GTE (later Verizon) / 1999
Defining a shared customer record
Backend CRM engineering at the boundary between customer interactions and activation or provisioning systems.
A defined record at the integration boundary
- CRM transactionsLandline · Mobile · Internet
- MCR.dtdCustomer-record definition
- Backend systemsActivation / provisioning
The CRM handled customer interactions across telecom services.
Read the complete architecture & boundaries
A boundary map. MCR.dtd is a definition, not a runtime service. Exact transport and synchronization are not shown.
- Capture the interaction. The CRM handled customer interactions across telecom services.
- Define the record. Vivek wrote MCR.dtd and worked on the backend integration boundary.
- Connect the systems. A Tampa team collaborated on activation/provisioning integration involving Java and CORBA.
THE PROBLEM
What needed to change.
A CRM handling landline, mobile and internet interactions needed a defined way to connect transactions to backend systems.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Where I came in.
I wrote MCR.dtd, the data definition for the customer record, and worked with a Tampa team on integration from CRM transactions to backend activation/provisioning systems.
The work was part of a broader CRM backend effort in Dallas, involving Java and CORBA.
THE APPROACH
How it came together.
- Define the customer-record structure in MCR.dtd.
- Work with the integration team on the CRM-to-backend boundary.
- Support transactions associated with activation and provisioning.
THE OUTCOME
What the work made possible.
My contribution centered on the record definition and backend integration work. No claim is made about continued use of the file or system today.
Technical & implementation detail
Technologies described in this account: Java, CORBA, XML, DTD.
This work took place at GTE in 1999, before the merger that formed Verizon. MCR.dtd was a data definition for the customer record. Java and CORBA were involved in the CRM backend work. RMI was explored, but its production use is not established; it is therefore excluded from the architecture.
The accompanying visual is a simplified explanation. It is not a production screenshot or a complete implementation specification.