Section 6 : Chapter 2

Access Layer Leverage

The access layer is the first place this kind of architectural approach
will save the organization time and money. Gaining access to oper-
ational systems is tough. It requires specialized knowledge of how
the system works, the negotiation of “access windows” with those
managing the operational system, and specialized expertise in inter-
preting what is accessed.

An organization can save a considerable amount of time and money

by developing one core team and one core access mechanism to
retrieve information from each the operational system and then
using that single point of access to meet revenue assurance infor-
mation needs.

Storage Layer Leverage

The storage layer level is the second place where this approach
can save the developer cost. Standardizing on the access layer is
a good start, but it will not be possible to significantly reduce the
operational impact of those accesses without a location to store the
retrieved information.

Post PaidPrepaid
Mediation Postpaid
NetworkMediation
Network Pre PaidRoaming Inter-carrier CollectionsDunning
RevenueSettlement Settlement Collections
Billing Revenue
Billing

Billing Report Requirements

Billing
Report User Interface Layer: Screens and Applications

Data Post Preparation and Application Logic Layer

Billing
Data Data Storage Layer
Storage

Billing
Extraction Access, Extract, Transform, and Load Layer

Billing
System Operational Systems

Figure 6.2.4 Using the storage layter to protect the operational systesm

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