We can't speak for all of them, but one of the telecoms saw our multidimensional analytical capability, and asked us to add in the ability to simulate new pricing structures against the calling habits of their customer base. Our simulation (and also customer listing) capabilities were borne out of the need to test those complex calling plans.

Our simulations allow you to, based on any single or multiple data item(s) on a transaction, apply a factor to a volume on the transaction. If we're talking about accounts, that means you can change prices and analyze based on the new prices. If we're talking about census data, you can adjust populations, incomes and expenses.

For example, if there are 3 fields (of concern for the simulation) on the transaction, and there are 10 possible values for each, there are 1000 possible combinations. You can give us a list of the 1000 combinations, and a factor for each of the combinations. We will match each transaction to the list, and apply the factor to the appropriate data volume on each transaction. Or if you only want to account for 300 out of the 1000 possibilities, we'll default the other 700 however you need (usually to some value on the transaction).