Quick Start
When you first log into the m3ter Console and have selected an Organization, the Dashboard opens. If you are new to the m3ter Console and have opened a fresh Organization where no configuration work has yet been carried out, you can follow the quick start workflow given in this topic, which introduces key m3ter entities you'll need to create and configure in order to implement usage-based pricing or unit-based pricing.
Quick Start Experience!
Check Full Coverage. At each step, you'll find links to full coverage topics for these key m3ter entities and their dependencies with other parts of the system. We strongly recommend that you review this full coverage before attempting to set up your production environment.
Worked Examples with Video Walkthroughs. You can also follow some worked examples with video walkthroughs showing how to set up usage-based pricing for SaaS products in the m3ter platform, submit some test usage data, and go on to check Bills.
Working in the m3ter Console? For more details on working in the m3ter Console see the m3ter Console page. This includes a Console Orientation video which gives you a guided tour of the Console layout and its features .
First: Create a Product
A Product in m3ter represents a product or service that you offer to your end customers. You can use a Product to group together Meters, Aggregations, Counters, Plan Templates, Plans, and Pricing:
1. Select Products.
2. Select Create Product. The Create page opens.
3. Enter the new Product details:
Name. Enter a descriptive name for your Product.
Code. Unique identifier for the Product. You will need the Code as a unique id when submitting API calls, such as a call to retrieve a Product.
Note that when you've entered a name and then click in the Code field, the field is auto-populated with a default code string based on the name you've entered. You can edit this as required.
Custom Fields? These are optional and you can ignore them for now.
3. Select Create Product. The new Product is added to your Organization and you are returned to the Product details page:
Full Details on Creating Products? See Create and Manage Products.
Second: Create a Meter
You can create Meters in m3ter to collect usage data for end-customers who consume your Product:
1. Select Metering>Meters.
2. For Product: select the Product you created above and then select Create Meter. The Meters>Create page opens.
3. Enter the new Meter Details:
Name. Descriptive name for the Meter.
Code. Used as unique id when submitting API calls, such as a call to update a Meter.
4. Add the Data fields you need to collect usage data:
For example, suppose you offer your customers a cloud based build-and-host application service for developers and you want to charge for this Product in two ways:
By applying unit-based pricing for the number of developer licenses your end-customer subscribes to in any given billing period.
By applying usage-based pricing for the cumulative volume of files stored by developers on your service per billing period.
For the usage-based pricing in this example, you can create Meter with a single numeric quantity field of type Measure to collect usage data on the volume of files stored:
Tip: Global Meters? You can create a Global Meter, which is not tied to a specific Product if you want to charge across several Products on the basis of the usage data the Meter collects. If you remove the selection, (Global) will show for Product.
5. Select Create Meter. The new Meter is added to your Product and you are taken to the Meter details page:
What are Derived Fields? Derived Fields are Meter data-collection fields you can add that perform a calculation on Meter Data Fields, Custom Fields, or Timestamp Fields.
Full Details on Creating and Configuring Meters? See Reviewing Meter Options and Creating Meters.
Third: Create an Aggregation
You can create Aggregations in m3ter to define specific units of measurement based on the usage data collected by your Meters. You can then use these Aggregations as metrics for applying usage-based pricing to your Product Plans:
1. Select Metering>Aggregations.
2. Select Create Aggregation. The Aggregations>Create page opens.
3. Use the drop-down to select the Product you want to create the Aggregation for.
4. Enter the new Aggregation details:
Name. Descriptive name for the Aggregation.
Code. Used as unique id when submitting API calls, such as a call to update an Aggregation.
5. Enter the Meter settings for the Aggregation. You can create an Aggregation that targets the numeric GigaBytes Stored Data Field on the Dev Store Meter 1 you created above:
6. Enter the Aggregation settings and use a Sum aggregation method to give the total volume of gigabytes stored:
Quantity per unit. This setting defines how much of a quantity equates to 1 unit to be used when setting the price per unit for billing purposes. Note that in this example, we've entered 50 for this setting, which means that the unit pricing rates we configure for Product Plans will be applied per 50 units - if the summed amount of storage recorded on an Account for a billing period is 250 gigabytes, then the Account will be charged at 5 x the unit price.
Other Aggregation Settings? You can leave Default Value, Segments, and Custom Fields for now. See Reviewing Aggregation Options for more information on these settings.
7. Select Create Aggregation. The Aggregation is added to your Product and you are taken to the Aggregation details page:
Full Details on Creating and Configuring Aggregations? See Reviewing Aggregation Options and Creating Aggregations.
Fourth: Create Counters
You can create Counters in m3ter, which you can then use as pricing metrics to apply unit-based pricing to Plan Templates and Plans. You can also use Counters to define unit quantities subscribed to by your end-customer Accounts. An Account is then billed according to the unit-based pricing rates you've configured for the Product Plans attached to the Account.
1. Select Metering>Counters.
2. Select Create Counter. The Counters>Create page opens.
3. Enter the new Counter Details:
Name. Descriptive name for the Counter.
Code. Used as unique id when submitting API calls, such as a call to update an Counter.
Product. Use the drop-down to select the Product you want to create the Counter for.
Unit. This will appear on Bill line items charged against the Counter:
4. Select Create Counter. The Counter is added to your Product and you are taken to the Counter details page:
Full Details on Creating and Configuring Counters? See Creating Counters and Pricing Plans.
Fifth: Create Plan Template and Plan
You can create Plan Templates for your Products and base Product Plans on these templates. Plan Templates and their derivative Plans define general billing attributes, such as currency, frequency and interval, and any minimum spend or standing charges to apply. You can then apply usage-based pricing using Aggregations or unit-based pricing using Counters to Plan Templates and Plans:
1. Select Pricing>Plan templates.
2. Select the Create Plan template. The Plan Templates>Create page opens.
3. Enter Plan template details:
Plan Template Configuration? You can leave the Standing Charge, Minimum Spend, and Custom Fields sections for now. See Reviewing Options for Plans and Plan Templates for more information on the settings for these sections.
4. Select Create Plan template. The Plan Template is created for your Product and you are taken to the Plan template details page:
You can now create a Plan based on the new Plan Template.
5. Select Pricing>Plans.
6. Select Create Plan, The Plans>Create page opens.
7. On the Plan details panel:
Select the Product.
Select the Plan template you've just created for the Product, which means the Plan will be based on the Plan Template.
Enter a Name and Code for the new Plan.
Plan Configuration? You can leave the Standing Charge, Minimum Spend, and Custom Fields sections for now. See Reviewing Options for Plans and Plan Templates for more information on these sections.
8. Select Create Plan. The Plan is created for your Product and you are returned to the Plan details page:
Sixth: Pricing a Plan
You can now apply a hybrid pricing to your new Product Plan using an Aggregation and a Counter:
1. Select Pricing>Pricing Editor.
2. Select Add Plans. A Select Plans dialog opens and lists the new Product Plan.
3. Check the Plan and select Confirm. The dialog closes and the selected Plan is added to the Pricing Editor in readiness for pricing:
Note that a warning will show: No active pricing configured.
You can now create both usage-based pricing and unit-based pricing for the Product Plan.
4. First: to create usage-based pricing select Add Aggregations. A Select Aggregations dialog opens.
5. Check the Aggregation you created above for the Product and select Confirm. The dialog closes and the Aggregation is added to the Pricing Editor in readiness to be used to price the Plan.
6. In the pricing grid, select Create Plan Pricing. The Pricing>Create page opens with a summary of the Plan and the Aggregation shown at the top of the page.
7. Enter Pricing details:
Start date and End date to define the time period the pricing will be applied to the Plan.
Description. Enter a description that will appear against any line items on Bills for charges due for Product consumption using the usage-based pricing rates you configure for the Plan - such as Dev Storage Charges.
8. Use the Pricing settings panel to define pricing bands for tiered Pricing type. In this example, we'll set up two Tiered pricing bands:
9. Select Create Pricing. You are returned to the Pricing Editor and the pricing structure you’ve configured using the Aggregation is shown in the pricing grid:
More on Pricing Configuration? See Reviewing Pricing Options for Plans and Plan Templates.
10. Second: to create unit-based pricing select Add Counters. A Select Counters dialog opens.
11. Check the Counter you created above for the Product and select Confirm. The dialog closes and the Counter is added to the Pricing Editor in readiness to be used to price the Plan.
12. In the pricing grid, select Create Plan Pricing. The Counter Pricing>Create page opens with a summary of the Plan and the Counter shown at the top of the page.
13. Enter Counter pricing details:
Start date and End date to define the time period the pricing will be applied to the Plan.
Description. Enter a description that will appear against any line items on Bills for charges due for Product consumption using the unit-based pricing rates you configure for the Plan - such as Dev License Charges:
14. Enter Counter pricing settings. In this example we've:
Left Running total billing at the default selection to Bill in arrears (end of each billing period).
Disabled the prorating settings - the defaults are to have these enabled.
Used the default Pricing type selection for a Tiered pricing structure.
Set up two Tiered pricing bands:
15. Select Create Counter pricing. You are returned to the Pricing Editor and the pricing structure you’ve configured using the Counter is shown in the pricing grid:
More on Counter Pricing Configuration? See Creating Counters and Pricing Plans.
You now have a Product Plan priced in a hybrid way for: (i) charge rates against metered usage data on storage volumes by Accounts; (ii) recurring charge rates against Dev Licenses quantities subscribed to on end-customer Accounts. You can attach this Plan to a customer Account that consumes your Product. Bills will be created accordingly by m3ter based on this hybrid pricing.
Full Coverage on Setting Up Plans and their Pricing? See Creating and Working with Plan Templates and Plans and Pricing and Managing Plans and Plan Templates.
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