Prop Firm Software TCO Data Model
A trustworthy total-cost comparison needs a schema that can hold missing and non-comparable data without silently converting it to zero. This is the normalization model behind our procurement research.
Cost fields
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| setup_fee | Original currency; null if unverified |
| monthly_base | Exact tier/plan required |
| included_capacity | Preserve vendor unit and definition |
| overage | Rate + unit + threshold |
| revenue_share | Percentage + contractual base |
| profit_share | Percentage + profit definition |
| credits | Quantity + consumption event + expiry |
| platform_cost | Included/external/unknown |
| kyc_payment_data | Separate third-party lines |
| migration | Vendor fee + internal/overlap separately |
Unknown is not zero
When a quote-led provider does not publish a price, the field remains unknown. This prevents a missing cost from making the vendor look artificially cheap.
Original currencies first
Store USD/EUR/etc. values in their original currency. Currency conversion belongs to a dated buyer scenario, not the source dataset.
Provider-defined units first
Do not transform active trader into account unless a defensible relationship is known. The raw model preserves the vendor unit and a normalized scenario can add assumptions separately.
Claims and confidence
Each material field should carry source, verification date and evidence type. Conflicting official sources reduce confidence and remain flagged until resolved.
Calculated fields
Simple year-one base can be calculated when setup and monthly base are verified. It should exclude unverified external costs and be labeled “simple base,” not TCO.
Scenario layer
A buyer scenario adds volume, revenue/profit where relevant, funded conversion, external contracts and exchange rate. This is where TCO becomes buyer-specific.
Why publish the model
Transparent methodology makes our comparisons auditable and discourages SEO pages that invent market averages from incompatible offers.
See the data dictionary, pricing dataset and buyer TCO guide.