{"templateId":"markdown","sharedDataIds":{"sidebar":"sidebar-sidebars.yaml"},"props":{"metadata":{"markdoc":{"tagList":[]},"type":"markdown"},"seo":{"title":"AI monetization terminology","description":"Definitions for usage, mediation, meters, and event definitions.","keywords":"AI monetization, usage billing, mediation, prepaid with drawdown, commitment billing"},"dynamicMarkdocComponents":[],"compilationErrors":[],"ast":{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"article","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"Heading","attributes":{"level":1,"id":"terminology","__idx":0},"children":["Terminology"]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Consumption"]}," or ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Usage"]},": Zuora Billing has supported billing for consumption or usage based products for many years. The term we've traditionally used is '",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["usage"]},"', though '",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["consumption"]},"' is widely used and within a Zuora context these terms are interchangeable, but our product always uses 'usage'. This refers to billing for some consumable, usually measured using a '",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["unit of measure"]},"' (",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["UOM"]},") such as 'seat', 'GB' or 'token', that your customers consume over a period, often monthly, but can be shorter or longer. Your company's systems provide the source of the data to be billed and Zuora does the '",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["rating"]},"', turning the quantities of the UOMs into invoice items that your customer is expected to pay."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["Your company determines the ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["units of measure"]},", the ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["charge models"]},", for example 'per unit', 'volume', 'overage' along with various options such as 'prepaid', 'high water mark', and others,  as well as the price points, 'how many dollars or euros or pesos per unit', 'how many units are included'. There's more on our ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"MarkdownLink","attributes":{"href":"https://docs.zuora.com/en/zuora-billing/set-up-zuora-billing/build-product-and-prices/charge-models---configure-any-pricing"},"children":["charge models and options in our product documentation"]},"."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Zuora Mediation"]},": An add-on for Zuora Billing that makes converting raw consumption records into clean understandable invoices at scale possible. Mediation can process millions of input records per day."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Meter"]},": Zuora Mediation provides a drag and drop interface to chain multiple processors such as filters, deduplication and mapping processors together to form a pipeline that will efficiently process millions of consumption records daily."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":[{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"strong","attributes":{},"children":["Event Definition"]},": A file that captures the fields and data types of the raw incoming data for a meter."]},{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"p","attributes":{},"children":["Previous: ",{"$$mdtype":"Tag","name":"MarkdownLink","attributes":{"href":"/docs/get-started/tutorials/ai-monetization/review-qa"},"children":["Review material questions and answers"]}]}]},"headings":[{"value":"Terminology","id":"terminology","depth":1}],"frontmatter":{"seo":{"title":"AI monetization terminology","description":"Definitions for usage, mediation, meters, and event definitions.","keywords":"AI monetization, usage billing, mediation, prepaid with drawdown, commitment billing"},"markdown":{"toc":{"hide":false}}},"lastModified":"2026-10-23T10:11:56.862Z","pagePropGetterError":{"message":"","name":""}},"slug":"/docs/get-started/tutorials/ai-monetization/terminology","userData":{"isAuthenticated":false,"teams":["anonymous"]},"isPublic":true}