About dependent charges

Unlike a master charge, a dependent charge:

• Is synchronized with another charge customized in the charge plan or offer.

• Uses either the trigger mode or the calculation mode of the other charge or uses both modes simultaneously.

• May depend upon another dependent charge. In this case, the links between charges are translated into a series of descending dependencies.

• Is assigned a role when it is customized inside a charge plan or an offer.

Example

Private individuals can subscribe to Learn.com, a company providing a range of online documents. Learn.com buys the documents from specialized authors to whom it pays royalties in the form of commissions on received income. Commissions are represented by a Sales Commission dependent charge linked to a Document Subscription master charge.

Trigger mode

A dependent charge can only be triggered when the charge it depends on is triggered. For example, when a customer pays subscription fees, a commission is to be paid to a third party. In this way, the Document Subscription charge triggers the dependent Sales Commission charge.

Calculation mode

The calculation of a dependent charge can be linked to the amount calculated by another charge. The price plan of the dependent charge depends on the result of another price plan that is integrated in the other charge. This dependency means an amount will first be calculated in the main price plan before it can be used by the dependent plan.

The property that you use to link a master charge amount to a dependent charge is the base amount property . The link is determined by a common chargeable item class, a recurring rate, or a one-shot rate component. The base amount property can be used in cases such as commissions where a 10% commission is calculated from a master charge amount.

Example

Customers can download reference documents from Learn.com. Downloading costs vary according to the module and document volume. Learn.com must pay the document authors a commission equal to 5% of sales. You need to know the download amount to determine the amount of commission to be paid. The Document Download charge calculates the amount to be paid to Learn.com by its customers. The Document Commission charge calculates an amount to be paid to the authors, and this amount depends on the amount paid by the customers.

Characteristics

You need to set up charges if you use them in charge plans or in simple or complex offers. Setting up a dependent charge means redefining its existing characteristics if necessary.