About chargeable item classes

In SAP Convergent Charging, a chargeable item class represents the characteristics of a customer service which can be rated and charged according to its usage. For example, a chargeable item class can represent a mobile phone, a telephone call, or an Internet service. A chargeable item class belongs to a service provider. Creating a chargeable item class is thus the first step to build your charge plan.  

A chargeable item class consists of properties and represents the way a service is consumed. In a price plan, you can describe the rating parameters by configuring the properties that make up a chargeable item class.

Examples

A service provider Learn.com offers lessons through an Internet portal. The user can consume the service by reading online or downloading a lesson. Two chargeable item classes can represent this service: The first chargeable item class is called “read online” and the second one is called “download”.

The telephone operator TelcoServ sells telephone calls to its customers. It decides to bill these calls based on call duration but wants to apply different rates depending on geographical zones. In SAP CC Core Tool, the related chargeable item class "Telephone Call" can be the following:

Converting chargeable items into consumption items

If you work with SAP ERP/FI-CA, you may need to convert chargeable items into consumption items through billable items and according to the consumption item mapping. To convert chargeable items into consumption items, you must create the consumption item mapping between a consumption item class defined in the SAP ERP/FI-CA reference system and a chargeable item class. Refer to About the consumption item mapping for more information when working with SAP ERP/FI-CA.

Managing allowances when SAP CRM is integrated with SAP CC

When SAP CRM is integrated with SAP Convergent Charging, SAP CRM creates allowances in SAP CC on demand or automatically when the provider contract is activated or changed. To create allowances, SAP CRM uses a predefined chargeable item containing specific information on the allowance (activation date, for example). SAP CC uses this information when executing the related charge for creating and initializing the allowance. Therefore, you need to create a predefined chargeable item class in SAP CC as a prerequisite for processing the chargeable items of allowances.

Properties of a chargeable item class

A chargeable item class contains several properties that describe each usage event for rating purposes. All chargeable item classes contain default properties, but you can define your own user properties that a needed to design your price plan or that are needed by the final billing system.

Examples

• An Internet Press Service supplier prices article downloads depending on the document size. The chargeable item class "Article Download" will contain the property "Document Size".

• A telecommunications operator chooses to bill telephone calls depending on the called number.  The chargeable item class "Telephone Call" will contain the property "Called Number".

• A Press supplier charges the viewing of online articles depending on article categories such as daily newspaper, weekly review, and specialist review. The user property "Article Category" is then added to the chargeable item class "Viewed Article". The property type of this user property is defined as a character string.

Default properties

Default properties provide basic information about the consumption of a chargeable item class for rating purposes. Each chargeable item class contains the same default properties:

• consumption date

• user identifier

• service identifier

User properties

In addition to default properties, you create user-defined properties for a chargeable item class to be able to configure the price plans with calculation algorithms based on information included in these properties. At runtime, all the chargeable items sent by the connected mediation system(s) must include these properties.

You define these properties by assigning the following to them:

• Name

• Type (character string, number or date)

• Description