Usage Processing Streams

View Existing Processing Streams for Usage

1. Click the Usage switch (Usage/Account toggle) in the navigation pane.
2. Click the Mediation Setup option in the navigation panel to expand its submenu.
3. Click the Usage Processing menu option.
4. The system fetches and displays the existing usage processing streams for the client in a table.

This is shown in the following screenshot:

View Details of a Specific Processing Stream

1. Navigate using “To view existing processing streams for usage” to see the list of configured usage processing streams.
2. Select and click the ID link to open the drawer for viewing and modifying data.

Filter Attributes For The Processing Stream

1. Service Type: Select the service type from the drop-down list. This is an exact match filter.
2. Source Platform: Select the source platform from the drop-down list. This is an exact match filter.

Sort attributes for the source platform

1. Id: Sort ascending or descending by the processing stream configuration ID.
2. Name: Sort ascending or descending by the service type attribute.
3. Source Platform: Sort ascending or descending by the source platform attribute. 

Add a New Source Platform

1. Navigate using “To view existing usage processing streams”.
2. Click the Add Stream Mapping button towards the top-right corner of the activity pane. This will open a drawer to add details of the new usage processing stream. Add the data as follows:
   1. In the first field, enter the Id (optional attribute) for the Stream mapping configuration. If not provided, Allegro will auto assign an id. This id needs to be unique id.
   2. In the next field, select the Service type (mandatory) for the new usage processing stream by selecting the value from the drop-down list.
   3. In the next field Usage Record Type (mandatory attribute) to associate with the new source platform by selecting the value from the drop-down list. The most common usage record type should be POSTPAID for offline usage processing. The other values, some supporting future possibilities, are PRERATED, MANUAL, PREPAID, PREPAID-AAA.
   4. In the next field Source Platform (mandatory attribute), select the source platform from the drop-down list.
   5. In the next field Status (mandatory attribute), select the status value from the drop-down list. By default, the ACTIVE status is already selected.
   6. Next, press the Add Stream button to start adding sub-streams to the new usage processing stream set up. Follow the following steps:
      1. Select the Stream from the drop-down list. For a most common setup you will be required to Add Pre-processing, Rating and Post-processing streams and in that order.
      2. Next, set the status of the new stream, defaulted to ACTIVE by selecting the value from the drop-down list.
      3. Next, Click Add Module button to start adding modules to the sub-stream added.
         1. Set the Module (mandatory attribute) by selecting a value from the list of pre-configured modules.
         2. In the next field Status (mandatory attribute), select the status value from the drop-down list. By default, the ACTIVE status is already selected.
         3. Next, set the field for Log Container to true or false. This allows users to log the Allegro usage container object after this module is processed for a usage record. This should be used for test setup only so that you can see the incremental change performed by the module to the object.
         4. To add more modules for the sub stream, repeat steps-6.f.c
      4. To add more sub-streams to the new usage processing stream set up, repeat steps-6.
3. Click the SAVE button at the bottom right corner of the drawer. This will push the changes to save the configuration using the backend API.
4. Click the CANCEL button at the bottom right corner of the drawer to cancel all the data entry and go back to the main activity pane for the custom records.

Copy To Create A New Stream Mapping Configuration

Often the processing stream required for different sources are almost similar and hence a copy-to-create functionality allows to use an existing configuration to create a new mapping configuration. Execute the following steps for a copy-to-create configuration:

1. Navigate using “To view existing stream mapping configurations”
2. Click the Id link button with the ID highlighted in the Aria Blue color to open the drawer for that stream mapping configuration.
3. Click the Copy-To-Create button at the bottom right-hand corner of the drawer. This will open another drawer for the new stream mapping configuration. It will blank out the mandatory fields that you would require to modify and copy the remaining fields.
4. Review and enter/change the configuration values, same as with creating a new mapping configuration.
5. Click the SAVE button at the bottom right corner of the drawer. This will push the changes to save the configuration using the backend API.
6. Click the CANCEL button at the bottom right corner of the drawer to cancel all the data entry and go back to the main activity pane for the custom records.

Modify Existing Processing Stream Configuration

Steps to modify an existing source platform configuration:

1. Navigate using “To view existing stream configurations”.
2. Click the Id link highlighted in Aria Blue to open the drawer for modification.
3. Modify attributes inline as needed (ID cannot be changed).
4. Alternatively,
   1. Use the sequencing icon to reorder streams logically.
   2. Use the sequencing icon to reorder modules within a sub-stream.
   3. Delete a module by clicking the delete icon on its row.
   4. Delete a sub-stream by clicking the delete icon on its row.
   5. Use minimize/maximize buttons for sub-stream views
   6. Click the SAVE button to save changes via the backend API.
   7. Click the CANCEL button to discard changes and return to the main pane.

Typical Processing Stream Setup Configuration

A typical postpaid rating stream for a service type and source platform includes (in order):

1. Pre-processing Stream
   1. Account lookup module—Module to look up the account based on the service id attribute.
   2. Balance lookup module—Module to lookup the balance unit to apply the processing impacts or use to consume/refer existing data like allowances and accumulators
   3. Router module—To route to the next module in a next stream
2. Processing Stream
   1. Price Unit Analysis module—Price units are instances of the price offers for the subscription and service type. The module analyzes the price units and the price-offer referenced to short list the price offer that would apply for the usage record. In most cases, this is a lookup based on the usage-type. Please use the module that starts with PO. The other similar modules are for prepaid (roadmap)
   2. Rate Unit Analysis module—Analyze and evaluate the rate unit to be used for the usage record. The Rate Unit analysis will use the configuration and evaluate the expression to determine the quantity to rate for the usage record.
   3. Time Unit Analysis module—This is an optional module and required only if time unit configuration and pricing based on time unit configuration is set up. It will evaluate the time unit(s) that apply for the usage record.
   4. Zone Unit Analysis module—This is an optional module and required only if zone unit configuration and pricing based on zone unit configuration is set up. It will evaluate the zone from the zone unit that apply for the usage record.
   5. Rating module—This is the actual module that performs the rating using all the data collected thus far for a usage record. Please use the module that starts with PO. The other similar modules are for prepaid (roadmap)
3. Post processing Stream
   1. Create Transaction Unit module—This module creates the monetized usage record, which is ready to aggregate and used for billing/invoicing
   2. Update Balance Unit module—This module updates the run time balance (includes currency, accumulator, allowance) of the account and subscription for the monetized usage record.
   3. Update Bill Unit—This is optional. Allegro internally creates a bill unit for a usage billing cycle. Allegro does not manage billing and invoicing and it only is to keep track of the usage of billing cycles

 This is shown in the following screenshot: