Oracle® Insurance Rules Palette 10.1.2.0 E59346-01

Exposed Computation Overview

The Exposed Computation Web Service is exposed to give an external application access to OIPA’s robust math engine. First, an incoming Web Service message calls OIPA and requests a specific computationID. OIPA then queries the database table AsExposedComputation to find the requested ID. Once found, the system then queries the AsBusinessRule table to find the corresponding Exposed Computation business rule, which contains the XML data for processing. The rule is processed and the results are returned to the external application via an outgoing Web Service message. The computed results are generally not kept within the OIPA database and are managed only in memory as required for the specific calculation.     

The Rules Palette provides the means for creating and managing exposed computations. There are two steps required for managing exposed computations through the Rules Palette.
  

1. Create a Global Business Rule.

2. Create an Exposed Computation.

ExposedComputation itself cannot use CopyBooks; however, rules referenced by ExposedComputation can use CopyBooks.

High-level Overview of the Steps Involved in Processing an Exposed Computation Web Service Request

1. Load the AsExposedComputation record for the ComputationID from the request.

2. Parse the parameters from the incoming XML document, and set policy context if policy information is supplied.

3. Load Exposed Computation business rule (from AsBusinessRules).

4. Do valuation if the Exposed Computation business rule is configured to do so.

5. Execute math from the Input configuration in the Exposed Computation business rule.

6. Build response XML from the Output configuration in the Exposed Computation business rule.

How it Works

A SOAP message is sent by the external application to the ExposedComputation Web Service. The SOAP message includes one OIPA-specific element, which is the ComputationID. The ComputationID identifies the Exposed Computation business rule to use when processing this request. The requested information is calculated and a SOAP message is sent back to the requestor, or caller, along with the result of the request. If the request was successful, then the message will contain the requested data. If the request was not successful, then the message will consist of a SOAP Fault detailing any possible errors.  

OIPA adheres to the WS-Security standards for the authentication of SOAP messages.     

Defining Parameters

A parameters section may be included to further define the request to the exposed computation.  

Inclusion of a PolicyNumber parameter tells the exposed computation that it is being processed for a policy. The exposed computation business rule can now be overridden by plan with this parameter, and the math engine will have access to Policy and Plan FIELD variables for that policy when executed. This parameter is also required if the exposed computation is configured to do valuation during the request.

Inclusion of an EffectiveDate parameter can be done when an exposed computation executes valuation during the request. This date will be used as the valuation date during valuation. If this parameter is not defined and valuation is still executed, then the valuation date will default to the system date. Below is the expected format for the XML parameter in the request:

<Parameters>

<Parameter NAME=”PolicyNumber”>POL12345</Parameter>     

<Parameter NAME=”EffectiveDate”>01/01/2009</Parameter>     

</Parameters>

Valuation

Valuation can be run before executing the math. Use the VALUATION attribute as shown below. 

<ExposedComputation VALUATION=”Yes”>

</ExposedComputation>

This makes available all valuation FIELDs (Valuation:Policy:CashValue, Valuation:Fund:FundGUID:CashValue, etc.) to the math configuration. Valuation can only be executed if the request is being processed in the context of a policy. 

When processing valuation that may contain variable funds, there is also the ability for using the nearest NUVs for the funds. This is achieved through the following configuration:

<ExposedComputation VALUATION=”Yes” NEARESTNUV=”Yes”>

</ExposedComputation>