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Share Plan Buckets Screen

Last Updated: Wed Jul 07 2021

Overview

Share plan buckets are a sub-element of share plans that define how usage is allotted to the share plan and how that usage is consumed and charged. Share plan buckets use base buckets setup in the system to define the usage class that will be shared (data, voice, etc.). Generally, share plan buckets are setup just like any other bucket, with the exception that share plan buckets also define the services/packages that are permitted to participate in the plan and what their participation limits are. Multiple buckets can be setup under a share plan to enable sharing of various types of usage (e.g. a 'mobility' share plan might include share plan buckets for data, messaging and airtime).

Prerequisites

  • Services need to be configured before share plan buckets can be setup

  • Packages need to be configured before share plan buckets can be setup if the share plan was configured with a Participating Type of 'Package'

  • Base Buckets need to be setup in order to configure share plan buckets

Share Plans Panel

The Share Plans panel on the left of this screen allows you to view and edit share plans and the share plan buckets that are under share plans. Actions are also available in this panel which are shown as icons above the Filter text box. The available actions are described below.

Actions

Icon

Description

Deletes the selected share plan bucket if not in use

This will be greyed out when a bucket is selected. To add a new share plan bucket click on the name of the share plan in the list and then to the right of the share plan name click the (emoji) button

Share Plans List

The list on the left of the screen shows share plans that are currently setup and the share plan buckets that are configured on the plan

You can add additional buckets to a share plan by clicking on the share plan name and then selecting the (emoji) icon to the right of the share plan name. When you select a share plan or a bucket the details of the selected plan/bucket will be displayed in the Edit panel on the right. These details are explained below.

Edit Bucket Panel

The information in this panel reflects the currently selected share plan bucket. From here you can modify bucket details (fields will display a red left border if a value is required and purple text if the field is read-only and cannot be modified).

Bucket Fields and Options:

  • Name: the name of the bucket under the plan. This can be an internal description or a customer facing name (e.g. displayed on invoices if desired)

  • Unit Type: the type of usage that will be shared in the bucket

  • Base Bucket: a bucket that matches the type of usage you want to share (a data bucket, messaging bucket, etc.)

  • Recur Type: determines if the bucket will be replenished or will expire after being used up. The options are:

    • Nonrecurring: a one-time bucket. When the allotted bucket usage is consumed this bucket will not be replenished. When this option is selected the 'Expire After' and 'Unit' fields will appear allowing you to set a date for the non-recurring bucket to expire (e.g. expire the remaining usage in the bucket after '6' 'Months' if it's not used up by that date)

    • Recurring: the bucket is reset (replenished) based on the recur frequency specified. When the bucket recurs usage will again count against the 1st usage tier configured on the bucket

    • Recurring with rollover: unused usage will rollover after the bucket recurs. E.g. if a bucket contains 10 MB of usage and 8 MB are consumed at the time of recurrence, the left over 2 MB will be added to the standard 10 MB of included usage to provide 12 MB in total

  • Type: this setting determines the bucket size and sharing behavior (how much usage is provided/how much usage a participating service or package can consume). The three options found under this field are:

    • Fixed: Fixed share plan buckets will have a static size which you configure on the Tiers tab. For instance you could setup a single tier that is 100 MB in size or multiple tiers with various fixed sizes

    • Variable Single Tier: this type of bucket grows in size as contributing account services/packages are added. For example, if the share plan bucket is configured so that service X contributes 1 MB to the plan, then five active service X's on an account under the share plan would contribute 5 MB to the bucket. As the setting name implies, only a single tier will be configurable on the Tiers tab when this option is selected

    • Variable Multiple Tier: this type of bucket also grows in size as services/packages contribute to it, but it allows you to specify how much each tier will grow per contributing service/package. E.g. at tier one each service adds 2 MB of data, at tier two each service adds 3 MB of data, and so on. When this option is selected you will be able to configure which services/packages are contributing to the share plan bucket on the 'Participating' tab and how much each tier grows per contributing service/package added on the Tiers tab

  • Prorate: if enabled the amount a service/package contributes to a share plan bucket will be prorated. For instance, if the normal contributing amount for a particular service is 10MB per month and the service that contributes that amount is added to the account in the middle of a month, then the contributing amount will be halved to 5MB. If Prorate is not selected then regardless of when the service/package becomes effective the contributing amount will be the full amount configured on the share plan bucket (e.g. following the previous example the service would contribute 10 MB to the share plan bucket regardless of when the service was activated). Cancelation of an service that contributed to a share plan bucket will reduce the bucket amount by the exact amount that the service contributed (e.g. if the usage contribution was prorated to 5 MB then 5 MB will be the amount the share plan bucket is reduced by should the service be canceled in the same share plan bucket usage period that it was added in)

Participating tab

This tab shows services or packages that have been configured to participate in the share plan. The options presented here will vary depending on the 'Type' setting configured on the share plan bucket. Depending on the share plan bucket Type you will be able to set the 'Contributing' amount for a given service/package (e.g. 'Service X' contributes 100 SMS messages to the bucket). The 'Participating Limit' will also be shown here indicated how much a particular service or package can consume from the share plan bucket per share plan period. For instance, 'Service Y' can only consume 10 MB of data from the bucket in the current bucket period (the period is defined by the usage billing frequency set on the plan).

Tiers tab

The Tiers tab allows you to define tier thresholds for share plan bucket usage. Rate plans are configured on tiers which determine the rates to use when usage occurs within the tier. You can also configure flat rate charges that occur when a tier is reached. The options that are presented on the Tiers tab will change depending on the share plan bucket 'Type' setting you select.

Tiering Options

  • Flat Charge: an amount that will be charged when the tier is reached

  • Tier Threshold: the tier size for fixed type tiers. E.g. if you set this value to 100, the tier will be 100 in size (100 messages, 100 MB, 100 minutes depending on the Unit you specify). If you configure another tier also with a value of 100 it will be reached after the 101st unit is consumed and end at 200 units of usage

  • Tier Growth: this setting is specific to variable multiple tier buckets. This option allows you to define how large the tier will be based upon the contributing services/packages setup on the bucket. E.g. if you enter 100 and select a unit of 'Messages' every service/package added to an account which is setup to contribute to the bucket will increase the tier size by 100 messages

  • Rate Plan: the rates that are applicable to usage in this tier. The initial tier has the option 'Free Usage' if you desire to provide free/included usage with the share plan bucket

  • Repeat: sets the tier to repeat indefinitely until the usage billing date is reached (for recurring buckets). If flat charges are applicable they will be applied each time the tier repeats. If this setting is not specified and the final tier on the bucket is exceeded then usage will be applied to another rate plan (a rate plan on the package, the account, etc.). If no appropriate rate plan can be found to rate the type of usage then a rating exception will occur


Guides

Adding Share Plan Buckets

  1. Under the Share Plans heading on the left select the share plan you wish to add a bucket to

  2. Next to the share plan name in the list click the (emoji) button

  3. On the Add Bucket panel to the right populate the bucket details

  4. If you wish to configure contributing and participating values for services applicable to the plan enter these values on the Participating tab. Note: the options presented on this tab will vary depending on the 'Type' value of the bucket (Fixed, Variable Single Tier or Variable Multiple Tier). You can also remove participating services/packages that are not applicable to the bucket by clicking twice on the (emoji) icon to the right of the participating service/package

  5. Click on the Tiers tab to setup a tier or tiers for the bucket. Depending on the bucket 'Type' setting the options on this tab will vary, however a few options will be present regardless of the bucket type configuration. Flat charges can be setup which will apply a fixed charge when the tier is reached, and an optional rate plan can be specified on any tier so that specific rates can be applied to usage that falls within that tier. See the description of the Tiers tab above for more information on these settings

  6. Click Save when you have finished configuring the share plan bucket


Deleting Share Plan Buckets

  1. Select the bucket you wish to delete in the list on the left under the Share Plans heading

  2. Under the same Share Plans heading click the (emoji) icon

  3. On the confirmation dialog click Yes to confirm that the selected bucket should be deleted