Accessing Usage Data

Due to the nature of the data stores used for rated Usage records they cannot be included as part of the Data Replication service. Customer do however have multiple options for accessing their Usage data and integrating it into their onsite systems and reporting.

Web APIs

The IDI Web APIs provide access to the Usage data that is stored in your environment via web service queries. Usage information can be provided in real-time for a single customer account which makes this the preferred method when you are displaying this information out to your end-subscribers.

Usage information that is available includes:

• Usage records (billed or unbilled)

• Usage record details

• Usage Summaries

• Usage by Service Summaries

More information on Usage queries available in the Web APIs can be found in the documentation at https://support.idibilling.com/webapi/Customer%20Service%20API%20Documentation/#64884.htm

Rated Usage Extracts

Rated Usage Extracts provide a text file export of the usage records processed each time that usage is rated. Usage rating can take place during one of these three different processes:

• Hourly as part of Usage loading.

• Nightly as part of Usage refactoring (updates records due to any changes to rates or discounts).

• Weekly / Billing time as part of full re-rate (updates records due to changes to rates, discounts, accounts or plans).

Using these extract files allows customers to build a localized snapshot of their unbilled usage that will be updated each time usage is processed.

Rated Usage Files

Any time that CostGuard is initially rating or updating a usage record it will be written to Rate Usage File. The details of the file are:

• A separate file will be created for each open bill period that had usage records processed.

• The files only contain billable records, unbillable usage is not included.

• Each file will have a unique file name, including name of bill period + date/time stamp and sequence number.

• If more than 2 million records are processed for a bill period in a single rate process the records will be written to multiple files. An incremented sequence number will be included in the file name.

• Files are pipe delimited and do not contain header rows.

Transferring Usage Records

Rate Usage Extract files will be placed into an IDI hosted SFTP folder for you to download.

File will be made available on the conclusion of usage processing.

Updated Records

If a usage record is updated by a re-rate process is will be included again in a Rated Usage Extract. Changes to the value in any of these fields will result in the record getting selected for the extract again:

• ProgramID

• RatePeriodID

• RatePlanDetailID

• ChargedUnits

• Charge

• PreDiscountchargedUnits

• PreDiscountCharge

• Surcharge

• RatingFlags

On a rerate, a change to one instance of a usage record will result in including all instances of that usage record in the extract (for example: airtime + toll will both be sent if either changes).

Using Extract Files to Create a Local Snapshot

Continuously loading the extract files into a local database as they are created allows you to maintain a snapshot of your unbilled usage that is updated throughout the day.

To have this occur automatically requires the development of processing within your systems that can manage your data stores, import extract files that are received and handle when existing records needs to be updated due to a re-rate.

The easiest method to determine whether to add or update a usage record is to match by UsageRecordID. The Usage Record ID is always unique within a bill period. If the ID for a row in the extract file does not match what you have already loaded locally then it is a newly rated record. If the ID already exists in your local copy then the record was rerated and you should update the information you are storing.

Rated Usage Extract File Layout

More Information

For more information on the details of this service and associated fees please contact your Project Manager / Account Manager.

Usage Data Export Scheduling

The Usage Data Export Scheduling service provides a customer with capability to schedule recurring usage data exports in a compressed, delimited format via IDI’s E-Support website.

Standard Service Features (No charge)

• Customers will have the ability to schedule monthly exports of usage data, by selecting a bill cycle and day of the month. This is available to setup for both the current open period as well as the most recently closed period for each bill cycle.

• The process to create usage exports will be scheduled to run at midnight for the selected day and will contain all data for the selected bill period.

• Files will be available for customers to retrieve on their CostGuard server FTP site for 7 days. Files older than 7 days will be automatically removed.

Weekly/Daily Usage Exports (Additional Charge)

• This feature provides customers with additional capability to schedule recurring usage data exports for open bill periods on a more frequent basis. These exports will contain the entire usage database each time they run. The frequency options for this feature are:

  • Weekly: by selecting a bill cycle and day of week. The usage data for the open period will be exported on the selected day of the week.

  • Daily: by selecting a bill cycle. The usage data for the open period will be exported daily (7 days a week).

Automated transmission of  Data files (No Charge)

• Customers may request an Automated File Transfer job be created to automatically upload the exports detailed above to a specified target server. The options and features available for this are as specified in IDI’s File Transfer Automation service.

More Information

Details on the Usage Export file layout can be found at https://help.idibilling.com/?ht_kb=specifications

Questions about the service, including how to enable, can be sent to your Project Manager / Account Manager.

Comparing Options