h an external gateway that can send and receive requests to and from trading partner systems in order to determine service availability and delivery dates. Looking at our DSL example, a DSL retailer would require automated access, possibly via the Internet, to the wholesaler's pre-qualification database. External or interconnection gateways and their related processes will be discussed throughout this chapter. 1.4 Product Catalog Similar to a DSL pre-qualification database, an automated product catalog generally supports the order entry and sales process for other services. This catalog essentially reacts to the information captured in the order entry process. It stores the rules that determine what services are available and provides pricing information based on discounts for certain product bundles, and the service time-period location to which the customer is willing to Chapter 2 - A Detailed Look at OSS commit. Product catalogs often work in concert with inventory management systems that store data about available network facilities, such as where an NSP has leased fiber transit routes to carry or "backhaul" other IICs' traffic. Product catalogs also work in conjunction with billing systems that store pricing plans and associated discounts and promotions. Because this "intelligent" component is SO crucial to the speed and accuracy with which an IIC can serve its customers, many OSS vendors have integrated product catalogs into their applications SO that they cannot be removed or even deactivated. This creates a challenge for IICs because they must synchronize product catalogs among order entry applications, inventory systems and billing systems, many of which store and treat information very differently. This synchronization must be accomplished to support a number of business processes, particularly order entry, order management and billing. Strategies for dealing with this challenge will be addressed in Chapter 6. 1.5 Service Reservation Once it's determined that the customer's location can support the requ