Chapter 3 The Tariscope program
3.4 The interface of the program
After the initial start of the Tariscope program, the Tariscope Initial Configuration Wizard is started. A description of the Tariscope Initial Configuration Wizard is given in "Tariscope 4.x. Administrator's Guide" (see the link above). At start of the program the Connect to Tariscope server window appears as shown in Figure 3.4.1.
Figure 3.4.1
In the Server name box, type a computer name or its IP address where the Tariscope server was installed. If the Tariscope server works on the same computer, you can type "(local)" or "." in the box.
In the Authentication list, select from the following options:
- Windows Authentication,
- SQL Server Authentication.
For the first option does not require a user name and password. The authentication is performed by the name and password used to connect to the Windows.
When you select the SQL Server Authentication option, you must type a user name and password. By default, in the system the 'sa' user with password: 'Tariscope123' is used. The Tariscope administrator can change these parameters or create new users.
If at the next starts of the program, you do not wish to specify the parameters each time in this window, select the Auto connect next time check box. Not recommended to select this check box if several users have an access to the computer.
Click Connect.
After the connection to the Tariscope server the Tariscope window will be as shown in Figure 3.4.2.
Figure 3.4.2
The window contains the following sections:
- Menu,
- Toolbar,
- Views.
A view means a separate program tab that displays a certain kind of information. The Welcome and Output views are displayed in the Figure 3.4.2.
Not all menu items are available in some operational modes of the program. The menu contains the following main menu items:
- File. This item provides a connection and disconnection to / from the Tariscope server as well as opening a file, print and export of a view data.
- Edit. This item allows you to find, copy and paste data, to use bookmarks.
- View. This item allows opening data views, filter views, the output view or the search view.
- Data. This item provides a creation of a new data view, report or diagram (chart), sorting data, and setting parameters of any view.
- Filter. The item allows you to set filter conditions to data and save them for future application.
- Parse. The item allows you: to process call data from a previously saved CDR log; to import call data into Tariscope from an external file received from a telecom provider; to compare the results of call rating made by Tariscope with the results of call rating from a provider; to rerate CDR data; to remove duplicates from the call table; to clear charges of subscribers.
- Tools. The menu item allows you: to archive calls data; to start the Tariscope Report Designer or Tariscope Management programs; to start the Tariscope mode that allows working with subscribers’ accounts; to configure the program parameters.
- Window. The menu item provides the ability to switch between the Tariscope views.
- Help. The menu item provides an access to the help information and allows activating the program.
The toolbar contains a set of icons which provide a quick access to a specific function.
The menu items and the corresponding keyboard shortcuts, a list of all the icons of toolbar and their brief description are listed in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1
| First menu level | Second menu level | Keyboard shortcut | Toolbar icon | Description |
| File | Connect Tariscope | Ctrl+W |  |
Provides a connection to the Tariscope server. |
| Disconnect | Ctrl+D |  |
Provides a disconnection from the Tariscope server. | |
| Open file | Ctrl+O | Provides opening an external file. | ||
| Save | Ctrl+S |  |
Allows you to save a file or a view data. | |
| Save as | Ctrl+Alt+S | Allows you to save a file or a view data with a new name. | ||
| Export | Provides an export of a view in an external file of the following formats: PDF, HTML, Text, and Excel. | |||
| Ctrl+Alt+P | Provides a print of a view or file. | |||
| Print preview | The item allows you to preview data before printing. | |||
| Exit | Alt+F4 | It provides an exit from the program. | ||
| Edit | Undo | Ctrl+Z | Erases the last change done to the document. | |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y | The item performs an action again that has been deleted by an undo function. | ||
| Cut | Ctrl+X | The item allows you to cut the selected data. | ||
| Copy | Ctrl+C | The item allows you to copy the selected data. | ||
| Paste | Ctrl+V | The item allows you to paste the selected data. | ||
| Select all | Ctrl+A | Selects all data of the view. | ||
| Find | F3 | The item allows you to find data in the document. | ||
| Go to | Ctrl+Alt+G | The item allows you to go to a specific row of the table. | ||
| Copy table | Ctrl+Alt+C | The item provides a copy of the table. | ||
| Bookmark | Ctrl+Alt+B | A bookmark is set on a selected row of the table. The bookmark is highlighted in blue. | ||
| Previous bookmark | Ctrl+Alt+P | The focus returns from the current bookmark to the previous bookmark in the table. | ||
| Next bookmark | Ctrl+Alt+N | The focus is set on the next bookmark in the table. | ||
| Clear bookmarks | The item clears all bookmarks in the table. | |||
| View | Data views | F6 |  |
Displays a new view that contains a list of the built-in and saved views. |
| Filters | F7 |  |
Displays a new view that contains a list of the built-in and saved filters. | |
| Output | Displays the Output view that contains the Tariscope log. | |||
| Start page | Displays the Welcome page. | |||
| Other windows | The item contains submenu included the following items: Related records. Displays the Related records view. It contains the related call records that appear when a call transfer, conference or similar functions are used. Search. Displays the Search view where a list of records, which is a result of the Find function, is displayed. |
|||
| Data | New data view | Ctrl+N |  |
The item provides a creation of a data view for calls, services or IP traffic. |
| New report | F9 |  |
The item provides a creation of a new report. | |
| Traffic measurement |  |
The item provides a creation of a chart of call traffic. | ||
| New chart |  |
The item provides a creation of a chart on the view data. | ||
| Back to saved document | F10 |  |
If you have applied a filter to the view data, the item allows you to return to the saved data. | |
| Save as default | Ctrl+Alt+D | The item allows you to save the view parameters as default. In future when you create a new view these parameters will be applied. | ||
| Refresh | F5 |  |
The item allows you to refresh the view data. | |
| Run | Ctrl+F5 |  |
The item starts SQL query from the open specific file. | |
| Stop | Shift+F5 |  |
The item allows stopping the Tariscope process such as a parsing, rating and so on. | |
| Sort |  |
This item provides a sorting by any field of the table or a group of table fields. | ||
| View fields | The item allows you to select fields that will be displayed in the table. | |||
| Coloring | Ctrl+J | The item allows you to highlight rows in color depending on their data. | ||
| Rows limit | Ctrl+R | The item provides setting a limit on the row number, which will be displayed in the table. | ||
| Data source | Shows a table name that is displayed in the view. | |||
| View style | Allows you to configure a font and background color for the view. | |||
| Filter | Filter | Ctrl+F |  |
The item allows you to set filter conditions using a graphic interface. |
| Save filter | Ctrl+F7 | The item allows you to save the current filter conditions. | ||
| SQL filter | Ctrl+Alt+F |  |
The item opens a window that allows you to create a SQL query of any complexity. | |
| Filter by selection | Ctrl+Alt+O | Filtering is performed on the value of selected cell of the table. | ||
| Exclude selection | Ctrl+Alt+I | Filtering is performed, at which the data sampling excludes records that contain values similar to a value of the current table cell. | ||
| Previous filter | Ctrl+Z |  |
The conditions of the previous filter are applied to the view. | |
| Next filter | Ctrl+Alt+Z |  |
The conditions of the next filter are applied to the view. | |
| Clear filter | Ctrl+M |  |
The item allows clearing all filter conditions. | |
| Parse | Transfer | Ctrl+P |  |
Data from a CDR file are processed and saved into the Tariscope database. |
| Compare | Performs a comparison of Tariscope call rating with call rating of the telecom service provider. | |||
| Import calls and services | Call details and service details are imported from external files into the Tariscope database. | |||
| Rate | Ctrl+T |  |
Call rating is performed for records of the view. | |
| Recalculate month | Performs clearing charged services for the current month and the calls costs of this month. After this Tariscope performs the charging of service costs and calls costs. The entered payments from customers aren't cleared. This function does not work when the restriction feature is used. | |||
| Charge services for month | Performs charging of services for month (only for the Tariscope Provider edition). | |||
| Clear charge | Resets subscribers' costs. Applicable when using the restriction feature. | |||
| Find duplicate records | Finds and removes duplicate records from a view of calls. | |||
| Tools | Archive | Ctrl+Shift+B |  |
Allows you to archive or delete records from the call table. |
| Report Designer | Allows you to start Tariscope Report Designer. | |||
| Tariscope Management | F8 |  |
Opens the Tariscope Management tab when you can configure the Tariscope parameters. | |
| Subscriber accounting | F4 |  |
Opens the Account tab, which allows you to get customer's account state, generate reports for the customers, type information about customers’ payments. | |
| Options | Allows you to set the program parameters. | |||
| Windows | Lock layout | This item locks the layout in its current position. | ||
| Close | Ctrl+F4 | Closes the active tab. | ||
| List of windows | Displays a list of the opened tabs (windows). | |||
| Help | Contents | F1 | Opens the Knowledge base page of the Tariscope site. | |
| Support | Displays contacts for support. | |||
| Activate | Starts the Activation wizard. | |||
| About | Displays information about the program. |
The work in the Tariscope program is executed in views. There are the following types of the views:
- Call views. They display tables with calls data.
- IP views. They display tables with data about IP traffic.
- Service views. They display tables with data about services.
- The Management view. It allows configuring the Tariscope system.
- The Accounts view. It provides Subscriber Data Management.
- The Comparison view. It allows comparing results of the Tariscope call rating with results call rating of telecom service provider.
- The Welcome view. It displays a list of links and news about the Tariscope system.
- The File view. It allows editing an external file.
- A view that contains a list of call, IP traffic and service views that were saved in the system.
- A view that contains a list of filters that were saved in the system.
- Report views. These views contain the Tariscope reports.
- The Output view. It contains the program log.
- The Search view. It contains a list of row numbers that satisfy conditions of the search.
- Several working views: to parsing CDR, call rating and so on.
You can place these views in any order on the program window. To do this, set focus on the header of a view, press the left mouse button, drag and drop the view in the desired place of the program. An example of location of the views is shown in Figure 3.4.3.
Figure 3.4.3
This feature can be useful in the following cases:
- for comparison of data from two views or reports;
- for simultaneous monitoring of the various data sources;
- for simultaneous opening of a subscriber (customer) account and his call information,
- and in other cases.
In fact, you have a dashboard. This is especially effective when working on a big screen. The Tariscope user can determine the number, location, and size of the views displayed on the screen.
The views, where the lists of views and filters are displayed, can be located outside of the program window.
The first view, which the Tariscope user sees after the program start, is the Welcome view. An example of this view is shown in Figure 3.4.4.
Figure 3.4.4
It displays a list of links providing a quick access to a desired operating mode and the Tariscope news.
On the left side of the Welcome view the three sections are displayed:
- Start. It contains links to quickly select the desired mode.
- License info. It displays information about the Tariscope license.
- Recent documents. This section contains a list of the recent Tariscope documents.
The Start section contains the following links:
- Connect / Disconnect. Provides a connection to the Tariscope server or disconnection from it.
- Administration. The link opens the Management view where you can configure and manage Tariscope.
- New view. The link allows opening a new view with information about calls, IP traffic or services.
- New report. The link allows generating a new report.
- About. Displays information about the Tariscope program.
The License info section displays:
- Serial number of the license.
- Subscription to. Displays the last date of the warranty support period.
- The number of Tariscope version and availability of a new Tariscope version.
The Recent documents section contains also two check boxes:
- Show page on startup. If you wish the Welcome view appears at startup, select this check box.
- Hide when connected to Tariscope server. To hide the Welcome view, when the program is connected to the Tariscope server, select this check box.
In the right part of the Welcome view, a brief summary of the latest news contained on the Tariscope site is displayed. This allows the Tariscope user to be always aware of the latest developments related to Tariscope. The news is divided on categories: articles, releases, and all. To select the desired category to displaying only it in the view, click on the icon located on the right-top corner of the view and select the category.
The Tariscope program allows to the users to have a feedback. To provide a feedback, click on the Feedback icon located in the top right corner of the program (Figure 3.4.2). The Feedback window appears as shown in Figure 3.4.5.
Figure 3.4.5
Type a name of your problem in the Tell us about the problem box.
Describe the problem in the Message box.
In the Area list, select an area related to your problem.
In the Email box, type your email address.
When the Feedback window is opened, Tariscope creates a screenshot. To send the screenshot, select the Send screenshot check box. By default, the check box is selected.
If you wish to add some information, click on the Attach file button and select the required file that contains this information.
Click OK, to send your message.
