Amdocs Cramer

Configurator 4.0
Concepts Guide
ED003009 Issue 1.0
Cramer Systems Limited, all its affiliates and subsidiaries were acquired by Amdocs in August 2006. This
document contains naming conventions and branding information that is in the process of transition as
part of the acquisition. Accordingly, slight inconsistencies may exist within this document and/or between
this document and other portions of the Cramer Amdocs OSS Division materials or other Amdocs
documents.
Copyright Amdocs 2002 - 2008. All Rights Reserved. The included software and/or documentation cannot be
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and logo, Ensemble, Enabler, Clarify, Return on Relationship, Intelecable, Collabrent, Intentional Customer
Experience, QPASS and Cramer are the exclusive property of Amdocs, and may not be used without permission. All
other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs iii
Contents
Contents
About this
guide
Intended audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Software information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Documentation feedback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Document structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Chapter 1 Executive summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2 Configurator overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Configurator as part of the Amdocs CES - Ciamei OSS 7.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Developer tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 3 Key features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Creation and maintenance of metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Datasets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Version names for datasets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Active version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Metadata transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Visualization of metadata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Color coding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Globalization for multiple language support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Metadata library and version management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 4 Configurator technology support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 5 User interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Wizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
WebReports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Related reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Contents
iv Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs v
About
this
guide
About this guide
The purpose of this document is to introduce you to the concepts of the Amdocs
Cramer Configurator and to describe its purpose and function. It introduces you to
the general features of the Configurator and the main concepts of its operation within
Amdocs Cramer.
Two versions of the Configurator are available, the standard version and the advanced
option pack. This guide describes the features available in both versions and indicates
which functions apply to which version.
Intended audience
This guide is intended for readers who are unfamiliar with the Configurator, in order to
help them understand its capabilities and the benefits that can be achieved by using it.
Software information
This document reflects both the Configurator 4.0 and the Configurator 4.0 (Advanced
option pack). Differences between the two products are clearly indicated.
Documentation feedback
We value any feedback regarding our documentation. You can send your comments by
e-mail to [email protected].
About this guide
vi Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Document structure
This document is divided into the following chapters:
Chapter No Title Description
1 Executive summary A summary of the capabilities of the Configurator in
business terms.
2 Configurator
overview
An overview of the main features of the Configurator
and its integration with Ciamei OSS 7.3.
3 Key features How the Configurator works as a data configuration
utility.
4 Resource Manager
technology support
Describes the technology supported by the Configurator.
5 User interface Broad explanation of the Configurator user interface.
6 Conclusion A summary of the Configurator concepts described in
this guide.
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 1
Chapter
1
Chapter 1 Executive summary
At the heart of Ciamei OSS 7.3 is the Resource Manager inventory management
platform, which enables telecommunications operators to increase their productivity
and functional efficiency. The Amdocs Cramer Resource Manager inventory is
carefully designed to enable customers to tailor it to their business needs. One of the
most important areas of configuration lies in the inventory's network model.
Flexibility is provided to enable customers to model network equipment, connectivity
and services in a manner most intuitive to their users, and most aligned with their
operational needs. This flexibility is delivered out of the box through a layer of
configuration data (known as 'metadata'). The metadata also drives user-oriented
configuration, such as the authorization of functionality to users, the menus and
submenus presented in the Amdocs Cramer user interface and the localization of user
interface text into other languages.
The Configurator product enables customers or their partners to create and maintain
configuration data through a powerful and intuitive user interface. It is an optional
component of Ciamei OSS 7.3.
Rapid design and deployment of new services and networks in Amdocs Cramer means
customers can respond to market demands and start provisioning and automating
delivery at the earliest opportunity.
Configurator capabilities snapshot
The Configurator has a number of capabilities, which include the following:
State-of-the-art user interface that has the same look and feel as the Resource
Manager, enabling you to visualize the metadata
Enables configuration without coding
Reduces effort and risk, by minimizing the complexity of creating and loading
metadata
Automatically carries out metadata integrity checking
Based on the industry-standard Oracle RDBMS
Allows metadata libraries (datasets) to be built away from live data
Chapter 1 Executive summary
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Version controls to enable you to accurately identify current datasets and see
historical development
If you have the Configurator (Advanced option pack), multiple datasets can be
maintained in one database
The standard version of the Configurator supports the maintenance of only one dataset at a time.
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 3
Chapter
2
Chapter 2 Configurator overview
Every Amdocs Cramer customer has specific requirements for the network equipment
and technology supported in their deployment of Amdocs Cramer software, including
the way in which it should be modeled and visualized. Customers also have tailored
requirements for their users and user groups in order to ensure that the appropriate
functionality is provided to authorized users. In order that the Resource Manager can
support these requirements and be fully flexible, it uses a metadata configuration layer.
The configuration of the metadata that forms this layer is carried out using the
Configurator.
The Configurator provides a sophisticated user interface to enable rapid and intuitive
manipulation of this metadata layer. For example, typical tasks that you use the
Configurator for include:
To define new device types (from new manufacturers or required for new
technologies)
To define new parts for device types, such as new shelf types, slot types or card
types
To define new device templates, to automate the filling of devices
To define new templates for cabling and cross connection
To define new connection types, such as link types and circuit types
To define new logical configurations, such as location types, service types and
subscriber types
To define new customer-specific attributes for inventory data
To define which attributes are available on the attributes page of Resource
Manager wizards
To authorize Amdocs Cramer users to execute Amdocs Cramer functionality
To configure the Cramer Object Model
To localize Ciamei OSS 7.3 to one or more different languages
The Configurator is an independent database of metadata that you use to create and
maintain metadata for rules and relationships used in the Resource Manager data
models, for example, defining templates for new devices of evolving technology. The
Chapter 2 Configurator overview
4 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Configurator has its own user interface with a similar look and feel as other products in
Ciamei OSS 7.3.
In this guide you will discover that the Configurator:
Allows you to configure metadata without coding or an extensive understanding of
the Resource Manager data models, through the use of the wizards.
Allows you to visualize your metadata in views.
Provides you with a sophisticated dataset management function away from live
data.
Allows you to upgrade your metadata for new releases of the Resource Manager
and version control your current metadata.
Allows you to check the integrity of your metadata.
Ensure that your metadata is protected using the same levels of security provided
in the Resource Manager.
Configurator as part of the Cramer O55 7.5
The Resource Manager inventory model forms the core of Ciamei OSS 7.3, as a
complete network inventory application. Additionally, Amdocs Cramer has developed
a number of tools to support every stage of network resource management. These
include:
Inventory management tools, which support the Resource Manager in
maintaining a complete, accurate and maintained model of network resources.
Provisioning automation tools, which provide the capability for encapsulating,
and then automatically executing, the design and implementation processes.
Adapters and integration tools, to rapidly integrate Amdocs Cramer products,
including the Resource Manager, with external OSS applications.
Developer tools, to enhance the processes of building and maintaining inventory
data.
The Configurator provides a user interface to guide developers through the process of
configuring Resource Manager metadata. Using the Configurator, you can create,
modify and delete metadata using libraries of metadata sets.
The Configurator supports metadata configuration, that is, the definition of network
inventory behavior and vendor-specific device models, without coding. Its
sophisticated dataset management and integrity checking capabilities reduce effort and
risk, by minimizing the complexity of creating and loading metadata. New network
technologies and network equipment upgrades can be rapidly and easily modeled and
passed into the inventory, as can additional attributes to existing network objects. A
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Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 5
complete history of all metadata changes is maintained, and comparison of different
versions supported.
The standard version of the Configurator supports the creation of a single dataset. The
advanced option supports the partitioning of metadata into multiple datasets and sub-
datasets. This enables libraries of related or independent metadata to be maintained,
ready to be combined in flexible ways for new deployments.
Amdocs Cramer has developed a number of tools to support every stage of network
resource management, from the initial loading of data to implementing a service. The
Configurator is part of Amdocs Cramers Inventory solution. Figure 2-1 shows how
the Ciamei OSS 7.3 fits together in the context of the OSS environment. This
diagram does not show the interaction between the Configurator and the Resource
Manager; it is shown in Figure 2-2 on page 6.
Figure 2-1 The Cramer OSS 7.5
Chapter 2 Configurator overview
6 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Resource Manager
The Resource Manager provides a centralized approach to network inventory and
service configuration management within a framework that allows capacity constraints
of all kinds to be modeled. It uses an industry-standard Oracle RDBMS to maintain
the metadata driven model of physical and logical inventory.
The Configurator interacts with your standard Resource Manager database directly, or
indirectly through XML generated data.
The interaction between the Configurator and Resource Manager database is
represented in Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2 Interaction between product databases
This architecture enables you to create and maintain independent libraries of metadata
away from live data. The Configurator automatically enforces rules within its wizards
to ensure that inconsistencies in the metadata you are maintaining are avoided.
After you have created or carried out maintenance on your metadata, the Configurator
provides you with tools to export the datasets either directly into the Resource Manager
database, or into an XML file. During this procedure the integrity of the metadata is
checked.
ResourceManager
database
Metadata
tables
Core tables
(hold the
ResourceManager
data)
Configurator
database
Export/Import
wizard
Other
(for example,
Cramer constants)
Configurator XML
Satellite tables
Metadata
tables
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Developer tools
The Amdocs Cramer development environment comprises a number of products and
licences that support the building and management of a network inventory at the
developer level.
Developer activities concern the configuration, initial population and maintenance of
the inventory platform itself, and not the day-to-day user and maintenance activities.
Developer tools are needed for:
Configuration
Modeling of the components of an inventory, the equipment and services, at
the developer level is supported by the Configurator.
Data migration
The process of population of the database is supported by the Migrator.
Data load from third-party sources can be carried out using the Sync Engine.
If the source system is to remain in use, ongoing synchronization is supported
by the Sync Engine. For further information, refer to the Sync Engine
documentation set.
Integration
Integration with external systems is supported by the Amdocs Cramer API,
the Cramer Object Model and the Amdocs Cramer client framework.
Business rule customization
For features such as naming conventions.
Web content tailoring
For modification or extension of homepages, WebReports, or graphical web
content.
Further information about the developer tools are described in the Amdocs Cramer Resource Manager Concepts
Guide.
Chapter 2 Configurator overview
8 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 9
Chapter
3
Chapter 3 Key features
The Configurator enables you to create and modify your metadata by visualizing it as
objects in the user interface. The Configurator is a database of metadata that you
export for use in the Resource Manager. A number of key features form the framework
for the successful operation of the Configurator; understanding these key features helps
you to maximize its capabilities.
These features can be summarized in the following list. Each feature is expanded in
detail in subsequent sections:
Feature Description
Creation and
maintenance of metadata
The Configurator has been built to enable you to manage your
metadata in a simplified and logical way.
Metadata transfer in and
out of Resource Manager
deployments
The Configurator allows you to carry out your metadata
management away from your live data, in its own database.
Visualization of metadata The Configurator provides you with a sophisticated user interface
for creating, modifying and managing Resource Manager
metadata.
Globalization for multiple
language support
The localization of text strings into a different language can be
done without programmers, managed using the Configurator.
Metadata library and
version management
A key feature of the Configurator is to provide security for your
metadata.
Chapter 3 Key features
10 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Creation and maintenance of metadata
The Configurator has been built to enable you to manage your metadata in a simplified
and logical way. This typically includes tasks such as creating new metadata when new
technology becomes available, or changing metadata when new operating procedures
are introduced. The Configurator can cater for many different scenarios that you may
want to implement for your business environment, such as the management of training
systems.
Key to understanding metadata management is the understanding of datasets, their
hierarchy and version control.
Datasets
A dataset is a collection of metadata that has been grouped together in the
Configurator database. Each item of metadata in the database belongs to a specific
dataset.
When you use the standard version of the Configurator you can only work on one
dataset at a time, this is know as the active dataset. The information shown in the user
interface browsers, the views and the wizards all relate to the active dataset and
compatible releases. The active dataset is at the top of a hierarchy, as one dataset can
contain any number of other datasets. This may be used, for example, to differentiate
between:
Old and new device types
Different technologies and manufacturers
Test, training and live inventory deployments
The following additional options are available in the Configurator (Advanced option pack):
If you group related pieces of metadata together as datasets, you can use these as sub-datasets. For
example, You can select sub-datasets to include in a containing dataset and so flexibly group the metadata in
as many ways as you need. Including a dataset includes all its sub-datasets, this means that all the metadata
that belongs to the sub-dataset can be seen and used in the containing dataset. You cannot change the
metadata in the sub-dataset by making changes to the containing dataset.
You can organize datasets in a hierarchy so that there are as many levels of sub-datasets as you require.
However, they can be included only if the datasets are compatible. That is, if they belong to the same, or
compatible, Amdocs Cramer release and the metadata in the including dataset and sub-dataset is consistent.
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Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 11
Version names for datasets
The Configurator keeps a complete history of all the changes made to the metadata.
You can consider each change to the metadata to be a different version of the metadata
and you can give a version name to each of the changes at any time.
Since any change you make to the Configurator database is associated with one dataset
or another, you actually add version names to datasets. You can use the version name
to export the metadata or to access it at a later date.
Active version
If a dataset has versions, you can select one of its versions to be the active version (of the
dataset). So that you can easily identify the dataset your are working with, the name of
both the dataset and the version appears clearly in the user interface.
Now, all the information shown in the browsers, views and homepages relates to the
active version of the dataset and compatible Amdocs Cramer releases. That is, the
metadata is shown as it was when the version was created.
Upgrades
You can upgrade from one Amdocs Cramer release using the Configurators Upgrade
wizard.
Metadata transfer
The Configurator allows you to carry out your metadata management away from your
live data, in its own database. In order for you to use your metadata, you need to
export it from the Configurator database into the Resource Manager database. You can
import from a Resource Manager database into the Configurator database.
You can export and import metadata between Configurator databases, the Resource
Manager databases and also XML files. For example, a partner carrying out metadata
management for a customer can export the dataset to an XML file to enable the
customer to download it from a remote server.
You can either use the Export/Import wizard provided, or you can run a command line
utility.
Chapter 3 Key features
12 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Using an Export/Import wizard in the Configurator, you can:
Export the metadata of a whole dataset or export only the difference between two
versions of the same dataset
Export a dataset
Export complete or partial datasets
You can choose whether to include individual items of metadata when the dataset is
exported, using an export selection option. Items that you choose not to include are
shown in gray in the browser to help you to identify which items are included for
export. You can override these settings when you run the Export/Import wizard.
Visualization of metadata
The Configurator provides you with a sophisticated user interface for creating,
modifying and managing Resource Manager metadata. Configurator provides you
with wizards, WebReports, views, homepages and tree browsers for navigating and
managing metadata.
The wizards are for creating and modifying metadata for use in the Resource Manager.
They allow you to see, for example, descriptive text about object behaviors, rather than
trying to identify an objects constant value. Apart from the fact that you only see
information in the wizards that is in the active dataset, the way in which the
Configurator wizards work does not differ from the way the Resource Manager wizards
work.
WebReports enable you to carry out tasks that may otherwise be time consuming and
prone to errors, such as comparing differences between versions of datasets. After you
run a WebReport, the results are presented in a logical order in a formatted HTML
page in the user interface.
The Configurator views are used to take textual information from the database and
present it in the user interface using a range of different icons, bitmap images and color
coding. The icons you see in the views are context-sensitive, which means that you can
open further views or related information about an object, or you can select and
deselect the item from inclusion in an export. The items that you see in the views are
displayed only for the active dataset.
If you are using the Configurator (Advanced option pack), you can choose to export a dataset with or without its
sub-datasets.
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Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 13
Color coding
An important part of the visual features of the Configurator is the use of color to help
you understand the organization of the metadata you are viewing.
When you create a dataset you can choose a color to represent its icon in the user
interface. All the icons of the objects belonging to a dataset have the same color as the
dataset icon itself. This is especially useful for distinguishing between items belonging
to a dataset and items belonging to its sub-datasets.
As described previously, names of items can appear as either black or gray in the
Resource browser. Gray items indicate that they are not to be included in the export.
Globalization for multiple language support
Amdocs Cramer's Resource Manager, Resource Manager Options, Service Catalog,
Task Engine, Delivery Engine, Route Finder, Sync Engine, Activation Engine, adapters
and Packs are fully globalized, and are capable of being localized into virtually any
language. The localization of text strings into a different language can be done without
programmers, managed using the Configurator.
Configurator displays all translation values for any item of user interface text, with full
unicode support. Configurator provides an export capability for all translation
information into tab delimited file format, in addition to the standard Configurator
XML format. This allows translatable information to be passed to third-party
translation tools that can import tab delimited files. The Configurator can
subsequently import the translated tab delimited files.
The localization metadata and localizations for all user interface text can then be passed
to a Resource Manager deployment. Multiple language support is provided, enabling a
Resource Manager instance to support users with different preferred languages.
The Configurator user interface enables configuration of values into virtually any
language.
The user interface of Configurator itself is English and is not localizable. Any module metadata managed
outside the Configurator product (for example, a Task Engine Metadata Maintenance Utility) is translated outside
Configurator.
Chapter 3 Key features
14 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Metadata library and version management
A key feature of the Configurator is to provide security for your metadata. The levels of
security are the same levels as those provided by the Resource Manager and other
products in Ciamei OSS 7.3. It implements the same features of owners and roles,
which means that you can limit Configurator users with respect to:
The type of access they have, whether it is read-only or read and write.
The wizards, homepages, WebReports and browser information they can access.
Making changes to datasets they own.
In the Advanced option pack, datasets are assigned their own access permissions using the Dataset wizard,
which is available in only the Advanced option pack.
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 15
Chapter
4
Chapter 4 Configurator technology
support
The Configurator is built alongside Amdocs Cramers standard product suite to
support all technologies currently supported in the Resource Manager. As the
Configurator is used to create the metadata that the Resource Manager uses to support
different technologies, the full list of technologies are described in more detail in the
concepts documentation for the Resource Manager.
For more information on supported technologies, see the Amdocs Cramer Resource Manager Concepts Guide.
Chapter 4 Configurator technology support
16 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 17
Chapter
5
Chapter 5 User interface
The Configurators user interface has four resizable frames comprising the Resource
and Relation browsers, a Wizards frame and a WebReports and Views frame that
display information about the metadata, the Configurator wizards and the
Configurator views, homepages and WebReports. The user interface has a title bar,
menu bar and tool bar, which includes a Find facility, and a status bar, as well as
context-sensitive shortcut menus.
The Configurator enables you to visualize the metadata using specific wizards,
WebReports and views in the user interface.
Figure 5-1 The Configurator user interface
Each frame has a dedicated use and the overall configuration allows separate but
related functions to coexist without overlapping.
WebReports and
Views frame
Relations
browser
Wizards
frame
Resource
browser
Chapter 5 User interface
18 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Frame Description
Resource
browser
Provides an information exploration tool. Provides access through tabs that
show different configurable entities, such as circuit types or location types.
Exploring these tabs shows instances of them that exist in the active dataset.
Relations
browser
The Relations browser provides related information on a selected objects.
Anywhere in the interface that you find an object you can send the object to
the Relations browser, which will instantly be populated with its related
objects. Similarly to the Resource browser, related objects are grouped under
headings.
The Relations browser is context sensitive and the displayed information is
specific to the selected object.
For example, you select Relation from the shortcut menu of the Copper link
type (in the Connection Types tab of the Resource browser), in the Band-
widths tab of the Relations browser you can see a short list of bandwidths.
WebReports
and Views
frame
The WebReports and Views frame displays graphical representations of the
metadata that is configured in the active dataset.
Every object within the Configurator has an associated homepage that can be
displayed in this frame. Homepages present the information of the object, in
forms. They assist you in maintaining a wide range of object-specific
attribute data as attributes can be updated on the form and submitted.
WebReports are the reporting interface, providing summary information for
different activities. For example, you can use the Comparison WebReport to
compare the active dataset with an earlier version of the active dataset.
Wizards frame The Wizards frame displays the wizards that are used to create metadata.
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Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 19
Wizards
Wizards make standard operations faster, easier and consistent. The wizards provide a
logical sequence for carrying out tasks and offer appropriate choices for each task.
There are many wizards that you use to configure and manage your metadata; these are
split into three main categories to help you understand their function. The wizards
include:
Network wizards that create and maintain metadata used by Resource Manager
wizards. For example, Bandwidth wizard or Device Type wizard.
Client wizards that create and maintain metadata for the Resource Manager user
interface. For example, the Icon wizard or the Action wizard
Configurator wizards that organize the metadata held in the Configurator. For
example, the Dataset wizard or the Export/Import wizard.
WebReports
WebReports are powerful data visualization tools that provide interactive reporting
and investigation of the metadata held in the Configurator. WebReports incorporate a
combination of text, hyperlinks and graphics:
The Comparison WebReport can compare different versions of the same dataset or
different datasets of compatible releases.
The History WebReport shows all the changes made to any of the metadata in a
dataset.
The Integrity Check WebReport reports inconsistencies in the metadata within a
dataset.
For a more comprehensive list of the wizards available in the Configurator, see the Amdocs Cramer Configurator
(Advanced option pack) User Reference Guide.
Chapter 5 User interface
20 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Views
The views available in the Configurator allow you to visualize the metadata
components of an object, instead of a representation of numbers and IDs for related
objects. For example, a bandwidth view as shown in Figure 5-2, can be used to see
configured bandwidth information.
Figure 5-2 Example of a Bandwidth view
Views available in the Configurator are:
Bandwidth
Card template
Card type
Circuit type
Dataset
Device template
Elevation
Internal cross connection
Link type
Link template
Shelf type
Topology type
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 21
Chapter
6
Chapter 6 Conclusion
The Configurator provides a powerful user interface for the management of inventory
configuration data known as metadata.
By taking out the requirement for an in-depth knowledge of the Resource Manager
schema, your metadata can be managed by specialized users, instead of developers.
The wizards in the Configurator ensure that you create only metadata that conforms to
the rules and relationships used in the Resource Manager data model. This metadata
can be viewed graphically and with color-coded icons, using views in the user interface.
The Configurator provides ongoing flexibility for introduction of new technology and
simplifies the task of upgrading metadata between Amdocs Cramer releases.
The Configurator provides you with a complete solution for simplifying the
maintenance and management of your inventory model as your business evolves.
Chapter 6 Conclusion
22 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 23
Related
reading
Related reading
Configurator documentation
Overview documentation
Ciamei OSS 7.3 Concepts Guide
Amdocs Cramer Configurator Concepts Guide
Amdocs Cramer Configurator Release Notes
Administration documentation
Ciamei OSS 7.3 System Administration Guide
Amdocs Cramer Configurator Prerequisites Guide
Amdocs Cramer Configurator Installation and Upgrade Guide
User documentation
Amdocs Cramer Configurator User Interface Guide
Amdocs Cramer Configurator User Task Guide
Amdocs Cramer Configurator User Reference Guide
Documentation is distributed through licences. For example, you must have the CustomizationKit licence before
you receive the Configuration documentation and API documentation.
Related reading
24 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 25
Glossary
Glossary
Active dataset The dataset that is currently active. The active dataset is the one whose name appears
to the right hand side of the status bar. It has a red right-arrow to its left in the
Resource browser, Dataset tab. Its contents populate the wizard lists. In views, the
items in the active dataset appear with no color, items belonging to its sub-datasets
appear in the same color as the sub-dataset itself.

Note. The existence of multiple datasets and sub-datasets is applicable to only the
Configurator (Advanced option pack).

See Dataset.
Active version The version of the active dataset that is currently active. The name of the active version
of a dataset appears to the right hand side of the name of the active dataset, in the status
bar. The red right-arrow still appears to the left of the active dataset in the Resource
browser, Dataset tab. Few wizards are available for use when an active version has been
selected. The information you see in the view, WebReports and homepages reflect the
metadata as it had been at the point in time when the version was created, read-only.

See Active dataset.

Alias An alias is another value for an instance of metadata. You can use an alias to override
certain values of the metadata in a sub-dataset. This feature is applicable to only the
Configurator (Advanced option pack).
API Application Program Interface

An API is the specific method prescribed by a computer operating system or by an

application program (in this case, the Configurator) by which a programmer writing a
program can make requests of the operating system or application program.
Browser icon Browser icons are the small icons that appear to the left of the names of items in the
Resource and relations browser frames.

See also View icon.

Glossary
26 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Change A change is any change made to a dataset. After one or more changes are made to a
dataset it can be given a version name. The Configurator keeps a complete history of
all the changes made to every dataset.

See Version.
Client A client is an instance of the Configurator that is running.
Color coding Colors help to understand the organization of the metadata that is on view in the
Configurator user interface.

Each dataset and the items that belong to it are represented in the Configurator user
interface by the same color.

The names of items in a dataset that have been deselected for export are shown in gray
in the Resource browser.
Compatible
release
Metadata in the Configurator comes from a specific Resource Manager release. The
Configurator can hold metadata from different Resource Manager releases.

Metadata in the Configurator is said to be compatible if the metadata comes from

Resource Manager releases that are compatible. Resource Manager releases are
compatible if there has been no significant change to the Resource Manager data model
between releases. An example of compatible releases are Resource Manager 4.0 and
Resource Manager 4.0d.
Containing
dataset
A containing dataset is a discrete set of metadata that includes one or more other
datasets, known as sub-datasets. This feature is applicable to only the Configurator
(Advanced option pack).

See Sub-dataset.
Dataset A dataset is a discrete set of metadata. The Configurator (Advanced option pack)
database can contain several sets of metadata simultaneously.

The dataset is a concept relevant only in the Configurator and any intervening XML
files. When metadata is imported to a Resource Manager database, information
relating to datasets, versions and aliases are discarded.
Dataset hierarchy A dataset hierarchy exists if a dataset has one or more sub-datasets. In turn these sub-
datasets may themselves contain sub-datasets. To see a dataset hierarchy either expand
the tree levels of a dataset in the Resource browser or open the Dataset View of a
dataset. This feature is applicable to only the Configurator (Advanced option pack).
Dataset type To help organize the Configurator metadata it is possible to define different types of
dataset, using the Dataset Type wizard. When different types of dataset exist, actual
datasets can be created. This feature is applicable to only the Configurator (Advanced
option pack).
Export Moving metadata from a Configurator database, a Resource Manager database or an
XML file.
Amdocs Cramer Configurator Concepts Guide
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 27
History The Configurator keeps a complete history of all the changes made to every dataset.

See Change.
Homepage Homepages are displayed in the Views frame of the Configurator user interface. Each
homepage provides details of the item and allows maintenance of the item.
Import Moving metadata to a Configurator database, a Resource Manager database or an XML
file.
Initial version This version of a dataset is generated by the Configurator when a new dataset is created.
It is usually empty. It is used in the WebReports and in the Export/Import wizard as
the beginning of the list of available versions of a dataset.
Latest version This is the most recent version of a dataset. It has the most up-to-date changes in the
dataset. It is used in the WebReports and in the Export/Import wizard (as the last
choice) in the list of available versions of a dataset and in the Comparison WebReport
as the most up-to-date version of the datasets against which to run the comparison.
Metadata Metadata is used in most of the Ciamei OSS 7.3. It is data of a predefined value and
behavior that cannot be changed by users of the product suite. It is widely used in
wizards, homepages and WebReports.
MMU Metadata Maintenance Utility.

Tool used to manipulate the metadata of the Task Engine, the Delivery Engine, the
Route Finder and the Sync Engine.
Release See Compatible release.
Resource
Manager
The Resource Manager is Amdocs Cramers inventory management tool. It was
previously known as the Cramer Active Inventory Platform (AIP).
Resource
Manager
database
The standard database on which the Resource Manager runs.
Sub-dataset A sub-dataset is a discrete set of metadata that is included in another dataset, known as
the including dataset. This feature is applicable to only the Configurator (Advanced
option pack).

See Including dataset.

Upgrade To upgrade a dataset means updating the metadata from one Resource Manager release
to another.
Version After one or more changes are made to a dataset it can be given a version name. This
snapshot of the dataset is known as a version of the dataset.

See Change, Initial version, Latest version.

Glossary
28 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
View icon View icons are the icons that appear in views, in the Views frame.

See also Browser icon.

WebReport These are typically sophisticated queries of the data model (in this case, the
Configurator data model) visualized using a combination of text, hypertext and
graphics. WebReports combine visual and textual information for you to explore.
XML eXtensible Markup Language

XML is a way to create common information formats and to share both the format and
the data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and in the case of the Configurator,
between the Configurator and Resource Manager databases.
Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs 29
Index
A
Access permissions ........................................... 14
Active dataset ........................................... 10, 12
Active version ................................................... 11
Attribute tables ................................................... 3
Automating delivery .......................................... 1
B
Behaviors .......................................................... 12
Bitmap .............................................................. 12
Browser
Relations .................................................... 18
Resource .................................................... 18
C
Colour coding .................................................. 13
Compatible ....................................................... 11
Compatible releases ......................................... 10
D
Data model ......................................................... 3
Database .............................................................. 3
Dataset ..................................................... 10, 11
Dataset management .......................................... 4
Developer tools .................................................. 7
Application Program Interface (API) ........ 7
Configurator ............................................... 7
Migrator ...................................................... 7
Differences ........................................................ 12
E
Export ........................................................ 6, 11
F
Frames
Views frame ............................................... 18
WebReports .............................................. 18
Wizards ..................................................... 18
H
History .............................................................. 11
HTML ............................................................... 12
I
Icons .................................................................. 12
Import ............................................................... 11
Include .............................................................. 12
Integrity ....................................................... 1, 4
Inventory
Management ............................................... 5
L
Live data ..................................................... 9, 11
M
Metadata ............................................................. 4
Multiple datasets ................................................ 2
O
Objects ................................................................ 9
Oracle .................................................................. 1
OSS ...................................................................... 5
P
Provisioning ....................................................... 1
R
Relations browser ............................................. 18
Remote server ................................................... 11
Resource browser ............................................. 18
Rules .................................................................... 6
S
Security ............................................................... 4
Sequence ........................................................... 19
T
Tasks ................................................................... 3
Templates ........................................................... 3
U
Upgrade ..................................................... 4, 11
User interface .................................... 9, 12, 17
Relations browser ..................................... 18
Index
Index
30 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Amdocs
Resource browser ...................................... 18
V
Version .............................................................. 11
Version control .......................................... 2, 10
Views ................................................................. 20
Frame ......................................................... 18
Visualize ....................................................... 1, 4
W
WebReports ...................................................... 19
Frame ......................................................... 18
Wizards ...................................................... 3, 19
Frame ......................................................... 18
X
XML ........................................................... 6, 11
Cramer, Amdocs OSS Division
Cramer House
The Square
Lower Bristol Road
Bath
United Kingdom
BA2 3BH
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 471300
Fax: +44 (0) 1225 471301
www.amdocs.com