10 Configuring How Collections Manager Determines Dates

Learn how to set the overdue and entry dates that Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management (BRM) Collections Manager uses for bills that are in collections.

Topics in this document:

• Configuring How Collections Manager Determines Dates

Configuring How Collections Manager Determines Dates

You can configure how Collections Manager determines the overdue and entry dates it uses (described in Table 10-1). For information about how Collections Manager uses these dates, see "About Overdue and Entry Dates".

Table 10-1 Overdue and Entry Dates

Option	Description
Overdue date	The overdue date is one of the following: (Default) The overdue date is the due date of the latest overdue bill when the bill unit enters collections. This date is not updated as long as the bill remains in collections. The overdue date is the due date of the oldest overdue bill when the bill unit enters collections, even if the overdue balance from that bill is not sufficient by itself to meet a scenario's entry criteria. See "Configuring the Overdue Date" for instructions.
Entry date	The entry date is one of the following: (Default) The entry date is the overdue date plus the number of days specified in the entry criteria of the scenario. This date is updated if the overdue date changes. The entry date is the actual date on which a bill unit is processed and enters collections. This date is not updated as long as the bill unit remains in collections. If Collections Manager is run at irregular or long intervals with this setting, the entry date can differ significantly from the overdue date. See "Configuring the Entry Date" for instructions.

To customize how due dates are set, use the PCM_OP_COLLECTIONS_POL_CALC_DUE_DATE opcode. See "Customizing Due Dates" in BRM Opcode Guide.

The following examples illustrate overdue and entry dates based on the four possible combinations of configuration options. The examples are based on the following assumptions:

• There is a monthly charge of $15, due on the 15th of the month.

• The collections scenario specifies a minimum overdue balance of $20, at least 10 days late.

• No payments are received in January, February, or March, but a $15 payment is received before the due date in April.

• Collections Manager runs every day.

• The tables show the overdue and entry dates as of the end of each month.

Case 1: Default Settings for Both Dates

Table 10-2 shows the results of the default setting for both dates. The overdue and entry dates stay the same as long as the bill unit remains in collections.

Table 10-2 Default Date Example

Option	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.
Payment received	None	None	None	15.00
Overdue amount	15.00	30.00	45.00	45.00
Overdue date	None	Feb. 15	Feb. 15	Feb. 15
Entry date	None	Feb. 25	Feb. 25	Feb. 25

Case 2: Optional Settings for Both Dates

Table 10-3 shows the results of the optional setting for both dates. When the bill unit enters collections, the overdue date is January 15 even though the overdue balance for that month was not sufficient by itself to enter the scenario. Also note that the overdue date changes when a payment eliminates the overdue balance for January.

Table 10-3 Optional Date Example

Option	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.
Payment received	None	None	None	15.00
Overdue amount	15.00	30.00	45.00	45.00
Overdue date	None	Jan. 15	Jan. 15	Feb. 15
Entry date	None	Feb. 25	Feb. 25	Feb. 25

Case 3: Default Setting for Overdue Date and Optional Setting for Entry Date

In Table 10-4, the dates are identical with those for Case 1, but the entry date is determined by the actual processing date. If the collections process was not run daily, the entry date would not necessarily be the same as the date determined by the scenario's entry criteria.

Table 10-4 Processing Date Example

Option	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.
Payment received	None	None	None	15.00
Overdue amount	15.00	30.00	45.00	45.00
Overdue date	None	Feb. 15	Feb. 15	Feb. 15
Entry date	None	Feb. 25	Feb. 25	Feb. 25

Case 4: Optional Setting for Overdue Date and Default Setting for Entry Date

In Table 10-5, the entry date changes when the overdue date is updated to reflect the payment. This would have the effect of delaying any remaining collections actions defined in the scenario.

Table 10-5 Varied Date Settings

Option	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.
Payment received	None	None	None	15.00
Overdue amount	15.00	30.00	45.00	45.00
Overdue date	None	Jan. 15	Jan. 15	Feb. 15
Entry date	None	Jan. 25	Jan. 25	Feb. 25

Configuring the Overdue Date

To configure how Collections Manager determines the overdue date:

1. Open the CM configuration file (BRM_home/sys/cm/pin.conf) in a text editor.

2. Change the value of the old_overdue_behavior entry:

   • To use the latest overdue bill date, enter 0. This is the default.

   • To use the earliest overdue bill date, enter 1.

     For example:

     - fm_collections old_overdue_behavior 1
     

3. Save and close the file.

4. Stop and restart the CM.

Configuring the Entry Date

To determine how Collections Manager determines the entry date:

1. Open the pin_collections configuration file (BRM_home/apps/pin_collections/pin.conf) in a text editor.

2. Change the value of the use_current_time entry:

   • To use the entry date, enter 0. This is the default.

   • To use the current date, enter 1.

     For example:

     - pin_collections_process use_current_time 1
     

3. Save and close the file.