BCM Call Logger: telephone call recording and reporting tool
NEW: Visit our new website at http://www.bcmcalllogger.com .
What is BCM Call Logger?
BCM Call Logger is a tool for processing log files from Nortel or Avaya BCM PBX telephone systems for the purpose of generating call reports.
Which devices does BCM Call Logger support?
| Device | Supported |
|---|---|
| Nortel/Avaya BCM 400 | Yes |
| Nortel/Avaya BCM 200 | Yes |
| Nortel/Avaya BCM 50 | Yes |
| Nortel/Avaya Meridian | SL-1 Experimental Support |
| Other Nortel PBX devices | Unsure |
| Other Avaya PBX devices | Not yet |
| Other non-Nortel PBX devices | SL-1 Experimental Support |
Support for further devices is dependant on the device supporting the Norstar Standard or CLID reporting format. The Norstar Real Time format is supported for incoming calls only. Experimental support for the SL-1 log format is now in place as of version 1.1.4 but is not guaranteed to be stable.
NB: We recommend you set your BCM to use the Norstar All reporting format as this includes the most information when processing your call log data.
What does it look like?
Have a look at the following screenshots to see what the program looks like.
Where can I get it?
You can download a free 30 day demo of BCM Call Logger below. The demo is fully functional, but a nag screen will appear when the program is started, and reports will have a demo watermark on them.
You will need the Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 installed before you can run the demo or the main application.
I like the demo - how can I buy the program?
A full license for BCM Call Logger costs just £75. You can order instantly through PayPal or Google Checkout using the checkout links below. All orders include email support and free upgrades for 12 months or the next major version (which ever is later).
| Buy with Google Checkout | Buy with PayPal |
Download Demo
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You can also download our free CdrPuller utility which will allow you to pull log files from your BCM system without having to set up an FTP server.
How do I make it work?
Download and run the Msi file to start the setup process. This will install the app into a folder of your choice and create shortcuts to both the program and the User Guide in your Start Menu.
The first time the program is run (unless after an upgrade) it will prompt to either create a new database or select an existing one. It'll also ask for the location of your BCM logs.
Once in the main program, use the Process Call Data tab to get some call data into the system, then start generating reports or viewing call data from the Reporting tab.
Helpful tip: Right-click an entry in the Display Calls screen for more call options.
Helpful tip: Hover over a column header for an explanation of the data within that column in the Display Calls screen.
Helpful tip: Use the Display Report button to generate professional reports which can be printed or exported in a range of formats.
If it doesn't work, let us know. When reporting problems, please be as detailed as possible with error messages.
How do I get the log files out of my BCM system?
There are two main ways to get log files out of a BCM system - CDR Pull and CDR Push.
CDR Push uses a built in FTP process within the BCM system to 'push' log files to an FTP server of your choice on a given schedule (normally daily but this can be customised within Configuration Manager or Element Manager). This requires you to have an available FTP server to receive the log files, but means you do not have to run any special client applications. You may need to share the log folder on the FTP server so BCM Call Logger can access the log files once they have been pushed.
CDR Pull relies on a small program to 'pull' the log files from the BCM system and save them into a specified directory. Normally this program would be run as a scheduled task (for example every day at midnight) to automatically fetch all logs since the last time the program was run. The advantage of this approach is that you do not need to set up an FTP server. The CDR Pull utility does not have to run from the same computer as BCM Call Logger provided the folder the logs are written to can be accessed by BCM Call Logger.
We have written a blog article explaining how to get the Call Detail Recording log files out of a BCM system. You will need an FTP server to receive the log files. If the BCM Call Logger application is not installed on the same machine as the FTP server then you may also need to share the FTP folder over your network so the BCM Call Logger application can see the log files.
I want the source code
Contact us at the address above for access to the source. Tell us what you want to do and why, and we'll consider your request and provide a quote.
Future goals for BCM Call Logger
Ability to use a SQL Database (either SQL Server or MSDE) for the backendImplemented as of version 1.3.0- A Mono build for Linux & OSX users
- Internationalisation: If you have examples of BCM log files in languages other than English, Dutch or French please let us know
Contributors
- Gilberto Tunon (help with SL-1 log format)
- Stéphane Roggero (support for French language log files
- You could be here - help us test the program!
Comments
A good program.
Need to price reporting packages for my newly installed Nortel phone system.
Our call logger software costs £75 (about $100 at today's exchange rate) - this price is fixed and does not vary depending on lines/extensions/etc. The price includes support and upgrades for 12 months or until the next major version, whichever is later.
What format are BCM logs? We've pushed all the logs to a location and we're getting a compressed file (.tar), which when uncompressed, returns another compressed file (.gz). Only when .gz is uncompressed can we see some .log files, none of which BCM Call Logger can see any data.
BCM log files are usually text, although they may be wrapped up inside a ZIP file. If you are seeing .tar or .gz files then you are probably looking at the BCM system log files and not the call data log files. The best way to get BCM call data log files out of a BCM is to use Element Manager (or Configuration Manager for older BCM systems) to set the BCM to automatically FTP all log files on a regular basis to an FTP server of your choice. I'll be adding more information on how this is done to this page in the near future - in the meantime please don't hesitate to email us if you have any questions.
Sir, You mentioned that "BCM log files are usually text, although they may be wrapped up inside a ZIP file...... How can i locate these log files... The BCM is already sending the CDR to the Nortel CDR application, unfortunetly i'm not being able to find the nortel log files, can you please help me!! Regards, Mark
For those wanting to know more about extracting log files from a BCM, have a look at our blog post on the subject.
Great application. Furthor improvements I can recommand are, -The ability to save to a SQL Server 2005 database -Have the application run as a service and monitor folder for new files and automatically process them.
We have just added a new utility which can fetch log files from BCM systems without the need to set up an FTP server.