Belgian insurance sector

1
Belgian insurance sector e-business standards
Concepts

• Concepts existing /
• Implementation incomplete and/or unclear

First created 29.09.2003. These ideas are still
valid.
2
The chain static and/or rigid view
This is the representation of - a series of
databases (the 3 containers), - permitting the
storage of, business wise spoken, the same
object-types (the 2 lines), - back- and/or
front-office sytems function on top of these
databases, using those stored objects.
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
3
The chain static and/or rigid view
These databases evolve (upwards) towards newer
store-able object-types completer / changed /
new / ... object-types. The same happens within
the back- and front-office systems.
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
4
The chain static and/or rigid view
Which is a continuous process ...
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
5
The chain static and/or rigid view
What did you see ?
6
The chain static and/or rigid view
Look again ...
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
7
The chain static and/or rigid view
Was it first this ...
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
8
The chain static and/or rigid view
... and then this ...
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
9
The chain static and/or rigid view
... and this ...
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
10
The chain static and/or rigid view
... following this ...
dBase of company X
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
11
The chain static and/or rigid view
... this ...
dBase of company X
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of broker Y
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
12
The chain static and/or rigid view
... and finally this?
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
13
The chain static and/or rigid view
That is not what you did see the first time,
there you only saw ...
14
The chain static and/or rigid view
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
15
The chain static and/or rigid view
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
this...
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
16
The chain static and/or rigid view
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
and this!
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
17
The chain static and/or rigid view
Why?
18
The chain static and/or rigid view
Look again ...
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
19
The chain static and/or rigid view
If you want to be able to do this ...
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
20
The chain static and/or rigid view
... or this ...
dBase of company X
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
21
The chain static and/or rigid view
... or this ...
dBase of broker Y
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase as exchanged
22
The chain an evolutive view
You need flexibility...
Here ...
and here
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
23
The chain an evolutive view
Portima did offer a series of tools, and defined
some  best practices 

• Converter
• A1 lt--gt P1 ( Assurnet/1 positionnal to/from
  Assurnet/2 positionnal )
• P1 lt--gt E1 ( Assurnet/2 positionnal to/from
  Assurnet/2 EDI )
• A1 lt--gt E1 ( Assurnet/1 positionnal to/from
  Assurnet/2 EDI )
• (Amand-)Parser
• reads, deconstructs and interpretes AS/2 EDI
  messages into segments,
• delivers  segment events input to ...
• but first do your type-conversions, and your
  code-translations using specific layers
• ... and only then input to your systems or
  application layers
• (Amand-)Generator
• first do your code-translations, and your
  type-conversions using specific layers
• offers  segment methods  output from our
  systems
• interpretes, constructs, writes segments into
  AS/2 EDI messages
• Traductor
• dBase-driven converter H1 lt--gt E1
  (Cie-specific-Host to/from As/2 EDI )
• (an outdated solution)

24
The chain an evolutive view
Remember the Euro implementation

• NO COMPULSION
• you could not impose your business-partners the
  usage of either currency
• NO PROHIBITION
• you had the freedom to use either currency when
  doing business with your partners
• ( At least if I remember the terms used
  correctly...
• but you certainly do grasp what is meant ! )
• The similar is what we need AROUND Telebib/2
• it is only similar, as the sole  Compulsion 
  and  Prohibition  acceptable are those based on
  TELEBIB/2
• full TB/2 implementation for inputs  Good
  Practice
• TB/2 Message Implementation Guidelines
  implemented for outputs only  Good Practice 
• No Compulsion
• meaning no company or broker can slow-down the
  further evolution of TB/2
• No Prohibition
• meaning no company or broker should be
  slowed-down by a slower TB/2

25
The chain an evolutive view
You need flexibility...
Insurers must implement these different layers
here ...
Brokers must do it here
this will be the  Real TB/2-compliancy 
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
26
The chain static and/or rigid view
If you do not accept the consequences ...
you (WE ALL TOGETHER) can only do ...
27
The chain static and/or rigid view
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
28
The chain static and/or rigid view
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
this...
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
29
The chain static and/or rigid view
which can be called a  rigid evolutionary
chain 
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
and this!
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
30
The chain an evolutive view
Questions ?

• What is Telebib/2 ?
• What has this to do with X-Link ?
• How to give concrete form to this topic ?
• Implications as on messages received/handled/disca
  rded?

31
The chain an evolutive view
What is Telebib/2 ?

• TB/2 is about  metadata , it is a repository
• that repository can be used through an Access
  dBase
• TB/2 is about  grammar , it is an EDI
  implementation
• that EDI implementation is no longer positionnal
  as it was the case within TB/1, it s
  pre-decessor
• TB/2 is definitely not intended to be a static
  dataset, it is to be seen as a system open to
  evolution

32
The chain an evolutive view
What has this to do with X-Link ?

• X-Link is a user-interface, that can be used
  within a Broker s Office, on his work-station(s)

• When within X-Link, the broker is actually
  working within that Xs dBase

• In addition, he can import from and/or export to
  his own dBase

• The X-Link user-interface must not speak in TB/2
  terms, otherwise it can only handle objects known
  in TB/2, and this again creates a rigid
   evolutionary chain 

Broker s Office

• The X-Link user-interface can speak in TB/2 terms
  where possible, consider this a  nice to have 
  only

X-Link
dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
33
The chain an evolutive view
How to give concrete form to this topic ?

• Do not concentrate on Broker s packages X, Y or Z

• Create  translation layers ,  in  and
   out , based on your own metadata and on the
  TB/2 referential,
• this way you do not create a rigid link within
  your part of the  evolutionary chain ,
• this way you do create a flexible link, which
  safeguards your  evolutionary independency 

• If X-Link is more than purely a user-interface,
  then do transpose these same translation-layers
  there

dBase of company X
dBase of broker Y
dBase as exchanged
34
The chain an evolutive view
Implications as on messages received / handled /
discarded

• The flexibility on the receivers side creates 3
  possibilities
• receivers capability message content(perfect
  match all content received can be handled,
  integrated, and hence the message may be
  discarded )
• receivers capability gt message content(more
  then perfect match all content received can be
  handled, integrated, / but actually the
  capability might be needing supplemental
  information, and hence this is potentially  less
  then perfect )
• receivers capability lt message
  content(imperfect match not all content can be
  handled, integrated, and hence the message may
  not be discarded, but must be archived and kept
  accessible)
• The implication is that one must archive and keep
  accessible all messages received (Page added
  24/09/2013 note this is NOT what (main) actors
  are doing today.)

35
The chain an evolutive view
Material that might help to better understand it
all ... (added 15.05.2008)

• https//mail2003.portima.be/exchange/ with
  ID/pasword DocGuest / DocGuest enter the
   public folders  Folder  DocServer 
  contains the basic AS/2 material. (indicated as
  Portima...DocServer\)
• C\Mike\CiesBrokerPortima\Filecorp\Document
  distribution\TELEBIB2 TB98_20080515b.mdb the
  Relationships-view which shows how TB2 refers
  to TB1, using 4 levels (situation as on
  07.08.1997) ...
• Portima...DocServer\Services\Traductor
  sy_trdc1.doc and Description DB Traducteur.doc
  how to convert TB2-messages to/from proprietary
  formats, using 10 levels (as documented
  12.01.1999) ...
• Portima...DocServer\Services\Parser
  sy_apag1.doc and PrivateParser.h read
  isolate act ...
• Portima...DocServer\Services\generator
  history.txt started 27.06.1996 up to
  27.06.2001 xx.11.1998 change from 4 to 10
  levels ...It is interesting to see how such a
  generator/parser evolves over time, this can be
  recognised as a  fluid change capability ...

36
The chain an evolutive view
Material that might help to better understand it
all ... (continued)

• Portima...DocServer\Documentation\package
  PK_NLV4_20080515.DOC
• 3.1. ... beschikken over een set voldoende
  generieke functies die gegevens in dit unieke
  opmaakformaat importeren en exporteren
• 3.2. ... wordt geen enkele aanname gemaakt in
  verband met de verwerkingswijze, de gegevens en
  de uitvoeringswijze eigen aan elke toepassing
• 4.1. ... Elke programmeur mag in het
  gegevensmodel naar eigen goeddunken te werk gaan,
  op voorwaarde dat de regels van de
  gegevensuitwisseling stipt worden nageleefd.
• 4.2.6.2. ... De gegevensinhoud van het nieuwe
  antwoordrecord is de werkelijke maximale inhoud
  (de maatschappij geeft alle door haar beheerde
  informatie waarvoor een TELEBIB2 code bestaat in
  het conceptuele gegevensmodel). Het pakket
  bewaart de deelverzameling (subset) die dit kan
  beheren ...
• 5.1.4.2. ... Het nieuwe antwoordrecord is
  algemener dan , en wordt gedefinieerd op basis
  van het conceptuele gegevensmodel van TELEBIB2.
  ...
• Trasys conceptual work preparing AS/2 exists
  only in print
• everybody doing his proprietary translations when
  parsing/generating edi-based messages and/or
  context-exchanges is a keystone.(They never said
  one should try to avoid translation-workload by
  internally implementing the standard...)