1 About Pipeline Rating
Learn how to configure pricing components for rating with Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management (BRM) Pipeline Manager.
Topics in this document:
About Configuring Pipeline Rating
Configuring pipeline rating involves two sets of tasks:
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Creating pricing components using Pricing Center or Pricing Design Center (PDC)
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Configuring rating function modules
Rating EDRs Split Across Time Periods
Event data records (EDRs) can span multiple time periods, necessitating careful consideration. For instance, when off-peak rates commence at 19:10, and a call starts at 19:10 and concludes at 19:35, the call straddles the boundary between peak and off-peak rates. When you define a charge, you can specify a splitting option dictating how the EDR is rated across the time periods.
You can choose from four splitting options:
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No splitting, based on start time: Use the start time to rate the entire call.
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No splitting, based on end time: Use the end time to rate the entire call.
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Consecutive splitting: Divide the call into separately rated segments. When using multiple price steps for different usage levels, continue counting the call duration from the time of the split.
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Isolated splitting: Divide the call into separately rated parts. When using multiple price steps for different usage levels, start over at zero from the time of the split.
Pipeline Manager uses the consecutive and isolated splitting options when employing a combination of price steps and time-based rating. In such cases, an event may be divided by time zones, leading to the application of distinct pricing models, each with its own pricing steps. Consecutive and isolated splitting allows users to manage the selection of the most suitable pricing step.
Figure 1-1 shows an example of peak pricing and off-peak pricing for the following time periods:
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06:00 - 07:30 is peak
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07:30 - 10:00 is off-peak
If Pipeline Manager rates an EDR that starts at 7:10 and finishes at 7:35, for a total of 25 minutes, it splits the event into two segments:
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07:10 – 07:30: Peak (20 minutes)
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07:30 – 07:35: Off-peak (5 minutes)
Figure 1-2 shows how consecutive splitting would be applied for this example. The gray areas show how the pricing steps are applied in both peak and off-peak pricing. The first 20 minutes are peak pricing, so the call is rated at 0.25 per minute, 0.10 per minute, and 0.05 per minute. The last 5 minutes are off-peak pricing, which, since it uses consecutive splitting, takes into account the previous 20 minutes, and rates the final 5 minutes at .02 per minute.
Figure 1-3 shows how isolated splitting would be applied for this example. The first 20 minutes matches the peak pricing for consecutive splitting. The last 5 minutes are off-peak pricing, which, because it uses isolated splitting, does not consider the previous 20 minutes. Instead, it begins counting at zero, so the remaining 5 minutes are rated by the first step, that is, .08 per minute.
Using consecutive splitting and isolated splitting gives different results for the final charge for the EDR. In this example:
Table 1-1 shows the results for consecutive splitting.
Table 1-1 Results of Consecutive Splitting
| Usage | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
|
Peak (20 minutes) |
(5 * 0.25) + (15 * 0.10) + (5 * 0.05) |
3.00 |
|
Off-peak (5 minutes) |
5 * 0.02 |
0.10 |
|
NA |
Total |
3.10 |
Table 1-2 shows the results for isolated splitting.
Table 1-2 Results of Isolated Splitting
| Usage | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
|
Peak (20 minutes) |
(5 * 0.25) + (15 * 0.10) + (5 * 0.05) |
3.00 |
|
Off-peak (5 minutes) |
5 * 0.08 |
0.40 |
|
NA |
Total |
3.40 |
About Pipeline Charge Versions
Every charge needs at least one charge version, and you can create as many versions as you need. Each version is valid for a specific time period, and only one version is active during each period. The start time of an EDR determines which charge version applies.
When you create a charge version, you set a validity period and choose a zone model. The zone model categorizes calls based on their origin and destination regions for rating purposes. Each charge version can have different zone models.
Charge versions are stored in the IFW_RATEPLAN_VER table in the Pipeline Manager database. There are two types:
- Basic Version: This is the foundation for other versions. When creating a basic version, you must define all required attributes.
- Delta Version: This inherits attributes from a basic version, and you only need to specify the attributes you want to change, such as the version, validity period, and zone model.
About Pipeline Charge Configurations
The charge configuration determines which pricing or price selector is used to charge a given EDR. When you define a charge configuration, you specify a combination of criteria that an EDR must match to be rated by a particular pricing.
Each configuration maps a combination of service code, service class, and impact category to a combination of time model and time period. The configuration then maps the time model/time period combination to a pricing or price selector.
You can create any number of configurations for a charge version. The configurations in a given charge version must cumulatively cover all possible combinations of service code, service class, impact category, time model, and time period.
When you associate a pricing with a charge configuration, you can optionally specify an alternative pricing that is used in addition to the main pricing. You can compare the charges that result from the two models. For example, you may want to better understand the financial impact of a change to a different pricing before committing to the change.
Charge configurations are stored in the IFW_RATEPLAN_CNF table in the Pipeline Manager database.
Using Passthrough Prices
When you define a charge configuration, you can choose to ignore the calculated price and use a price that is passed in by the CDR instead. For example, you can ignore the calculated charge and use a passed-in charge if you receive external wholesale charges and want to use them for retail rating.
You can also modify or replace the passed-in price by specifying an add-on type and entering a charge. There are three add-on types:
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Percentage increases the passed-in price by a percentage that you enter.
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Addon Value increases the passed-in price by a fixed amount that you enter.
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New Value replaces the passed-in price with an amount you enter.
To use the passed-in price without modification, specify 0 as the charge.
About Pipeline Rate Adjustments
Rate adjustments are an optional way to customize a pipeline charge version. You can use rate adjustments to provide discounts based on date, time, service, and other event attributes. For example, you can provide a discount on all calls for a specific day.
An adjustment can be a percentage change to the original charge, a value to be added to the charge, or a completely new value to replace the charge.
When you define a rate adjustment, you specify dates and times during which the adjustment is valid and a maximum quantity above which the adjustment does not apply.
You also specify rules that determine whether an EDR qualifies for the adjustment. These rules filter EDRs based on values such as usage class, usage type, service code, service class, impact category, source network, and destination network. You can enter fixed values, expressions, or a wildcard (.*) that matches all values.
When you use a rate adjustment, the original charge is overwritten by the adjusted charge. This is different from discounting, which leaves the original charge in place while calculating a discounted charge. Adjustments and discounts are also handled differently for accounting purposes. When calculating the general ledger (G/L) impact, the adjusted amount is not considered revenue. When you use discounting, however, the discounted amount is counted as revenue.
There are two ways to define rate adjustments:
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You can define rate adjustments in Pricing Center. In this case, the rate adjustment data is stored in the IFW_RATEADJUST table in the Pipeline Manager database.
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You can create a file that defines rate adjustment rules.
Rate adjustment is performed by the FCT_RateAdjust module. The module reads data from the EDR and evaluates it according to the rate adjustment rules stored in the database or in the rate adjustment file.