Creating and Managing Control Plans

Creating Control Plans

You can create a control plan from a blank canvas or create a control plan from an existing control plan structure.

Creating a Control Plan from a Blank Canvas

When creating a control plan from a blank canvas, you can configure feature nodes as you add them to the control plan or any time after adding them.

To create a new control plan from a blank canvas:

From the Control Plan Editor File menu, select New.

The CPE displays a new control plan in the canvas, consisting of a single Start node.
Locate the feature nodes in the feature palette that you want to add to the control plan and drag them to the canvas.

Tips:
- To quickly find a feature node, enter search criteria for the feature node in the Search Palette field.
- You can copy and paste feature nodes from another control plan. The feature node configuration will also be copied.
Position the feature nodes to define the service-logic and then connect them by dragging lines from the exits on each feature node to the next feature node or nodes in the control plan.

Note: All feature node exits must be connected before the control plan is valid.
Configure the feature nodes in the control plan. For each feature node, perform the following steps:
1. Open the feature node configuration dialog box by doing one of the following:
  - Double-click the feature node.
  - Right-click the feature node and select Edit Node Data.
  - Click the Edit Node Data button for the feature node in the search results or in the node inspector panel.
2. Enter the configuration data required by the control plan. For information on the configuration fields click the Help button in the feature node configuration dialog box.
3. Click Save.
Note: You must configure all the feature nodes to complete the control plan.
Verify that the control plan is complete.
1. Click the check mark button on the toolbar:
  
  The Check Report dialog box appears, displaying a message that verifies whether or not the control plan is complete.
2. Click OK.
3. If the control plan is complete, proceed to the next step. If the control plan is not complete, complete the control plan before proceeding to the next step.
Tip: On the canvas, unconfigured feature nodes are colored pink. To find all unconfigured feature nodes, select Unconfigured nodes from the search canvas list.
Click the Save button in the tool bar or select Save from the File menu.

The Save Data/Structure dialog box appears.
In the Plan Structure field, enter a unique name for the control plan structure.
In the Control Plan Data field, enter a name for the control plan data:
- If you want to reuse the control plan structure with different set of data, give the data a unique name.
- To make the control plan a global service control plan, give the control plan data the name Global Screeningservice_name, where service_name is the name of the service to which the control plan applies. For example, Global Screening ACS. The service name must correspond to the service name defined in the acs.conf configuration file for the appropriate application.
(Optional) In the MF Identifier field, specify an MF identifier of up to eight digits for the control plan.

Note: You use the MF identifier in the Activate Control Plan feature node in dial-up management control plans such as the ACS Management control plan.
(Available only to ACS administrators with privilege level 6 or 7.)

To make the control plan structure a public control plan structure, select the Public Structure check box.
(Optional) If you want the structure to appear as a template in the ACS Numbers window, select the Show In Template Grid check box.
(May not be available to all users.)

If the control plan is to be invoked by a third party or imported through WSDL, select the WSDL operation from the Generate WSDL for operation list.
Click Save.

The CPE validates, compiles, and then saves the new control plan. For information about control plan validation, see Validating Control Plans.

Related Information

For information about simultaneously connecting multiple node exits from a source feature node to a target feature node, see Connecting Feature Nodes.
For information about deleting connections between feature nodes, see Deleting a Feature Node Connection.
For more information about control plans, see CPE User's Guide.
For information about viewing a control plan WSDL file in the OSD Operations tab, see OSD User's and Technical Guide.
For information about importing a control plan WDSL file into DAP, see DAP User's Guide.
For information about control plan templates, see ACS User's Guide.

Creating a Control Plan from an Existing Structure

You can use an existing control plan structure to create a new control plan. You can also modify the existing structure and save it as a new structure.

For information about control plan structure and data, see About Control Plan Structures and Data.

To create a new control plan from an existing control plan structure:

From the Control Plan Editor File menu, select New Plan from Existing Structure.

The New Control Plan From Existing Structure dialog box opens, displaying a list of all control plan structures.

Note: You may restrict the list of control plan structures by using the search and filtering functions. You may perform steps 2 and 3 in either order.
(Optional) You can restrict the list by searching for existing structure names containing specific characters to use:
- Use the Control Plan Name and enter initial characters of the structure name or combine with % (match on any number of characters), or _ (match on a single character).
  
  Examples:
  
  Search for e%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e and containing SMS.
  
  Search for e_han%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e, containing the string han in positions 3 to 5, and containing SMS.
- The list can be further restricted by entering a maximum number of names to show in the Max Rows field.
Click the Search button.
(Optional) Filter the list of available control plan structures:
- From the Structure Status options, select one of the following:
  - Show All Regardless Of Structure Status to list all control plan structures
  - Show Only Public to list only public control plan structures
  - Show Only Private to list only private control plan structures
- From the Availability Status options, select one of the following:
  - Show All Regardless Of Availability Status to list all control plan structures
  - Show Only Saved with errors to list only control plan structures for unsuccessfully compiled control plans
  - Show Only Saved without errors to list only control plan structures for successfully compiled control plans
Select the required control plan structure in the list.
If you will be editing the control plan structure then deselect the Open Structure as Read-Only check box.
Click Open.

The CPE displays the control plan structure in the canvas.
If you opened the control plan structure for editing, then update the structure as required by adding or deleting feature nodes.
Edit the configuration for the feature nodes in the control plan as required. For each feature node, perform the following steps:
1. Open the feature node configuration dialog box by doing one of the following:
  - Double-click the feature node.
  - Right-click the feature node and select Edit Node Data.
  - Click the Configure button for the feature node in the search results or in the node inspector panel.
2. Enter the configuration data required by the control plan. For information on the configuration fields, click the Help button in the feature node configuration dialog box.
3. Click Save.
Tip: To quickly find a feature node in the control plan, enter search criteria for the feature node in the Search Canvas field.
Verify that the control plan is complete.
1. Click the check mark button on the toolbar:
  
  The Check Report dialog box appears, displaying a message that verifies whether or not the control plan is complete.
2. Click OK.
3. If the control plan is not complete, complete it before proceeding to the next step.
Tip: On the canvas, unconfigured feature nodes are colored pink. To find all unconfigured feature nodes, select Unconfigured nodes from the search canvas list.
Click the Save button in the tool bar or select Save from the File menu.

The Save Data/Structure dialog box appears.
If you changed the control plan structure, then in the Plan Structure field, enter a unique name for the control plan structure.

Important: If you change the control plan structure and then save the control plan structure with the same name, any other control plans linked to this structure will be invalidated.
In the Control Plan Data field, enter a name for the control plan data:
- If you changed the control plan structure, or if you did not change the control plan structure and you want to reuse it with different set of data, give the data a unique name.
- To make the control plan a global service control plan, give the control plan data the name Global Screeningservice_name, where service_name is the name of the service to which the control plan applies. For example, Global Screening ACS. The service name must correspond to the service name defined in the acs.conf configuration file for the appropriate application.
Important: If you change the control plan data and then save the control plan data using an existing name, this version of the data will be overwritten.
(Optional) In the MF Identifier field, specify an MF identifier of up to eight digits for the control plan.

Note: You use the MF identifier in the Activate Control Plan node in dial-up management control plans such as the ACS Management control plan.
(Available only to ACS administrators with privilege level 6 or 7.)

If you changed the control plan structure and want to make the structure a public control plan structure, select the Public Structure check box.
(Optional) If you want the structure to appear as a template in the ACS Numbers window, select the Show In Template Grid check box.
(May not be available to all users.)

If the control plan is to be invoked by a third party or imported through WSDL, select the WSDL operation from the Generate WSDL for operation list.
Click Save.

The CPE validates and compiles the new control plan, and then saves it. For more information about control plan validation, see Validating Control Plans.

Related Information

For information about simultaneously connecting multiple node exits from a source feature node to a target feature node, see Connecting Feature Nodes.
For information about deleting connections between feature nodes, see Deleting a Feature Node Connection.
For more information about control plans, see CPE User's Guide.
For information about viewing a control plan WSDL file in the OSD Operations tab, see OSD User's and Technical Guide.
For information about importing a control plan WDSL file into DAP, see DAP User's Guide.
For information about control plan templates, see ACS User's Guide.

Adding Sub-control Plans to a Control Plan

A sub-control plan is a control plan that is processed as part of the main control plan. When the sub-control plan finishes processing the session data, it passes the session data back to the main control plan to continue processing.

To add a sub-control plan to a control plan:

Open the control plan for which you want to add a sub-control plan if it is not open already.

Important: Because you will be modifying the control plan structure, ensure you deselect the Open Structure as Read-Only check box in the Open Existing Control Plan dialog box.
In the feature palette, open the Others group of feature nodes and click and drag a Load Sub Control Plan feature node to the canvas.
Double-click the Load Sub Control Plan feature node icon.

The Configure Load Sub Control Plan window opens.
From the list next to the View button, select the control plan you want to run as a sub-control plan.
Click Save.

The Configure Load Sub Control Plan window closes and you are returned to the control plan in the canvas.
Connect the Load Sub Control Plan feature node to other feature nodes in the service-logic where you want the sub-control plan to be triggered.

Related Information

For more information about the Load Sub Control Plan feature node, see Network Charging and Control Feature Nodes Reference Guide.
For information about connecting feature nodes, see Connecting Feature Nodes.
For more information about sub-control plans, see CPE User's Guide.

Adding Comments to a Control Plan

You can annotate a control plan with comments so that other users can quickly see what the control plan does. You add comments to control plans by using Control Plan Notes.

Note: You do not connect Control Plan Notes to feature nodes in the service-logic.

To add a comment to a control plan:

In the feature palette, open the Base group of feature nodes and click and drag the Control Plan Notes icon to the canvas. Place the note where you want the comment to appear.
Double click the note box.

The Edit Comments dialog box appears.
Type your comment in the text area, and click OK.

Validating Control Plans

When you save a control plan, it is automatically validated and compiled if there are no errors.

To successfully compile a control plan, all the feature nodes in the control plan must contain valid configuration data and all the feature node exits must be connected.

A control plan can be saved with errors if it contains either unconnected exits or if a feature node in the control plan has been configured with invalid data. Control plans saved with errors have the status "E".

Only successfully compiled control plans that do not contain errors may be assigned to a service, and used to provide service-logic. Successfully compiled control plans have the status "S".

Note: If you opened the control plan structure or the control plan data as Read-Only, the read-only part will not be compiled or saved because it contains no changes.

When you save a control plan, the compiler compiles the control plan structure first, and then the control plan data. If the compiler finds any errors in the control plan structure, then the control plan data will not compile. You must fix the errors and try again.

Saving a Control Plan with Errors

If you save a control plan and it contains an unconfigured feature node, the following message is displayed in an Information dialog box

Information, Node NodeNumber is not configured.

Where NodeNumber is the number of the unconfigured feature node. You can click:

Cancel to close the Information dialog box.
Delete to delete the unconfigured feature node.
Configure to open the configuration window for the feature node.
Save Anyway to save the control plan with errors.

Saving a Control Plan with Warnings

If you save a control plan and it contains a feature node with warnings, the following message is displayed in an Information dialog box

This plan has one or more warnings

You can click:

Cancel to close the Information dialog box.
Attempt Compile to compile the plan.
Save Only to save the control plan without compiling it.

Viewing the Compiler Build Report

The compiler displays the progress of the compilation, and whether the compile succeeded or failed.

Modifying Control Plans

Modify a control plan to edit the control plan structure, or the control plan data, or both.

Modifying a Control Plan

To modify a control plan:

From the Control Plan Editor File menu, select Open.

The Open Existing Control Plan dialog box opens, displaying a list of all control plans.

Note: You may restrict the list of control plans by using the search and filtering functions. You may perform steps 2 and 3 in either order.
(Optional) You can restrict the list by searching for control plan names containing specific characters:
- Use the Control Plan Name and enter initial characters of the control plan name or combine with % (match on any number of characters), or _ (match on a single character).
  
  Examples:
  
  Search for e%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e and containing SMS.
  
  Search for e_han%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e, containing the string han in positions 3 to 5, and containing SMS.
- The list can be further restricted by entering a maximum number of names to show in the Max Rows field.
Click the Search button.
(Optional) Filter the list of available control plans:
- From the Structure Status options, select one of the following:
  - Show All Regardless Of Structure Status to list all control plans
  - Show Only Public to list only public control plans
  - Show Only Private to list only private control plans
- From the Availability Status options, select one of the following:
  - Show All Regardless Of Availability Status to list all control plans
  - Show Only Saved with errors to list only unsuccessfully compiled control plans
  - Show Only Saved without errors to list only successfully compiled control plans
In the list of control plans, select the control plan to modify.
If you will be editing the control plan structure then deselect the Open Structure as Read-Only check box.
Click Open.

The CPE displays the control plan in the canvas.
If you opened the control plan structure for editing, add and delete feature nodes as required.
Connect exits to and from any unconnected feature nodes you added to the control plan.
Edit the configuration for the feature nodes in the control plan as required. Double click the feature node to open its configuration dialog box.
Verify that the control plan is complete.
1. Click the check mark button on the toolbar.
  
  The Check Report dialog box appears, displaying a message that verifies whether or not the control plan is complete.
2. Click OK.
3. If the control plan is complete, proceed to the next step. If the control plan is not complete, complete the control plan before proceeding to the next step.
  
  Tip: On the canvas, unconfigured feature nodes are colored pink. To find all unconfigured feature nodes, select Unconfigured nodes from the search canvas list.
Click the Save button in the tool bar or select Save from the File menu.

The Save Data/Structure dialog box appears.
If you changed the control plan structure and you don't want to overwrite the original structure, then in the Plan Structure field, enter a unique name for the control plan structure.

Important: If you change the control plan structure and then save the control plan structure with the same name, any other control plans linked to this structure will be invalidated.
If you do not want to overwrite the original control plan data, then in the Control Plan Data field, enter a new name for the control plan data.
(Optional) In the MF Identifier field, specify an MF identifier of up to eight digits for the control plan.

Note: You use the MF Identifier in the Activate Control Plan node in dial-up management control plans such as the ACS Management control plan.
(Available only to ACS administrators with privilege level 6 or 7.)

If you changed the control plan structure and want to make the control plan structure a public control plan structure, select the Public Structure check box.
(Optional) If you want the structure to appear as a template in the ACS Numbers window, select the Show In Template Grid check box.
(May not be available to all users.)

If the control plan is to be invoked by a third party or imported through WSDL, select the WSDL operation from the Generate WSDL for operation list.
Click Save.

The CPE validates, compiles and then saves the control plan. For more information about control plan validation, see Validating Control Plans.

Related Information

For more information about configuring a specific feature node, click the Help button in the feature node's configuration window.
For information about finding feature nodes in the control plan, see Searching for Feature Nodes in the CPE Canvas.
For information about simultaneously connecting multiple node exits from a source feature node to a target feature node, see Connecting Feature Nodes.
For information about deleting connections between feature nodes, see Deleting a Feature Node Connection.
For information about deleting a feature node, see Removing Feature Nodes from a Control Plan
For more information about control plans, see CPE User's Guide.
For information about viewing a control plan WSDL file in the OSD Operations tab, see OSD User's and Technical Guide.
For information about importing a control plan WDSL file into DAP, see DAP User's Guide.
For information about control plan templates, see ACS User's Guide.

Adding Feature Node Comments

You can add comments of up to 2000 characters in length for each feature node in the control plan.

To add a comment to a feature node.

Open the Comments dialog box by doing one of the following:
- Double click the feature node to open its configuration dialog box and click the Comments button.
- Click the Comments button that appears when you place the mouse pointer over the feature node in the search results panel or the node inspector panel:
Type a comment for the feature node.
Click Save.

Removing Feature Nodes from a Control Plan

When you remove a feature node from a control plan, the CPE also deletes all the connections to and from the feature node.

To remove one or more feature nodes, select the feature nodes you want to remove, and click the Delete button on the toolbar:

Deleting Control Plans

You can delete the following:

Control plans that are inactive. A control plan is inactive until it is activated by assigning it to a Service Number or CLI. When you delete an inactive control plan, the CPE deletes only the control plan data; it does not delete the control plan structure. See Deleting an Inactive Control Plan.
Control plan structures that are unused. A control plan structure is unused if it does not have any control plan data records linked to it. See Deleting an Unused Control Plan Structure.

For more information on control plan structures and data, see About Control Plan Structures and Data.

Deleting an Inactive Control Plan

To delete an inactive control plan:

From the Control Plan Editor File menu, select Delete Data.

The Delete Non-Active Control Plan dialog box opens, listing the inactive control plans.

Note: You may restrict the list of control plans by using the search and filtering functions. You may perform steps 2 and 3 in either order.
(Optional) You can restrict the list by searching for existing control plan names containing specific characters to use:
- Use the Control Plan Name and enter initial characters of the structure name or combine with % (match on any number of characters), or _ (match on a single character).
  
  Examples:
  
  Search for e%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e and containing SMS.
  
  Search for e_han%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e, containing the string han in positions 3 to 5, and containing SMS.
- The list can be further restricted by entering a maximum number of names to show in the Max Rows field.
Click the Search button.
(Optional) Filter the list of control plans available for deletion:
1. In the Structure Status section, select the control plan structure status to display only control plans with the selected status.
2. In the Availability Status section, select the control plan availability status to display only control plans with the selected status.
In the control plan list, select the control plan to delete.

Tip: Use the Shift or Ctrlkey when selecting control plans to select multiple control plans.
Click Delete.

A confirmation message is displayed.
Click OK.

The Delete Non-Active Control Plan dialog box closes and the control plan data record for the selected control plan is deleted.

Note: The CPE does not delete the control plan structure.

Deleting an Unused Control Plan Structure

To delete an unused control plan structure:

From the Control Plan Editor File menu, select Delete Structure.

The Delete Unused Structure dialog box opens, listing the control plan structures that have no control plan data linked to them.

Note: You may restrict the list of control plan structures by using the search and filtering functions. You may perform steps 2 and 3 in either order.
(Optional) You can restrict the list by searching for existing structure names containing specific characters:
- Use the Control Plan Name and enter initial characters of the structure name or combine with % (match on any number of characters), or _ (match on a single character).
  
  Examples:
  
  Search for e%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e and containing SMS.
  
  Search for e_han%SMS will find all structure names beginning with e, containing the string han in positions 3 to 5, and containing SMS.
- The list can be further restricted by entering a maximum number of names to show in the Max Rows field.
Click the Search button.
(Optional) Filter the list of control plan structures available for deletion:
1. In the Structure Status section, select the control plan structure status to display only control plans with the selected status.
2. In the Availability Status section, select the control plan availability status to display only control plans with the selected status.
In the control plan structure list, select the structure to delete.
Click Delete.

A prompt giving the number of feature nodes in the control plan is displayed.
Click OK.

The Delete Unused Structure dialog box closes and the control plan structure is deleted.

Importing and Exporting Control Plans

About Importing and Exporting Control Plans

Export a control plan to a file to save the control plan so that you can import it into another database or to the same database but for another customer.

When you export a control plan, you create a .cpl text file. You can open and edit a .cpl file using any plain text editor. A summary of the control plan is provided at the beginning of the file. To add a comment to the text, start the line with a “#” character.

Additionally, you can export a control plan to an image file. The supported formats are PNG, JPEG, and GIF. The default format is PNG.

For more information about saving and compiling control plans, see Validating Control Plans.

Exporting a Control Plan to File

To export a control plan to a file:

From the Control Plan Editor File menu, select Open.

The Open Existing Control Plan dialog box opens.
(Optional) Filter the list of available control plans:
1. In the Structure Status section, select the control plan structure status to display only control plans with the selected status.
2. In the Availability Status section, select the control plan availability status to display only control plans with the selected status.
In the control plan list, select the control plan you want to export and click Open.

The control plan is displayed in the canvas.
From the File menu, select Export to file.

The Save dialog box opens.
Navigate to the folder where you want to save the control plan.
In the File name field, enter the control plan name.

The CPE saves the control plan to the specified file name, and adds a text-based summary of the control plan to the beginning of the file.
Click Save.

Control Plan Export and Import Validation

When a control plan is exported on one SMS and then imported into another, you are exposed to the probable database differences between the two environments, because the exported parameter format of many CPE feature nodes makes explicit reference to database ID values.

During the export process, most of database IDs used within feature nodes are translated to a plain text name. When imported in to the new environment, these names are then associated with a new database ID within that environment.

Some feature nodes store database IDs inside profile tag selector objects. The exported form of these nodes cannot be made platform independent. For these feature nodes, on control plan import, there are warnings in that the plan contains problematic nodes, identifying each one by number and name.

Importing a Control Plan from File

When you import a control plan for a customer, the customer's feature node set should include all the feature nodes in the control plan. Otherwise, the CPE displays a warning for each feature node that the customer does not have, informing you that a specific feature node is not available, and that the control plan may not be saved with that feature node in it.

To import a control plan from file:

From the Control Plan Editor File menu, select Import from file.

The Open dialog box opens.
Navigate to the folder containing the control plan file you want to import.

The CPE displays the control plan file in the File name field.
Click Open.

The CPE imports the control plan and displays it in the CPE canvas in the Control Plan Editor window.

The control plan is validated. If any feature nodes contain errors or warnings the Issues tab, listing the issues, is displayed in the search results panel. All feature nodes containing issues are colored orange.
Resolve any issues identified.
Save the control plan.

This compiles the control plan and thus ensures that the control plan is valid for the customer for whom it has been imported.

Troubleshooting Control Plans Using Control Plan Tracing

The control plan tracing feature of the CPE helps you to locate errors in your control plan by finding which feature nodes in the control plan are referenced during service-logic processing. You typically copy data from a CDR to use in the control plan trace.

For more information about control plan tracing, see CPE User's Guide.

Tracing a Control Plan

To trace the feature nodes referenced in a session:

If necessary, open the control plan applicable to the trace you want to perform.

Note: If you want to modify the control plan structure, deselect the Open Structure as Read-Only check box in the Open Existing Control Plan dialog box.
From the drop down list next to the canvas search field, select the Control Plan Trace search type.
In the search field, type the control plan trace string, or copy and paste it from a text file such as a CDR. The control plan trace string must have the following format:
```
fastkey-number,fastkey-number,fastkey-number,fastkey-number, ...
```
Where:
- fastkey is the short code used by the CPE for the feature node. For example, AT is the Attempt Termination feature node fast key.
- number is the number assigned to a feature node in the control plan. This number identifies the required feature node when the same type of feature node occurs more than once in the control plan.
Note: The CPE will automatically perform a control plan trace if you enter a search value that starts with "ST-". ST is the fast key for the Start feature node, and using this value implies a control plan trace.

The feature nodes referenced in the trace are highlighted in the control plan, and are listed in the search results.
To clear the control plan trace string, in the search field click the X icon: