MetraTech (Priceable Item Creation Workflow)

Priceable Item Creation Workflow

The components that you configure and the usual order in which you configure them are presented here.

Stages 1 and 2 represent the work a systems integrator or configuration developer does in ICE to create a pipeline.

Stage 3 represents the work that is typically performed by a product or rating manager to create a product offering based upon the priceable item.

Stage 1: Create a priceable item

1.            Define a Pipeline Extension

When you want to provide a new service to customers, you will be defining a new product offering - and this offering will comprise one or more priceable items. You generally configure your new service in new, self-contained pipeline extension or include it with other similar services in an already existing extension.

2.            Define Required Enums

If you want an enumerated value as part of your parameter table, service definition, or product view you will need to configure it prior to creating the priceable item.

3.            Create a Service Definition

You want to know the exact properties of configured service data table in the mediation database. This determines the usage data that MetraConnect will send to MetraNet.

For example, if MetraConnect is sending transactions containing the login name, transaction start time, and transaction end time, the service definition would contain these values.

4.            Define Parameter Tables  

Parameter tables store the rate schedules of a priceable times, expressed as rules with conditions and actions. You will need to gather all the variables that MetraOffer rate schedules will consider when rating usage.

5.            Define Product Views  

Properties that you want MetraNet to 1) display to the customer in MetraView and 2) have available in the product view table for any other purpose, such as an adapter that you have created to process your data.

6.            Create a Priceable Item Type  
A priceable item type ties together a service definition, a product view, and one or more parameter tables to create an entity that can be implemented as a chargeable item by a product manager using MetraOffer.

7.            Validate and Synchronize  

So far the changes you have made have been made to metadata - not to your MetraNet database schema. In this step, first you validate your XML (ICE makes this easy), and then you are ready to commit the changes so that MetraNet creates the tables that your database will use.

Stage 2: Create a stage and plug-ins

1.            Define a Stage  

In order to process transactions for a priceable item, one or more processing stages must be associated with that priceable item. This is actually what creates the priceable item’s pipeline. The stage is the container in which you define plug-ins in the next step.

2.            Define Plug-ins  

In this step you add the required business logic to your pipeline by creating plug-in instances. You can make use of MetraNet's library of standard plug-ins, which will require only some minor configuration. You can write your own plug-in logic with MetraNet's MTSQL language - or, when necessary (for such reasons as high performance or transaction support), you can create custom plug-ins with C#.

3.            Set the Pipeline  

You are now ready to connect up the pipeline by specifying the extension, the service definition, and the stage you have just created in the previous steps.

Stage 3: Create a product offering

1.            Create a Product Offering in MetraOffer  

Now you have a priceable item, this step and the next are performed in MetraOffer. First you define the containing package for the priceable item, called the product offering.

2.            Add a Rate Schedule in MetraOffer  

A rate schedule can now be applied to the product offering. You set the values for the rate schedule according to the rules (conditions and actions) that were specified in the parameter table.

3.            Add a Test Subscriber in MetraCare  

4.            Before you can test a product offering you need to create an account to subscribe to it.

5.            Test with Sample Charges  

You can generate charges using Meter Sessions or Meter Tool.

6.            View the Charges in MetraView  

You can view the charges the subscriber would see.