selection, conver- sion, and generation. In selection the format template, the data input source, and the rules for associating the data input with the format template are identified. In conversion the billing files are formatted based on the template. Fundamentals of EMS, NMS and OSS/BSS These formatted documents are then stored for future reference. Using these documents in the final generation stage the desired file streams (print, web, xml) are generated. 25. SLA management: The service level agreement the service provider has with the customer needs to be constantly monitored for compliance. This is achieved by measuring attributes that can be monitored for business contracts made with the customer. The SLA management system identifies potential breach conditions and fixes issues before an actual SLA breach occurs. In cases were an actual breach occurs, the operator is notified SO that the issue can be com- municated to the customer and suitable compensations are provided as per breach terms defined in SLA. The QoS guaranteed to the customer is a form of the SLA. Degradation of QoS is a direct indication on the possibility of breaching SLA. Any service quality degradations that are expected should be identified and the customer informed. This means that the customer is to be informed of any planned maintenance or other scheduled events likely to impact delivery of service or violation of SLA. Preset thresholds are set for the SLA attributes to identify SLA jeopardy and SLA breach. SLA management also reports to the cus- tomer the QoS performance as per queries or customer reports generated for the subscribed service. 26. Customer self-management: Customer self-care applications are now used by almost all service providers. These applications provide a set of interfaces to the customer to directly undertake a variety of business functions. This way the customer does not always have to contact a support desk and some of the support operations can be performed by the customer itself. Access to the customer inte