Quick Start
When you first log into the m3ter Console and have selected an Organization, the Dashboard opens:
You can jump right in from the Dashboard and work through a 4-step Getting Started workflow - you'll quickly see how easy it is to set things up in m3ter for usage-based pricing on your products and services.
This topic guides you through the four-step Getting Started workflow to create and configure key m3ter entities for implementing usage-based pricing. However, performing this Quick Start is not intended to give you full working configuration knowledge of these m3ter entities and their dependencies with other parts of the system. At each step, links to full coverage topics are given, and we strongly recommend that you review this full coverage before attempting to configure your production environment.
Quick Start Experience! Worked Examples with Video Walkthroughs: You can 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, Plans, and Pricing:
1. From your Dashboard in the Getting Started panel under Step 1, select Create a product. The Products>Create page opens.
2. 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. Your new Product is added to your Organization and you are returned to the Dashboard where Step 1 shows as completed.
Full Details on Creating Products? See Create and Manage Products.
Second: Create a Meter
Create Meters to collect usage data for customers who consume your Product:
1. From your Dashboard in the Getting Started panel under Step 2, select Create a meter. The Meters>Create page opens.
2. Use the Product drop-down to select the Product you created at Step 1.
Tip: Global Meter? 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.
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 storage Product and you want to charge for this Product on the basis of the cumulative volume of files stored on your service per billing period.
To meet this example, you can enter details for a single numeric quantity field of type Measure to collect usage data on the volume of files stored:
5. Select Create Meter. The new Meter is added to your Product and you are returned to the Dashboard where Step 2 shows as completed.
What are Derived Fields? These 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
Create Aggregations to define specific units of measurement of usage data collected by your Meters. You can then use these Aggregations as metrics for pricing your Product Plans:
1. From your Dashboard in the Getting Started panel under Step 3, select Create an aggregation. The Aggregations>Create page opens.
2. Use the drop-down to select the Product you want to create the Aggregation for.
3. 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.
4. Enter the Meter Settings for the Aggregation. You can create an Aggregation that targets the numeric File Volume Data Field on the Files Stored Meter created in Step 2:
5. 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 500 for this setting, which means that the unit pricing rates we configure for Product Plans will be applied per 500 units - if the summed amount of storage recorded on an Account for a billing period is 2,500 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 those sections.
6. Select Create Aggregation. The Aggregation is added to your Product and you are returned to the Dashboard where Step 3 shows as completed.
Full Details on Creating and Configuring Aggregations? See Reviewing Aggregation Options and Creating Aggregations.
Fourth: Set Up Plans and Pricing
Create Product Plan Templates/Plans and define pricing for Plans using Aggregations:
1. From your Dashboard in the Getting Started panel under Step 4, select Go to pricing editor. The Pricing Editor page opens. A pricing readiness indicator shows you've completed only 50% of the prerequisite configuration, because you haven't yet created any Plan Templates/Plans for your new Product.
2. Select the Create a plan template hotlink text. 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 these sections.
4. Select Create Plan Template. The Plan Template is created for your Product and you are returned to the Pricing Editor page, where the pricing readiness indicator now shows as 75% complete.
5. Select the Create a plan hotlink text. The Plans>Create page opens.
6. On the Plan Details panel:
Select the Plan Template you've just created for the Product.
Enter a Name and Code for the new Plan, which will be based on the Plan Template.
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.
7. Select Create Plan. The Plan is created for your Product and you are returned to the Pricing Editor page, where the pricing readiness indicator is no longer shown since you've completed all of the required prerequisite configuration and can now apply a pricing to your new Product Plan.
8. Select Add Plans. A Select Plans dialog opens and lists the new Product Plan.
9. 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.
10. Select Add Aggregations. A Select Aggregations dialog opens.
11. Check the Aggregation you created for the Product at Step 3 above and select Confirm. The dialog closes and the Aggregation 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 Pricing>Create page opens with a summary of the Plan and the Aggregation shown at the top of the page.
13. Select the Pricing Type you want to configure for your Product Plan - select Tiered pricing and select Next. The page adjusts to allow you to set up a tiered pricing structure.
14. 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 pricing rates you configure for the Plan - such as File Storage Charges.
15. Use the Pricing Settings panel to define pricing bands for the tiered pricing. In this example, we'll set up two pricing bands:
Pricing Configuration? See Reviewing Pricing Options for Plans and Plan Templates.
16. 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:
You now have a usage-based pricing Plan set up for your new Product and you can attach this Plan to a customer Account that consumes your Product. Metered Bills will be produced by the m3ter service based on this pricing and the usage data collected for the Account.
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.
Note: When you've completed the Getting Started workflow and created at least one Product for your Organization and added a Meter, Aggregation, and priced Plan, the Getting Started panel will disappear from the Dashboard page.
Next: Getting to know the m3ter Platform
Additional Support
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