Explanation
Initial measurement data (IMD) are raw measurement data that are imported into Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management from various sources, such as head-end systems, meter reading systems, or manual entry. IMD can be viewed through the Measuring Component portal, but they are not ready for export or further processing until they pass validation, estimation, and editing (VEE) processing. VEE processing is a set of rules and algorithms that check and correct measurement data for any gaps, errors, or anomalies. According to the Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management Business User Guide, one type of VEE rule that IMD must pass in order to become final measurement data is:
* Critical validation: This is a rule that checks whether IMD meet certain minimum criteria for quality and completeness. Critical validation can be used to filter out IMD that are missing, duplicated, corrupted, or invalid.
References: Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management Business User Guide, Chapter 7: Measurements, Section
7.1: Measurement Data; Chapter 8: Usage, Section 8.3: Validation, Estimation, and Editing

Explanation
In a SaaS environment, Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management and Smart Grid Gateway are deployed on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and use OCI Object Storage to store files and data. OCI Object Storage is a scalable and secure service that allows users to store and access data from anywhere using REST APIs or web consoles. Smart Grid Gateway adapters process usage and device event payloads via batch processing. Files are sent from a head-end system (HES) to an OCI Object Storage location, where they are batch processed.
According to the Oracle Utilities Smart Grid Gateway User Guide, some operations that are performed by the Smart Grid Gateway processes are:
* Parse payload into individual usage readings/device events. This is an operation that extracts usage readings or device events from the payload file and converts them into individual records.
* Invoke IMD/Device Event Seeder (as appropriate). This is an operation that invokes a web service that sends usage readings or device events to Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management for further processing.
* Transform usage readings into standard (unified) format. This is an operation that converts usage readings from vendor-specific formats into a standard format that can be processed by Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management.
References: Oracle Utilities Smart Grid Gateway User Guide, Chapter 4: Commands, Section 4.4: Command Configuration; Chapter 5: Device Events; Chapter 6: Usage