Understanding Service Order Management

At a high level, service order handles requests for service as follows:

Receive / Create Service Order Request

A service order request can be as a result of a customer requesting a change to their service such as enabling or disabling service when moving into or out of a residence, but can also be the result of other business processes, such as a request to cut service due to non-payment. Within Oracle Utilities Customer To Meter actions such as start service, stop service, and cut for non-payment result in the creation of a field activity request for each effected service point. These requests are sent to Service Order Management to be performed. In addition to requests that are created with Oracle Utilities Customer To Meter, service order requests can be received from other applications

Create Service Order Activity

When Service Order Management receives the service order request, it creates a service order activity. This activity will manage and orchestrate the other activities needed to fulfill the original service request.

Evaluate Service Point and/or Meter

The service order activity evaluates the current state of the service point, meter, or item, and determines the appropriate action(s) to take to fulfill the service request.

Create Activities as Needed

Based on the evaluation of the service point, meter, or item, the service order activity creates one or more activities perform the required actions.

  • Service order field activities involve sending workers into the field to perform service. This can include meter installation, meter replacement, and other activities.

  • Command activities are smart meter commands used to remotely change the state of the meter. This can include connect, disconnect, checking the device status (ping), or requesting an on-demand reading.

Following each of activities, the orchestration activity re-evaluates the state of the service point, meter, or item to determine the next appropriate action(s) required to fulfill the original service request.

For example, when enabling service at a service point with a smart scalar meter, a typical scenario might involve the following:

  1. Service Order Field Activity - Install Meter

  2. Command Activity: Commission Device

  3. Command Activity: Remote Connect

  4. Command Activity: On Demand Read - Scalar

Update Field Activity Request or Requesting System

When the orchestration activity determines that everything necessary to satisfy the service order request is ready, the orchestration activity is completed. If the orchestration activity was created by a field activity request, the field activity request is also completed. If, however, the orchestration activity was created due to external system rather than a field activity request the orchestration activity will inform the requester.

Send Notification to Subscribing Systems

The service order activity can also be configured to send notifications to other subscribing systems regarding the status of the service point, meter, or item.