Session Meters

Session meters track charges or usage throughout the duration of a usage session and are only valid for impacts during that session. They are usage and charge meters that have the Session property enabled.

For session meters that track charges, the meter template specifies what balance class or specific balance template it measures (after discounts). For session meters that track usage, the meter template specifies the usage type it measures, for example actual duration or total volume, and it will only be impacted when this usage type is being rated. A session meter can be a turnstile meter, can have associated filters that control when the meter is applicable, and can have a credit limit threshold. The credit threshold works the same as it does in other meters to limit authorizations and charges, but there is no notification when the credit limit is reached.

If a session meter is configured to track the total call duration (usage meter) or cost (charge meter), and Context End Notification is enabled on the selected service type context on the session meter, an MtxSessionContextEndNotification and an MtxSessionContextEndEvent are generated when the session closes, and the SessionMeterDataList field includes the amounts for the session meters impacted by the session’s service context. For more information about SessionMeterDataList, see the discussion about MtxSessionContextEndNotification and MtxSessionContextEndEvent in MATRIXX Integration.

Session meters are not contained in a subscriber or group wallet, as are simple and periodic meters. Instead, they are saved in the Activity database with the other data for each session. For this reason, session meters are not purchased as part of a product offer. If a subscriber owns a meter, but the service type they are using does not have the meter configured as a session meter, the meter behaves as a normal simple or periodic meter and is saved in the subscriber's wallet. In addition, because it is not associated with a specific service, it cannot apply normalizations on a session.

When a balance range normalizer is based on a session meter, the normalization result is based on the instance of the session meter for the service context being rated. If the session meter does not exist for that service context—it is not listed in the service type or context type definition—the normalizer produces the result specified in the normalizer template property, Value if balance not present. If the template does not specify a value for this property, and the session meter does not exist, the normalizer generates an error and the rating operation is denied.