Exploring the Business Scenario

The main part of this course deals with mapping new billing and invoicing principles in SAP Utilities based on changed conditions. These changes can be the introduction of new divisions, the expansion of a supply area, or a change to legal conditions for example.

This provides the basis for creating billing runs and bill documents based on new billing principles and/or rate models.

IDES Utilities Inc. is a municipal utility company that deals with the classical divisions of district heating, electricity, gas, water, and waste water. New business areas are also being developed to create additional divisions such as waste, telecommunications, and multimedia.

As well as creating new business areas in the deregulation process, the company is aiming to acquire new customers. To achieve this goal, the company offers attractive rates to customers situated outside the current supply area.

In the deregulated market, new and more attractive rate models are required. Sales personnel must map and test the rate models developed by the marketing department in the system.

The sales employees are constantly confronted with new challenges. On the one hand, they have to make customers attractive offers, and on the other hand they must stay within the company's cost frame.

This is a typical contract for residential customers in the electricity division.

The following is involved in the billing and invoicing processes:

• Modeling new rates by creating new billing master data
• Using new rates in customer and installation master data
• Billing simulation
• Invoicing simulation
• Releasing the rates to the user department, which then makes them available to the company's customers
• Onsite Billing – Meter-to-cash extensions by PROLOGA

Other billing functions are available, which are used in the billing and invoicing processes.

All these functions are required to complete the business scenario. The relevant part of the business scenario is discussed at the beginning of the respective unit.