Metering is not just a simple counting problem. Metering is often confused with measuring, but it is usually more than that. Metering does involve measuring, but as an ongoing process, usually with the goal of regulating the usage or flow of a resource over time. Modern applications incorporate metering in many different ways, ranging from counting people, objects, or events to regulating usage, controlling access, and allocating capacity.
Metering solutions generally must process large volumes of data while meeting stringent performance requirements.
