Line item: quantity

This page explains how a line item decides how many units it charges for.

Map of concepts

Concept	Details
Quantity version	Each quantity version has a quantity strategy, and either a fixed quantity or metered usage.
Fixed quantity	A fixed quantity changes through quantity entries.
Metered usage	A billable metric measures the quantity.
Quantity cadence	With the recurring quantity strategy, the quantity applies again after each quantity cadence.
Dimensional pricing presets	A fixed quantity under a dimensional pricing preset is split across the combinations of dimension values.

The quantity of a line item uses the following modules:

Module	Details
Products	The quantity strategy, metered usage, and partial-period handling are defined there. The pricing preset of a line item can carry a quantity setting.
Billable metrics	Metered usage gets its quantity from a billable metric. You create billable metrics in that module.
Contracts	The quantity belongs to the line items of a contract.

Quantity versions: how many units

A quantity version is the version of the quantity of a line item. Each quantity version has a quantity strategy: on demand or recurring. Each quantity version also gets its quantity in one of two ways: as a number that you enter, or from metered usage. A line item starts with the quantity setting of its pricing preset. If the pricing preset has no quantity setting, the line item starts with a recurring fixed quantity of 1, prorated. The UI shows the combinations as four modes:

Mode	Description in the UI
On demand, fixed	A single value set at purchase. No refresh, no proration.
On demand, metered	Each metered event is billed as it occurs.
Recurring, fixed	Same value granted every cycle. Entries can vary value mid-version.
Recurring, metered	Metered usage summed per cycle, billed at cycle end.

Within each pricing version, the quantity versions must cover all the dates, or none. Without quantity versions, the line item uses the quantity setting of its pricing preset.

Fixed quantities and quantity entries

A fixed quantity is a quantity that you enter as a number, instead of measuring it with a billable metric. A quantity entry is a dated value within a version of a fixed quantity, such as a new seat count from a date. What a quantity entry does depends on the quantity strategy and the product type:

Quantity strategy	Product type	Each quantity entry
On demand	Any	Adds a separate batch of units to a pool. For example, a purchase of 1,000 API calls.
Recurring	Point in time	Sets the allowance of units from its date forward.
Recurring	Period of time	Replaces the previous count from its date. For example, a new seat count.

For example, a seat line item starts with 20 seats. A quantity entry from April changes the count to 25 seats. January to March are charged for 20 seats, and April onward for 25 seats:

Metered usage

With metered usage, a billable metric measures the quantity of the line item. Each quantity version with metered usage refers to one billable metric. Metered usage with the on-demand quantity strategy cannot be prepaid, because Zenskar cannot know the usage before the billing period. See Line item: billing.

Recurring quantities

The quantity cadence is how often a recurring quantity applies again, such as monthly. Monthly is the default. The quantity cadence cannot be longer than the billing cadence, and the billing cadence must be a whole multiple of it. For example, a monthly quantity fits monthly or quarterly billing. A recurring quantity also has partial-period handling. It decides how Zenskar charges for a quantity that starts partway through a period:

Partial-period handling	Result
Prorate	Zenskar charges only for the part of the period that the quantity was in place. This is the default.
Charge full	Zenskar charges the full amount for the period, regardless of when the quantity started.

For example, a customer adds 10 seats on 16 January, with monthly billing. With prorate, Zenskar charges the 10 seats from 16 to 31 January. With charge full, Zenskar charges the 10 seats for all of January: Partial-period handling applies only to the recurring quantity strategy.

Dimensional pricing presets

When the pricing preset of a line item uses the dimensional pricing model, a fixed quantity must say which combination of dimension values its units fall in. Each quantity entry then has a breakdown: the number of units for each combination, such as 500 for region US and 200 for region EU. The combinations in a breakdown must exist in the pricing preset.

Getting started

Product modules

Security

Model context protocol (MCP)

Pricing models

Third-party integrations

Zenskar versioning

Roadmap

Line item: quantity