TapeTrack Documentation

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--- billing:terms [2026/08/19 02:59] – created Scott Cunliffe
+++ billing:terms [2026/08/19 03:39] (current) – Scott Cunliffe
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Billing Terminology  ======
+===== Storage Billing Modes =====
+Storage Billing Modes determine how the billable storage quantity is calculated during a billing period.
+Storage charges can be based on either:
+  * The number of actual Volumes stored.
+  * The number of storage slots used or allocated.
+The selected mode determines whether billing uses accumulated daily quantities, the highest recorded quantity, or the lowest recorded quantity.
+===== Storage Modes =====
+^ Mode ^ Meaning for Billing ^
+| **Storage** | The general billing category for Volumes held in a Repository during the billing period. The selected Storage Billing Mode determines how the billable quantity is calculated. |
+| **Daily Total** | The sum of the actual inventory count recorded for each day. The resulting quantity is measured in Volume-days and is normally used for per-Volume, per-day billing. |
+| **Real High-Water** | The highest number of actual Volumes stored at any point during the billing period. |
+| **Real Low-Water** | The lowest number of actual Volumes stored at any point during the billing period. |
+| **Slot Total** | The sum of the daily storage-slot counts. The resulting quantity is measured in slot-days and is used when the Customer is charged for storage capacity. |
+| **Slot High-Water** | The highest number of storage slots used or allocated at any point during the billing period. |
+| **Slot Low-Water** | The lowest number of storage slots used or allocated at any point during the billing period. |
+===== Real and Slot Measurements =====
+Real and Slot measurements use different methods to determine the billable storage quantity.
+^ Measurement Type ^ Counts ^ Typical Use ^
+| **Real** | Actual tape Volumes present in the Repository. | Billing the Customer for each physical Volume stored. |
+| **Slot** | Storage positions occupied, allocated or required for the Customer's inventory. | Billing the Customer for storage capacity rather than individual Volumes. |
+A Slot quantity may be different from the actual Volume inventory when:
+  * Some slots are empty but remain allocated to the Customer.
+  * Storage is sold in fixed blocks of slots.
+  * Inventory quantities are rounded up to the next storage-unit size.
+  * A container or storage position represents more than one Volume.
+  * The Customer reserves more capacity than is currently being used.
+===== Daily Total Example =====
+The following example shows the actual number of Volumes stored over five days.
+^ Day ^ Actual Volumes ^
+| 1 | 101 |
+| 2 | 108 |
+| 3 | 104 |
+| 4 | 115 |
+| 5 | 110 |
+The Real Storage measurements are:
+^ Mode ^ Result ^
+| **Daily Total** | 538 Volume-days |
+| **Real High-Water** | 115 Volumes |
+| **Real Low-Water** | 101 Volumes |
+If storage is charged at $0.01 per Volume per day, the Daily Total charge is:
+× $0.01 = $5.38
+===== Real High-Water Example =====
+Real High-Water uses the highest actual Volume count recorded during the billing period.
+From the previous example:
+  Real High-Water = 115 Volumes
+If the High-Water quantity is applied to all five days:
+× 5 days × $0.01 = $5.75
+<WRAP note>
+The Billing Rules must define whether the High-Water value is charged once or multiplied by the number of days in the billing period.
+</WRAP>
+===== Real Low-Water Example =====
+Real Low-Water uses the lowest actual Volume count recorded during the billing period.
+From the previous example:
+  Real Low-Water = 101 Volumes
+If the Low-Water quantity is applied to all five days:
+× 5 days × $0.01 = $5.05
+Real Low-Water may be used to:
+  * Apply a minimum storage charge.
+  * Identify the Customer's base storage usage.
+  * Compare minimum and maximum inventory levels.
+  * Support contract-specific storage calculations.
+===== Slot Total Example =====
+Assume storage is allocated in blocks of 10 slots. Each daily actual inventory count is rounded up to the next block of 10.
+^ Day ^ Actual Volumes ^ Billable Slots ^
+| 1 | 101 | 110 |
+| 2 | 108 | 110 |
+| 3 | 104 | 110 |
+| 4 | 115 | 120 |
+| 5 | 110 | 110 |
+The Slot Storage measurements are:
+^ Mode ^ Result ^
+| **Slot Total** | 560 slot-days |
+| **Slot High-Water** | 120 slots |
+| **Slot Low-Water** | 110 slots |
+If storage is charged at $0.01 per slot per day, the Slot Total charge is:
+× $0.01 = $5.60
+===== Slot High-Water Example =====
+Slot High-Water uses the highest slot quantity recorded during the billing period.
+From the previous example:
+  Slot High-Water = 120 slots
+If the Slot High-Water quantity is applied to all five days:
+× 5 days × $0.01 = $6.00
+Slot High-Water may be used when the Customer is charged for the maximum storage capacity used during the billing period.
+===== Slot Low-Water Example =====
+Slot Low-Water uses the lowest slot quantity recorded during the billing period.
+From the previous example:
+  Slot Low-Water = 110 slots
+If the Slot Low-Water quantity is applied to all five days:
+× 5 days × $0.01 = $5.50
+Slot Low-Water may be used when the Customer is charged for a minimum level of allocated or reserved storage capacity.
+===== Comparison =====
+^ Mode ^ Measurement ^ Result Type ^ Typical Billing Use ^
+| **Daily Total** | Sum of daily actual Volume counts. | Volume-days | Per-Volume, per-day storage billing. |
+| **Real High-Water** | Highest actual inventory count. | Volumes | Maximum actual storage usage. |
+| **Real Low-Water** | Lowest actual inventory count. | Volumes | Minimum actual storage usage. |
+| **Slot Total** | Sum of daily slot quantities. | Slot-days | Per-slot, per-day capacity billing. |
+| **Slot High-Water** | Highest slot quantity. | Slots | Maximum storage capacity used or allocated. |
+| **Slot Low-Water** | Lowest slot quantity. | Slots | Minimum storage capacity used or allocated. |
 ===== Inventory =====
-| Term                     | Meaning for billing                                                                                                                                                                              |
+^ Term ^ Description ^
-| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
 | **Inventory**            | The number of items held at a particular point in time, usually the current inventory or the inventory recorded on a specified date.                                                             |
 | **Total inventory**      | The accumulated inventory across the billing period. For daily billing, this is normally the sum of each day’s inventory count and represents **item-days** rather than a single physical count. |
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+Example
+Suppose a customer’s inventory over five days is:
+^ Day  ^ Inventory count  ^
+| 1    | 100        |
+| 2    | 110        |
+| 3    | 105        |
+| 4    | 120        |
+| 5    | 115        |
+On day 5, the Inventory is 115 Volumes.
+Total Inventory, the sum of the number of Volumes over the 5 days, 550 Volume days.  Billing on the total inventory number at $0.05 per Volume per day or 550 * 0.05 = $27.50
+Inventory High-water, the highest Volume daily count, 120 Volumes.  Billing off the high-water mark at $0.05 per Volume per day or 5 days * 120 * 0.05 = $30.00
+Inventory Low-water, the lowest Volume daily count, 105 Volumes. Inventory low-water mark is usually used to assess the minimum amount of storage a Customer uses over a certain time frame.
+The important distinction is that inventory, high-water, and low-water are point-in-time counts, while total inventory usually accumulates counts across time.
+{{tag> billing}}