- In terms of any data that Vodacom provide us, that is all kept in Vodacom’s environment, except for a few things that we need to house in a central place.
- See the list below for the area and what we store in the Control Point database:
- Accounts – Account number only.
- Packages – the package name, code, cost and limits (limits are currently NOT always provided by Vodacom).
- Bundles – the bundle name, code, cost and inclusive units (e.g. 25 MB)
APNs – the APN name and the master/dummy msisdn. - Clients / Deployments – the name of the client / deployment, contact details of the person responsible, address details. This information is there for CLE purposes.
- Any information provided by individuals, i.e. users of the system, is also kept in Control Point’s database. This information is their name and email, so that we can create a user account for them to be able to access Spend Manager. This information is NOT provided by Vodacom.
All usage data, invoice data, bundle information etc. (i.e. anything that Vodacom provides us on file or through APIs) is otherwise stored in Vodacom’s environment. Please note that even though you can query subscriber and account details from the Control Point website, that information is retrieved from either the Spend Manager databases (within Vodacom’s environment), or the Vodacom APIs, specifically TPG. We do not save that information in Control Point, only display it.
How do we receive the data?
- VS feeds/EDR – VS102, VS29,VS29b, etc… these feeds are linked to each MSISDN and allow us to receive usage (EDR) on the lines. We have recently been allocated “VH” feeds which can be provisioned on Top Up subscribers so we can get this EDR. It is linked by TPG team and corresponds to the “VS” feed (i.e VS29b = VH29b, VS29 = VH29, VS102 = VH102) that the customer signs for on the onboarding docs.
- TPG – We currently use TPG (Third Party Gateway) for Soft Lock, Sim Swap (functionality to be available again end 2021), remaining balances (when using usage vs package limits), and Refreshing account/ subscriber details. Also used for Control Point queries.
- Eppix subscriber file – received daily for lines with a VS code and account linked to VSM.
- Invoice file – from eppix once a month.
- I-CAP – Responsible for bearer locking limits and remaining balances when bearer locking is enabled.
What does the subscriber file contain?
Among other things: the msisdn, account holder, account name, account number, primary sim number, contract start and end dates, date of next upgrade, line status, package code and name, whether the subscriber is currently soft locked etc.
What does the invoice file contain?
MSISDN, account number, invoice number, total invoice cost and all individual invoice line items with costs, and includes discounts
What is our source for MSISDN count?
Eppix subscriber file received from Vodacom. The current issues we have is on Vodacom’s side: Subscribers missing from this file, specifically top up subscribers. Currently we use a TPG call to retrieve the Top Up subscribers and add them to the active count. Top Up usage project is now complete so as customers sign up for the Top Up usage service those lines will appear on the Eppix subscriber file. Once all existing customers with Top Up have gone through this we will move away from calling TPG for this info.
After how long do numbers with inactivity get removed from VSM?
Currently, no invoice or usage for 3 consecutive months.
Should a number be added with a VS feed, when will the number be visible in VSM?
As long as everything has been set up correctly on Vodacom’s side (i.e. subscriber is in the Eppix subscriber file and the account on which the subscriber is associated is linked to the correct VS feed and is active on TPG), and in ControlPoint (i.e. the account has been associated to the correct client deployment), then the very next time the subscriber file is processed, it will create the new contract instance and the msisdn will be visible in VSM. Usually within 24hours.