Patent ID: 7827282

Claim:
A method for processing telecommunications hardware and service usage transaction records, comprising: maintaining availability of a minimum number of each of a plurality of service instances, each of the plurality of service instances adapted to process telecommunication transaction records of a corresponding one of a plurality of different telecommunication transaction types, each different telecommunication transaction type comprising a different type of telecommunication transaction made by customers, wherein the predetermined minimum number is a function of a predetermined schedule; organizing the plurality of service instances into service groupings of one or more service instances according to the telecommunications transaction type corresponding to each service instance, such that each service grouping corresponds to a particular telecommunications transaction type; providing a message queue for each grouping, the message queues operable to maintain and prioritize received telecommunication transaction records; providing a service queue for each service instance, the service queues operable to maintain telecommunication transaction records for processing in accordance with the associated service instance; receiving batch telecommunications transaction records regarding telecommunication transactions made by customers; distributing the telecommunication transaction records according to telecommunication transaction type among the message queues of the corresponding service groupings; prioritizing, in the message queues, the telecommunication transaction records for processing according to a telecommunication transaction record priority designation; balancing the telecommunication transaction records from the message queues across the service queues associated with each service instance in the service grouping receiving telecommunication transaction records; monitoring service grouping performance to determine whether the monitored service grouping is performing in accordance with a system performance parameter; adjusting the service instances of a service grouping failing to perform in accordance with the system performance parameter; for a particular transaction type, comparing the number of currently running service instances corresponding to a particular transaction type to a predetermined minimum plural number of instances for that particular transaction type; if a number of currently running service instances corresponding to the particular transaction type is below the predetermined minimum number, initiating one or more additional service instances corresponding to the particular transaction type; queuing telecommunication transaction records of a telecommunication transaction type for which a service instance corresponding to that telecommunication transaction type is unavailable; and initiating at least one service instance corresponding to the queued telecommunication transaction records in response to a queued transaction accumulation.