¶ Definitions
Terminology in the software
¶ Subscription relationships
A subscription is the instantiation of a catalog service. It is a convenient way to group all of the required parts that must work together to generate invoices for recurring charges, non-recurring charges and usage charges related to the provision of a particular service to a customer.
While catalog products and charges can be billed directly to customers, the only way to invoice usage transactions is through a subscription that contains a usage identifier. (Note the absence of a direct relationship between usage rates and the subscription in the diagram below.)
A subscription must have, at the very least, the following relationships:
- a customer to whom the subscription will be invoiced, and through the customer,
- a link to the billing location where the invoice will be addressed.
- a service location that will determine the jurisdiction for taxation,
- a service, and through the Service,
- links to one or more Products, Charges and Usage Rates.
A subscription may also have the following additional relationships:
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directly, and/or through the Products/Charges/Usage Rates, a relationship to one or more Suppliers.
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a relationship to one or a series of non-overlapping Contracts that have been instantiated from a contract type associated with the Service.
(An added note regarding the diagram: the dashed blue lines represent the ability to invoice products and charges directly to a customer without having to be related to a subscription.)