Getting Ready for Selling Azure Services to Customers

This section explains how to prepare for selling Azure services to customers.

Important: All the values listed in this topic are not examples. The configuration must be done exactly as described.

Creating a Price Configuration

To be able to sell Azure services to customers, you must create a price configuration and then assign it to a service template. To create a price configuration, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to Reseller Panel.
  2. Go to Services > Azure Partner > Price Configuration tab > Configuration, and click Add.
  3. Enter the following information:
    • Name – the name of the Price Configuration instance. For example: Azure Price Configuration. The name should be unique.
    • Retail Markup – the markup applied to Microsoft Azure prices. This markup is your profit gained from customers. You can set numbers with up to five decimal places.
    • Currency – the currency that you use for settlements with customers. It cannot be changed once a price configuration is created.
    • Exchange Rate – this is the relation of the value of a currency unit to the unit of another currency in the foreign exchange market. If the currency that is used by Microsoft to bill you differs from the currency that is used for settlements with customers, you can set the exchange rate. You can set numbers with up to five decimal places. For example, the price list from Microsoft is in US dollars and you plan to sell in Polish zloty, and the current rate is 1 USD = 3.8686868 PLN, then enter 3.868687. This rate will be applied to all prices; the customers will see prices in Customer Panel in their local currency.

      • Important: If you plan to change the exchange rate during the billing period because of the rates' fluctuation, make sure this condition is included in the "Terms & Conditions" of the corresponding service plan, so that customers can read and accept it.

    • Show Calculator – if checked, the Open Calculator button will be displayed at the Price List tab in Customer Panel. By clicking this button, customers will be redirected to the Azure pricing calculator webpage. (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/calculator/).
  4. Click Create.

In the Price List area, you can switch between currencies.

You can create any number of price configurations.

Creating the "Azure Services" Service Template

To create the Azure Services service template, perform the following actions:

  1. In Reseller Panel, go to Products > Service Templates.
  2. Click Add New Service Template.
  3. Specify the following parameters:
    • Name – the name of the service template. For example: Azure Services.
    • Description – the description of the service template. This parameter is optional.
    • Autoprovisioning – it defines whether subscriptions based on the service template are auto-provisioned. Select the checkbox.
    • Type – it defines the type of the service template. Select Custom.

    Click Next.

  4. Include the following resource types:
    • Azure Application from the Azure Customer Resources subscription. Set the resource limit to 1.
    • Azure Tenant from the Azure Customer Resources subscription. Set the resource limit to 1.
    • Total Cost of Azure Services from the Azure Customer Resources subscription. Set the resource limit to Unlimited.

    Click Next.

  5. Specify the resource limits and click Next.
  6. Click Finish.
  7. Click the service template that you just created.
  8. In the Collect resources usage after subscription cancellation (days) field, set 5. To make sure that usage reports for the canceled subscriptions are accurate and up-to-date, we recommend that you set this setting to at least 5 days. To learn more about this parameter, see Canceling Usage-based Subscriptions.
  9. Click Submit.

Assigning a Price Configuration to the "Azure Services" Service Template

By assigning a price configuration to a service template, you create an offer with certain conditions such as retail markup and currency for a certain geographical market. To assign a price configuration to the Azure Services service template, perform the following steps:

  1. Go to Services > Azure Partner > Price Configuration tab > Service Templates tab. Here you can see a list of already created service templates.
  2. Click Edit.
  3. Select the required price configuration in the menu and select the checkbox next to the Azure Services service template.
  4. Click Save.

Important: A single service template can be assigned only to one price configuration, but a single price configuration can be assigned to several service templates.

Creating the "IaaS" Plan Category

To create the 'IaaS' plan category, perform the following actions:

  1. Open the OA Billing panel.
  2. Go to Products > Service Plans > Plan Categories tab and create a new plan category with the name IaaS.

Creating the "Azure" Resource Category

To create the "Azure" resource category, go to Products > Resources > Resource Categories tab and create a new resource category with the name Azure. Leave the default values in all other fields.

Creating the "Azure Services" Service Plan

To create the "Azure Services" service plan, perform the following actions:

  1. Go to Products > Service Plans and create a service plan with the following necessary values:
    • Service Plan Type: Generic Service Plan
    • Service Template: Azure Services
    • Plan Category: IaaS
    • Service Terms: Azure
    • Published: Yes (select the checkbox)
    • Billing Model: Use External Rating
    • Price Configuration: Fixed Price
  2. Go to the Resource Rates tab of the Service Plan that you created in the previous step and add a new resource rate for the Total Cost of Azure Services resource with the following values:
    • Resource Category: Azure
    • Included: 0
    • Max: -1
    • Recurring Fee: 0
    • Overuse Fee: 0.01
    • Show in Store: No
    • Measurable: Yes
    • Show in CP: No
  3. Add a new resource rate for the Azure Tenant resource with the following values:
    • Max. Units: 1
    • Inc. Units: 1
    • Recurring Fee: 0
    • Overuse Fee: 0
    • Measurable: No
    • Show in Store: No
    • Show in CP: No
  4. Go to the General tab of the Azure Services service plan, click the Azure Services service template link.
  5. Go to the Service Parameters tab.
  6. In the list of the Parameters, select the DomainID parameter and click Delete.

Creating the "Microsoft Azure" Sales Category

  1. In Billing panel, go to Products > Service Plans > Sales Categories tab and create a sales category with the following parameters:
    • Category Name: Microsoft Azure
    • Description: Azure
    • Expand By Default: yes
    • Show in Customer Control Panel: yes
  2. Add the Azure Services service plan to the Microsoft Azure sales category that you created in the previous step.

Customizing Email Templates

During the deployment of the Azure application, a number of email notification templates are automatically created in the system. The templates are used to notify the users of Azure services about account credentials, resource usage, and budget spending.

To review and edit the templates:

  1. Go to System > Settings > System Notifications > Email Templates.
  2. In the Search panel, type Azure in the Name field and click Search.
  3. Click the name of the template that you want to change, and click Edit.

Configuring the Online Store

Online Store configuration consists of the following steps:

  1. Creating the "Buy Azure" Screen.
  2. Creating the "Azure Checkout" Screen.
  3. Creating the "Azure" Purchase Scenario.
  4. Synchronizing the Online Store.

A detailed description of each of the steps is provided is presented below.

Create the "Buy Azure" Screen

Create the "Buy Azure" screen in the required online store:

  1. In OA Billing panel, go to Products > Online Store > Screens tab.
  2. Click Add New Screen.
  3. Specify the following properties:
    • Screen ID – AZURE_SELECT_PLAN_SCREEN
    • Template Name – select the HOSTING template
    • Title – Buy Azure Services
    • Description – Azure Plans
  4. Click Save.
  5. Click the name of the screen that you created and then click Parameters.
  6. Click SHOW_APPLICATION_SERVICE_PARAMETERS and then click Edit.
  7. Set the value parameter to true.
  8. Click Save.
  9. Return to the list of parameters (Billing > Products > Online Store > Screens tab > AZURE_SELECT_PLAN_SCREEN > Parameters).
  10. Click the TOP_LEVEL_MENU parameter and then click Edit.
  11. In the Value box, type IaaS.
  12. Click Save.
  13. Return to the settings of the Buy Azure Services screen (Billing > Products > Online Store > Screens tab > AZURE_SELECT_PLAN_SCREEN ) and click Add Existing Category.
  14. Select the Azure sales category and click Finish.

Create the "Azure Checkout" Screen

Create the "Azure Checkout" screen in the required online store:

  1. In OA Billing panel, go to Products > Online Store > Screens tab.
  2. Click Add New Screen.
  3. Specify the following properties:
    • Screen ID – AZURE_CHECKOUT_SCREEN
    • Template Name – select the CHECKOUT template
    • Title – Azure Checkout
    • Description – Checkout Screens
  4. Click Save.
  5. In the list of screens, click the name of the screen that you just created and then click Parameters.
  6. Click the NODISPLAY_PAYTOOL parameter and then click Edit.
  7. Set the value parameter to false.
  8. Click Save.
  9. In the list of screens, click AZURE_CHECKOUT_SCREEN and then click Parameters.
  10. Click the REGFORM_TYPE parameter and then Edit.
  11. Set the value parameter to Full.
  12. Click Save.

Create the "Azure" Purchase Scenario

Create the "Azure" purchase scenario in the online store:

  1. In OA Billing panel, go to Products > Online Store.
  2. Click Add New Purchase Scenario.
  3. Specify the following properties:
    • Title – Azure.
    • URL ID – AZURE.
    • Published in Store – select Yes.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Click the Azure link with the scenario name.
  6. Click Add Existing Screen.
  7. Select the screens that you created earlier (Azure Checkout and Buy Azure Services) and click Add Screen(s).

Synchronize the Online Store

Synchronize the required online store to apply the changes:

  1. In OA Billing panel, go to Products > Online Store.
  2. Click Synchronize Now.