System for metering in an on-demand utility environment

• US 8,135,636 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2003
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Albaugh, Virgil A., Keller, Grisselle Marie, Madduri, Hari Haranath, Waldroff, Mark Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US10/721,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,031 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/1.1, 705/7.26, 705/35, 705/412, 707/1, 707/609, 709/209
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/52 for operator independent billing system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/53 using mediation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• 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 2215/0172 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method for metering on-demand service (ODS) resource consumption by a user comprising a web services interface, a processing engine, and configuration data. A data gathering agent in the ODS stores the usage data in records, combines the records into packets, and transmits the packets to the web services interface. The web services interface passes the packets onto the processing engine, which stores the records in the packet into a database. The generalized format of the record is critical because it allows the metrics to be stored in the record table with the usage data. When a record contains an instruction to close a UOW, the processing engine applies the configuration data comprising composition rules and record selection rules to the database. The record selection rules select the desired records from the database. The composition rules aggregate, normalize, and compose the selected records to produce a metric.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

gathering, by a processor of a computer, a plurality of usage data from a plurality of users consuming a plurality of computer resources in an on demand service environment, the on demand service environment providing a plurality of computer services available through a web service interface, wherein the processor is connected to the plurality of users and the web services interface by a network, and wherein each of the plurality of usage data measures a consumption of a computer resource in one of the plurality of computer services;

sending, by the processor, the plurality of usage data to a database through the web services interface;

processing, by the processor, the plurality of usage data into a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records having a required information section and an attributes section;

saving, by the processor, the plurality of records into a record table, an attribute table, and a unit of work table, wherein the record table is linked to the attribute table, and the record table is linked to the unit of work table;

responsive to a flag in a required field of a record, changing a status of the unit of work to a closed status in the unit of work table, and responsive to changing the status of the unit of work to the closed status in the unit of work table, identifying a plurality of associated records, wherein an associated record is a record associated with the unit of work;

aggregating, normalizing, and algebraically composing, by the processor, the plurality of associated records to produce a metric that summarizes consumption of the computer resource for the unit of work; and

storing, by the processor, the metric with the records in a database, wherein the metric and the records are configured to be stored and retrieved using a schema, and wherein the metric is configured to be used in an accounting, an auditing, a billing, or an optimization process.

2. An apparatus comprising:

a processor connected to a memory, a plurality of users and to a web services interface by a network;

a plurality of instructions stored in the memory, the plurality of instructions configured to perform, by the processor, actions comprising;

gathering a plurality of usage data from the plurality of users, the plurality of users consuming a plurality of computer resources in an on demand service environment, the on demand service environment providing a plurality of computer services available through the web service interface, wherein each of the plurality of usage data measures a consumption of a computer resource in one of the plurality of computer services;

sending the usage data to a database through the web services interface;

processing the usage data into a record having a required information section and an attributes section;

saving the record into a record table, an attribute table, and a unit of work table, wherein the record table is linked to the attribute table, and the record table is linked to the unit of work table;

responsive to a flag in a required field of a record, changing a status of the unit of work to a closed status in the unit of work table, and responsive to the status of the particular unit of work changing to the closed status in the unit of work table, identifying a plurality of associated records, wherein an associated record is a record associated with the unit of work;

aggregating, normalizing, and algebraically composing the plurality of associated records to produce a metric that summarizes a consumption of the computer resource for the unit of work; and

wherein the processor stores the metric with the records in the database, wherein the metric and the records are configured to be stored and retrieved using a schema, and wherein the metric is configured to be used in an accounting, an auditing, a billing, or an optimization process.

3. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a plurality of instructions stored in the computer readable medium, the plurality of instructions configured to cause a processor connected to a plurality of users and to a web services interface by a network to;

gather a plurality of usage data from the plurality of users, the plurality of users consuming a plurality of resources in an on demand service environment, the on demand service environment providing a plurality of services available through the web service interface, wherein each of the plurality of usage data measures a consumption of a computer resource in one of the plurality of computer services; and

send the usage data to a database through the web services interface;

process the usage data into a record having a required information section and an attributes section, save the record into a record table, an attribute table, and a unit of work table, wherein the record table is linked to the attribute table, and the record table is linked to the unit of work table, and responsive to a flag in a required field of a record, change a status of the unit of work to a closed status in the unit of work table, and responsive to the unit of work'"'"'s status changing to the closed status in the unit of work table, identify a plurality of associated records, wherein an associated record is a record associated with the unit of work;

aggregate, normalize, and algebraically compose the plurality of associated records to produce a metric that summarizes a consumption of the computer resource for the unit of work; and

store the metric with the records in the database, wherein the metric and the records are configured to be stored and retrieved using the same schema, and wherein the metric is configured to be used in an accounting, an auditing, a billing, or an optimization process.