Time Period Definitions are Stored in Data Sets

The time period definitions for a classic TOU map may have many different origins.

• It may be contract-related data that is set up at the beginning of the contract or contract year
• It may be interfaced from an external source periodically. This can occur when a customer's classic TOU map is defined dynamically based on information received from a third party.
• It may be that data needs to be overwritten for a given day. Perhaps the company has a planned interruption that changes the time period definitions for a given day. New data for the classic TOU map for that day needs to be linked to the map.

Regardless of the origin of the data, all data have similar characteristics:

• Data is received or created by the system periodically. The system stores whatever new data needs to be stored.
• The period represented by the batch of new data is variable.
• New data may be an update to previously received data.