Some of the best practices for measurement retention are:

• Derive time-of-use (TOU) values with interval data to prevent storing extra data: Time-of-use (TOU) values are scalar values that are calculated from interval data based on different TOU periods. Interval data is measurement data that is recorded at regular intervals, such as every 15 minutes or every hour. To prevent storing extra data, you can derive TOU values with interval data instead of storing them separately.
• Derive demand from interval data to prevent storing extra data: Demand is a value that indicates the maximum power or load that is consumed or generated during a certain period. Demand can be calculated from interval data by using certain methods, such as block demand or rolling demand. To prevent storing extra data, you can derive demand from interval data instead of storing them separately.
• Use Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) processes to help archive data: Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) processes are features that enable MDM to manage the lifecycle of measurement data based on certain policies or rules. ILM processes can help archive data that is no longer needed or used by moving them to different storage tiers or deleting them.

You do not need to keep scalar measurements in the customer read tables to stay consistent, which are tables that store measurement data that is entered by customers or meter readers. Scalar measurements are measurement data that are recorded at certain events, such as billing cycle end or meter exchange. You can store scalar measurements in different tables based on their source or status.

You do not need to keep initial measurement data (IMD) for the same period of time as final measurements for cancel rebill purposes, which are records that store the raw measurement data that is received from smart meter systems or other sources. Final measurements are records that store the measurement data that has been validated, edited, and estimated. You can keep IMD for a shorter period of time than final measurements based on your business needs or requirements.

The Smart Grid Gateway (SGG) is a middleware component that provides integration between Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management and smart meter systems. The SGG has three main uses:

• Sharing event information with downstream systems: The SGG can process events from smart meter systems and send them to downstream systems, such as customer information systems (CIS), outage management systems (OMS), ordistribution management systems (DMS). Events are occurrences that happen on devices or networks, such as tampering, low battery, or power outage.
• Connecting to Smart Meter systems: The SGG can communicate with smart meter systems using various protocols and adapters. The SGG can support multiple smart meter systems simultaneously and provide a common interface for Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management.
• Sharing outage information with outage management systems: The SGG can process outage events from smart meter systems and send them to outage management systems for analysis and restoration. Outage events are events that indicate a loss or restoration of power on a device or network.

The SGG does not share customer information or communicate directly with meters. Customer information is managed by Oracle Utilities Customer Cloud Service or Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing. Communication with meters is handled by smart meter systems that connect to the SGG.

Usage calculation groups are used to define how usage data are calculated, validated, and exported for different purposes, such as billing, settlement, or analysis. Usage calculation groups can have different components that specify the logic and parameters for performing various operations on usage data. According to the Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management Business User Guide, some examples of components that can be configured in usage calculation groups are:

• CIS rates: These are rate schedules that are defined in the customer information system (CIS) and imported into Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management. CIS rates can be used to specify which bill determinants or usage calculations should be applied for different rate schedules or customer classes.
• Bill determinants or usage validations: These are rules that check the quality or accuracy of usage data and assign condition codes or flags to indicate any issues or errors. Bill determinants or usage validations can be used to ensurethat usage data meet certain criteria or standards before they are exported to CIS or other systems.
• Bill determinants or usage calculations: These are rules that perform various calculations or adjustments on usage data, such as dividing usage into time-of-use periods, applying factors or multipliers, or deriving net usage. Bill determinants or usage calculations can be used to generate different types of bill determinants for billing purposes.

References: Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management Business User Guide, Chapter 8: Usage, Section 8.2: Usage Calculation Groups