ContactCenters: Documentation
The official documentation of ContactCenters is composed of several PDF
files. For convenience, we also provide the API specification in HTML format.
These documents are included in the download of ContactCenters, or can be
viewed on-line by using the following links.
Adobe Reader is the standard product for viewing and printing PDF
documentation. It can be downloaded for free at Adobe's Web site:
.
However, any PDF reader such
as FoxIt
Reader, Evince,
etc., can be used to view the documentation.
Generic simulator for multi-skill and blend call centers
This simulator can be used without Java programming, and is thus
recommended for people beginning with ContactCenters.
- On-line guide for the generic simulator
- This document contains commented examples of configuration
files, instructions to run simulations from the command-line,
and
use the simulator internally in Java code, and documentation
about supported arrival processes, dialing and routing
policies, and types of performance measures.
- Sample XML files for the simulator
-
These examples, commented in the above manual, can be used to
experiment with the generic simulator.
- HTML documentation for the XML Schemas used by
the generic simulator
- This document describes how parameter
files for the simulator are organized, and provides documentation
for each parameter.
API specifications
These documents are needed for people extending the provided generic
simulator, or using ContactCenters directly to create new simulators.
This specification is provided in PDF and HTML format.
The PDF version is more detailed and
more complete than the HTML version, and thus the official
documentation. Each PDF document starts with an overview
providing information about the general structure of the
document. A detailed description of classes and methods then follows.
HTML documentation
-
ContactCenters documentation in
HTML format
-
It was translated from LaTeX to
HTML by an automatic translator and, as a consequence, the mathematical
formulas are not always translated correctly. However, the PDF
documentation is translated correctly from the LaTeX documents.
PDF documentation
- API
specification for the generic simulator
- This provides
information about the architecture of the simulator as well as
detailed documentation on its classes and methods.
- DTMC simulator API
specification
- Provides documentation about the architecture,
classes, and methods of the quick simulator using a uniformized
continuous-time Markov chain model.
- API
Specification for the interfaces to interact with simulators of
contact centers
-
These interfaces are implemented by generic simulators to
provide a standardized way to start the simulation, change some
parameters, and obtain statistics. This document also describes
the facilities for generating reports from the simulation results.
- Core API Specification
- This
document describes the core classes representing contacts, arrival
processes, routers, agent groups, etc. .
- SSJ Extensions API Specification
-
Provides
documentation for utility classes for managing arrays, helping
in reading XML parameter files, etc.
Examples of simulators
We also provide some simple examples using the core classes of
ContactCenters directly. These examples might be useful to learn
about the architecture of the library, and to create simulators
using the core classes directly.
- On-line guide for the examples
-
This document provides commented examples of simple simulators
using the library directly.
- Source code for the commented examples.
External libraries
ContactCenters uses several libraries whose binary archives are included
with the provided download. However, visiting the home page of these
libraries gives access to the documentation and up-to-date versions.
- SSJ
- A Java library for stochastic simulation.
This library provides tools to generate random numbers from
various probability distributions, perform discrete-event simulations,
collect statistics, etc.
It is used extensively by ContactCenters.
- Colt
- Provides Java classes for scientific computation, including linear
algebra and statistics.
ContactCenters uses the matrix support provided by this library.
- JExcelAPI
- Library used to import and export results from and to Microsoft Excel workbooks.
- Linear_Algebra
library
- This library
is a translation to Java of the public domain LINPACK routines.
It is used for parameter estimation only.
- Optimization
package of Steve Verrill
- Includes Java translations
of the
MINPACK
routines for nonlinear least squares problems as well as
UNCMIN
routines for
unconstrained optimization.
These are used for parameter estimation only.
- JFreeChart
- This library is used to draw histograms
and different kinds of plots.
It is included in the distribution as jfreechart-1.0.10.jar
and jcommon-1.0.13.jar files.
Licences
The SSJ library is released under the
GNU GPL licence.
The JFreeChart library is released under the
GNU LGPL License.
The Linear_Algebra and Optimization packages are public domain.
The Colt library is released under the following license agreement, copied
from the Colt web site:
Packages cern.colt* , cern.jet*, cern.clhep
Copyright (c) 1999 CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute and sell this software
and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee,
provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
supporting documentation. CERN makes no representations about the
suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is"
without expressed or implied warranty.