Total Machine

Overview

Total machines are commonly used in one of the following three ways:

Internal reporting purposes
Set up a total machine and link this to a group of child machine to track the volumes of the group of machines and to document that the machines are related.
In this case you would normally have no charges on the total machine
All click charges are set up on each of the meters of the child machines
The total machine is used for charging purposes and there are no individual charges on the child machines
This would be used for situations where you have a deal with a customer with a group of machines, where you charge for the aggregate usage of the group of machines rather than by each individual child machines
A total machine is used to charge overall charges such as, hire charges or minimum chargers for a group of machines.
The children machines can also be charged individually for there own usage.
This allows you to charge each machine individually and also implement an overall charge for total machine to cover things such as agreed minimum volumes across that group of machines.

Meter charge runs for total machines can be set up to construct notes on the generated shipment and invoice lines explaining how the aggregation was calculated.

The way to do this is by creating different meter types with different meter charge templates and applying them to the total machines and child machines.

Then the meter charge run uses those charge templates to construct the notes on the generated charge invoices based upon the tokens on the template. See links attached Meter Types Meter pricing

Creating Total Machine

Create a Machine to stand for the Total Machine
Create all the individual meters on the Total Machine that you want to be aggregated from the child machines.
Each meter on the total machine needs to have the same name as the corresponding meter on the child machines.
Each meter that is to be charged from the total machine needs prices to be setup on the total meter.
If you are using Meter Product Pricing, then on the total machine for each meter product price , when you extract a meter count run the aggregation pricing will be the sum of each meter product price multiplied by the count variance.
When extracting a meter count run for Total Machines by Count, it is not until you click on Finalise that you will see the Type = Aggregation with a Value for the Total Machine
Click here to expand...
In the very unusual case where you want to charge both child and total machines or where you are using value aggregation, you can put a price on the meters on the child machines as well. If you do this both the total machine and the children machines may charge for the same meter counts. Discuss this with Readysell if you believe you may want to use any option like this.
Normally you aggregate quantities by count to the total machine and put all prices on all the meters on the total machine
You can set your total machine to sum up the values from all the children machines using the 'Value' aggregation mode. Please stick to t 'Count' aggregation and talk to Readysell if you think you might want to use 'Value' aggregation
Set the aggregation mode on the total machine to be either 'Count' or 'Value' for all meters
Set the 'Count Required' check box OFF on the Total Machine

If the aggregation mode on the Total Machine is set to 'Count' on each meter, the counts from each child meter linked to the total machine will be added up and the pricing will apply from the meter pricing from each of the meters on the total machine.

If the aggregation mode on the Total Machine is set to 'Value' on each meter, then all counts from each child meter will be valued by the pricing on the child meters and the result of that value will get aggregated up.

The usage is visible on both the Total Machine and the Children machines.

The aggregation mode is to be set on the Total Machine not the Children Machines.

If you have pricing on both the Total Machine Meters and Children Machine Meters, then when you extract a meter charge run, pricing will apply from both Machine Meters.

If you have pricing on the Total Machine Meters and no pricing on the children machine meters then pricing will apply from the Total Machine meters if the aggregation mode = Count

If the aggregation mode = Count and the meter pricing is on the meters on the total machine then on a Meter Count Run line the fields of 'Price' = Price on the Total Meter for each meter; Value = Value of the Count * price on the total meter for each meter; Aggregation Price = Price on the Total Machine meter; Aggregation Value = for each meter sum(Count * price on the Total Machine Meter.

Filter to drawer total machines and children machines to screen on the Machines List view

When extracting the meter count run for the children of the total machine you count the children meters not the total meters

When extracting the meter charge run for Total Machine ensure you have a filter set up as follows:

Creating Children of the Total Machine

Create a machine to stand for each child machine of the Total Machine
On each of the children machines, assign the machine id of the Total Machine to the field on the general tab of 'total machine'
On each of the children machine, ensure that each meter has the same name as the meter name that is on the Total Machine.
If you are using the aggregation mode of 'Value' then ensure that Total Machine Meters have the aggregation mode set to 'Value' and each child machine has aggregation mode of N/A and set the pricing on the children machine meters.
If you are using the aggregation mode of 'Count' then ensure that the meters on the Total Machine have pricing and the aggregation mode of 'Count' is set on the Total Machine only. The children machines meters can also having pricing in case you wish to charge both the Total Machine and the Children Machines.

Link to document on Creating Machines, Meters etc Machines