Dynamic Payment Workflow Engine for Media Content Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Media content providers face inflexibility in accommodating new regions and payment/billing systems due to the need for customized workflows, which hinders their ability to expand services and support various payment types.
Innovation Solution
A payment/billing server dynamically generates workflows for processing payments by querying product and transaction subsystems for pre-authorization and post-authorization steps, and communicates with payment processors to capture transactions, allowing for automatic processing without custom software coding for each new product or payment type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If customized payment processing workflows are developed for each region and payment type, then compliance with regional requirements is achieved, but system flexibility and ease of accommodation for new regions are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The payment processing system is segmented into independent workflow components that can be dynamically assembled. Each region-specific requirement and payment type is handled as a separate module, allowing the system to comply with regional requirements while maintaining flexibility through modular composition rather than monolithic customization.
Solution Approach 2:
A universal workflow generation system is implemented that can handle multiple regions, payment types, and compliance requirements through a single dynamic workflow engine. The system generates customized workflows on-demand based on the target region and payment type, eliminating the need for separate hard-coded workflows for each scenario while maintaining full compliance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom software coding is implemented for each new product or payment type, then specific functionality is achieved, but device complexity and development effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static, hard-coded workflows to dynamic workflow generation. The workflow engine dynamically creates and executes payment processing sequences based on the specific product and payment type at runtime, allowing the system to adapt to new products and payment types without requiring custom software coding for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow generation system automatically creates appropriate payment processing workflows by querying the database for region-specific requirements and payment type specifications. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual software coding when adding new products or payment types, as the system generates the necessary workflows autonomously based on stored configuration data.
3Reliability
If manual workflow configuration is used for each region, then compliance requirements are met, but productivity and efficiency of expanding to new regions are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically generates compliant payment workflows by querying a database of regional requirements and payment type specifications. This self-service workflow generation eliminates manual configuration efforts, allowing the system to rapidly adapt to new regions and payment types while maintaining compliance through automated retrieval of required specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
Regional payment requirements and payment type specifications are pre-stored in a database during system setup. When expanding to a new region or adding a payment type, the workflow engine automatically retrieves and applies these pre-configured specifications, eliminating the need for manual reconfiguration and enabling rapid market expansion while ensuring compliance.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with an embodiment, described herein is a system and method for orchestration of operations associated with a media content environment, including use of a prepare-proceed workflow process (workflow) that supports definition and use of different payment/billing systems or processes. A payment/billing server, for use with the media content environment dynamically generates workflows for use in processing payments associated with products. Upon receipt of a request to purchase a product, the payment/billing server generates a workflow to process a payment, including querying a product subsystem to determine pre-authorization steps required for purchase of the product and executing the pre-authorization steps; querying a transaction subsystem to determine a transaction information required for authorization; and querying a payment processor for authorization of the transaction. The payment/billing server then executes any required post-authorization steps, and communicates with the payment processor to capture the purchase.