Account Subscription Data
Allegro creates a subscription object for each Master Plan Instance linked to the account. Aria imposes no limits on the number of Master Plan Instances or subscriptions per account.
Other details appear in the Aria Sync section of the Aria Allegro documentation.
Access Account Subscriptions
Subscription view provides detail information at all levels. To access account subscriptions:
- Go to the ‘Account Search’ view
- Click the Id Link for the selected account. This sets the account context.
- To view usage subscription data, click the Subscriptions option in the navigation pane. This opens the Activity pane with related tabs. The first tab, Subscription view, appears by default.
Key Characteristics For a Plan/Subscription
Key points for quick plan/subscription reference are as follows:
- Each account has one or more subscriptions, one per Master Plan instance linked to the account.
- Each subscription includes one or more service units, based on the service type mapping in Billable services. A Billable service maps to the core Aria service. Kay points to note:
- Aria can associate billing profile setup for each Master Plan instance. Aria Allegro creates a billing profile for each Master plan instance.
- Aria Allegro also creates a balance-unit to keep track of the currency, accumulator and allowance resources.
- Each service unit links to one or more Service Ids (also called provisioning, fulfillment, device id, or Client plan instance id in core Aria). Key points for service id in a service unit from a usage processing perspective are:
- Each supplemental or add-on plan instance can have its own service ID. If the usage record includes the service ID of the supplemental or add-on plan instance, usage processes its own usage types.
- Each master plan instance has its own service ID, which also maps to each add-on or supplemental plan under it. This allows usage types linked to the supplemental or add-on plan to be ingested using either its own service ID or the master plan instance's service ID.
- Each service unit can have one or more price units. These price units apply to
- each activation service, complementing core Aria Price with accumulator and/or allowance in Allegro.
- each recurring service, complementing core Aria Price with accumulator and/or allowance in Allegro.
- each usage service can have usage pricing fully defined in Aria Allegro (with Advanced usage price flag set in core Aria) or use core Aria pricing to support customized tier rates and contracts with corresponding tiered pricing in Aria Allegro.
- The Account lookup module in Streams Processing (the rating engine) uses service-unit audit data to identify the service unit associated with the usage record, linking it to the subscription and account.
- Status—Each Allegro object has a status (Active, Inactive, Closed/Cancelled) crucial for usage processing. Allegro audits each status change. Usage processing depends on whether the object was Active at the usage date/time. In special cases, objects with Inactive status may also allow usage processing.
- Effective Date—Aria allows backdating of the plan instance association, setting the Effective date in Aria Allegro. Usage records and their start/end dates must conform to the effective dates of the respective objects.
Subscription View
This view in the Allegro UI is important for users as it provides a single screen from where all the subscription, plan and related price-plan data can be navigated.
The subscription view is shown under the Subscriptions option by default.
It is shown in the following screenshot:
Key points for the subscription view:
- Each object under the account, in the hierarchy appears as a tile (node) displaying key attributes for identification.
- Allegro UI uses color legends to indicate node status in the tile header bar.
- Active accounts appear in Aria Blue.
- Inactive accounts appear in yellow.
- Closed or cancelled accounts appear in grey.
- With R68, the legends also act as a link that allows you to view only Active, only Inactive or only Cancelled/Closed nodes.
Subscription Object Details
The following screenshot shows the subscription details,
image-20251220-020036.png
Key characteristics of a subscription shown in the snippet above are:
- Initial contract term: The subscription's initial contract term for the account, specified in 'n' units. This term is fixed when the contract is signed.
- Renewal contract term: The contract term after the initial or subsequent renewal terms, also specified in 'n' units. The renewal term can switch
- from no renewal to renewal and vice versa. For example, a common US Telecom contract has a 2-year initial term switching to monthly renewal after.
- from one renewal term to another. For the same US Telecom contract, after the 2-year term switches to monthly renewal, adding a device or upgrading a plan can switch it to a yearly renewal.
- These terms offer flexibility and future simplicity. Without specific terms, default system properties set the term attributes.
- Effective date: The date when the subscription becomes active.
- Status: The subscription's status, managed by core Aria.
Service Units
A subscription can include one or more service units. These units are created using the unique service type association from the Aria services linked to the master plan and any add-on or supplemental plans.
Clicking the Service Unit tile displays details of the service unit. The screenshot below shows service details for a service unit in a drawer.
Key characteristics of a service unit in Aria Allegro are:
- Effective Date—The effective date of the service unit
- propagates from the subscription object
- A service unit may be added to the subscription later (e.g., by adding an add-on or supplemental plan), but cannot predate the subscription effective date.
- Status—The status of the service unit managed by core Aria.
- Subscription status changes from core Aria automatically propagate to service units.
- A service unit can change status independently, triggered from core Aria at a specific plan instance level.
- For now,
- an inactive subscription cannot have an active service unit.
- a closed subscription cannot have an active or inactive service unit.
- Provisioning Id (or Service Id, Fulfillment Id, or client plan instance id).
- For most usage processing setups, this is the key attribute.
- Aria Allegro allows a service unit to have multiple service IDs. For example, some B2B Telecom contracts for a single subscription can have a range of mobile numbers.
- Each service unit for an add-on or supplemental plan can have its own service ID, allowing usage processing specific to that plan.
- Each add-on or supplemental plan service unit copies the master plan service ID, enabling usage processing for usage types associated with those plans.
- The same service ID can associate with multiple service units, making the combination of service unit (with service type) and service ID unique. For example, a plan with multiple usage services mapped to different service types in Aria Allegro creates different service units.
- Some object designs are future-oriented. Currently, core Aria governs all plan instance management (all orders).
Price Units
As discussed in the Monetization section, a price-offer shell is created for each combination of price plan, rate schedule, and services. The data is then augmented with Allegro pricing models for standard pricing.
Note that the combination of Advanced Usage Pricing (for a plan in core Aria) with the Aria Allegro system property ‘Billing customized rates’ currently controls which objects and pricing are used during usage processing in Aria Allegro. A brief summary follows:
- Using Allegro pricing models with Advanced Usage Pricing.
- If the plan enables Advanced Usage Pricing, the pricing admin cannot add usage service rates in core Aria; these must be augmented in Aria Allegro.
- If the plan enables Advanced Usage Pricing and the pricing admin checks ‘Add Allowance’ and/or ‘Add Accumulator’ for activation and recurring services, shell price-offers are created for those services. Allegro references rates defined in Aria to allow adding allowance or accumulator.
- The ‘Billing customized rates’ property is disabled by default in Aria Allegro.
- Customized rates from Aria Allegro are not supported until a roadmap item is completed.
- To use customized rates from core Aria, follow these steps:
- Do not enable the ‘Advanced Usage Pricing’ flag in the plan so Aria rates for usage services can support customized tiers and tier rates with plan instance activation.
- Enable ‘Billing customized rates’ in Aria Allegro. This property is currently required but will be removed once customized rates for Aria Allegro pricing models are supported.
- All usage services synchronize in Aria Allegro. Only the TIERED pricing model is supported to enable customized tiers with the Aria Allegro model. Standard pricing may be redundantly set up in Aria Allegro to apply when customized pricing is unavailable.
- All recurring and activation services also synchronize. The pricing admin augments specific activation/recurring services with allowance and/or accumulator in Allegro. Other activation and recurring services may require dummy setup (e.g., zero rate) because the flag setup in core Aria is unconditional and customized rates were added later.
- The Price Unit analysis module in the usage rating engine processes streams and analyzes usage records to find the best pricing fit after the service ID association identifies the service unit, subscription, and account for the usage record. Once the price unit matches the usage characteristics, the customized price from the price unit or the standard pricing linked to the reference price offer is used during the Rating module.
When a plan is purchased, a price unit is created for each price offer. A tile for each price unit appears under its service units.
The following screenshot shows the Default link for the price unit object details,
Key attributes for the price unit with the default link are:
- Start and End Date—The service unit's start and end dates.
- The service unit effective date sets the price unit's start date.
- A price unit start date can be later than the service unit effective date, such as for a supplemental plan added later or when different prices apply for the first year versus subsequent years in the same contract.
- A price unit start date cannot predate the service unit effective date.
- A price unit end date is set when there are no renewal terms for the subscription or if specific pricing ends before the contract.
- Status—The price unit status managed by core Aria.
- Subscription status changes propagate to service units and from service units to price units.
- A service unit can change status independently, triggered by core Aria at a specific plan instance level, and this change propagates to its price units.
- A price unit can also change status independently, for example, when a price unit applies to a service shorter than the contract term, such as a recurring charge for only the first year in a multi-year contract; it will be canceled after the first year.
- Currently,
- An inactive service unit cannot have an active price unit.
- A closed service unit cannot have an active or inactive price unit.
Each price unit tile shows key data elements as links for navigation within the single UI tab. These links are:
- Price Offer: Link to the price offer associated with the price unit. The view matches the Monetization section of the Allegro documentation.
- Plan Name: Link to the plan name runs a price-plan (price-offer) search for the matching plan name and lists associated price offers, one per row. This matches the 'Search Price Plans' feature using filters and then the ID link to view price offer details.
- Rate Plan Name: Short for rate plan schedule name, this link runs a price-plan (price-offer) search like the Plan name search but for a given rate plan schedule. Navigation remains the same.
- Billable Service: This link shows the billable service from core Aria with the Service Type association, helping to understand the tile's context.
- Usage Type: This link appears only for usage-type services.
- Default Link: Clicking elsewhere on the price unit tile opens a drawer showing price unit details.
The following set of screenshots show these details:
Screenshot for the Price Offer link:
Screenshot when you click the price offer link:
Screenshot for the plan name link:
Screenshot when the plan name link is clicked:
Screenshot for the plan rate schedule link:
Screenshot when you click the plan rate schedule link:
screenshot for the Billable Service name link,
Screenshot when you click the Billable service name link:
Screenshot for the Usage Type link:
Screenshot when you click the Usage Type link:
Plan Instance View
This view provides the plan instance hierarchy in Aria Allegro for usage processing review, avoiding the need to switch between UIs. The hierarchy levels—Master Plan, Add-on Plan, Supplemental Plan are governed by core Aria and related order activity.
Aria Allegro does not use this data for usage processing; it uses only subscription objects. However, it provides a quick reference to the plan hierarchy.
To view the plan instance view:
- Go to the ‘Account Search’ view
- Click the Id Link for the selected account. This sets the account context.
- To view usage subscription data, click the Subscriptions option in the navigation pane. This opens the Activity pane with related tabs.
- Click the Plan Instance View tab.
It appears in this screenshot:
Each plan in a plan instance hierarchy appears as a tile. Click a plan to open a drawer displaying its details. The following screenshot shows this
Each row in the drawer includes a maximize option. Each row represents the service in the plan instance augmented with the subscription id and the Service Type.
If you click on the maximize icon for the service row, it shows the association of the service with the price unit, price-offer and the service unit id for the service type under the subscription.
All other data is as it shows in the core Aria.
This is shown in the following screenshot,
Contract Data
This view provides the optional one or more contract associated with the account.
Aria Allegro does not use this data for usage processing; it uses only subscription objects. However, it provides a quick reference to the contract view. When the contract end-of-the-term is due, core Aria sends executes the contract-end activities to extend, rollover and Aria Allegro receive those data feed to manage the account and subscription data.
To view the plan instance view:
- Go to the ‘Account Search’ view
- Click the Id Link for the selected account. This sets the account context.
- To view usage subscription data, click the Subscriptions option in the navigation pane. This opens the Activity pane with related tabs.
- Click the Contract tab.
It appears in this screenshot:
<contract view snippet>
Subscriptions Tab
This view provides the subscription object details in a drawer, same as when you click the subscription tile in the Subscription view.
To view the subscriptions tab:
- Go to the ‘Account Search’ view
- Click the Id Link for the selected account. This sets the account context.
- To view usage subscription data, click the Subscriptions option in the navigation pane. This opens the Activity pane with related tabs.
- Click the Subscriptions tab in the activity pane.
This is shown in the screenshot below:
Service Units Tab
This view provides the service unit details in a drawer, same as when you click the service unit tile in the Subscription view.
To view the service units tab:
- Go to the ‘Account Search’ view
- Click the Id Link for the selected account. This sets the account context.
- To view usage subscription data, click the Subscriptions option in the navigation pane. This opens the Activity pane with related tabs.
- Click the Service Units tab.
This is shown in the screenshot below:
Price Units tab
This view shows the price unit object details in a drawer, like when you click anywhere on the price unit tile except the links.
To view the price units tab:
- Go to the ‘Account Search’ view
- Click the Id Link for the selected account. This sets the account context.
- To view usage subscription data, click the Subscriptions option in the navigation pane. This opens the Activity pane with related tabs.
- Click the Price Units tab in the activity pane.
The screenshot below shows this:
Discount Units
<Future Roadmap> The data will be similar to the price unit data.
To view the discount units tab:
- Go to the ‘Account Search’ view
- Click the Id Link for the selected account. This sets the account context.
- To view usage subscription data, click the Subscriptions option in the navigation pane. This opens the Activity pane with related tabs.
- Click the Discounts tab.