Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing configurable telecommunications detail record adapter

• US 7,286,647 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec Global, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Singh, Vijay, Sharma, Kuldeep, Ambardar, Sanjay, Stormon, Charles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/037,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20050213722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 379/101, 379 3201- 3, 379/111, 379/112.01, 37911205- 6, 379/112.08, 379/126, 379133-134, 379/137, 379/139
• US Class Current: 379/32.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/745 Customizing according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. friends or family
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0108 Customization according to wishes of subscriber, e.g. customer preferences, friends and family, selecting services or billing options, Personal Communication Systems [PCS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0172 Mediation, i.e. device or program to reformat CDRS from one or more switches in order to adapt to one or more billing programs formats

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing a configurable telecommunications detail record adapter are disclosed. In one method, a user defines input data formats and output data formats via a graphical user interface. The text entered by the user is converted into a configuration file. The configuration file is converted into source code, and the source code is automatically converted into an executable adapter instance. In this manner, different adapter instances may be quickly and easily created by the user to process different input telecommunications detail record formats, such as formats of different probe vendors.

Claims

1. A computerized system for processing telecommunications detail records, the system comprising:

(a) a network-side input/output interface for receiving a plurality of data streams from a plurality of network probes in communication with one or more telecommunication networks, the data streams including telecommunications detail records and being transmitted in heterogeneous input formats, wherein the input format created by a first network probe is different from the input format created by a second network probe;

(b) a mapping and format configuration module for defining one or more data mappings from one or more of the heterogeneous input formats to one or more output formats; and

(c) a plurality of adapter instances in electronic communication with the network-side input/output interface for applying the defined data mappings to the received data streams and producing a plurality of output data streams such that the output data streams are formatted according to at least one of the one or more output formats, wherein the plurality of adapter instances includes a first adapter instance for processing the input format created by the first network probe and a second adapter instance for processing the input format created by the second network probe.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the network-side input/output interface includes a file system interface module for interfacing with a file system of the one or more network probes.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the network-side input/output interface includes a socket interface for receiving messages copied by the one or more network probes in real time.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the network-side input/output interface includes a database interface for interfacing with a database subsystem of the network probes.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the mapping and format configuration module is adapted to allow the user to define mappings between fields and input telecommunications detail records and output telecommunications detail records and wherein the adapter instances are adapted to implement the mappings specified by the mapping and format configuration module.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the mapping and format configuration module is adapted to allow the user to define operations to be performed on input data fields and wherein the adapter instances implement the operations specified by the user via the mapping and format configuration module.

7. The system of claim 1 comprising a rules engine for converting the mappings input by the user via the mapping and format configuration module into the adapter instances.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the rules engine is adapted to convert mappings entered by the user in text format into source code format and to compile the source code into the adapter instances.

9. The system of claim 1 comprising:

(a) a synchronizer for combining the output data streams into a single output data stream, the single output stream containing telecommunications detail records ordered according to at least one parameter; and

(b) an application-side input/output interface for transmitting the synchronized data stream to an application.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the synchronizer is adapted to wait for a user-specified time period before forwarding the single output data stream to the application-side input/output interface and to re-order telecommunications detail records received out of order during the time period.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the mapping and format configuration module is adapted to allow a user to create a plurality of different adapter instances to process the heterogeneous input formats.

12. A computerized method for processing telecommunications detail records, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a plurality of data streams from a plurality of network probes in communication with one or more telecommunications networks, the data streams including telecommunications detail records and being transmitted in heterogeneous input formats, wherein the input format created by a first network probe is different from the input format created by a second network probe;

(b) defining one or more data mappings from one or more of the heterogeneous input formats to one or more output formats, wherein defining one or more data mappings includes defining a first adapter instance for processing the input format created by the first network probe and a second adapter instance for processing the input format created by the second network probe; and

(c) applying the defined data mappings to the received data streams and producing one or more output data streams such that the output data streams are formatted according to at least one of the one or more output formats, wherein applying the data mappings includes using the first adapter instance to process the input data format created by the first network probe and using the second adapter instance to process the input data format created by the second network probe.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving a plurality of data streams includes receiving a plurality of data streams from network probes of different vendors.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving a plurality of data streams includes receiving a plurality of data streams from network probes of the same vendor.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving a plurality of data streams includes receiving the data streams from file systems of the network probes.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving a plurality of data streams includes receiving a plurality of data streams from socket interfaces of the network probes.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving a plurality of data streams includes receiving a plurality of data streams from database subsystems of the network probes.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein defining one or more data mappings includes defining mappings between input telecommunications detail record data fields and output telecommunications detail records data fields.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein applying the defined data mappings to the received data streams includes automatically converting data mappings received from the user in text format to executable format.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein automatically converting the mappings includes converting the mappings from text format to source code format and converting the source code to executable code.

21. The method of claim 12 comprising:

(a) combining the output data streams into a single output data stream, the single output data stream containing telecommunications detail records ordered according to at least one parameter; and

(b) transmitting the single output data stream to an application.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein combining me output data streams into a single output data stream includes waiting for a predetermined time period to ensure that all messages or telecommunications detail records in a particular stream sequence have been received.

23. The method of claim 12 wherein applying the defined data mappings comprises:

(i) receiving input from a user regarding the defined data mappings;

(ii) creating a configuration file based on the defined data mappings;

(iii) automatically converting the configuration file into the first adapter instance; and

(iv) using the first adapter instance to process a first received data stream of the plurality of received data streams.

24. The method of claim 23 comprising repeating steps (i)-(iv) to create the second adapter instance to process a second received data stream of the plurality of data streams, the second received data stream having a different data format than the first received data stream.

25. A method for providing a configurable network adapter, the method comprising:

(a) creating a plurality of adapter instances to process telecommunications detail records received from different network probes that generate data in different formats, when the plurality of adapter instances include a first adapter instance to process data of a first format generated by a first network probe and a second adapter instance to process data of a second format generated by a second network probe;

(b) activating the adapter instances to process the telecommunications detail records received from the probes; and

(c) in response to an input data format change in the telecommunications detail records received from one of the probes, creating a new adapter instance to handle the input data format change, wherein creating a new adapter instance includes defining a data input dictionary corresponding to the new data format and mappings from the data input dictionary to an output format, and automatically converting the input dictionary and the mappings into the new adapter instance.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein defining a data input dictionary and mappings comprises:

(a) prompting a user for input data formats and mappings;

(b) storing the input received from the user in a configuration file;

(c) automatically converting the configuration file into the new adapter instance.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein automatically converting the configuration file into the new adapter instance includes:

(a) converting the configuration file into a source code file; and

(b) compiling the source code file into the new adapter instance.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein converting the configuration file into a source code file includes:

(a) reading text in the configuration file; and

(b) extracting source code corresponding to the text from source code libraries.

29. A method for automatically generating adapter instances for processing telecommunications detail records generated by different network probes, the method comprising:

(a) prompting a user for data regarding first and second input telecommunications detail record formats, at least one output telecommunications detail record format, and mappings between the first and second input and at least one output telecommunications detail record formats, wherein the first input telecommunications detail record format is created by a first network probe, the second telecommunications detail record format is created by a second network probe, and the first and second telecommunications detail record formats are different;

(b) receiving the data from the user and creating first and second configuration files based on the data; and

(c) automatically converting the configuration files into first and second executable adapter instances for respectively processing telecommunications detail records having the first and second telecommunications detail record formats and for mapping the first and second telecommunications detail record formats to the at least one output data format using the mappings received from the user.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein prompting the user for data includes prompting the user for data via graphical user interface.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein creating the configuration files includes creating XML-formatted configuration files.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein automatically converting the configuration files includes:

(a) extracting source code corresponding to the data received from the user from stored source code libraries; and

(b) compiling the source code into executable adapter instances.