Below is a list of the changes incorporated into each version of DB Precision for 2012. To see changes made in other years as well as upcoming changes and fixes, choose from the following:
• Snapshot Refresh: when running a snapshot, Item Explorer now automatically refreshes participant counts.
• Internet Listener: fixes problem when a plan has no web Export Definitions and a web user of that plan logs into the web portal.
• System Export: Word or Excel are no longer opened if no rows of data were exported.
• System Calculations: when the option "Ignore historical dates after calculation date" is selected, service override and plan entry dates are no longer ignored.
• Data Cleanup Wizard: users are no longer able to run this wizard if they have people of the plan sponsor opened in other tabs.
• Valuation Snapshot: when running a snapshot, where a person has a benefit payment that has "Dynamically Calculated" selected, the calculation is now based upon an Annuity Commencement Date equal to the benefit payment's effective date if this date is greater than the snapshot date (was equal to snapshot date prior to this update).
• Late Retirement: adds a new option to apply actuarial increases to lump sums rather than benefits.
• Folder Names Containing Apostrophe: fixes problem deleting or renaming folders that contain an apostrophe.
• .Net 4.5 Compatibility: fixes problem in which web passwords and user IDs could not be retieved once .Net 4.5 was installed.
• Hidden Output Tab and Processes: corrects for Item Explorer view problem occuring when the Output window was hidden and a long running process was started.
• GETBENLATEST: popup annuities are no treated as lump sums when using the function GETBENLATEST.
• Worktrack Task Type: fixes problem with Worktrack task type not updating on Worktrack detail screen.
• Benefit Payment Set and No Employment History: users can now calculate Benefit Payment St items for people, even if there is no employment history.
• Data Request: option to show annual benefit amounts for non-acruing participants using a reported amount has been added.
• Data Request: adds options to include beneficiary name and SSN on data request.
• Data Request: adds option to include a comment column on request.
• Data Request: adds option to include a Date of Death column on request.
• Data Request: adds beneficiary indicator as a column to the Terminated Vested tab of the request.
• Data Request: adds option to display/request address information.
• Data Request: there is now an option to remove client name/number from top of each tab.
• Data Request: retired and beneficiary participants can now be grouped before sorting by name on the retiree tab of the request.
• Data Request: a new option has been added that will highlight terminated vested participants at or near their payment date on the request.
• Data Request: users can now specify whether information provided after the last snapshot should be displayed on the request.
• System Import: fixes problem with importing where selection of the option "Only import for existing participants" would prevent any person from being imported.
• Plan Service Eligibility: adds a third requirements group for use in the determination of service eligibility.
• RPTAMTSUM Function: fixes problem where reported amounts were always being evaluated based upon stop date (even if function parameter indicated amounts should be evaluated based upon effective date).
• Multiple Process Requests: prevents user from requesting multiple long-running processes simultaneously.
• Cancel Process: fixes problems associated with users cancelling long-running processes.
• Service Eligibility Copy and Paste: fixes problem where service eligibility provisions were not copying after a copy-and-paste on the Service Definition screen.
• Data Cleanup Wizard: when running the data cleanup wizard, the system now ignores individuals that passed away when determining benefits for terminated vested participants.
• Suspension of Benefits Notice Date: adds ability to store the date that a suspension of benefits notice was issued to a participant and then allows plan to be coded such that benefits do not actuarially accumulate after notice is issued (and prior to April 1 following age 70 1/2).
• Person Validation: a validation has been added which compares hourly rates of pay for a person based upon earnings and hours reported from one period to the next.
• Item Explorer Swapping: users now are given the choice to swap to a sponsor or document when double-clicking either.
• Zip Code Import: fixes problem where four-digit extension of zip code were sometimes being imported into the 5 digit zip code/portal code field.
• Plan Export: corrects for application failure when a user tries to export within a plan and no export definitions have been set up.
• GETDETAIL Function: corrects for problem in which option 3 for the GETDETAIL function (interest for a period) was always returning zero.
• Valuation Snapshot: allows users to choose an assumption definition when running a snapshot for purposes of calculating projected items contained in the snapshot.
• 415(b) Benefit Limit: fixes problem where 3-year average earnings component of the 415(b) benefit limit was not properly applied to benefit payment set definitions.
• Person Transaction Log: when a reported amount is changed, added, or deleted if the amount uses an additional identifier, that identifier now appears on the transaction log.
• Person Benefit Payment Screen: fixes problem in which adding a second tab to the benefit payment screen was not updating the effective date displayed on the tab.
• System Import: when importing data, if another user has a person in the sponsor open, the import is no longer allowed until all persons are closed.
• Plan Export Conversion: adds ability to fill export conversion list using either a reported amount or a file containing the conversion values.
• ANNUITYINTRATE Function: corrects for problem where ANNUITYINTRATE function was not returning correct rate if calculation date and actuarial equivalence measurement date did not fall under the same provision.
• Elapsed Time Service: adds new service calculation method which converts days remainder using number of days in month of period end date.
• System Import: when the box "Only import data for existing participants" is checked, people who are on the database for other plan sponsors are no longer having their data imported.
• Valuation Snapshot: beneficiary SSN has been added as a column to the snapshot extract file.
• Valuation Snapshot: fixes problem where earnings amount was not being displayed on snapshot extract file for people hired on the snapshot date.
• Beneficiary Matching: checks if beneficiary also exists as a Person in the database and allows user to quickly open beneficiary in its own tab with a newly created menu selection.
• Improved Portal Statistics: now displays number of Web Users versus the number of those which have logged in during a period.
• Function of Service Provisions: fixes problem where a user could not add a Function of Service Provision in certain situations.
• Function of Service: fixes problem where a calculation would not process for a Function of Service definition that applied rates to all years of service, and was calculated within a provision that had no stop date.
• Status Determination: if a Person has a Beneficiary Date of Death which has been specified and that date is after the date that status is being determined, the person is now considered ineligible for benefits (0).
• Valuation Snapshot: adds choices for handling people receiving in-service distributions when running a valuation snapshot (prior to this release, these individuals always were treated as both active and retired).
• Multiple Database Servers: users can now log in and transfer data and plan information between multiple database servers (test and production servers for example).
• Web Portal Passwords: users can customize minimum portal password requirements on a plan sponsor level.
• Level Income Option: fixes problem determining benefits under the level income option when Life Annuity is not the single normal form of benefit payment.
• System Export: fixes problem where the Word file path was invalid but the export file path was valid. DB Precision would then still attempt to open the Word document without first displaying a warning message.
• Lifecount Reconciliation: corrects for problem where a person going from non-vested term to ineligible was not appearing on the reconciliation.
• Find/Replace: fixes problem where an operand prior to the operator "!=" (not equal) was not being identified in a find/replace if the preceding operand was not followed by a space.
• File DSNs: removes file DSNs from program install by storing ODBC connection information in Windows registry.
• Derived Date Offset: for Derived Dates that use an offset to the service requirement (usually for buybacks), the offset amount is now rounded the same way that the underlying service is rounded.
• PIA Payment Start Date: includes the ability to specify a PIA payment start date as a Formula Derived Item.
• Average Earnings Reported Amounts: now has the ability to multiply earnings amounts by a flat contstant (0.5 for example) prior to averaging.
• Account Interest Accrual: adds the option not to prorate fixed fractional interest amounts for people that worked a partial year during an interest crediting period.
• Web Portal Stats Detail: users can now view numeric detail of web portal stats graphs.
• Calculation Tab Selection: when calculating an item, the tab for that item is now selected when calculation results are displayed.
• Reported Amount Folders: when reported amounts are grouped for a plan sponsor into folders, the amounts now also appear in folders when opening a person.
• Web Portal Beneficiary Type: fixes problem where if a participant's stored spouse type was something other than spouse and a request for a calculation using the portal for a spousal beneficiary was then made, the type entered by the web user was not being reflected in the calculation.
• Benefits Wizard: when running the benefits wizard, and storing calculated benefits for TVs, the ACD now equals NRD rather than age 65 (if NRD is other than age 65).
• Item Explorer Toggle Plan: a new option applicable to sponsors with multiple plans allows users to change status groupings by plan by right-clicking in Item Explorer.
• Folders: users can now create folders within a Plan Sponsor and Plan Document to help group and organize components.
• Date Import: system now checks for dates that have more than two delimiters and returns an error if found (1/1//2000 for example).
• Worksheet Checkboxes: fixes problem where changes in checkbox worksheet cells were not appearing highlighted if changed.
• Historical Dates on Web Portal: historical dates now can optionally appear for participants within the web portal.
• GETDETAIL Function: new formula function allows users to get additional details for calculated items.
• Elapsed Time Service: adds new service calculation method in which years of service is determined by taking the difference in years and the remainder is then determined based upon the difference in days and divided by 365 or 366 depending upon whether the end date falls in a leap year.
• Service Exclusion: adds new option in which service can be excluded prior to the earliest data another service began accruing.
• Person Benefit Payment Screen: splits payment administration items such as tax withholding onto a separate screen.
• Ignoring Person Benefit Payment: provides new option to ignore certain benefit payments when performing a snapshot.
• Stored/Dynamic Benefit Determination: provides new option to dynamically calculate benefit payments for a person when completing a snapshot rather than requiring storage of fixed benefit amounts.
• Close All Documents: new ribbon option allows users to close all opened documents (rather than just one at a time).
• Plan Level Export: fixes problem where total row was always created at bottom of export even if not requested.
• System Import: fixes problem where people with addresses containing R.R. Box and P.O. Box in second address line had addresses that were improperly cleaned up.
• System Import: fixes problem where addresses were being improperly classified as changes.
• System Import: fixes problem where certain existing employees were improperly appearing as new employees.
• Worktrack Web Updates: when a change is made to a Worktrack task through the web portal, emails are now sent to sponsor Contacts and Sponsor Users notifying them of the change.
• Worktrack Task List: users can now filter the Worktrack list based upon task detail for a sponsor.
• Fractional Interest Crediting: fixes problem where interest is credited more frequently than annual and interim deposits were credited with a fixed fraction of a period's interest. The problem of opening account balance (if any) being credited incorrect interest has been fixed.
• Plan Validations: when comparing two sequential rates of pay, there is no longer any annualization of amounts for purposes of the comparison.
• Formula Evaluation: fixes problem where zero divided by zero could not be evaluated.
• Val Extract Headers: users can now specify headers for reported and plan amounts on the valuation extract.
• System Import Results: new participant listing now includes hire date and the duplicate SSN icon now appears as a value on the grid view.
• System Import Results Display: fixes problem in which participants without enough information to be created were appearing on the new person listing.
• Plan Export Item Conversion: adds ability to convert numeric values to text on export.
• GETBENLATEST Function: adds ability to get benefit type (retirement, survivor, etc.) using this function and an amount code of 10.
• Elapsed Time Service: adds new service calculation method in which a person is credited with a month of service if employed on the 15h of the month.
• Checking for Participants in Other Plan Sponsors: fixes problem where list created upon import of people in other plan sponsors was not evaluating new entrants when performing this check.
• Person Worksheet Edits: when a user edited a blank cell in a Person Worksheet, the cell was not highlighting in yellow when changed. This has been fixed.
• 417(e)(3) Mortality: fixes problem with last release where exporting an annuity or CAF factor which included 417(e)(3) mortality could cause the application to fail.
• Average Earnings: when an average earnings definition that uses highest (non-consecutive) earnings and does not reflect 401(a)(17) limits, those earnings that were not used in the average are now properly displayed.
• Worktrack Calculation Detail: enables user to create worktrack detail and then classify worktrack tasks with this detail.
• Frequency Limit on Worktrack Requests: enables user to set limit to number of worktrack tasks that can be requested by a participant over the web.
• Worktrack Email Customization: enables user to create custom wording on emails provided when calculation is created/mailed.
• Web Portal Menu Wording: enables user to customize wording displayed in web menu.
• Social Security PIA: fixes problem resulting from using a payment start date that is a derived date where the participant never satisfies the derived date's service requirement.
• Window on Startup: no longer maximizes window on startup due to resulting display issues on two monitor remote desktop terminals.
• Rename Items to SQL Keywords: prevents rename of items to SQL keywords such as "default" to prevent problems associated with subsequent query execution.
• Sponsor Assignment Filter: allows Open and Worktrack screens to be filtered to only show sponsors assigned to users.
• Plan Document Dates: fixes display problem on sponsor document screen where the date type list was incorrectly showing top heavy and not top heavy as choices.
• Negative Decimals Export Display: allows users to indicate negative decimal values in an export item to display numbers rounded to tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. when exporting.
• CAF Age Measurement: users can now measure annuity conversion factors at ages other than payment start date (ACD).
• 417(e)(3) Mortality: a new option for mortality tables exists which allows a user to select 417(e)(3) mortality for an Actuarial Equivalence Provision. With this selection, there is no longer a need to update mortality each year for changes in the underlying applicable mortality table.
• Paste as beneficiary: a new option on the menu of a person tab has been added which allows a user to copy a participant and then paste to another person so that the copied person's data appears in the pasted person's beneficiary information.
• Item Deletion: when deleting an item on the main tree, the parent item is now bolded to indicate a change in the item group.
• ACD in Snapshot: ACD is now set equal to NRD (rather than snapshot date) to fix problems occuring in extracted Formula Derived Items that reference ACD (annuity conversion factors for example).
• Late Retirement: a new option has been added to late retirement increases that allows accumulation to occur no earlier than 4/1 following age 70 1/2.
• First Name Change on Import: fixes problem of transaction log not being updated to reflect changes to first name through import.
• Formula Derived Item Calculation Results: users can now double-click an item in the Formula Derived Item calculation results screen to view the underlying formula and calculation component values.
• Sponsor Contact Worktrack Rights: web portal worktrack rights can now be defined separately by sponsor contact.
• Sponsor Contact Group Code Restrictions: sponsor contact rights for viewing participant information using the web portal can now be restricted by group code.
• Service Definition Eligibility Formula: fixes problem on Service Definition screen where formulas were not being validated on OK button press.
• Average Earnings Results: fixes display problem with average earnings results where amounts not used in the average but within the lookback period were not being capped by earning limits (there is no impact on calculations, just display).
• New Import Warning: if importing a benefit column that has been multiplied by some amount (usually 12) to convert to an annual amount and any of the imported amounts are for a benefit with a lump sum form of payment, a warning is now issued.
• Worksheet Rights: allows a system user's access rights to be separately assigned for Person Worksheets.
• 64-bit Version: fixes problem displaying old-style grid control (found on Plan Sheet, mortality, and published rates screens) on 64-bit installations.
• Average Earnings Provisions: creates new option to use the service definition used to determine average earnings periods when determining averaging period denominator.
• Elapsed Time Service Method: adds new elapsed time service method that credits half a month if worked between 8 and 22 days and a full month if worked greater than 22 days.
• Status Determination: when a person has an employment history and has received a survivor lump sum distribution, that lump sum is disregarded for purposes of determining status.
• Non-US Postal Codes: adds support for postal codes outside US.
• Historical Dates: fixes problem where newly entered historical dates that were earlier than other dates could be treated as occuring after other historical dates for purposes of determining status.
• User Rates: allows for input of up to three user defined rates that can then be used in account balance determination.
• User Access: a user is opened read-only by a system administrator if that user is logged in to the system when opened.
• Person Calculation Save Option: when calculating benefit options, one can select an option to store that benefit for an opened person.
• Valuation Snapshot Locking: valuation snapshots can now be locked so that they cannot be overwritten or deleted.
• Popup Option: adds ability to specify a popup option as a form of annuity for a person.
• Person Worksheet: corrects for possible problem when saving data in a Person Worksheet where a person is on more than one row.
• Plan Copy/Paste: corrects for problem occuring when pasting a plan document from a plan that contains a PIA definition.
• Finding People in Other Plan Sponsors: displays results in a worksheet view with more detail and ability to copy/paste results.
• Data Cleanup Wizard: fixes problem occuring where benefits wizard would sometimes stop running when allowing it to automatically update missing TV benefits.
• Validation Results Filter: fixes problem in which error message is displayed after printing valuation results.
• Validation Definition: fixes problem on Person Validation Definitions comparison screen in which certain items appeared unchecked even if checked. While the information was properly stored, it would not properly display.
• Validation Definition Standard Errors: fixes problem on Person Validation Definitions standard errors screen in which certain item descriptions appeared cutoff.
• Validation Definition Standard Errors: adds new validation which checks for rehires with a deferred benefit stored (causing status to evaluate as terminated vested rather than active).
• Sponsor Users: adds ability to specify System Users that are assigned to each Sponsor.
• GETBENLATEST: adds ability to use this function to get the payment start date of a benefit.
• Person Transactions: when item explorer was loading and a user clicked on Person Transactions, the application would be unable to display the transactions screen causing an error that required DB Precision to be closed. This has been fixed.
• Sponsor Import: corrects for problem in which a user was unable to change the numeric format for benefit payment state withholding.
• Worktrack Manager: provides users the new ability to track benefit calculation and data work within DB Precision.
• Service Unit Elapsed Time Minimum: for service provisions that are based upon a reported amount but that are subject to an elapsed time minimum, adds ability to credit service through the weekend if terminated on a Friday.
• Average Earnings Reported Amount: allows for the exclusion of an earnings amount if the unadjusted effective date of that amount is after the calculation date.
• Average Earnings: fixes problem in which the period for a unit that was either half-year or quarter year was not being properly determined if measured on the last day of the period (3/31 for example).
• Lifecount Reconciliation: fixes problem with beneficiary column of lifecount reconciliation where individuals that had two status at the beginning of the year and not at the end of the year were resulting in an incorrect reconciliation grid.
• Valuation Snapshot: no longer measures hours for determining non-accrual status if a credited service definition is based upon elapsed time.
• Validations: reorganized validation screens and added more complete help.
• Compensation Limits: fixed possible problem with application of compensation limits when highest consecutive compensation was used in average.
• Web Portal Summary: adds ability to display participant summary on web portal for Participant logins.
• Person Validation: fixes problem displaying validations for an individual person.
• Average Earnings Period: adds additional average earnings period determiation method.
• Valuation Snapshots: the layout of valuation snapshot screens has been broken into pieces to include add and manage snapshots screens.
• Valuation Snapshot Compare: adds ability to compare data for two snapshots.
• Account Transactions: fixes problem in which additional account transactions were being applied on rehire date if set up as a formula rather than reported amount.
• Service Reported Amount Override: fixes problem in which a reported amount override in a one-day service sub-period was not being applied.
• Account Calculation Detail: additional detail has been added to printed results for account calculations.
• Sponsor Validation: enhancements to validation results screen have been made to improve ability to filter and extract results.