TAG LINE
TAG LINE
SMALL TITLE

Counting Rules Screen

Last Updated: Wed Nov 15 2023

Counting Rules are configured in Setup / Product Catalog / Package / Counting Rules

Overview

Counting rules provide a way of counting packages or services on an account in order to apply tiered pricing to service charges based on the total count. The count (number of packages or services) determines the per unit charge for services using a bracketed tiered pricing approach (e.g. reaching one hundred of 'Service X' on an account hits a new tier and grants a volume price discount by charging less for the subscription cost of a particular service).

The services/packages counted and the service the count applies to do not have to match. For instance, you could count the number of Package A’s on an account and apply that count to discount the price per unit of Service X. Any tiered service within a packages frequency that is setup with a counting rule will have the count applied to its service tiers, the service in question does not have to be configured within a counting rule.

Counting rules configured on this screen specify which packages or services in the product catalog are counted, once the counting rule has been setup it can be configured on a package frequency.

Counting rules can also be configured on rates. This works Just like counting rules set on package frequencies, with the counting rule totaling the number of services or packages on an account in order to determine the price tier. In this case the tier relates to the per unit price for the usage rate that the counting rule is configured on, instead of the per unit price of a service.

For instance, a tiered rate called ‘US1’ could be setup with a counting rule which counts Service A and Service B on an account. The following tiers could be setup on the usage rate to adjust the price based on the Service A and Service B count.

  • $1/GB if there are 0 to 100 of Service A and B on the account

  • $0.75/GB if there are 101-500 of Service A and B on the account

  • $0.60/GB if there are 501+ of Service A and B on the account

Prerequisites

  • Services need to be setup for counting rules that apply to (count) services

  • Packages need to be setup for counting rules that apply to (count) packages

Counting Rule Panel

The Counting Rule panel towards the left of this screen allows you to select existing counting rules to view and edit on the Edit Counting Rules panel to the right. 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 counting rule if not in use

Adds a new counting rule

Edit Counting Rules Panel

The information in this panel reflects the currently selected counting rule. From here you can change rule details (note: fields with a magenta left border are required).

Counting Rule Fields and Options:

  • Name: a unique and descriptive name for the counting rule

  • Active: defines if the rule is active (can be configured on packages and rates) or is inactive (will not be listed when configuring counting rules on other screens)

  • Applies To: defines what can be configured on the counting rule (services or packages). One or the other must be selected, you cannot count both services and packages using a counting rule

  • Status Pricing: determines if tier sizes are configured per service, or per each individual service status. When selecting ‘Per Status’ you will be able to configure tiers on package frequencies for each service status (e.g. different sized tiers for Service A in pre-active status than Service A in active status). Selecting ‘Across Status’ will configure package frequencies that are using the counting rule to setup tiers on each service, regardless of status (e.g. if the first tier set on the service is 1-10 units, then that tier size is used for all service statuses you are billing). Tiered service pricing (regardless of which option you choose here) can be configured to vary based on the particular service status (e.g. charge $10 per unit when the service is active and $5 per unit when the service is suspended)

  • Count only if Usage: If enabled the package/service will only be counted if usage related to the package/service has occurred in the billing period

Package(s) Tab

This tab appears when the 'Applies To' field is set to 'Package(s)'. From here you can add and remove the packages which will be counted when the counting rule is attached to a package frequency or usage rate.

Service(s) Tab

This tab appears when the 'Applies To' field is set to 'Service(s)'. From here you can add and remove the services which will be counted when the counting rule is attached to a package frequency or usage rate.

References Tab

This section displays where the selected counting rule is used in the system. By default, the reference data is displayed in a summary format to indicate where the rule is in use, however the Entity drop down field can be used to view the exact system entities that the counting rule is configured on.


Guides

Adding Counting Rules

  1. Under the Counting Rule heading on the left click the (emoji) icon

  2. Under the Counting Rule heading on the right enter the counting rule details (see the edit counting rule panel section for details on each field)

  3. Depending on what you have selected in the Applies To field click on either the Package(s) or Service(s) tab

  4. At the bottom of the tab click in either the Select Package or Select Service field

  5. Type the name of the package/service you wish to count and if applicable the frequency and statuses you wish to count (e.g. Package 1, monthly frequency, only billable and pre-active statuses)

  6. Repeat the process to add additional packages/services to be counted

  7. Click Save


Editing Counting Rules

  1. Under the Counting Rule heading on the left click the rule you wish to edit

  2. Under the Edit Counting Rule heading on the right modify the rule details (see the edit counting rule panel section for details on each field)

  3. Depending on what you have selected in the Applies To field click on either the Package(s) or Service(s) tab

  4. To remove a package/service click the (emoji) button next to it and then click the (emoji). The package/service will be crossed out in orange text, this indicates that it will be removed when you click the Save button

  5. To add services or packages to the rule refer to the steps in the Adding Counting Rules section

  6. Click Save when finished making changes


Deleting Counting Rules

Note: Counting rules that are configured on package frequencies or rates are in use and cannot be deleted. In order to delete a counting rule in use, first determine which entities are configured with the rule using the 'References' tab and then edit those entities to no longer use the rule.

  1. Select the counting rule you wish to delete in the list on the left under the Counting Rule heading

  2. Under the Counting Rule heading click the (emoji) icon

  3. On the confirmation dialog click Yes