A call detail record (CDR), also known as call data record, is a data record produced by a telephone exchange or other telecommunications equipment documenting the details of a phone call that passed through the facility or device. It is the automated equivalent of the paper toll tickets that were written and timed by operators for long-distance calls in a manual telephone exchange.
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A CDR is composed of fields that describe the exchange. Examples of fields include:
Each exchange manufacturer decides which information is emitted on the tickets and how it is formatted. Examples:
CDRs are produced by the charging system of the telephone exchanges. In Nortel exchanges and in other North American exchanges, the charging system is called Automatic Message Accounting. In an Alcatel OCB switch, the charging system is software known as TX.
Computer networks are used for transporting CDRs to a central point for processing, with X.25 links being widely used worldwide for transporting CDRs. The CDRs of calls still in progress are held by the sending exchange until the call is completed.
Call accounting or call logging software is generally used for retrieving and process CDRs. This system can be called a business support system (BSS). In the billing system the price of the call will be calculated.
Besides for billing, CDRs can be used for supporting the operations of the telephone company by providing information on faulty calls, and measures of the amount of traffic taken along particular routes.
A station messaging detail record (SMDR) is similar to a CDR, but the most important difference is in the usage. CDRs are for telephone company use, and may carry information about the processing of a call. To create actual billable call records, it may be necessary to correlate several CDRs. CDRs may also have a role in internal financial transfers among phone companies
Major Account Billing Exchange Logistical record or MABEL, is a vehicle for the exchange of major account billing data between carriers. The records cover all of the billing elements of a major account, including summary billing information and call detail-level information.
A wireless service provider or a company that acts as a liaison to a wireless service provider uses MABEL. Also defined in MABEL is a Major Account Consolidator, which can be the wireless service provider or third party that acts as a liaison to the corporate entity. MABEL
SMDR, in contrast, is intended for end-user organization, and as a way to understand their telephone usage and billing.