Nextian supports location-based services, i.e., services that are quoted and provided at specific services addresses a.k.a. locations.
A location can be a data center, a geographical region (e.g., for hosting, colocation and cloud services), a business or a residential address (e.g., for Internet access).
Nextian does not use the standard Salesforce location object, instead it defines a custom one (Location__c).
A Nextian location is a combination of Salesforce address, geolocation and additional information. Locations are multi-tenant, i.e., services can share the same location — additional, service-specific location information (e.g., a cabinet number) can be provided on a service.
Each location has the following information:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | A standard Salesforce name field used as a unique, customer-defined location designation, e.g., POP-LAX-1, Plano Data Center, etc. |
| Type | Location type: Data Center, Business Address or Residential Address, etc. (a customizable picklist). |
| Address line #1 Address line #2 City State Country ZIP ZIP+4 | Identical to the standard Salesforce account address. |
| Single Line Address | Single-line, read-only address composed of merged location address parts, e.g., 6360 Canoga Ave, Woodland Hills, CA, 91367, U.S.A. for easier presentation in reporting and list views. |
| Geolocation | Standard Salesforce geolocation for the location (e.g., 34°11’10”N 118°35’56”W). Only locations with coordinates are used to display locations and services on maps (other location attributes like name or address are not used) — see note on location validation below. |
| Building CLLI Code (CLLI site code) LATA (Local Access And Transport Area) | Additional address information (North America only). |
Locations are generic — they can be almost thought of as an address with additional address-specific information (CLLI, LATA, etc.). Additional, service-specific information (floor, suite, room, cage, cabinet, rack) is stored in services (Service Details → Additional Location Information).
Splitting location information between locations and services enables reporting on addresses (how many services, how much revenue is generated at a location address, etc.) while capturing details required for customer support (e.g., where a CPE is located in the telecommunications cabinet) at the same time.
Nextian recommends the following best practices for using location and service information:
| Service Type | Location Information | Service Information |
|---|---|---|
| Centralized, e.g., data center services such as hosted server, colocation, etc. | Data center address, e.g.: Location Name: Location Address: | Cage, cabinet, rack information. |
| Distributed, e.g., telco services such as Internet access, voice services, etc. | Customer address, e.g.: Location Name: Location Address: | Communications room information (for office buildings and enterprise services), empty for residential services. |
Location statistics
The following statistics fields are automatically calculated for locations:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Active Services | Number of active services (i.e., having fulfillment status equal to ‘In Service’) at the location. |
| Total Services | Number of services at the location regardless of their fulfillment status. |
| Active Accounts | Auto-calculated, number of distinct customer accounts having active services at the location. |
| Services Down | Auto-calculated number of active services at the location that are down or have issues based on their operational status. |
Location operational status
Service operational status (Up, Down, Has Issues) is determined by the Netxian NMS/RMM based on statues of individual elements that make up the service. Location operational status is derived from statuses of active services at the location:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Operational Status | Aggregate operational status for the location based on operational statuses of its all active services, calculated as follows:
|
| Services Down | Number of active services (i.e., having fulfillment status equal to In Service) for this location that are down or have issues. |
Revenue, profit & margin
An aggregate of the service financial model is calculated for each location, based on its active services:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Monthly Recurring Revenue | Automatically calculated, read-only sum of monthly recurring revenue for all active services at the location. |
| Monthly Gross Profit | Automatically calculated, read-only sum of monthly gross profit for all active services at the location. |
| Monthly Net Profit | Automatically calculated, read-only sum of monthly net profit for all active services at the location. |
| Average Revenue Per Service | Automatically calculated, read-only average monthly revenue of all active services at the location. |
| Average Gross Profit Per Service | Automatically calculated, read-only average monthly gross profit of active services at the location. |
| Average Net Profit Per Service | Automatically calculated, read-only average monthly net profit of active services at the location. |
Implementing A- and Z-Locations
Some services (e.g., private lines or telecommunications circuits) require two locations for a service: an A-Location and a Z-Location. In this case the standard Nextian service location would be a Z-Location, an A-Location would have to be added as a custom field during implementation.
Visualization on maps and validation
Only locations with coordinates are used to display locations and services on maps. Other location attributes like name or address are not used, i.e., locations without coordinates are never displayed.
This is partly due to technical limitations of Google API (# of calls to match/resolve each address combined with the possibility of tens or even hundreds of service locations on an individual account), but more importantly since in most cases location addresses should be validated and geolocation established before they are used.
Due to multiple possible address validation providers Nextian does not provide location validation out out-the-box, however we offer add-ons for SmartyStreets, USPS, Google and other providers.
Please check this blog for more information on location validation in Salesforce.
Location name standardization
Nextian does not impose any convention on naming locations. However, each location has Standardize Name action that makes location name equal to Address/Single Line Address, which address naming used by Google.
