System and method for preparing telecommunications call record data for quantitative analysis

1. A method for preparing call data for analysis comprising the steps of:

joining individual Call Detail Records (CDRs) from a correlated set of calls into a compound CDR;

enriching the compound CDR based on comparing fields of the individual CDRs;

ordering the individual CDRs that make up the enriched compound CDR by time;

marking the individual CDRs with correlation identifiers associated with the time order of the individual CDRs; and

saving the ordered, enriched compound CDR.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

ordering the individual CDRs by increased time according to IAM timestamp.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

identifying and marking an initial individual CDR; and

identifying and marking a final individual CDR.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

computing a total number of ordered CDRs in the compound CDR;

comparing the total number of ordered CDRs in the compound CDR with a preselected maximum number of CDRs; and

deleting from the total number of CDRs a number of ordered CDRs that is greater than the preselected maximum number of CDRs.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

creating the correlated set of CDRs.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of creating the correlated set ( 812 ) comprises the steps of:

determining originating CDRs and terminating CDRs;

determining whether the originating CDRs and the terminating CDRs are correlated;

obtaining correlated candidate pairs from the determined correlated CDRs;

establishing whether a correlated candidate pair of the obtained correlated candidate pairs is unique within the obtained correlated candidate pairs; and

adding the unique pair to the correlated set of CDRs.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of determining the originating CDRs comprises the steps of:

obtaining a CDR;

determining whether a call associated with the CDR is leaving a monitored network (MN); and

determining whether a called party jurisdictional state associated with the CDR is in the MN.

8. The method of claim 6 said step of determining the originating CDRs further comprises the step of:

determining if a called party jurisdiction Local Access Transport Area (LATA) and a called party number associated with the CDR are in the MN.

9. The method of claim 6 said step of determining the originating CDRs further comprises the step of:

determining if a called party number associated with the CDR is ported into the MN.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

marking the CDRs as originating CDRs if a called party number associated with the CDR is in the MN.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of obtaining the correlated candidate pairs comprises the steps of:

selecting a preselected CDR from the originating CDRs;

comparing the preselected CDR with an individual CDR from the compound CDR; and

determining whether a call associated with the preselected CDR and the individual CDR is entering the MN.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of obtaining the correlated candidate pairs comprises the step of:

determining whether a difference between a terminating CDR Initial Address Message (IAM) time and an originating CDR IAM time are within a preselected correlation window.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of obtaining the correlated candidate pairs comprises the step of:

determining whether a difference between an originating CDR Answer Message (ANM) time and a terminating CDR ANM time are within a preselected correlation window.

14. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of obtaining the correlated candidate pairs comprises the step of:

determining whether a difference between a terminating CDR Release Message (REL) time and an originating CDR REL time are within a preselected correlation window.

15. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of obtaining the correlated candidate pairs comprises the step of:

determining whether an originating called number is the same as a terminating called number.

16. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of obtaining the correlated candidate pairs comprises the step of:

determining whether an originating redirect status is the same as a terminating redirect status.

17. A system for processing Call Detail Records (CDRs) to save the CDRs for analyzing call routing comprising:

means for joining individual CDRs from a correlated set of calls into a compound CDR;

means for enriching said compound CDR based on comparing fields of said individual CDRs;

means for ordering said individual CDRs that make up said enriched compound CDR by time;

means for marking said ordered individual CDRs with correlation identifiers associated with the time order of the ordered individual CDRs; and

means for saving said ordered, enriched, compound CDR.

18. A system for creating an enriched compound Call Detail Record (CDR) comprising:

means for identifying CDRs according to a correlation identifier from a correlated set;

means for sorting said CDRs in time order;

means for concatenating said sorted CDRs into a compound CDR; and

means for enriching said compound CDR.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for determining duplicate CDRs from said correlated set; and

means for removing said duplicate CDRs prior to executing said means for ordering.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said means for enriching comprises:

means for comparing a first field associated with a first CDR in said correlated set to a last field associated with a last CDR in said correlated set.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein said means for enriching comprises:

means for computing a total number of CDRs in said correlated set.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein said means for enriching comprises:

means for flagging a missing CDR leg is said compound CDR.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein said means for enriching comprises:

means for flagging at least one arbitrage scenario in said compound CDR.