleting Effective Periods from Charge Pricing
To delete pricing effective periods:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the link in the Prices Effective field.
-
From the list, select Manage.
The Manage Effective Periods dialog box appears.
-
Select the effective period you want to delete.
-
Click the Delete icon in the table toolbar:
-
In the confirmation message, click Yes.
The new effective period appears in the table.
-
In the Manage Effective Periods dialog box, click OK.
The effective period and its pricing are deleted.
Changing the Start Date of Effective Periods in Charge Pricing
To change the start date of pricing effective periods:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the link in the Prices Effective field.
-
From the list, select Manage.
The Manage Effective Periods dialog box appears.
-
In the Start column of the period you want to modify, enter a new start date.
-
Click OK.
The start date of the effective period is updated.
Adding Quantity Ranges to Charge Pricing
To vary charges based on the level of usage or frequency of occurrence, add quantity ranges and configure different balance impacts for each range.
To add a quantity range to charge pricing:
-
If the pricing contains multiple tiers, effective periods, or both, select a tier and an effective period in the Pricing Details section.
The quantity range is added only to the selected tier and effective period.
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Add Quantity Range icon in the pricing table toolbar:
The Add Quantity Range dialog box appears.
-
Select Numeric Quantity Range.
-
In the Starting At field, enter the starting numeric value for the new range.
-
Click OK.
A pricing table for the range is added, in sequence, to the pricing instance. PDC automatically generates an end value for the range based on the existing quantity ranges.
Adding Ranges for Usage Pricing
You can configure usage charges to consume your customers' granted allowances, such as free minutes or free movie downloads, before applying any usage charges. To do so, add multiple ranges to the usage charge. For each range, configure whether it consumes a granted noncurrency balance element or bases pricing on a numeric quantity range.
Note:
-
PDC always organizes ranges with a granted noncurrency balance element before ranges based on a numeric quantity.
-
PDC applies the ranges of granted noncurrency balance elements in the order displayed on the screen. To change the order in which they are applied, see "Changing the Order that Granted Allowances Are Consumed".
-
This functionality is supported only by the ECE rating engine.
To add ranges for usage pricing:
-
If the pricing contains multiple tiers, effective periods, or both, select a tier and an effective period in the Pricing Details section.
The quantity range is added only to the selected tier and effective period.
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Add Quantity Range icon in the pricing table toolbar:
The Add Quantity Range dialog box appears.
-
To consume a granted allowance, such as free minutes or free data:
-
Select Consume Granted Balance Element.
-
In the Balance Element field, select the noncurrency balance element to consume, such as free minutes, MB used, or Free Games.
-
-
To vary pricing based on the quantity used:
-
Select Numeric Quantity Range.
-
In the Starting At field, enter the starting numeric value for the new range.
-
-
Click OK.
A pricing table for the range is added, in sequence, to the pricing instance. PDC automatically generates an end value for the range based on the existing quantity ranges.
Changing the Start and End Values of Quantity Ranges in Charge Pricing
To change the start and end dates of a quantity range:
-
If the pricing contains multiple tiers, effective periods, or both, in the Pricing Details section, select the tier and effective period that contain the quantity range.
-
Above the pricing table, click the Quantity Range link.
The Edit Quantity Range dialog box appears.
-
Modify the values in the Start and End fields.
The Start field is available only for the first quantity range in the pricing. To modify the start value of subsequent ranges, change the end value of the range that precedes them.
By default, the first quantity range has no minimum start value. To specify a minimum start value, first deselect No Minimum.
You cannot enter a value that includes the entire following quantity range. Instead, to extend a range beyond the following range, first delete the following range.
By default, the last quantity range has no maximum end value. To specify a maximum end value, first deselect No Maximum.
-
Click OK.
The selected range is updated. If necessary, the preceding and following ranges are also updated to accommodate the change.
Changing the Noncurrency Balance Element in Quantity Ranges
If the pricing contains multiple tiers, effective periods, or both, you can change the type of noncurrency balance element that is consumed.
To change the noncurrency balance element to consume for a quantity range:
-
Above the pricing table, click the link next to Quantity Range. For example, click Until balance of Free Minutes consumed.
The Edit Quantity Range dialog box appears.
-
In the Balance Element list, select the name of the noncurrency balance element to consume.
This specifies to consume the entire granted allowance of minutes, gigabytes, or so on.
-
Click OK.
The selected range is updated for the new noncurrency balance element.
Changing the Order that Granted Allowances Are Consumed
ECE consumes your customers' granted allowances in the order listed in the PDC Pricing Details page. For example, if free movie downloads are listed first and tokens are listed second, ECE consumes your customers' allowance of free movie downloads before consuming their allowance of tokens. You can change the order of consumption by using the Reorder Balance Element Quantity Ranges dialog box.
To change the order that granted allowances are consumed:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Reorder Balance Element Quantity Ranges icon in the pricing table toolbar:
The Reorder Balance Element Quantity Ranges dialog box appears and lists the order in which noncurrency balance elements are consumed.
-
Change the order by selecting a balance element and then clicking the up or down arrow.
The balance element moves up or down, depending on your selection.
-
Click OK.
Editing Quantity Range Properties
Some pricing profiles enable you to edit properties, such as credit limits, that apply to all quantity ranges and effective periods in the current pricing instance. Other pricing profiles enable you only to view such properties.
Note:
If a pricing instance contains multiple price tiers, this procedure applies only to the current price tier.
To edit or view properties that apply to all quantity ranges:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Edit Quantity Range Properties icon in the pricing table toolbar:
The Properties for All Quantity Ranges dialog box appears.
-
Edit the fields in the dialog box as necessary.
-
Click OK.
Adding Pricing Tags for One-Time and Recurring Charges
You can use dynamic charging to change one-time and recurring fees per subscriber based on the date. To do so, you add a pricing tag to the balance impacts of one-time and recurring charges. You can later edit or delete these tags when required.
To add a pricing tag to the balance impact of a one-time or recurring charge:
-
In the Pricing Details section of the charge tab, select a balance impact.
-
Click the Price Tag icon in the pricing table toolbar:
The Price Tag dialog box appears. See "Price Tag Dialog Box" for details.
-
From the Price tag for list, select Amount.
-
From the Name list, select or enter a pricing tag name.
-
(Optional) Enter a description of the pricing tag.
-
Click OK.
Adding Pricing Tags for Usage Charges
You use dynamic pricing to override the price in a usage charge per subscriber at run time. You can configure dynamic pricing by adding price tags to balance impacts, quantity ranges, or increments in the charges. You can later edit or delete these tags when required.
Note:
You can add price tags only for usage charges with the Convergent Usage pricing profile.
To add a pricing tag to the balance impact of a usage charge:
-
In the Pricing Details section of the charge tab, select a balance impact.
-
Click the Price Tag icon in the pricing table toolbar.
The Price Tag dialog box appears. See "Price Tag Dialog Box" for details.
-
From the Price tag for list, select the price tag name.
If you selected Amount or Increment, proceed to step 7.
To add price tags for a quantity range, click the Quantity Range link.
The Edit Quantity Range dialog box appears.
-
Modify the values in the Start and End fields.
The Start field is available only for the first quantity range in the pricing. To modify the start value of subsequent ranges, change the end value of the range that precedes them.
By default, the first quantity range has no minimum start value. To specify a minimum start value, first deselect No Minimum.
You cannot enter a value that includes the entire following quantity range. Instead, to extend a range beyond the following range, first delete the following range.
By default, the last quantity range has no maximum end value. To specify a maximum end value, first deselect No Maximum.
-
Expand Price Tag.
-
From the Attribute list, select End.
-
Enter or select a name for the price tag.
-
(Optional) Enter the description for the price tag.
-
Click OK.
Identifying the Components That Share a Charge
To identify the components that share a charge:
-
In the charge section of the charge offer, click Used By.
The Used By button is available only when the charge is used by another component.
The Used By page appears. This page provides an expandable hierarchical view of all the components that use the charge.
See "Used By Search" for more information.
Related Topics
Modifying Pricing without Inadvertently Affecting Other Components
When you modify pricing in a charge used by multiple components, PDC enables you to specify which of those components you want your changes to affect.
To specify which components are affected when you modify pricing in a charge:
-
In the Pricing Details section, click the Change Price icon in the pricing table toolbar:
The Change Price dialog box appears.
-
Select one of the following options to indicate the scope of the price change:
-
This charge wherever it is used
Affects every component that uses this charge.
-
The current offer only
Affects only this charge offer. Other components that use the charge are not affected.
-
-
(Optional) To make the change take effect on a future date, do the following:
-
In the Change Price section, select Effective On.
-
Click the Select Date icon, select the start date of the new effective period, and click OK.
A new effective period is added to the pricing. A copy of the pricing details for the preceding effective period is associated with the new period.
Note:
When pricing has multiple effective periods, a Prices Effective list appears above the pricing table or set of tables to enable you to display the pricing details for each period.
-
Renaming Charge Pricing
By default, all pricing instances are named "Pricing." You can use the pricing name to filter the charge for the discount.
You are not required to change the default name, but you can do so if you want to.
To rename pricing:
-
In the Charges tree, select a pricing node.
The selected pricing appears in the Pricing Details section of the charge.
-
From the Pricing Actions list in the Charges tree, select Rename Pricing.
The Rename Pricing dialog box appears.
-
In the Pricing Name field, enter a unique name for the pricing.
-
Click OK.
The new name of the pricing appears in the Charges tree and in the heading of the Pricing Details section.
Adding Price Tiers
After creating a single charge tree for multiple RUMs, you can add pricing tiers for any applicable RUMs configured in the charge.
To add a price tier:
-
In the Charges tree, select a pricing node.
The selected pricing appears in the Pricing Details section of the charge.
-
From the Pricing Actions list in the Charges tree, select Add Price Tier.
The Add Price Tier dialog box appears.
-
In the Measured By field, select any RUM from the list of available RUMs.
-
Click OK.
The price tier is created and it appears in the Charges tree and in the heading of the Pricing Details section.
Removing Price Tiers
From a single charge tree for multiple RUMs, you can remove pricing tiers for any RUMs configured in the charge.
To remove a price tier:
-
In the Charges tree, select a pricing node.
The selected pricing appears in the Pricing Details section of the charge.
-
From the Pricing Actions list in the Charges tree, select Remove Price Tier.
The Remove Price Tier dialog box appears.
-
In the Measured By field, select the RUM for which you want to remove the price tier.
-
Click OK.
The price tier is removed from the Charges tree.
Deleting a Pricing Tag
To delete a pricing tag from a charge pricing:
-
In the Pricing Details section of the charge tab, select a balance impact.
-
Click the Price Tag icon in the pricing table toolbar.
The Price Tag dialog box appears.
-
From the Name list, select Not Set.
-
Click OK.
Adding Date Ranges to a Charge
The date range of a charge is the period during which a charge is effective. By default, this period starts immediately and never ends.
Optionally, you can add more date ranges or modify the default date range. Each date range has its own pricing configuration. Adding date ranges enables you to make structural changes to a charge for different time periods.
To add a date range to a charge:
-
From the Charge Actions list, select New Date Range.
The New Date Range dialog box appears.
-
From the Type list, select a value.
-
(For fixed periods Only) In the Date Range Effective field, enter the start date for the new range.
PDC calculates the end date based on the existing date ranges.
-
(For relative periods Only) Change one or both of the following times:
-
Start time: Deselect Immediately, and enter the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds after the purchase time that the charge takes effect.
-
End time: Deselect Never Ends, and enter the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds after the start time that the charge is no longer effective.
-
-
Click OK.
The new date range is added to the charge. The data in its Charges tree and pricing are copied from the preceding date range.
Modifying Date Ranges in a Charge
To modify the date range in a charge containing only one date range:
-
Create a temporary date range:
-
From the Charge Actions list, select New Date Range.
The New Date Range dialog box appears.
-
Click OK.
A Date Range list appears in the top-left corner of the charge tab.
-
-
From the Date Range list, select Manage.
The Manage Date Ranges dialog box appears.
-
In the table, select the temporary date range, and delete it.
-
Select the remaining date range.
-
Click the Edit icon:
The Edit Date Range dialog box appears.
-
Change the values in the fields as necessary.
-
Click OK and OK.
To modify a date range in a charge containing multiple date ranges:
-
From the Date Range list, select Manage.
The Manage Date Ranges dialog box appears.
-
In the Manage Date Ranges section, select a date range in the table.
-
Click the Edit icon.
The Edit Date Range dialog box appears.
-
Change the values in the fields as necessary.
-
Click OK and OK.
Create Charge Offer Page Reference
Use the Create Charge Offer page to create charge offers and the charges and pricing they contain.
For a description of the fields, see the following:
General Information Section
Use the General Information section to provide general information and settings for the charge offer.
For a description of the subsections in General Information, see:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name, Description |
Enter a unique name and a description. |
|
Type |
Select a type for the charge offer:
|
|
Applicable To |
Select the service to which the charge offer applies. Note: If the charge offer does not apply to a specific service, select Account . For example, you might do this for late charges or for coupons. The charge offer can then be used to rate any event associated with the word Account in the service-event map. |
|
Phase |
Displays one of the following charge offer statuses:
This field is read-only. |
Related Tasks
Product Specification Attributes Subsection
Use the Product Specification Attributes subsection to provide values for any product specification attributes configured in XML template files. The fields available in this subsection depend on what is configured in the XML template file.
See "About Extended Attributes for Pricing Components" in PDC Creating Product Offerings for more information.
Offer Settings Subsection
Use the Offer Settings subsection to modify default charge offer settings.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Available for Purchase |
Specify when the charge offer can be purchased. For the start date, either select Immediately or enter a date and time in the Start field. For the end date, either select Never or enter a date and time in the End field. The start date is included in the purchase period, but the end date is not. For example, if the start date is May 1 and the end date is May 10, the offer can be purchased from May 1 through May 9. To be added to a bundle, a charge offer must have a purchase period that is the same as or greater than the bundle's purchase period. |
|
Cycle Alignment Day of Month |
(Optional) Select the day of the month on which to align recurring charges and product validity. For example, you can apply recurring charges on the 5th day of each month regardless of the billing or purchase date. Note: This option applies only to recurring charges in the charge offer. |
|
Provisioning Tag |
(Optional) Select a provisioning tag for the charge offer. In BRM, provisioning tags are used to implement extended rating attributes (ERAs), such as a discount for calls to friends and family on a subscriber's birthday, or to configure telco service extensions and supplementary services, such as call forwarding and call blocking. |
|
Supplier Tax ID |
(Optional) Select a supplier tax ID for the charge offer. This ID specifies the company or corporate division that sells the product and is responsible for collecting taxes for it. |
|
Priority |
Enter the priority for the charge offer. When more than one charge offer applies to the same event, this priority determines the order in which your billing system considers the charge offers. The higher the number, the higher the priority; 0 is the lowest priority. |
|
Customers Can Purchase |
Specify the number of charge offers that a customer can buy at one time. To specify limits, deselect No Minimum and No Maximum, and then enter values in the Minimum and Maximum fields. The minimum and maximum values are included in the valid range. |
|
Customers Can Own |
Specify the number of charge offers that a customer can own at one time. To specify limits, deselect No Minimum and No Maximum, and then enter values in the Minimum and Maximum fields. The minimum and maximum values are included in the valid range. For example, if a Web site charge offer provides 100 MB of disk space, you can limit customers to 500 MB by setting the maximum ownership quantity to 5. |
|
Can be purchased in partial/fractional amounts |
To enable partial purchases, select this check box. This option is used by another application, such as Customer Center, to determine whether customers can purchase only part of the charge offer. |
|
Share charge offer with members of billing hierarchy |
To enable charge offer sharing with all members of a corporate sharing group, select this check box. |
|
Notify subscriber prior to offer expiration |
To notify your customers when their charge offer is about to expire, select this check box. |
|
Notify subscriber prior to offer renewal |
To notify your customers when their charge offer is about to renew, select this check box. |
|
Tax Exemption Selector |
Select the name of the tax exemption selector to apply. |
|
Attempt Rental Fee Deduction Again if Credit is Insufficient |
Specify the maximum number of times to retry the subscription before it fails. For example, to configure retry of failed subscriptions a maximum of 3 times, every 6 hours, set Retry every field to 6 and select Hour from the drop down list. Set Max number of retries field to 3. Note: This field is applicable only when you set When Subscriber has insufficient Credit field as Subscription fails, Subscription fails and is canceled, or Charge minimum configured amount. |
| Existing subscriptions | Specify whether customers who subscribe during one date range will keep the same rates and grants after that range ends, or move to the new rates and grants configured in the next date range. |
| Determine the rates and grants based on | This field appears if you select Continue
to use the old rates and grants from the Existing
subscriptions menu.
Specify whether which rates and grants to apply is determined based on the charge offer's purchase date or the service's instantiation date. |
| Validity Rounding | (Optional) Specify one of the options for the charge
offer's validity period:
|
| Charge For Full Day | (Optional) Specify one of the options to calculate the
charge:
|
Deliverables Subsection
Use the Deliverables subsection to associate one or more deliverables with a charge offer.
Note:
Add deliverables only if your company uses deliverable-based revenue recognition and the charge offer contains a recurring or one-time charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Add |
Click to add a deliverable. |
|
Delete |
Click to delete a deliverable. |
|
Deliverables table |
View the deliverables associated with the charge offer. |
Related Topics
Charges Section
Use the Charges section to add charges to a charge offer.
For a description of the fields in this section, see the following:
Related Tasks
Add Charge List
Use the Add Charge list to add charges to a charge offer.
| List Item | Description |
|---|---|
|
Add New Charge |
Select this item to create a charge. |
|
Add Existing Charge |
Select this item to add an existing charge to the charge offer. |
|
Add Existing Charge Selector |
Select this item to add an existing charge selector to the charge offer. Note: When you add a charge selector to a charge, the charge selector is read-only. To edit the selector, click the selector name link in the Charge Selector field at the top of the charge tab. The selector appears in an editable tab. |
Charge Selector Configuration
Use the Charge Selector Configuration list to configure charge selector.
| List Item | Description |
|---|---|
|
Remove Charge Selector |
Click to remove a charge selector. |
|
Proration Settings |
Click to open the Proration Settings dialog box. |
Proration Settings Dialog Box
Use the Proration Settings dialog box to specify how charges should be handled if the charge selector is purchased or canceled in the middle of a customer's billing cycle.
Note:
Proration settings are applicable to all charges in the charge selector.
| List Item | Description |
|---|---|
|
When purchased mid-cycle |
Select how to apply charges when it is purchased in the middle of a customer's billing cycle:
|
|
When cancelled mid-cycle |
Select how to apply charges it is canceled in the middle of a customer's billing cycle:
|
Used By Button
Click this button to display a hierarchical view of all components that use this charge.
Charge Actions List
Use the Charge Actions list to perform charge-related tasks.
| List Item | Description |
|---|---|
|
New Date Range |
Select this item to add a date range to the charge. |
|
Manage Date Range |
Select this item to add, edit, or delete date a date range. |
|
Charge Details |
Select this item to display and edit details about the charge. |
|
Remove Charge |
Select this item to remove the charge from the charge offer. |
Charges Tree
Use the Charges tree to add a hierarchy of pricing components to the charge. The contents of the lists in the Charges tree toolbar depend on the profile associated with a charge.
| List | Description |
|---|---|
|
Pricing Actions |
This list is available when a pricing node is selected in the tree. It contains the following item:
In addition, the following options appear if you have a single charge tree with multiple RUMs:
|
|
Insert |
This list is available when a node can be added between the selected node and its current child. The items in the list depend on the type of node that is selected. Selecting an item from the list adds it to the charge as a child of the selected node and as a parent of the node's current child. |
|
Add |
This list is available when a child node can be added to the selected node. The items in the list depend on the type of node that is selected. Selecting an item from the list adds it to the charge as a child of the selected node. |
Pricing Details Section
Use the Pricing Details section to configure pricing for a charge.
Note:
The pricing features displayed in PDC are determined by the pricing profile that you associate with the charge. Not all features described in this section are supported by all pricing profiles.
See "Pricing Table" for information about the pricing table.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Price tier tabs |
If a charge uses more than one RUM, a tab appears in the pricing for each RUM. These tabs are called price tiers. |
|
Prices Effective |
This list contains the pricing's effect periods, which are used to change the pricing on a future date. If the pricing contains only the default effective period, this list is not displayed. |
|
Quantity Range |
This list contains the pricing's quantity ranges, which are used to change the pricing based on the level of usage or frequency of occurrence. |
|
Add Quantity Range |
Use to add a quantity range to pricing. |
|
Reorder Balance Element Quantity Ranges |
Use to change the order in which granted allowances, such as free minutes and tokens, are consumed. |
|
Delete |
Use to delete a quantity range, balance impact, or counter. |
|
Edit Quantity Range Properties |
Use to edit universal quantity range properties. |
|
Change Price |
Use to create pricing effective periods and to specify the scope of the pricing change. |
|
Minimum Charges |
Use to set a minimum charge for the balance elements in pricing. |
|
Add Balance Impact |
Use to add a balance impact to pricing. |
|
Add Counter |
Use to add a counter to pricing. |
|
Price Tag |
Use to add a pricing tag to pricing. |
|
Pricing table |
Use to configure balance impacts and counters. |
Pricing Table
Use the pricing table in the Pricing Details section to configure balance impacts and counters for a charge.
To display the pricing table, select a pricing node in the Charges tree. If the Charges tree does not contain a pricing node, you cannot display the pricing table.
Each row in the table represents a balance impact for the event associated with the charge. See "Configuring Balance Impacts for Charges" for more information.
Depending on the charge type and profile associated with a charge, only a subset of the columns in the pricing table might appear.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Impact |
Select the type of impact represented by the row. This can be a debit or credit. |
| Condition |
For conditional balance impacts, specify when the balance impact should be applied. Click the link in this column to select options in the Balance Impact Condition dialog box. The following options are available:
|
|
Amount |
Specify the amount of debit or credit. |
|
Balance Element |
Select the currency or noncurrency balance element. |
|
Per Unit |
Select the type of unit, such as Minute or Byte, to which the charge applies. The selected unit should be related to the RUM associated with the charge. For example, if the RUM is Duration and the units specified in the RUM are seconds, select a unit that can be converted to seconds, such as Minute. The following values apply to all RUMs:
When the RUM is of type Conditional, Fixed Charge is selected by default. |
|
Increment |
Enter the number of units to which the charge applies. For example, for a mobile phone service, you might charge 0.40 US dollars for every minute of usage in 2-minute increments. In this example:
Select a rounding option. Rounding is based on the specified increment. For example, if a 3-minute-and-50-second call is rated in 2-minute increments, it is handled as follows:
|
|
Amount Is Valid |
When a balance impact is a credit of a noncurrency balance element or an increase of a counter, specify the period when the balance is available for consumption by setting its validity period. Click the link in this column to select values in the Amount Is Valid dialog box. See "Amount Is Valid Dialog Box" for details. For debit balance impacts, this field is not applicable. |
|
GLID |
Select the G/L ID assigned to the charge event. Some target engines require G/L IDs. If you do not provide a G/L ID for such engines, you will receive a validation error when you submit the charge. |
|
Proration |
Select the Do not prorate check box to prevent the proration settings in a charge from applying to a particular balance impact. This column applies only to recurring charges. |
|
Discounting |
Select the Do not discount check box in this column to make a balance impact nondiscountable. By default, balance impacts are discountable. This option is available only when the charge pricing profile is associated with the BRM real-time rating target engine profile. When a charge type is discounted in a bundle, the discount applies to all instances of the charge type that are discountable. For example, you might have a charge offer that charges for two cycle events. You charge a monthly fee for one event, and you grant included minutes for the other event. If you specify a percentage discount for cycle charges in the bundle, the discount applies to both cycle charges. To discount only the monthly fee, you must make the balance impact for the monthly fee discountable and the balance impact that grants included minutes nondiscountable. |
|
Apply Taxes |
Select when to tax the charge:
|
|
Tax Code |
Select the name of the tax code to apply. |
Amount Is Valid Dialog Box
Use the Amount Is Valid dialog box to select the validity period for the credited amount in the balance impact.
Use the list on the left to select the validity start time. The list includes the following options:
-
Always: The amount is always valid.
-
From Event Occurrence: The amount is valid from the occurrence of the event associated with the balance impact.
-
From First Usage: The amount is valid from the first time it is impacted by a subscriber's usage.
-
From Specific Date: The amount is valid from the date that you specify.
-
Relative to Event Occurrence: The amount is valid relative to the occurrence of the event associated with the balance impact. Enter the number of accounting cycles, billing cycles, months, days, hours, minutes, recurring cycle, or seconds from the event occurrence.
For example, if you specify two accounting cycles, the amount will be valid after two accounting cycles from when the event occurs.
-
From Period Start: The amount is valid from the start of the balance impact period.
Use the list on the right to select the validity end time (when the amount can no longer be used). The list includes the following options:
-
No End Date: The amount validity does not end.
-
End Relative to Validity Start: The amount validity ends relative to the validity start time. Enter the number of accounting cycles, billing cycles, months, days, calendar days, hours, minutes, or seconds from the validity start time when the validity ends.
For example, if you specify five days, the amount will not be valid after five days from the validity start time. If you specify one calendar day, the amount will not be valid after the midnight (which is 12:00 AM) of the same day.
Note:
You can use calendar days only for charges with the Convergent Usage pricing profile.
-
Until Specific Time After Period Start: The amount validity ends the specified number of hours, days, weeks, or so on after the start of the balance impact period.
-
Until Specific Date: The amount validity ends on the date that you specify.
The following fields are displayed only for recurring and one-time charges, and only if you selected Until Specific Date for the validity end date.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Distribute Credit |
Select how to distribute the noncurrency resources:
|
|
Frequency and Period |
Select how often to distribute a new bucket of noncurrency resources, such as every 2 hours or every 3 days. |
|
Unused Credit Valid Until |
Select when the incremental bucket of noncurrency resources expire:
|
Rollover Rules Section
Use the Rollover Rules section to configure rollover charges.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Balance Impact Validity |
Specify the period in which the rollover is valid. For the start date, either select Immediately or enter a date and time in the Start field. For the end date, either select Never or enter a date and time in the End field. |
|
Table |
Use this table to configure the rollover balance impact. It contains the following columns:
|
Related Tasks
Price Override Section
Use the Price Override section to configure a replacement price for a charge.
| Table Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Impact to Original Price |
Select the manner in which to override the original price:
|
|
Amount |
Enter the percentage or the amount of the adjustment or replacement. To increase or decrease the original price by a fixed amount, enter a positive or negative number. |
|
Balance Element |
Select the balance element affected by the price override. |
|
Measured By |
Select the RUMs to use in the price override. RUMs specify the units used to measure an event and how to calculate the measurement. The pricing profile determine which RUMs are available for selection. This column is not applicable if you have created multiple charge trees for multiple RUMs. |
|
GLID |
Select the G/L ID for this balance impact. Some target engines require G/L IDs. If you do not provide a G/L ID for such engines, you will receive a validation error when you submit the charge. |
Related Tasks
Price Tag Dialog Box
Use the Price Tag dialog box to configure dynamic pricing for overriding prices at run time.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Price tag for |
Select one of the following attributes to override the value at run time:
|
|
Name |
Enter a unique name for the price tag. Important: Ensure that you enter a unique name for pricing tag across multiple charge offers since the tags are not scoped to charge offers at run time. Tip: Select Not Set to clear the price tag. |
|
Description |
Enter a description for the price tag. |
|
Scope |
Displays Event Profile by default. |
Related Tasks
RUM Details Dialog Box
Use the RUM Details dialog box to set the rounding rules for the RUM.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
RUM Name |
Displays the RUM name. |
|
Round |
Select how the event quantity is rounded, enter the rounding increment, and select the units to measure the quantity.
|
|
Minimum Quantity |
Enter the minimum quantity of the event that results in a fee, and select the units to measure it. If the quantity is less than the minimum, it is rounded up to the minimum regardless of the specified rounding mode. If the minimum quantity is 0 and the event quantity is less than 0, no rounding occurs. |
Create Charge Dialog Box
Use the Create Charge dialog box to add a new charge to a charge offer.
For information about the subsections in this dialog box, see the following:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Charge Category |
Select the event category to which the charge applies. See "About Charge Categories" for descriptions of the categories. The charge category determines which fields are displayed in this dialog box. |
|
Charge Type |
Select the type of event to which the charge applies. The list of event types is determined by the service to which the charge offer applies and the charge category. |
|
Pricing Profile |
Select a pricing profile for the charge. The pricing profile determines which features are supported for the charge. The selected charge category and charge type determine which profiles are available for selection. |
|
Measured By |
Select the RUMs to use in the charge. RUMs specify the units used to measure an event and how to calculate the measurement. (Offline Usage pricing profiles only) In a charge, the pricing for each RUM is contained in a price tier. If you add multiple RUMs to a charge, each tier appears in a subtab in the Pricing Details section of the charge tab. (Online Usage and Convergent Usage pricing profiles only) If you add multiple RUMs to a charge, each tier appears in a subtab in the charge tab. Select a RUM of type Conditional to configure conditional balance impacts. Note: Available RUMs for each service-event combination are configured in the service-event map. |
|
Using same pricing rule for all RUMs |
(Online Usage and Convergent Usage pricing profiles only) Select this option to create a single charge tree for multiple RUMs. Each tier appears in a subtab in the Pricing Details section of the charge tab. This option enables you to quickly publish the charge to ECE. If you do not select this option, multiple charge trees are created for multiple RUMs, each representing the charge for a different RUM. Each charge tree appears in a subtab in the charge tab. |
|
Name |
(Optional) Enter a unique name. If you do not specify a name, PDC automatically generates a name in the following format: CHG MMDDYY : HHMMSS : randomNumber CHG identifies that the component is a charge. |
|
Stop Charging |
Indicate whether to stop charging accounts when they have an Inactive status, Cancelled status, or SuspendedActive life cycle state:
By default, stop charging is selected for Inactive status, Cancelled status, and SuspendedActive state. |
|
Currency |
By default, the system currency appears in this field. To use a different currency for the charge, select the currency. The selected currency is the only currency balance element that you can use when configuring balance impacts for the charge. |
|
Use extended pricing features for this charge |
Select this option to create a complex charge that includes extended pricing features, such as impact categories, time periods, and price overrides. Initially, the charge contains no pricing and an empty Charges tree. One-time, recurring, usage, and remittance charges support extended pricing features. If you do not select this option, the charge initially contains one pricing instance. The pricing table is displayed, and the Charges tree is hidden. This enables you to quickly configure pricing for a simple charge. |
Related Tasks
Taxation Section
Use the Taxation section to specify tax information for the charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Apply Taxes |
Select when to tax the charge:
|
|
Option |
Specifies how to apply taxes:
|
|
Tax Code or Tax Selector |
Specifies the name of the tax code or tax selector to apply. Note: If the charge pricing profile is associated with the BRM real-time rating target engine profile, this tax code overrides the tax code configured in the billing system for the charge. |
Related Tasks
Advanced Section
Use the Advanced section to specify settings for processing events. These settings apply only to usage charges.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Time zone used to rate this event |
Select the time zone to use to rate the event:
For example, if you make a call from California and your account is registered in New York:
|
|
When an event crosses multiple time periods, charge using |
Select the way to charge for an event if it is priced differently by time period:
|
|
Quantity used to select steps is |
Select the way a price step is selected when part of the event was already charged in another time period:
For example, a phone call starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. The two hours between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. are rated by the peak hours rate. The two hours between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m are rated by the off-peak hours rate. The off-peak rate includes the following price steps:
If the selection quantity is Dependent On, the quantity already used, the peak hours are considered the first two hours, and the off-peak portion of the call is charged $0.05 per minute. If the selection quantity is Independent Of, the quantity already used, the peak hours are not considered the first two hours, and the off-peak portion of the call is charged $0.10 per minute. This field is available only when charges from multiple time periods are used to rate an event. |
Related Tasks
Cycle Settings Section for Recurring Charges
Use the Cycle Settings section to specify settings for recurring charges.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
In-Advance Billing |
Select a billing option for a recurring charge:
|
|
Cycle Alignment |
Select how to apply recurring charges:
|
|
Proration When purchased mid-cycle |
Select one of the following to specify how to handle a recurring charge when customers purchase an offer in the middle of their billing cycle:
|
|
Proration When cancelled mid-cycle |
Select one of the following to specify how to handle a recurring charge when customers cancel an offer in the middle of their billing cycle:
|
|
Proration When the cycle changes |
Select one of the following to specify how to handle a recurring charge when customers change their billing day of month (DOM) in the middle of their billing cycle:
|
Related Tasks
Proration Section for Rollovers
Use the Proration section to specify settings for rollover charges.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
When purchased mid-cycle |
Select one of the following to specify how to handle a rollover charge when customers purchase an offer in the middle of their billing cycle:
|
|
When cancelled mid-cycle |
Select one of the following to specify how to handle a rollover charge when customers cancel an offer in the middle of their billing cycle:
|
Related Tasks
Search for Charges Dialog Box
Use the Search for Charges dialog box to find an existing charge to add to a charge offer or a charge selector.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Pricing Component |
(Charge selector) Specifies that you are searching for a charge. |
|
Applicable To |
Displays the Applicable To setting for the charge offer or charge selector, either a service or Account. |
|
Charge Type |
(Charge offer) Select the type of event to which the charge applies or Any. Select Unassigned to find charges without a service. (Charge Selector) Displays the type of event to which the charge selector applies. |
|
Pricing Profile |
(Charge offer) Select the pricing profile associated with the charge or Any. (Charge selector) Displays the pricing profile associated with the charge selector. |
|
Measured By |
(Charge offer) Select the RUMs used by the charge or Any. The charge type and pricing profile determine which RUMs are available for selection. Any is not available for profiles that support multiple RUMs. (Charge selector) Displays the RUMs associated with the charge selector. |
|
Name |
Select a name operator and then enter a value in the field next to the operator to narrow the search. Leading and trailing whitespaces are removed from the search criteria. If embedded whitespaces need to be included in the search, use '% %' in place of the whitespace in your search criteria. |
Related Topics
Results Table
The Results table lists the charges that meet the search criteria. Select the charge to add to the charge offer, and click OK.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Displays the name of the charges that meet the search criteria. |
|
Description |
Displays a description of each charge. |
|
Phase |
Displays the status of each charge:
If the search finds both a promoted version and a draft version of a charge in the PDC database, it returns the draft version. |
|
Applicable To |
Displays the Applicable To setting for the charge, either a service or Account. |
|
Charge Type |
Displays the type of event to which the charge applies. |
Related Tasks
Search for Charge Selectors Dialog Box
Use the Search for Charge Selectors dialog box to find a charge selector to add to a charge offer.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Applicable To |
Displays the Applicable To setting for the charge selector, either a service or Account. |
|
Event |
Select the type of event to which the charge applies or Any. |
|
Pricing Profile |
Select the pricing profile associated with the charge or Any. |
|
Name |
Select a name operator and then enter a value in the field next to the operator to narrow the search. Leading and trailing whitespaces are removed from the search criteria. If embedded whitespaces need to be included in the search, use '% %' in place of the whitespace in your search criteria. |
Results Table
The Results table lists the charge selectors that meet the search criteria. Select the charge selector to add to the charge offer, and click OK.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Displays the charge selectors that meet the search criteria. |
|
Description |
Displays a description of each charge selector. |
|
Phase |
Displays the status of the charge selectors:
If the search finds both a promoted version and a draft version of a charge selector in the PDC database, it returns the draft version. |
|
Applicable To |
Displays the Applicable To setting for the charge selector, either a service or Account. |
|
Event |
Displays the type of event to which the charge selector applies. |
Related Tasks
Related Topics
Charge Details Dialog Box
Use the Charge Details dialog box to view and edit settings in a charge.
The mode of this dialog box (read-only or edit) matches the mode of the charge from which it is opened.
For information about the subsections in this dialog box, see the following:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Charge Category |
Displays the category of event to which the charge applies. See "About Charge Categories" for descriptions of the categories. |
|
Charge Type |
Displays the type of event to which the charge applies. The available event types are determined by the service to which the charge offer applies and the charge category. |
|
Pricing Profile |
Displays the pricing profile for the charge. The pricing profile determines which features are supported for the charge. |
|
Measured By |
Displays the RUMs used in the charge. RUMs specify the units used to measure an event and how to calculate the measurement. In a charge, the pricing for each RUM is contained in a price tier. If a charge uses multiple RUMs, each tier appears in a subtab in the Pricing Details section of the charge tab. |
| Using same pricing rule for all RUMs |
When selected, a Single Rum Graph will be created for all RUMs. |
|
Name |
Displays the name of the charge. If a default name was generated for the charge, it has the following format: CHG MMDDYY : HHMMSS : randomNumber CHG identifies that the component is a charge. |
|
Stop Charging |
Indicates whether to stop charging accounts when they have an Inactive status, Cancelled status, or SuspendedActive state:
The value of this field can vary for each charge offer where the charge is used. You can edit this field only from the charge offer that contains the charge. See "Editing Charge Details" for more information. |
|
Currency |
Displays the only currency balance element that you can use when configuring balance impacts for the charge. |
Related Tasks
Taxation Section
Use the Taxation section to view and edit charge taxation settings.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Apply Taxes |
Specifies when the charge is taxed:
|
|
Option |
Specifies how to apply taxes:
|
|
Tax Code or Tax Selector |
Specifies the name of the tax code or tax selector to apply. |
Related Tasks
Advanced Section
Use the Advanced section to view settings for processing events. These settings apply only to usage charges.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Time zone used to rate this event |
Displays the time zone to use to rate the event:
For example, if you make a call from California and your account is registered in New York:
The value of this field can vary for each charge offer where the charge is used. You can edit this field only from the charge offer that contains the charge. See "Editing Charge Details" for more information. |
|
When an event crosses multiple time periods, charge using |
Displays the way an event is charged if it is priced differently by time period:
|
|
Quantity used to select steps is |
Displays the way a price step is selected when part of the event was already charged in another time period:
For example, a phone call starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. The two hours between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. are rated by the peak hours rate. The two hours between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m are rated by the off-peak hours rate. The off-peak rate includes the following price steps:
If the selection quantity is Dependent On, the quantity already used, the peak hours are considered the first two hours, and the off-peak portion of the call is charged $0.05 per minute. If the selection quantity is Independent Of, the quantity already used, the peak hours are not considered the first two hours, and the off-peak portion of the call is charged $0.10 per minute. This field is applicable only when charges from multiple time periods are used to rate an event. |
Related Tasks
Cycle Settings Section
Use the Cycle Settings section to view and edit settings for recurring and rollover charges.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
In-Advance Billing |
Displays a billing option for a recurring charge:
|
|
Cycle Alignment |
Displays how to apply recurring charges:
|
|
Proration |
For recurring charges: Displays how to handle a recurring charge when customers purchase an offer, cancel an offer, or change their billing day of month (DOM) in the middle of their billing cycle:
For recurring charges, the value of this field can vary for each charge offer where the charge is used. You can edit this field only from the charge offer that contains the charge. See "Editing Charge Details" for more information. For rollovers: Displays how to handle rollovers when customers purchase or cancel the offer in the middle of their billing cycle:
|
Related Tasks
Add Impact Categories Dialog Box
Use the Add Impact Categories dialog box to add zone impact categories to a charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Zone Model |
Select the zone model that contains the impact categories you want to add. |
|
USC Selector |
(Optional) Select a Usage Scenario (USC) selector to filter the impact categories in the selected zone model based on attributes related to differentiated network services, such as mailbox inquiries, call forwarding, and friends-and-family discounts. Note: This field is mandatory if the Online Usage pricing profile is associated with the charge. |
|
APN Selector |
(Optional) Select an Access Point Name (APN) selector to filter the impact categories in the selected zone model based on attributes related to GPRS calls. |
|
Select the Impact Categories to Add |
Select the impact categories to add to the charge. |
|
Impact Category Name Contains |
Restrict the number of impact categories in the list by entering name criteria in this field and then clicking Filter. |
|
Add Impact Categories As a Group |
(Optional) Select this option to add all the selected impact categories to the same node in the Charges tree. If necessary, you can later move some or all of the grouped impact categories to individual nodes. |
Related Tasks
Add Time Periods Dialog Box
Use the Add Time Periods dialog box to add time periods to a charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Time Model |
Select a time model. Only time models associated with the same pricing profile as the charge are available. |
|
Select Time Periods to Include in a Charge |
Select time periods to add to the charge. |
|
Add Time Periods As a Group |
Click to add all the selected time periods to the same node in the Charges tree. If necessary, you can later move some or all of the grouped periods to individual nodes. |
Related Tasks
Add Generic Selector Dialog Box
Use the Add Generic Selector dialog box to add to a generic selector to a charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Generic Selector |
Select the generic selector to add to the charge. |
|
Generic Selector Results to Add |
Select the generic selector results to add to the charge. |
|
Add Generic Selector Results As a Group |
(Optional) Select this option to add all the selected generic selector results to the same node in the Charges tree. If necessary, you can later move some or all of the grouped generic selector results to individual nodes. |
Related Tasks
Search for Price Selectors Dialog Box
Use the Search for Price Selectors dialog box to find a price selector to add to a charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Pricing Component |
Specifies that you are searching for a price selector. |
|
Applicable To |
Displays the Applicable To setting for the charge, either a service or Account. |
|
Event |
Displays the event to which the charge applies. |
|
Pricing Profile |
Displays the pricing profile associated with the charge. |
|
Name |
Select a name operator and then enter a value in the field next to the operator to narrow the search. Leading and trailing whitespaces are removed from the search criteria. If embedded whitespaces need to be included in the search, use '% %' in place of the whitespace in your search criteria. |
Related Topics
Results Table
The Results table lists the price selectors that meet the search criteria. Select the price selector to add to the charge, and click OK.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Displays the price selectors that meet the search criteria. |
|
Description |
Displays a description of each price selector. |
|
Phase |
Displays the status of each price selector:
If the search finds both a promoted version and a draft version of a price selector in the PDC database, it returns the draft version. |
|
Applicable To |
Displays the Applicable To setting for the price selector, either a service or Account. |
|
Event |
Displays the type of event to which the price selector applies. |
Related Tasks
Change Price Dialog Box
Use the Change Price dialog box to specify which components will be affected by a change and to add effective periods to pricing.
The available options depend on whether the dialog box is displayed from within a charge offer, a charge, a charge selector, or a price selector.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
The Price Change Will Affect |
Select one of the following options to indicate the scope of the price change:
|
|
Change Price |
Select one of the following options to specify when the price change takes effect:
|
Properties for All Quantity Ranges
Use the Properties for All Quantity Ranges dialog box to view and edit properties that apply to all quantity ranges and effective periods in a pricing instance.
Note:
If a pricing instance contains multiple price tiers, this dialog box applies only to the current price tier.
The contents of this dialog box and whether you can edit or only view them depend on the pricing profile associated with the charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Charges in this tier are measured by |
Specifies the RUM of the current price tier. This field is always read-only. |
|
Quantity range selected based on |
When this field is editable, you can change the basis of the quantity ranges in the current price tier by selecting one of the following items:
|
|
When subscriber has insufficient credit |
Select what to do if the cost of the balance element affected by the charge is greater than the customer's credit limit. A credit limit is the maximum amount of a balance element that can accumulate in a balance group. For more information, see "Setting Credit Limits" and "About Credit Limits" in PDC Creating Product Offerings. You can choose from the following options:
|
|
Charges based on |
Displays one of the following, depending on the pricing profile associated with the charge that contains the pricing:
|
New Date Range Dialog Box
Use the New Date Range dialog box to add date ranges to a charge.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Type |
Select the type of range to add:
The purchase date is the day the charge offer is added to the account. |
| Date Range Effective |
(For fixed periods only) Enter the start date for the new range. PDC calculates the end date based on the existing date ranges. |
| Start |
(For relative periods only) Specify the relative start time. To start the charge configured in this range when purchased, select Immediately. To start the charge at a later time, deselect Immediately, and enter the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds after the purchase time that the range starts. |
| End |
(For relative periods only) Specify the relative end time. To keep the charge configured in this range effective forever, select Never Ends. To specify an end time, deselect Never Ends, and enter the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds after the start time that the range ends. |
Related Tasks
Manage Date Ranges Dialog Box
Use the Manage Date Ranges dialog box to add, modify, and delete charge date ranges.
The New Date Range dialog box appears.
Edit Date Range Dialog Box
Use the Edit Date Range dialog box to modify the start and end times of charge date ranges.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Start |
To start the charge configured in this range when purchased, select Immediately. To start the charge at a later time, deselect Immediately, and do one of the following:
|
| End |
To keep the charge configured in this range effective forever, select Never Ends. To specify an end time, deselect Never Ends, and do one of the following:
|