Overview

A generic provider is a tool used to provision usage and termed subscription services. It allows third-party provisioning systems to integrate with CRM.COM and directly provision and manage their subscribers. 

The following is offered through CRM.COM:

• Real-time activation and deactivation of subscriptions.
• Batch processes can be used to reset out of sync subscriptions simultaneously.
• Utilities can be used to reset individual subscriptions.
• Web APIs can be used to communicate provisioning requests and synchronize CRM.COM with the provisioning system.
• Archiving of former provisioning requests (refer to Utilities for more information).

Generic Provider at a Glance

A generic provider is used to integrate with CAS / OTT platforms through Web APIs.  A further custom implementation may be required to communicate ready-made provisioning requests between CRM.COM and the CAS/OTT Platform. Generic provider follows a real-time provisioning model; requests are created when subscription actions are executed. A reset run is available for actions that take place during a downtime in communication between CRM.COM and the provisioning provider. The run can identify the subscriptions that must be updated, construct a request and forward it to the provider.

The user must set up the provisioning provider. The remaining tasks are handled by the system. 

• When a subscription action takes place in CRM.COM, a respective provisioning request is created in a 'Pending' state.

• 'Pending' requests are retrieved, using Web APIs related to provisioning (Get Pending Web API). 

  At this point, custom implementation is required in order to communicate the retrieved 'Pending' requests to the CAS/OTT platform.

• The CAS /OTT platform performs modifications (channel activations/deactivations) on its system and subsequently on subscriber devices. 

• The CAS /OTT platform provides a response ('accept' or 'reject' request). 

• The responses are retrieved and used to update CRM.COM using Web APIs related to provisioning (Send response Web API).

  • If a request was accepted, the 'Pending' request is updated to 'Completed'. 

  • If a request was rejected, the request is updated to 'Rejected' and any changes already effected in CRM.COM are rolled back. For example, if an activation request failed, then the activated service will be deactivated in CRM.COM.

  At this point, custom implementation is required to communicate the CAS /OTT platform responses to CRM.COM.

• In case there is down time in communication between the two platforms and a real-time request fails to be created for every action, the  'Reset Subscription' process can be used. The process identifies the subscriptions that were modified in CRM.COM only and not on the CAS /OTT platform. For every identified modification, a provisioning request is created and sent to the platform, following the same path as 'Pending' requests.

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Setting Up Generic Provider

Provisioning Providers

The setup of the Generic Provider provisioning provider is the same as the one described in the Provisioning manual.

Using Generic Provider

Managing subscription signals

Generic Provider integration supports real time communication between CRM.COM and Generic Provider. This means that at any point in time, given that there is communication between CRM.COM and Generic Provider, when a subscription action takes place which affects the signals sent to the subscriber's device, such as, activation or deactivation of a channel or broadband service, then Generic Provider will instantly receive a request from CRM.COM to act accordingly. 

Reset multiple Subscriptions

Reset subscription runs are used as a backup to identify and synchronise subscriptions that have gone out of sync, by communicating the necessary commands to the CA/OTT platform. Subscriptions may get out of sync (for example, active in CRM.COM and inactive in Generic Provider) if any of the two systems suffers from downtime or if the connection from CRM.COM to the platform is lost.

It's possible to preview the subscriptions that will be reset by the run, by using Preview from the Actions menu.  The run must be scheduled and executed.

You can limit the subscriptions which will be checked and reset by providing the period during which the subscriptions to be processed were created as well as the Subscription Types.