Results for “cs_ctr_estimation_methods”

AI-generated from documented ETRM metadata — verify critical details on the linked pages.

Overview

CS_CTR_ESTIMATION_METHODS is a Service (CS) module table in the Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 schemas that stores the configuration records for Counter Estimation Methods. The table defines the rules by which a counter reading is estimated when an actual reading is unavailable, driving how the Estimating Counter functionality derives values for metered service contracts, usage-based billing, and counter-based warranty or entitlement calculations. Each row represents one estimation method that can be assigned to counters and counter groups so that periodic readings can be projected from a fixed value, a usage markup, a default value, or an average of prior readings.

Based on the foreign key structure mined from the ETRM metadata, the object carries a hub-leaning Data Vault classification. This suggests modeling CS_CTR_ESTIMATION_METHODS as a hub entity: ESTIMATION_ID is a stable, non-volatile business surrogate key, and the dependent descriptive attributes would naturally place as satellite data. The heuristic reflects that the table is referenced by multiple downstream tables rather than acting as a transactional link.

Key Information Stored

The primary key of the table is defined by the CS_CTR_ESTIMATION_METHODS_PK constraint on the ESTIMATION_ID column, which is the surrogate identifier for each method. No distinct business-key unique index is documented, so ESTIMATION_NAME functions as the primary candidate for a natural business key at the application level and should be treated as the human-readable identifier in reporting.

The most significant columns include:

• ESTIMATION_ID — surrogate primary key uniquely identifying the estimation method.
• ESTIMATION_NAME — the user-facing name of the method, the principal business-key candidate.
• ESTIMATION_DESCRIPTION — free-text description of the method and its intended use.
• ESTIMATION_TYPE — the algorithm category, driving whether the calculation uses a fixed value, markup, default, or averaging.
• FIXED_VALUE — the constant value applied when the method type is a fixed estimation.
• USAGE_MARKUP — the markup factor applied to usage when estimating by proportion.
• DEFAULT_VALUE — the fallback value used when no other reading source is available.
• COUNTER_GROUP_ID — foreign key to CS_COUNTER_GROUPS, scoping the method to a counter group.
• COUNTER_ID — the counter to which the method is bound, when applicable.
• ESTIMATION_AVG_TYPE — specifies the averaging basis used when averaging prior readings.
• START_DATE_ACTIVE / END_DATE_ACTIVE — the effective date range controlling when the method is active.
• OBJECT_VERSION_NUMBER — optimistic locking column used by the OAF/ADF layer.
• ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY and ATTRIBUTE1–ATTRIBUTE15 — the standard extensibility (DDF) columns for customer-defined attributes.
• Audit columns — LAST_UPDATE_DATE, LAST_UPDATED_BY, CREATION_DATE, CREATED_BY, and LAST_UPDATE_LOGIN capture who created and changed each row.

Common Use Cases and Queries

Typical reporting and diagnostic scenarios include listing active estimation methods for a given counter group, reconciling methods against counters, and validating that estimated readings tie back to a configured method. A representative query joins the method to its counter group and returns only methods currently in effect:

SELECT m.estimation_id, m.estimation_name, m.estimation_type, m.fixed_value, m.usage_markup, m.default_value
FROM cs_ctr_estimation_methods m
WHERE m.counter_group_id = :p_counter_group_id
AND TRUNC(SYSDATE) BETWEEN NVL(m.start_date_active, TRUNC(SYSDATE)) AND NVL(m.end_date_active, TRUNC(SYSDATE)+1);

A second common pattern links methods to the estimated readings they produced, supporting usage and billing reconciliation:

SELECT r.counter_id, r.estimation_id, m.estimation_name, m.estimation_type
FROM cs_ctr_estimated_readings r, cs_ctr_estimation_methods m
WHERE r.estimation_id = m.estimation_id
AND r.counter_id = :p_counter_id;

These queries support auditing that no counter is estimating against an expired method, and that default and fixed values are within expected tolerances.

Related Objects

The following objects participate in the documented foreign key relationships with CS_CTR_ESTIMATION_METHODS:

• CS_COUNTER_GROUPS — referenced by CS_CTR_ESTIMATION_METHODS.COUNTER_GROUP_ID; groups counters under a shared estimation policy.
• CS_COUNTERS — references this table via CS_COUNTERS.ESTIMATION_ID; binds each counter to its estimating method.
• CS_CTR_ESTIMATED_READINGS — references this table via ESTIMATION_ID; stores the estimated reading records generated by the method.

Because each counter and each estimated reading carries an ESTIMATION_ID pointing back to this table, changes to an estimation method can affect a broad population of counters and historical estimated readings. Maintenance of this table should therefore be coordinated with counter setup and contract billing cycles, and reporting should always join through ESTIMATION_ID rather than relying on method names, which are not enforced as a unique business key at the database level.