Bill Messages are errors that have occurred during the creating of the bill.
Bill Messages can be viewed from the Tenant Bill Run Management Activity and the Tenant Approve and Issue Bills Activity.
Some are for information, some will require actioning.
Message Severity
There are three levels of severity:
Info - a Tenant Bill will be created
- Examples:
- Bill cancelled
- Channel data gap was found for Channel
Warning - a Tenant Bill will be created
- Examples:
- No channels found under supply point meters
- Serious error occurred during validation of bill
Error - a Tenant Bill will NOT be created
- Examples:
No meters found under supply point
No tariffs could be found for account
Information on the types of Bill Messages and descriptions is available here.
Opening the Tenant Bill Run Management Activity
Click on Tenant Bill Run Management Activity to view the Bill Messages
Click on the Bill Run line to see the messages in the Bill Messages Section
Highlight the line to see the messages
Bill Messages Section
The table will show:
- Tenant Account Number
- Tenant Name
- Supply Point
- Level - Info, Warning or Error
- Message Type - see here for more details on the types
- Message - see here for more details on the descriptions
Right Click Option
Right click on a Message to Edit / View the Tenant Account
The Tenant Account Editor popup appears
Reviewing the Messages
Warning Bill Messages will cause a bill not be to created, so will need to be dealt with from the Tenant Bill Run Initiation Activity. Others can be dealt with from the Tenant Bill Initiation Activity or the Tenant Approve and Issue Bills Activity (see below for more details)
Info Message Example
T
Note: This is an Info Message and it is not mandatory to fill any gaps. However, if you want to charge your Tenant for a full period, you may want to fill any gaps.
Gap filling is done via you will need to go to the Events Activity
Click on Activities at the top of the screen
Click Events
The Events Activity shows
Data Selector
Click on the Site
Filter
Level - choose Warning
Selection type - choose Selected Items
Overview Period - choose the period
Click
The Warning Events for the Site you have selected, and time period will appear:
There maybe more than one exception.
Right click on the gap you want to fill
Click Edit Missing Data
The Exception - Edit Missing Data Activity opens
To view the gap in more detail, click on the data and scroll across the area
The graph will zoom in
Click to return to the original graph
Filling the Gap
There are 6 options
Four weekly average
Looks at the period of data over the previous four weeks and gives you an average provide to fill the gap
Note: if the gap is more than four weeks, this method will only fill the first four weeks. It would be advisable to import the actual data into Sigma, rather than filling the gap
Interpolation
A very basic gap filling tool. It looks at the last half hour period before the gap and the first half hour period straight after the gap and fills it with an average of those two figures
Three Month Average
Looks at the period of data over the previous three months and gives you an average provide to fill the gap
Note: if the gap is more than three months, this method will only fill the first four weeks. It would be advisable to import the actual data into Sigma, rather than filling the gap
Six Month Average
Looks at the period of data over the previous six months and gives you an average provide to fill the gap
Note: if the gap is more than six months, this method will only fill the first four weeks. It would be advisable to import the actual data into Sigma, rather than filling the gap
Existing Data Set
Choose from the dropdown of existing Periodic Channels associated with the Site
Manual Entry
Allows you to add a figure for the consumption period
Once you have chosen your method of gap filling:
Click
The screen will refresh to show the gap has been filled
Close the Exception - Edit Missing Data Activity and return to the Events Activity to see any more gaps that need to be filled
The Events Activity will refresh and the Event will be removed from the screen automatically
Warning Message Example
If this error occurs, the bill would still be created, but the system would be unable to validate it
Error Message Example
An example would be Error BM0006 - No meters found under supply point:
An Error messages prevent a bill from being created so this will need to be addressed. In this instance, Sigma cannot find a meter under the Supply Point.
Finding the Supply Point
To deal with this error you will need to view the Supply Point.
It is advisable to enter the Supply Point number as part of the Tenant Account Number so that it is visible when reading the error message.
Click here for more details on how to create a Tenant Account
Right click on the Bill Message
Click Edit/View
Copy the Supply Point number from the Account Number
Open up a new Activity that has a Data Selector, for example: Data Edit Spreadsheet.
Search for the Supply Point
Right click on the Supply Point
Click Edit
The Supply Point Editor popup appears:
Note: There are no meters showing the in the meter section - therefore the Bill Message appeared
Adding the Meter
From the Supply Point:
Click
The Manage Contract for Tenant popup appears:
Drag and drop the relevant Meter from the Available Meters section to the Selected Meters section
Click OK to save
The meter now shows in the Meters section of the Supply Point Editor popup:
Click OK to save
Note: If no meters are in the Available Meters section, you will need to add a Meter and a Channel. Click here for more details on how to add these.
Re-Running the Tenant Bills Run
Once you have corrected any errors, ie added a meter, filled a gap etc, you will need to Re-run the Billing Run.
Click here for more information on how to ReRun