Revision as of 14:58, 24 March 2011

Linking Packages and Service Plans

Introduction

Package Plans and Service Plans need to be linked together before they are sold.

When a Package Plan is sold to an End User, the system will create Package Subscriptions and Service Subscriptions at the Wholesaler Level (if the Wholesaler exists in Cumulus), the Service Provider Level as well as the End User. As such, Cumulus requires that Buy Package Plans be linked with Buy Service Plans, but also that downstream Sell Package Plans (linked with Sell Service Plans) are linked with respective Buy Plans.

When a Wholesaler is involved, The Wholesaler will create a 'Buy' Package Plan and Service Plan and then create various Sell Package Plans and Service Plans. The Service Provider will then create their own 'Sell' Package Plans and Service Plans, and these will link with the 'Sell' Plans of the Wholesaler.

If no Wholesaler is involved (or the Wholesaler is outside of the Cumulus network), the Service Provider themselves will create the Buy Package Plans and Service Plans and map them together as required, as well as the Sell Package Plans and Service Plans - and these will be direct links between the Buy Packages and Sell Packages.

Concepts

There are various Cumulus specific concepts that need to be explained prior to actually linking a Package and Service plan.

Service Allowance and Mandatory Services

In creating a link between a Package Plan and Service Plan, the Allowance is also set, as well as whether or not the Service is Mandatory or Non-Mandatory. Note that you can only set these variables when creating the initial Buy Package.

When you create the Sell Package and Service Plans, then link these together, the system will inherit the Allowance from the Buy Package plan you are linking to.

Allowance

When creating Buy Plans and linking Service Plans, you can set the Quantity and whether or not the Service is Mandatory

The Allowance essentially is the number of Service Subscriptions that get created for that service plan. For example, you may have a Package with an ADSL service and 5 Additional Mailboxes. In Cumulus, you are not required to link the Email Mailbox Service Plan 5 times. Rather, you link the Service Plan only once and specify that there are 5 services.

Mandatory Services

A mandatory service is one that is required to be Qualified by the Service Qualification (SQ) process explicitly and configured before the Package Subscription will be active.

A non-mandatory service is considered an optional service that can be configured after the Package has already been activated. When a Package subscription is created that has non-mandatory services, the system will create Service Subscriptions for the non-mandatory services that are 'initialised'. These can then be activated and configured at will.

Package Catalogues and Package Groups (Wholesale Accounts only)

Click on this thumbnail for a diagram of Package Catalogues and Package Groups

Package Catalogues and Package Groups only apply to Wholesale accounts and their overall function is to give Cumulus 'Wholesale' users the power to sell only specific packages to specific Service Providers. A wholesaler may use Package Catalogues and groups if different downstream Service Providers are buying different service types, or if they offered a Tiered structure.

From the Wholesale level, 'Sell' Packages are placed into Package Groups. A Package Group (or indeed multiple Package Groups) is then placed into Package Catalogue, which is then mapped to the downstream Service Provider.

Please note that even if every Sell Package in a Wholesaler account is being offered to all Service Providers, these Packages must still be placed in a Package Group and a Catalogue created for each downstream Service Providers.