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  • 1.  Product Offer Modeling Queries

    Posted Aug 12, 2019 08:07
    Hi All,

    We are in process of modeling Product Offer and we are not able to map relation between CFS & Product usage spec.

    Product Spec
    As shown in above image if a product specification consists more than on CFS, then how can we map ProductUsageSpec with one of the CFS. 

    Kindly help us in modeling the same

    Thanks in advance !!!


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    Charmy Shah
    Sterlite Technologies Limited
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  • 2.  RE: Product Offer Modeling Queries

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Aug 13, 2019 04:36
    This looks to me more like a SID question, since also in the underlying SID model there is not a direct relationship (to my best understanding) between product usage specs and the corresponding CFS.

    I would suggest to ask @Cecile Ludwichowski or @Dirk Rejahl the leaders of the SID team for guidance here. You might also want to re-post on the Frameworx community https://engage.tmforum.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer?communitykey=019f32c2-82b7-427f-8156-f9262fe138fe&tab=digestviewer

    Also, why do you want to model this connection, what business need does it satisfy and how does this become realized at runtime (e.g. in your rating processes). Perhaps it is not needed.

    Hope it helps​​

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    Jonathan Goldberg
    Amdocs Management Limited
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  • 3.  RE: Product Offer Modeling Queries

    Posted Aug 13, 2019 07:01
    Hi Jonathan,

    Thanks for your prompt help.

    Actually we want to model this connection from Billing Process perspective not from Rating Process. Out use case is as below

    For Enterprise and Wholesale business, there is a scenario where in a product offer will consist of Voice and other services. Voice calls are to be aggregated monthly (For Revenue Report) but should be billed quarterly. However as part of invoice there would be 3 line items for voice calls for each month. Other services can be billed quarterly or yearly. 

    To map this scenario we need to define billing cycle (Monthly/quarterly/yearly) for usage hence we are trying to model the same using 'SimpleUsagePOP'. However as we have multiple SimpleUsagePOP (Voice & Other services), we need Service association to segregate between them.

    Please suggest us if there is any other way we can model this.

    Thanks in advance !!!

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    Charmy Shah
    Sterlite Technologies Limited
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  • 4.  RE: Product Offer Modeling Queries

    TM Forum Member
    Posted Aug 14, 2019 11:13
    I have forwarded this community post to @Dirk Rejahl but of course I cannot promise that he will be able to answer.

    I am not a guiding/rating expert, but it does seem to me that the service relationship is irrelevant. Your usage events will presumably indicate (by value of relevant characteristic in the event) to which product they come from (voice or other service) and so which Product Price will rate them.

    Note also that the whole concept of Billing Cycle, while present in the SID, is currently missing from the Open API. The API team is working to add this ​to the Customer Bill API so that it will be possible to show a direct association between a Bill/Invoice or even an individual charge (e.g. an aggregated usage accumulation) to a specific cycle. Of course I cannot promise if and when this change will be released.

    Hope it helps

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    Jonathan Goldberg
    Amdocs Management Limited
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  • 5.  RE: Product Offer Modeling Queries

    Posted Aug 15, 2019 09:34
    Hi Charmy and Jonathan,

    I will add this topic to the agenda of today's Information Framework weekly call and we will post the result here.

    Best regards,
    Dirk

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    Dirk Rejahl
    TM Forum
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  • 6.  RE: Product Offer Modeling Queries

    Posted Aug 16, 2019 07:28
    Hi Charmy,
    Your observation is correct that in the current SID model there is no association between ServiceUsageSpec and ProductUsageSpec (which would solve your problem).
    For Resources there is such an association between ResouceUsageSpec and ServiceUsageSpec which instantiate in the inventory as the ResourceUsageGuidedToServiceUsage association (see yellow marked associations in the figure below).
    However, although there is a ServiceUsageGuidedTo association (see green marked associated) in the model (in the inventory) the respective association in the catalogue is missing.

    It would be good if you could report a change request for the Information Framework (SID) to add this.
    For now the recommended solution is to restrict the number of CustomerFacingServiceSpecifications, associated with a ProductSpecification, to 1 (this is what the BOS project did).

    I hope that helped - if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

    Best regards,

    Dirk



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    Dirk Rejahl
    TM Forum
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