Tariscope 4.6. Administrator's guide
Chapter 4 Tariscope configuration
4.9 Telecommunications service providers
This configuration page is used to configure data of telecommunications service providers to which your telephone system or Internet equipment is connected. On the page you can set call rates for different directions, bind the rates to area codes, and bind a provider rates to the specific route of your telephone system. The configuration page should be applied when the appropriate settings have not been entered at the Tariscope Initial configuration, or you need to enter parameters of other telecommunications providers.
Providers
The Tariscope installation package includes data of some providers. In order to determine whether is the data of the desired telecommunications provider in Tariscope, select in the menu Providers and rates → Providers management. The Providers page is displayed as shown in Figure 4.9.1.
Figure 4.9.1
In the right pane of the page, the table is displayed that contains a list of providers. Except of providers that are displayed in the table there is a possibility to import other providers from the SoftPI website. To get a list of providers from the website, click on the Import online icon on the toolbar. The Providers for import window appears as shown in Figure 4.9.2. If the window contains the required provider, select the row, and click Start import. The import may take several minutes. After the import, the desired provider is displayed on the Providers page (Figure 4.9.1).
Figure 4.9.2
If the desired provider is absent in the list, you should add it. To add a new provider, click on the Add icon on the toolbar (Figure 4.9.1). The New provider window appears as shown in Figure 4.9.3.
Figure 4.9.3
In the Name box, enter the provider name. In the Description box, you can add some description. This is optional information. Click Save.
A new row appears in the providers table and the Tariscope menu. Select this menu item. The item contains the Outgoing and Incoming subbranches. Each of these subbranches contains the following configuration pages:
- Destination codes. The page allows you to assign a rate, category, and call type to the destination code.
- IP networks. The page allows you to assign a rate, category, and call type to the IP networks.
- Day types. If the provider rates have different values for different day types, you should specify such days.
- Rates. The page allows you to create, edit and delete rates.
If you do not need the provider data, you can remove it clicking the Delete icon on the toolbar.
When you have added a new provider, it contains destination codes from the Tariscope system. The list of codes is taken from the list of codes that you can see on the Common phone codes page. On this page you can add, edit, or delete an area code and its parameters.
In some cases, it is easier to add a new provider based on the provider’s data contained in the Tariscope database than creating it from scratch. In this case, select a desired provider that will be a prototype, and click on the Copy icon on the toolbar. As a result, a copy of the selected provider will be created. Further, you can rename this provider and modify its parameters.
You can keep a provider data into the file. In the future, you can import this data into Tariscope if it will be required. To keep a provider data, select it in the provider list (Figure 4.9.1), and click on the Export to file icon on the toolbar. The file will be saved in the folder that is used to download in your browser.
Also, you can export the providers table into the external file. The following file formats are supported: Excel, HTML, CSV, and PDF. To do this, click on the Export of the table icon on the toolbar, and select the desired format. The file will be saved in the folder that is used to download in your browser.
Do not confuse copying provider data to a file and copying the provider table.
If you have the provider data that was previously exported to the file, you can import this information into Tariscope. To do this, click on the Import from file icon on the toolbar, and select the file. The file should have the json format.
After creating a new provider, execute the addition or correction parameters of the provider.
Destination codes and IP networks
Creation and editing of the area and county codes is executed if you select in the menu: Providers and rates → specific provider → Outgoing or Incoming → Destination codes.
Creation and editing of the IP networks is executed if you select in the menu: Providers and rates → specific provider → Outgoing or Incoming → IP networks.
Destination codes
This configuration page allows you to assign the rate, call type, and category to the specific destination code.
Select the Destination codes page. The page will be as shown in Figure 4.9.4.
Figure 4.9.4
By default, all codes are grouped in a tree view. In this page you can perform the actions that are available using the Menu button or icons on the toolbar. There are available the next actions:
- Edit. Allows you to edit the following data of the selected row: rate, call type, and category.
- Clean rate. Allows you to remove previously assigned rate.
- Deselect. Allows you to deselect the selected rows.
- Information. Opens the help window contained information of how to find the desired codes.
- Disable tree. The switch allows you to turn on or turn off displaying the codes tree.
- Multiselect. The switch allows you to turn on or turn off selecting multiple rows in the table.
To search the desired code on the page, use the Search box.
You can set a rate and other parameters to the specific code or group of codes. To select a group of codes you should turn on the Multiselect switch and use the Shift or Ctrl buttons on the keyboard. Then, click on the Edit icon on the toolbar. The Edit tariff for this code window appears. An example of the window is shown in Figure 4.9.5.
Figure 4.9.5
In the Rate list, select the desired rate for the destination code. If there is no required rate, you should create it as it is described in the section 4.8.
In the Category list, you can select the desired call category for the code. This parameter can be used to filter calls, create reports, or to set restriction to make calls to this code.
In the Call type list, select the desired call type, if you do not like that call type that are assigned to the code in Tariscope by default. For example, you have offices in two cities, and you want to assign the corporate call type for calls between these offices.
If you selected the node element of the code tree and want that your settings are applied to all codes of the node, you should turn on the Apply also to nested codes switch.
Click Save.
If there is no required destination code in the Tariscope database, you can add it. It may be an area code, country code or specific phone number. To do this, you should go to the Common phone codes page.
IP networks
This configuration page allows you to create IP network and assign the desired rate and category to it. An example of the IP networks page is shown in Figure 4.9.6.
Figure 4.9.6
The toolbar of the page contains the Menu button and the following icons:
- Add. Allows you to add the data of a new IP network.
- Edit. Allows you to edit the data of the selected IP network.
- Delete. Allows you to delete the selected network.
- Export of the table. Allows you to export the table to the external file of the following formats: Excel, HTML, CSV, PDF.
To add a new IP network, click on the Add icon. The New IP network window appears as shown in Figure 4.9.7.
Figure 4.9.7
In the Description box, enter the IP network name.
In the Network box, enter an IP address of the network.
In the Mask box, enter a subnet mask.
In the Rate list, select the desired rate.
In the Category list, select the desired category if you want to filter or create reports using the category.
Click Save.
Day types
The Day types configuration page is used if the rates have different values for different day types. If the rates do not depend on the day type, you do not need to use the configuration page. An example of the page is shown in the Figure 4.9.8.
Figure 4.9.8
The toolbar of the page contains the Menu button and the following icons:
- Add. Allows you to add a day type.
- Edit. Allows you to edit the selected day type.
- Delete. Allows you to delete the selected day type.
- Export of the table. Allows you to export the table to the external file of the following formats: Excel, HTML, CSV, PDF.
To add a new day type, click on the Add icon. The New day type window appears as shown in Figure 4.9.9.
Figure 4.9.9
In the Description box, enter the day type name.
In the Day calendar box, select the desired date.
In the Day type list, select the desired day type. The list contains the following options:
- Workday.
- Saturday.
- Sunday.
- Holiday.
If this day type should be applied every year, turn on the Every year switch.
Click Save.
Rates
This configuration page is described in the section 4.8.
Common phone codes
The Common phone codes page is used to modify a list of destination codes that are applied for all telecommunications providers in Tariscope. If you have selected the item in the Tariscope menu, the Common phone codes page appears as shown in Figure 4.9.10.
The toolbar of the page contains the icons and the Menu button that duplicates the icons.
Figure 4.9.10
There are accessible the following icons:
- Add. Allows you to add a new phone code.
- Edit. Allows you to edit the selected code.
- Move. Allows you to move the selected code to another branch of the tree.
- Delete. Allows you to delete the selected code.
- Deselect. Allows you to deselect the selected codes.
- Information. Opens the help window contained information of how to find the desired codes.
- Import wizard. Starts the wizard that import codes, destination name, and rates from the external sources into the Tariscope database.
- Import from the file. The option is used if Tariscope does not have access to internet and you received the file with codes from SoftPI by email or another way.
- Import online. Allows to import the detailed codes list for the specific country or all countries from the Tariscope site. Excluding these icons, the menu contains two switches.
- Disable tree. The switch allows you to turn on or turn off displaying the codes tree.
- Multiselect. The switch allows you to turn on or turn off selecting multiple rows in the table.
By default, Tariscope includes only the main phone codes. To get all codes of the desired country or all codes, click on the Import online icon on the toolbar. The Import options window appears as shown in Figure 4.9.11.
Figure 4.9.11
To clear all your choices, click on the Unselect button.
You should understand that the choice of all countries may take a long time.
Click on the Start button to start the import.
Another way to fill the Tariscope database is the import of codes from the external file. Click on the Import wizard icon on the toolbar. The Import wizard page appears as shown in Figure 4.9.12.
Figure 4.9.12
Click Start.
The page will look as shown in Figure 4.9.13.
In the File type list, select the file type that contains codes. The following file types are supported:
- Microsoft Excel 2007 (.xlsx).
- Microsoft Excel 2003 (.xls).
- Microsoft Access (.mdb).
- Microsoft Access 2007 (.accdb).
- Comma separated (.csv).
- Text (.txt).
- dBase III (.dbf).
Figure 4.9.13
Click on the Choose button and select the desired file.
Click Next. If you have selected, for example the xlsx file, the page will look as shown in Figure 4.9.14.
Figure 4.9.14
The Available tables list contains a list of the available sheets in the file. Select the required sheet and click Next. An example of the page is shown in Figure 4.9.15.
Figure 4.9.15
The Fields section contains a list of parameters which you can import into the Tariscope database. It includes the following fields:
- Code. A country, area, or phone code.
- Name. A code description.
- Rate name. A rate name that is associated with the code.
- Rate. A rate associated with the code.
- Call type. A call type associated with the code.
- Category. A category associated with the code.
- From date. The date from which the code is applied.
- To date. The date to which the code is applied.
- Rate direction. It shows that the code is applied to outgoing or incoming calls.
The Source data section displays fields of the file. In each list of the Fields section, you should choose the field from the file that corresponds to the list name. For example, for current example you should select the Code name in the Code list and the Description name in the Name list.
Click Next. The wizard page will look as shown in Figure 4.9.16.
Figure 4.9.16
If your external file contains the rates data that you wish to import together with codes, turn off the Import codes only switch. The Provider and Default rate plan list become active. In the Provider list, select the provider for which the rates import will be executed. In the Default rate plan, select the default rate plan name.
Click Import. The import will be executed.
If your Tariscope server does not connect to the internet to import the destination codes, you should contact the SoftPI Support Team. They can send you the file with the codes. In this case, to import the code to the Tariscope, click on the Import from file icon on the toolbar (Figure 4.9.10) and select the file.
If you have found that the required code is absent in the Tariscope database after any option of the import, you can add a new code manually.
To add a new code, click on the Add icon. The Add new phone code window appears as shown in Figure 4.9.17.
Figure 4.9.17
If you are planning to use Tariscope on different languages, turn on the Apply to all languages switch.
In the Name box, enter the description for the phone code. It may be a city name, mobile operator name, name of a company, or others.
If in the Name box you have entered the city name, you can specify a country name and region, where the city is. Enter this information in the Text in brackets box.
If you need to add a phone code from your city, turn on the Is local switch.
If you want that Tariscope automatically find the parent item, turn on the Automatically find parent item switch. Otherwise, the new code will add as a subbranch of the previously selected item.
In the Enter code box, enter the required code. The code should at least include the country code for the country; the country code and area code for the destination such as a city, town etc. The area where the entered code is applied is display on the map of the Numbering zone section.
In the From date calendar box, you can specify the date from which the code will be applied.
In the To date calendar box, you can specify the date to which the code will be applied.
Click Save.
Moving a code to another branch
If you need to move a code from one branch to another, you should select the desired code and click on the Move icon on the toolbar. The Move window appears as shown in Figure 4.9.18.
Figure 4.9.18
In the New parent item box, enter the code of the new parent and click Move.
