-- Call Detail Reporting Guide -- September 2000 -- Page 8 --
You must purchase and install MicroSoft’s SQL 7 data base server software. Using the AltiGen provided
External Logger Service program, you can achieve a centralized repository for all CDR records coming
from one or more AltiServ systems. This is centralized CDR. Each AltiServ system records its node id in
all the records it sends to the External Logger Service. Up to two separate central repositories can also be
supported, one for an SQL 7 database if desired, and one for the TriVium reporting package.
TriVium is using a
customized version
of the External Logger Service, to centralize the CDR records for
one or more AltiServ systems. This is a special case of a partnership. AltiGen generally will only support
the MS SQL 7.0 or MS SQL 2000 database application users and TriVium.
3. 0 Backing Up and Installing AltiWare’s CDR records
As in the past, AltiWare users can simply enter the AltiServ system via Windows on the server, and copy
the AltiWare CDR database file (altiserv/db/icc_cdr.dbf ) file to the same file name in an alternative
location. Then you can open the .dbf file using MicroSoft’s Excel or any other program supporting .dbf file
format. From Excel, you can save the file to any of the other types supported by Excel, including comma
delimited text file.
The benefits of this method are its simplicity and speed of examining the data.
The liabilities of this method are:
It requires you to directly access the AltiServ system while it is servicing calls.
The use of Excel may be adequate for you, but it does not provide the reports found in the bundled solution.
It does not permit reasonable consolidation of multi-site CDR data, though with real work you can combine
multiple Excel spreadsheets into one. The raw CDR data does not contain statistical elements found in
reporting packages: counts, sums, averages, and certain statistical measures such as ASA and service
levels. Most of all – the entire database must be copied. AltiWare keeps track of all calls entering the
system since the last record over-written in the database. That is, the database is one large file buffer,
keeping an enormous number of call records in proportion to the allocated disk space for this file, which for
most customers can be up to 60 days of calls. Hence copying this large file to examine the last few days of
call traffic seems somewhat awkward. When you use the External Logger Service, the reporting tool can
manage its own file sizes and time span of interest
.
4.0 External Logger Service
Quick Overview: The External Logger Service program is installed in the following manner
1) You, or your dealer, obtain the AltiWare OE 4.0 CDROM.
2) The CDROM is placed into the target server CDROM drive, and examined through Windows Explorer
or similar mechanism. Find the
External Logger Service
directory and find the setup file.
3) Running setup, the External Logger Service install program will first look for, configure, and install
the External Logger Service and configure the CDR data schema into the MSQL7 database service.
4) After starting the ELS, and after configuring the AltiWare external CDR options, the AltiServ system
begins delivering CDR records and the Logger Service writes these records into the MSQL7 database.
