12 Charge Selectors

Use a charge selector to charge different fees for the same event, based on the value of one or more attributes, such as subscriber (account), service, and event, and custom rules (if applicable). For example, you might charge different fees for phone calls depending on a call's origin and destination.

To set up a charge selector, you create rules that map attribute values and custom rules (if applicable) to a charge. When an event occurs, the appropriate charge is selected based on the rules.

To work with charge selectors, see the following topics:

• Creating a Charge Selector

• Create Charge Selector Page Reference

For overview information, see "About Selectors" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.

Creating a Charge Selector

To create a charge selector:

1. In the Pricing section of the navigation pane, under Models & Selectors, click Create Charge Selector.

2. Specify general information for the charge selector. See "Specifying Charge Selector General Information".

3. Select event attributes to use in the charge selector rules. See "Selecting Attributes for Charge Selector Rules".

4. Create rules for the charge selector. See "Creating Charge Selector Rules".

Related Topics

Create Charge Selector Page Reference

Specifying Charge Selector General Information

To specify general information for a charge selector:

1. In the General Information section, enter a name and description for the charge selector.

   The name must be unique across USC, APN, and charge selectors. For example, if you name an APN selector My APN you cannot name a charge selector My APN.

2. From the Applicable To list, select the service to which the charge selector applies.

   Alternatively, select Account.

3. From the Event list, select the event type to which the charge selector applies.

   Select a fold event type, if you are creating the charge selector for fold charge.

4. From the Pricing Profile list, select a pricing profile for the charge selector.

5. From the Measured By list, select the rateable usage metrics (RUMs) to which the charge selector applies.

   Select Fold, if you are creating the charge selector for fold charge.

Related Topics

General Information Section

Creating a Charge Selector

Selecting Attributes for Charge Selector Rules

Selecting Attributes for Charge Selector Rules

To create rules for a charge selector, you must first specify the subscriber, service, or event attributes to use in the rules.

To specify attributes for charge selector rules:

1. Go to the Rule Attributes section of the Create Charge Selector page.

2. In the Selector Options section, select one of the following options:

   Note:

   For delayed usage events in an ECE-enabled system, only the Use Value Map option is available.

   • Zoning Not Used:

     Select this option if you do not want to use zoning in your charge selector rules.

   • Use Value Map

     Select this option if you want to use values in a value map in the fields of the charge selector rules. After selecting this option, select a value map from the list.

   • Use Zone Model

     Select this option if you want to use zone impact categories from a zone model in the charge selector rules. After selecting this option, select a zone model from the list.

3. In the Select Fields for Rules section, click the Add icon in the table.

   The Select Field dialog box appears.

4. Select at least one field to use in the rules.

   If you are creating the charge selector for fold charge, you must use the fields associated with Fold to define the charge selector rules. In the Select Field dialog box, expand Event fields and then select Resource_ID and Quantity fields under Fold.

   To select multiple fields at the same time, press and hold the CTRL key during selection.

   Note:

   The selected fields are included in every rule defined for the charge selector, but in each rule, you can override a field's default value.

5. Click OK.

   The selected fields are added to the table.

6. Click the Value Type cell, and select a value type from the list.

7. In the Default column, do one of the following:

   • If you selected Single Value, enter the value directly in the table cell.

   • If you selected List of Values:

     1. Click the cell.

        The Enter Value dialog box appears.

     2. Click the Add icon, and then enter the value into the field.

     3. Add the other values in the list.

     4. Click OK.

        The values, separated by commas, are added to the cell.

   • If you selected Value from Value Map:

     1. Click the cell.

        The Enter Value dialog box appears.

     2. In the Value Map Name field, expand the value map hierarchy until you find the value that you want to use.

     3. Select the value, and click OK.

        The value is added to the cell.

   • If you selected Zone Model Result:

     1. Click the cell.

        The Enter Value dialog box appears.

     2. In the Filter field, do one of the following:

        To restrict the impact categories displayed in the Zone Model Result list, enter the appropriate value.

        To return all the impact categories in the zone model, enter an asterisk (*).

     3. Click the Show Zone Model Results arrow button to populate the Zone Model Result list.

        A list of zone model results appears in the Zone Model Result list.

     4. Select an impact category, and click OK.

        The impact category is added to the cell.

Related Topics

Rule Attributes Section

Select Fields for Rules Section

Creating a Charge Selector

Creating Charge Selector Rules

Charge selectors use rules to determine which charge to use to rate an event.

To create a charge selector rule:

1. In the table in the Rules section of the Create Charge Selector page, do one of the following:

   • To add a new rule to the table, click the Add icon.

     A new rule is added to the table. If an existing rule was selected when you clicked Add, the new rule appears below the selected rule. If no rule was selected, the new rule appears in the last row. The rule's fields contain the default values specified in the Rule Attributes section.

   • To add a new rule above or below a specified existing rule:

     1. Select the existing rule.

     2. Click Actions in the table toolbar.

     3. Choose Insert rule above or Insert rule below.

     A new rule is added to the table in the selected position. The rule's fields contain the default values specified in the Rule Attributes section.

   • To add a copy of an existing rule:

     1. Select the rule that you want to duplicate.

     2. Click the Duplicate icon:

        

     A copy of the selected rule is added below the selected rule. The rule's fields contain the same values as the fields in the original rule.

     Note:

     When a rule is added above one or more existing rules, the priority numbers of the following rules are automatically adjusted to accommodate the new rule. (Rules appear in numerical order.)

2. In the Rule Name column, enter a unique name for the rule.

3. In the field columns, enter the values to override the default values as follows:

   • If you selected Single Value, enter the value directly in the table cell.

   • If you selected List of Values:

     1. Click the cell.

        The Enter Value dialog box appears.

     2. Click the Add icon, and then enter the value into the field.

     3. Add the other values in the list.

     4. Click OK.

        The values, separated by commas, are added to the cell.

   • If you selected Value from Value Map:

     1. Click the cell.

        The Enter Value dialog box appears.

     2. In the Value Map Name field, expand the value map hierarchy until you find the value that you want to use.

     3. Select the value, and click OK.

        The value is added to the cell.

   • If you selected Zone Model Result:

     1. Click the cell.

        The Enter Value dialog box appears.

     2. In the Filter field, do one of the following:

        To restrict the impact categories displayed in the Zone Model Result list, enter the appropriate value.

        To return all the impact categories in the zone model, enter an asterisk (*).

     3. Click the Show Zone Model Results arrow button to populate the Zone Model Result list.

        A list of zone model results appears in the Zone Model Result list.

     4. Select an impact category, and click OK.

        The impact category is added to the cell.

4. In the Impact Category column under Results, click the cell, and enter the impact category to use for determining the charge.

5. In the Charge column under Results, click the cell, and select a charge or click one of the following commands:

   • Search: Opens the Search for Charges dialog box. Search for a charge to add to the charge selector. See "Searching for Pricing Components".

   • Create: Opens the Create Charge section. See "Charge Offers" for information about creating charges.

   • Edit: Opens the charge currently specified for the rule in the Edit Charge section. See "Charge Offers" for information about modifying charges. If a charge has not been specified for the rule, this command does not appear in the list.

   The table lists the rules in the order that the rules are evaluated. You can select a rule and move it up or down if you wish to reorder the rules. See "Working with Tables".

Related Topics

Rules Section

Creating a Charge Selector

Create Charge Selector Page Reference

Use the Create Charge Selector page to create rules that associate subscriber, service, and event attributes with charges.

For a description of the fields, see the following:

• General Information Section

• Rule Attributes Section

• Rules Section

General Information Section

Use the General Information section to provide a name and description for the charge selector and to associate it with a service, event type, profile, and RUM.

Field	Description
Name, Description	Enter a unique name and a description. The name must be unique across USC, APN, and charge selectors. For example, if you name an APN selector Default Analyzer, you cannot name a charge selector Default Analyzer.
Applicable To	Select the service to which the charge selector applies. Select the service to which the charge selector applies or select Account.
Event	Select the event type to which the charge selector applies. Select a fold event type, if you are creating the charge selector for fold charge.
Pricing Profile	Select the pricing profile for the charge selector. Only charges associated with the selected profile can be used as the result of each charge selector rule.
Measured By	Select the RUMs to which the charge selector applies. Select Fold, if you are creating the charge selector for fold charge. RUMs specify the units used to measure an event and how to calculate the measurement. Any charge created in the charge selector will use a RUM. If you search for a charge from the charge selector, the search will be limited to charges that use this RUM.

Related Tasks

Creating a Charge Selector

Rule Attributes Section

Use the Rule Attributes section to select the subscriber, service, and event fields to use in the charge selector rules.

Related Tasks

Selecting Attributes for Charge Selector Rules

Selector Options Section

Use the Selector Options section to associate the charge selector with a value map or a zone model.

Note:

For delayed usage events in an ECE-enabled system, only the Use Value Map option is available.

Option	Description
Zoning Not Used	Select this option if you do not want to use zoning in your charge selector rules.
Use Value Map	Select this option if you want to use values in a value map in the fields of the charge selector rules. After selecting this option, select a value map from the list.
Use Zone Model	Select this option if you want to use zone impact categories from a zone model in the charge selector rules. After selecting this option, select a zone model from the list.

Related Tasks

Selecting Attributes for Charge Selector Rules

Select Fields for Rules Section

Use the table in the Select Fields for Rules section to add fields to the charge selector. Each rule in the charge selector will include all the fields that you add to this table.

Click the Add icon in the table to add one or more fields.

Column	Description
Field	Displays the fields that you select in the Select Field dialog box. You use these fields to define the charge selector rules. If you are creating the charge selector for fold charge, you must select fields associated with Fold to define the charge selector rules. In the Select Field dialog box, expand Event fields and then select Resource_ID and Quantity fields under Fold. Each rule contains all the fields in this column.
Value Type	Click the cell to select the type of value the field can contain: Single Value: One fixed value. List of Values: Multiple values. Value from Value Map: A value from the value map selected in the Rule Attributes section. Zone Model Result: An impact category from the zone model selected in the Rule Attributes section.
Operator	Displays the relationship between the rule's default field value and the value in the subscriber, service, event, or custom rule field. The operator is determined by the specified value type. You cannot change it. Possible operators are the following: Equals: Used for a single value, a value from value map, a zone, and an impact category (zone result). The value of the field in the subscriber, service, event, or custom rule must match the value of the field in the rule. Matches: Used for a single value, a value from value map, a zone, and an impact category (zone result). The value of the field in the subscriber, service, or event must match the value of the field in the rule. Maps to: Used for a value from value map. The value of the field in the subscriber, service, or event must map to the value of the field in the rule. Contained in List: Used for a list of values. The value in the corresponding subscriber, service, or event field must match one or more of the values in the rule.
Default	Enter the default value for the field. If the operator is Equals, Maps to, or Contained in List:, an asterisk (*) matches all values in the corresponding subscriber, service, event, or custom rule field. If the operator is Matches, a dot followed by an asterisk (.*) matches all values in the corresponding subscriber, service, or event field. The default value can be overridden in individual rules.

Related Tasks

Selecting Attributes for Charge Selector Rules

Rules Section

Use the Rules section to define charge selector rules.

The charge selector returns the impact category and charge associated with the first rule whose field values match the values of the corresponding subscriber, service, and event fields.

Click the Add icon in the table to add rules.

The table in this section lists the rules in the order that the rules are evaluated. You can select a rule and move it up or down if you wish to reorder the rules.

Column	Description
Priority	Enter the rule's priority. This table displays rules in numerical order, starting with priority 1. The rules are evaluated in order of priority. When a rule includes multiple attributes (fields), BRM processes the attributes from left to right. Reorder a rule in either of the following ways: Click the Move Rule Up or Move Rule Down icon. Change the rule's priority number. PDC moves the rule to its new place. The priority numbers of all rules affected by the move are changed.
Rule Name	(Optional) Enter a unique name for the rule.
Field Name	(Optional) Select an operator and enter a value. You can select one of the following operators: Equals or Not Equals Matches or Not Matches In or Not In Note: The NOT operators can be used only if you are using ECE for the usage charging. To apply the rule to a subscriber, service, or event, the field value must match the corresponding subscriber, service, or event value. Note: An asterisk (*) matches all values in the corresponding subscriber, service, or event field.
Impact Category	Enter the impact category to use for determining the charge.
Charge	Select an item to find, configure, or modify the charge used when the rule is true: Search to add an existing charge Create to configure a new charge Edit to modify the current charge The charge must contain a price selector that associates the results impact category with a pricing instance. See "Price Selectors".

Related Tasks

Creating Charge Selector Rules