The Customer Description Map file maps a TapeTrack Customer-ID to a readable Customer name, location, account name, or other billing description.

The map is used by TMSS10LogStatsProcess when processing TapeTrack statistics (.ttstats) files for billing.

The Customer Description Map allows the billing output to include the Customer description, such as New York Data Center instead of just US01.

The Customer Description Map does not define billing rates or determine which billing package applies to the Customer.

The Customer Description Map provides a consistent relationship between the TapeTrack Customer-ID and the description required in billing reports or invoice output.

The file can be used to:

• Display a readable customer or location name in the billing output.
• Associate a TapeTrack Customer-ID with an accounting-system customer.
• Improve the readability of billing XML and reports.
• Prevent internal Customer-IDs from being used as customer-facing descriptions.
• Maintain consistent customer descriptions across billing periods.
• Assist with mapping TapeTrack billing data to QuickBooks Desktop.

The Customer Description Map can be stored in any directory accessible to the account running the billing process.

For ease of administration, it is recommended that all approved billing configuration files are stored in a dedicated directory.

Example Windows location:

C:\Program Files\TapeTrack\TapeTrack Framework Server\etc\billing\customer.txt

Example Linux location:

/etc/tapetrack/billing/customer.txt

The location of the file is supplied to TMSS10LogStatsProcess using the -M argument.

The Customer Description Map is a plain-text file.

Each mapping contains:

• The TapeTrack Customer-ID on the left.
• The customer description on the right.

The general format is:

CUSTOMER-ID  Customer Description

Example:

customer_map.txt

# Customer-ID  QuickBooks Customer FullName
US01 New York Data Center
US02 Los Angelas Data Center

When a billing record contains Customer-ID US01, the billing processor can use the description Los Angeles in the resulting billing information.

The following example contains three TapeTrack Customers.

customer.txt

#
# TapeTrack Billing Customer Description Map
#
# Format:
# CUSTOMER-ID=Customer Description
#
 
US01=Los Angeles
US02=New York
US03=Florida

Lines beginning with a hash character (#) are comments and are ignored during processing.

Comments should be used to document:

• The purpose of the file.
• The expected mapping format.
• The date of the last approved change.
• The person or team responsible for maintaining the file.
• Any customer-specific mapping requirements.

Use the -M argument to supply the Customer Description Map to TMSS10LogStatsProcess.

Example:

TMSS10LogStatsProcess -i US01.ttstats -M customer.txt -P package.txt -c default.ttsdef > Billing_US01.xml

Where:

If the files are not stored in the current working directory, specify their complete paths.

Example:

TMSS10LogStatsProcess ^
-i "C:\TapeTrack\Billing\Input\US01.ttstats" ^
-M "C:\TapeTrack\Billing\Config\customer.txt" ^
-P "C:\TapeTrack\Billing\Config\package.txt" ^
-c "C:\TapeTrack\Billing\Config\default.ttsdef" ^
> "C:\TapeTrack\Billing\Output\Billing_US01.xml"

For the following Customer Description Map entry:

US01=Los Angeles

And a billing statistic for offsite storage, the resulting XML may contain billing information similar to:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO8859-1"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="tapetrack.xslt"?>
<tapetrack_data>
  <item>
    <customer>US01</customer>
    <itemcode>Los Angeles STORAGE_OFFSITE</itemcode>
    <description>LTO Vault Storage Charge</description>
    <count>60</count>
    <cost>0.01</cost>
    <total>0.60</total>
  </item>
</tapetrack_data>

The Customer Description Map supplies the readable value Los Angeles. The Billing Rules supply the item description and unit rate, while the .ttstats file supplies the activity quantity.

The Customer Description Map and Package Map perform different functions.

Example relationship:

Customer Description Map:
US01=Los Angeles

Package Map:
US01=STANDARD

Billing Rules:
STANDARD + STORAGE_OFFSITE = $0.01 per volume per day

Together, these files mean:

• The Customer is US01.
• The readable description is Los Angeles.
• The Customer uses the STANDARD billing package.
• Offsite storage is charged at the rate defined for that package.

Before adding a new Customer Description Map entry:

1. Confirm the TapeTrack Customer-ID.
2. Confirm the approved customer or location description.
3. Confirm the required QuickBooks customer name or identifier.
4. Check that the Customer-ID is not already mapped.
5. Add the new entry to the Customer Description Map.
6. Confirm that the Customer is also present in the Package Map.
7. Test the mapping with a sample .ttstats file.
8. Review the generated XML before using the mapping in production.

Example:

US04=Chicago

When changing an existing Customer Description Map entry:

1. Confirm that the change has been approved.
2. Make a backup copy of the current map file.
3. Update only the description on the right side of the mapping.
4. Do not change the TapeTrack Customer-ID unless the Customer-ID has also changed in TapeTrack.
5. Generate a test billing XML file.
6. Confirm the new description matches the corresponding QuickBooks customer.
7. Retain the previous file for audit and rollback purposes.

Example change:

Before:
US01=Los Angeles Data Centre

After:
US01=ACME Los Angeles

Changing a customer description does not change the statistics, billing package or billing rates. It changes the customer description used by the billing output.

The Customer Description Map should be validated before every production billing run.

Check that:

• Every billed Customer-ID has a corresponding map entry.
• No Customer-ID appears more than once.
• Customer descriptions are accurate and approved.
• Customer descriptions match the intended QuickBooks customer records.
• There are no unwanted spaces around the Customer-ID.
• The file contains no spelling errors.
• The file is readable by the billing service account.
• The correct version of the file is being used.
• Test billing XML contains the expected customer descriptions.

A validation table can be maintained for each billing run.

Check that:

• The -M argument has been included.
• The specified Customer Description Map file exists.
• The billing account has permission to read the file.
• The Customer-ID is present in the map.
• The Customer-ID matches the value in the .ttstats file.
• The mapping does not contain an unwanted leading or trailing space.

Confirm that:

• The correct Customer Description Map file was used.
• The Customer-ID is not duplicated.
• The mapping points to the intended customer.
• An old copy of the file is not being referenced by the billing script.
• The description matches the approved customer billing profile.

The Customer Description Map may be correct while the XMLQuickBooks mapping is incorrect.

Check both mappings:

1. TapeTrack Customer-ID to billing description.
2. Billing description or Customer-ID to QuickBooks customer.

Run the command again while redirecting diagnostic messages to an error file.

Windows example:

TMSS10LogStatsProcess -i US01.ttstats -M customer.txt -P package.txt -c default.ttsdef > Billing_US01.xml 2> Billing_US01_error.txt

Review Billing_US01_error.txt for:

• File-not-found errors.
• Access or permission errors.
• Invalid map entries.
• Missing billing configuration.
• Invalid Billing Rules syntax.

The Customer Description Map forms part of the billing configuration and should be subject to change control.

Each change should record:

• Customer-ID.
• Previous description.
• New description.
• Reason for the change.
• Effective billing date.
• Requesting person.
• Approving person.
• Date tested.
• Test result.

A production change should not be applied until the Customer Billing Profile has been reviewed and approved.

• Keep the file in a controlled billing configuration directory.
• Use one authoritative Customer Description Map for each billing environment.
• Do not maintain uncontrolled copies.
• Back up the file before making changes.
• Use comments to document the file and its owner.
• Validate every Customer-ID before processing invoices.
• Keep descriptions consistent with QuickBooks.
• Test changes before the production billing run.
• Retain the map used for each billing period with the billing output.
• Restrict write access to authorized billing administrators.

The Customer Description Map does not normally contain passwords or authentication details. However, it may contain customer names and accounting identifiers.

Access should therefore be restricted to:

• TapeTrack administrators.
• Authorized billing staff.
• The service account that runs the billing process.

The file should not be publicly accessible or stored in an unsecured shared directory.

• TMSS10LogStatsProcess
• Adding and Maintaining Customers
• Customer-ID
• Package Map
• Billing Rules
• Billing Process
• XMLQuickBooks Mapping