Billing definitions

Operand: It is a variable that is assigned values at run time. It is a variable that is used as input and output in variant programs.

Operand Category: It determines the function of the operand.

Operand Group: It helps to group operands in rates/rate categories/installations facts for display purpose

Weighing procedure: It is a method using which sap determines expected values of meter readings

Access Control: It defines how historical values of operands (in rate/rate category/installation facts) are accessed during billing.

Replacement value for operand: It indicates that the value of this operand is maintained at a different level or it is not calculated until billing. If you specify replacement value options (required value/optional value/run time value), you are not required to specify an operand value.

Variant Program: It is a function module in rate steps that performs basic calculation by using input and output operands. Some variant programs calculate values relevant to billing and generate billing line items. Some other variant programs convert values and in turn, make the results available to subsequent variant program.

Facts(rate/rate category/installation fact): Allocation of values to operands

Price adjustment block: To adjust the blocks/scales for qty based price if billing period differs from the basic time specified in the price.This is only valid for block price and not for scale price

Price adjustment clause: It uses price adjustment factor by which basic price is to be updated (summation or multiplication). The advantage is that is you maintain the price adjustment clause in all prices, then you can have same price increase/decrease applied to all prices where this price adjustment clause is maintained.

Periodic control: It helps to control how periods are to be calculated in rate steps. In other words, it is a customer defined version of the base calculation procedure which is used to calculate the length of time portions for billing relevant periods.

Variant control: Some variant programs require additional input parameters to define their actions. And these parameters are set in the rate step by using variant control. These parameters are different for different variant programs. For example, for quanti01 (if info lines to be written about quantity), for IF02 (amount 1>=< amount 2 ) etc.

Fact group: It enables different operand values to be used within one rate. For example, operand A can have value A under fact group A but value B under fact group B. Fact group is always entered in combination with rate type.