1. PDC Installation Guide
  2. Installing Pricing Design Center
  3. Pricing Design Center Postinstallation Tasks

5 Pricing Design Center Postinstallation Tasks

Learn how to perform postinstallation tasks, such as creating users or synchronizing pricing setup components, after installing Oracle Communications Pricing Design Center (PDC).

Topics in this document:

Postinstallation Tasks for the PDC Installation

After installing the complete PDC software, do the following:

  1. (Optional) Create additional PDC users by using Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console. See "Creating a PDC User".
  2. Add your PDC users to a group. This includes the PDC user created during the installation process as well as any additional PDC users you created in step 2. See "Adding the PDC User to a Group".

  3. If you are using Elastic Charging Engine (ECE) for usage rating, install the compatible version of ECE on the machine on which ECE is installed. See "Installing Elastic Charging Engine" in ECE Installation Guide.

    See "BRM Suite Compatibility" in BRM Compatibility Matrix for the compatible version of ECE.

  4. Start the transformation engines. See "Starting the Transformation Engines".
  5. (Optional) Restrict the tablespace quota for a schema user. The default tablespace quota is unlimited. See "Restricting Tablespace Quota for a Schema User".
  6. Perform the following configuration:
    1. Configure Oracle WebLogic Server to use the SSL-enabled data source. See "Configuring WebLogic Server to use SSL-Enabled Data Source".
    2. Configure PDC to use the SSL-enabled data source. See "Configuring PDC to Connect to SSL-Enabled Database".
  7. (Optional) Configure SAML to enable single-sign on (SSO) for PDC. See "Setting Up Single Sign-On for Pricing Design Center".
  8. If you are not migrating the existing BRM pricing data to the PDC database, do the following:
    1. Clean up the sample BRM data. See "Cleaning up Sample BRM Data".
    2. Run the SyncPDC utility to synchronize the setup components defined in other BRM components with PDC. See "Running SyncPDC".
    3. Create prerequisite setup components, such as balance elements. See "Creating Pricing Setup Components" in PDC Creating Product Offerings for more information.

      For a quick start, load sample balance element IDs and ratable usage metrics (RUMs) provided with the PDC software. See "Loading Sample Data".

    4. Create a service-event map in PDC. See "Creating Service-Event Maps".
  9. If you are using PDC REST Services Manager, do the following:
    1. Configure the mapping of TMF priceType values to BRM event names. See "Configuring Mapping of TMF620 priceType to BRM Event Names".
    2. Specify the base URL to return. See "Updating the Base URL for PDC REST Services Manager".

Creating a PDC User

If you want to create additional PDC users, you must create the PDC users after the installation is complete.

To create a PDC user:

  1. Log in to WebLogic Server Administration Console.

  2. In the Domain Structure section, click the Security Realms link.

    The Summary of Security Realms page appears.

  3. Click the myrealm link.

    The Settings for myrealm page appears.

  4. Click the Users and Groups tab.

  5. Click the Users subtab.

  6. Click New.

    The Create a New User page appears.

  7. Do the following:

    1. In the Name field, enter a name for the PDC user.

    2. (Optional) In the Description field, enter a brief description for the PDC user.

    3. In the Password field, enter a password for the PDC user.

      Note:

      • The PDC user password can be a maximum of 12 characters and should contain at least one non-alphabetic character.

      • The user name must not be a part of the password.

    4. In the Confirm Password field, enter the password again.

  8. Click OK.

    The user name appears in the User table.

  9. Click Save.

    To access PDC, add the PDC user to a group based on the role of the user in the organization. See "Adding the PDC User to a Group" for more information.

Adding the PDC User to a Group

PDC is a role-based application that authenticates and authorizes users based on the group to which the user belongs. The role-based functionality of PDC is supported by the following WebLogic Server groups:

  • Pricing Design Admin: The users belonging to this group have read and write access to the setup and pricing components.

  • Pricing Analyst: The users belonging to this group have read access to the setup components and read and write access to the pricing components.

  • Pricing Reviewer: The users belonging to this group have only read access to the setup and pricing components.

  • Migration Admin: The users belonging to this group can migrate pricing data from the BRM database to the PDC database.

These groups are created by the PDC Installer during the PDC installation process. To access PDC, add the PDC user you created during the installation or after the installation is complete to a group based on the role of the user in the organization.

To add the user to the group:

  1. Log in to WebLogic Server Administration Console.

  2. In the Domain Structure section, click the Security Realms link.

    The Summary of Security Realms page appears.

  3. Click the myrealm link.

    The Settings for myrealm page appears.

  4. Click the Users and Groups tab.

  5. Click the Users subtab.

  6. Click the username link, where username is the name of the PDC user.

    The Settings screen for username page appears.

  7. Click the Groups tab.

  8. In the Parent Groups section, from the Available list, select the group to which you want to assign the user.

  9. Move the selected item to the Chosen list.

  10. Click Save.

Starting the Transformation Engines

The transformation engines do not automatically start when you start the PDC server. You must manually start them by running the following scripts:

  • For real-time rating: BRM_Integration_Pack_home/Transformation/apps/bin/startRRETransformer

  • For batch rating: BRM_Integration_Pack_home/Transformation/apps/bin/startBRETransformer. This script is optional if you are using ECE for usage rating.

When you run the scripts, at the command prompt, enter the BRM Integration Pack wallet password and start the transformation engines.

Status of the Transformation Engines

If you suspect that a transformation engine has stopped running, use standard system commands to check the status of the transformation engine process.

Following are the names of the BRM transformation engine processes:

  • For real-time rating: oracle.communications.brm.pdc.server.transformation.rre.RRETransformationEngine

  • For batch rating: oracle.communications.brm.pdc.server.transformation.bre.BRETransformationEngine

Restricting Tablespace Quota for a Schema User

PDC grants unlimited tablespace quota to the following schema users:

  • PDC schema

  • Transformation cross-reference schema

  • Migration cross-reference schema

You can restrict the quota limit for a schema user in a tablespace by using SQL*Plus.

To restrict the tablespace quota for a schema user:

  1. Connect to your database using SQL*Plus:

    sqlplus pdcUser@databaseName
Enter password: password

    where:

    • pdcUser is the PDC database user name.

    • password is the PDC database user password.

    • databaseName is the service name or database alias of the PDC database.

  2. At the SQL*Plus prompt, enter the following command:

    SQL> alter user schema_user_name  quota size on tablespace_name;

    where:

    • schema_user_name is the PDC schema user name.

    • size is the tablespace quota size.

    • tablespace_name is the name of the tablespace for the PDC schema user.

    For example:

    SQL> alter user schema_user_name quota 500k on data_ts;

  3. Type exit to exit SQL*Plus.

Configuring WebLogic Server to use SSL-Enabled Data Source

You can use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)-enabled data source in Oracle WebLogic Server for secured communications.

You must configure WebLogic Server before configuring the data sources. For more information on configuring WebLogic Server, see the discussion about using SSL with data sources and Oracle drivers in the Oracle WebLogic Server documentation and in the following page:

https://www.oracle.com/middleware/technologies/weblogic/configure-use-jdbcdriverssl.html

Configuring PDC to Connect to SSL-Enabled Database

To connect to the SSL-enabled database securely for synchronizing, transforming, and migrating the PDC data, you must specify the SSL port number and the database TrustStore details in the following configuration files:

  • SyncPDCConfiguration.xml

  • TransformationConfiguration.xml

  • MigrationConfiguration.xml

To connect to the SSL-enabled database:

  1. Open the BRM_Integration_Pack_home/apps/configurationfile file.

    where:

    • BRM_Integration_Pack_home is the directory in which BRM Integration Pack is installed.

    • configurationfile is:

      • SyncPDCConfiguration.xml

      • TransformationConfiguration.xml

      • MigrationConfiguration.xml

  2. Uncomment the trustStore and truststoreType section to connect to the database securely: 

    <dbSSLConfiguration>
	     <trustStore>databaseTruststoreLocation</trustStore>
     <trustStoreType>databaseTruststoreType</trustStoreType>
</dbSSLConfiguration>

    where:

    • databaseTruststoreLocation is the path to the client wallet which is used to connect to the database securely.

    • databaseTruststoreType is the type of the trustStore used to connect to the database securely:

      If databaseTruststoreLocation is Wallet_Home/cwallet.sso, the databaseTruststoreType is SSO.

      If databaseTruststoreLocation is Wallet_Home/ewallet.p12 , the databaseTruststoreType is PKCS12.

  3. Specify the SSL port number in the connectionInfo section for all the databases, such as the migration cross-reference database and transformation cross-reference database. For example: 

    <xrefDatabase>
<connectionInfo>
...
<port>SSL_Port</port>
...
</connectionInfo></xrefDatabase>

  4. Save and close the file.

  5. Go to the BRM_Integration_Pack_home/apps/bin directory.

  6. Run the following command, which updates the database TrustStore password in the BRM Integration Pack wallet:

    ./PDCBRMWalletUtil.sh walletlocation walletpassword DB_TRUSTSTORE_PASSWORD password

    where:

    • walletlocation is the location in which the BRM Integration Pack wallet is located.

    • walletpassword is the BRM Integration Pack wallet password.

    • password is the database TrustStore password.

  7. At the command prompt, enter Y.

    The database TrustStore password is added to the BRM Integration Pack wallet.

Cleaning up Sample BRM Data

When you install BRM, its installation scripts populate sample data, including setup and pricing components. When using PDC, this data should not be initiated in BRM, but it should be defined in PDC and published to the BRM database. To ensure that PDC and BRM are integrated properly, you must clean up the BRM sample data before you start using PDC.

To clean up sample BRM data:

  1. Go to the BRM_Integration_Pack_Home/apps/syncpdc/scripts directory, where BRM_Integration_Pack_Home is the directory in which BRM Integration Pack is installed.

  2. Enter the following command, which opens SQL*Plus:

    sqlplus brmUser@databaseName
Enter password: password

    where:

    • brmUser is the BRM database user name.

    • password is the BRM database user password.

    • databaseName is the service name or database alias of the BRM database.

  3. Enter the following commands, which clean up BRM data:

    Note:

    If PDC is integrated with ECE, do not run the update_ifw_tables.sql command.

    • To clean up real-time data:

      SQL> update_pin_tables.sql

    • To clean up batch-rating data:

      SQL> update_ifw_tables.sql

    The sample BRM data is cleaned up.

  4. Type exit to quit SQL*Plus.

If your BRM system includes a roaming pipeline, you must also perform these additional steps to clean up sample BRM data:

  1. Configure a service-event map in PDC. See "Setting Up the Service-Event Map" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.

  2. Create a charge offer in PDC that has a delayed event with a charge rate plan name as Standard. See "Configuring Charge Offers" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.

  3. After the charge offer has been created successfully, connect to the BRM database as the pipeline user:

    sqlplus pipelineUser@databaseName
Enter password: password

    where:

    • pipelineUser is the user name for accessing the pipeline schema.

    • password is the password for the pipeline user.

    • databaseName is the service name or database alias of the BRM database.

  4. Run the following SQL command:

    SQL> select RATEPLAN from IFW_RATEPLAN where name like 'Standard';

    The command returns a RATEPLAN number. Make a note of this number.

  5. Make a copy of the Pipeline_home/conf/pricingdata/Oracle/ifw_icproduct_all.sql file.

  6. In the copy of the ifw_icproduct_all.sql file, do the following:

    • Replace all instances of RATEPLAN number (20001) with the following: 

      RATEPLAN number (Number)

    • Modify the value of ALT_RATEPLAN from NULL to Number.

    where Number is the RATEPLAN number returned in step 4.

    Note:

    Ensure that IFW_ICPRODUCT_RATE.ALT_RATEPLAN is set to a valid rate plan.

  7. Run your copy of the ifw_icproduct_all.sql file: 

    SQL> @ifw_icproduct_all.sql

  8. Type exit to quit SQL*Plus.

  9. In the Pipeline_home/conf/roaming.reg file, set CarrierICRating.Module.UseRateplan to ALTERNATIVE.

  10. Start the roaming pipeline.

Running SyncPDC

You must run the SyncPDC utility to synchronize the setup components defined outside of PDC.

See "Synchronizing Pricing Setup Components" in PDC Creating Product Offerings for more information.

Loading Sample Data

PDC provides sample XML files to create setup components. The sample files are located in the PDC_home/apps/Samples/Examples directory.

The Examples directory contains the following sample files:

  • PDCSampleBE.xml. Contains all currency balance elements and some frequently used noncurrency balance elements. You can load this file to quickly create balance elements to use when configuring pricing.

  • PDCSampleRum.xml. Contains commonly used ratable usage metrics (RUMs). You can load this file to quickly create RUMs to use when creating a service-event map and when configuring pricing.

  • OOB_ProfileSpecifications.xml. Contains the profile attribute specifications referenced in the following custom rules: Friends&Family, SpecialDay, and ClosedUserGroup. This XML file references the names used in the provisioning tags provided by default with the BRM installation. See "Configuring Closed User Groups" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.

  • OOB_CRs.xml. Contains the custom rules: Friends&Family, SpecialDay, and ClosedUserGroup. You can use these custom rules in generic and charge selectors when configuring a charge based on a subscriber's Friends & Family, Special Day, or Closed User Group profile. You must load the OOB_ProfileSpecifications.xml file before loading this file. See "Configuring Closed User Groups" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.

  • OOB_ItemTypeSelector.xml. You must load this file if you are using ECE. This file provides the default billing item assignments that are supported by BRM without any additional configuration. See "Configuring Item Type Selectors" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.

    Note:

    Before loading this file into the PDC database, make a backup copy of the customized config_item_tags.xml and config_item_types.xml files in BRM if you have created custom bill items in BRM. When you load the OOB_ItemTypeSelector.xml file into the PDC database, it overwrites the existing item tag-to-item type mapping in the BRM database.

You can load the sample files by using the ImportExportPricing utility. See "ImportExportPricing" in PDC Creating Product Offerings for more information.

Note:

The Examples directory also contains sample alias files and sample pricing profile files that are provided only for reference and for use as templates for creating custom alias events or pricing profiles. You should not load the sample alias files and sample pricing profile files after installing PDC.

Creating Service-Event Maps

A service-event map defines which events can be used for a service and which RUMs can be used for each service-event combination. For example, you map the GSM Session event to the GSM service and the RUMs, Duration and Volume, to the GSM Session event.

To create a service-event map:

  1. Ensure that the transformation engines are up and running.

  2. Launch the PDC UI.

  3. Create a service-event map by following the instructions in "Creating Service-Event Maps" in PDC Online Help.

    Ensure that you include the following services in the service-event map:

    • TelcoGprs

    • TelcoGsmFax

    • TelcoGsmSms

    • ServiceSettlementRoamingOutcollect

    • ServiceTelcoGsmData

    • Service (/service)

    • ServiceIpGprs

    • ServiceTelcoGsmTelephony

    • ServiceSettlementRoamingIncollect

    • ServiceWapInteractive

Configuring Mapping of TMF620 priceType to BRM Event Names

If you are using PDC REST Services Manager, you must configure the mappings of BRM event names to the values your enterprise product catalog sends in the priceType property of the ProductOfferingPrice element of the TMF620 payload.

The mappings are configured in the application-eventConfig.yaml file. You can add mappings as needed for your deployment, or use the default mappings provided at installation.

To add or edit mappings:

  1. Open the PDC_RSM_home/apps/conf/application-eventConfig.yaml file, where PDC_RSM_home is the directory in which you installed PDC REST Services Manager.
  2. Edit the existing mappings, or use them as templates to add new ones. Use the following format:
    pricetype : "eventname"
    where:
    • pricetype is the value sent in the priceType property of the ProductOfferingPrice element of the TMF620 payload
    • eventname is the name of the BRM event the price type should be mapped to

    For example, the default mappings for one-time fees and usage events are:

    ONE_TIME : "EventBillingProductFeePurchase"
ONE_TIME_PRICE_PLAN : "EventBillingProductFeePurchase"
USAGE : "EventSession"
USAGE_PRICE_PLAN : "EventSession"
  3. Save and close the file.

You can update the mappings as your deployment needs change. After updating configuration files, always restart PDC REST Services Manager using the following command from the PDC_RSM_home/apps/bin directory:

./RestServicesManager.sh restart

Updating the Base URL for PDC REST Services Manager

After installing PDC REST Services Manager, update the base URL with the resource details to return in the response of PDC REST Services Manager requests. To do so, edit the PDC_RSM_home/apps/conf/app_external.properties file.

Note:

You don't need to restart the PDC REST Services Manager server after editing the app_external.properties file.