7 Real-Time Notifications

This chapter explains how the delivery of a real-time notification is initiated and what a real-time notification can contain.

For more information about real-time notifications and how you configure them, see the discussion on real-time notifications in Charging Control Services User's Guide.

This chapter contains the following topics:

Real-Time Notifications

Wallet Notification Types

Table 7-1 lists the events which will trigger a real-time wallet notification request.

Table 7-1 Real-Time Wallet Notification Request Trigger Events

Type of Notification Criteria
Charging
  • Bucket value changes
  • Balance type matches balance changes
  • Value decreases
  • Old total balance value is strictly above threshold
New total balance is equal to or below threshold.
Recharging
  • Bucket value changes
  • Value increases
  • Old total balance value is strictly below threshold
New total balance value is equal to or above the threshold
Balance Expiry
  • Bucket expires
  • Balance type matches bucket expired
  • Old total balance value was strictly above threshold
New total balance value is equal to or below threshold
Wallet Expiry Wallet expires
Wallet State Change
  • Wallet state changes
  • Old state different from new state
  • Old state matches notification old state field. (See note)
  • New state matches notification new state field. (See note)

Note: If the notification field is configured as 'any state' (null), the compared wallet state (old or new) is considered to be the same.

For more information about configuring the different wallet notifications, see Charging Control Services User's Guide.

Additional SMS Notifications

An SMS notification can also be triggered when a real-time event occurs. The SMS notification is delivered as a SleeNotificationEvent through the notificationIF interface. It is sent to the destination MSISDN using the transport method defined in the SMS notification template. This will be one of the following:

  • smsInterface (from SMSCIF)
  • xmsTrigger (from MM)

Note:

  • SMS notification types and the associated message templates are configured in ACS, for more information see ACS Configuration in Advanced Control Services User's Guide.
  • For more information about smsInterface and notificationIF, see Short Message Charging Bundle User's and Technical Guide.
  • For more information about xmsTrigger, see Messaging Manager Technical Guide

DAP Notification Delivery

Each notification is delivered as a SleeDapXmlEvent event to the xmlIF interface. The name is configurable but if omitted will default to 'xmlIF'.

After a notification is sent, no check is made to verify that it was received.

Notification Export

Real-time notifications can be exported to external, custom software tailored to a user's specific requirement.

Scenario Notifications

If the VWS completes a successful voucher recharge using a scenario other than default, it will record the scenario ID in the voucher recharge EDR.

If you have configured real-time wallet notifications to provide recharge notifications, you must set up a notification template for each scenario.

The notification template to use is based upon the scenario provided in the notification request from the ccsCDRLoader plug-in. The scenario is not a variable part of the notification itself.

The notification templates must be named using this format:

ACS.VOUCHER_TYPE SCENARIO

Where:

  • VOUCHER_TYPE is the name of the voucher type (from the Name field on the New or the Edit Voucher Type screen
  • SCENARIO is the ID of the scenario from the ID column on the New or the Edit Voucher Type screen.

Example: If a subscriber recharges a voucher of Basic Recharge type, using Scenario 1, the template name should be: 

ACS.Basic Recharge1

Example: When no scenario or the default scenario was used the template would be:

Your account has been recharged successfully with $2 Your new credit balance is $3 To check your balance(s), please dial *135#

When scenario 9 was used:

Your account has been recharged successfully using Power Charge Gold with $2 Your new credit balance is $3 To check your balance(s), please dial *135#

Note:

These templates are configured in addition to the existing SMS recharge template (ACS. AccountRecharge).

Notification Construction

Notification Templates

Notifications are constructed from a template. The template contains variables which are replaced with data supplied by the requesting process when the notification is constructed.

There are two main types of templates:

  • ACS notifications. For more information, see Advanced Control Services User's Guide.
  • DAP templates. For more information, see Data Access Pack User's & Technical Guide.

Fields Used in Notification Templates

A list of fields you can use in notification templates follows.

AMOUNT

The difference in the change to the balance. Used when there is a change to the balance value.

BALANCE_TYPE

The name of the balance type associated with this billing event. The BALANCE_TYPE field is delivered only for the charging and recharging notification types.

BALANCE_UNIT

The units of the balance associated with this billing event. The BALANCE_UNIT field is delivered only for the charging and recharging notification types.

CLI

The caller line identifier of the reference associated with this update. This field is delivered for all five notification types.

COST

The total cost associated with this billing event. The COST field delivers any one of the following three variable types.

Table 7-2 Variable Types

Type Format
Cash Integer
Time String in the format SS:HH; where SS is the seconds part and HH is the hundredths of seconds part.
Unit Integer

Note:

The COST field is delivered only for the charging notification type.

EXPIRED_AMOUNT

The expired amount associated with this billing event. The EXPIRED_AMOUNT field delivers any one of the following three variable types.

Table 7-3 Variable Types

Type Format
Cash Integer
Time String in the format SS:HH; where SS is the seconds part and HH is the hundredths of seconds part.
Unit Integer

Note:

The EXPIRED_AMOUNT field is delivered only for the balance expiry notification type

NEW_BALANCE

The new total balance value of the balance associated with this billing event. The NEW_BALANCE field delivers any one of the following three variable types.

Table 7-4 Variable Types

Type Format
Cash Integer
Time String in the format SS:HH; where SS is the seconds part and HH is the hundredths of seconds part.
Unit Integer

Note:

The NEW_BALANCE field is delivered only for the charging and recharging notification types.

NEW_STATE

The new state of the wallet. The NEW_STATE field contains any one of the letters, as shown in .

Table 7-5 NEW_STATE Fields

Letter Wallet State
A Active
D Dormant
F Frozen
P Pre-use
S Suspended
T Terminated

Note:

The NEW_STATE field is delivered only for the wallet expiry and wallet state change notification types.

NOTIFICATION_NAME

The name of the notification being delivered. This field is delivered for all five notification types.

OLD_BALANCE

The old total balance value of the balance associated with this billing event. The OLD_BALANCE field delivers any one of the following three variable types.

Table 7-6 Variable Types

Type Format
Cash Integer
Time String in the format SS:HH; where SS is the seconds part and HH is the hundredths of seconds part.
Unit Integer

Note:

The OLD_BALANCE field is delivered only for the charging and recharging notification types.

OLD_STATE

The old state of the wallet. The OLD_STATE field contains any one of the letters shown in this table.

Table 7-7 OLD_STATE Fields

Letter Wallet State
A Active
D Dormant
F Frozen
P Pre-use
S Suspended
T Terminated

Note:

The OLD_STATE field is delivered only for the wallet expiry and wallet state change notification types.

PRODUCT_TYPE

The name of the product type associated with this wallet. This field is delivered for all five notification types.

RECHARGE_AMOUNT

The total recharge amount associated with this billing event. The RECHARGE_AMOUNT field delivers any one of the following three variable types.

Table 7-8 Variable Types

Type Format
Cash Integer
Time String in the format SS:HH; where SS is the seconds part and HH is the hundredths of seconds part.
Unit Integer

Note:

The RECHARGE_AMOUNT field is delivered only for the recharging notification type.

TIME_STAMP

The date and time the billing event was generated. This field is delivered for all five notification types.

WALLET_NAME

The name of the wallet type. Typical names are 'Business' or 'Personal'. This field is delivered for all five notification types.