Counter 

Definition

Tools used to measure wear and tear on an object, usage, or reduction of a prepaid pool. 

A counter describes the characteristics of a physical register, such as a counter for a copying machine.

Use

You use templates to define counters. You assign the counter templates to the products (such as a copying machine). For more information, refer to Creating and Assigning Counter Templates.

Your customer reads the counters at regular intervals, for example, for copies on a copying machine.

Counter readings describe a counter status at a specific point in time. Counter readings represent the transaction data for counters. You use readings to document the counter readings. Counter readings increase or decrease continually over time. Counters can also overflow, as illustrated in the following example:

A counter on a copying machine can display a maximum value of 999,999. The counter then overflows, which means it starts counting again at 000,000.

When you define a counter, you define application-specific characteristics such as the usage function in addition to general attributes such as unit of measure and counter overflow. The usage function is required to assign the condition types in pricing.

The system differentiates between the following types of counters:

·        Counters relevant for readings

The system uses the counters in the volume overview.

·        Counters not relevant for readings

These counters are used strictly for statistical purposes. The system does not use them in the volume overview.