About Calculation Rules

Execute Calculation Group Rules - Nesting Calculation Rules

Execute Calculation Group rules are used to define business logic to allow reference to a separated specified calculation group. This allows rules that are used frequently to be bunched under a single calculation group, which can be referenced / called by other rules as needed. For example, if a set of standard rules should be applied to all rate schedules, this set of rules can be configured as part of a calculation group, which is referenced by a single calculation rule of this type. Execute Calculation Group rules use the following options:

• Referred Calculation Group: defines the calculation group referenced by the rule.
• Characteristics: defines additional calculation rule attributes that may be used in rate processing or for reporting purposes. A calculation rule's characteristics are copied onto the resultant bill lines for those characteristic types that are allowed on bill segment calculation lines.

Eligibility Criteria

Calculation rule eligibility criteria are user-definable conditions that could cause a given calculation rule to be applied or skipped. This can involve the evaluation of some attribute of the service agreement, or service point, or something else entirely.

A calculation rule can have multiple eligibility criteria for determining if the rule should be applied or skipped, based on a user-defined sequence. Each eligibility criteria uses the following settings:

• Criteria Comparison: defines the specific comparison for the criteria, based on the following:
  • Criteria Field Type: the means used to retrieve the value of the criteria field (algorithm, bill factor, calculation line, characteristic, contract quantity, service quantity, or historic service quantity)
  • Comparison Operator: the operator used in the comparison
  • Comparison Value: a user-specified value to which the retrieved value is compared (using the comparison operator)
• Comparison Results: defines how the rule should behave, based on the results of the comparison defined under Criteria Comparison:
  • If True: the action to take if the comparison is true
  • If False: the action to take if the comparison is false
  • If Insufficient Data: the action to take if there is insufficient data to perform the comparison

Calculation Line Category Types

Calculation line category types are used to establish connections between calculation rules. Calculation rules can specify a member category and value to which they belong. When this same category and value are referenced as a "Target Category" by other rules (the rule is applied to the results of rate version calculation rules (defined in the same rate schedule) that belong to the category and value.

For example, calculation rules whose results are subject to taxes might belong to the "Subject to Tax" (TAXABLE) category and "County Tax" value. Apply To calculation rules defined for the same rate schedule with a target category of "Subject to Tax" and "County Tax" values are applied to "Subject to Tax" member rules.

Calculation Line Category Types are defined by the following:

• Calculation Line Category Type: The unique identifier of a calculation line category type definition
• Description: The description of the calculation line category type.
• Category Values: The valid category values for the calculation line category type.

Base Package Calculation Rules

Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing includes the following base package calculation rule types that can be used when creating calculation rules:

• Apply To: Used to create bill lines that levy charges based on amounts calculated on other bill lines.
• Calculate Final Reading Values: Used to determine the final values for readings based on user-defined UOM/TOU/SQI.
• Calculate Service Quantity: Used to derive or calculate a service quantity that is eventually inserted into the bill segment SQ collection.

• Copy Service Quantity From Master Bill Segment: Used to copy all the entries from the master bill segment SQ collection to the sub bill segment SQ collection.

• Execute Calculation Group: Used to call and pass parameters to another calculation group.

• Flat Charge: Used to create bill lines that levy service charges and fees that aren't based on how much the customer uses.
• Item Type: Used to create bill lines that levy charges based on the number and type of items used by a customer. The system keeps track of items on the service point(s) linked to the customer's service agreement.
• Math: Used to derive interval data based on a formula, and apply TOU mappings and/or other operations to the derived data to calculate service quantities
• Maximum Charge: Used to create bill lines that levy charges only when the sum of previously calculated lines is more than the maximum charge amount.
• Minimum Charge: Used to create bill lines that levy charges only when the sum of previously calculated lines is less than the minimum charge amount.
• Service Quantity: Used to create bill lines that levy charges based on some type of consumption.
• Simple Summary: Used to create a "subtotal" on the bill, by summarizing bill lines produced by other calculation rules in the same calculation group.
• Stepped Service Quantity: Used to create bill lines that levy charges based on some type of consumption when different prices are applied to different ranges of consumption (for example, the first 50 kWh are $0.43 per kWh, anything in excess of 50 kWh is charged at $0.71 per kWh)
• Summary: Used to create a "subtotal" on the bill. It exists purely for reporting and informational purposes.

See Base Package Calculation Rule Descriptions for details about each of these calculation rules.