Billing in Advance

Definition

Billing in Advance is a specialized calculation inside SAP Utilities that evaluates certain schema steps (like a flat device rental fee) ahead of time natively during a standard Periodic Billing run.

Business Purpose and Architecture

Utilities frequently want to bill consumption historically, while billing flat fixed-capacity charges or lease fees prospectively for the upcoming month. Architecturally, control indicators located directly within the Billing Schema determine which specific variant steps are executed in advance. The period covers the day after the current periodic end-date up to the next logically scheduled meter reading date.