Summary
This article describes how usage billing occurs in EngageIP and how to setup usage billing frequencies which can be configured on accounts.
Usage can be billed at the same time user-packages are billed or if desired usage can be billed independently of packages. For instance you can configure usage to be billed on a specific day of the month or billed on a set a recurring frequency (e.g. every 2 days, 7 days, etc.). These configuration instructions are found below in this article.
Usage Billing Requirements
The following EngageIP Windows Services need to be running for usage billing operations to function:
EngageIP Event Service
EngageIP Job Service
EngageIP Rating Service
Using 'Bill Account' to bill usage:
User account with usage assigned in UDRBiller record
An associated package to bill along with the usage which is active
UDRBiller record "periodend" must be equal to or less than the end date on the selected bill run range
Using a bill run to bill usage:
User account with usage assigned in UDRBiller record
UDRBiller record "periodend" must be equal to or less than the end date on the selected bill run range
'Bill Usage' must be checked on the bill run NOTE: An active package is NOT required to allow usage to bill out here
Account must be ACTIVE - Canceled accounts will not be picked up by the bill run except where Owner type is 'Bill Owner'. If you want not to bill cancelled User Usage (once the account is canceled), then that user’s Owner must have OwnerParentAccountBillingType = Bill Accounts OR Bill Accounts Using Invoicer Taxes OR Owner of that user must be in Cancelled State.
Cancelling the LAST package (with full transaction) on a Users account will trigger usage to bill out that exist at time of cancelation (all unbilled UDRBillers will be billed out, back dated or future dated)
Cancelling the user account (with full transaction) which has an active package on it will bill out the existing usage (if periodend less than NOW, future dated UDRBillers will not bill out)
Importing and Rating Usage Data
Usage data is imported and rated before it is billed. The flow below outlines how usage is processed in EngageIP.
Usage files are imported to a folder similar to this location: c:\Program Files x86\EngageIP\UsageData\xxxx. The xxxx portion is named according to the specific feed the data is coming from
Note: the usage files may be imported to another path in your EngageIP implementation, the path above is the typical locationUsage is rated 24/7. Any time a usage file is delivered into the usage directory the rating service will pick it up, rate it and move the file to a 'processed' sub-directory
Usage Billing Methods
Usage billing prior to EngageIP 8.6.0 used one of two methods:
A synchronized usage billing approach where usage was billed at the same time that user-packages were billed via a bill run
A periodic usage billing approach where usage was billed on a set schedule (e.g. every 5 days, on the 15th of the month, etc.). An Account component called 'Usage Billing Type' dictated how frequently usage would be billed and a bill usage only bill run was used to bill usage on the set frequency
As of EngageIP 8.6.0 usage billing is controlled by a new account component called 'Usage Billing Frequency', shown below:
The usage billing frequency component is shown on every account under the account components section. The usage billing frequency configuration is pulled from the usage invoicer's setup on the account. If an account is its own usage invoicer then the component will be editable, if an account is configured to have its usage invoiced to another account then the component will appear as read only (i.e. the component shown is actually the usage invoicers usage billing frequency component). By default the usage billing frequency component has a usage billing configuration of 'OnMyBillDay', resulting in usage billing occurring when packages are billed. Like the previous 'Usage Billing Type' component the usage billing frequency component can be modified to bill on a specific day or interval of days.
How to configure bill runs and usage billing components on accounts is covered below in this article.
Usage Billing Process Flow
When the Usage Billing Type/Usage Billing Frequency component is present on an account usage billing will occur as follows:
Usage billing is triggered (via a bill run or the Tools > 'Bill Account' option)
Billing will check the 'Usage Next Bill Date' value on the usage billing component. If that date matches a date within the billing range usage that has not been billed to date will be billed
Note: when billing via Tools > Bill Account usage will not be billed if the user-package the usage relates to is not also billedIf an invoice doesn't exist a new invoice will be created with the usage charges on it
The usage billing component -> usage next bill date will be updated according to the usage billing frequency it is configured to follow (e.g. if set to bill usage every '5' days the date will be incremented by five days)
Note: when billing via Tools > Bill Account the usage next bill date will not be updated if no usage charges are applied
When billing is fired again the usage next bill date or the account bill day (whichever comes first) will be evaluated and any un-billed usage will again be billed as the steps above have outlined.
Configuration
Creating Usage Billing Frequencies
The steps below detail how to configure usage billing frequencies under an owner in EngageIP (or usage billing types for older EngageIP versions). The frequencies you setup are selectable when editing a usage billing frequency/type account component on an account (i.e. at an account/user level you can only set an account to bill every 10 days if you have setup a '10 days' usage billing frequency on the setup tab). To add a new usage billing frequency:
Go to the Setup tab on your owner
Click Usage Billing Frequency (or 'Usage Billing Type' for older versions of EngageIP)
Click Add
Enter a Name to describe the usage billing frequency you are setting up ('every 5 days', 'on the 21st', etc.)
Enter the Number of days the billing frequency will occur on or the day of the month you would like to bill usage on (how the number value is used depends on the Usage Billing Frequency Type you select below)
Select the Usage Billing Frequency Type (works with the 'Number' field value above):
Days - set usage billing to occur every X number of days
OnBillDay - set usage billing to occur on the account's bill day
OnDate - set usage billing to occur on a specific day of the month
Click Save
Setting a Usage Billing Frequency on a Bill Group
This option allows you to define a default usage billing configuration for all accounts that are added to a bill group. When a new account is setup the system will automatically add a usage billing component on the account according to usage component you have specified in the bill group configuration. The usage billing component configuration can still be edited on the account if needed, it is not locked/synced to the bill group configuration.
Load the Setup tab
Click Bill Groups
Click on the Name of the Bill Group you wish to configure
Click on the Usage Billing Frequency dropdown field (or Usage Billing Type in older versions) and select the type you created as per the instructions above. Any new users setup with this bill group will now inherit the usage billing type you have configured
Usage Billing Frequency Account Configuration (EngageIP 8.6.0+)
As of EngageIP 8.6.0 a usage billing frequency component will apply to all accounts. Typically the component that dictates when usage should be billed will be present directly on the account and configurable, however sometimes the usage billing frequency component will be read-only. A greyed out usage billing frequency component indicates that another account (specifically the usage invoicer) is actually determining when usage should be billed.
To look up who the usage invoice is on an account click on Tools > Invoicer. For more information on invoicers see the Account Invoicer Configuration article.
To change the usage next date or recurring usage billing frequency on an account:
Load the account you would like to configure
In the upper right under Components click on the Usage Billing Frequency text
To change the date when usage is next billed simply edit the Usage Next Bill Date
To modify the frequency which usage is billed on going forward select another option in the Usage Billing Frequency field
Click Save
Updates to the usage billing frequency setting will be handled by a job in EngageIP. The following message will appear to let you know the change will occur after the job completes.
Usage Billing Type Account Configuration (pre-EngageIP 8.6.0)
Note: the 'Usage Billing Type' component will only bill usage during a bill run if the option 'Bill Usage Only' is selected on the bill run. If an account does not contain the 'Usage Billing Type' component then usage needs to be billed using the 'Billing' option on the bill run instead
This option allows you to specify at the user level how to bill usage.
Load the account you would like to configure
On the Overview tab under Components click Add
Select Usage Billing Type
Specify the Usage Next Bill Date that usage should start billing on (likely the same as bill day)
Select the Usage Billing Type that you created as per the instructions above
Click Save
Usage Bill Run Configuration
For pre-8.6.0 instances of EngageIP the 'Bill Usage Only' option must be enabled on the bill run for usage to be billed for accounts setup with the 'Usage Billing Type' component. To bill usage for accounts that do not have the component you would need to select the 'Billing' option on the bill run instead (which bills both package and usage charges).
For EngageIP 8.6.0+ the functionality is simpler, simply enable the 'Bill Usage' option on the bill run and usage will be billed based on the date set on the 'Usage Billing Frequency' component that every account in the system references.
Performing a usage only bill run:
Note the 'Usage Next Bill Date' on the usage billing account component and determine the period range of usage that you would like to bill for (e.g. Nov 15th to Nov 30th. The UDR History report for the user can be of use in determining the period)
Load the Setup tab
Click on Bill Runs
Click on the existing Bill Run or the Usage Bill Run if one exists
Set the Start billing at this / time date to less than now (i.e. yesterday)
Set the next dates (range) to encompass the 'usage next bill date'
EngageIP 8.6.0+
Uncheck all options except for Enabled and Bill Usage
Older EngageIP versions
Uncheck all other boxes except for Enabled and Bill Usage Only (you do NOT want 'Billing', Render Invoice or any of the other options selected)
Click Save on bill run
Ensure that the 'EngageIP Billing Service' is enabled on the webserver
Invoice Rendering, Closure and Delivery on Usage Bill Runs
When a bill run is executed with the 'Bill Usage Only' / 'Bill Usage' option enabled invoices will remain open. This means invoices will render each time you try to view them. When full monthly billing is run, the invoices will be rendered and closed in order to be sent to the customer.
If you want an invoice closed and sent weekly or according to your schedule, you can switch the invoice close type on the bill group to be 'Every Bill Run' and it will close any open ones even if monthly billing has not run.
Usage Bill Runs For Non-Usage Billing Type Accounts
Note: this section applies to environments running an EngageIP version lower than 8.6.0. The Usage Billing Type component no longer exists as of EngageIP 8.6.0
When running the bill run with the 'Billing' option checked, usage will be billed if the UDR PeriodEnd is dated prior to the bill run end date in the range that you've selected. If it is, it will bill that usage only.
Example:
If the range in the bill run is February (1) to February (10):
Usage in a usage billing period (UDRBiller) where the period end is earlier than February 10th will get billed out
User-packages where the next bill date falls within that range will get billed
Usage billing does not require a user-package to be billed (however the UDR logic may require particular packages or statuses to be set in order to import and rate the usage).
Notes:
UDR date range does not necessarily equal the UDR record date or other associated dates
Some older versions (8.5.8.x versions for example) of EngageIP DO require at least one package to be billed as billing will first look up all billable packages and bill usage along with the billing package. If there is no package to bill, the account doesn't get flagged to bill usage. Example, if UDRBiller periodend is 6/21/2014 and package next bill date is 6/25/2014, the bill run date range would need to be 6/21 - 6/25 so that both are 'seen' within the range and then the usage will bill. Usage is triggered to bill when the package is billed in the same range.
Verifying Usage is Billing
Load the AdminPortal
Click the Reports tab
Click the Event Log for billing activities
Check the users invoice to confirm that usage was billed out (or check for usage transactions on the Transactions tab)
Usage Credits
For instructions on how to issue credits for usage (UDR Records) see the Managing Transactions article.
Troubleshooting
What happens if a bill run is run prematurely prior to close of UDRBiller period?
If a bill run occurs, it will bill out usage that exists for the UDRBiller period and close that udrbiller record. Any subsequent usage for the month will post to the new UDRBiller period. Example if billing is run Jan 15th for Feb 1 invoices, UDRBillers with period of of Feb 1 will close and bill. Any usage after January 15th will then go to March 1 udrbillers (period end) and bill out when March 1 occurs. Options here are to open the invoice and let billing proceed on the 1st of the month, or to void the invoice which will reset usage to be billed out again at the correct time.