Digit Manipulation
The art of transforming your dial-plan
By the end of this great post, ‘Digit manipulation – The art of transforming your dial-plan,’ you will understand the basics of digit conversion, and digit translation; by utilizing the incoming-call-handling-treatment tables, signaling-groups, route-patterns, and other elements part of both CM and IP Office.
As programmers, we sometimes encounter unforeseen challenges when helping our clients. Some of these challenges consist of, configuring new DIDs and merging multiple dial-plans.
Recently, I found myself in this predicament. The customer had an existing dialing plan starting with a 7000 extension range and had purchased 100 DIDs ranging from 9500 to 9599. Because the PBX was configured with 9 as the dial-access-code, limiting stations to be configured starting with 9. I had the choice of using the digit manipulation.
These are 8 digit manipulation key elements=
- 1.- FACs and DACs
- 2.- User Rights and ARS short-codes
- 3.- Incoming call handling treatment
- 4.- Incoming Call Routes
- 5.- Signaling Groups
- 6.- VDNs and Vectors
- 7.- Uniform Dial Plan Tables
- 8.- Route Patterns
1.- FACs and DACs
Feature-access, and dial-access codes, are tasked with functions of performing different system variables.
FACs – in conjunction with the (soft) phone gives the user the ability to utilize the system’s available components. These components are presets of the Avaya phone system, and they vary from:
System – These give the user the power of activate or deactivate features available or licensed.
Call-center – Agents, and supervisors, utilize them to optimize reporting, and customer experience.
Vector-variables (VV) – These FACs will allow you to change the VV assignments.
Hospitality – In conjunction with a PMS (Property Management System) provides house-keeping and hotel room status.
DACs or dial-access-codes, similar to FACs, but slight different, mostly used to access Trunk Groups bypassing the ARS tables. Both DACs and FACs can share the same dial-plan.
2.- User Rights and ARS short-codes
IP Office uses short-codes (SC) very similar to FACs and DACs. The IP Office system will allow you to create any codes desired by typing digits into a short-code template when creating them. I recommend to stick with one dial-plan per function. Structuring codes towards functions will help troubleshoot, and keep the IP Office system optimized.
User Rights SCs – These templates help create a system-wide SC standard when applied to users.
ARS SCs – Allow the creation of dial-plan based on digits allowed.
For more on short-codes refer to the references.
3.- Incoming call handling treatment (ICHT)
This ICHT table works in conjunction with a specific ISDN or SIP Trunk Group. When the system sees the call, it matches the digits sent from the service provider and it tries to match them to the attributes already configured in this table.
Deleting digits – The system analyzes the attributes configured, starting from the left to the right. e.g 905, will cover the entire range 90500 through 90599. Keep in mind the delete digits plays a factor here. If you delete 2, based on my example, then the system will route 500 through 599; deleting only 90.
Inserting digits – this can be helpful if you want to insert (a) number(s) to the range. Let say that you have 7500 as the range, you can delete 2 digits, then insert a 7. This will re-route calls coming on DID 90500 to 7500.
4.- Incoming Call Routes (ICR)
In IP Office, the system uses ICR to route incoming digits or DNIS sent from the service provider to an existing attribute in the IP Office system.
One ICR per entry is needed. One downside of ICR is the lack of configuring a wildcard to cover an entire range of extensions.
ICR Labeling – This feature lets you label each IRC with a name. The name will be displayed at its destination’s endpoint.
ICR Default Destination (Unassigned DIDs) – By leaving the Incoming Number Field empty, the system will not check for digits, and pass the call straight to its destination. This is perfect when having the operator answer any unassigned DIDs.
ICR – and Outbound Caller ID – This is another plus. The IP Office system will try to push the ICR configured number as the CLID assigned to a user.
5.- Signaling Groups
Rarely used for digit manipulation, but it does bring the capability of presenting incoming DNIS and destination digits.
Trunk Group with Night Destination – This feature allows you to configure a NS destination.
6.- VDNs and Vectors
Another way to perform digit manipulation in the Avaya Aura is by creating VDNs and sending them to Vectors. In the Vector you can assign any valid destination to complete the call.
7.- Uniform Dial Plan Tables (UDP)
Through UDP Tables you can do digit manipulation. Length, digits to delete, and digits to insert, are options provided, allowing the user flexibility when integrating multiple systems or PBXs.
8.- Route Patterns
Digit manipulation can also be performed here in the route-pattern tables. The main use of the route-pattern is to route outbound digits destined to the service provider or networked element. The Admin has the ability of deleting and inserting numbers per table.
Resources
Question –
When manipulating digits, which tables or steps do you normally use?
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