Scenario 1: Simple Repeated Automatic Charging

This first scenario shows how automatic charging for one item looks over time.

This is the sequence of events:

1.

0 minutes: Start of timeline. The client application requests an item. Elastic Access makes initial charge 1 and sends usage information to the data warehouse.

2.

60 minutes: Automatic charge 2 is made after one hour (60 minutes). Again, relevant usage information is immediately sent to the data warehouse.

3.

Between 60 and 120 minutes: Within 30 minutes of charge 2, the client application sends a heartbeat to keep the session active.

4.

120 minutes: Automatic charge 3 is made at 120 minutes. Usage information is sent to the data warehouse.

5.

140 minutes: Twenty minutes after charge 3, the client application ends the session. Elastic Access immediately calculates for how long since the start of automatic charge 3 the client has used the item (20 minutes) and issues a refund for the remainder of the automatically charged time (40 minutes). Elastic Access applies the refund to the internal record.

The following diagram shows the sequence of steps: