Create an Announcement Variable

Create an announcement variable to add it to the list of available announcement variables. You add variables to announcement details records. You can use the same announcement variable in multiple announcements.

About this task

Base each variable you create on an MDC field or a subscriber balance. You define field variables on the Edit Variable, Field tab. You define balance variables on the Edit Variable, Balance tab.
Note: If you switch between tabs when editing a variable, the details entered on the tab you switched from are lost.

Procedure

  1. In Announcements, on the Variables tab, click New Variable.
  2. In Create New Variable:
    1. In Name, enter a unique name.
    2. (Optional) In Description, enter descriptive information about the item.
    3. (Optional) In External ID, enter any alphanumeric character to serve as a unique ID on this pricing object. The external ID can be used for any reason that is meaningful to your implementation of MATRIXX Engine. External IDs are saved to the pricing configuration file and loaded into the Pricing database.
    4. Click Create.
  3. In Edit Variable, select the Variable Type to convert the field value to when played in the announcement. Defaults to integer. Select one of:
    • Integer
    • Number
    • Time
    • Date
    • Price
    Note: The variable type must be compatible with the source field type. Selecting a variable type that is incompatible with the source field type results in an error when the pricing plan loads. For more information about announcement variables and variable types, see the discussion about announcement components in MATRIXX Pricing and Rating.
  4. To define a variable based on an MDC field:
    1. Select the Field tab.
    2. In Container, select the source MDC for the variable from the list of available MDCs.
    3. In Field, select the source MDC field for the variable data from the list of available MDC fields.
      Note: Fields containing an array might not be used.
    4. If the field you selected has a list of strings, press the tab key to display the Sequence Index field. In Sequence Index, enter the sequence number for the entry you want to use in the list.
  5. To define a variable based on a balance:
    1. Select the Balance tab.
    2. In Balance Type, select the type of balance to use in announcements, one of:
      • Balance Amount
      • Balance Amount Negated
      • Available Amount
      • Available Amount Negated
      Note: Balance announcement variables always return a positive value or zero. If you erroneously select a negated amount for a post-paid balance amount, or a non-negated amount for a pre-paid balance amount, the value returned is zero even if the reported balance is in credit.

      When you select Balance Amount or Balance Amount Negated, the system performs a simple lookup to retrieve the balance value. Because the Available Amount is likely to be based on more than one source, calculating the Available Amount or Negated Available Amount is more complex, and this might affect performance. Therefore, usually you must use the Balance Amount/Negated for reporting the balance value in announcements.

    3. In Balance Class, select the balance class to use for the balance. The combined value of all valid balance instances of that balance class is used (all balance amounts are summed).
    4. (Optional) In Balance Template, select the balance template to use for the balance.
  6. Click Save.