Preparing a UNICEDE File |
When converting your data to a UNICEDE (PX or FX) file for import, consider the following guidelines:
• The file must be a Unicode text file. It must contain only printable decimal ASCII values 32 to 126 and non-printable decimal ASCII values 13 (Carriage Return) and 10 (Linefeed). The presence of any other characters may cause AIR ImportExpress to reject the source file or ignore the unrecognized characters. Click here for a full list of the accepted characters.
• The Line of Business field must not contain any dashes (-).
• Do not skip any fields or leave any fields blank.
• Enter all monetary values in the currency indicated in the corresponding record.
• Provide all numeric values in single units, not hundreds, thousands, or millions.
For more information about the UNICEDE/2 format, go to www.unicede.com. In particular, refer to the Touchstone Exposure Data Validation Reference for information about preparing a UNICEDE file and for detailed information about the record types. |
The body of a UNICEDE file contains a series of lines, each of which represents one record (for example, a policy or a location). Individual records, which are separated by a pair of characters (carriage return and linefeed), contain a number of successive fields that are separated by a comma. Depending on the nature of your contract data, your UNICEDE file must contain at least three of the available record types shown in the following table. Worker's compensation policies must include a '65' record for primary policies or a '75' record for facultative policies.
Record |
UPX Record Type |
UFX Record Type |
Required/Optional |
Count |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
Required |
One per file |
|
Policy (Certificate) |
60 |
70 |
Required |
One per policy |
60.1 |
Not applicable |
Optional |
One per policy |
|
61 |
71 |
Depends on the policy |
One or more per policy |
|
62 |
72 |
Optional |
One or more per policy |
|
63 |
73 |
Required |
One per every property covered |
|
64 |
74 |
Optional |
One per location record |
|
64.1 |
Not applicable |
Optional |
One per location record |
|
65 |
75 |
Optional |
One per location record |
You can import files that use UPX version 12.5 or later into Touchstone. |
The header record serves the following purposes:
• Contains information such as the name, telephone number, e-mail address, etc., of the person who prepared the file, as well as explanatory notes.
• Serves as a useful marker to clearly identify a file as a UNICEDE file. This is important because UNICEDE is a public protocol, and programs other than AIR Touchstone can import data from this type of file.
• Confirms which version of the format was used to prepare a given file. This is important because the UNICEDE format is always evolving along with changes in the insurance and reinsurance industries. As a result, there are many versions of UNICEDE files in the public domain at any given time.
For a list of the fields in the header record, see UPX Header Record Fields for Import and UFX Header Record Fields for Import.
The policy record contains identifying information common to all types of policies, such as the insured’s name and ID, effective start and end dates, etc. The policy record, or more specifically the Policy Identifier (PolID), serves as an important link between all records related to a given policy.
For a list of the fields in the policy record, see UPX Policy Record Fields for Import and UFX Certificate Record Fields for Import.
Touchstone supports the step function record only for primary property policies. The record can be used to implement single-location residential endowment policies in Japan. It was developed to support the multi-step structure of Japanese earthquake policies. Rather than paying out a continuous amount for any damages that occur at a location, policies with step functions define ranges where any damages that fall between "x" and "y" will be paid out at a certain amount. You can also use step functions for any region, peril, or line of business. The record contains fields that detail the damage ratios in each of the steps that dictate when certain coverage-specific payouts are made.
Step functions do not apply to facultative or workers' compensation policies.
For a list of the fields in the step function record, see UPX Step Function Record Fields for Import.
The layer record is required for all excess policies and for any policies that have limits and/or deductibles applied across all locations. Otherwise, this record is optional. The layer record contains information describing the following policy attributes:
• Type and amount of blanket or excess limit
• Amount of the attachment point (for excess policies)
• Amount of any layer-level deductible, including blanket deductible amounts, minimum deductible amounts, maximum deductible amounts, or minimum and maximum deductible amounts
For a list of the fields in the layer record, see UPX Layer Record Fields for Import and UFX Layer Record Fields for Import.
The sublimit record is a subset of the layer record; it enables specific policy conditions to be attributed to certain properties within a given layer. The sublimit record is optional for all types of policies.
Sublimits are applied after location terms (e.g., location deductibles), but before layer terms. |
For a list of the fields in the sublimit record, see UPX Sublimit Record Fields for Import and UFX Sublimit Record Fields for Import.
The location record contains descriptive information common to all types of locations, regardless of the type of policy used to insure the location. In general, each location record represents a single location. However, under some special circumstances, a location record can represent more than one location.
Typically, each location record represents information that is unique to a property, such as replacement values, limits and deductibles, construction and occupancy characteristics, physical characteristics such as age, height, geocode (latitude and longitude), etc. Physical characteristics play a vital role in determining the ground-up loss due to a catastrophic event, while terms and conditions determine the resulting size of the insured loss.
For a list of the fields in the location record, see UPX Location Record Fields for Import and UFX Location Record Fields for Import.
The location detail record is an optional record. However, it contains fields for specifying key structural characteristics of a property. This record enables Touchstone to fine-tune analysis results based upon known or approximated building and property characteristics.
For a list of the fields in the location detail record, see UPX Location Detail Record Fields for Import and UFX Location Detail Record Fields for Import.
The offshore location detail record is an optional record that contains fields for specifying characteristics specific to offshore locations.
For a list of the fields in the offshore location detail record, see UPX Offshore Location Detail Record Fields for Import.
The workers’ compensation record is an optional record. It is used to specify information regarding workers’ compensation exposures at the location specified in the Location Record. It applies to U.S. and Japan exposures, both primary and facultative. Record 65 should immediately follow the corresponding location (63) and location detail (64) records. Record 75 should immediately follow the corresponding location (73) and location detail (74) records.
Key elements for specifying workers’ compensation exposures include the number of employees or the combination of payroll and average annual wage, along with the occupancy percentage by shift. Payment rates for different injury severity levels may be specified directly for each location. Touchstone can use default rates.
For a list of the fields in the workers' compensation record, see UPX Workers' Compensation Record Fields for Import and UFX Workers' Compensation Record Fields for Import.
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