Functional Limitations and Restrictions
This section outlines some specific limitations and restrictions regarding the functionality of Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service beyond those identified in the service description, including:
Usage and Event Data Formats
Usage and event data being imported into Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service can be imported using one of the following vendor-specific adapters:
- Itron OpenWay
- Landis+Gyr
- Sensus RNI
- Silver Spring Networks
- MV-90 Adapter for Itron
For custom file formats, implementation can use the Adapter Development Kit Native Format or the Adapter Development Kit to build custom data conversion process.
Smart Meter Commands
Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service supports smart meters commands as described in the Smart Grid Gateway Adapter documentation (see Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service Documentation). Additional smart meter command functionality must be implemented external to Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service. This includes the following:
- Extensions to currently supported smart meter commands for supported head- end systems (see Head End System Integrations)
- New smart meter commands beyond those currently supported
- Commands for non-supported head-end systems
Common Functionality
Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service includes functionality used by multiple Oracle Utilities cloud services. Some of the functionality provided with Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service is restricted, and can only be used if specific cloud services have been licensed. The table below indicates the specific functional areas included with each of the listed cloud services.
- "Yes" indicates that the functional area is included with the product.
- "No" indicates that the functional area is not included with the product.
In order to use functionality listed as “not included”, customers must license the product that includes the desired functionality.
| Functionality | Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service | Oracle Utilities Market Settlements Management Cloud Service |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement and Service Data Model | Yes | Yes |
| Validation and Editing Functionality | Yes | Yes |
| Estimation and Forecasting Functionality | Yes | Yes |
| Measurement Services and Aggregations | Yes | Yes |
| Consumer Level Usage and Bill Determinant Calculations | Yes | No |
| Wholesale Usage Bill Determinant Calculations | Yes | Yes |
| Usage Calculations for Settlement Processes | No | Yes |
| Usage and Event Upload Statistics Processing | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Meter Command Processing | Yes | No |
| Outage Integration | Yes | No |
| Service Order Management | Yes | No |
| DataConnect | Yes | No |
| Settlement Processes | No | Yes |
| Wholesale Gas Operations | No | Yes |
Functional Areas
The table below describes the functional areas provided with the Oracle Utilities meter solution products.
| Functional Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Measurement and Service Data Model | The measurement and service data model contains database tables and related functionality used to define and store meters, devices, unmetered items, service points, and measurement data. |
| Validation and Editing Functionality | The engine that provides the core functionality used to run validation and editing rules on usage data. This does not include technical validations such as valid format, valid number of readings, and so on. |
| Estimation and Forecasting Functionality | Processes to estimate missing usage and forecast future energy use. |
| Measurement Services and Aggregation | Measurement services are used to process meter reading data and manipulate measurements to support billing or other downstream processes. |
| Consumer Level Usage and Bill Determinant Calculations | The usage engine and usage rules provide the core functionality used to perform consumer usage and bill determinant calculations based on measurement data. |
| Wholesale Usage Bill Determinant Calculations | The usage engine and usage rules provide the core functionality used to perform settlement and wholesale billing calculations based on measurement data. The term wholesale relates to purchasing and selling large quantities of energy between energy companies. |
| Usage Calculations for Settlement Processes | The usage engine and usage rules provide the core functionality used to perform settlement. |
| Usage and Event Upload Statistics Processing | Processing and compiling upload statistics related to upload of usage and device events. |
| Smart Meter Command Processing | Executing smart meter commands and communicating with a head-end system for purposes of issuing commands such as remote connect, commission meter, etc. |
| Outage Integration | Communicating with Oracle Utilities Network Management System, including sending/receiving bulk ping commands, receiving device events from Oracle Utilities Meter Solution Cloud Service, and suppression of device event notifications (allowing a suppression activity to be configured for a meter or service point so that specified device event notifications will not be sent to Oracle Utilities Network Management System). |
| Service Order Management | Orchestration of service orders that involve field work and/or smart meter commands through integration with customer information systems, mobile field work systems, and head-end systems. |
| DataConnect | Components used to extract interval measurements data and master data for integration with external energy management systems. |
| Settlement Processes | Components used for settlement processes: schedules, unaccounted for energy (UFE) calculations, capacity calculations, procurement, and true up processes. |
| Wholesale Gas Operations | Components used for wholesale gas operations: nominations, bids, scheduling and transportation. |
| Forecasting Rules | Rules used to forecast future energy use. |