Chapter 3 The Tariscope program
3.12 Data comparison
Tariscope allows you to compare the call data that are stored in the Tariscope database with similar data from telecom service provider.
Firstly, you should to configure Tariscope to execute such comparison.
In the Tariscope menu, select Tools -> Options. The Options window appears.
Select the File formats tab. The window with the opened File formats tab is shown in Figure 3.12.1.
Figure 3.12.1
The tab allows to add file formats which Tariscope can open and display their data in table format.
On the toolbar of the tab, click on the Add icon. The File format window appears an example of which is shown in Figure 3.12.2.
Figure 3.12.2
In the Name box, enter a name that corresponds to the file extension. For example, if we have an Excel data file from telecom service provider, you can enter: Excel or something similar. At the same time, you can use another name.
In the Format list, select the desired format. It should be the value of 'Excel' for the Excel format.
You can change the value of the Extension box to specify the desired file extension. For example: *.xlsx
It is enough those parameters for the Excel files. If you have files with another format, specify the additional parameters in this window.
You can check up how Tariscope will open such files. To do this, click on the Open test file link and choose the desired file. The content of the file displays in the table of the File format tab.
Save the configuration, by clicking OK.
After configuration the File format tab is similar as shown in Figure 3.12.3.
Figure 3.12.3
The next step of the configuration is to create a comparison profile.
To do this, open a file the data of which will be used for comparison. In Tariscope menu, select File -> Open file. In the Open window, select a folder contained the file and specify the file type in the type list. In our example it is 'Excel format'. It was created on the previous step. Select the file. Tariscope opens a new view for this file (Figure 3.12.4).
Figure 3.12.4
Open the Fields configuration tab of the Options window (Figure 3.12.5).
Figure 3.12.5
On the toolbar of the tab, click on the Add icon. The Comparison profile window appears as shown in Figure 3.12.6.
Figure 3.12.6
Click on the empty value link near the Name label. The box is opened. Enter a profile name in the box.
Click on the empty value link near the Column name of the Dialed number section. The list appears that contains the column names of the opened file. Select a column name corresponded to the dialed number.
Repeat such actions for other parameters. The Additional fields are optional settings. An example on settings is shown in Figure 3.12.7.
Figure 3.12.7
Click OK. The profile name is displayed in the table of the Files configuration tab.
On the next configuration step, you should set up comparison parameters. To do this, open the Call comparison tab of the Options window and click on the Add configuration icon on the toolbar. The Profile of comparison window appears as shown in Figure 3.12.8.
Figure 3.12.8
The window contains the default comparison values. We recommend leaving them unchanged at the first stage of comparison. Only, enter a name in the Name box and click OK. The entered name is displayed in the table of the Call comparison tab.
Click OK.
You should place two views in the Tariscope program, for example, as shown in Figure 3.12.9.
Figure 3.12.9
One of the views should display calls from the Tariscope database. The second view should display calls data from the telecom provider. To do this, move the cursor on the title of one of these views, press left button of the mouse and drag it in any direction.
In the menu, select Parse->Compare. The Start compare window appears as shown in Figure 3.12.10.
Figure 3.12.10
If you created only a single call comparison profile, its name will be displayed in the Compare configuration list. In two of the Document name lists, the name of opened file and name of calls view are displayed. In the part of the window where you see the file name, in the Fields configuration list, select the item with name of the comparison profile created earlier.
Click on the Show intermediate table buttons and visually compare the displayed data.
For example, if the Tariscope table contains the sign of '+' before a dialed number and the file table doesn't contains this sign, you should back to the comparison profile to correct the country code.
After such actions, click OK in the Start compare window. A new view appears. It is named Comparison result1 and it contains the comparison data. An example on this view is shown in Figure 3.12.11.
Figure 3.12.11
The view table contains the following columns.
The MasterDate column of the view displays date and time of call from the Tariscope view.
The SlaveDate column displays the date and time of call from the provider file.
The DateDelta column of the view displays the difference of call start time.
The MasterDuration column displays the call duration from the Tariscope view.
The SlaveDuration column displays the call duration from the provider file.
The DurationDelta column displays the difference of call time.
The MasterDialNumber column displays the dial number from the Tariscope view.
The SlaveDialNumber column displays the dial number from the provider file with changes that were made to compare data.
The SlaveDialNumberOriginal column displays the dial number which is in the provider file.
The MasterCost column displays the call cost from the Tariscope view.
The SlaveCost column displays the call cost from the provider file.
The CostDelta column displays the difference of call costs from the Tariscope view and provider files.
If a Tariscope database record does not have the same record in the provider file or vice versa, such records are highlighted by the red background.
If a Tariscope database record and the similar record in the provider file have a big difference in start time of call, or call duration, or call cost, such records are highlighted by the grey background.
By default. The view displays all records that the Tariscope database and provider file contain.
The view contains the menu shown in Figure 3.12.12 allowing the user to select all records, only records which have compliances, only records which compliance was not found or only records which have unreliable compliances.
Figure 3.12.12
To show records which have compliance, select the Show found item of the menu.
To show records which have unreliable compliances, select the Show unreliable item.
To show records were not found, select the Show not found item.
If Tariscope database does not contain some records that exist in the provider file, you can add such records into the Tariscope database. To do this,in the comparison view, select record that has the red background, right-click and in the appeared menu, select the Add records item.
To display in the view only the added records, in the menu, select the Show added item.
If Tariscope found many records that don't have similar records or unreliable records, you can change parameters of comparison profile (Figure 3.12.8) increasing the Step increment value. But in this case, there is also probability of incorrect search of compliances. Description of the parameters of the Profile of comparison window, see Tariscope 4.x. Administrator's guide, section 3.22.
