Setting up a tier table

Create, open, or modify a tier table before setting it up. A tier table window must be open.

Note: Once you have saved a tier table, you can no longer modify its name or structure. You can only modify the Table Instance tab by adding content to it.

All the examples described in this topic refer to the following illustration, in which "Gold Price" and "Silver Price" are of number type and "Discount" is of string type:

Tier Table window

To set up a tier table, you must fill in or modify the Table Schema tab and the Table Instance tab.

Table Schema tab

This tab allows you to create the structure of your tier table which can consists of one to five output columns. Use the icons to fill in the tab.

Note: About tier tables and tier table operators.

You must use a Tier Table Introducer as Operator component to insert a tier table in a price plan, a charging plan, or in the refill logic. You then choose a tier table and a property value. The Tier Table Operator component allows to determine which numerical interval of the tier table includes the property value. When the numerical interval is determined, the output column values of the corresponding row are assigned to generated properties which can be used as new properties in the price plan, the charging plan, or in the refill logic.

For example, if the property value is equal to 140, the values of 3 (Gold Price) and 8 (Silver Price) and the string value "6%" (Discount) are assigned to the generated properties (Refer to the illustration above).

For more information about components, refer to the Help system relating to components: Click Components on the Help menu of the main window or see the help resources.

Name: Type the unique identifier of the tier table.

Description: Describe the tier table if necessary.

Note: Whatever the computation mode, the output column values of string type are assigned to the corresponding generated properties if the output column values are related to the interval including the property value.

For example, if the property value is equal to 110, the string value "4%" is assigned to the generated property. If the property value is equal to 300, the string value "8%" is assigned to the generated property (Refer to the illustration above).

Output Columns

Name: Type the output column name.
Description: Describe the output column if necessary.
Type: Provides the list of types. Select Number or String.
Computation Mode: Provides the list of computation modes. This list is available only for the output columns of number type. The computation modes are the following:
Single, non-linear: The property value determines a row of the tier table. The output column values of this row are assigned to the generated properties.

For example, if the property value is equal to 110 (range ]60, 120]), the values of 1 (Gold Price) and of 2 (Silver Price) are assigned to the generated properties.
If the property value is equal to 300 (range ]200, +∞]), the values of 4 (Gold Price) and of 16 (Silver Price) are assigned to the generated properties.
Single, linear: The property value determines a row of the tier table. For each output column, the output column value of this row is recalculated according to the formula "a(b-c)" where "a" is the output column value, "b" is the property value, and "c" is the lower boundary of the range including the property value. The resulting values are then assigned to the generated properties.

For example, if the property value is 110 (range ]60, 120]), the values of 100=2(110-60) and of 200=4(110-60) are assigned to the generated properties.
If the property value is 300 (range ]200, + ∞]), the values of 400=4(300-200) and of 1,600=16(300-200) are assigned to the generated properties.
Cumulative, non-linear: The property value determines a row of the tier table. For each output column, the output column value of this row and the values of the output column of the previous rows are added together. The resulting values are then assigned to the generated properties.

For example, if the property value is 110 (range ]60, 120]), the values of 3=2+1 and of 6=4+2 are assigned to the generated properties.
If the property value is 300 (range ]200, + ∞]), the values of 10=4+3+2+1 and of 30=16+8+4+2 are assigned to the generated properties.
Cumulative, linear: The property value determines a row of the tier table. For each output column, the output column value of this row and the values of the output column of the previous rows are recalculated according to the formula "a(b-c)" (refer to the mode single, linear) and added together (*). The resulting values are then assigned to the generated properties.

For example, if the property value is 110 (range ]60, 120]), the values of 160=(1(60-0))+(2(110-60)) and of 320=(2(60-0))+(4(110-60)) are assigned to the generated properties.
If the property value is 300 (range ]200, + ∞]), the values of 820=(1(60-0))+(2(120-60))+(3(200-120))+(4(300-200)) and of 2600=(2(60-0))+(4(120-50))+(8(200-120))+(16(300-200)) are assigned to the generated properties.

(*) Note that the computation is lightly different for the output column values of the previous rows. In the formula "a(b-c)", "b" refers to the upper boundary of the range while "c" refers to the lower boundary of the range. Furthermore, for a range such as [-∞, 60], the lower boundary "b" is equal to 0.

Table Instance tab

Once you have created the structure of the tier table in the Table Schema tab, you can add one or more groups of rows to the table, and then fill in the cells of each row with appropriate values. A tier table contains a default group that you cannot rename or delete. You can only name or rename the groups that you create. Each group is independent of the other ones. For example, you can duplicate any group to which you assign a new name and new values.

To add a group to the table, click , and to add a line to the group, click .

To set up or modify an interval, click the interval in the Range column to display the Range dialog box, and then type your interval values. Use the Included option to include a value in an interval. Do not use this option when you select the values -∞ or +∞.

Note: Remember that the intervals must be arranged in increasing order. Pay attention to the characters that delimits the intervals (*) when including or excluding the values of intervals.

(*) Open, closed, or mixed intervals

Instead of manually typing all of the information in the columns, you can import existing information from external .CSV type files by clicking .

Use the icons to fill in the tab.