BRM Architecture

Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Identify the four tiers of the BRM architecture, their
functions and how they communicate
• Describe the processes in the CM and DM tiers
• Use BRM Online Documentation to locate more
information

2-2 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 BRM Four-tier Architecture

Application Tier Business Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Data Collection Data Processing Data Translation Data Storage and
Retrieval

Processing
Modules Database
BRM
Applications Data
Real-time Real-time
events Managers
Client Rating
Tools
Realtime
Pipeline

Pipeline Rated
Manager Event
Loader

Batch Events
Rated Events

2-3 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 BRM Architecture

Two rating methods available

• Real-time
– Real-time rating rates recurring charges, one-time charges
and usage events for many BRM services
– Real-time discounting pipeline applies discounts
• High-performance batch
– Pipeline Manager rates usage events for voice and wireless
data services such as GPRS
– Obtains customer account information from BRM database
and keeps in memory for high-speed processing
– Supports multiple event file formats such as TAP3, CIBER
— New formats can be configured without software changes
– Discounting module applies same discounting as in realtime
processing

2-4 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Four-Tier Architecture
Terminology and Roles

Technical Name Marketing Name Role

Client Tier Application Tier Data Collection

Connection Manager Business Process Tier Data Validation

Data Manager Object Tier Data Translation

Data Access System Data Tier Data Storage and Retrieval

2-5 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 BRM Processes

Application Tier Bus. Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Data API TM
API Manager
BRM
API CM
Applications Database
Java Server

RT Pipeline

Data Collection Data Validation Data Translation Data Storage and

Retrieval

Windows or UNIX Connection Data Managers Oracle

applications, Managers, SQLServer
executables, eai_js, FUSA
daemons RT Pipeline Taxware
LDAP

2-6 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Application Tier

Application Tier Bus. Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Customer Data

API
API API TM
Center Manager Database
API CM

Pricing Center

• Any Windows or UNIX application that

BRM billing connects to the BRM Business Process Tier
API

application
– GUI tools such as Customer Center and
Universal Pricing Center
API

Event
Loader – Applications that capture event data from
customer usage subsystems
API

Web Server
• The application collects data and triggers
BRM business processes
Data Collection – Registration, customer, login/passwords,
and Business activity, purchasing, or billing data
Process Trigger

2-7 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Application Tier Processes

Application Tier Bus. Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Customer

API
Customer Data
Center API API TM
Data Manager Database
CM

API
Pricing Center

BRM billing • Applications developed from many

API

application
different languages
Universal
– C, C++, Java, Perl, Visual Basic
API

Real-time Event
events Loader
• Applications can be end-user GUI
tools, daemons, intermediary
API

Web Server

processes
Data Collection
and Business
Process Trigger

2-8 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Business Process Tier

Bus. Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Data
API TM
Business System Manager Database
Policies Processes

API • Implements BRM system

Application Tier

CM functionality
Real-time Rating • Validates data from the application
tier
Realtime Pipeline • Modifies BRM behavior through
business policies
Event Notification – Business policies can by
customized
Pipeline Manager
• Triggers external systems using
event notification

2-9 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 CM and JS Processes

Business Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

BRM BRM Data

API TM
System Policy Manager Database
Facility Facility
Modules Modules
Application Tier

API
Generic CM Executable
“Object Request Broker”
eai_js
Realtime Pipeline
Data Processing -
Manipulation and
Validation Rules
• Generic CM executable manages
connections from the Application Tier
• Links to FM shared libraries
– System FMs for data processing
– Policy FMs for data manipulation and
validation
• CM “brokers” BRM requests to FM
• Real-time Pipeline is a separate
process
• eai_js EM supports account
synchronization or passing events to
other external systems

2 - 10 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 FM Functionality

Business Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Data
API TM
Manager Database
Application Tier

• Different System FMs for BRM

API business processes
Generic CM Executable • Normally a corresponding
eai_js
policy FM for BRM business
processes
Realtime Pipeline
– Not necessarily 1-1
Data Processing - • Custom FMs can also be
Manipulation and
Validation Rules linked to the CM

2 - 11 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 CM Processes - Dynamic Spawning

Application Tier Bus. Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Customer Data
API API API TM
Center Manager Database
CM Session Leader

API
• CM Session Leader started on
Pricing
API

Center CM host server at known port #

• Application connects to CM
Session Leader
BRM billing • Session Leader spawns child CM
API

application API process

CM
• Application maintains connection
Universal to child CM
API

Event – Application can open as many

Loader API connections as needed
CM
– Child CM exits when
Self-care connection is closed by
API

Manager Application

2 - 13 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Object Tier

Object Tier Data Tier

BRM
Database

API
TM
Data
Manager
Business Process Tier

• High-level, object-oriented data

Application Tier

DM API model
TM
TIMOS
• Object tier understands where data
Account resides, complexity is hidden from
API
TM

Sync
DM user
Credit
• Translates BRM data into SQL
API
TM

Card (BRM Database)

• Translates to different external
API
TM

LDAP
systems
Data Translation – CC Clearing House, Tax software,
LDAP, etc.

2 - 14 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 DM Processes

Object Tier Data Tier

Database

Translation Manager
Business Process Tier

• Generic DM executable
Application Tier

Generic DM – Uses Queuing Model to

API
Executable manage request load
from child CMs
• Links to Translation
Manager (TM) shared
library
– TM translates from
Data Translation BRM objects to Data
Tier external system
– TM is Data Tier specific

2 - 15 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 DM Process Functionality

Object Tier Data Tier

DM Session Leader
Database
DM DM
Front Request Back
Business Process Tier

End End
Application Tier

Results
• DM session leader
DM DM
Front Request
Back started on host server at
End End known port number:
Results
– Statically spawns front
end and back end DMs
Shared
Memory Queue – Manages load by
API TM queuing CM requests
in shared memory
Data Translation

2 - 16 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 TM Functionality

Object Tier Data Tier

• DM name
BRM
Data
API Xlat Data to Row in
Database Table per Database depends on TM
Manager Object Definition functionality
TM
Business Process Tier

– dm_oracle
Application Tier

Retrieves cached data – dm_fusa

API

TIMOS from dm_oracle

– dm_ldap
TM

Xlat Data to CC
Credit
Credit
API

Transaction per CC Card

Card
Protocol
TM

Xlat Data to Auth Requests LDAP

API

LDAP
per LDAP Protocol TM

Data Translation

2 - 17 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Data Tier

Data Tier
• The BRM Database
– Oracle
Database
• Interfaces available to
Business Process Tier

external systems, including

Application Tier

Object Tier

payment, tax, email and

directory servers
Credit
Card • API provides access to any
external system, including
legacy databases
LDAP
– One-way or two-way
communication
Data Storage and
Retrieval

2 - 18 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Database Functionality

Data Tier • For historical reasons, any external system

connected to by the Object Tier is referred
BRM
Database
to as a “database”
• This system does not have to be a physical
database, but simply a process or even a
file that can receive data, at least, and
possibly also send data
• Some examples include
– Oracle
– First USA Credit Card Clearing House
– Taxware
IRS
VAT – Vertex
Taxes
– LDAP server
– sendmail server, etc.
Data Storage and Retrieval

2 - 19 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Optional – Connection Manager Master Process

1
Connection Application Connection
Manager connects to CMMP 3 Manager
Master Process Session
(CMMP) Application connects Leader
CMMP returns
directly to CM Session
2 address of CM
Leader
Session Leader

2 - 20 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 BRM System Processes

Facility Modules
Client API
API
Apps CM
CM Session Leader Object
API TM BRM
Server Database
Facility Modules DM_ORACLE
API
Client CM
API CMMP
Apps Child Process

Facility Modules
API
CM
Client CM Session Leader
API
Apps

Facility Modules
API Object
API TM
CM Server
Child Process
DM_FUSA

2 - 21 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Pipeline Manager
Architecture
• Multithreaded process runs entirely in memory
• Framework provides standard services
– System monitoring and control
– One or more Pipelines
– Data Plugins access data in databases or files
— Shared by Pipelines
• Pipelines provide different functionality, base on configuration
– Batch rating
– Realtime discounting or zoning
– Roaming
• Pipelines are configured with different Function Plugins
– Enriching data with account information
– Rating
– Determining discount to apply

2 - 22 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Pipeline Manager

Pipeline 1
Input Format Input Function Output Rated
Description Plugin Plugins Plugin Events

Input EDRs Output

Format A Format
Input
Input
Data
Plugin
Plugin
Plugin

Pipeline 2
Input Format Input Function Output Rated
Description Plugin Plugins Plugin Events

Input EDRs Output

Format B Pipeline Framework Format

2 - 23 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Pipeline Manager
Supporting Components

• Account Synchronization
– All account changes and billing events are passed to the
Pipeline Manager by the Account Sync DM
— Communication uses Oracle Advanced Queuing
– Pipeline Manager updates account data in memory
• Rated Event Loader (REL)
– Loads events rated by the Pipeline Manager into BRM
database
— Causes minimal impact on real-time system performance

2 - 24 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Account Synchronization Manager
Architecture

Business Processing Data Translation Data

Business Data
Process Managers
Modules Database
Acct Sync Acct
Event Business
FM Sync Oracle
Notification Object
Data Mgr Advanced
Payload Queue
Generator
(eai_js)

Pipeline Manager

2 - 25 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Pipeline Manager and Supporting
Components Architecture
Application Tier Business Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier
Data Collection Data Processing Data Translation Data Storage and
Retrieval

Acct info Processing Data

Customer Modules Managers Database
Center
Event
Notification Acct Sync
FM Oracle
Adv
Self-Care Payload Acct Sync
Queue
Manager Generator DM
(eai_js)

Rated
Event
Loader
Pipeline
Manager

Batch
Events Rated Events

2 - 26 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Real-time Pipeline Architecture
The Real-time Discounting Pipeline runs as a separate process
• After rating, data is passes to the Realtime Pipeline for
discounting:
– Event data including any rates applied
– A prioritized list of applicable discounts
• Applicable discounts are calculated by the Realtime
Pipeline and returned to the CM

Realtime DM
Event CM
Rating FM

Realtime Pipeline
Database
Discount
Input Output
Module

2 - 27 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 BRM Architecture - Summary

Application Tier Business Process Tier Object Tier Data Tier

Java/ API BusinessP System

Windows olicies Data

API
Processes

TM
Client Manager Database
Oracle Adv
API Queue
DM

API
Radius CM

TM
API

Manager TIMOS
Real-time Rating
Credit

API
TM
Card
Credit Card
Realtime Pipeline
Universal
API

Event Account
Loader eai_js Sync
DM
Event Notification

Customer
API

Center Rated Event

Pipeline Manager
Loader (REL)

Data Collection Data Processing Data Translation Data Storage and

Retrieval

2 - 28 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 BRM Documentation

The BRM
Documentation
is available in
either PDF or
HTML format,
arranged in
topical
categories. The
HTML version
includes a
search
capability

2 - 29 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Summary

You should now be able to:

• Identify the four tiers of the BRM architecture, their
functions and how they communicate
• Describe the processes in the CM and DM tiers
• Use BRM Online Documentation to locate more
information

2 - 30 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Exercise 2
BRM Architecture
• Goals:
– Locate information about BRM programming, and identify the
tiers of the BRM architecture
• Activities:
– Navigate through the BRM Online Documentation and set
bookmarks to course resources
– Set up access and login to the BRM UNIX server system
– Identify the tiers of the BRM architecture and describe how
each level contributes to the total process

2 - 31 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.