System, method, and computer program product for rating and re-rating events

1. A method, comprising:

rating, utilizing at least one processor, a plurality of events associated with at least one customer, the rating utilizing a rater, and the rating including determining an amount to be charged for each of the plurality of events;

storing, using a memory, results of the rating for the at least one customer in a first database, the stored rating results including performance indicators corresponding to associated event data;

while rating the plurality of events associated with the at least one customer, utilizing the at least one processor, determining that a particular event of the plurality of events associated with a particular customer of the at least one customer is to be re-rated, the determination based on:

a comparison of a threshold with a performance indicator corresponding to data of the particular event, and

the performance indicator corresponding to the data of the particular event reaching the threshold;

sending a notification, utilizing the at least one processor, including information on the particular customer subject to the re-rating to the rater from a re-rater separate from the rater in response to the determination that the particular event is to be re-rated, the notification identifying the particular customer in association with which the re-rating is to be performed; in response to the notification, providing the re-rater, from the rater, with the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating;

in response to receiving the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating, utilizing a second database separate from the first database to initialize and update the performance indicator corresponding to the data of the particular event;

re-rating, utilizing the re-rater, the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating, in parallel with the rating such that the re-rating is performed by the re-rater while the rater continues to rate at least one of the events associated with the at least one customer not subject to the re-rating, the re-rating including re-determining the amount to be charged for the particular event;

storing re-rating results of the re-rating in the second database separate from the first database; and

updating the rater with the re-rating results of the re-rating.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of events are rated utilizing a pre-paid billing system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of events are rated in real-time.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold is defined by at least one business rule.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first database is updated with the re-rating results stored in the second database.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein information associated with a difference between the rating results and the re-rating results is gathered for use in a pre-paid billing system, and a pre-paid balance is adjusted utilizing the information.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first database is updated with only the re-rating results that are requested by the rater.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the re-rating is performed utilizing a snapshot taken of the first database.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the events are tagged for use during the re-rating.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

dividing an allowance by a number of parallel threads;

allocating each division of the allowance to one of a plurality of the parallel threads;

dividing a plurality of events to be re-rated into groups of events;

applying each group of events to one of the plurality of parallel threads; and

rating each group of events.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining if at least a portion of the allowance has been reduced to zero;

restoring at least a portion of the allowance; and

re-rating at least one of the groups of events.

12. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium executed by a processor, comprising:

computer code for rating, utilizing a rater, a plurality of events associated with at least one customer, the rating including determining an amount to be charged for each of the plurality of events;

computer code for storing results of the rating for the at least one customer in a first database, the stored rating results including performance indicators corresponding to associated event data;

computer code for, while rating the plurality of events associated with the at least one customer, determining that a particular event of the plurality of events associated with a particular customer of the at least one customer is to be re-rated, the determination based on:

a comparison of a threshold with a performance indicator corresponding to data of the particular event, and

the performance indicator corresponding to the data of the particular event reaching the threshold;

computer code for sending a notification including information on the particular customer subject to the re-rating to the rater from a re-rater separate from the rater in response to the determination that the particular event is to be re-rated, the notification identifying the particular customer in association with which the re-rating is to be performed;

computer code for, in response to the notification, providing the re-rater, from the rater, with the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating;

computer code for, in response to receiving the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating, utilizing a second database separate from the first database to initialize and update the performance indicator corresponding to the data of the particular event;

computer code for re-rating, utilizing the re-rater, the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating, in parallel with the rating such that the re-rating is performed by the re-rater while the rater continues to rate at least one of the events associated with the at least one customer not subject to the re-rating, the re-rating including re-determining the amount to be charged for the particular event;

computer code for storing re-rating results of the re-rating in the second database separate from the first database; and

computer code for updating the rater with the re-rating results of the re-rating.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of events are rated utilizing a pre-paid billing system.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the re-rater utilizes the second database to update the performance indicators in conjunction with the re-rating process.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the rating of the plurality of events utilizing the first database continues while the re-rater updates the performance indicators in conjunction with the re-rating process.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one customer has both re-rateable and non-re-rateable events which are accumulated to different performance indicators.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance indicators include a non-re-ratable portion and a re-ratable portion, and are used as input to the re-rating, such that the performance indicator is used as an initial value for a non-re-rateable portion of the performance indicator.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance indicators include one or more of an accumulation of call time, a number of calls, an amount of data transferred, a number of messages received, a number of songs downloaded, and an accumulation of event data.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rater sends a query to the re-rater for a summary of changes in performance indicators of re-rated events, for updating calculations used in the rating.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein, in response to the re-rater receiving the query, the re-rater provides to the rater a snapshot of the second database for updating the rating calculations.

21. A system, comprising:

at least one processor for:

rating a plurality of events associated with at least one customer, the rating utilizing a rater, and the rating including determining an amount to be charged for each of the plurality of events;

storing, in a memory, results of the rating for the at least one customer in a first database, the stored rating results including performance indicators corresponding to associated event data;

while rating the plurality of events associated with the at least one customer, determining that a particular event of the plurality of events associated with a particular customer of the at least one customer is to be re-rated, the determination based on:

a comparison of a threshold with a performance indicator corresponding to data of the particular event, and

the performance indicator corresponding to the data of the particular event reaching the threshold;

sending a notification including information on the particular customer subject to the re-rating to the rater from a re-rater separate from the rater in response to the determination that the particular event is to be re-rated, the notification identifying the particular customer in association with which the re-rating is to be performed;

in response to the notification, providing the re-rater, from the rater, with the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating;

in response to receiving the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating, utilizing a second database separate from the first database to initialize and update the performance indicator corresponding to the data of the particular event;

re-rating, utilizing the re-rater, the particular event associated with the particular customer subject to the re-rating, in parallel with the rating such that the re-rating is performed by the re-rater while the rater continues to rate at least one of the events associated with the at least one customer not subject to the re-rating, the re-rating including re-determining the amount to be charged for the particular event;

storing re-rating results of the re-rating in the second database separate from the first database; and

updating the rater with the re-rating results of the re-rating.