CDR Variables and Disposition Values

Reporting -- Last reviewed 2026-07-02 cdr dialplan billing logging

CDR Variables and Disposition Values

Every Call Detail Record in Asterisk has the same set of fields, regardless of which backend stores them (CSV, SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL). This page is a quick lookup for what each field means, what the disposition and AMA flag values are, and the difference between duration and billsec, without wading through a storage setup guide to find it.

Disposition Values

disposition is the final state of the call. Older versions of Asterisk (and some CDR backends still, internally) represent it as an integer; the string form is what you will see in cdr show status, CSV files, and most database backends today.

Integer	String	Meaning
`1`	`NO ANSWER`	Call rang but was never answered (timeout, caller hung up, no response)
`2`	`FAILED`	Call could not be placed (bad number, network error, congestion at the switch level)
`4`	`BUSY`	Destination returned busy
`8`	`ANSWERED`	Call was answered
`16`	`CONGESTION`	All circuits busy or destination unavailable

NO ANSWER with no record

A disposition integer of 0 also maps to NO ANSWER, but marks a call for which no CDR record should actually be written (a NULL record). You will not normally see this value in stored data.

Read the raw integer instead of the string with the u option:

Set(CDR(disposition,u)=)
NoOp(Raw disposition: ${CDR(disposition,u)})

billsec vs duration

These two fields are the most commonly confused CDR fields:

duration - total time from when the call was dialed to when it ended, including ring time.
billsec - time from when the call was answered to when it ended. This is what you bill for.

For an unanswered call, billsec is always 0 since there was no answer to start the billing clock. duration will still reflect however long the call rang.

Call rings for 8 seconds, answered, talks for 45 seconds, hangs up.
duration = 53
billsec  = 45

AMA Flags

amaflags (Automatic Message Accounting flags) controls whether a record should be included in billing/accounting output.

Integer	String	Meaning
`1`	`OMIT`	Exclude this record from accounting
`2`	`BILLING`	Include this record in accounting
`3`	`DOCUMENTATION`	Keep for reference, not for billing

Deprecated on the CDR function

Reading or writing amaflags through CDR(amaflags) is deprecated. Use CHANNEL(amaflags) instead. The field still appears in stored CDR records under both old and new access methods.

Full Field Reference

Field	Description
`clid`	Caller ID string
`src`	Source (calling) number
`dst`	Destination (dialed) number
`dcontext`	Destination context
`channel`	Originating channel
`dstchannel`	Destination channel
`lastapp`	Last dialplan application executed
`lastdata`	Arguments passed to that application
`start`	Time the call started
`answer`	Time the call was answered
`end`	Time the call ended
`duration`	Total call time in seconds, including ring
`billsec`	Answered time only, in seconds
`disposition`	Final call state: see table above
`amaflags`	Accounting flag: see table above
`accountcode`	Account code set on the channel
`uniqueid`	Unique identifier for the channel
`linkedid`	Links related channels together (transfers, parking)
`userfield`	Free-form field you can set from the dialplan
`peeraccount`	Account code of the bridged peer
`sequence`	CDR sequence number

Of these, only accountcode, userfield, and (deprecated) amaflags can be written from the dialplan. Everything else is read-only.

; Read fields
NoOp(Disposition was: ${CDR(disposition)})
NoOp(Billed seconds: ${CDR(billsec)})

; Write the fields that are writable
Set(CDR(accountcode)=sales)
Set(CDR(userfield)=callback-requested)

Use the f option to get billsec or duration as a floating point value, and the u option to get raw, unprocessed values (epoch timestamps instead of formatted dates, integer disposition and amaflags instead of strings):

NoOp(Raw start time: ${CDR(start,u)})
NoOp(Billsec as float: ${CDR(billsec,f)})

CDRs are read-only after the bridge tears down

Once Dial() returns and the bridge between two channels is torn down, the CDR can no longer be modified. Set custom fields before that point.

CDR Variables and Disposition Values