# Open Access Same-Time Information System and Standards of Conduct > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A98-26678 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Rule - **Published:** October 8, 1998 - **Citation:** 63 FR 54258 ## Text [Federal Register Volume 63, Number 195 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 54258-54306] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-26678] [[Page 54257]] _______________________________________________________________________ Part III Department of Energy _______________________________________________________________________ Federal Energy Regulatory Commission _______________________________________________________________________ 18 CFR Part 37 Open Access Same-Time Information System and Standards of Conduct; Final Rule Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 195 / Thursday, October 8, 1998 / Rules and Regulations [[Page 54258]] DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 18 CFR Part 37 [Docket No. RM95-9-003] Open Access Same-Time Information System and Standards of Conduct Issued September 29, 1998. AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Order issuing revised OASIS standards and protocols document. SUMMARY: In this order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the Commission): issues a revised OASIS Standards and Protocols Document (Version 1.3); grants a three-month extension of time for implementing Version 1.3 of the revised OASIS Standards and Protocols Document; and grants a two-month extension of time for implementing the Commission's requirements on unmasking source and sink information. DATES: Version 1.3 of the OASIS Standards and Protocols Document becomes effective March 1, 1999. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marvin Rosenberg (Technical Information), Office of Economic Policy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-1283 Paul Robb (Technical Information), Office of Electric Power Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 219-2702 Gary D. Cohen (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-0321. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register, the Commission also provides all interested persons an opportunity to inspect or copy the contents of this document during normal business hours in the Public Reference Room at 888 First Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426. In addition, the Commission Issuance Posting System (CIPS) provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission. CIPS can be accessed via Internet through FERC's Homepage (http://www.ferc.fed.us) using the CIPS Link or the Energy Information Online icon. The full text of this document will be available on CIPS in ASCII and WordPerfect 6.1 format. CIPS is also available through the Commission's electronic bulletin board service at no charge to the user and may be accessed using a personal computer with a modem by dialing (202) 208- 1397, if dialing locally, or 1-800-856-3920, if dialing long distance. To access CIPS, set your communications software to 19200, 14400, 12000, 9600, 7200, 4800, 2400, or 1200 bps, full duplex, no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit. User assistance is available at (202) 208- 2474 or by E-Mail to [email protected] This document is also available through the Commission's Records and Information Management System (RIMS), an electronic storage and retrieval system of documents submitted to and issued by the Commission after November 16, 1981. Documents from November 1995 to the present can be viewed and printed. RIMS is available in the Public Reference Room or remotely via Internet through FERC's Homepage using the RIMS link or the Energy Information Online icon. User assistance is available at (202) 208-2222, or by E-Mail to [email protected] Finally, the complete text in WordPerfect format may be purchased from the Commission's copy contractor, RVJ International, Inc. RVJ International, Inc., is located in the Public Reference Room at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20426. Before Commissioners: James J. Hoecker, Chairman; Vicky A. Bailey, William L. Massey, Linda Breathitt, and Curt Hebert, Jr. Order Issuing Revised OASIS Standards and Protocols Document, Granting Three-Month Extension of Time for Implementing Revised OASIS Standards and Protocols Document, and Granting Two-Month Extension of Time for Implementing the Commission's Requirements on Unmasking Source and Sink Information After consideration of suggested changes advanced by the OASIS How Working Group (How Group) and other interested persons, we are issuing a revised version (version 1.3) of the OASIS Standards and Communications Protocols document (referred to herein as the S&CP Document), consisting of revisions to version 1.2 of the S&CP Document issued by the Commission on June 18, 1998. Moreover, in response to a request from the How Group and the Commercial Practices Working Group (CPWG), we are granting a three-month extension, until March 1, 1999, for implementation of the requirements of version 1.3 and a two-month extension, also until March 1, 1999, for implementation of the Commission's requirements on the unmasking of source and sink information. Background In an order issued on June 18, 1998,1 the Commission issued version 1.2 of the S&CP Document 2 and invited the How Group to file with the Commission a revised submittal, within 21 days of the date of issuance of the June 18 Order that, ``to the greatest extent possible identifies all needed corrections to the S&CP Document.'' 3 The June 18 Order also requested that the How Group, \1\ Open Access Same-time Information System and Standards of Conduct, 63 FR 38,884 (July 20, 1998) 83 FERC para. 61,360 at 62,466, (June 18 Order). \2\ 83 FERC at 62,466-67. \3\ 83 FERC at 62,452, n.13. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reach consensus on an industry-wide uniform format, which could be easily obtained and widely used by industry participants, to cover both organizational charts and job descriptions, or at a minimum, one uniform format for organizational charts and another uniform format for job descriptions. To this end, we request that the How Group, within 90 days of the date of issuance of this order, develop an industry-wide uniform format for organizational charts and job descriptions, and submit its recommendations on this issue to the Commission.4 \4\ Id. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- On July 15, 1998, the How Group filed a proposed version 1.3 of the S&CP Document, consisting of proposed clarifications and corrections to version 1.2 of the S&CP Document. These revisions included a proposal to add subsection 3.4(k) to the S&CP Document that would prescribe a standard method for posting organizational charts, job descriptions, and personnel names. On July 22, 1998, the Commission issued a notice of filing, inviting interested persons to file comments with the Commission on or before August 21, 1998. On August 11, 1998, the How Group and the CPWG jointly filed a letter requesting: (1) a delay in the date of implementation of the OASIS Phase 1-A S&CP Document (i.e., version 1.3) until March 1, 1999 (a three-month delay); (2) a delay in the implementation date for the Commission's new rules on the unmasking of source and sink information (established in the June 18 Order) 5 until March 1, 1999 (a two-month delay); and (3) approval of the industry's Phase 1-A report on business practices, for implementation on March 1, 1999. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \5\ 83 FERC at 62,456-67. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Page 54259]] On August 21, 1998, Southern Company Services, Inc., (Southern) 6 filed comments supportive of the How Group's filing. However, Southern states that a few additional minor technical revisions need to be made to the document. Southern states that it discussed these additional proposed edits with the How Group at a How Group meeting held on July 23-24, 1998 and that, upon review, the How Group agrees with Southern that the additional technical revisions described in Southern's comments (and specified in an attachment to Southern's comments) need to be made. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \6\ Southern's comments are filed on behalf of Alabama Power Company, Georgia Power Company, Gulf Power Company, Mississippi Power Company, and Savannah Electric and Power Company. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also on August 21, 1998, Enron Power Marketing, Inc. (EPMI) filed a motion to intervene raising no substantive issues. Discussion A. Issuance of the Revised S&CP Document (Version 1.3) As explained in the June 18 Order,7 the Commission has received a series of corrections and edits to the Phase 1-A S&CP Document. In the interests of issuing a revised document as free from errors as possible, we invited the How Group to carefully review this document and to file a revised document that, to the greatest extent possible, identified all needed corrections to the S&CP Document. The How Group complied with this request and submitted a revised Phase 1-A S&CP Document on July 15, 1998. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \7\ 83 FERC at 62,452, n.13. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- However, Southern has identified three additional minor technical revisions that should be made to the document. These revisions: (1) add ``START__TIME'' and ``STOP__TIME'' to the list of data elements under the ``INPUT'' and ``RESPONSE'' portions of several specified templates; 8 (2) add ``STUDY'' and ``DISPLACED'' as permissible ``STATUS'' values; 9 and (3) add further ``STATUS'' values in section 4.3.9.3.10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \8\ Southern explains that this revision is needed because the narrative accompanying these sections references their inclusion. Southern Comments at 2. \9\ Southern explains that this revision is needed because section 4.3.9.2 provides that the values for ``STATUS'' and the processing of ``STATUS'' are to be the same as in section 4.3.7.2, which includes ``STUDY'' and ``DISPLACED'' as permissible ``STATUS'' values. Southern Comments at 2-3. \10\ Southern explains that this revision is needed to make the ``STATUS'' values in this section equivalent to those in section 4.3.7.3. Southern Comments at 3. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- We have reviewed the How Group's submittal along with Southern's comments (the only substantive comments filed in response to our notice of the How Group's filing) and find that this document improves upon version 1.2 of the S&CP Document. We, therefore, adopt version 1.3 of the S&CP Document,11 as modified herein.12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \11\ Version 1.3 of the S&CP Document, without redline and strikeout fonts, is provided in Attachment 1. Attachment 2 to this order shows all the changes that we have made and direct to version 1.2 of the S&CP Document in redline and strikeout fonts. We will publish Attachment 1 in the Federal Register. However, as redline and strikeout fonts do not show up in the Federal Register, we will not publish Attachment 2 in the Federal Register. It will, however, be made available on CIPS, RIMS, and in the Public Reference Room. \12\ We note that the document we are labeling as version 1.3 of the S&CP Document differs from the How Group's proposed version 1.3 of the S&CP Document. The difference between the two documents is based on our inclusion of the revisions suggested by Southern's comments and a few nonsubstantive corrections (i.e., revised fonts and corrections to the table of contents). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Implementation Date for Version 1.3 of the S&CP Document The August 11, 1998 How Group/CPWG joint letter requested a delay in the implementation date of the OASIS Phase 1-A S&CP Document (i.e., version 1.3) until March 1, 1999 (a three-month delay). In support of this request, the How Group and CPWG argue that this delay will assure that the revised S&P Document will not need to be implemented at the start of the winter peak season. The How Group and CPWG argue that, by avoiding implementation of this requirement during the winter peak season, potential adverse effects on system reliability will be avoided. They argue that fears of disruption are not hypothetical, but are based on companies' experiences in implementing OASIS Phase 1 requirements. The additional time will also allow customers and transmission providers time to complete modifications to ``backend'' systems to connect with OASIS servers. We agree. A three-month delay that minimizes potential start-up problems and avoids possible disruptions to reliability is appropriate. We will therefore modify the implementation date for version 1.3 of the S&CP Document to require implementation by March 1, 1999. Our determination in this regard is without prejudice to the pending requests for rehearing, on other grounds, of the June 18, 1998 Order. By addressing this request for a delayed implementation date, we intend no judgment on the merits of those pending requests for rehearing. C. Implementation Date for New Rules on Unmasking Source and Sink Information The August 11, 1998 How Group/CPWG joint letter requested a delay in the implementation date for the Commission's new rules on unmasking of source and sink on the OASIS until March 1, 1999 (a two-month delay). In support of this request, the How Group and CPWG argue that having the same implementation date for the Commission's new rules on unmasking of source and sink information as for the revised S&CP Document will reduce the cost of implementation and will avoid the risk that the industry simultaneously will face the requirement to comply with the Commission's new rules on unmasking source and sink information and possible Year 2000 anomalies. We agree that a two-month delay is appropriate. We, therefore, will modify the implementation date for compliance with the Commission's new rules on unmasking source and sink information to require compliance with this requirement by March 1, 1999. Our determination in this regard is without prejudice to the pending requests for rehearing of the June 18, 1998 Order. By addressing this request for a delayed implementation date, we intend no judgment on the merits of those pending requests for rehearing. The Commission Orders (A) Version 1.3 of the OASIS Phase 1-A S&CP Document (as shown on Attachment 1 to this order) is hereby adopted for use on and after March 1, 1999, as discussed in the body of this order. (B) The effective date for the requirements on unmasking source and sink information is hereby changed to March 1, 1999, as discussed in the body of this order. By the Commission. Commissioner Bailey concurred with a separate statement attached. David P. Boergers, Secretary. [[Page 54260]] [Note: This attachment will not appear in the Code of Federal Regulations.] ATTACHMENT 1--Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Standards and Communication Protocols for Open Access Same-Time Information System (OASIS) Version 1.3 September 29, 1998 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Definition of Terms 2. Network Architecture Requirements 2.1 Architecture of OASIS Nodes 2.2 Internet-Based OASIS Network 2.3 Communication Standards Required 2.4 Internet Tool Requirements 2.5 Navigation and Interconnectivity Between OASIS Nodes 3. Information Access Requirements 3.1 Registration and Login Requirements 3.2 Service Level Agreements 3.3 Access to Information 3.4 Provider Updating Requirements 3.5 Access to Changed Information 3.6 User Interaction With an OASIS Node 4. Interface Requirements 4.1 Information Model Concepts 4.2 OASIS Node Conventions and Structures 4.2.1 OASIS Node Naming Requirements 4.2.1.1 OASIS Node Names 4.2.1.2 OASIS Node and Primary Provider Home Directory 4.2.1.3 CGI Script Names 4.2.2 Data Element Dictionary 4.2.3 OASIS Template Constructs 4.2.3.1 Template Construction 4.2.3.2 Template Categories 4.2.3.3 Template HTML Screens 4.2.4 Query/Response Template Requirements 4.2.4.1 Query Requirements 4.2.4.2 Response Requirements 4.2.5 Input/Response Template Requirements 4.2.5.1 Input Requirements 4.2.5.2 Response to Input 4.2.6 Query Variables 4.2.6.1 General 4.2.6.2 Standard Header Query Variables 4.2.6.3 Responses to Queries 4.2.6.4 Multiple Instances 4.2.6.5 Logical Operations 4.2.6.6 Handling of Time Data Elements 4.2.6.7 Default Values 4.2.6.8 Limitations on Queries 4.2.7 CSV Format 4.2.7.1 General Record Format 4.2.7.2 Input Header Records 4.2.7.3 Response Header Records 4.2.7.4 Data Records 4.2.7.5 Continuation Records 4.2.7.6 Error Handling in CSV-Formatted Responses 4.2.8 Registration Information 4.2.8.1 General 4.2.8.2 Company Information 4.2.8.3 User Information 4.2.9 Representation of Time 4.2.9.1 General 4.2.9.2 Input Time 4.2.9.3 Output (Response) Time 4.2.10 Transaction Process 4.2.10.1 Purchase Transactions 4.2.10.2 Status Values 4.2.10.3 Dynamic Notification 4.2.10.3.1 HTTP Notification 4.2.10.3.2 E-mail Notification 4.2.11 Reference Identifiers 4.2.12 Linking of Ancillary Services to Transmission Services 4.3 Template Descriptions 4.3.1 Template Summary [[Page 54261]] 4.3.2 Query/Response of Posted Services Being Offered 4.3.2.1 Transmission Capacity Offerings Available for Purchase (transoffering) 4.3.2.2 Ancillary Services Available for Purchase (ancoffering) 4.3.3 Query/Response of Services Information 4.3.3.1 Transmission Services (transserv) 4.3.3.2 Ancillary Services (ancserv) 4.3.4 Query/Response of Schedules and Curtailments 4.3.4.1 Hourly Schedule (schedule) 4.3.4.2 Curtailment/Interruption (curtail) 4.3.5 Query/Response of Lists of Information 4.3.5.1 List (list) 4.3.6 Query/Response to Obtain the Audit log 4.3.6.1 Audit Log Information (auditlog) 4.3.7 Purchase Transmission Services 4.3.7.1 Customer Capacity Purchase Request (transrequest) 4.3.7.2 Status of Customer Purchase Request (transstatus) 4.3.7.3 Seller Approval of Purchase (transsell) 4.3.7.4 Customer Confirmation of Purchase (Input) (transcust) 4.3.7.5 Alternate Point of Receipt/Delivery (transalt) 4.3.7.6 Seller to Reassign Service Rights to Another Customer (transassign) 4.3.8 Seller Posting of Transmission Services 4.3.8.1 Seller Capacity Posting (transpost) 4.3.8.2 Seller Capacity Modify (transupdate) 4.3.9 Purchase of Ancillary Services 4.3.9.1 Customer Requests to Purchase Ancillary Services (ancrequest) 4.3.9.2 Ancillary Services Status (ancstatus) 4.3.9.3 Seller Approves Ancillary Service (ancsell) 4.3.9.4 Customer Accepts Ancillary Service (anccust) 4.3.9.5 Seller to Reassign Service Rights to Another Customer (ancassign) 4.3.10 Seller Posting of Ancillary Services 4.3.10.1 Seller Ancillary Services Posting (ancpost) 4.3.10.2 Seller Modify Ancillary Services Posting (ancupdate) 4.3.11 Informal Messages 4.3.11.1 Provider/Customer Want Ads and Informal Message Posting Request (messagepost) 4.3.11.2 Message (message) 4.3.11.3 Provider/Sellers Message Delete Request (messagedelete) 4.3.11.4 Personnel Transfers (personnel) 4.3.11.5 Discretion (discretion) 4.3.11.6 Standard of Conduct (stdconduct) 4.4 File Request and File Download Examples 4.4.1 File Example for Hourly Offering 4.4.2 File Example for Hourly Schedule Data 4.4.3 Customer Posting a Transmission Service Offering 4.4.4 Example of Re-aggregating Purchasing Services using Reassignment 4.4.5 File Examples of the Use of Continuation Records 4.4.6 Examples of Negotiation of Price 4.4.6.1 Negotiation with Preconfirmation 4.4.6.2 Negotiations without Preconfirmation 4.4.6.3 Multiple Step Negotiations 4.4.6.4 Negotiations Declined by Seller 4.4.6.5 Negotiations Withdrawn by Customer 4.4.6.6 Negotiations Superseded by Higher Priority Reservation 4.5 Information Supported by Web Page 5. Performance Requirements 5.1 Security 5.2 Access Privileges 5.3 Oasis Response Time Requirements 5.4 Oasis Provider Account Availability 5.5 Backup and Recovery 5.6 Time Synchronization 5.7 TS Information Timing Requirements 5.8 TS Information Accuracy 5.9 Performance Auditing 5.1 Migration Requirements Appendix A--Date Element Dictionary 1. Introduction 1.1 Definition of Terms The following definitions are offered to clarify discussions of the OASIS in this document. a. Transmission Services Information (TS Information) is transmission and ancillary services information that must be made available by public utilities on a non-discriminatory basis to meet the regulatory requirements of transmission open access. b. Open Access Same-Time Information System (OASIS) comprises the computer systems and associated communications facilities that public utilities are required to provide for the purpose of making available to all transmission users comparable interactions with TS Information. c. Open Access Same-Time Information System Node (OASIS Node) is a subsystem of the OASIS. It is one computer system in the (OASIS) that provides access to TS Information to a Transmission Customer. [[Page 54262]] d. Transmission Provider (TP or Primary Provider) is the public utility (or its designated agent) that owns, operates or controls facilities used for the transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce. (This is the same term as is used in Part 35.3). e. Transmission Customer (TC or Customer) is any eligible Customer (or its designated agent) that can or does execute a transmission service agreement or can or does receive transmission service. (This is the same term as is used in Part 35.3). f. Secondary Transmission Provider (ST, Reseller, or Secondary Provider) is any Customer who offers to sell transmission capacity it has purchased. (This is the same as Reseller in Part 37). g. Transmission Services Information Provider (TSIP) is a Transmission Provider or an agent to whom the Transmission Provider has delegated the responsibility of meeting any of the requirements of Part 37. (This is the same as Responsible Party in Part 37). h. Value-Added Transmission Services Information Provider (VTSIP) is an entity who uses TS Information in the same manner as a Customer and provides value-added information services to its Customers. 2. Network Architecture Requirements 2.1 Architecture of Oasis Nodes a. Permit Use of Any OASIS Node Computers: TSIPs shall be permitted to use any computer systems as an OASIS Node, so long as they meet the OASIS requirements. b. Permit Use of Any Customer Computers: OASIS Nodes shall permit the use by Customers of any commonly available computer systems, as long as they support the required communication links to the Internet. c. Permit the Offering of Value-Added Services: TSIPs are required, upon request, to provide their Customers the use of private network connections on a cost recovery basis. Additional services which are beyond the scope of the minimum OASIS requirements are also permitted. When provided, these private connections and additional services shall be offered on a fair and non-discriminatory basis to all Customers who might choose to use these services. d. Permit Use of Existing Communications Facilities: In implementing the OASIS, the use of existing communications facilities shall be permitted. The use of OASIS communication facilities for the exchange of information beyond that required for open transmission access (e.g., transfer of system security or operations data between regional control centers) shall also be permitted, provided that such use does not negatively impact the exchange of open transmission access data and is consistent with the Standards of Conduct in Part 37. e. Single or Multiple Providers per Node: An OASIS Node may support a single individual Primary Provider (plus any Secondary Providers) or may support many Primary Providers. 2.2 Internet-Based Oasis Network a. Internet Compatibility: All OASIS Nodes shall support the use of internet tools, internet directory services, and internet communication protocols necessary to support the Information Access requirements stated in Section 4. b. Connection through the Public Internet: Connection of OASIS Nodes to the public Internet is required so that Users may access them through Internet links. This connection shall be made through a firewall to improve security. c. Connection to a Private Internet Network: OASIS Nodes shall support private connections to any OASIS User (User) who requests such a connection. The TSIP is permitted to charge the User, based on cost, for these connections. The same internet tools shall be required for these private networks as are required for the public Internet. Private connections must be provided to all users on a fair and nondiscriminatory basis. d. Internet Communications Channel: The OASIS Nodes shall utilize a communication channel to the Internet which is adequate to support the performance requirements given the number of Users subscribed to the Providers on the Node (see section 5.3). 2.3 Communication Standards Required a. Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP) (reference RFCs 1331 and 1332) shall be supported for private internet network dial-up connections. b. Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) (reference RFC 1055) shall be supported for private internet network dial-up connections. c. Transport Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) shall be the only protocol set used between OASIS Nodes whenever they are directly interconnected, or between OASIS Nodes and Users using private leased line internet network connections. d. Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP), Version 1.0 (RFC 1945), shall be supported by TSIPs so that User's web browsers can use it to select information for viewing displays and for downloading and uploading files electronically. e. Internet Protocol Address: All OASIS Nodes are required to use an IP address registered with the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC), even if private connections are used. 2.4 Internet Tool Requirements Support for the following specific internet tools is required, both for use over the public Internet as well as for any private connections between Users and OASIS Nodes: a. Browser Support: OASIS Nodes shall insure that Users running minimally either Netscape's Navigator version 4.0.x or Microsoft's Internet Explorer version 4.0.x browsers (or any other commercially or privately available browser supporting that set of capabilities common to both of these industry standard browsers) shall have a fully functional user interface based on the Interface Requirements defined in Section 4. b. HTML Forms shall be provided by the TSIPs to allow Customers to enter information to the OASIS Node. c. Domain Name Service (DNS) (ref. RFC 1034, 1035) shall be provided as a minimum by the TSIPs (or their Internet Service Provider) for the resolution of IP addresses to allow Users to navigate easily between OASIS Nodes. d. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is recommended but not required to provide tools for operating and managing the network, if private interconnections between OASIS Nodes are established. e. The Primary Provider shall support E-mail for exchanges with Customers, including the sending of attachments. The protocols supported shall include, as a minimum, the Simple Messaging Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol (POP), and Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME). 2.5 Navigation and Interconnectivity Between Oasis Nodes a. World Wide Web Browsers: TSIPs shall permit Users to navigate using WWW browsers for accessing different sets of TS Information from one Provider, or for getting to TS Information from different Providers on the same OASIS Node. These navigation methods shall not favor User access to any Provider over another Provider, including Secondary Providers. b. Internet Interconnection across OASIS Nodes: Navigation tools shall not only support navigation within the TSIP's Node, but also across interconnected OASIS Nodes. This navigation capability across interconnected Nodes shall, as a minimum, be possible through the public Internet. 3. Information Access Requirements 3.1 Registration and Login Requirements a. Location of Providers: To provide Users with the information necessary to access the desired Provider, all Primary Providers shall register their OASIS Node URL address with www.tsin.com. This URL address should include the unique four letter acronym the Primary Provider will use as the PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE. [[Page 54263]] b. Initial User Registration: TSIPs shall require Users to register with a Primary Provider before they are permitted to access the Provider's TS Information. There must be a reference pointing to registration procedures on each Primary Provider's home page. Registration procedures may vary with the administrative requirements of each Primary Provider. c. Initial Access Privileges: Initial registration shall permit a User only the minimum Access Privileges. A User and a Primary Provider shall mutually determine what access privilege the User is permitted. The TSIP shall set a User's Access Privilege as authorized by the Primary Provider. d. User Login: After registration, Users shall be required to login every time they establish a dial-up connection. If a direct, permanent connection has been established, Users shall be required to login initially or any time the connection is lost. Use of alternative forms of login and authentication using certificates and public key standards is acceptable. e. User Logout: Users shall be automatically logged out any time they are disconnected. Users may logout voluntarily. 3.2 Service Level Agreements Service Level Agreements: It is recognized that Users will have different requirements for frequency of access, performance, etc., based on their unique business needs. To accommodate these differing requirements, TSIPs shall be required to establish a ``Service Level Agreement'' with each User which specifies the terms and conditions for access to the information posted by the Providers. The default Service Level Agreement shall be Internet access with the OASIS Node meeting all minimum performance requirements. 3.3 Access to Information a. Display: TSIPs shall format all TS Information in HTML format such that it may be viewed and read directly by Users without requiring them to download it. This information shall be in clear English as much as possible, with the definitions of any mnemonics or abbreviations available on-line. The minimum information that is to be displayed is provided in the Templates in Section 4.3. b. Read-Only Access to TS Information: For security reasons, Users shall have read-only access to the TS Information. They shall not be permitted to enter any information except where explicitly allowed, such as HTML transaction request forms or by the Templates in Section 4.3. c. Downloading Capability: Users shall be able to download from an OASIS Node the TS Information in electronic format as a file. The rules for formatting of this data are described in Section 4.2. d. On-Line Data Entry on Forms: Customers shall be permitted to fill out on-line the HTML forms supplied by the TSIPs, for requesting the purchase of services and for posting of products for sale (by Customers who are resellers). Customers shall also be permitted to fill-out and post Want-Ads. e. Uploading Capability: Customers shall be able to upload to OASIS Nodes the filled-out forms. TSIPs shall ensure that these uploaded forms are handled identically to forms filled out on-line. TSIPs shall provide forms that support the HTTP input of Comma Separated Variable (CSV) records. This capability shall permit a Customer to upload CSV records using standard Web browsers or additional client software (such as fetch__http) to specify the location of the CSV records stored on the Customer's hard disk. f. Selection of TS Information: Users shall be able to dynamically select the TS Information they want to view and/or download. This selection shall be, as a minimum, through navigation to text displays, the use of pull-down menus to select information for display, data entry into forms for initiating queries, and the selection of files to download via menus. 3.4 Provider Updating Requirements The following are the Provider update requirements: a. Provider Posting of TS Information: Each Provider (including Secondary Providers and Value-Added Providers) shall be responsible for writing (posting) and updating TS Information on their OASIS Node. No User shall be permitted to modify a Provider's Information. b. INFO.HTM: Each Provider shall provide general information on how to use their node and describe all special aspects, such as line losses, congestion charges and assistance. The address for the directory of this information shall be INFO.HTM (case sensitive), an HTML web page, linked to the Provider's registered URL address. c. OASIS Node Space for Secondary Provider: To permit Users to readily find TS Information for the transmission systems that they are interested in, TSIPs shall provide database space on their OASIS Node for all Secondary Providers who have purchased, and who request to resell, transmission access rights for the power systems of the Primary Providers supported by that Node. d. Secondary Provider Posting to Primary Provider Node: The Secondary Providers shall post the relevant TS Information on the OASIS Node associated with each Primary Provider from whom the transmission access rights were originally purchased. e. Secondary Provider Posting Capabilities: The TSIPs shall ensure that the Secondary Providers shall be able to post their TS Information to the appropriate OASIS Nodes using the same tools and capabilities as the Customers, meet the same performance criteria as the Primary Providers, and allow users to view these postings on the same display page, using the same tables, as similar capacity being sold by the Primary Providers. f. Free-Form Posting of non-TS Information: The TSIP shall ensure that non-TS Information, such as Want-Ads, may be posted by Providers and Customers, and that this information is easily accessible by all Users. The TSIP shall be allowed to limit the volume and/or to charge for the posting of non-TS Information. g. Time Stamps: All TS Information shall be associated with a time stamp to show when it was posted to the OASIS Node. h. Transaction Tracking by an Assignment Reference Number: All requests for purchase of transmission or ancillary services will be marked by a unique accounting number, called an assignment reference. i. Time-Stamped OASIS Audit Log: All posting of TS Information, all updating of TS Information, all User logins and disconnects, all User download requests, all Service Requests, and all other transactions shall be time stamped and stored in an OASIS Audit Log. This OASIS Audit Log shall be the official record of interactions, and shall be maintained on-line for download for at least 90 days. Changes in the values of posted Capacity (Available Transfer Capability) must be stored in the on-line Audit Log for 20 days. Audit records must be maintained for 3 years off-line and available in electronic form within seven days of a Customer request. j. Studies: A summary description with dates, and programs used of all transmission studies used to prepare data for the Primary Provider's ATC and TTC calculation will be provided along with information as to how to obtain the study data and results. k. Organizational Charts: As required in 83 FERC 61,301, each Provider shall provide the company's organizational chart, job descriptions, and personnel names, using formats viewable and downloadable directly (i.e., without the use of external or third- party plug-ins or application software) by the browsers listed in Section 2.4a. 3.5 Access to Changed Information a. General Message & Log: TSIPs shall post a general message and log that may be read by Users. The message shall state that the Provider has updated some information, and shall contain (or point to) a reverse chronological log of those changes. This log may be the same as the Audit Log. The User may use the manual capability to see the message. b. TSIP Notification Design Responsibilities: The TSIP shall avoid a design that could cause serious performance problems by necessitating frequent requests for information from many Users. 3.6 User Interaction With an OASIS Node There are three basic types of User interactions which must be supported by the OASIS Node. These interactions are defined in Section 4.3. [[Page 54264]] a. Query/Response: The simplest level of interactions is the query of posted information and the corresponding response. The User may determine the scope of the information queried by specifying values, through an HTML form, a URL string, or an uploaded file, using Query Variables and their associated input values as defined with each Template in Section 4.3. The response will be either an HTML display or a record oriented file, depending on the output format that the User requests. The TSIP may establish procedures to restrict the size of the response, if an overly broad query could result in a response which degrades the overall performance of the OASIS Node for their Users. b. Purchase Request: The second type of Customer interaction is the submittal of a request to purchase a service. The Customer completes an input form, a URL string or uploads a file and submits it to the OASIS Node. The uploaded file can either be a series of query variables or a record oriented file. The request is processed by the Seller of the service, possibly off-line from the OASIS Node, and the status is updated accordingly. If a purchase request is approved by the Seller, then it must be again confirmed by the Customer. Once the Customer confirms an approved purchase, a reservation for those services is considered to exist, unless later the reservation is reassigned, displaced, or annulled. c. Upload and Modify Postings: Customers who wish to resell their rights may upload a form, create the appropriate URL or upload a file to post services for sale. A similar process applies to eligible Third Party Sellers of ancillary services. The products are posted by the TSIP. The seller may monitor the status of the services by requesting status information. Similarly the Seller may modify its posted transmission services by submitting a service modification request through a form, a URL query, or by uploading a file. 4. Interface Requirements 4.1 Information Model Concepts a. ASCII-Based OASIS Templates: For providing information to Users, TSIPs shall use the specified OASIS Templates. These Templates define the information which must be presented to Users, both in the form of graphical displays and as downloaded files. Users shall be able to request Template information using query- response data flows. The OASIS Templates are described in section 4.3. The Data Element Dictionary, which defines the data elements in the OASIS Templates, is provided in Appendix A. Data elements must be used in the exact sequence and number as shown in the Templates when file uploads and downloads are used. Although the contents of the graphical displays are precisely defined as the same information as in the Templates, the actual graphical display formats of the TS information are beyond the scope of the OASIS requirements. Due to the nature of graphical displays, there may be more than one graphical display used to convey the information in a single Template. b. ASCII-Based OASIS File Structures: For uploading requests from and downloading information to Users, TSIPs shall use specific file structures that are defined for OASIS Template information (see section 4.2). These file structures are based on the use of headers which contain the Query Variable information, including the name of the OASIS Template. These headers thus determine the contents and the format of the data that follows. Although headers may not be essential if file transfers contain the exact sequence and number of data elements as the Templates, this feature is being preserved for possible future use when additional flexibility may be allowed. 4.2 OASIS Node Conventions and Structures 4.2.1 OASIS Node Naming Requirements The following naming conventions shall be used to locate information posted on an OASIS Node. OASIS naming conventions shall conform to standard URL structures. 4.2.1.1 OASIS Node Names In order to provide a consistent method for locating an OASIS Node, the standard Internet naming convention shall be used. All OASIS Node names shall be unique. Each Primary Provider OASIS Node name and home directory shall be registered with the master OASIS directory site at http://www.tsin.com. OASIS Node names shall be stored in an Internet DNS name directory. 4.2.1.2 OASIS Node and Primary Provider Home Directory The home directory name on an OASIS Node shall be ``OASIS'' (all upper case) to identify that the directory is related to the OASIS. The directory of each Primary Provider shall be listed under the ``OASIS'' directory: http://(OASIS Node name)/OASIS/(PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE) Where: (OASIS Node name) is the World Wide Web URL address of the OASIS Information Provider. (PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE) (case sensitive) is the 4 character acronym of the primary provider. PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODEs shall be registered with the master OASIS directory site at http://www.tsin.com. A pointer to user registration information shall be located on the Primary Provider's home page. 4.2.1.3 CGI Script Names Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts shall be located in the directory ``data'' as follows (case sensitive): http://(OASIS Node name)/OASIS/(PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE)/data/(cgi script name)?(query variables) Where: (cgi script name) is the OASIS Template name in lower case (see Section 4.3). Other cgi scripts may be defined as required to implement the HTML interface to the documented templates. (query variables) is a list of query variables with their settings formatted as defined by the HTTP protocol (i.e., URL encoded separated by ampersands). Example: To request the hourly schedule Template at Primary Provider WXYZ Co. http://www.wxyz.com/OASIS/WXYZ/data/schedule?templ=schedule& ver=1.2& fmt=data & stime=19960412040000PD &sptime=19960412100000PD& pprov=wxyz 4.2.2 Data Element Dictionary The following are the requirements for the Data Element Dictionary: a. Definition of OASIS Information Elements: All OASIS Information data elements shall be defined in the Data Element Dictionary which will be stored in the OASIS Node directory: http://(OASISNode Name)/OASIS/(PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE)/ (datadic.htm|datadic.txt) Where: datadic.htm is the HTML version of the data element dictionary (case sensitive) datadic.txt is the ASCII text version of the data element dictionary (case sensitive) [[Page 54265]] The Data Element Dictionary is defined in Appendix A. b. Provider-specific Data Element Values: The valid values that certain OASIS Information data elements may take on, such as PATH__NAME, etc., are unique to a Primary Provider. Names which must be uniquely identified by Primary Provider shall be listed on-line on the OASIS Node via the LIST Template (see Section 4.3.5). In posting OASIS information associated with data elements which are not free-form text, TSIPs shall use only the accepted data element values listed in the Data Element Dictionary and/or those values posted in the LIST of provider specific names provided on the OASIS Node. 4.2.3 OASIS Template Constructs 4.2.3.1 Template Construction Section 4.3 lists the set of OASIS Templates that shall be supported by all OASIS Nodes. These OASIS Templates are intended to be used precisely as shown for the transfer of data to/from OASIS Nodes, and identify, by Data Elements names, the information to be transferred. The construction of the OASIS Templates shall follow the rules described below: a. Unique OASIS Template Name: Each type of OASIS Template shall be identified with a unique name which shall be displayed to the User whenever the OASIS Template is accessed. b. Transfer Protocol: OASIS Templates are transferred using the HTTP protocol. Templates shall support both the ``GET'' and ``POST'' methods for transferring ``query string'' name/value pairs, as well as the OASIS specific ``comma separated value'' (CSV) format for posting and retrieval of information from OASIS Nodes. HTML screens and forms shall be implemented for each OASIS Template. c. Source Information: Each OASIS Template shall identify the source of its information by including or linking to the name of the Primary Provider, the Secondary Provider, or the Customer who provided the information. d. Time Of Last Update: Each OASIS Template shall include a time indicating when it was created or whenever the value of any Data Element was changed. e. Data Elements: OASIS Templates shall define the elementary Data Element Dictionary names for the data values to be transferred or displayed for that Template. f. Documentation: OASIS Information shall be in non-cryptic English, with all mnemonics defined in the Data Element Dictionary or a glossary of terms. TSIPs shall provide on-line descriptions and help screens to assist Users understanding the displayed information. Documentation of all formats, contents, and mnemonics shall be available both as displays and as files which can be downloaded electronically. In order to meet the ``User-Friendly'' goal and permit the flexibility of the OASIS Nodes to expand to meet new requirements, the OASIS Templates shall be as self-descriptive as possible. 4.2.3.2 Template Categories OASIS Templates are grouped into the following two major categories: a. Query/Response: These Templates are used to query and display information posted on an OASIS Node. Each query/response Template accepts a set of user specified Query Variables and returns the appropriate information from data posted on the OASIS Node based on those query variables. The valid Query Variables and information to be returned in response are identified by Data Element in Section 4.3. b. Input/Response: These Templates are used to upload/input information on an OASIS Node. The required input information and information to be returned in response are identified by Data Element in Section 4.3, Template Descriptions. 4.2.3.3 Template HTML Screens Though the exact form and content of the HTML screens and forms associated with the OASIS Templates are not dictated by this document, the following guidelines shall be adhered to for all HTML screens and forms implemented on an OASIS Node: a. Data Element Headings: Data displayed in an HTML screen/form shall be labeled such that the associated data value(s) is(are) easily and readily identifiable as being associated with a particular OASIS Template Data Element. HTML ``Hot-Links'' or other pointer mechanisms may be provided for Data Element headings in OASIS Templates which permit the User to access documentation describing the meaning, type, and format of the associated data. b. Display Limitations: HTML screens and forms shall be implemented in such a way to allow the display of all data specified for each OASIS Template. This may take the form of ``wrapping'' of lines of information on the screen, the use of horizontal and/or vertical scrolling, or the use of ``Hot-Links'' or other pointer mechanisms. There is not necessarily a one-to-one relationship between HTML screens implemented on OASIS Nodes, and their associated Template. However, all Template data elements shall be viewable through one or more HTML screens. c. Template Navigation: HTML ``Hot-Links'' or other pointer mechanisms may be provided to assist the navigation between screens/ forms associated with related OASIS Templates. 4.2.4 Query/Response Template Requirements Retrieval of information posted on an OASIS Node is supported by the Query/Response Templates. The ``query'' identifies the OASIS Template and optionally supplies additional Data Elements which may be used to select specific information to be returned in the ``response''. 4.2.4.1 Query Requirements Query information is transferred to an OASIS Node using the HTTP protocol as a string of Query Variables in the form of name/value pairs. Query Variable name/value pairs are specified as a collection of encoded strings (e.g., blank characters replaced by plus (+) character, etc.) in the form of name=value, with each name/value pair separated by ampersands (&) (see section 4.2.6). OASIS Nodes shall support the following methods for Users to input Query information: a. HTML: HTML FORM input and/or hypertext links shall be provided to allow Users to specify OASIS Template Query Variables. This will be the easiest way to obtain information and should be the choice of most casual Users and for simple requests. The exact nature and form of these HTML screens are not specified, and may differ between OASIS Nodes. b. GET Method: The HTTP GET method for specifying query information appended to a standard OASIS URL shall be supported. Using this method, the name=value formatted Query Variables preceded by a question mark (?) are appended to the URL. Each ``name'' in a name/value pair corresponds to a Data Element name associated with that Template. OASIS Nodes shall support the specification of all Data Elements associated with a Template by both their full name and alias as defined in the Data Dictionary. The ``value'' in a name/ value pair represents the value to be associated with the Data Element being specified in the appropriate format as defined in the Data Dictionary and encoded according to the HTTP protocol. c. POST Method: The HTTP POST method for specifying query information in the message body shall be supported. Using this method, the name=value formatted Query Variables shall be transferred to an OASIS Node using the ``Content-length:'' HTTP header to define the length in bytes of the encoded query string and the ``Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded'' HTTP header to identify the data type included in the message body. Each ``name'' in a name/value pair corresponds to a Data Element name associated with that Template. An OASIS Node shall support the specification of all Data Elements associated with a Template by [[Page 54266]] both their full name and alias as defined in the Data Dictionary. The ``value'' in a name/value pair represents the value to be associated with the Data Element being specified in the appropriate format as defined in the Data Dictionary and encoded according to the HTTP protocol. User queries using any of the above methods are supported directly by the User's web browser software. More sophisticated data transfer mechanisms, such as the automated querying of information based on Query Variable strings contained in a User data file (i.e., ``uploading a file containing a URL string), require appropriate software (e.g., ``fetch__http'') running on the User's computer system to effect the data transfer. 4.2.4.2 Response Requirements In response to a validly formatted Query for each Query/Response OASIS Template, the OASIS Node shall return the requested information in one of two forms based on the User specified OUTPUT__FORMAT Query Variable: a. HTML: If the User requests the response to have the format of ``HTML'' (OUTPUT__FORMAT=HTML) then the response from the OASIS Node shall be a web page using the HTML format. This shall be the default for all Query/Response Templates. b. CSV Format: Comma Separated Value (CSV) format (OUTPUT__FORMAT=DATA) returns the requested information in the body of the HTTP response message. The ``Content-length:'' HTTP header shall define the length in bytes of the response, and the ``Content- type: text/x-oasis-csv'' HTTP header shall be used to identify the data type included in the message body (see CSV File Format). 4.2.5 Input/Response Template Requirements The posting of information on an OASIS Node, including reservations for transmission/ancillary service, services for sale on the secondary market, etc., is supported by the Input/Response Templates. The ``input'' identifies the required data associated with an OASIS Template to be posted on the OASIS Node , and the ``response'' specifies the information returned to the User. 4.2.5.1 Input Requirements Input information is transferred to an OASIS Node using the HTTP protocol as either a string of Query Variables in the form of name/ value pairs, or as a Comma Separated Value (CSV) message. Query Variable name/value pairs are specified as a collection of encoded strings (e.g., blank characters replaced by plus (+) character, etc.) in the form of name=value, with each name/value pair separated by ampersands (&). CSV formatted messages are specified in the body of an HTTP message as a series of data records preceded by a fixed set of header records (see section 4.2.7). OASIS Nodes shall support the following methods for Users to transfer Input data: a. HTML: HTML FORM input shall be provided to allow Users to specify the necessary Input data associated with each Input/Response OASIS Template. This may be in the form of fill in blanks, buttons, pull-down selections, etc., and may use either the GET or POST methods. The exact nature and form of these HTML screens are not specified, and may differ between OASIS Nodes. b. GET Method: The HTTP GET method for specifying Input information in the form of a query string appended to a standard OASIS URL shall be supported. Using this method, the name=value formatted Query Variables preceded by a question mark (?) are appended to the URL. Each ``name'' in a name/value pair corresponds to a Data Element name associated with that Template. OASIS Nodes shall support the specification of all Data Elements associated with a Template by both their full name and alias as defined in the Data Dictionary. The ``value'' in a name/value pair represents the value to be associated with the Data Element being specified in the appropriate format as defined in the Data Dictionary and encoded according to the HTTP protocol. c. POST Method: The HTTP POST method for specifying Input information in the form of a query string in the message body shall be supported. Using this method, the name=value formatted Query Variables shall be transferred to an OASIS Node using the ``Content- length:'' HTTP header to define the length in bytes of the encoded query string and the ``Content-type: application/x-www-form- urlencoded'' HTTP header to identify the data type included in the message body. Each ``name'' in a name/value pair corresponds to a Data Element name associated with that Template. OASIS Nodes shall support the specification of all Data Elements associated with a Template by both their full name and alias as defined in the Data Dictionary. The ``value'' in a name/value pair represents the value to be associated with the Data Element being specified in the appropriate format as defined in the Data Dictionary and encoded according to the HTTP protocol. d. CSV Format: Comma Separated Value (CSV) formatted Input information transferred in the body of a User's HTTP message shall be supported. The ``Content-length:'' HTTP header shall define the length in bytes of the Input, and the ``Content-type: text/x-oasis- csv'' HTTP header shall be used to identify the data type included in the message body. 4.2.5.2 Response to Input In response to a validly formatted Input for each Input/Response OASIS Template, the OASIS Node shall return an indication as to the success/failure of the requested action. The OASIS Node shall respond to the Input in one of two forms, based on the OUTPUT__FORMAT, which was input by a User either as a Query Variable or in a CSV format Header Record: a. HTML: If the User requests the response to have the format of ``HTML'' (OUTPUT__FORMAT=HTML) then the response from the OASIS Node shall be a web page using the HTML format. This shall be the default for all Input/Response Templates invoked using either the FORM, GET or POST methods of input. b. CSV Format: Comma Separated Value (CSV) format (OUTPUT__FORMAT=DATA) returns the response information in the body of the HTTP response message. The ``Content-length:'' HTTP header shall define the length in bytes of the response, and the ``Content- type: text/x-oasis-csv'' HTTP header shall be used to identify the data type included in the message body. This shall be the default for all Input/Response Templates invoked using the CSV Format methods of input. 4.2.6 Query Variables 4.2.6.1 General Both Query/Response and Input/Response OASIS Templates shall support the specification of a query string consisting of Query Variables formatted as name/value pairs. OASIS Nodes shall support the specification of Data Element names (``name'' portion of name=value pair) in both the full name and alias forms defined in the Data Dictionary. OASIS Nodes shall support the specification of Query Variables from the User using either the HTTP GET or POST methods. On input, Data Element names and associated values shall be accepted and processed without regard to case. On output, Data Element names and associated values may not necessarily retain the input case, and could be returned in either upper or lower case. 4.2.6.2 Standard Header Query Variables The following standard Query Variable Data Elements shall be supported for all OASIS Templates and must be entered for each Query by a User: VERSION TEMPLATE OUTPUT__FORMAT [[Page 54267]] PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE PRIMARY__PROVIDER__DUNS RETURN__TZ Since these header Query Variables must be supported for all Templates, they are not listed explicitly in the Template descriptions in Section 4.3 All standard header Query Variables with appropriate values must be entered by the User. 4.2.6.3 Responses to Queries Responses to Queries will include the following information as a minimum: TIME__STAMP VERSION TEMPLATE OUTPUT__FORMAT PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE PRIMARY__PROVIDER__DUNS RETURN__TZ The additional information shall include: a. The requested information as defined by the Template indicated in the Query b. For CSV downloads, the additional header Data Elements required (see section 4.2.7.3) 4.2.6.4 Multiple Instances Certain Query Variables may be repeated in a given Query/ Response OASIS Template query string. Such multiple instances are documented in the Template definitions using an asterisk (*) after the query variable. When more than one instance of the Query Variable is specified in the query string, OASIS Nodes shall recognize such multiple instances by either the Data Element's full name or alias suffixed with sequential numeric qualifiers starting with the number 1, (e.g., PATH__NAME1=abc&PATH__NAME2=xyz, or PATH1=abc&PATH2=xyz). At least 4 multiple instances will be permitted for each query variable marked with an asterisk (*). 4.2.6.5 Logical Operations OASIS Nodes shall use the following logical operations when processing Query Variables for Query/Response OASIS Templates. All Query Variables, with the exception of multiple instances of the same Query Variable Data Element, shall be operated on to return information based on the logical-AND of those Query Variables. For example, the query string ``...SELLER__CODE=abc &PATH=xyz...'' should return information associated with only those records that are on transmission path ``xyz'' AND associated with transmission provider ``abc.'' Multiple instances of the same Query Variable shall be operated on as logical-OR. For example, ``...SELLER__CODE=abc &PATH1=xyz&PATH2=opq...'' should return information associated with transmission provider ``abc'' AND either transmission path ``xyz'' OR transmission path ``opq''. Some logical operations may exclude all possibilities, such that the responses may not contain any data. 4.2.6.6 Handling of Time Data Elements In cases where a single query variable is provided to select information associated with a single template data element that represents a point in time (e.g., TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE), OASIS Nodes shall return to the User all requested information whose associated data element time value (e.g. TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE) is equal to or later than the value specified by the query variable. In this case the stop time is implicitly ``now''. A pair of query variables (e.g. START__TIME--QUEUED and STOP-- TIME--QUEUED) that represents the start and stop of a time interval but is associated with one single template data element (e.g. TIME__QUEUED) shall be handled by OASIS Nodes to return to the User all requested information whose associated data element time value falls within the specified time interval. A pair of query variables (e.g. START__TIME and STOP__TIME query variables) that represents the start and stop of one time interval but is associated with another pair of template data elements (e.g. START__TIME and STOP__TIME of a service offering) that represents a second time interval, shall be handled by OASIS Nodes to return to the User all requested information whose associated data element time interval overlaps any portion of the specified time interval. Specifically, the START__TIME query variable selects all information whose STOP__TIME data element value is later than the START__TIME query variable, and the STOP__TIME query variable selects all information whose START__TIME data element value is earlier than the STOP__TIME query variable. For example: The transoffering template query string ``START__TIME 970101000000ES&STOP--TIME 970201000000ES'' shall select from the OASIS database all associated offerings whose start/stop times overlap any portion of the time from 00:00 January 1, 1997, to 00:00 February 1, 1997. This would include offerings that (1) started prior to Jan. 1 and stopped any time on or after Jan. 1, and (2) started on or after Jan 1 but before Feb 1. For changes to and from daylight savings time, either Universal Time or the correct time and zone must be used, based on whether daylight savings time is in effect. All time values shall be checked upon input to ensure their validity with respect to date, time, time zone, and daylight savings time. 4.2.6.7 Default Values Query Variables that are not specified by the User may take on default values as appropriate for that Query Variable at the discretion of the OASIS TSIP. 4.2.6.8 Limitations on Queries OASIS TSIP may establish validation procedures and/or default values for Query Variables to restrict the size and/or performance impact of overly broad queries. 4.2.7 CSV Format 4.2.7.1 General Record Format OASIS Users shall be able to upload information associated with Input/Response OASIS Templates and download information associated with all OASIS Templates using a standardized Comma Separated Value (CSV) format. CSV formatted data is transferred to/from OASIS Nodes as part of the body of an HTTP message using the ``Content-length:'' HTTP header to define the length in bytes of the message body, and the ``Content-type: text/x-oasis-csv'' HTTP header to identify the data type associated with the message body. CSV formatted data consists of a fixed set of header records followed by a variable number of data records. Each record shall be separated by a carriage return plus line feed (denoted by the symbol in all examples). The fields within a record shall be delimited by commas (,). All data within a CSV formatted message shall use printable ASCII characters with no other special embedded codes, with the exception of the special encoding requirements associated with text fields. [[Page 54268]] 4.2.7.2 Input Header Records The following standard header records are required for the uploading of Input data for all Input/Response OASIS Templates: VERSION=nn.nq TEMPLATE=aaaaaaaaaaq OUTPUT__FORMAT=[DATA] q PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE=aaaaq PRIMARY__PROVIDER__DUNS=nnnnnnnnnq RETURN__TZ=aaq DATA__ROWS=nnnq COLUMN__HEADERS=[Template data element names separated by commas] q The format of the value associated with each of the Input header record Data Elements are dictated by the Data Dictionary. The value associated with the DATA__ROWS Data Element shall define the total number of data records that follow in the message after the COLUMN__HEADERS record. The COLUMN__HEADERS record defines, by Data Element name, the data associated with each comma separated column contained in each subsequent data record (row). On Input, either the Data Element's full name or alias listed in the Data Dictionary may be specified. 4.2.7.3 Response Header Records When explicitly specified using the OUTPUT__FORMAT=DATA Query Variable or implied by the Input of a CSV format message, the OASIS Nodes shall respond with the following standard response header records for all OASIS Templates: REQUEST__STATUS=nnnq ERROR__MESSAGE=aaa...q TIME__STAMP=yyyymmddhhmmsstzq VERSION=nn.nq TEMPLATE=aaaaaaaaaaq OUTPUT__FORMAT=DATAq PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE=aaaaq PRIMARY__PROVIDER__DUNS=nnnnnnnnnq RETURN__TZ=tzq DATA__ROWS=nnnq COLUMN__HEADERS=[Template data element names separated by commas] q The format of the value associated with each of the Response header record Data Elements are dictated by the Data Dictionary. The value associated with the DATA__ROWS Data Element shall define the total number of data records returned in the message following the COLUMN__HEADERS header record. The COLUMN__HEADERS record defines, by Data Element name, the data associated with each comma-separated column contained in each subsequent data record (row). In all OASIS Node responses, the Data Element's full name shall be listed in the COLUMN__HEADERS record. The order of the column headings shall be the same as shown in the Templates for URL uploads and downloads. For graphical displays, the Provider may define the order that the Data Element names are shown. 4.2.7.4 Data Records Data Records immediately follow the standard Input or Response header records. With the exception of data records grouped together as a single ``logical record'' through the use of Continuation Records, each data record in a CSV formatted Input message represents a single, complete execution of the associated OASIS Template. That is, sending five CSV formatted Input messages for a given Template to the same PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE with a single data record per message shall be handled in exactly the same fashion as sending a single CSV formatted Input message for the same Template and PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE which contains five data records. Each field (column) within each data record defines the value to be associated with the corresponding Data Element defined in the COLUMN__HEADERS record. The number of Data Records in the message is defined by the DATA__ROWS header record. The data values associated with each column Data Element are interpreted based on the Data Element type as defined in the Data Dictionary: a. Numeric Data Elements: All numeric Data Elements shall be represented by an ASCII string of numeric digits in base ten, plus the decimal point. b. Text Data Elements: Alphabetic and alphanumeric data elements shall be represented as ASCII strings and encoded using the following rules: Text strings that do not contain commas (,) or double quotes (``) shall be accepted both with and without being enclosed by double quotes. Text fields with commas (,) or double quotes (``) must be enclosed with double quotes. In addition double quotes within a text field shall be indicated by two double quotes (`` ''). The Data Element field length specified in Data Dictionary does not include the additional double quotes necessary to encode text data. c. Null Data Elements: Null Data Elements shall be represented by two consecutive commas (,,) corresponding to the leading and trailing (if appropriate) Data Element comma separators. Null text strings may optionally be represented by two consecutive double quote characters within the leading and trailing comma separators (i.e., ...,`` '', ...). 4.2.7.5 Continuation Records Continuation records shall be used to indicate that the information in multiple rows (records) is part of one logical record. Continuation records will be indicated through the use of a column header called CONTINUATION__FLAG. This column header is either the first column (if in a response to a query) or second column (if in a response to an input) in all Templates permitting continuation records. The first record shall contain a ``N'' in the CONTINUATION__FLAG column and each following record which is part of a continuation record shall contain a ``Y'' in this column, thus associating the information in that record with the information in the previous record. An ``N'' shall indicate that the record is not a continuation record. Any values corresponding to COLUMN__HEADERs other than those explicitly allowed for a particular Template shall be ignored. However commas must be included to properly align the fields. 4.2.7.6 Error Handling in CSV-Formatted Responses Validity of each record in the CSV-formatted Response to a Template Input shall be indicated through the use of RECORD__STATUS and ERROR__MESSAGE Data Elements which are included in each data record (row) of the Response. If no error was encountered in an Input data record, the RECORD__STATUS Data Element in the corresponding Response record shall be returned with a value of 200 (success), and the ERROR__MESSAGE shall be blank. [[Page 54269]] If any error is detected in processing an Input data record, it shall be indicated by a RECORD__STATUS Data Element value other than 200. The ERROR__MESSAGE shall be set to an appropriate text message to indicate the source of the error in that data record. The overall validity of each Template Query or Input shall be indicated in the CSV-formatted Response via the two REQUEST__STATUS and ERROR__MESSAGE header records (see section 4.2.7.3): If no errors were encountered in processing the User's Input data records, the REQUEST__STATUS shall be returned with the value of 200 (success), and the ERROR__MESSAGE shall be blank. If any errors were detected in the Template Input data records, the REQUEST__STATUS value shall be any value other than 200, and the ERROR__MESSAGE shall be set to an appropriate text message to indicate the source of the error. The OASIS Node shall validate all Input records before returning a Response to the User. All valid records shall be processed by the node, while invalid records shall be identified as erroneous through the use of RECORD__STATUS and ERROR__MESSAGE. The User must correct the invalid fields and resubmit only those records which were invalid. If an error is encountered in a record which is part of a set of Continuation records, then all records belonging to that set must be resubmitted. 4.2.8 Registration Information 4.2.8.1 General As specified in the Information Access Requirements, OASIS Nodes shall provide a mechanism to register Users of the OASIS Node with a Provider. For all levels of access to OASIS information beyond simple read-only access, OASIS Nodes shall provide a mechanism to identify Users of the OASIS at least to the level of their respective Companies. Both Company and User registration information shall be maintained by the OASIS Node. 4.2.8.2 Company Information OASIS Templates require that certain Company registration information be maintained. As an extension of the Company registration information of the host, domain and port identifiers for dynamic notification of changes in the Customer's purchase requests, a field should be added to the Company's registration information that would define/identify how notification would be delivered to that Company should a transmission or ancillary purchase request be directed to that Company as a Seller of a transmission or ancillary service. The pertinent information would be either a full HTTP protocol URL defining the protocol, host name, port, path, resource, etc. information or a ``mailto:'' URL with the appropriate mailbox address string. On receipt of any purchase request directed to that Company as SELLER via either the ``transrequest'' or ``ancrequest'' templates, or on submission of any change in request STATUS to that Company as SELLER via either the ``transcust'' or ``anccust'' templates, a notification message formatted as documented for the delivery of notification to the Customer, shall be formatted and directed to the Seller. At a minimum, OASIS Nodes shall maintain the following information for each Company: a. Company Code: 4 character code for primary transmission providers; 6 character code for eligible customers in accordance with NERC Tagging Information System (TIS) requirements shall be maintained for each Company. b. Default Contact: Unless specified for each individual user affiliated with the Company, default contact information consisting of a phone number, fax number, and e-mail address shall be maintained for each Company. c. Provider Affiliation: Each eligible Customer shall be obligated to identify to the OASIS TSIP any affiliation with a Transmission Provider whose ``home page'' is on that OASIS Node. d. Notification URL: For Companies using the URL notification mechanism for delivery of messages on each change of ancillary/ transmission reservation STATUS, each Company shall provide the IP host name and port number to be used in delivering notification messages. OASIS Nodes shall have the right to refuse support for notification to any IP ports other than port 80. 4.2.8.3 User Information With the exception of ``read-only'' (visitor) access, OASIS Nodes shall as a minimum provide a mechanism to identify Users of the Node with at least their Company. However, OASIS Nodes and Providers shall have the right to require full User identification even for visitor accounts. To support the required OASIS Template Data Elements, OASIS Nodes shall maintain the following information for each registered User: Company Name Phone Fax E-mail In the event no additional User identification/registration information is maintained by the OASIS Nodes, all Template Data Elements referring to ``company, name, phone, fax, e-mail'' for either Customers or Sellers shall default to the Contact Information maintained for that User's Company. 4.2.9 Representation of Time 4.2.9.1 General It is critical that all Users of OASIS Nodes have a clear and unambiguous representation of time associated with all information transferred to/from OASIS Nodes. For this reason, all Data Elements associated with time in OASIS Nodes shall represent ``wall clock'' times, which are NOT to be confused with other common industry conventions such as ``hour ending.'' For the convenience of the User community, OASIS Nodes shall be allowed to accept the input and display of ``time'' in any acceptable form provided such non- standard representations are CLEARLY labeled on the associated HTML screens. Alternate representations of time in CSV formatted messages shall not be allowed. The following rules shall be implemented in OASIS Nodes for the representation of time on User entries (Query and Input) and output (Response) Templates. 4.2.9.2 Input Time All time related Data Elements associated with either the Input or Query of Input/Response or Query/Response OASIS Templates shall be validated according the following rules. If the time zone associated with a time Data Element is associated with either Universal Time (UT) or a ``standard'' time zone (e.g., ES, CS, etc.), OASIS Nodes shall accept and apply a fixed hour offset from Universal Time year-round. If the time zone associated with a time Data Element is specified with a ``daylight savings'' time zone (e.g. ED, CD, etc.), OASIS Nodes shall verify that daylight savings time is in effect for the date/time specified. If daylight savings time (as specified by the time from 2:00am on the first Sunday of April through 2:00 am on the last Sunday of October) is not in effect, the Users input shall be rejected with an error response. If daylight savings time is in effect, the Users input shall be accepted and the appropriate hours offset from Universal Time shall be applied by OASIS Nodes for conversion to [[Page 54270]] all other time zones. The input of start/stop times for transactions spanning the crossover day between standard and daylight (and vices versa) times must be made either entirely in standard time (valid year-round), or in two different time zones (xS/xD or xD/xS) for the start and stop times, depending on the time of year. 4.2.9.3 Output (Response) Time The OASIS Node shall return all time Data Elements in the response to Input/Response or Query/Response OASIS Templates based on either the User specified RETURN__TZ header Query Variable or an appropriate OASIS specific default. OASIS Nodes shall interpret RETURN__TZ to specify: a. The base time zone for conversion of all time Data Elements (e.g. Eastern, Pacific, etc.) b. Whether daylight savings time is recognized. For example, a RETURN__TZ=ES would return all time Data Elements in Eastern Standard Time year-round. However, a RETURN__TZ=ED would direct OASIS Nodes to return all time Data Elements in Eastern Standard Time (ES) when daylight savings time is not in effect, and then return all time Data Elements in Eastern Daylight Time (ED) when daylight time is in effect. 4.2.10 Transaction Process 4.2.10.1 Purchase Transactions Customers shall purchase services from the Seller using the following steps (see Exhibit 4-1): a. The Templates (transrequest and ancrequest) shall be used by a Customer to enter a request for specific transmission services from a specific Seller. The Customer may enter a BID__PRICE which is different from the OFFER__PRICE in order to try to negotiate a lower price. The OASIS Node sets the initial STATUS of the request to QUEUED. The Customer may set the STATUS__NOTIFICATION to indicate that the OASIS Node must notify the Customer on any change of STATUS of transstatus (see Dynamic Notification). Prior to or commensurate with a Seller's setting of a preconfirmed reservation request's STATUS to ACCEPTED (and by implication CONFIRMED), the Seller must set OFFER__PRICE equal to the value of BID__PRICE as established by the Customer on submission of the request. b. The Templates (transstatus and ancstatus) shall be used by Customers and Sellers to monitor the status of their transactions in progress. These Templates shall also be used by any Users to review the status of any transactions. The NEGOTIATED__PRICE__FLAG data element is set when the Seller agrees to a BID__PRICE (by setting OFFER__PRICE equal to BID__PRICE) that is different from the previously posted price. It will show ``higher'' when OFFER__PRICE is higher than the posted price, and ``lower'' when the OFFER__PRICE is lower than the posted price. c. The Templates (transsell and ancsell) shall be used by a Seller both to set a new value into STATUS and to negotiate a price by entering a new OFFER__PRICE which is different from the BID__PRICE entered by the Customer in the transrequest Template. During these negotiations, a Reseller shall formally indicate the approval or disapproval of a transaction and indicate which rights from prior confirmed reservations are to be reassigned. A Primary Provider may, but is not required, to enter transaction approval or disapproval using this Template. The valid STATUS values which may be set by a Seller are: RECEIVED, INVALID, STUDY, COUNTEROFFER, ACCEPTED, REFUSED, SUPERSEDED, DECLINED, DISPLACED, ANNULLED, or RETRACTED. d. The Customer shall use the transstatus and ancstatus Templates to view the Seller's new offer price and/or approval/ disapproval decision. e. After receiving notification of the transaction's STATUS being set to COUNTEROFFER by the Seller, the Templates (transcust and anccust) shall be used by the Customer to modify the BID__PRICE and set the STATUS to REBID. After negotiations are complete (STATUS set to ACCEPTED by the Seller), the Customer shall formally enter the confirmation or withdrawal of the offer to purchase services for the OFFER__PRICE shown in the transstatus Template. The valid STATUS values which a Customer may set are: REBID, CONFIRMED, or WITHDRAWN. f. The Seller shall use the transstatus (ancstatus) Template to view the Customer's new bid price and/or confirmation/withdrawal decision, again responding through transsell or ancsell if necessary. If the Seller offers to sell a service at an OFFER__PRICE less than that posted in the transoffering (ancoffering) Template, the transoffering (ancoffering) Template must be updated to reflect the new OFFER__PRICE. g. For deals consummated off the OASIS Nodes by a Seller, after the Customer has accepted the offering, the Templates (transassign and ancassign) may be used by the Seller to notify the Primary Provider of the transfer of rights to the Customer. Continuation records may be used to indicate the reassigning of rights for a ``profile'' of different assignments and different capacities over different time periods. h. The source of all User and Seller contact information shall be the User registration process. Therefore, it shall not be input as part of uploads, but shall be provided as part of all transaction downloads. i. OASIS Nodes shall accept a Seller initiated change in STATUS to ACCEPTED only when OFFER__PRICE matches BID__PRICE (i.e., Seller must set OFFER__PRICE equal to BID__PRICE prior to or coincident with setting STATUS to ACCEPTED). j. OASIS Nodes shall accept a Customer initiated change in STATUS to CONFIRMED only when BID__PRICE matches OFFER__PRICE (i.e., Customer must set BID__PRICE equal to OFFER__PRICE prior to or coincident with setting STATUS to CONFIRMED). 4.2.10.2 Status Values The possible STATUS values are: QUEUED=initial status assigned by TSIP on receipt of ``customer services purchase request''. INVALID=assigned by TSIP or Provider indicating an invalid field in the request, such as improper POR, POD, source, sink, etc. (Final state). RECEIVED=assigned by Provider or Seller to acknowledge QUEUED requests and indicate the service request is being evaluated, including for completing the required ancillary services. STUDY=assigned by Provider or Seller to indicate some level of study is required or being performed to evaluate service request. REFUSED=assigned by Provider or Seller to indicate service request has been denied due to availability of transmission capability. SELLER__COMMENTS should be used to communicate details for denial of service. (Final state). COUNTEROFFER=assigned by Provider or Seller to indicate that a new OFFER__PRICE is being proposed. REBID = assigned by Customer to indicate that a new BID__PRICE is being proposed. SUPERSEDED = assigned by Provider or Seller when a request which has not yet been confirmed is displaced by another reservation request. (Final state). ACCEPTED = assigned by Provider or Seller to indicate the service request at the designated OFFER__PRICE has been approved/accepted. If the reservation request was submitted PRECONFIRMED, the OASIS Node shall immediately set the reservation status to CONFIRMED. Depending upon the type of ancillary services required, the Seller may or may not require all ancillary service reservations to be completed before accepting a request. DECLINED = assigned by Provider or Seller to indicate that the BID__PRICE is unacceptable and that negotiations are terminated. SELLER__COMMENTS should be used to communicate reason for denial of service. (Final state). CONFIRMED = assigned by Customer in response to Provider or Seller posting ``ACCEPTED'' status, to confirm service. Once a request has been ``CONFIRMED'', a transmission service reservation exists. (Final state, unless overridden by DISPLACED or ANNULLED state). [[Page 54271]] WITHDRAWN = assigned by Customer at any point in request evaluation to withdraw the request from any further action. (Final state). DISPLACED = assigned by Provider or Seller when a ``CONFIRMED'' reservation from a Customer is displaced by a longer term reservation and the Customer has exercised right of first refusal (i.e. refused to match terms of new request). (Final state). ANNULLED = assigned by Provider or Seller when, by mutual agreement with the Customer, a confirmed reservation is to be voided. (Final state). RETRACTED = assigned by Provider or Seller when the Customer fails to confirm or withdraw the request within the required time period. (Final state). The following diagram can be used as a business process guideline; however, individual tariffs will dictate specific allowed actions between states. BILLING CODE 6717-01-P [[Page 54272]] [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR08OC98.000 BILLING CODE 6717-01-C [[Page 54273]] 4.2.10.3 Dynamic Notification Customers may specify the delivery of dynamic notification messages on each change in STATUS of an ancillary or transmission service reservation. OASIS Nodes shall support the delivery of dynamic notification messages through either the HTTP protocol or by electronic mail. The selection of which mechanism is used and the contents of the messages delivered to the client program or e-mail address is defined by the content of the STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element as described in the next subsections. Regardless of whether this dynamic notification method is used or not, it shall still remain the User's responsibility to get the desired information, possibly through the use of a periodic ``integrity request''. OASIS Nodes shall not be obligated or liable to guarantee delivery/receipt of messages via the STATUS__NOTIFICATION mechanism other than on a ``best effort'' basis. As an extension of the Company registration information of the host, domain and port identifiers for dynamic notification of changes in the Customer's purchase requests, a field should be added to the Company's registration information that would define/identify how notification would be delivered to that Company should a transmission or ancillary purchase request be directed to that Company as a Seller of a transmission or ancillary service. The pertinent information would be either a full HTTP protocol URL defining the protocol, host name, port, path, resource, etc. information or a ``mailto:'' URL with the appropriate mailbox address string. On receipt of any purchase request directed to that Company as SELLER via either the ``transrequest'' or ``ancrequest'' templates, or on submission of any change in request STATUS to that Company as SELLER via either the ``transcust'' or ``anccust'' templates, a notification message formatted as documented for the delivery of notification to the Customer, shall be formatted and directed to the Seller. This extension of dynamic notification is required only where the Transmission Provider has programmed its computer system for its own notification. 4.2.10.3.1 HTTP Notification OASIS Nodes shall deliver dynamic notification to a client system based on HTTP URL information supplied in part by the STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element and by information supplied as part of the Customer's Company registration information. HTTP URL's are formed by the concatenation of a protocol field (i.e., http: ), a domain name (e.g., //www.tsin.com), a port designation (e.g., :80 ), and resource location information. The STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element shall contain the protocol field ``http:'', which designates the notification method/protocol to be used, followed by all resource location information required; the target domain name and port designations shall be inserted into the notification URL based on the Customer's Company registration information. The resource location information may include directory information, cgi script identifiers and URL encoded query string name/value pairs as required by the Customer's application. An OASIS Node performs no processing on the resource location information other than to include it verbatim along with the protocol, domain name and port information when forming the URL that will be used to deliver the HTTP protocol notification message. For example, Company XYZ has established the domain name and port designations of ``//oasistc.xyz.com:80'' as part of their registration information. When a transmission reservation is submitted by one of Company XYZ's users (the Customer), and includes a STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element with the value of ``http:/cgi-bin/ status?DEAL__REF=8&REQUEST__REF=173'', an OASIS Node shall deliver an HTTP notification message using the URL: http:// oasistc.xyz.com:80/cgi-bin/status?DEAL__REF=8&REQUEST__REF=173 If the STATUS__NOTIFICATION field contained only the ``http:'' protocol designation, the notification message would be delivered using the URL: http://oasistc.xyz.com:80 The contents of the HTTP protocol notification message delivered by an OASIS Node shall consist of the complete URL created by combining fields from the STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element and Company registration information as part of an HTTP POST method request. In addition to the POST method HTTP header record, OASIS Nodes shall also append the CSV formatted output of the transstatus template information for that particular reservation using the standard Content-type: text/x-oasis-csv and appropriate Content- length: HTTP header records. OASIS Nodes shall use a Primary Provider specific default value for RETURN__TZ in formulating the transstatus response information. Continuing with the previous example, the important records in the HTTP notification message that would be delivered to Company XYZ for the transmission reservation request submitted to Primary Provider ABC and given an ASSIGNMENT__REF of 245 would be, POST http://oasistc.xyz.com:80/cgi-bin/ status?DEAL__REF=8&REQUEST__REF=173 HTTP/1.0 Content-type: text/x-oasis-csv Content-length: REQUEST__STATUS=200 TIME__STAMP= VERSION=1.3 TEMPLATE=transstatus OUTPUT__FORMAT=DATA PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE=ABC PRIMARY__PROVIDER__DUNS=123456789 RETURN__TZ= DATA__ROWS=1 COLUMN__HEADERS=CONTINUATION__FLAG, ASSIGNMENT__REF, . . . N, 245, . . . In the event an error is encountered delivering the HTTP notification message to the target URL as indicated by a failure of the target system to respond, or return of HTTP response status of 408, 500, 503, or 504, OASIS Nodes shall retry up to two more times, once every 5 minutes. 4.2.10.3.2 E-mail Notification OASIS Nodes shall deliver dynamic notification to an e-mail address based on Mailto: URL information specified in the STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element. Mailto: URL's consist of the ``mailto:'' protocol identifier and an Internet mail address to which the notification message should be sent. The STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element shall contain the protocol field ``mailto:'', which designates the notification method/protocol to be used, followed by an Internet mail address in conformance with RFC 822. OASIS Nodes shall send an e-mail message to the Internet mail address containing the following information: ``To:'' set to the mail address from the STATUS__NOTIFICATION data element, ``From:'' set to an appropriate mail address of the OASIS Node, ``Subject:'' shall be the transstatus template name followed by the value of the ASSIGNMENT__REF data element and the current value for the STATUS data element associated with the reservation (e.g., ``Subject: transstatus 245 ACCEPTED''), and the body of the message shall contain the CSV formatted output of the transstatus template information for that particular reservation. OASIS Nodes shall use a Primary Provider specific default value for RETURN__TZ in formulating the transstatus response information. 4.2.11 Reference Identifiers The TSIP shall assign a unique reference identifier, ASSIGNMENT__REF, for each Customer request to purchase capacity or services. The value of ASSIGNMENT__REF may be used to imply the order in which the request was received by the TSIP. This identifier [[Page 54274]] will be used to track the request through various stages, and will be kept with the service through out its life. Whenever the service is resold, a new ASSIGNMENT__REF number is assigned, but previous ASSIGNMENT__REF numbers are also kept so that a chain of all transactions related to the service can be maintained. The TSIP shall assign a unique reference identifier, POSTING__REF, to each Seller's offerings of service for sale or other information (messages) posted on an OASIS Node. This identifier shall be referenced by the Seller in any/all subsequent template submissions which would result in a modification to or deletion of that specific offering or message. Optionally, Customers may also refer to this POSTING__REF in their subsequent purchase requests to aid in identifying the specific offering associated with the purchase request. Sellers may aggregate portions of several previous transmission service reservations to create a new offering to be posted on an OASIS Node. When all or a portion of such offerings are sold, the Seller (original Customer) is obligated to notify the Primary Provider of the sale/assignment by inserting appropriate reassignment information on the OASIS Node (via the transsell or transassign templates) or by some other approved method. This reassignment information consists of the ASSIGNMENT__REF value assigned to the original reservation(s) and the time interval and capacity amount(s) being reassigned to the new reservation. These values are retained in the REASSIGNED__REF, REASSIGNED__START__TIME, REASSIGNED__STOP__TIME, and REASSIGNED__CAPACITY data elements. Sellers may identify their service offerings received from Customers through the Seller supplied value specified for the SALE__REF data element. Customers may track their purchase requests through the Customer supplied values specified for the DEAL__REF and REQUEST__REF data elements. Customers may also use POSTING__REF and SALE__REF in their purchase requests to refer back to posted offerings. 4.2.12 Linking of Ancillary Services to Transmission Services The requirements related to ancillary services are shown in transoffering (and updated using transupdate) using the ANC__SVC__REQ data element containing the following permitted values: SC:x; RV:x; RF:x; EI:x; SP:x; SU:x; Where SC, RV, RF, EI, SP and SU are the ancillary services 1 through 6 described in the Proforma Tariff, SC--Scheduling, system Control and dispatch RV--Reactive supply and Voltage control RF--Regulation and Frequency response EI--Energy Imbalance SP--SPinning reserve SU--SUpplemental reserve and where x={M,R,O,U} means one of the following: Mandatory, which implies that the Primary Provider must provide the ancillary service Required, which implies that the ancillary service is required, but not necessarily from the Primary Provider Optional, which implies that the ancillary service is not necessarily required, but could be provided Unknown, which implies that the requirements for the ancillary service are not known at this time Ancillary services may be requested by a User from the Provider at the same time as transmission services are requested via the transrequest template, by entering the special codes into ANC__SVC__LINK to represent the Proforma ancillary services 1 through 6 (or more) as follows: SC:(AA); RV: (AA); RF: (AA[:xxx[:yyy[:nnn]]]); EI: (AA[:xxx[:yyy[:nnn]]]); SP: (AA[:xxx[:yyy[:nnn]]]); SU: (AA[:xxx[:yyy[:nnn]]]); {Registered}:(AA[:xxx[:yyy[:nnn]]]) Where AA is the appropriate PRIMARY__PROVIDER__CODE, SELLER__CODE, or CUSTOMER__CODE, and represents the company providing the ancillary services. ``AA'' may be unspecified for ``xxx'' type identical to ``FT'', in which case the ``:'' character must be present and precede the ``FT'' type. If multiple ``AA'' terms are necessary, then each ``AA'' grouping will be enclosed within parenthesis, with the overall group subordinate to the ANC__SVC__TYPE specified within parenthesis. And where xxx represents either: --``FT'' to indicate that the Customer will determine ancillary services at a future time, or --``SP'' to indicate that the Customer will self-provide the ancillary services, or --``RQ'' to indicate that the Customer is asking the OASIS Node to initiate the process for making an ancillary services reservation with the indicated Provider or Seller on behalf of the Customer. The Customer must then continue the reservation process with the Provider or Seller. If the transmission services request is for preconfirmed service, then the ancillary services shall also be preconfirmed, or --``AR'' to indicate an assignment reference number sequence follows. The terms ``yyy'' and ``nnn'' are subordinate to the xxx type of ``AR''. yyy represents the ancillary services reservation number (ASSIGMNENT__REF) and nnn represents the capacity of the reserved ancillary services. Square brackets are used to indicated optional elements and are not used in the actual linkage itself. Specifically, the :yyy is applicable to only the ``AR'' term and the :nnn may optionally be left off if the capacity of ancillary services is the same as for the transmission services, and optionally multiple ancillary reservations may be indicated by additional (xxx[:yyy[:nnn]]) enclosed within parenthesis. If no capacity amount is indicated, the required capacity is assumed to come from the ancillary reservations in the order indicated in the codes, on an ``as-needed'' basis. Examples Example 1 Assume ancillary services SC and RV are mandatory from the TP, whose code is ``TPEL'', and ancillary services RF, EI, SP and SU are required, but will be defined at a future time. ``SC: (TPEL:RQ); RV: (TPEL:RQ); RF:(:FT); EI:(:FT); SP:(:FT); SU:(:FT)''; Example 2 Assume ancillary services SC and RV are mandatory from the TP, whose code is ``TPEL'', and RF, EI, SP and SU are self-supplied. The customer code is ``CPSE'' ``SC: (TPEL:RQ); RV: (TPEL:RQ); RF:(CPSE:SP); EI:(CPSE:SP); SP:(CPSE:SP); SU:(CPSE:SP)'' Example 3 Assume ancillary services SC and RV are mandatory from the TP, whose code is ``TPEL'', and ancillary services RF, EI, SP and SU were purchased via a prior OASIS reservation from seller ``SANC'' whose reservation number was ``39843''. There is sufficient capacity within the Ancillary reservation to handle this Transmission reservation. [[Page 54275]] ``SC:(TPEL:RQ); RV:(TPEL:RQ); RF:(SANC:AR:39843); EI:(SANC:AR:39843) SP:(SANC:AR:39843); SU:(SANC:AR:39843)'' Example 4 Assume ancillary services SC and RV are mandatory from the TP, whose code is ``TPEL'', and ancillary services RF, EI, SP and SU were purchased via prior OASIS reservations from sellers ``SANC'' and ``TANC'', whose reservation numbers where ``8763'' and ``9824'' respectively. There is not sufficient capacity within the Ancillary reservation from seller ``SANC'' to handle this Transmission reservation. In this case the OASIS reservation number 8763 will be depleted for the time frame specified within the transmission reservation and the remaining required amount will come from reservation number ``9824''. ``SC:(TPEL:RQ); RV:(TPEL:RQ); RF:((SANC:AR:8763)(TANC:AR:9824)); EI:((SANC:AR:8763)(TANC:AR:9824)); SP:((SANC:AR:8763)(TANC:AR:9824)); SU:((SANC:AR:8763)(TANC:AR:9824))'' Example 5 Assume a transmission reservation in the amount of 100 mw/hour for a period of one day is made. Ancillary services SC and RV are mandatory from the TP, whose code is ``TPEL'', and ancillary services RF, EI, SP and SU were purchased via prior OASIS reservations from sellers ``SANC'' and ``TANC'', whose reservation numbers where ``8763'' and ``9824'' respectively. There is sufficient capacity within the Ancillary reservation from seller ``SANC'' to handle this Transmission reservation, however the purchaser wishes to use only ``40 mw's'' from this seller. In this case the OASIS reservation number 8763 will be depleted in the amount of ``40 mw's'' for the time frame specified within the transmission reservation and the remaining required amount will come from reservation number ``9824''. ``SC:(TPEL:RQ); RV:(TPEL:RQ); RF:((SANC:AR:8763:40)(TANC:AR:9824)); EI:((SANC:AR:8763:40)(TANC:AR:9824));SP:((SANC:AR:8763:40)(TANC:AR:98 24)); SU:((SANC:AR:8763:40)(TANC:AR:9824))'' 4.3 Template Descriptions The following OASIS Templates define the Data Elements in fixed number and sequence which must be provided for all data transfers to and from the OASIS Nodes. The definitions of the data elements are listed in the Data Element Dictionary in Appendix A. TSIPs must provide a more detailed supplemental definition of the list of Sellers, Paths, Point of Receipt (POR), Point of Delivery (POD), Capacity Types, Ancillary Service Types and Templates on-line, clarifying how the terms are being used (see LIST Template). If POR and POD are not used, then Path Name must include directionality. Many of the Templates represent query-response interactions between the User and the OASIS Node. These interactions are indicated by the ``Query'' and ``Response'' section respectively of each Template. Some, as noted in their descriptions, are Input information, sent from the User to the OASIS Node. The Response is generally a mirror of the Input, although in some Templates, the TSIP must add some information. 4.3.1 Template Summary The following table provides a summary of the process areas, and Templates to be used by Users to query information that will be downloaded or to upload information to the Primary Providers. These processes define the functions that must be supported by an OASIS Node. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Process area Process name Template(s) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.3.2 Query/Response of Posted Query/Response Transmission Capacity Offerings................................... transoffering Services Being Offered. Query/Response Ancillary Service Offerings....................................... ancoffering 4.3.3 Query/Response of Services Query/Response Transmission Services............................................. transserv Information. Query/Response Ancillary Services................................................ ancserv 4.3.4 Query/Response of Schedules Query/Response Transmission Schedules............................................ schedule and Curtailments. Query/Response Curtailments...................................................... curtail 4.3.5 Query/Response of Lists of Query/Response List of Sellers, Paths, PORs, PODs, Capacity Types, Ancillary list Information. Service Types, Templates. 4.3.6 Query/Response of Audit Log... Query/Response Audit Log......................................................... auditlog 4.3.7 Purchase...................... Request Purchase of Transmission................................................. transrequest Transmission Services................ Services (Input)................................................................. .............................. Query/Response Status of Transmission Service Request............................ transstatus Seller Approves Purchase (Input)................................................. transsell Customer Confirm/Withdraw Purchase of Transmission Service (Input)............... transcust Alternate POD/POR................................................................ transalt Seller Reassign Rights (Input)................................................... transassign 4.3.8 Seller Posting of Transmission Seller Post Transmission Service for Sale (Input)................................ transpost Service. Seller Modify (Remove) Transmission Service for Sale (Input)..................... transupdate 4.3.9 Purchase of Ancillary Service. Request Purchase of Ancillary Service (Input).................................... ancrequest Query/Response Status of Ancillary Service Request............................... ancstatus Seller Approves Purchase of Ancillary Service (Input)............................ ancsell Customer Accept/Withdraw Purchase of Ancillary Service (Input)................... anccust Seller Reassign Rights (Input)................................................... ancassign 4.3.10 Seller Post Ancillary Service Seller Post Ancillary Service (Input)............................................ ancpost Seller Modify (Remove) Ancillary Service for Sale (Input)........................ ancupdate 4.3.11 Informal Messages............ Post Want Ads (Input)............................................................ messagepost Query/Response Want Ads.......................................................... message Delete Want Ad (Input)........................................................... messagedelete Personnel Transfers.............................................................. personnel Discretion....................................................................... discretion Standards of Conduct............................................................. stdconduct -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Page 54276]] 4.3.2 Query/Response of Posted Services Being Offered The following Templates define the information to be posted on services offered for sale. All discounts for service negotiated by a Customer and Primary Provider (as Seller) at a price less than the currently posted offering price shall be posted on OASIS Nodes in such a manner as to be viewed using these Templates. All secondary market and/or third-party posting and Primary Provider offerings for like services shall also be viewed using these templates. The Query must start with the standard header Query Variable Data Elements, listed in Section 4.2.6.2, and may include any valid combination of the remaining Query Variables, shown below in the Templates. START__TIME and STOP__TIME is the requested time interval for the Response to show all offerings which intersect that interval (see Section 4.2.6.6). TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE can be used to specify all services updated since a specific point in time. Query variable listed with an asterisk (*) can have at least 4 multiple instances defined by the user in making the query. In the Response, OFFER__START__TIME and OFFER__STOP__TIME indicate the ``request time window'' within which a customer must request a service in order to get the posted OFFER__PRICE. START__TIME and STOP__TIME indicate the time frame that the service is being offered for. The SERVICE__DESCRIPTION data element shall define any attributes and/or special terms and conditions applicable to the offering that are not listed under the standard SERVICE__DESCRIPTION associated with the product definition supplied in the transserv or ancserv templates. SERVICE__DESCRIPTION shall be null if there are no unique attributes or terms associated with the offering. 4.3.2.1 Transmission Capacity Offerings Available for Purchase (transoffering) Transmission Services Offerings Available for Purchase (transoffering) is used to offer transmission services that are posted for sale by the Primary Provider or Resellers. At a minimum this Template must be used to post TTC and each increment and type of service required by applicable regulations and the Primary Provider's tariffs. This Template must include, for each posted path, the Primary Provider's TTC, firm ATC and non-firm ATC, as required by FERC orders 888 and 889 (plus revisions) and/or if provided in the Primary Provider's tariff. Additional transmission services may be offered with the same Template. The POSTING__REF is set by the TSIP when an offering is posted and can be used in transrequests to refer to a particular offering. A User may query information about services available from all sellers for the time frame specified by the SERVICE__INCREMENT data element, namely, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Template: transoffering 1. Query PATH__NAME* SELLER__CODE* SELLER__DUNS* POINT__OF__RECEIPT* POINT__OF__DELIVERY* SERVICE__INCREMENT* TS__CLASS* TS__TYPE* TS__PERIOD* START__TIME (of transmission services) STOP__TIME (of transmission services) POSTING__REF TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE 2. Response The response is one or more records showing the requested service information. Note that the Customer will receive as a series of records spanning all the SELLER__CODEs, PATH__NAMEs, PORs, PODs, TS__xxx, and the START__TIME/STOP__TIME specified in the query. The SALE__REF is a value provided by the SELLER to identify the transmission service product being sold. The ANC__SVC__REQ indicates all ancillary services required for the specified transmission services. All Template elements are defined in the Data Element Dictionary. TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE SELLER__CODE SELLER__DUNS PATH__NAME POINT__OF__RECEIPT POINT__OF__DELIVERY INTERFACE__TYPE OFFER__START__TIME OFFER__STOP__TIME START__TIME STOP__TIME CAPACITY SERVICE__INCREMENT TS__CLASS TS__TYPE TS__PERIOD TS__WINDOW TS__SUBCLASS ANC__SVC__REQ SALE__REF POSTING__REF CEILING__PRICE OFFER__PRICE PRICE__UNITS SERVICE__DESCRIPTION (if null, then look at transserv) NERC__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY OTHER__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY SELLER__NAME SELLER__PHONE [[Page 54277]] SELLER__FAX SELLER__EMAIL SELLER__COMMENTS 4.3.2.2 Ancillary Services Available for Purchase (ancoffering) Ancillary Services Available for Purchase (ancoffering) is used to provide information regarding the ancillary services that are available for sale by all sellers (both Primary Provider and Third Party Sellers). Template: ancoffering 1. Query SELLER__CODE* SELLER__DUNS* CONTROL__AREA* SERVICE__INCREMENT* ANC__SERVICE__TYPE* START__TIME STOP__TIME POSTING__REF TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE 2. Response TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE SELLER__CODE SELLER__DUNS CONTROL__AREA OFFER__START__TIME OFFER__STOP__TIME START__TIME STOP__TIME CAPACITY SERVICE__INCREMENT ANC__SERVICE__TYPE SALE__REF POSTING__REF CEILING__PRICE OFFER__PRICE PRICE__UNITS SERVICE__DESCRIPTION (if blank, then look at ancserv) SELLER__NAME SELLER__PHONE SELLER__FAX SELLER__EMAIL SELLER__COMMENTS 4.3.3 Query/Response of Services Information 4.3.3.1 Transmission Services (transserv) Transmission Services (transserv) is used to provide additional information regarding the transmission services SERVICE__INCREMENT, TS__CLASS, TS__TYPE, TS__PERIOD, TS__SUBCLASS, TS__WINDOW, NERC__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY, and OTHER__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY that are available for sale by a Provider in the Templates in Section 4.3.2. This Template is used to summarize Provider tariff information for the convenience of the User. The Provider also sets PRICE__UNITS with this Template. Template: transserv 1. Query TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE 2. Response TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE SERVICE__INCREMENT TS__CLASS TS__TYPE TS__PERIOD TS__WINDOW TS__SUBCLASS CEILING__PRICE PRICE__UNITS SERVICE__DESCRIPTION NERC__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY OTHER__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY TARIFF__REFERENCE 4.3.3.2 Ancillary Services (ancserv) Ancillary Services (ancserv) is used to provide additional information regarding the ancillary services that are available for sale by a Provider in the Templates in Section 4.3.2. This Template is used to summarize Provider tariff information for the convenience of the User. The Provider also sets PRICE__UNITS with this Template. Template: ancserv 1. Query TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE 2. Response TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE [[Page 54278]] SERVICE__INCREMENT ANC__SERVICE__TYPE CEILING__PRICE PRICE__UNITS SERVICE__DESCRIPTION TARIFF__REFERENCE 4.3.4 Query/Response of Schedules and Curtailments 4.3.4.1 Hourly Schedule (schedule) Hourly Schedule (schedule) is used to show what a Provider's scheduled transmission capacity usage actually was for specific Paths. All the information provided is derived from that in the transmission reservation (see Template transstatus), except CAPACITY__SCHEDULED, which is the amount of the reservation which was scheduled. Posting of the schedules is organized around the transmission reservations, not the energy schedules. This may require the Primary Provider to map schedules back to the reservation. These records would have to be created for all reservations/schedules done off the OASIS Node during the operations scheduling period. Template: schedule 1. Query PATH__NAME* SELLER__CODE* SELLER__DUNS* CUSTOMER__CODE* CUSTOMER__DUNS* POINT__OF__RECEIPT* POINT__OF__DELIVERY* SERVICE__INCREMENT* TS__CLASS* TS__TYPE* TS__PERIOD* START__TIME STOP__TIME TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE ASSIGNMENT__REF 2. Response TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE SELLER__CODE SELLER__DUNS PATH__NAME POINT__OF__RECEIPT POINT__OF__DELIVERY CUSTOMER__CODE CUSTOMER__DUNS AFFILIATE__FLAG START__TIME (start time of schedule) STOP__TIME (stop time of schedule) CAPACITY (reserved) CAPACITY__SCHEDULED (total of energy scheduled for this customer for this reservation for this hour) SERVICE__INCREMENT TS__CLASS TS__TYPE TS__PERIOD TS__WINDOW TS__SUBCLASS NERC__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY OTHER__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY ASSIGNMENT__REF (Last rights holder) 4.3.4.2 Curtailment/Interruption (curtail) Curtailment/Interruption (curtail) provides additional information about the actual curtailment of transmission reservations that have been scheduled for energy exchange. All fields are derived from the reservation except the CAPACITY__CURTAILED, CURTAILMENT__REASON and CURTAILMENT__OPTIONS. These fields provide information on the reasons for the curtailment, procedures to be followed and options for the Customer, if any, to relieve the curtailment. Template: curtail 1. Query PATH__NAME* SELLER__CODE* SELLER__DUNS* CUSTOMER__CODE* CUSTOMER__DUNS* POINT__OF__RECEIPT* POINT__OF__DELIVERY* SERVICE__INCREMENT* TS__CLASS* TS__TYPE* TS__PERIOD* START__TIME STOP__TIME TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE ASSIGNMENT__REF 2. Response TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE [[Page 54279]] SELLER__CODE SELLER__DUNS PATH__NAME POINT__OF__RECEIPT POINT__OF__DELIVERY CUSTOMER__CODE CUSTOMER__DUNS AFFILIATE__FLAG START__TIME (Start time of curtailment) STOP__TIME (Stop time of curtailment) CAPACITY (Capacity reserved) CAPACITY__SCHEDULED CAPACITY__CURTAILED SERVICE__INCREMENT TS__CLASS TS__TYPE TS__PERIOD TS__WINDOW TS__SUBCLASS NERC__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY OTHER__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY CURTAILMENT__REASON CURTAILMENT__PROCEDURES CURTAILMENT__OPTIONS ASSIGNMENT__REF 4.3.5 Query/Response of Lists of Information 4.3.5.1 List (list) List (list) is used to provide lists of valid names. The minimum set of lists is LIST, SELLER__CODE, PATH__NAME, POINT__OF__RECEIPT, POINT__OF__DELIVERY, SERVICE__INCREMENT, TS__CLASS, TS__TYPE, TS__PERIOD, TS__SUBCLASS, TS__WINDOW, NERC__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY, OTHER__CURTAILMENT__PRIORITY, ANC__SERVICE__TYPE, CATEGORY, and TEMPLATE. These names may be used to query information, post or request services. Template: list 1. Query LIST__NAME TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE 2. Response TIME__OF__LAST__UPDATE LIST__NAME LIST__ITEM LIST__ITEM__DESCRIPTION 4.3.6 Query/Response to Obtain the Audit log 4.3.6.1 Audit Log Information (auditlog) Audit Log Information (auditlog) is used to provide a means of accessing the required audit information. The TSIP will maintain two types of logs: a. Log of all changes to posted TS Information, such as CAPACITY. This log will record as a minimum the time of the change, the Template name, the name of the Template data element changed and the old and new values of the Template data element. b. A complete record of all transaction events, such as those contained in the Templates 4.3.8, 4.3.9 and 4.3.10. For transaction event logs, the response will include: TIME__STAMP, TEMPLATE, ELEMENT__NAME, AND NEW__DATA. In this case the value of OLD__DATA in not applicable. Template: auditlog 1. Query START__TIME (search against audit log) STOP__TIME (search against audit log) 2. Response ASSIGNMENT__REF or POSTING__REF TIME__STAMP TEMPLATE ELEMENT__NAME (for data elements whose values have changed) OLD__DATA NEW__DATA 4.3.7 Purchase Transmission Services The following Templates shall be used by Customers and Sellers to transact purchases of services. 4.3.7.1 Customer Capacity Purchase Request (transrequest) The Customer Capacity Purchase Request (Input) (transrequest) is used by the Customer to request the purchase of transmission services. The response simply acknowledges that the Customer's request was received by the OASIS Node. It does not imply that the Seller has received the request. Inputting values into the reference Data Elements is optional. CUSTOMER__CODE and CUSTOMER__DUNS shall be determined from the registered connection used to input the request. Supporting ``profiles'' of service, which request different capacities (and optionally price) for different time periods within a single request, is at the discretion of the Primary Provider. Continuation records may be used to indicate requests for these service profiles. Each segment of a profile is represented by the data elements CAPACITY, START__TIME, and STOP__TIME, which define the intervals [[Page 54280]] in time overwhich a non-zero MW demand is being requested. The initial segment of a profile is defined by the CAPACITY, START__TIME and STOP__TIME data elements specified in the first/only record submitted; subsequent segments are specified in continuation records each containing the appropriate CAPACITY, START__TIME and STOP__TIME values defining the segment. Provider's may optionally support price negotiation on segments of a profiled reservation request. In this case, the BID__PRICE data element is also included in each continuation record. If the BID__PRICE data element is not specified in the continuation records, the BID__PRICE specified in the first/ only record submitted will be applied to the entire reservation request. For requesting transmission services which include multiple paths, only the following fields may be redefined in a continuation record for the transrequest Template: PATH__NAME. Supporting multiple paths is at the discretion of the Provider. The START__TIME and STOP__TIME indicate the requested period of service. When the request is received at the OASIS Node, the TSIP assigns a unique ASSIGNMENT__REF value and queues the request with a time stamp. The STATUS for the request is QUEUED. Specification of a value YES in the PRECONFIRMED field authorizes the TSIP to automatically change the STATUS field in the transstatus Template to CONFIRMED when that request is ACCEPTED by the Seller. Template: transrequest 1. Input CONTINUATION__FLAG SELLER__CODE (Primary or Reseller) SELLER__DUNS PATH__NAME POINT__OF__RECEIPT POINT__OF__DELIVERY SOURCE SINK CAPACITY SERVICE__INCREMENT TS__CLASS TS__TYPE TS__PERIOD TS__WINDOW TS__SUBCLASS STATUS__NOTIFICATION START__TIME STOP__TIME BID__PRICE PRECONFIRMED ANC__SVC__LINK POSTING__REF (Optionally set by Customer) SALE__REF (Optionally set by Customer) REQUEST__REF (Optionally set by Customer) DEAL__REF (Optionally set by Customer) CUSTOMER__COMMENTS 2. Response (ackno [Text truncated at 120,000 characters. The full text is on the page linked above.] --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A98-26678. Public record. Not legal advice.