Destination Sets


Destination Sets are the combination of prefixes, Routes, and per minute rates associated with a particular Connection or group of Connections.

The role of a Destination Set is two fold:

  1. It defines a complete list of prefixes that have to be routed to a particular Connection or group of Connections.  When a Connection is associated with a particular Destination Set in a Routing Group, only prefixes listed in that Destination Set will be routed to that Connection 
  2. It defines the prices to be charged by the termination provider (Vendor) when the call is sent to that provider.  The prices are used to track balances with each particular Vendor and to make routing decisions when Least Cost Routing is enabled.


Billing parameters in Destination Sets are:

  • FreeSeconds - in seconds
  • ConnectFee - in money units
  • PostCallSurcharge - in percent
  • GracePeriod - in seconds


Billing parameters have a similar function as those used in Tariffs; they are used to calculate the cost of an outgoing call.


Changes you make to Rates, Routes, Destination Sets, Tariffs, DID numbers, DID Charging Groups and Routing Groups may not be applied immediately by the system.  You need to wait at least 1 minute before considering a change "completed" so that the system can update its internal "cache".  When you make a "heavy bulk" update (eg. multiple destination sets at once), the system may require longer than 1 minute. Read more...


Routes


Each Destination Set can have a set of prefixes attached to it. All prefixes attached to a Destination Set are called Routes.

For example


If you have a service agreement with carrier FooTel, who provides you with access to two of his SIP-to-PSTN termination gateways: one in Vancouver, Canada and another in Seattle, USA, you would have to create a Vendor in the system to be associated with Footel, as well as two Connections, and two Destinations Sets.  One Destination Set would have a Route with the prefix 604 and the another one with the 206 prefix.  In addition, if the gateways can terminate calls to other destinations within the same area (mobile, nearby areas etc.) there could be other prefixes related to the two Destination Sets.

In addition, each Route has a number of billing parameters that match the parameters in the Rates, and they are used to calculate the cost of outgoing calls.


Adding, Updating, and Deleting a Destination Set


On the Destination Sets page (shown below), you can add, update, or delete Destination Sets.  


To add a new Destination Set, select "Add New" inside the Add Destination Set section.



On the Add New Destination Set page, you can enter the desired values inside the "Basic Parameters" and the "Advanced Parameters" sections.  Note that you must enter a Destination Set Name.  To save your choices, select Save & Close.  The Destination Set you add will be listed on the Destination Sets page.



To update an existing Destination Set, select the name of the Destination Set you wish to edit (e.g. "Test Destination Set")  from the table of Destination Sets.  The name of the Destination Set will appear as a link.  Update the desired values.  To save your choices, select Save & Close.  The Destination Set will be updated, and you will be returned to the Destination Sets page.


Update existing Destination Set Screenshot:



To delete an existing Tariff, locate the Destination Set you wish to delete in the table of Destination Sets.  On the row listing the Destination Set you want to delete, click on the red X found in the Action column.  The Destination Set will be deleted, and you will be returned to the Tariff page.


Delete Destination Set Screenshot:


Adding, Updating, and Deleting New Routes


To add one or more new Routes to a Destination Set, locate the Destination Set in the table of Destination Sets.  On the row associated with the Destination Set you want to change, select Open Routes inside the Action column.  On the Routes page (shown below) associated with the Destination Set, you can add Routes either individually or by uploading a file that contains the Routes and desired values you wish to add.


Method 1: Individually


When adding, updating, or deleting one or a small number of Rates, it is sometimes more efficient to do so individually.

To add a new Route, under the Add Route section associated with the Destination Set, select Add.

Enter the desired values, noting that you must enter a Prefix, and that each Prefix can be associated with only one Rate.  For example, the Prefix "1604" refers to the geographic region British Columbia, Canada.  To save your choices, click Save & Close. The Route will be added is listed on the Routes page associated with the Destination Set.

To update an existing Route, locate the Route you wish to update inside the table of Routes.  On the row associated with that Route, select the Prefix (appears as a link) under the Prefix column.  Update the desired values, noting as before that each Prefix can be associated with only one Route.  To save your choices, click Save & Close.  The Route will be updated, and you will be returned to the Routes page associated with the Destination Set.



To delete an existing Route, locate the Route you wish to delete inside the table of Routes.  On the row associated with the route you want to delete, click on the red X under the Action column.  The Route will be deleted, and you will be returned to the Routes page associated with the Destination Set.


For the bulk deletion of


Method 2: Uploading a Bulk Destination Set File


As an alternative to adding, updating, or deleting Routes individually, it may be more convenient to upload a file containing the information, especially when a large number of Routes is involved.  The two main file types you can use to upload the Rates and desired values are (a) Microsoft Excel [.xls] files and (2) Comma-separated value [.csv] files.




To begin, go to the Routes page associated with the Destination Set.  Under the Download Routes section, select Download to download the .xls file (template for future upload), which is named, e.g., "[Tariff Name] Rates.xls".



Once downloaded, open the file using a spreadsheet application, e.g. Microsoft Excel.  The spreadsheet will display the Routes associated with the Destination Set (shown below).  Each Route will be displayed on a row and associated with a unique ID automatically generated by the system.  By modifying, saving, and uploading the spreadsheet, you can add, update, and delete a large number of Routes all at once.



Action [A|D|U|S|SA] 


Entering 

           "A" adds a new Route for a given Prefix, 

"D" deletes an existing Route, 

            "U" updates an existing Route according to the associated Id.  

             "S" updates an existing Route according to the associated Prefix. 

             "SA" functions as either "A" or "S" depending on whether the Prefix entered is already associated with an Id.  

             See below for details.


Id 


The unique Route Id is automatically generated by the system.  If you enter a value in the Id column, the system will ignore it.


Prefix 


The Prefix is associated with phone numbers.  You must enter a Prefix which is not already associated with another Rate.


Country 


The country is automatically generated by the system according to the associated Prefix.  If you enter a value in the country column, the system will ignore it.


Preference 


This must be a non-negative integer corresponding to Preference under the Basic Parameters section when adding or updating a Route individually (see above). The field is used by the "Routing Preference" policy type in routing groups. It is useful for fine tuning your routing for specific prefixes


Interval 1 

This must be a positive, whole number corresponding, set inside the Billing Parameters section when adding or updating a Route individually (see above).


Interval N 


This must be a positive, whole number, set inside the Billing Parameters section when adding or updating a Route individually (see above).


Price 1 


This must be a non-negative, whole number set in USD/min, listed inside the Billing Parameters section when adding or updating a Route individually (see above).


Price N 


This must be a positive, whole number, set in USD/min, listed inside the Billing Parameters section when adding or updating a Route individually (see above).


1xx Timeout 


This must be a positive, whole number, set under the Basic Parameters section when adding or updating a Route individually (see above).


2xx Timeout 


This must be a positive, whole number , set under the Basic Parameters section when adding or updating a Route individually (see above).


Huntstop 


This must be either a "0" or "1", when adding or updating a Route individually.  If the Parameter is set, it instructs the Softswitch to stop hunting routes when the Connection associated with the Route has been reached in the process.  A failure code will be returned to the caller if an attempt to send the call to the Connection fails.


Forbidden


This must be either a "0" or "1", when adding or updating a Route individually (see above).  A "0" indicates that the geographic region associated with the Prefix is permitted.  A "1" indicates that the associated geographic region is forbidden. 


To add, update, or delete one or more Routes, you will need to enter values under the Action [A|D|U|S|SA] ("Action") column associated with the row of the Route you wish to add, update, or delete. 


Activation Date and Expiration Date


The Activation and Expiration Dates determine when a particular route and rate is used for a specific time frame.  The values must be expressed as Activation Date "now" and Expiration Date "never", or a specified date and time.  Date value to be expressed in "DD-MM-YYYY" and 24hr time format expressed as "HH:MM:SS".  For Example "09-10-2013 21:30:00".  The system will not recognize an activation date in the past, and will disregard Expiration dates set in the past.


To add a new Route for a given Prefix, insert a new row below the existing rows.  On the new row, enter "A" under the Action column.  You must enter values under each of the columns, except the Id and Country columns.  The Id and Country columns are automatically generated for the Route and for the Country in accordance with the Prefix.  You must ensure that the Prefix you enter is not already associated with a Route in the system, otherwise the system will generate an error message.


To update an existing Route by Id, enter U under the Action column of the Route you wish to update.  Update the desired values corresponding to that Route, do not edit the Id (because the system identifies a Route by its Id, and editing that Id means that the system cannot identify the Route you wish to update).


To update an existing Route by Prefix, insert a new row below the existing rows. On this new row, enter "S" under the Action column and the Prefix you wish to update.  Note that in this case, the system identifies a Route by its (unique) Prefix, rather than by its Id. This method of updating a Route, by identifying it by its Prefix rather than by its Id is useful when you have a long list of Routes (e.g., hundreds or thousands), this is because you can update Route values corresponding to the Prefix without knowing the Id.


To add a new Rate for a given Prefix or update the existing Route associated with the Prefix, insert a new row below the existing rows.  On this new row, enter "SA" under the Action column.  You must enter values under each of the columns, except the Id and Country columns, since the Id is automatically generated for the Route by the system and the Country is automatically generated in accordance with the Prefix.  In this case, you need not ensure that the Prefix you enter is not already associated with a Route in the system. If the Prefix is not already associated with a Route, the system adds the new Route, functioning in the same way as add a new Rate for a given Prefix (A).  If the Prefix is already associated with a Route, the system updates that Rate with the new values you enter, functioning in the same way as update an existing Rate by Prefix (S).


To delete an existing Route, enter D under the Action column.



When you are done adding, updating, or deleting Rates in your spreadsheet application, save the file.  On the Routes page associated with the Destination Set, under the Upload Rates section, select Choose File.  Select the saved Routes file, and then select Upload.

If your modifications have been successfully made, a dialog box appears indicating the number of rows processed, commands recognized, and records added, updated, and deleted. In this case, select OK.



If your modifications have not been successfully made, the system prompts you to open or download (depending on your internet browser's specifications) an .xls file detailing the errors found in the Error Message column associated with a Route. In this case, correct the errors found in the saved Routes file and upload the corrected file.





Note: Import & Export of the destination Sets require the same versions of Systems that are involved in the process. So update of both systems required for proper work of such a functionality.