Quadrant charts
This section describes the quadrant charts, drill-down levels, and hyperlinks of the Software Contract Summary Report that can be used for comprehensive analysis of budgeted, historical, and projected spending.
Billing Month vs. Usage Month
The Software Contract Summary Report displays all cost data based on the billing month.
The billing month is the month IBM invoices for payment of MLC costs that accrued from a usage month in the past. In all cases, the billing month is one month after the end of a usage month. For example, the billing month of March corresponds to the usage month of January.
Source of cost data
The charts of the Software Contract Summary Report contain the following types of monthly cost data:
Cost data | Description |
---|---|
Budgeted | Budgeted amounts are based on values contained in the Software Contract and defined by the administrator. |
Usage | Usage data are based on cost models built from Model Builder Tasks. A usage month starts on the 2nd of the current month, and ends on the 1st of the next month. Once all cost models from a usage month have been built, they serve as the historical record of the monthly spending and are accessed by the Software Contract Reporting tool when calculating the cost data of the report. Actual usage data for a month replaces projected spending only after all cost models have been built for the complete month. |
Projected | Projected costs are based on historical usage, LPAR MSU usage, and Product LPAR licensing. Projected spending extends for the duration of the contract. The projections differentiate weekly shift periodicity and distinguish day-of-month, hourly variance. Linear projections are made for each shift for each LPAR and LPAR Licensed Product, with detailed results available through the monthly cost model reporting. |
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