9.9. Database and System
The System Parameter Maintenance window is organised as a notebook where one of the tabs is the Database tab. Here you can maintain general database functionality.
Combined P&C and Life Database
Background: SICS P&C and SICS Life are two different products. The products are designed to allow for sharing of “infrastructure” data. That is, if your company uses both products, it is possible to let the two products share the same database schema. In this case, the following data will be shared between the two products:
- Reference Data
- Currency and Exchange Rates
- Countries, States, Areas
- Business Partners, Banks and Insureds
- Reporting Units
- System Users
- Security Definitions
- User Defined Fields definitions (for some object types)
- … and other Product Specific Objects: For some of these data types, there may exist product specific objects. Some of the Reference Data types do, for example, contain some values that are specific to either product. These values are called application specific items. Values that are specific to one product will not be visible when using the other product against the common database.
Product Entry Specific Contents In addition to shared tables containing shared data (except for application specific items), there are other tables that will be shared by both products, however - the content of the tables (i.e. the table rows) will not be shared. These types of entries will only be seen in the product that they were entered. This is the case for e.g. the BUSINESS table, the accounting tables (e.g. AC_LEDGER_DETAIL), and several other tables.
Note that the “infrastructure” data only (as listed above) is shared between the two products. Business data - such as Businesses, Claims, Insurable Objects, Accounting data, etc. is NOT shared. As an example, a Business Partner ledger will only show data that belongs to the product in which the ledger is viewed (balances created with the P&C product will not show up when using the Life product, and vice versa).
Product Specific Table:A third category of tables is those that are used only by one of the products. For instance, a Life Business (policy, agreement) can have several different conditions. Most of these are not relevant to P&C business. They are therefore stored in database tables that are used only by the Life product. Similarly, the P&C product stores some of its data in database tables that are used only by the P&C product.
Selected: The two products share a common database schema. Within this database, the two products share the “infrastructure” data (as listed above). Note that the schema must initially be created using the Life product. The installation procedure document contains details on how to set up a combined (P&C/Life shared) database schema.
Cleared: The P&C and Life products each use their own separate database schema. One consequence of this is, that System Parameters, Reference Data and Business Partners must be set for P&C and Life separately.
Relevant when: You select this parameter when you use both the P&C and Life product and you want the same System Parameters, Reference Data and Business Partners to apply to both products.
Applicable for: P&C, Life
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Segregate Data by Access Code | Selected: Your SICS installation will segregate data logically, based on Access Codes. Each user must then be assigned to an Access Code. The Access Code must first be defined in the Reference Data Maintenance. When the user logs on to the system, he or she will only see data belonging to his or her Access Code. Note! Study the chapter “Segregating Data by Access Code” carefully, before attempting to modify this System Parameter. Cleared: Data Segregation will not apply Relevant when: You want to segregate (partition) data in the manner described in the chapter “Segregating Data by Access Code”. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Enable NLS for Reference Data | NLS = National Language Support Background: In the Reference Data Maintenance, each Reference Data value can be given one name per system language. The system will then present the Reference Data values e.g. in drop-down lists, in the chosen language. Which Language to use is decided as follows (shown in a prioritised order): 1. User Preferences: Each user can decide what system language he/she requires to use. 2. Global Language: The language your company chooses for users who have NOT selected a language in his/her user preferences. 3. System language: English (Used if none of the above have been defined) Note! Since some of the Reference Data values are used for naming window labels, changing the chosen language (either for the whole system or for a specific user) will cause some window labels to change. However, most window labels are hard-coded in English. Selected: The system may present the Reference Data values e.g. in drop-down lists, in another language than English. |
| To change the language you must in addition: | 1. Enter language specific names for reference data values in the Reference Data Maintenance. Refer to the chapter 1Handle Reference Items. 2. Select that language from the Language Parameter. Cleared: The Reference Data values are in English, unless the user has the User Preferences with some other language defined. |
| Language | The global default language. The language that system will present the Reference Data values in, e.g. in drop-down lists, unless the user has selected another language in his/her user preferences. Values: Customised by your company in the Reference Data Type called Languages. Default: English Validation: To change this, the Enable NLS for Reference Data parameters must be selected Relevant when: Your company wants to show the Reference Data values (drop-down lists) in some language other than English. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Minimum Year | Selected: The year entered is the minimum allowable year to be used in your SICS installation. Values: Minimum value: 1 Maximum Value: 9999 Default: 1753 (it is recommended that the default value be not changed) Relevant when: Your company runs SICS on an SQL Server. The minimum year handled by an SQL server is 1753. Other databases have no limitations. (This is a Relational Database Management System problem and not a SICS problem). Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Maximum Year | Selected: The largest year the system will allow to be entered (in year and date fields). Values: Minimum value: 1 Maximum Value: 9999 Default: 9999 (It is recommended that the default value be not changed) Relevant when: Your company runs SICS on an SQL Server. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Enable Create/Change Audit Log | Selected: Whenever a user updates certain pieces of information (data objects) in SICS, the system stores the name of the user and the current date and time. The information is visible in the status bar at the bottom of the window of the data object. The first time the user enters information in a particular data object, the system shows the information marked as Created. When the user later updates the same data object, the system shows the information marked as Last Updated. Note that for the last updated information, the system shows only the last action. The users also see which terms and conditions (data objects) have changed after the renewal of a business, (seen on Business/ Amendments/ Changed after Renewal). Data objects that will be logged are (P&C/Life unless otherwise indicated): cession (P&C) insurable object reporting unit risk zone information on the amendment tab wording accounting entry code automatic orders (Life) information on the life cycle tab information on the insured period tab information on the business tab business conditions (Note that the P&C deductions window contains three different kinds of deductions and does therefore not show the audit log information.) businesses classification protections claim country currency EDI GLT order ledger grouping balance bank business partner person benefit group (Life) Cleared: The above logging does NOT take place and in addition it will NOT be possible to see the list of terms and conditions the underwriter has changed after renewal. Relevant when: You allow your end users to, in a quick glance, see who did the last change to some data and when. Note that the audit log is NOT the same as the Event Log facility or the Log Conditions Changes after Booking facility. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Enable Automatic Creation/Updating of Business Structure Information | Selected: SICS keeps the Business Structure Table updated on-line. The Business Structure Table is used in the Find Business, in reporting (Business Objects) and several other places throughout SICS. Cleared: Because the Business Structure Table is so essential to correct operation of SICS, this system parameter cannot be cleared (it is automatically selected when SICS is installed). Relevant when: Always. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Enable Reference to Notes owner Type | Selected: Whenever a Note is created on a Notes page in SICS the system will automatically fill in a Owner column in the CNU_NOTE with a corresponding reference to its owner type. The reference is constructed using the owner’s table name plus the name of the foreign key column pointing to the note, e.g. if a Notes is created for a ledger balance then the Owner column in the CNU_NOTE will be “AC_LEDGER_BALANCE.FK_LDGR_BAL_NOTE”. Cleared: The Owner column in the CNU_NOTE is not populated. Relevant when: You want an easier way to identify which type of object a Notes page belongs to. NB! After the activation of this system parameter an initial one-time update to fill in the new column for the existing notes is necessary. This can be executed from the SQL Script Manager in the System Administration Utility on the Note References tab by clicking the Populate Notes Owner Type Applicable for: P&C, Cede, Life |
| Allow Database Modification | Selected: It is possible for a user who is otherwise correctly authorised, to run the Update Database Definition and Update Database Version System Administration features. Cleared: It is NOT possible for any user to run the Update Database Definition and the Update Database Version System Administration features. Relevant when: This system parameter provides extra security against running Update Database Definition and Update Database Version on databases that should not be updated. It can be useful when there are several versions of SICS installed, and one wants to keep one or more (test) databases at a level which corresponds to a SICS version which is not the newest one. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Override Single Account Information when Intervening Update occurs | The purpose of this parameter is to let a user be able to store information on a Single Account on a Business’ Administration Conditions at the same time as other users are updating the same Single Account (an individual account row). Selected: The system will not give the user an Intervening Update message when he is updating a single account in the Administration conditions even if another user has updated the same Single Account on the same Insured Period. The system will override the existing information on the Single Account with the latest update of the database. Note! The override is for the Single Account only when this is updated, and has nothing to do with the financial transactions on the ledger itself. Cleared: The user will receive an Intervening Update in the above situation. |
| Database Name | Selected: The system displays the database name in the title bar (blue line on the top of the GUI) for each window in SICS. Cleared: No database name is displayed in the title bar. Relevant when: When having different SICS instances open at the same time. For example, when you have one production database and one test database, you can easily differentiate which screens belong to which instance. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Database Description | Selected: The database description will be passed as a parameter to the User Authorization Interface (if the UAI is in use). Cleared: No description will be passed to the UAI. Relevant when: When the UAI needs to know which database the user is connected to. Applicable for: P&C, Life |
| Maximum Number of Open Windows Allowed | Selected: The number entered represents the maximum number of windows a user is allowed to have open in SICS at the same time. Values: Minimum value: 5 Maximum value: 999 No value (blank) - no limitation Not selected: If no value is entered (i.e. field is blank), there is no limitation to the number of open windows. Relevant when: The Windows operating system has a limit of 10 000 ‘USER objects’ per process. Each SICS window uses several hundreds of such objects (varies with window complexity). To avoid problems with too many open windows, the system may be set up to issue a full stop message when a specific number of open windows are exceeded. Applicable for: P&C, Cede, Life |
| Extend Base Company Segregation | Selected: The user sees only information relating to his/her own base company (Current Base Company). The Current Base Company is set up in the Security Administration / User / Base Company Segregation tab. The user can change this Current Base Company to another base company in the User Preferences if it is among the user’s granted base companies. Examples of functions activated when this parameter is selected: -A user sees only business, claims, accounting, etc. of his/her assigned Current Base Company (mandatory) -The system hides all company information of other Base Companies than the user’s Current Base Company (optional/customizable) -The system hides all company information of Business Partners not linked to the user’s Current Base Company (optional/customizable) -The system hides all company information of Insureds not linked to the user’s Current Base Company (optional/customizable) A user may also have access to a group of base companies. If the user’s Current Base Company has been set up with an Owner or some Subsidiaries, the user has access also to these. This is however provided that the user in addition has these companies among his/her Allowed Base Companies in the security administration. In other words, the user may have access to the intersection of the Current Base Company’s owner hierarchy and his/her Allowed Base Companies. Not all functions are accessible based on the “user’s group”. In general, this group is accessible for functions where the user can manually select a base company, e.g., Find Business and Create Business. For these, the system defaults the current base company, but the user can include any other base companies within his/her this group. For functions, where the base company is not manually selectable, the system gives access based only on the current base company. Examples are Find Insurable Object, Find Accounting Orders and Protect Business Automatically. Some frequently used functions however do offer direct access based on the ‘user’s group’, even if the base company is not manually selectable. Examples of such functions are Find Business Partner Groups and Find Business Groups. When user maintain booking terms for base company with Extend Base company segregation and Hide base companies selected then user assigned to specific BCs can see and maintain the Booking Terms only for this/these Base Companies.The booking definition window will be listed with only linked definition to base company which are part of segregation setup and definitions which are not linked to any other base company. Cleared: The user can see information relating to any base company, as long as he/she is authorized to do so by the standard SICS security restrictions. Default: Cleared Relevant when: Often organizations have several (re)insurance companies sharing the same SICS installation. These are legal entities and might not wish to have knowledge of each other, neither each other’s existence, nor each other’s business administration. An example would be a company using captives of a high number and variety. These might use the SICS base company segregation facility, which is more extensive than the SICS access code segregation. Functional Impact: Maintain Business Partners Maintain Insureds Find Business Create New Business Change Life Cycle Status of Business Renew Business Maintain Business Partner Roles Mass update of Business Partner Roles Protect Business Manually Protect Business Automatically Protect Multiple Business Automatically Find Business Groups Mange Business in Business Group Find Business to be renewed (Pre-Renewal function) Find Insured Object Cessions List Cessions linked to Insured Object Perform Accumulation Control of Insured Object Perform Accumulation Control of Insured Peril Risk Zone Mass Update Business with Commutation Information Mass Update Responsible Person Find Claims Create New Claim Manage Claims in Claim Group Find Claim Programs Create New Claim Program Find Linked Business and Claims in Claim Program Manage Claims in Headline Loss Perform Business Partners Facultative Analysis Find Accounting Worksheets Create Remittance Worksheet View Pending Remittances Find Accounting Data on Business Partner Ledger Find Accounting Orders Create new Accounting Order Run Retrocession Accounting Due Orders Mass Update Business Partner Balances Mass Update Reserve and Deposit Details View Preliminary Bookings Mass Update Closed Balances Mass Update Open Balances Mass Update Open Worksheets Revaluate Functional Currency Mass Pairing of Remittances Mass Pairing of Paid Remittance Mass Update of Estimation Complete Mass Update Multi GAAP Stop Calculation Mass Update Revised EPI Mass Update Estimate Settlement Indicator Monitor Accounting Order Extract Balances for Account Statements by Batch Job Manage Billing Statements by Batch Job Find Items by Quick Find from Desktop Bar View Recents Maintain Reporting Units Maintain Entry Codes Task Management Booking Terms Maintenance Manage Security Maintain User Preferences Applicable for: P&C, Cede, Life |
| Hide Insureds | Selected: The system hides company information, e.g. name, address, company identifier for all insureds/third parties not linked to the Current Base Company of the user. In addition, when the user creates a new Insured/Third Party, this will automatically be linked to his/her Current Base Company. Note that, as the user cannot see the existence of any other insured than the ones linked, he/she cannot manually link a third party to his/her Current Base Company. If a user has been set up with access to a group of base companies, the system hides insureds not linked to base companies in this group. Cleared: The user can see the company information of any Insured/Third Party, if he/she is authorized to do so by the standard SICS security restrictions. When the user creates a new Insured/Third Party, this will not automatically be linked to his/her Current Base Company. Default: Cleared Validations: The system parameter Extend Base Company Segregation has been Selected. Relevant when: Organizations sharing the same SICS installation might not wish to have knowledge of each other’s business administration and sometimes not even each other’s insured parties. Some wish that their users see only e.g. business, claims and accounting information that are linked to the users’ own current base company, but still think it is acceptable for their users to see the company information of any Insured. Others want to also hide this. Applicable for: P&C, Cede |
| Hide Base Companies | Selected: The system hides company information, e.g. name, address, company identifier for all other base companies than the user’s own Current Base Company. If a user has been set up with access to a group of base companies, the system hides base companies not within this group. Cleared: The user can see the company information of any base company, if he/she is authorized to do so by the standard SICS security restrictions. Default: Cleared Validations: The system parameter Extend Base Company Segregation has been Selected. Relevant when: Organizations sharing the same SICS installation might not wish to have knowledge of each other, neither each other’s existence, nor each other’s business administration. Some wishes only that their users see e.g. business, claims and accounting information that are linked to the users’ own current base company, but still think it is acceptable to see the company information of any base company. Others want to also hide this. Applicable for: P&C, Cede, Life |
| Hide Business Partners | Selected: The system hides company information, e.g. name, address, company identifier for all business partners not linked to the Current Base Company of the user. In addition, when the user creates a new Business Partner, this will automatically be linked to his/her Current Base Company. Note that, as the user cannot see the existence of any other business partners than the ones linked, he/she cannot manually link a business partner to his/her Current Base Company. If a user has been set up with access to a group of base companies, the system hides business partners not linked to the base companies in this group. Cleared: The user can see the company information of any business partner if he/she is authorized to do so by the standard SICS security restrictions. When the user creates a new business partner, this will not automatically be linked to his/her Current Base Company. Default: Cleared Validations: The system parameter Extend Base Company Segregation has been Selected. Relevant when: Organizations sharing the same SICS installation might not wish to have knowledge of each other’s business administration and sometimes not even each other’s business partners. Some wish that their users see only e.g. business, claims and accounting information that are linked to the users’ own current base company, but still think it is acceptable for their users to see the company information of any business partner. Others want to also hide this. Applicable for: P&C, Cede, Life |
| Create Intra Group Contract for Ungrouped Companies | Selected: The system allows users to create Intra Group Contracts for other base companies in the same organization even if the user’s Current Base Company is not assigned to any owner group. Cleared: Users with access to only the Current Base Company cannot create Intra Group Contracts. Default: Cleared Validations: The system parameter Extend Base Company Segregation has been Selected. Relevant when: Organizations sharing the same SICS installation might not wish to have knowledge of each other, neither each other’s existence, nor each other’s business administration. Some wish that their users see only e.g., business, claims and accounting information that are linked to the users’ own current base company, but still think it is acceptable for their users to create an Intra Group Contract on behalf of another company within the same organization. Applicable for: P&C, Cede, Life |