Technology agnostic universally applicable data model for a telecommunication service provider architecture
An implementation foundation for a telecommunication service provider provides an efficient, robust, and reliable cornerstone for any new telecommunication service provider architecture. The implementation foundation includes a universally applicable data model that encodes the fundamental entities of interest to telecommunications service providers. The data model is free of constraints on any particular technology, and provides a reusable foundation for implementing new telecommunication service providers. The data model is composed of business entities that technically support business processes for a telecommunication service provider. As a result, new telecommunication service providers may be implemented in a rapid manner on a proven foundation, without complex and unwieldy customized technologies that rely on immensely complicated point-to-point message connections.
1. A method for configuring a telecommunication service provider architecture in which multiple support systems interoperate to provide telecommunication products and services to customers, the method comprising:
establishing an enterprise service bus for routing telecommunication customer, product and service messages;
establishing connectors through which the multiple support systems connect to the enterprise service bus in order to publish and subscribe those messages; and
implementing across the enterprise service bus and connectors an object entity model comprising:
a customer and billing account layer comprising:
an organization entity encoding a partition of a customer base into multiple organizations that customers may belong to;
a customer entity encoding the legal entity who purchase offered products and services;
a contract entity encoding service agreements between the telecommunication service provider and the customers;
an address entity encoding addresses for the customers;
a billing account entity encoding the entity who is invoiced as a consequence of the purchase and the usage of the offered products and services;
a billing profile entity encoding invoice generation information for the billing account related to the customers;
a payment data entity encoding payment parameters selected by the customers;
a service account entity encoding provisioning location information for the offered products and services;
a contact entity encoding contact information for the customers;
a user contact entity encoding contact information for a user of the offered products and services purchased by the customer;
a refill entity encoding a refill request that a customer makes on a prepaid product or service; and,
an adjustment entity encoding a pre-paid adjustment or a post-paid adjustment;
an order and asset layer comprising:
order aggregation entity encoding aggregations of ordered products and services;
an asset entity encoding instantiations of the ordered products and services
an order item entity encoding technical service parameters for provisioning the ordered products and services
an attribute instance entity encoding instantiations of product attributes for the ordered products and services;
an event source entity encoding service usage identification for pay-by-use customers;
a service order response entity encoding an acknowledgment that an order has been fulfilled; and,
an order item response entity encoding a notice that an order item has been provisioned or activated; and,
a product/service catalog layer comprising:
a promotion entity encoding a promotion that applies to bundle, offers, products and services, and that modifies their price for a specified period;
a bundle entity encoding bundles of offers, products, and services, and that modifies their price for a specified period;
an offer entity encoding a set of products and services, and that modifies their price for a specified period;
a product/service offering entity encoding the offered products and services offered to the customers;
a price list entity encoding bundle, offer, product and service prices for the offered products and services;
an offer price entity encoding market prices for the offered products and services; and,
a product/service attribute entity encoding supplemental parameters for implementing the offered products and services.
2. The method of claim 1 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing individual one-to-many relationships from:
the customer entity to the billing account entity;
the customer entity to the contact entity;
the customer entity to the address entity;
the customer entity to the service account entity;
the customer entity to the user contact entity;
the billing account entity to the refill entity;
the billing account entity to the adjustment entity;
the billing account entity to the asset entity;
the billing account entity to the order aggregation entity;
the billing account entity to the contract entity;
the contact entity to the billing account entity;
the contact entity to the service account entity;
the contact entity to the payment data entity;
the contact entity to the user contact entity;
the service account entity to the order item entity;
the service account entity to the asset entity; and,
the contract entity to the order aggregation entity.
3. The method of claim 2 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing individual one-to-many relationships from:
the organization entity to the customer entity;
the organization entity to the contract entity;
the address entity to the service account entity; and,
the address entity to the billing account entity.
4. The method of claim 3 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing individual one-to-one relationships from:
the billing account entity to the billing profile entity; and,
the billing account entity to the payment data entity.
5. The method of claim 1 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing individual one-to-many relationships from:
the price list entity to the asset entity;
the price list entity to the order item entity;
the product/service offering entity to the asset entity;
the product/service offering entity to the product/service attribute entity;
the product/service offering entity to the order item entity;
the offer price entity to the order item entity;
the offer price entity to the asset entity;
the offer price entity to the product/service offering entity;
the product/service attribute entity to the attribute instance entity;
the promotion entity to the order item entity;
the promotion entity to the asset entity;
the bundle entity to the offer price entity;
the bundle entity to the asset entity; and,
the bundle entity to the order item entity.
6. The method of claim 5 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing individual many-to-many relationships from:
the price list entity to the bundle entity;
the price list entity to the offer price entity;
the price list entity to the product/service offering entity;
the product/service offering entity to the bundle entity;
the product/service offering entity to the promotion entity;
the product/service offering entity to the offer price entity;
the offer price entity to the promotion entity;
the offer price entity to the bundle entity; and,
the promotion entity to the bundle entity.
7. The method of claim 1 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing individual one-to-many relationships from:
the order aggregation entity to the offer price entity;
the order aggregation entity to the bundle entity;
the order aggregation entity to the order item entity;
the asset entity to the refill entity;
the asset entity to the adjustment entity;
the asset entity to the attribute instance entity;
the asset entity to the order item entity;
the order item entity to the attribute instance entity;
the event source entity to the order item entity; and,
the event source entity to the asset entity.
8. The method of claim 7 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing an individual many-to-many relationship from the order aggregation entity to the asset entity.
9. The method of claim 8 , where implementing the object entity model further comprises:
implementing individual one-to-one relationships from:
the order aggregation entity to the service order response entity; and,
the order item entity to the order item response entity.
10. A reusable telecommunications architecture comprising:
an enterprise service bus for routing telecommunication customer, product and service messages;
connectors through which multiple support systems connect to the enterprise service bus; and
an object entity model implemented across the enterprise service bus and connectors, the object entity model comprising:
a customer and billing account layer comprising:
an organization entity encoding a partition of a customer base into multiple organizations that customers may belong to;
a customer entity encoding the legal entity who purchase offered products and services;
a contract entity encoding service agreements between the telecommunication service provider and the customers;
an address entity encoding addresses for the customers;
a billing account entity encoding the entity who is invoiced as a consequence of the purchase and the usage of the offered products and services;
a billing profile entity encoding invoice generation information for the billing account related to the customers;
a payment data entity encoding payment parameters selected by the customers;
a service account entity encoding provisioning location information for the offered products and services;
a contact entity encoding contact information for the customers;
a user contact entity encoding contact information for a user of the offered products and services purchased by the customer;
a refill entity encoding a refill request that a customer makes on a prepaid product or service; and,
an adjustment entity encoding a pre-paid adjustment or a post-paid adjustment;
an order and asset layer comprising:
order aggregation entity encoding aggregations of ordered products and services;
an asset entity encoding instantiations of the ordered products and services
an order item entity encoding technical service parameters for provisioning the ordered products and services
an attribute instance entity encoding instantiations of product attributes for the ordered products and services;
an event source entity encoding service usage identification for pay-by-use customers;
a service order response entity encoding an acknowledgment that an order has been fulfilled; and,
an order item response entity encoding a notice that an order item has been provisioned or activated; and,
a product/service catalog layer comprising:
a promotion entity encoding a promotion that applies to bundle, offers, products and services, and that modifies their price for a specified period;
a bundle entity encoding bundles of offers, products, and services, and that modifies their price for a specified period;
an offer entity encoding a set of products and services, and that modifies their price for a specified period;
a product/service offering entity encoding the offered products and services offered to the customers;
a price list entity encoding bundle, offer, product and service prices for the offered products and services;
an offer price entity encoding market prices for the offered products and services; and,
a product/service attribute entity encoding supplemental parameters for implementing the offered products and services.
11. The reusable telecommunications architecture of claim 10 , where the object entity model further comprises:
individual one-to-many relationships from:
the customer entity to the billing account entity;
the customer entity to the contact entity;
the customer entity to the address entity;
the customer entity to the service account entity;
the customer entity to the user contact entity;
the billing account entity to the refill entity;
the billing account entity to the adjustment entity;
the billing account entity to the asset entity;
the billing account entity to the order aggregation entity;
the billing account entity to the contract entity;
the contact entity to the billing account entity;
the contact entity to the service account entity;
the contact entity to the payment data entity;
the contact entity to the user contact entity;
the service account entity to the order item entity;
the service account entity to the asset entity; and,
the contract entity to the order aggregation entity.
12. The reusable telecommunications architecture of claim 11 , where the object entity model further comprises:
individual one-to-many relationships from:
the organization entity to the customer entity;
the organization entity to the contract entity;
the address entity to the service account entity; and,
the address entity to the billing account entity.
13. The reusable telecommunications architecture of claim 12 , where the object entity model further comprises:
individual one-to-one relationships from:
the billing account entity to the billing profile entity; and,
the billing account entity to the payment data entity.
14. The reusable telecommunications architecture claim 10 , where the object entity model further comprises:
individual one-to-many relationships from:
the price list entity to the asset entity;
the price list entity to the order item entity;
the product/service offering entity to the asset entity;
the product/service offering entity to the product/service attribute entity;
the product/service offering entity to the order item entity;
the offer price entity to the order item entity;
the offer price entity to the asset entity;
the offer price entity to the product/service offering entity;
the product/service attribute entity to the attribute instance entity;
the promotion entity to the order item entity;
the promotion entity to the asset entity;
the bundle entity to the offer price entity;
the bundle entity to the asset entity; and,
the bundle entity to the order item entity.
15. The reusable telecommunications architecture of claim 14 , where the object entity model further comprises:
individual many-to-many relationships from:
the price list entity to the bundle entity;
the price list entity to the offer price entity;
the price list entity to the product/service offering entity;
the product/service offering entity to the bundle entity;
the product/service offering entity to the promotion entity;
the product/service offering entity to the offer price entity;
the offer price entity to the promotion entity;
the offer price entity to the bundle entity; and,
the promotion entity to the bundle entity.
16. The reusable telecommunications architecture of claim 10 , where the object entity model further comprises:
individual one-to-many relationships from:
the order aggregation entity to the offer price entity;
the order aggregation entity to the bundle entity;
the order aggregation entity to the order item entity;
the asset entity to the refill entity;
the asset entity to the adjustment entity;
the asset entity to the attribute instance entity;
the asset entity to the order item entity;
the order item entity to the attribute instance entity;
the event source entity to the order item entity; and,
the event source entity to the asset entity.
17. The reusable telecommunications architecture of claim 16 , where the object entity model further comprises:
an individual many-to-many relationship from the order aggregation entity to the asset entity.
18. The reusable telecommunications architecture of claim 16 , where the object entity model further comprises:
individual one-to-one relationships from:
the order aggregation entity to the service order response entity; and,
the order item entity to the order item response entity.