Insurance Industry

Update the current Contact Management System

Core Technologies Used: Oracle 7.3 and Oracle 8i databases, Microsoft Access 2000 database, Microsoft Outlook 2000, Visual Basic 6.0, VB Script, Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), Oracle Objects for OLE (OO4O), XML, and Palm Pilot IIIx, Vx, VII

Better Business Methods, LLC (BBM) original objective was to update the client’s current Contact Management System in Outlook ’97.  This included updating the custom contact form to support insurance related fields, additional fax and email support, and Mail Merge support.  After meeting with the client, the objectives changed.  The client has international presence and the client’s current network architecture could support a global contact system.  The updated set of requirements included the creation of an enterprise level, global contact system.

The system was built on a three-tier design.  The data store is an Oracle database, the business rules are implemented in a set of Visual Basic COM components, and the user interface was built around Outlook 2000 and Exchange 5.5.  Using Outlook and Exchange for the user interface allows use of many features that would not be available in a Visual Basic application or a web-based front end, and also makes it very easy to extend the system for use with the existing Exchange servers at the foreign offices.

The maintenance interface is an Access 2000 application, connected to the Oracle database via ODBC.  It gives the site administrator the ability to perform manual data transfers between the database and Outlook, and to ensure that all data remains synchronized.

In addition, the client wanted the system to interface with the Palm Pilot line of personal digital assistants, in order to make the contact information easily portable for business trips.  BBM researched available third party software packages for this purpose, to locate the one best suited to the client’s requirements. Compared to in-house development of a custom application, this approach saved a significant amount of time, and the Palm Pilot system was quickly made available to the traveling employees.

Automating the Underwriting of Reinsurance Applications

Core Technologies Used: Oracle 8i, PL/SQL, Microsoft Active Data Objects (ADO), Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS), Visual Basic COM components, Visual C++, Relational Database Design, Extensible Markup Language (XML), Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), JavaScript, Active Server Pages (ASP) with Internet Information Server 4.0

Better Business Methods, LLC (BBM) primary objective was to automate the client’s international underwriting processes. The existing process was manual and repetitive, and procedures for underwriting in different countries were unnecessarily different.  The new system provides a foundation for the client’s international systems development and a common repository for information.  With the new automated underwriting process, additional data is collected, to provide for a more detailed analysis of business practices and pricing.  The system enforces validation and historical accuracy, eliminating a great deal of costly human error.  Better reporting is provided, and the underwriters have more information at their fingertips. The new system allows applications to be entered, reviewed, and responded to online, and also receives electronic applications, and sends responses using any of several different delivery methods.

BBM personnel developed the architecture and led the programming efforts for development of an n-tier enterprise distributed system.  This application was designed to support multiple languages and office locations around the world requiring different product configurations and procedures.  Ken and his team members implemented a system which allows an underwriter to investigate a case and respond to the ceding company from anywhere in the world. This system was built around the Windows DNA concept with a web browser based front-end using JavaScript and DHTML. XML transactions (using a standard Ken developed) were used to communicate between the user interface layer and the application server(s), between the various subsystems and to facilitate communication with the application server from Java applets and Java Enterprise Beans.  One of the subsystems designed and implemented was a messaging system capable of delivering and receiving a number of formats including facsimile, EDI, and Email.  The system has become the centerpiece for underwriting systems at the client site.  The system’s data is stored in an Oracle 8i database. Updates and business rules validation are performed by Visual Basic components in Microsoft Transaction Server; this tier communicates with a web-based front end via the XML transactions. The use of XML allows the system to run on any platform that can send a stream of text over TCP/IP and has proper authentication.  The system is being developed incrementally and will eventually include an imaging subsystem for viewing of applications online.  Several subsystems are included to make maintenance easier, including detailed error reporting, automatic administrator paging, auditing capabilities, messaging, and numerous HTML components and tools.