Understand how meter records store usage for metered billing, consumption tracking, subscription invoices, inventory impact, and AI checkpoints.
Last updated: May 29, 2026
The Meter object stores usage quantities that can drive metered billing, consumption tracking, or operational usage history. Use meter records when the amount to invoice or review depends on actual usage, such as seats, hours, calls, units, messages, storage, or other measured activity.This reference explains what a meter record should contain, how it connects to subscriptions and invoices, and what to check before importing, editing, billing, or troubleshooting usage data with AI, actions, workflows, CSV, integrations, or manual entry.
Claude/Codex
Review these meter records before they are used for subscription invoicing. Show customer, subscription, item, usage amount, usage period, duplicate usage risk, missing fields, and whether each record is already included in an invoice. Do not generate invoices yet.
Reviewing meter usage before billingI reviewed the meter records. Please confirm subscription links, usage dates, units, duplicates, and prior invoice coverage before generating invoices.
Ask for another meter check...
What a meter record represents
A meter record represents measured usage for a customer, subscription, item, or service. It should describe the usage event or usage summary clearly enough to support billing, reporting, inventory review, or customer support.Common fields include:
Meter ID or record ID
Customer company or contact
Related subscription when usage-based billing applies
Related item, plan, service, or unit being measured
Usage quantity
Usage date or usage period
Unit of measure, such as seats, hours, calls, units, messages, or storage
Status, such as active or archived
Source details from UI, CSV, integrations, actions, workflows, or AI-assisted creation
Workspace admins can add custom fields for industry-specific usage details, but the customer, subscription, item, usage quantity, and usage timing should stay easy to verify.
How meters connect to other records
Meters connect operational usage to billing and review.
Companies and contacts: the customer whose usage is recorded
Subscriptions: the contract or plan that determines how usage should be billed
Items: the product, service, unit, or charge type measured by the meter
Invoices: customer-facing billing records that may include meter usage
Payments: incoming payments against invoices that include metered charges
Inventory transactions: optional downstream movement when usage consumes physical stock
Reports and dashboards: usage volume, billing amount, customer health, or margin analysis
If a meter is not included in an invoice or report, check the association, usage date, status, and rule preview before treating it as a missing-data bug.
Review meter data before billing
Meter data can change customer-facing invoices, so review it before generating invoices or updating subscription billing.
Sample prompt
/sanka Check these meter records for billing readiness. Show records with missing customer, missing subscription, missing item, missing usage date, negative or zero usage, duplicate usage period, unusual quantity, wrong unit, and records already included in an invoice. Do not create or update invoices yet.
For CSV imports or connected usage sources, ask for a mapping review first:
Sample prompt
/sanka Review this meter usage CSV before import. Map customer, subscription, item, usage quantity, usage date, unit, source reference, and duplicate key. List rows that need manual review. Do not run the import yet.
Use meters for subscription invoices
When a subscription includes usage-based charges, meter records should be linked to the correct customer, subscription, item, and billing period before invoices are generated.Before using meter records in invoices, confirm:
The subscription is active for the usage period
The meter usage date is inside the intended billing period
The meter is linked to the correct subscription and item
Quantity and unit are consistent with the pricing rule
Usage was not already billed in a previous invoice
Minimum charge, fixed fee, free allowance, discount, and tax rules are handled as expected
The invoice preview matches the usage evidence
For complex usage rules, use the subscription invoice rule builder and preview the invoice before generating it.
Expected behavior
When a meter record is created successfully:
It appears in the Meter object list unless it is archived or filtered out by the current view
Customer, source, item, subscription, usage quantity, usage timing, status, and custom fields are saved
It can be associated with subscription invoices when the billing rule includes it
It can be imported, exported, reported, and reviewed with permissions and validation rules
It does not automatically guarantee invoice creation unless the subscription, billing rule, action, workflow, or manual review includes it
Changing a meter record after an invoice is generated may require a correction, adjustment, or regenerated invoice depending on your team’s billing process. Do not silently edit usage that has already been sent to a customer without reviewing the invoice history.
Troubleshooting
Meter usage was not included in an invoice
Check whether the meter is active, linked to the correct subscription and item, inside the billing period, and included in the invoice rule or preview.
The invoice amount is higher or lower than expected
Compare usage quantity, unit, billing period, free allowance, minimum charge, fixed fee, discount, tax, and whether duplicate meter records were included.
Usage appears twice
Check CSV import history, connected source references, action or workflow runs, duplicate usage periods, and whether the same source event was imported more than once.
Usage is assigned to the wrong customer or subscription
Check the customer, subscription, item, source reference, mapping rule, and any association changes made after import or sync.
A meter was edited after invoicing
Check whether the related invoice was already drafted, sent, paid, or locked. Use a correction or adjustment process when customer-facing billing has already moved forward.
AI cannot decide whether this is a bug
Ask AI to compare the meter record, source evidence, subscription, billing period, pricing rule, invoice preview, prior invoices, import history, permissions, and audit trail. Treat it as a possible bug only after confirming the usage data and billing setup are correct.
Checkpoints
Before importing usage, generating invoices, correcting usage, or replying to a usage-billing support ticket, check customer, subscription, item, usage quantity, usage date, unit, status, source reference, duplicate risk, pricing rule, prior invoice coverage, permissions, and audit trail.
2Meter records imported2026/05/31 18:15May usage recordsImported reviewed usage for active subscriptionsOperations user
1Invoice preview checked2026/06/01 09:00June metered invoiceConfirmed usage, minimum charge, tax, and prior coverageFinance user
Meter review should include source usage evidence, subscription association, billing period, prior invoice coverage, and whether the usage has already been sent to a customer.
