Metering Invoicing—Key Exercises

Basic Data Setup

Maintenance Organization

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up a new maintenance organization and connect it to a site. This basic data record is required when running the Work Processing course.  

Windows:
Organization Basic Data/Maintenance Organizations

  1. Create a new maintenance organization.

General exercise for Maintenance Organizations

Enter and Link Employee to Maintenance Organization

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to enter and link an employee and connect this employee to a certain maintenance organization. This basic data is required when running the Work Processing course.

Windows:
Organization Basic Data/Employees

  1. Create a new employee.
  2. Link the employee to a maintenance organization.
  3. Link a craft to the employee. 

General exercise for Enter and Link Employee to Maintenance Organization

Parameters

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up a parameter for which metering invoicing lines will later be defined. The meter/parameter is used to measure the usage of an object.

Windows:
Organization Basic Data/Parameters

  1. Create a new line to define a new parameter (F5).
  2. Enter CC as the parameter ID, and Copy Counter as the description.
  3. Select the Accumulated value type.

Note: The Limit type parameter is used to specify a maximum and/or minimum value, e.g., an oil level which must be kept between a minimum and maximum point. The Accumulated type parameter is used to specify a cumulative value, e.g., operation time.

  1. Save the new parameter.

General exercise for Parameters

Required Data

Entering a Non-inventory Sales Part to Invoice for Usage

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to enter a non-inventory sales part that will be used for invoicing the usage of an object. In this example, you will define a sales part that will charge a customer by the copy.

Windows:
Non-Inventory Sales Part

  1. Create a new sales part (F5).
  2. Optionally, define an optional sales part number ID, and enter Charge per Copy as the description.
  3. Select an appropriate unit of measure, e.g., Pieces.
  4. Select an optional sales price group and sales group.
  5. Define an optional price per copy.
  6. Enter a VAT code.
  7. Save the new record.

General exercise for Entering Non-Inventory Sales Part

Entering a Non-inventory Sales Part to Invoice for Fixed Service Charges

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to enter a non-inventory sales part that will be used for invoicing the fixed service charges, in combination with usage. In this example, you will define a sales part that will charge a customer a monthly service charge regardless of usage. 

Windows:
Non-Inventory Sales Part

  1. Create a new sales part (F5).
  2. Enter an optional sales part number ID. Enter Monthly Service Charge as the description.
  3. Select an appropriate unit of measure, e.g., Month.
  4. Select an optional sales price group and sales group.
  5. Define an optional price (monthly charge).
  6. Enter a VAT code.
  7. Save the new record.

General exercise for Entering Non-Inventory Sales Part

Creating a Customer

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up a customer that will be used in the metering invoicing function.

Windows:
Customer

  1. Create a new customer.

General exercise for Creating Customer

Creating a Metering Invoicing Object

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to establish an object that will later be used for metering invoicing.

Windows:
Functional Object

  1. Create a new functional object with the description: copying machine.
  2. Connect a parameter (e.g., copy counter) to the object. You do not have to define a test point. Specify the unit in which you will measure the usage.
  3. Optionally, define a customer for the object. However, this customer will be selected by default when you define a metering invoicing line for the object.

Note: It does not matter whether the object is a functional object or a serial object. We will use a functional object because it is easier to create.

General exercise for Creating Functional Object

Main Exercises

Define Metering Invoicing Conditions on Object 

Exercise 1

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up an object for invoicing usage. In this example, we will charge a fixed price per month (rent charge) of $200.

Windows:
Functional Object

  1. Create a new object, or query for the object you already entered for metering invoicing (or use serial object ID 6600-3)
  2. Click the Metering Invoicing tab.
  3. A parameter should appear for the object. If not, click the Parameters tab, and define a new parameter.
  4. Create the metering invoicing line that should result in a charge to the customer of $200 per month, regardless of usage, according to the following steps.
  5. Select a sales part to charge for the monthly fee (6500/Rental).
  6. Select the Interval generation type.
  7. Define a start value (YYMM) and use previous month or earlier as start value.
  8. Specify Month as the start unit, 1 as the interval, and Month as the interval unit. This will generate an invoice on the first day of every month.
  9. Define a fixed price of $200.
  10. Select a coordinator (ALAIN), customer (3000), and customer order type (SEO), if not yet entered.
  11. Save your changes.

Note: In order to invoice for the monthly charge, you will still need to report a usage, even though the customer is charged a fixed price. If no usage is reported, no invoice can be created. Another alternative to invoice fixed charges is to use the customer agreement's payment plan functionality.

Exercise 2

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up an object for invoicing usage. In this example, we will charge 3 cents per copy, which will be invoiced monthly. The minimum charge should be $150 for each invoice interval (month).

Windows:
Functional Object

  1. Create a new object, or query for the object you already entered for metering invoicing (or use serial object 6600-3).
  2. Click the Metering Invoicing tab.
  3. A parameter should appear for the object. If not, click the Parameters tab, and define a new parameter.
  4. Create the metering invoicing line that should result in a charge to the customer of 3 cents per copy, and a minimum charge of $150, according to the following steps.
  5. Select a sales part to invoice charge of 3 cents per copy (6600/Copy machine usage).
  6. Select the Interval generation type.
  7. Define a start value (YYMM) and use previous month or earlier as start value.
  8. Specify Month as the start unit, 1 as the interval, and Month as the interval unit. This will generate an invoice on the first day of every month.
  9. Define a Min amount of $150.
  10. Select a coordinator (ALAIN), customer (3000), and customer order type (SEO), if not yet entered.
  11. Save your changes.

Exercise 3

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up an object for invoicing usage. In this example, we will charge the customer three cents per copy, and this should be invoiced every 5,000 copies.

Windows:
Functional Object

  1. Create a new object, or query for the object you already entered for metering invoicing.
  2. Click the Metering Invoicing tab.
  3. A parameter should appear for the object. If not, click the Parameters tab, and define a new parameter.
  4. Create the metering invoicing line that should charge the customer three cents per copy.
  5. Select a sales part (6600/Copy machine usage).
  6. Select Limit as the generation type.
  7. Define a quantity of 5,000.
  8. Select a coordinator, customer, and customer order type. 
  9. Save the new record.

Exercise 4

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up an object for invoicing usage. In this example, we will charge the customer a monthly rent of $100. In addition the customer should pay 3 cents per copy for the usage reported since the last invoice opportunity. The minimum charge (for the usage - not the rent) should be $100, and the maximum should be $500. Subsequently, the minimum, total charge for a month will be $200 and the maximum will be $600. To define these criteria we create two metering invoice lines for the same object parameter.

Windows:
Functional Object

  1. Create a new object, or query for the object you already entered for metering invoicing.
  2. Click the Metering Invoicing tab.
  3. A parameter should appear for the object. If not, click the Parameters tab, and define a new parameter.
  4. Create the metering invoicing line that should result in a charge to the customer of $100 per month, regardless of usage.
  5. Select a sales part to charge for the monthly rent (6500/Rental).
  6. Select the Interval generation type.
  7. Define a start value (YYMM) and use previous month or earlier as start value.
  8. Specify Month as the start unit, 1 as the interval, and Month as the interval unit. This will generate an invoice on the first day of every month.
  9. Define a fixed price of $100.
  10. Select a coordinator (ALAIN), customer (3000), and customer order type (SEO).
  11. Save your changes.
  12. Create another metering invoicing line for the same meter to charge to the customer of 3 cents per copy, and a minimum charge of $100 and a maximum charge of $500.
  13. Select a sales part to invoice charge of 3 cents per copy (6600/Copy machine usage).
  14. Select the Interval generation type.
  15. Define a start value (YYMM).
  16. Specify Month as the start unit, 1 as the interval, and Month as the interval unit. This will generate an invoice on the first day of every month.
  17. Define a Min amount of $100.
  18. Define a Max amount of $500.
  19. Select a coordinator, customer, and customer order type (the system will default to Order Type SEO, but this can be changed).
  20. Save your changes.

Note: In order for the two metering invoice lines to be invoiced on the same customer order, you need to use the Generation of Metering Invoices dialog box (window: IFS Navigator/Metering Invoice). If invoices are created manually (directly from the metering line), one customer order will be created for each metering invoice line.

Report Usage

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to report the usage of the two objects for which you established metering terms in the previous exercise.

Windows:
Measurements

  1. Create a new measurement line for the object for which you defined metering invoicing terms in Exercise 1. Specify the object ID and choose a suitable parameter. Use the List of Values. Report a measured value of 200 copies.
  2. Create a new measurement line for the object for which you defined metering invoicing terms in Exercise 2. Specify the object ID, and choose a suitable parameter. Use the List of Values. Report a measured value of 4,500 copies.
  3. Create a new measurement line for the object for which you defined metering invoicing terms in Exercise 3. Specify the object ID, and choose a suitable parameter. Use the List of Values. Report a measured value of 5,500 copies.
  4. Create a new measurement line for the object for which you defined metering invoicing terms in Exercise 4. Specify the object ID, and choose a suitable parameter. Use the List of Values. Report a measured value of 21,000 copies.
  5. Return to the Functional Object window. The last measured value is updated in both the Parameters and the Metering Invoicing tabs.

Invoice Usage and Fixed Charges

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to invoice for the usage of an object according to terms defined in previous exercises. In addition to the method described in the exercise you can also generate invoices directly from a metering invoice line. Note however, that you can only process one line at a time with this method.

Windows:
Generation of Metering Invoices
Customer Order
Quick Order Flow Handling

  1. Open the Generation of Metering Invoices window.
  2. Specify the generation type for which you want to generate invoices (select Interval). To limit the invoice generation to only the metering invoicing terms you defined, select your customer in the Customer field by clicking List.
  3. Define the maintenance organization and authorizer by clicking List. These values are necessary for the creation of a work order.
  4. To also generate invoices for the generation type Limit you need to repeat step 1-3.

Note: By default, this job will run online. When the Generation of Metering Invoices window disappears, the job is ready.

  1. To see what has been invoiced for one particular metering invoice line, click the Metering Invoicing tab. 
  2. Select one metering invoicing line, right-click, and then click Metering Invoicing History. A window appears with information about the amount invoiced, on which customer order, etc.
  3. Click the Customer Order window, and query for the customer orders. If the customer orders are not in the Invoiced/Closed status, you can return to the Quick Order Flow Handling window and process the customer order to invoicing. You may also want to use a different order type on the metering invoicing lines that will go through without any stops.

Note: It is possible to schedule the invoice generation. This way invoices are automatically generated based on the metering invoicing terms.

Note: To see everything that has been invoiced for an object you can go to Metering Invoicing History.