Object Relationship idea

[joshorva]

In the Context Service API, I can see the relationships between Context Service objects Customer, Request, and Pod. Customers do not have any links to Requests or Pods. Requests have links to Pods, but not Customers. Pods have links to Customers and Requests. Therefore, one may be able to model these objects as follows:

I'd like to introduce a new relationship model where each Pod has a link to a Request. and each Request has a link to a Customer. Using this model, a Customer may have multiple Requests, and each Request has a number of Pods. The additional / alternative model may look like the following. In the following depiction. In this model, I could produce a list of Requests for a Customer and determine which Customer owns a Request much easier.

[vchhabra]

There are multiple ways we could wire these objects. What you propose is a fair idea but it makes the request mandatory for every request, which may not be the case for all deployments (such as IoT events). Thanks for the suggestion.  

[joshorva]

Many thanks for the response. I am sure that the way it is currently modeled is the best way. I am just trying to figure out how best to utilize this model in my design.

By the way, unfortunately, I illustrated the existing model incorrectly. More correctly:

• A Customer object holds no relationships
• A Request object holds:
  • a set of relationships to Pods
  • no relationship to a Customer
• A Pod object holds:
  • a relationship to a Request
  • a relationship to a Customer

[vchhabra]

Can you share your use case and we can help accordingly? Thanks

[joshorva]

Thanks for the offer; I would welcome your help.

I am designing a "Reporting Offering" related to using Remote Expert with Contact Center. I have Customers that call into Contact Center and want to get something done. I was initially thinking about creating a Customer object for each customer that calls in, and a Request object for each "thing they want done". Finally, I would use Pod's for tracking the actions that would require resolving the Request for the Customer.

Afterward, I would need to be able to generate a List of Customers that called into the Contact Center with one or more Requests (based on criteria like "In the last month"). I would need to generate the list of Requests and all of the actions (Pod's) against those Requests with their status.

I also use this environment for recording lower level "Interaction activities". So, for example, a Call, Email, or a Text Chat might be a Request with the actions that occurred in the interaction would be modeled as Pods.

[vchhabra]

You should create a customer object for every unique customer. However, each interaction should be represented by a POD, not Request. A POD represents 1 call, or 1 email, etc. If a call arrives at IVR, transferred to agent, then transferred to agent 2, that is still 1 interaction = 1 POD. The Request object is a way to group multiple interactions related to common business goal. For instance, I made a reservation online, that’s 1 POD. Then I called to make a change to that reservation, that’s 2nd POD but under same request. Then system send an outbound call to remind caller about upcoming reservation, that’s 3rd interaction but belonging to same request.

[joshorva]

Many thanks for the reply. This makes sense to me.