Data Mediation › Define Data Fields

Define Data Fields

Extraneous fields from an external data feed need to be defined to map the external data feed field to a database field type. You can also define field definitions when creating a profile. When creating a profile, you use field definitions to define the structure of the external data.

When usage data is imported, it is uploaded into the database. During data import, data validation checks are performed. Invalid records are not uploaded into the database. Before data is imported into the database, you can apply rules to filter out erroneous or irrelevant data. Field definitions hold the definition of these validation rules, specifying a validation rule on each column of data imported.

To define data fields for Data Mediation

1. Select Accounting, Data Mediation.

   The All Fields list of existing fields displays.

2. Click Add to define a new field.

   The Define a Field window displays.

3. Specify the following information:

   Display name

   Specifies the field name that appears on the GUI to end users.

   Field name

   Specifies the database field name.

   Data type and size

   Specifies the database field type and size.

   Mandatory Types

   • None - indicates that neither the server nor the client is mandatory.
   • Server Mandatory - indicates that the field is required for data mediation aggregation to occur. The absence of these fields results in a profile error.
   • Client Mandatory - includes the field in profile definitions. If the field is not included, a warning message appears when the profile is created.
   • Both - indicates that both the server and client are mandatory.
   • Default: Server Mandatory

   Check type

   Specifies the check type, if applicable.

   • Default: No check

4. (Optional) Specify a driver validation rule:

   Not Empty

   Specifies that the field value must not be empty.

   Range

   Specifies that the field value falls within the specified range.

   Lookup

   Specifies that a field value exists in a database table field.

   Lookup Replace

   Specifies a replacement value, if the value in the field exists in the specified database table field.

   These validation rules are enforced when usage data is imported. If the driver validation rules are violated upon import, a kickoff report is generated. The report is available through the Data Management user interface.

5. Click Submit.

   The data fields are defined.

Default Server Mandatory Fields

Usage data has to be normalized into a common format understood by data mediation before it is aggregated. The aggregation results in an error if the following server mandatory fields are not included:

CA Service Account Number

Associates a data record to a Accounting Component account ID.

Event ID

Associates a data record to an event (Event ID).

Event Time

Associates a data record to a fiscal period (Time Stamp).

Metric Value

Associates a data record with a metric value.

Service Code

Associates a data record with a service offering (Service Offering ID).

Note: Formatting data to include all server mandatory fields prior to data import is unnecessary. Data Mediation features complex data mapping mechanisms, such as validation and normalization, which help the administrator include server mandatory fields.