You can send CDRs and other billing files to the platform in several ways. Some suppliers make their CDRs available by FTP, so the platform can collect these automatically. Some providers send CDRs by email. You can forward these on to the platform, or your provider can send them directly. Some providers only make their billing files available through an online portal. Download these, then send them to the platform by email or upload them through your web browser.
FTP Collection
If your supplier makes their billing files available through an FTP site, collection can be automated. Provide the hostname/IP address, username and password. Your supplier may need to whitelist the platform’s IP address.
The platform supports collection by FTP, FTPS and SFTP, optionally using a private key. Both daily and monthly CDRs can be collected this way, provided there is a clear way to tell them apart, such as being in different directories or having distinct file names.
Email Delivery
CDR files can be sent by email, either directly from your supplier or from you. Send CDRs to an email address based on your platform’s web address, for example cdrs@my-platform.example.com.
If the supplier cannot be identified from the file names, send CDRs to supplier@my-platform.example.com instead. If daily and monthly files cannot be told apart, include this in the email address, such as supplier-daily@my-platform.example.com.
Uploading a CDR File
To upload a CDR file directly, go to the Billing Run menu and use the Upload New CDR link. You will need to specify the carrier and file type, as these are not automatically determined when manually uploading a file.
Checking CDRs
You can check which CDRs have been received and/or processed at any time. Go to the Billing Run menu and use the View CDRs link. You can filter the list by carrier, file type, status and billing period.
Fixed Fee Billing Files
The same delivery methods (FTP, email and upload) also apply to fixed fee billing files from your carriers. These are sometimes called SDR (Service Detail Record) files. They contain non-call charges such as line rentals, installation fees and equipment costs.
Some carriers recommend using their fixed fee billing files for billing purposes; others provide them for information only and advise that you maintain your own charge records. Check with your carrier whether their files are suitable for billing.
When the platform receives a fixed fee file, it:
- Parses the file and creates a carrier transaction for each charge
- Matches each carrier transaction to a customer, number or feature using the references in the file
- During the billing run, converts matched carrier transactions into billing transactions on the customer’s invoice
The retail price for each charge is calculated using a fixed fee tariff. If a wholesale tariff is also configured, the platform records the carrier cost separately for margin tracking.
Fixed fee billing files are set up in the same way as CDR files. If your carrier sends call records and fixed fee data in separate files, they can be collected from different directories or identified by different file names.
See Non-Usage Charges for an overview of how carrier-generated charges fit into the broader billing picture.