Characteristic Type

Feature

Feature

Feature characteristics describes a certain aspect of a product. A Feature can be a distinct feature or capability of a product. In general, features distinguish a product from other products of the same class. For example features of a mobile device might include: SMS, Voice, MMS, 4G, Stereo Wireless Headset, Keyboard, etc. Features could also be chargeable or non-chargeable. For instance, for billing purposes, a device that provides SMS capability could mean it may need a SMS capable billing plan

Input

Input

Input characteristics represent information values that need to be captured and associated with the product at time of order/order fulfillment. They generally represent information that needs to be propagated to other systems OR will impact the fulfillment process. Input characteristics generally have no values until the order is placed/fulfilled. An example of an Input characteristic could be an MSISDN (phone number) allocated to a mobile device, or a "Contact Address" captured for a business internet product at time of order

Instance

Instance

Instance characteristics are similar to Feature. The feature in question has measurable quantity that is defined for each related product. For instance, a discrete "Free 500 SMS Package" product could have an "Instance" characteristic called "Free SMS". This characteristic would have a relationship value = 500. Another similar product could be created and called "Free 1000 SMS Package". It would have the same "Free SMS" characteristic associated with it but have a relationship value = 1000.