8 Integration with ECE

This chapter explains how to configure Oracle Communications Convergent Charging Controller to integrate with Elastic Charging Engine (ECE).

Control Plan Configuration

When Convergent Charging Controller is integrated with ECE, Convergent Charging Controller forwards calls for external subscribers to ECE. To enable Convergent Charging Controller to process calls for external subscribers successfully, you add the following feature nodes to the beginning of each control plan that will be invoked by ECE subscribers:

  • Add the Set Active Domain feature node after the Start feature node in the control plan. You use the Set Active Domain feature node to set the active domain to the ECE domain.
  • Add two Set feature nodes after the Set Active Domain feature node. You use the Set feature nodes to populate the Service-Identifier and Rating Group values that are sent in request messages.

Configuring the Set Active Domain Feature Node

To configure a Set Active Domain feature node:

  1. In the Control Plan Editor window, open the control plan you want to edit.
  2. Add a Set Active Domain feature node to the control plan immediately after the Start feature node.
  3. Open the configuration window for the Set Active Domain feature node.

  4. In the Name field, select the name of the ECE domain; for example, select ECE_Domain.

    This will set the active domain to the ECE domain.

  5. In the Management area, select the Wallet option. Ensure that all other Management options are deselected.
  6. Click Save.
  7. Save and close the control plan.

Configuring the ECE Service Identifier and Rating Group

You add two Set feature nodes to control plans to set the Diameter Service Identifier and Diameter Rating Group profile tags to the values that ECE will use to direct calls to the correct service.

You must configure values that match the corresponding values configured in ECE for the service required; for example, if ECE includes the following service configuration in the ECE Diameter Mediation table:

Service-Context-Id |

Service-Identifier | Rating-Group | ProductType | EventType Version | ValidFrom |"32260@3gpp.org" | 

 "1" | "10" | "TelcoGsmTelephony"

| "EventSessionTelcoGsm" | 1.0 | "2012-12-31T12:01:01" | ****** Account Level *******

you would configure Set feature nodes for the service "TelcoGsmTelephony" to set:

  • The Diameter Service Identifier profile tag to 1
  • The Diameter Rating Group profile tag to 10

To configure the ECE service identifier and rating group:

  1. In the Control Plan Editor window, open the control plan you want to edit.
  2. Add a Set feature node to the beginning of the control plan, immediately after the Set Active Domain feature node.
  3. Open the configuration window for the Set feature node.

  4. Set the Diameter Service Identifier profile tag to the ECE service identifier value by doing the following:

    1. In the Value field, enter the ECE service identifier value.

    2. From the Target Data Type list, select Temporary Storage.

    3. From the Target Location list, select Temporary Storage.

    4. From the Target Field list, select Diameter Service Identifier.

  5. Click Save.
  6. Add a second Set feature node immediately after the first Set feature node.
  7. Open the configuration window for the second Set feature node.

  8. Set the Diameter Rating Group profile tag to the ECE rating group value by doing the following:

    1. In the Value field, enter the ECE rating group value.

    2. From the Target Data Type list, select Temporary Storage.

    3. From the Target Location list, select Temporary Storage.

    4. From the Target Field list, select Diameter Rating Group.

  9. Click Save.
  10. Save and close the control plan.

About Variable Amount Recharge Feature Node Configuration

You use the Variable Amount Recharge feature node to send voucher recharge details to ECE, such as the balance to recharge and the recharge amount. When you configure the Variable Amount Recharge feature node, ignore the wallet-type fields that can be used to set the Convergent Charging Controller wallet type.

If you specify configuration in the wallet-type fields, Convergent Charging Controller includes a setWallet request in the recharge message sent to ECE. Because the setWallet request is not supported by Diameter, this will result in calls failing.

About CCS Capabilities

CCS capabilities enable calls sent to the same service key to be handled differently depending on the bearer capability in their IDP. For example, voice and video for same service key can have different control plans.

A capability definition includes the default control plan for the capability. You must set the default control plan that will be invoked for external subscribers for each CCS capability. You set the default control plan for a CCS capability in the Prepaid Charging, Service Management window in the Convergent Charging Controller UI. See the discussion of CCS capability configuration in CCS User's Guide for more information.

About Convergent Charging Controller Balance-Type Configuration

This section describes the updates required to Convergent Charging Controller balance-type configuration to enable Convergent Charging Controller to send balances to, and receive balances from ECE. This section assumes that the balance types that will be used are already configured in the Convergent Charging Controller UI.

See CCS User's Guide for information about configuring balance types in Convergent Charging Controller.

Enabling Balance Values to Pass Between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE

Perform the following updates to balance-type configurations in Convergent Charging Controller to enable balance values to pass between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE:

  • Update the balance-type configuration in the ccsMacroNodes section of the eserv.config file. See Balance-Type Configuration in eserv.config .
  • Update the subscriber-domain-type configuration in the eserv.config file. See Subscriber-Domain-Type Configuration in eserv.config .
  • Update the DCD-balance-query configuration in the eserv.config file. See Balance-Query Configuration in eserv.config
  • Configure balance-type mapping between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE. See Configuring Balance-Type Mapping Between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE .
  • Configure balance-type announcements. See Configuring Balance-Type Announcements .
  • Configure balance-type translations for balance notifications. Configuring Balance-Type Translations for Balance Notifications .
  • Enable first-use policies for vouchers. See Enabling First-Use Balance-Expiry Policies in Convergent Charging Controller .

Balance-Type Configuration in eserv.config

You use the following feature nodes in control plans to play balance announcements to subscribers:

  • Account Status
  • Balance Status
  • Balance State Branch

To configure which balance types to check for a specified service provider before playing balance announcements, include the following configuration in the CCS, ccsMacroNodes section of the eserv.config file: 

CCS = { ccsMacroNodes = { BSAnnBalanceTypes = [
{acsCustomerId = customer_idbalTypeIds = [
balance_ids] } ] BSBCheckBalanceTypes = [{acsCustomerId =
customer_id balTypeIds = [ balance_ids] } ] }
}

where:

  • BSAnnBalanceTypes defines the list of service providers and balance types for which announcements can be played by the Account Status and Balance Status feature nodes.
  • BSBCheckBalanceTypes defines the list of service providers and balance types for which announcements can be played by the Balance State Branch feature node.
  • customer_id is the ID in the ACS_CUSTOMER database table of the service provider. Specify the ID for the service provider you are using for the external subscribers.
  • balance_ids is the ID in the CCS_BALANCE_TYPE database table of the balance type that will be checked for the service provider specified in acsCustomerId. To check multiple IDs, use a comma as a separator. For example: 
    balTypeIds =
[15, 16]

To specify configuration for multiple service providers, for each additional service provider configure the acsCustomerId and balTypeIds parameters; for example the following configuration is for two service providers: 

CCS = { ccsMacroNodes = { BSAnnBalanceTypes = [{acsCustomerId
= customer_id_1balTypeIds = [ balance_ids] } {
acsCustomerId = customer_id_2balTypeIds = [
balance_ids] }] BSBCheckBalanceTypes = [{acsCustomerId =
customer_id_1 balTypeIds = [ balance_ids] }
{acsCustomerId = customer_id_2 balTypeIds = [
balance_ids] }] } }

Subscriber-Domain-Type Configuration in eserv.config

To enable the Balance State Branch feature node to work correctly without the need for an additional Set Active Domain feature node in the control plan, include the following configuration in the CCS, ccsServiceLibrary section of the eserv.config file on the SLC node: 

CCS = {ccsServiceLibrary = { SubscriberDomainType = 1 }
}

where the SubscriberDomainType parameter value is the ID of the VWS domain set in the DOMAIN_TYPE_ID field in the CCS_DOMAIN database table. The default value for the VWS domain ID is 1 (one).

Balance-Query Configuration in eserv.config

DCD supports BALANCE_ENQUIRY Diameter message requests. You must configure DCD to send BALANCE_ENQUIRY Diameter message requests using the balance-check method. The balance-check method triggers balance queries based on a balance-check message with a service identifier that is set to "Information".

Configure the balance-check method in DCD by including the following configuration in the DomainTypes section of the eserv.config file on the SLC node: 

DomainTypes = [{ balanceEnquiryMethod = "balanceCheck"
}]

See DCD Technical Guide for more information about DCD configuration.

Configuring Balance-Type Mapping Between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE

Convergent Charging Controller and ECE store balances in their systems with different balance types and currency units. To send and receive balances between each product, map Convergent Charging Controller balance types to their equivalent ECE balance IDs. For example, map the Convergent Charging Controller balance type for currency balances to its equivalent ECE balance ID, 840.

You map a Convergent Charging Controller balance type to an ECE balance ID by specifying:

  • The Convergent Charging Controller balance type name

The equivalent ECE balance ID

  • The Diameter domain
  • The conversion scale

The conversion scale is a number that converts balance values between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE. For example, if ECE stores 1 British pound as 1.0 and Convergent Charging Controller stores 1 British pound as 100 (1 British pound equals 100 pence), the conversion scale must be set to 100 to multiply the incoming ECE British pounds value to the Convergent Charging Controller pounds value, denominated in pence.

To configure a balance-type mapping between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE:

  1. Log in to the SMS UI.

  2. From the Services menu, select Prepaid Charging, then Service Management.

    The Service Management screen is displayed.

  3. From the Service Provider list, select the service provider you are using for external subscribers.
  4. Click the Balance Type Mapping tab.

  5. Click New.

    The New Balance Type Mapping dialog box is displayed.

  6. From the Balance Type list, select name of the Convergent Charging Controller balance type.
  7. In the Third-Party Resource field, enter the equivalent ECE balance ID.

  8. In the Third-Party Resource Scale field, enter the conversion scale to apply between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE balances.

    For example, to convert Convergent Charging Controller dollar balances held in cents to ECE dollar balances held in dollars, set this field to 100. In this case, Convergent Charging Controller balances are divided by 100 before they are sent to ECE. That is, an Convergent Charging Controller balance of 500 cents is divided by 100 to convert it into an ECE balance of 5 dollars.

  9. From the Domain Type list, select the Diameter domain.
  10. Click Save.
  11. Open the eserv.config file in a text editor.
  12. In the DCD section, set the conversionScale parameter to 0: 
    1DIAMETER = { DomainTypes = [ AVPs = [ { 
conversionScale = 0 } ] ] }
    This configures DCD to use the conversion scale specified in the Balance Type Mapping tab on appropriate balance-type AVPs.
  13. Save and close the file.

See the discussion about service management in CCS User's Guide for more information.

Configuring Balance-Type Announcements

To configure which announcements to play to subscribers for balance expiries:

Note:

This procedure assumes that ACS announcements are already configured. See the discussion of configuring announcements in ACS User's Guide for more information about configuring announcements in ACS.

  1. In the SMS UI, open the Prepaid Charging, Wallet Management window.
  2. From the Service Provider list, select the service provider you are using for external subscribers.
  3. Click the Balance Type tab.
  4. From the list of balance types on the tab, select the balance type for which you want to configure announcements.
  5. Click Edit. The Edit Balance Type screen appears.
  6. In the Edit Balance Type screen, select the Balance Type Announcements tab.

  7. From the available announcement lists, select the announcements to play subscribers for balance expiries. For each type of announcement, do the following:

    1. From the Announcement Set list, select the announcement set that holds the announcement you want to play.

    2. From the Announcement list, select the announcement to play.

  8. Currency-to-announcement mappings define, for cash balance types only, the announcements to play when the subscriber's balance is positive or negative and the currencies in which the announcements can be played.

    If this is a cash balance, add or edit currency mappings as required. See the discussion of balance-type-announcement configuration in CCS User's Guide for more information.

  9. Click Save. The balance-type-announcement configuration is saved to the database.

Configuring Balance-Type Translations for Balance Notifications

You configure Convergent Charging Controller to send balance-type notifications in the subscriber's language and currency by configuring balance-type translations for the balance information contained in notifications.

To configure a balance-type translation for a balance notification:

  1. In the SMS UI, open the Prepaid Charging, Wallet Management window.
  2. From the Service Provider list, select the service provider you are using for external subscribers.
  3. Select the Balance Type Translations tab.
  4. If you want to:
    • Add a balance-type translation, click New. The New Balance Type Translation dialog box appears.
    • Edit a balance-type translation, select the balance-type translation on the tab and click Edit. The Edit Balance Type Translation dialog box appears.
  5. Configure the balance-type translation by specifying values in the available fields. See Balance Type Translations Fields for information about the available fields.
  6. Click Save.

Balance Type Translations Fields

This table describes the balance-type translation fields.

Table 8-1 Balance Type Translations Fields

Field Description
Language

The language the short message is being translated to.

This field cannot be changed after the record is first saved.

This list is populated by the Language tab on the ACS Tools screen. For more information about configuring languages, see ACS User's Guide.

Balance Type

The balance type this translation will be for. This list is populated by the records configured in the Balance Types tab.

This field cannot be changed after the record is first saved.

Tip: You can create only one balance-type translation for each language and balance-type combination.

Single Balance Currency Type

If required, you can select a different single balance currency type to use for the balance type.

Note: This field is available only if the Balance Type field is set to a balance type that has a unit of cash.

Dual Balance Currency Type

If required, you can select a different dual-balance currency type to use for the balance type.

Note: This field is available only if the Balance Type field is set to a balance type that has a unit of cash.

Translated Name

The translated balance-type name to send to the subscriber in short messages. If nothing is entered in this field, this part of the message will not be sent.

Tip: The maximum number of characters allowed is 20.

Single Format for Balance

The structure of the data to send to the subscriber in short messages for a single (or first) currency.

  • For balance types with a cash unit, the structure of the data to send to the subscriber in short messages when the balance is in one currency. The subscriber's actual details are inserted into the variables.The variables must include the following, in order:
    %s %d %c
%02d
    Where:
    • %s = Currency Code (example, AUD)
    • %d = Main unit of the currency (example, $)
    • %c = Separator (example, .)

    • %02d = Subunit of the currency (example, c)

      For balance types with non-cash units (for example, time balances are in seconds), you may only include the %d variable in the text in the Single Format for Balance field.

  • For balance types with non-cash units (for example, time balances are in seconds), you may only include the %d variable in the text in the Single Format for Balance field.

    For balance type unit, %d variable is replaced by:

    • Time: Time balance in seconds
    • SMS: Number of named events
    • Bad PIN: Number of bad PIN attempts during the last 24 hours.
Dual Format for Balance

The structure of the data to send to the subscriber in short messages for the second currency.

Note: This field is not available for non-cash balance types or balance types that have only one currency.

Separator

The character to use to separate the different balances when put together in an SMS Notification.

Example: If you enter a comma (,) and there are two balances, General Cash and Promotional Cash, the short message sent in response to a balance inquiry looks like this: 

General Cash balance $20.00 , Promotional Cash balance $10.00
.
Balance Expiry

The balance-expiry text.

Warning: You must include '%d' in the text. This variable will be converted to the number of days remaining until the balance expires.

No Balance Expiry The text to output for balances that have no expiry date.

Enabling First-Use Balance-Expiry Policies in Convergent Charging Controller

A first-use balance is a balance for a subscriber in which the balance-expiry date is offset from the date and time that the balance is first used. Convergent Charging Controller supports the following first-use balance-expiry policy options for voucher types:

  • First Use With Offset. The expiry date is based on the expiry offset value specified in the voucher-type configuration.
  • First Use – Account Cycle. The expiry date is based on the ECE Account Cycle value.
  • First Use – Bill Cycle. The expiry date is based on the ECE Billing Cycle value.

For each of these options, the balance start date and time is set to the date and time that the balance is first used. DCD passes the first-use values to ECE in the ORA-First-Usage-Validity AVP.

You specify the first-use balance-expiry policy for a voucher type in the multi-balance configuration in the New Voucher Type and Edit Voucher Type windows in the Convergent Charging Controller UI.

First-use expiry policy options are disabled in the Convergent Charging Controller UI by default. To enable first-use expiry policy options, you set the jnlp.ECEExtensions Java application property to true in the smsGui.bat/smsGui.sh file:

-Djnlp.ECEExtensions = "true"

About DCD AVP Configuration

This section describes the changes to make to DCD AVP configuration to enable Convergent Charging Controller to integrate with ECE. You configure DCD AVPs in the DCD, DomainTypes, and AVPs section of the eserv.config file on SLC nodes. See the discussion about AVP configuration in DCD Technical Guide for more information.

Configuring DCD AVPs to Integrate Convergent Charging Controller with ECE

Perform the following updates to DCD AVP configuration:

  • Configure sign inversion for AVPs of type Integer32 or Integer64. See About Sign Inversion .
  • Configure DCD to exclude ORA-Validity-End-Relative AVPs with the value 0 (zero). See Excluding AVPs with Zero Values in Message Requests .
  • Configure Currency-Code AVPs to set the system and user currencies that will be used for playing announcements. See Currency Code Configuration for Playing Announcements .
  • Configure mapping between Convergent Charging Controller voucher expiry periods and ECE expiry periods. See Mapping Convergent Charging Controller Voucher-Expiry Periods to ECE Values .
  • Configure ORA-Account-Topup AVPs to top up multiple balances. See Voucher Top-Up Configuration for Multiple Balance Types .
  • Configure ORA-Balance AVPs to handle balance queries that return multiple balances in request messages. See Balance Query Response Configuration for Multiple Balances .
  • Configure AVPs to prevent balance queries from returning invalid values. See Preventing Balance Queries from Returning Invalid Values.
  • Configure ORA-First-Usage-Validity AVPs. See Configuring AVPs to Support First Use .
  • Configure the ORA-Extend-Bucket-Validity AVP to send the correct new bucket information to ECE. See New Bucket AVP Configuration .

About Sign Inversion

For pre-paid services, Convergent Charging Controller and ECE store balance values from different perspectives; positive balance values in Convergent Charging Controller are stored as negative balance values in ECE and negative balance values in Convergent Charging Controller are stored as positive balance values in ECE.

To configure Convergent Charging Controller to convert positive integer values to negative values (and vice versa) for both inbound and outbound values, you set the signInversion parameter to true in the DCD AVP configuration in the eserv.config file.

When signInversion is set to true for an AVP of type Integer32 or Integer64:

  • An outbound positive DCD concept value is converted to a negative value in the AVP.
  • An outbound negative DCD concept value is converted to a positive value in the AVP.
  • An inbound positive AVP value is converted to a negative DCD concept value.
  • An inbound negative AVP value is converted to a positive DCD concept value.

For example, you configure sign inversion in the Value-Digits AVP as follows:

{name = "Value-Digits"avpCode = 12003ccsConcept =
"voucherInfoValue"type = "Integer32"signInversion =
trueconversionScale = 0}

Excluding AVPs with Zero Values in Message Requests

DCD can send the ORA-Validity-End-Relative AVP in outgoing message requests to ECE for vouchers with multiple balance entries. If a balance-expiry-period value is 0 (zero) — for example, if the expiry value has not been changed from the default value — the message request sent to ECE will fail.

To exclude ORA-Validity-End-Relative AVPs with the value 0 in message requests, set the excludeWhenIn parameter to 0 in the DCD AVP configuration: 

{avpCode = 218name =
"ORA-Validity-Offset-End-Relative"ccsConcept =
"voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtension"type = "Unsigned32"excludeWhenIn
= "0"}

where the excludeWhenIn parameter specifies to exclude the ORA-Validity-Offset-End-Relative AVP from the DCD outgoing message when the value for the specified CCS concept is 0 .

Currency Code Configuration for Playing Announcements

Convergent Charging Controller feature nodes that play announcements, such as the Account Status feature node, derive the announcement to play using the system and user currency values stored in the walletInfoSystemCurrency and walletInfoUserCurrency CCS concepts. Because ECE does not return the currency code in CCA response messages, values for these CCS concepts are not populated by default and therefore the announcements cannot be played.

To enable Convergent Charging Controller feature nodes to play announcements following a CCA response message, you set the currency code for the system and user currencies to a specific value by adding the following AVP configuration for each type of CCA response message:

  1. Add the Currency-Code AVP to the ORA-Balance-Element AVP for the CCA response message.
  2. Configure the Currency-Code AVP to set the values for the walletInfoSystemCurrency and walletInfoUserCurrency CCS concepts to a specific currency.

The following example configuration shows the configuration for the ORA-Balance-Element AVP for balance top-ups. The Currency-Code-Topup AVP has been added to the list of mandatory contents, and its value has been set to 1 (one) in the Currency-Code-Topup AVP. This sets the system and user currency for balance top-ups to euros. 

{avpCode = 243name = "ORA-Balance-Element"type =
"Grouped"mandatoryContents = ["ORA-Balance-Element-Id"#
"ORA-Balance-Item" # Not currently supported in Convergent Charging
Controller ccsConcepts"Unit-Value""Currency-Code-Topup"]{avpCode =
425name = "Currency-Code-Topup"ccsConcept =
"walletInfoUserCurrency,walletInfoSystemCurrency"type =
"Unsigned32"value = "1" # set User & System Currency to allow
announcements to be played for topups}

Mapping Convergent Charging Controller Voucher-Expiry Periods to ECE Values

Convergent Charging Controller and ECE use different values for voucher-expiry-period units. You configure how to map Convergent Charging Controller expiry units to ECE expiry units in ORA-Validity-Unit AVPs: 

{avpCode = 219name = "ORA-Validity-Unit"ccsConcept =
"voucherConcept"type = "Enumerated"conversion = [{esg = CCC_unit
vendor = ECE_unit }]}

where:

  • voucherConcept is the CCS concept for the voucher expiry data that will be mapped, such as the voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtensionType or the voucherInfoBalanceValidityType
  • CCC_unit is specified in the esg parameter and defines the Convergent Charging Controller expiry unit type to map; for example, 1 for months, 2 for hours
  • ECE_unit is specified in the vendor parameter and defines the corresponding ECE expiry unit type; for example, 4 for months, 2 for hours

Specify a combination of the esg and vendor parameters for each expiry unit type you want to map. For example, the following ORA-Validity-Unit-End-Relative AVP configuration maps the expiry units used in Convergent Charging Controller for months and hours to the values used in ECE for months and hours: 

{avpCode = 219name =
"ORA-Validity-Unit-End-Relative"ccsConcept =
"voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtensionType"type =
"Enumerated"conversion = [{esg = 1 # CCC Expiry Unit Monthsvendor =
4 # ECE Expiry Unit Months}{esg = 0 # CCC Expiry Unit Hoursvendor =
2 # ECE Expiry Unit Hours}]}

Voucher Top-Up Configuration for Multiple Balance Types

You use the ORA-Account-Topup AVP to top up the balances for a voucher. If you are using voucher types for which multiple balance types have been configured, you can configure the ORA-Account-Topup AVP to top up all the balances at the same time.

To configure the ORA-Account-Topup AVP to apply balance top-ups to multiple balances:

  1. Add the ORA-Balance AVP to the mandatory contents.
  2. For each additional balance type, add an ORA-Balance AVP to the optional contents.

For example, the following ORA-Account-Topup AVP shows the configuration required to top up three different balances:

{avpCode = 206name = "ORA-Account-Topup"type =
"Grouped"mandatoryContents =
["ORA-Recharge-Reference""ORA-Balance"]optionalContents =
["ORA-Balance""ORA-Balance"]}

If you do not add the extra optional components, only the first balance is sent in the request message.

Balance Query Response Configuration for Multiple Balances

The request message for balance queries can return multiple balances. To enable DCD to process additional balances, you set the repeating parameter to true in the ORA-Balance AVP: 

{avpCode = 208name = "ORA-Balance"type = "Grouped"repeating =
truemandatoryContents =
["ORA-Balance-Element-Id-Topup""Unit-Value-Topup""Service-Identifier""Rating-Group"]}

Preventing Balance Queries from Returning Invalid Values

To enable the balance values returned in balance-query responses to be processed successfully, remove the Exponent AVP from the ORA-Credit-Floor and ORA-Credit-Ceiling AVPs.

If you include the Exponent AVP in ORA-Credit-Floor and ORA-Credit Ceiling AVPs, Diameter processing returns invalid balance values in balance-query response messages; for example, by creating extra balance types with the ID 0 .

Configuring AVPs to Support First Use

You can configure voucher types to use the following first-use expiry policies:

  • First Use With Offset. The expiry date is based on the expiry offset value configured for the voucher type that is stored in the voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtensionType CCS concept
  • First Use – Account Cycle. The expiry date is based on the ECE Account Cycle value that is stored in the voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtensionPolicy CCS concept
  • First Use – Bill Cycle. The expiry date is based on the ECE Billing Cycle value that is stored in the voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtensionPolicy CCS concept

See Enabling First-Use Balance-Expiry Policies in Convergent Charging Controller for more information about enabling first-use expiry policies for a voucher type.

To extract the correct first-use values for a voucher and pass them on to ECE, configure the following AVPs:

{name = "ORA-First-Usage-Validity"avpCode = 217type =
"Grouped"excludeWhenEmpty = truemandatoryContents =
[]optionalContents =
["ORA-Validity-First-Use-Cycle""ORA-Validity-First-Use-With-Offset"]}{##
Intentionally blank avpCodename =
"ORA-Validity-First-Use-With-Offset"mandatoryContents =
["ORA-Validity-Offset-First-Use""ORA-Validity-Unit-First-Use"]}{avpCode
= 218name = "ORA-Validity-Offset-First-Use"ccsConcept =
"voucherInfoBalanceFirstUse"type = "Unsigned32"excludeWhenIn =
"0"}{avpCode = 219name = "ORA-Validity-Unit-First-Use"ccsConcept =
"voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtensionType"type = "Enumerated"}{##
Intentionally blank avpCodename =
"ORA-Validity-First-Use-Cycle"mandatoryContents =
["ORA-Validity-Type-First-Use-Cycle"]}{avpCode = 219name =
"ORA-Validity-Type-First-Use-Cycle"ccsConcept =
"voucherInfoBalanceExpiryExtensionPolicy"type = "Enumerated"# 6 -
firstAccountCycle# 7 - firstBillCycleincludeWhenIn =
"6,7"conversion = [{esg = 6 # CCC Expiry Policy - First Use Account
Cyclevendor = 5 # ECE - First Use Account Cycle}{esg = 7 # CCC
Expiry Policy - First Use Bill Cyclevendor = 6 # ECE - First Use
Bill Cycle}]}

New Bucket AVP Configuration

The concept of when a new bucket is created is reversed between Convergent Charging Controller and ECE. In Convergent Charging Controller, you select whether to create new buckets in the Edit Multi-balance screen for a voucher type. If you selected to create new buckets, Convergent Charging Controller sets the voucherInfoNewBucket CCS concept value to 1, otherwise Convergent Charging Controller sets the value to 0.

DCD sends the voucherInfoNewBucket value to ECE in ORA-Extend-Bucket-Validity AVPs. Because ECE interprets the value 0 as "create new bucket" and the value 1 as "use existing bucket", you must configure to change the value sent in the AVP to the reversed value: 

{avpCode = 228name = "ORA-Extend-Bucket-Validity"ccsConcept =
"voucherInfoNewBucket"type = "Enumerated"conversion = [{esg =
0vendor = 1}{esg = 1vendor = 0}]}

where:

  • The esg parameter defines the Convergent Charging Controller value; 0 means use existing bucket, 1 means create new bucket
  • The vendor parameter defines the ECE value; 1 means use existing bucket, 0 means create new bucket

Sample DCD Configuration File

The eserv.config.dcd.ece.example file contains an example DCD configuration for integrating Convergent Charging Controller with ECE. It includes the following sections of the eserv.config file:

  • DCD
  • DomainTypes
  • Domains
  • AVPs

The example configuration file is located in the following directory:

/IN/service_packages/DCD/etc

Use the eserv.config.dcd.ece.example file for reference when you update DCD configuration in the eserv.config file on SLC nodes.