RIMS Central Number Administrator Help
Click a link to go directly to the help information for that topic.
Roles
Block/Code Administration
Informational Reporting
Order Statuses
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- Roles -
There are three (3) user roles available in RIMS. Contact your RIMS Administrator to be set up with one of these Roles.
Role | Functions |
Administrator |
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Market Number Administrator |
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Central Number Administrator |
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- Block/Code Administration -
RIMS Block/Code Administration provides the ability for a Service Provider's market number administration groups and its central number administration group to coordinate number inventory management activities. It allows you to view current pooling information, enter new pooling requests to the Pooling Administration System (PAS), and to export a file for uploading into its billing/provisioning system.
There are several functions that a Central Number Administrator performs in RIMS to manage number inventory. Click a link to go directly to the help information for that topic.
View/Maintain Orders
- Filtering the Order List
- Status Change History
- Utilizing Task Lists
- Export Order Information to a File
Create an Upload File to be used in Downstream Applications
View/Re-export Recent Upload Files
Confirm a Block is Ready to be Returned to the Market
- View/Maintain Orders -
In RIMS, orders in any status are displayed in a list on the Orders Maintenance screen. The Order List contains information about the orders that can be useful at a quick glance without having to dive deep into the order. For Central Number Administrators, the order List provides the ability to package orders for exporting as well. Only orders that have been saved are displayed in the Order List. The Order list can be found under the Port PS RIMS --> Central Number Administrator --> Orders menu or under the Central Number Administrator --> Orders menu within RIMS.
The Order List displays the following information in a table:
Select | This column is only displayed when the Order List is filtered by the Central Number Administrator to show statuses of Ready for Staging or Ready for Package . Otherwise, it is not displayed in the Order List. The Select column contains a checkbox that allows you to mark a specific order for action. |
Order ID | A system generated, unique ID assigned to the order by RIMS. The Order ID is displayed as a link. Click the Order ID link to display the Status Change History for the Order. |
Order Name | A system generated, unique name assigned to the order by RIMS. This name is made of the market ID, NPA, rate center, order type (New Block and New Code <N>, Modify <M>, Donate <D>, and Disconnect<R> order types) and the date/time stamp. The Order Name is displayed as a link. Click the Order Name link to open the order (either for editing or for viewing). |
Order Type | The type of order. Types of orders may be:
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Blocks | The number of blocks in a New Block or New Code order. For a code request, this value reflects the number of blocks requested within the new code. For Modify, Donate, and Disconnect types, this field is blank. The Block is displayed as a link. Click the Block link to display the Part 3 information for the order if it has been entered. |
State | The State the Market is assigned to. |
Status | A status value showing where the order is in the ordering process. Possible statuses are:
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Effective Date | The earliest Effective Date listed on the Part 3 of the order. |
Created By | The user ID of the person who created the order. |
Last Updated Date / User | The date and time the order was last updated and the user ID of the person who edited it. |
Tasks | A link to get to the task list for the order. |
Tracking Number | The Tracking Number from PAS associated with the order (if the order has been submitted and accepted by PAS, otherwise it is blank) |
The Order List may be sorted by clicking on a column heading. Clicking once sorts the list in ascending order by the data in that column. Clicking a second time sorts the list in descending order by the data in the column.
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- Filtering the Order List -
RIMS provides the ability to filter the Order List to display only a subset of the full list of orders. When logged in as the Central Number Administrator, the Order List is defaulted to show only orders in a status of Ready for Staging .
You may filter by multiple elements at a time to see only a very specific subset of orders by selecting values from the filter drop downs. For example, only orders with a Type of New Block Order in a Status of Completed that were Created By a specific User ID.
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- Status Change History -
RIMS provides the ability to view the progress of an order at a quick glance by displaying a summary of when the status changed for an order and who made the change.
To view the Status Change History for an order:
- Locate the order to see status change history for in the Order List using the Order ID and Order name.
- Click the Order ID link for the order. The following information is displayed:
Last Updated | The date and time that the order entered that status. |
User | The user ID of the user who changed the order to that status. |
Status | The status of the Order at that date/time. |
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- Utilizing the Task List -
Task lists enable Central and Market Number Administrators to track all the steps necessary to complete an order. It creates an audit log of each step in the ordering process that is available for review by Market Number Administrators and the Central Numbering Group. Users mark off the tasks they have completed and the completed task is stamped with a date, time and the ID of the user who marked the task.
Creating the task descriptions for the task lists in RIMS is part of the RIMS set up process. You document the tasks for each task list in an excel spreadsheet and provide the file to Neustar. Neustar loads the task lists into RIMS to make them available to you. To update a description on the task list, contact Neustar at [email protected].
Task lists are customizable and there may be different task lists for different types of orders (i.e., an initial order vs. a growth order or a new block request vs. a block donation). Tasks Lists can, and should, contain tasks that are outside of RIMS processing to help the Service Provider manage the process of code and block administration from beginning to end, not just the RIMS component. RIMS stores the different task lists and associates the proper task list with the order type it belongs with.
Note : Tasks are not tied to RIMS processing in any way. Incomplete tasks do not stop you from performing any activity in RIMS. The Task tool is strictly for Market Number Administrators to keep track of their activities, if desired.
To utilize the Task List:
- Locate the order you want to see the task list for in the Order List using the Order ID and Order name.
- Click the View Tasks link.
- Tasks that have Checked Date and Checked by information have been completed.
Note : Tasks are not tied to RIMS processing in any way. You may accidently mark a task as completed when it really isn't, or forget to mark a task as completed that really is. The Task List is a tool meant to help manage the process; it is not intended to be a confirmation of RIMS activities.
To mark a task as complete on the Task List:
- Click the Checkbox to the left of the task to mark it as complete. The Checked Date and Checked By fields will be automatically populated with the date and time the box was checked and the user ID of the person who checked the box.
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- Export Order Information to a File -
Order information may be extracted from RIMS when the order is in any status.
Note : Order information should not be confused with Block or Code information. Exporting Order information does not change the characteristics or the status of the order in any way.
To export order information to a file:
1. Open the Orders Maintenance screen to see the Order List.
2. Select the type of orders to export using the Filter Results options. You may use any combination of filters to obtain the list of orders you want to export. The available filtering options are listed below.
Order Type | To export only orders with a specific Order Type, use the Order Type filter. |
Order Status | To export only orders with a specific Status, use the Order Status filter. |
Market | To export only orders with a specific Market, use the Market filter. |
Rate Center | To export only orders with a specific Rate Center, use the Rate Center filter. |
State | To export only orders with a specific State, use the State filter. |
Created By | To export only orders created by a specific User ID, use the Created By filter. |
3. Click Download Orders at the bottom of the screen to initiate the export.
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- Create an Upload File to be used in Downstream Applications -
A file containing all the information about the new blocks assigned by the Pooling Administrator can be downloaded from RIMS. This file can then be uploaded into your downstream billing/provisioning applications. Creating the upload file requires 2 steps:
- Approving the order and marking it as Ready for Packaging
- Export the file
To approve the order and mark it as ready for packaging:
1. Open the Orders Maintenance screen by pointing to Port PS RIMS --> Central Number Administrator --> Orders menu or under the Central Number Administrator --> Orders menu within RIMS.
- The order list on this screen defaults to show only orders in a status of Ready for Staging.
2. Determine which order(s) are ready for packaging to an exported file. This is called adding orders to a package. Locate the order(s) using the Order ID and the Order Name.
3. Review the order(s) and the task list for the order(s) to ensure that all processes have been completed outside of RIMS and the order information is truly ready to be passed on to downstream systems. To mark an order as ready for packaging, check the box in the Select column next to each order that is ready for packaging.
- Orders not marked as Ready for Packaging, will remain in the list with a Ready for Staging status until they are marked as Ready for Packaging.
4. Click Ready for Packaging at the bottom of the order list to change the status of all the checked orders to Ready for Package. Only orders in a Ready for Package status may be exported to a file.
Important : While RIMS allows you to export an order to a file at this point, your company's processes may require additional tasks be performed outside of RIMS before doing so. Task lists can facilitate the management of these processes .
To export part 3 information to a file:
1. Choose a status of Ready for Package in the Filter Results, Order Status field.
- Only orders with a Status of Ready for Package are displayed in the Order List.
2. Determine which orders to export to a file. Locate the orders using the Order ID and Order Name. Mark the orders by Checking the box in the Select column next to each order to export.
- Only one export file is created no matter how many orders are checked at once. The information from all the orders will be contained in one export file.
- Orders not marked for export, will remain in the list with a Ready for Packaging status until they are exported.
3. To export the marked orders, click Export , located at the bottom of the Order List, to generate the export file and change the status of the order to Completed.
Important: A message box opens asking if you want to open or save the file. Do not click Cancel. Clicking Cancel will change the status of the order without creating an export file. If you accidentally click Cancel, you must open the order(s) and click the Ready for Package button to change the status of the order(s) back to Ready for Package.
4. The exported file contains a list of all blocks that were downloaded.
5. To view the completed order, in the Order list, change the value in the Filter Results, Order Status field to Completed.
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- View/Re-export Recent Upload files -
The purpose of the Recent Exports function is to allow you to re-export the block and Part 3 information for blocks you have already exported previously.
Downloading/Exporting a previously exported Upload File simply creates a duplicate of the selected file. It does not change the status of any orders.
To view or re-export part 3 information for a set of orders that had previously already been export to an Upload file:
1. From the Order List screen, choose a status of Ready for Package in the Filter Results, Order Status field.
- Only orders with a Status of Ready for Package are displayed in the Order List. (if there are orders in this status, otherwise the Order list will be empty)
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Order List. Click the Recent Exports button.
3. The Recent Exports screen is displayed with a list of the last 5 exports (Upload files) created for the account.
4. Choose the desired file you would like to re-export using the information provided.
5. Click the Download link to initiate the export process and generate a new Block Export (Upload file). The new Block Export (Upload File) contains the exact same blocks and block information contained in the original Block Export (Upload File)
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- Confirm a Block is Ready to be Returned to the Market -
Central Number Administrators must confirm a block is ready to be returned to the Market for Block Donation orders and Block Disconnect orders before the Market Number Administrator may submit the order to the Pooling Administration.
To confirm a block is ready to be returned:
1. Open the Orders Maintenance screen by pointing to Port PS RIMS --> Central Number Administrator --> Orders menu or under the Central Number Administrator --> Orders menu within RIMS.
2. In the Filter Results, Order Status field, choose a status of Packaged.
- Only orders with a status of Packaged are displayed in the Order List.
3. Locate the order using the Order ID and the Order Name. Review the task list for the order to ensure that all required processes have been completed outside of RIMS by clicking the tasks link.
4. Open the order by clicking on the Order Name. Respond to the 3 questions in the order to ensure that the necessary steps have been taken to ensure the Block is ready to be returned to the market.
Have all inter SP Ports been Completed? |
Important: This question must be marked as Yes in order to mark the order as ready to be returned to the market. |
Has block been protected from further assignment? |
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Request Expedited Treatment |
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5. Enter a Block Effective Date for the Block disconnect order by entering a date in the Block Effective Date field or clicking the calendar icon and selecting a date.
6. At any time, click Save Order to save the changes without changing the order status. You may go back to the order any time to update it and change its status
7. At any time, click View Tasks to view the task list for the order.
8. When all necessary steps have been taken and the block is ready to be returned to the market, click Return to Market , to change the status of the order to Return to Market. The Return to Market status indicates the disconnect order is ready to be sent to PAS in the form of a Part 1.
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- Informational Reporting -
RIMS provides several reports that may be use to analyze the Orders entered via RIMS. The following Reports are available. Click a link to go directly to the help information for that topic.
Task Details Report |
Provides a download of the task list for all non-completed orders. |
Rate Center Order Count Report |
Provides counts by order Status for every Market and Rate Center within a specified date range. |
View Blocks |
Displays a list of blocks and their availability in a given NPA and OCN. |
View Codes |
Displays a list of codes and their pooling status in a given NPA and OCN. |
- Task Details Report -
The Task Details Report provides a download of the task list for all non-completed orders. It includes the following information:
- Order ID, Name, and Status
- Task name
- Task completion status
- Who completed the task
- When the task was completed
To generate the Task Details Report:
1. Open the Tasks for Order screen by pointing to Port PS RIMS --> Reports--> Task Details Report from the home page or Reports--> Task Details Report from within RIMS.
2. Select a Market from the list of available Markets using the dropdown list.
3. Select a User ID from the list of available User IDs using the drop down list.
4. Click Download Task Report to generate the report.
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- Rate Center Order Count Report -
The Rate Center Order Count Report provides counts by order status for every Market and Rate Center within a specified date range. A total count of all orders for each Rate Center is also presented. The following statuses are reported:
- Cancelled
- Completed
- Denied
- Error
- Ready for Staging
- Sent to Pooling
To generate the Rate Center Order Count Report:
1. Open the Rate Center Order Count - Report screen by pointing to Port PS RIMS --> Reports--> Rate Center Order Count Report from the home page or Reports--> Rate Center Order Count Report from within RIMS.
2. Enter a date range for the report by entering a Start Date and an End Date . Either put your curser in the field to type in the date or select a date using the calendar icon.
- Enter the date as mm/dd/yyyy.
- The Start Date must be earlier than the End Date.
3. Click Download Order History Count Report to generate the report.
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- View Blocks -
Use the View Blocks function to see a list of blocks and their availability in PAS.
To see a block list:
1. Open the Block Maintenance screen by clicking Port PS RIMS --> Central Number Administrator -->View Blocks from the home screen, or pointing to Central Number Administration --> View Blocks from within RIMS.
2. Select an NPA from the NPA dropdown list.
3. Select an OCN from the OCN drop down list. The following information about each block is displayed:
Block | The NPA-NXX-X (block). |
PAS Status | The status of the Block at the pooling administration. Possible statuses are:
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NPA | The NPA of the Block |
OCN | The OCN for the Block |
Rate Center | The Rate Center where the OCN is located. |
State | The State the Rate Center is located. |
Effective Date | The Effective Date of the Block at the Pooling Administration (only active blocks are displayed). If the block has a status of Retained, the Effective Date is Not Applicable. |
4. To export the Block Availability list to a file, click the Export button at the bottom of the page.
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- View Codes -
Use the View Codes function to see a list of codes and their pooling status in PAS.
To see a code list:
1. Open the Code Maintenance screen by clicking Port PS RIMS --> Central Number Administrator --> View Codes from the home screen, or pointing to Central Number Administration --> View Codes from within RIMS
2. Select an NPA from the NPA dropdown list.
3. Select an OCN from the OCN drop down list. The following information about each code is displayed:
Code | The NPA-NXX (code). |
OCN | The OCN of the Code. |
NPA | The NPA for the Code. |
Pooled Indicator | Indicates whether the Code is pooled or not pooled.
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State |
The State where the Rate Center is located. |
Rate Center | The Rate Center where the OCN is located. |
4. To export the Code List to a file, click the Export button at the bottom of the page.
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- Order Statuses -
Once an order has been saved in RIMS, it is assigned a status. As an order moves through the process of being submitted to PAS and approved, it's status changes. The following order statuses exist:
Working | The order has been saved in progress, but has not been submitted to pooling. Orders in this status can be edited. |
Sent to Pooling | The order has been submitted to pooling. Only the status value may be changed on an order in this status. |
Ready for Staging | The Part 3 has been received and the order is ready for review by the Central Number Administrator. Only the status value may be changed on an order in this status. |
Ready for Package | The order has been added to the group of orders that will be uploaded into the service provider's billing/provisioning system. Only the status value may be changed on an order in this status. |
Return to Market | The order has been protected against further assignment in the Service Provider's systems and is ready to be made available in PAS. (This status is only used for Donate and Disconnect Block orders) |
Packaged | The order has been exported to a file that will be uploaded into the service provider's billing/provisioning system. (This status is only used for Donate and Disconnect Block orders) |
Completed | The order has been exported to the file that will be uploaded into the service provider's billing/provisioning system. The order may be viewed, but cannot be edited once it reaches this status. |
Error | A submitted order received an error from PAS and needs to be fixed before it can be submitted again. Orders in this status can be edited. |