New Release

PUBLIC

November 2023

Dear Convergent Charging and BRIM (Billing and Revenue Innovation Management) community, we are happy to announce yet another new release of SAP Convergent Charging 2023 FPS 00. With this release, we continue to add new exciting features and capabilities such as support for SapMachine 17, Pricing Functions, Mixed Authentication mode in the Cockpit, and much more.

This blog provides you with the latest SAP CC (Convergent Charging) 2023 FPS 00 highlights of our pricing and charging platform, part of the SAP Billing and Revenue Innovation Management (BRIM) suite.

SUPPORT FOR SapMachine 17

As of this release, we will now support SapMachine 17 (based on Java 17) as the standard JVM for SAP Convergent Charging moving forward. This change was initially announced in March 2023, in the following blog: SAP Convergent Charging 2023 will require SAP Machine 17 as the minimum JVM | SAP Blogs

SAP Corporate Security Standards require that we address common vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) by upgrading to the latest supported JVM.

In addition to supporting the latest security fixes, SapMachine 17 introduces a suite of new features and APIs that will make it easier to code, maintain, and evolve SAP Convergent Charging.

For more information about our added support for SapMachine 17, please refer to the following reference information:

• What’s New in SAP CC 2023 FPS 0 > Technical Features
• SAP Note 3307585 – Impact about coming JVM version upgrade in SAP Convergent Charging

MANAGEMENT OF PRICING FUNCTIONS IN THE COCKPIT

As a pricing specialist, the ability to manage pricing as composable and reusable pricing logic, is essential to making it easy to manage and extend your Rate Plan logic for more scenarios.

With this release, we have introduced a new app, “Manage Pricing Functions,” in the Cockpit. This allows pricing specialists to view, create, copy, edit, and delete Pricing Functions (previously known as Pricing Macros).

Create a Pricing Function

Additionally, a new pricing component, “Pricing Function Call,” is now available in the pricing tree of charges and pricing functions. This enables pricing specialists to call a pricing function in their pricing logic.

Use Pricing Functions

This new feature brings significant benefits for pricing managers using the Cockpit:

• Simplification of your pricing logic, by creating smaller, composable, and reusable pricing rules.
• Improved speed in configuring and releasing new pricing logic by facilitating the reuse of existing pricing functions in multiple rate plans or other pricing functions.
• Reduced errors that typically come from large, complex pricing logic, by enabling granular and pre-verified pricing logic to be reused in multiple locations.

For more information about this new feature, check out the following video: Video “How to Create and Call a Pricing Function”:

You can also learn more on the help.sap.com website: What’s New in SAP CC 2023 FPS 0 > New App Manage Pricing Functions (New)

FULL PRORATION SUPPORT WITH SUBSCRIPTION ORDER MANAGEMENT

We have enhanced end-to-end functionality in SAP Convergent Charging and SAP Subscription Order Management for proration scenarios.

This new feature is in response to customer feedback, and it allows for more accurate pricing and recalculation of prices managed in SAP Convergent Charging when a subscription contract parameter (for example, quantity) is modified.

To enable this feature, we have added a new constraint in the setup of your Rate Plan external parameters called: Mandatory unmodifiable. Changing parameters with this setting in the middle of a bill cycle will now:

• Trigger a proper orchestration of the contract items in SAP Convergent Charging
• Calculate any prorated fees resulting from the change.

As a result of this new feature, we can now ensure more accurate billing for integrated scenarios with SAP Convergent Charging and SAP Subscription Order Management

For more information, please refer to the following reference information:

• What’s New in Subscription Order Management 2023 FPS00 | SAP Blogs
• What’s New in SAP CC 2023 FPS 0 > New Constraint for External Parameters (New)
• Manage Rate Plans > Editing Parameters
• Prorated Fees in SAP Convergent Charging | SAP Help Portal

SUPPORT FOR MIXED AUTHENTICATION MODE IN THE COCKPIT

Managing user authentication for the SAP Convergent Charging Cockpit can be complicated, especially when dealing with users using mixed authentication systems on the same system. To address this challenge, SAP has introduced support for two different authentication modes simultaneously for Cockpit users: SAML 2.0 and basic authentication, or OAuth 2.0 and basic authentication.

The introduction of multiple authentication modes provides greater flexibility and choice for Cockpit users. SAML 2.0 enables seamless integration with corporate IdPs, facilitating secure user access. OAuth 2.0, on the other hand, offers a standardized approach for authorization and access management, making it well-suited for third-party applications and services. Basic authentication remains as a fallback option for scenarios where other methods are unavailable. And now, both authentication methods can be used simultaneously on the same system.

Mixed authentication mode in the Cockpit

The ability to utilize multiple authentication modes simultaneously for the Cockpit brings several advantages:

• Enhanced Security: Organizations can leverage the robust security features of SAML 2.0 and OAuth 2.0 to protect sensitive data and maintain user identity integrity.
• Increased Flexibility: Users can choose their preferred authentication method, catering to individual preferences and organizational policies.
• Simplified Integration: The support for multiple authentication modes facilitates integration with a wider range of Identity Providers (IdPs) and third-party applications.

Overall, the introduction of multiple authentication modes for the SAP Convergent Charging Cockpit empowers organizations to implement a more secure and flexible user authentication strategy, enhancing the overall user experience and streamlining access management processes.

For more information, please refer to the following documentation:

• What’s New in SAP CC 2023 FPS 0 > Support of Multiple Authentication Protocols to Sign In to Cockpit

MANAGEMENT OF RANGE TABLES WITH MANY RANGES IN THE COCKPIT

The SAP Convergent Charging Cockpit’s Manage Range Tables Fiori app, crucial for implementing pricing plans, has been enhanced to handle complex pricing scenarios with many ranges.

Previously, managing over 100 ranges could lead to performance issues and display errors. The enhancements include performance optimizations and improved rendering capabilities, allowing the app to handle many ranges without compromising performance or user experience.

Managing large Range Tables in the Cockpit

Benefits of this enhancement include:

• Effective handling of complex pricing scenarios using substantial number ranges
• Improved user experience with smoother and more responsive interactions
• Streamlined pricing management processes.

These enhancements empower organizations to tackle complex pricing scenarios with ease, ensuring accurate pricing management and superior user experience.

SIMPLIFIED ADDITION OF PRICING COMPONENTS TO PRICING TREES

Traditionally, adding pricing components involved navigating through the pricing tree structure, which could be cumbersome and time-consuming, especially for complex pricing scenarios.

SAP has introduced a new “New Component” node at the end of each incomplete branch of the pricing tree.

Adding new components to the pricing tree

This enhancement offers several significant benefits:

• Enhanced Usability: The new “New Component” node simplifies the process of adding pricing components, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
• Reduced Configuration Time: Pricing specialists can add pricing components more efficiently, reducing the time required to configure rate plans and pricing functions.
• Improved Efficiency: The streamlined approach enhances overall efficiency and productivity for pricing specialists.

For detailed information on this enhancement, please refer to the following resources:

• What’s New in SAP CC 2023 FPS 0 > Simplified Addition of Pricing Components (Enhancement)
• Configuring the Pricing Tree of a Charge > Adding a Pricing Component

ADDITIONAL PRICING COMPONENTS IN PRICING TREES AND OTHER ENHANCEMENTS

We continue to add new pricing components in the Cockpit, enabling greater pricing flexibility and supporting more business scenarios. Here is an overview of new enhancements for pricing trees:

Time Slot Comparison

Pricing specialists often need to configure business rules that determine if a date/time property falls within a recurring time slot.

To facilitate this, a new pricing component, “Time Slot Comparison”, has been introduced in the price tree of charges and pricing functions.

This addition enables the handling of more intricate pricing scenarios involving dates and times, thereby expanding the capabilities of pricing specialists.

Time Slot comparison component

For more information on this new feature, refer to the Comparators > Time Slot Comparison

Configurable rounding mode for the Arithmetic Computation component

Previously, the Arithmetic Computation component always rounded down results to 12 digits for additions, subtractions, and multiplications. This lack of flexibility in rounding operations was a limitation where more fine-grained controls are needed for any operation.

Now, we have introduced the ability for pricing specialists to configure the rounding, regardless of the operator used. This feature is available both in the Cockpit and in the Core Tool.

Configurable rounding mode for the Arithmetic Computation component

The benefits are significant. It improves the accuracy and precision in all calculations when using the arithmetic computation component. This enhancement ensures that our computations are as precise as possible, providing more accurate results.

For more information, please refer to the Operators > Arithmetic Computation section of our documentation.

MORE INFORMATION

SAP Convergent Charging 2023 FPS 00 was released to customers on November 14th, 2023, and is available on the SAP Software Download Center.

For more information on SAP Convergent Charging 2023 FPS 00, check out the following links:

• What’s New in 2023 FPS 00

• Release Information Note for SAP Convergent Charging 2023 FPS 0
• Product Page on SAP Help Portal
• Questions and Answers for SAP Convergent Charging in SAP Community

Thank you, from your SAP Convergent Charging product team.