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This document is the 8MS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). It was written based upon commonly asked questions submitted by users. The FAQ is split out into multiple sections.
A Shared Platform is an 8MS server that has multiple customers all sharing network bandwidth to SMS/800. This means that a customer's messages to SMS/800 get queued behind other customers' messages in a first-in first-out spool. If you pay for 8MS service based on either a service level (including Semi-Private) or the number of transactions per month than you are on the Shared Platform. A common name for the Shared Platform is the Service Bureau.
A Dedicated Platform is an 8MS server with a network connection to SMS/800 that is dedicated to a single customer and is run and managed at the customer's data center.
A Private Platform is an 8MS server with a network connection to SMS/800 that is dedicated to a single customer but is run at the 8MS data center and managed by the 8MS support team.
A service level is the level of service that you purchase from 8MS. Each service level allows you to store a set amount of toll-free numbers in the 8MS database and allows you a set amount of local deletions that you can perform. The higher a service level you purchase the more numbers you can store and the more local deletions you can perform. Since billing is normally performed on a monthly basis, you can change your service level prior to the start of a month. If you exceed the amount of numbers or the amount of local deletions within a single month there is an additional cost that will be charged to your account.
To further understand the impact of service levels we recommend that you read the Local Data section of this FAQ.
In addition to the 8MS Web User Interface, we also provide an Application Programmer Interface (API) that allows you to integrate 8MS with your own internal toll-free provisioning applications. The 8MS API is an HTTP-based interface, allowing you to use any programming language that allows generation of HTTP (web) requests. Responses are simple XML formatted documents.
The API documentation is available on our web site. If you are interested in hearing more about the 8MS API, please contact our sales team.
When you purchase the 8MS API add-on feature you are given a set amount of transactions that you may send to 8MS. Additional transactions may be purchased, either ahead of time or on an as-needed basis.
Pricing and transaction amounts are not listed on the FAQ; these are listed on the 8MS Pricing sheet, which can be obtained by contacting our sales team.
Based on questions asked by our customers, one source of confusion is the concept of "local data". SMS/800 is the database of record for 8yy/Toll Free service. This means that the only data that is ever 100 percent accurate is the data stored in the SMS/800 database. However, to make it easier and faster to manage your data, 8MS keeps a local copy of all data about numbers that you have manipulated in 8MS. This local database is kept up-to-date via unsolicited messages from SMS/800. If a number in your RespOrg is changed by the SMS/800 user interface or API an unsolicited message is sent from SMS/800 to 8MS, notifying 8MS that a number has changed. In response to this unsolicited message, 8MS retrieves that number from SMS/800.
It should be noted that some data may exist in 8MS but not in SMS/800. Both SMS/800 and 8MS provide some form of cleanup of old records. It is possible that SMS/800 has done cleanup of it's Old records but 8MS has not. In that case, the data will only exist on 8MS. Under these circumstances, if 8MS local data for a number is deleted (via the Delete Local screen) and then retrieved (via the Retrieve screen or through an unsolicited message) then the Old records will no longer exist.
There is additional local data that exists in 8MS that has never existed in SMS/800. This includes data for two essential features that make 8MS what it is: Number Lists and 8MS Routing Sets.
Besides the automated retrieve of data via unsolicited messages, the Retrieve screen allows you to retrieve a single number or a batch.
If you do not set the Retrieve All Records checkbox, only records with a status value which is set in the RetrieveStatusList parameter will be retrieved.
If a number is given away the data for that number will be deleted as a result of an unsolicited message. If you want to manually delete data for a number use the Delete Local screen. You may delete all records for that number or one record with a specific date/time.
Data is never explicitely deleted from SMS/800 by 8MS, except when requested by a user. A specific record, based on date/time, may be deleted from the Delete From SMS screen. This screen allows future pending records to be deleted. Records with a date/time in the past (including Active, Sending and Old) may not be deleted from SMS/800.
Information on toll-free numbers can be seen via several screens. The details on a single number may be seen on the Record Management: SMS CAD and Record Management: SMS PAD screens. A snapshot of a set of numbers (a number list, all numbers in a 8MS Routing Set, etc.) may be seen on the Search Local Numbers screen. A snapshot of the records of a set of numbers may be seen on the Search Local Records screen. Finally, SMS/800 may be queried for a snapshot of the most up-to-date records (if you suspect 8MS's data is out of sync) from the Query screen.
Note the difference between the Query screen and the other screens explained here. The Query screen shows data as it is on on SMS/800. The other screens show the data as it is on 8MS.
The Usage Counts screen shows the number of transactions you have generated and the maximum amount of toll-free numbers you have on the system. This may be viewed per day, month or year. Since billing is done per month, viewing by month is the default. As long as the number of transactions or maximum amount of toll-free numbers per month does not exceed your limit you are okay. If you have exceeded the limit, the value shown will be highlighted.
If you need to bring in additional numbers, create a number list of these numbers. This can be done within 8MS or as a text file which can be loaded into 8MS. Once your number list exists in 8MS, go to Search Local Numbers. Choose the number list and hit Show Counts to check if you already have some of these numbers in 8MS without wasting any transactions by querying them through SMS/800. Numbers with a status of Unknown are not in the 8MS database; they will need to be retrieved from SMS/800. From Search Local Numbers select the checkbox Unknown Entries Only and select the Create Number List button. These numbers may now be retrieved from the Retrieve screen.
If you are about to exceed your limit you may delete numbers from the 8MS database via the Delete Local screen. This will not remove numbers from the SMS/800 database, only from 8MS. These numbers may always be retrieved again at a later date.
A number list is simply a list of Toll Free Numbers. While there does not need to be any relationship between the numbers, typically number lists are created to manipulate the set of numbers in some common way.
A batch job is an operation performed on a number list. The majority of the 8MS screens allow you to perform an operation on either a single number or some form of number list.
Be aware that certain actions on batches will fail if the numbers are unknown or are not owned by you. For example, if you try to run a batch on Copy Record, Record Management: SMS CAD or Record Management: SMS PAD send and some of the numbers are unknown the batch job will fail.
A List of Numbers has no name associated with it and is dynamically created on one of the Batch Popup screens. This list may not be referenced from other screens since, without a name, there is no way to refer to it.
A Number List is a list of numbers with an associated name. This name may be selected from a drop-down list which contains the names of all number lists created by you or someone else in your company.
A number list can be created from a variety of screens in 8MS. The most straight-forward way is to go to the Number List Administration screen.
A Number List may be created on your PC as a normal text file and uploaded (via the Upload List button). Be aware that the file MUST be a plain text file; it may NOT be in an application specific format such as an Excel spreadsheet. The list may be separated by spaces, tabs, commas or newlines. There must be no control characters in the list or the upload will fail.
A Number List may also be downloaded onto your PC via the Download List button, which brings the list up inside a browser window. The list may be selected, copied and then pasted into an application or it may be saved via the Save Page As button on the File menu.
A Number List may be created from various screens which provide lists of numbers for viewing, such as Search Local Numbers and Search Local Records.
Number Lists are also created when a Search or Reserve is run, unless you explicitely unselect the Create Number List checkbox. If you don't provide a name for the Number List on this screen, the name of the number list will be something like "Search: successes - C43F4" or "Reserve: successes - C43F4". A Number List name may always be changed later.
One additional screen that allows Number Lists to be created is the Batch Log screen. This screen shows the status of running and completed batches. Each number is in one of the following status values: New, Queued, Success, Failure, Error, Total. To the right of each status is the amount of numbers in that status. Each status (the text of the word itself) may be clicked to get the list of numbers that are in that status. These numbers may then be put into a Number List. This is especially powerful when dealing with numbers in the Failure status. Upon completion of a batch, all failed numbers may be put into a Number List and then retried or manipulated in some other way.
There is no limit on how large a number list can be. However, the text area that allows numbers to be entered (from the Whole List button on the Number List Administration screen) has a limit of 10,000 numbers. If you want to create a large list of numbers (i.e. greater than 10,000 numbers) it is recommended that you create them using a text editor and then upload the number list via the Upload List button on the Number List Administration screen.
The Multi-List function on the Number List Administration screen allows 2 number lists to be cross-compared and merged. You may simply add 2 number lists together, add numbers only in both lists or remove numbers in one list from another list. You can also add or remove single numbers using the Toll Free Number box if you are in Single Number edit mode.
Unknown numbers are numbers for which 8MS has no status. These will most commonly show up when a number list contains numbers that do not belong to you. To remove these numbers from a number list, go to the Search Local Numbers screen. Select the number list from the drop-down list. Click on the Create New List button and save the list. All numbers with a status of Unknown will be eliminated from the new list.
From the Number List Administration screen, select the Number List and click the Delete button.
Note that deleting a Number List does not affect the number data. All data for any numbers in the list remains untouched.
The Batch Log screen allows you to view and manage all batches. Unless the Include Completed Batches checkbox is selected, only running batches are shown. In the top frame select the batch you want to stop. In the middle frame, information about the batch will appear. A button labeled Hold will appear on the right in that middle frame. Select the button. The status will change from "Message In Progress" to "Message In Progress (Held)". At this point you may either release the batch to continue running (see below) or delete the batch.
Note that completed batches cannot be put on hold.
From the Batch Log screen, in the top frame select the batch you want to start. In the middle frame, information about the batch will appear, as well as two buttons labeled Delete and Release. To resume the batch, click on the Release button. The status will change from "Message In Progress (Held)" to "Message In Progress".
On the Shared Platform, Batches for a company are run sequentially, not in parallel. If there are two batches, for the same company, scheduled to run at the same date and time, the first batch to enter the queue is chosen.
There is no set limit. You can upload a number list of any size to do a batch Copy Record or a batch change from Record Management: SMS CAD with either a source record or a source 8MS Routing Set.
We do recommend keeping the lists to a manageable size for ease of management for yourself. A reasonable size is probably in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 numbers.
Most messages sent to SMS/800 accept a single toll-free number. However, the message sent to SMS/800 for a reserve allows up to 10 numbers to be specified. Therefore, the number of messages sent will always be the total amount of numbers reserved divided by 10. For example, a reserve of up to 10 numbers will show a single transaction sent to SMS/800, between 11 and 20 will show 2 transactions, etc.
When the number list contains patterns this gets a bit trickier. Each pattern has to go in its own message; it cannot be combined with specific numbers. So as 8MS goes through a number list, each time a pattern is found it is sent by itself. After that pattern is sent up, numbers are again grouped into sets of 10 until the next pattern is hit or the end of the list is reached.
Some customers have a large amount of number lists which causes screens with the Number List drop-down to download very slowly. To reduce the time it takes for these pages to download, 8MS only shows the top 10 most recently modified or created Number Lists. To view all 8MS Routing Sets, click on the small red button to the right of the Number List dropdown list. To change the amount of Number Lists that is initially downloaded set the RecentNumberListCount preference. To view specific Number Lists along with the recently used number lists, set the MyNumberLists preference.
Number Lists may be copied several different ways. If the number list is small (less than approximately 10,000 numbers) it may be copied using the Number List Administration screen. Select the number list you want to copy. Now click on the Whole List button. A text area will appear in the bottom frame of the screen, with all the numbers in the source list. Now select the or create a new one checkbox. Enter your new list name in the List Name field and select the Update button.
Another way to copy any size number list is by using the Search Local Numbers screen. Choose the source number list from the Number List drop-down list and click on the Create Number List button. The Create Number List popup will appear. Enter your new number list name and select the Update button.
If you want to copy and then modify a list, you can download the list, edit it with any text editor, and then upload the list. From the Number List Administration screen, select the Download List button. A new browser window will appear. Under the File menu select Save Page As.... Set the Save as type to "Text Files", enter the file name and select the Save button. Now edit that file, using your favorite text editor. When you are done, go back to the Number List Administration screen, select the or create a new one checkbox, enter your new list name in the List Name field and select the Upload List button. In the bottom frame, enter the file name and select the Upload File button. Your new number list will be created.
By default, on the Shared Platform, 1000 random numbers may be reserved. This limit is to prevent accidentally reserving (and paying for) a large amount of numbers. If you are doing a search for a pattern we recommend that you limit the quantity to assure a faster response.
If you are running on a Private or Dedicated Platform that limit is tunable.
A Batch Reserve has no limit to the amount of numbers that may be reserved.
When you execute a Search from 8MS, SMS/800 puts a one minute lock on the numbers found. Since the mechanism 8MS uses to search for contiguous numbers may take more than one minute, it is quite likely that the lock will not exist by the time you are ready to reserve the found numbers. As a result, the 8MS team has chosen to put the 10 number limit. You may still reserve more than 10 contiguous numbers; it is only the search that is limited.
8MS has no limit on the amount of contiguous numbers you may reserve. However, SMS/800 can only provide large sets of contiguous numbers if they are actually available. Additionally, SMS/800 does not search all the NPA databases (800, 888, 877, 866) when a search is done; it selects one and searches only that database. Since 833 is the newest toll-free number database, it is the one that will most likely produce larger sets of contiguous numbers. When doing a reserve for a large set of contiguous numbers, enter an NPA of 833 to increase the chance of getting the set of numbers you want.
While SMS/800 has a limit on how long a number can remain in the reserved state, it is possible to keep a number around by activating the number with a CPR that will never actually route the call to a destination. Activating the number ensures that it will never be spared until you chose to spare it.
This can be done many different ways, but the simpliest is to create a CPR that splits traffic based on a Time node. The Time node will have two branches. The first branch has a value of 12:00AM-11:45AM; this branch routes to a VCA Announcement. The second branch has a value of OTHER; this branch routes to an OBA Announcement.
12:00A-11:45A +-----------------Announcement | VCA Time + | OTHER +-----------------Announcement OBA
CAD stands for Customer Administrative Data record. A CAD is a toll-free number record that contains both routing and administrative data and is scheduled on SMS/800 to go active on a specified date and time. A CAD record remains in effect until another CAD record replaces it or the toll-free number is Disconnected.
CPR stands for Call Processing Record record. Alternate names for a CPR are Routing Plan and Complex Record. A CPR contains a set of advanced routing features that define how to route a call to a carrier. On 8MS, a CPR is associated with a CAD on the Record Management: SMS CAD screen. Nodes on a CPR specify decision points and branches are the possible choices (paths) to take based on the node type.
LAD stands for Label Administrative Data record. A LAD contains a set of label definitions. Values on a CPR branch have a limited size. To allow larger values to be specified on a branch, CPRs have labels. A label consists of a node type, label name and set of values. The set of labels in a CPR are stored in a LAD. A LAD is associated with a CAD, just like a CPR.
Records may not be scheduled in the past; only future dates/times or "now" may be used.
A CPR is created in EditPlan, the cpr editor. This is accessed via Record Management: SMS CAD, CPR Management and SMS Template Management screens. Saving a CPR from the editor does not automatically send the CPR to SMS. A CPR is sent to SMS/800 by creating a new CAD record in Record Management: SMS CAD or new TAD record in SMS Template Management and sending that record to SMS/800 via the "Send" button.
The Disconnect screen allows you to delete a single number or a batch. A future date/time or "now" must be provided.
If an "End Intercept Date" is provided then this number will go Transitional on that date. If the End Intercept Date is "now" the number will go Transitional immediately.
A disconnect will fail if there are any future records (including Pending and Invalid) waiting to go at SMS/800. These records must be deleted first, via the Delete from SMS screen.
Batches of numbers may be disconnected as long as the disconnect date/time and end intercept date will be the same for all the numbers.
A disconnect will also be generated from Record Management: SMS CAD if an End Intercept Date is entered. This allows the user to change the record in the same transaction as the disconnect.
If a number was accidentally disconnected it may be reactivated if it hasn't been spared yet. Bring up the Old (disconnect) record in Record Management: SMS CAD. Clear the End Intercept Date field and send the record up to SMS/800. This will make the number route as it did before it was disconnected.
Occasionally a record will get stuck in the Sending state if one or more SCPs fails to load the record. Usually an unsolicited message will be sent from SMS/800 within 1-2 hours indicating this. A list of SCPs that have failed to load the record is provided with this unsolicited message; this list can be seen via the Activity Log screen in the detail (bottom) frame.
A problem like this is normally beyond the control of 8MS. You should call the SMS/800 Help Desk to report this and SMS/800 support will investigate the problem.
These are defined in the 8MS User Guide, under Service Area Definitions accessible under the Record Management: SMS CAD and SMS Template Management sections.
The 8MS interface to SMS/800 has a limit of 34 codes to be set in the CAD or TAD. If more than 34 codes are to be used they must be set in the CPR.
When a record is sent to SMS/800 on any of these screens, normally all fields on the screen are included in the message. It is possible to limit the fields included in the message. The green dot indicates what fields will be included.
If, for any reason, you don't want to modify certain fields, click on the green dot, setting it to red. When the message is sent to SMS/800, any fields which are red will not be sent in the message.
If you only want to send one or two fields, the process described above can be a bit tedious. Instead you can select the green dot to the right of the one of the main sections (e.g. Number Information or Service Area). This will set the dot for all fields in that section to red. Select the red dot, setting it to green. When the message is sent to SMS/800, only the green fields will be sent in the message to SMS/800.
Perhaps the most common use for this feature is to move a set of Working numbers into a specific 8MS Routing Set, but not modify the Notes section of the CAD.
On the Record Management: SMS CAD screen select the source 8MS Routing Set. After the screen populates, select the dot next to the Notes section, turning the green dot to red. Now send the batch of numbers up to SMS/800. The records will all be routed like the specified 8MS Routing Set but the Notes will be what they were prior to the routing change.
Another common use of this feature is to leave the Contact Name and Contact Phone as they were. This is done the same as leaving the Notes, as described above.
Definining the maximum size of a CPR is a complex issue. The SMS/800 API over which 8MS talks with SMS/800 allows a maximum message size of 600 Kbytes. That size includes information related to message communication along with the data to be sent to SMS/800. Thus, the simple answer is a CPR must be "something less than 600 Kbytes".
Knowing this size limit does not enable you to know the size of the record you are sending up. A CPR on 8MS is formatted differently than the record sent up to SMS/800 in the API message. The size of a CPR as you see it in 8MS's CPR Management screen is not the size of the message that will be sent up to SMS/800. The 8MS internal format is probably a little smaller in size; when it converts the CPR from the internal format to the SMS/800 API format the CPR will grow.
There is another factor that influences CPR size. SMS/800 may accept a CPR of close to 600 Kbytes, but this does not guarantee that all SCPs will accept this CPR. For example, the Canadian SCPs have greater restrictions on what they will allow and, most likely, accept a smaller size CPR. Additionally, just as a CPR format on 8MS does not match a CPR format on SMS/800, a CPR format on SMS/800 most likely does not match a CPR format on an SCP. Thus, the size of a CPR on an SCP will probably not match the size of a CPR on SMS/800. When a new record is being activated on SMS/800, all SCPs are updated, whether the SCPs are involved in the routing or not. So your CPR cannot be larger than 600 Kbytes, but also needs to be smaller than that depending on the smallest maximum size of a CPR on all the SCPs.
If you have concerns regarding the size of your CPR, it is suggested that you do the following. Set up your routing for a single toll-free number and send it up to SMS/800. If that record goes active (specifically Active, not Pending or Sending) then your CPR size is good and you can set up a batch for the rest of your numbers. In that way you won't have to deal with multiple failures should the record turn out to be too large for an SCP.
If you have concerns about your CPR size, when you set up your batch, be sure to set your Max Records per Hour on the batch popup to avoid exceeding the SMS/800 5% CPU rule.
Every Working toll-free number has a set of routing data associated with the number. This set of data defines how calls are routed to a carrier for that number and what areas may dial the number. The routing data is typically bound to the specified number via the CAD, LAD and CPR. (See What are CAD, LAD and CPR? for more details.) As an alternative to binding the routing data to a number, an SMS Template (also known as a TAD record) may be defined which contains the routing data. In this case, the SMS Template is pointed at by the number using a Pointer record (also known as a PAD record).
As explained in the question What are CAD, LAD and CPR?, a CAD is a toll-free number record that contains both routing and number administrative data.
A TAD is an SMS Template record that contains routing and template administrative data.
A PAD is a toll-free number record that contains a subset of CAD administrative data plus a pointer to a TAD record.
A toll-free number is routed using either a CAD or a combination of a PAD and TAD. See the question Why would I want to use an SMS Template? for details on why a PAD/TAD combination may be beneficial.
When using a CAD record, routing is bound to a particular toll-free number. If a number needs to be re-routed, it is necessary to create a new, Pending CAD record. If multiple numbers used the same routing logic and they all needed to be updated then it is necessary to update all the numbers. In 8MS this is not an issue because 8MS allows batches of numbers, so the update is done in a single user action. This does take some time, because 8MS sends record updates for each number, one at a time. If the CPR (routing plan) is large, the records will be throttled so only a few dozen (more or less) would be sent to SMS/800 to avoid exceeding CPU % usage.
When using a PAD/TAD combination the routing is independent of the toll-free number. After creating a TAD, one or more toll-free numbers may be pointed at this TAD record by creating PAD records. If the CPR is large, the PAD records do not need to be throttled because no routing data is being sent up with the PAD records; it was already sent in the TAD record. Once these PAD records are loaded at SMS/800, if the routing needs to be changed, it is only necessary to update the TAD, no changes need to be performed on the numbers.
See the Using SMS Templates - A Work Flow section of the Managing SMS Templates tutorial for details on how to do this.
The process for this is that same as converting an 8MS Routing Set into an SMS Template. See the Using SMS Templates - A Work Flow section of the Managing SMS Templates tutorial for details on how to do this.
See the Using SMS Templates - A Work Flow section of the Managing SMS Templates tutorial for details on how to do this.
An 8MS Routing Set is the route-affecting data defined in the CAD, CPR and LAD of a toll-free number. This data is associated with a specific record (i.e. CAD, CPR and LAD for a specific date and time), not the toll-free number itself. To say that two records have the same 8MS Routing Set is to say that they "route the same".
When 8MS sees a new record for a toll-free number, it analyzes the CAD, CPR and LAD and stores it in the 8MS database in a pre-defined format as an 8MS Routing Set. This 8MS Routing Set is compared against all other existing 8MS Routing Sets. If it is found to be unique (i.e. no matches were found) then a unique name is generated for the 8MS Routing Set. If it is found to match an existing 8MS Routing Set, the newly created 8MS Routing Set is thrown away and the record is associated with that existing 8MS Routing Set.
See the question How can I find what numbers are assigned to specific 8MS Routing Sets?
The 8MS Routing Set Management screen allows you to rename a 8MS Routing Set. Select the 8MS Routing Set you wish to rename, enter the new name in the Rename selected 8MS Routing Set to text field and click on the Save button.
Occasionally a standard 8MS Routing Set will need to be changed. However, when a new 8MS Routing Set is created it is always given a unique, system-generated name. You probably want that new 8MS Routing Set to have your standard routing name, but there is no way to remove a name from a named 8MS Routing Set. So how do you provide an existing name to a new 8MS Routing Set? You can do this in 2 different ways.
One way is to rename the old 8MS Routing Set to another name and then give the new 8MS Routing Set the old name. Renaming a 8MS Routing Set is done on the 8MS Routing Set Management screen. Select the old 8MS Routing Set from the Select 8MS Routing Set drop-down list, enter a new name in the Rename selected 8MS Routing Set to field and select the Save button. You can now do the same thing with the new 8MS Routing Set, assigning it the old name.
While that seems simple enough, there is a down-side to doing this. 8MS cleans up old 8MS Routing Sets that are not referenced by any Active, Pending or Sending 8MS Routing Sets once they have aged out. However, user named 8MS Routing Sets are never removed from 8MS. Thus, if you perform the method described above, and do this on a regular basis, you will end up with many old, unused, named 8MS Routing Sets. This makes it difficult to keep your 8MS Routing Sets straight, as users will quite often give them names like "Old Standard Routing", "Old Standard Routing 3/23/05", etc. Additionally, named 8MS Routing Sets always appear at the top of the 8MS Routing Set drop-down list, cluttering up your 8MS Routing Set choice list.
You work around this problem by deleting the old 8MS Routing Set rather than renaming it. As long as there are no toll-free numbers in this 8MS Routing Set that are in the Active or Sending state, the 8MS Routing Set may be deleted. Go to 8MS Routing Set Management, select your 8MS Routing Set and select the Delete button. 8MS will search for all records in this 8MS Routing Set. (Bear in mind that this will take longer than most queries on 8MS.) If there are Working records in this 8MS Routing Set you won't be allowed to delete the 8MS Routing Set. Otherwise a popup will appear that shows any records in states other than Active and Sending, and asks if it can delete these records as well as the 8MS Routing Set. If you select Delete on the popup, records will also be deleted from 8MS but, again, not from SMS/800. These numbers can always be retrieved later. After the delete has completed, select the new 8MS Routing Set and rename it to the old name.
If you are concerned about the Schedule records being deleted, you can always cancel the delete, go to 8MS Routing Set Info, select the old 8MS Routing Set and select Create Number List to save the numbers in a number list prior to deleting the 8MS Routing Set.
Using either Copy Record or Record Management: SMS CAD you may specify a source record of a 8MS Routing Set rather than a number. You may also select any number in the 8MS Routing Set as a source.
Some customers have a large number of 8MS Routing Sets. This causes screens that have the 8MS Routing Set drop-down (e.g. Record Management: SMS CAD, Search Local Numbers and Search Local Records) to download very slowly. To reduce the time it takes for these pages to download, 8MS only shows the top 10 most recently modified or created 8MS Routing Sets. To view all 8MS Routing Sets, click on the small blue button to the right of the 8MS Routing Set dropdown list. To change the number of 8MS Routing Sets that is initially downloaded set the RecentRoutingSetCount preference. To view specific 8MS Routing Sets along with the recently used 8MS Routing Sets, set the MyRoutingSets preference.
The MyRoutingSets parameter can be set to a list of 8MS Routing Set names. Each 8MS Routing Set in this list will always be at the top of the 8MS Routing Set drop-down list on all screens as long as the 8MS Routing Set exists.
Since the number of 8MS Routing Sets a customer may have can become very large, 8MS automatically removes unused 8MS Routing Sets after they have aged. Only 8MS Routing Sets with auto-generated names are deleted; once a customer has given a 8MS Routing Set a name, that 8MS Routing Set is never deleted. See the question How can I rename a 8MS Routing Set? in this section.
From 8MS Routing Set Info, select the "Show Number Count" checkbox and put the value "0" in the "Max" field to the right of this checkbox. Click the Retrieve button.
This will show all 8MS Routing Sets that have no numbers associated with them.
Now click the "Delete" button.
A popup will appear that says
"X of the selected 8MS Routing Sets is referenced by the following:
X1 OLD record(s), X2 FAILED record(s), ...
To delete these customer records as well as any 8MS Routing Sets that
reference them, click the Delete All button."
Click the Delete All button to delete the 8MS Routing Sets and other associated records.
Search Local Numbers shows the 8MS Routing Set to which each record has been assigned. Choose the 8MS Routing Set is to identify any number that has any of its' records using this 8MS Routing Set.
Search Local Numbers shows the status of the number.
Search Local Records. shows the status of each record for a number. You may filter out numbers by status. For example, click the Sending checkbox and click on the Retrieve button to view all records currently in the Sending state.
Search Local Records. has a Show CIC checkbox which will show the CIC(s) being used by each record. You may specify one or more CICs in the textfield to the right of this checkbox. Additionally, there are radio buttons to the right of the textfield which allow you to say Any, All, Exact and Not. So, for example, you may say something like "show me all records which do NOT route to this Carrier" by clicking the checkbox, entering the CIC and clicking the Not radio button.
When 8MS sends a single number (non-batch) message to SMS/800, it normally waits up to 30 seconds. When you hit the send button, you will see a popup that says "Waiting 30 seconds for response...". There are various reasons why 8MS may not get a response from SMS/800. One common reason is simply that SMS/800 is bogged down with requests by all it's customers. The 30 second timeout value is tunable per Customer. See ResponseWaitTime in the 8MS User Guide in the section Customizing 8MS.
All activity may be viewed in the Activity Log. Click the Apply button. If the status is "Success" or "Failure" then the request has completed. In the middle of the screen, click on the record that you were waiting for and the bottom area will show the details that you would have seen had the request completed within the timeout period.
Most messages sent from SMS/800 are in response to requests sent from 8MS. However, there is a set of messages that can be sent to 8MS without 8MS first sending a request to SMS/800. These messages are known as unsolicited messages and are designed to keep 8MS data in sync with SMS/800. If a user performs certain actions on another 8MS platform (i.e. another API client) or on the SMS/800 user interface, SMS/800 will notify 8MS that this action was taken.
The most important unsolicited messages sent from SMS/800 are notifications of number reservations, scheduling of CAD, PAD and TAD records and RespOrg changes. When 8MS receives an unsolicited message from SMS/800 regarding one of these items, 8MS will then send retrieve requests to SMS/800 asking for the new data. In this way, 8MS keeps it's database in sync with SMS/800.
8MS customers always have the option to turn off one or more unsolicited messages by submitting a request to 8MS. This is most often requested when an 8MS customer wants to avoid exceeding their number limits by disabling RespOrg changes and number reservations. This prevents 8MS from ever downloading numbers from SMS/800 without the users' explicit requests to do so.
There are three types of tunable preferences which may be set. Company preferences are set for all users of a company. User preferences are set for a specific user in a company. Company/User preferences are set for all users of a company but each user may provide an override value if the user does not like the company value. All tunable preferences are documented in the 8MS User Guide in the section Customizing 8MS.
Additionally, the user interface menu may be customized. This is also discussed in the same section of the 8MS User Guide.
The currently support browsers is shown on the bottom of the Welcome Page. This page is shown immediately after logging in to the 8MS user interface and is also accessible from the menu.