To allocate gains and losses to this source, you need to prepare a copy of your beginning-of-period database with corrected data. This database might include additional records or exclude some of the original records if the beginning-of-period population (indicated in the Original Database column) was flawed.

To Evaluate data corrections as a separate source of gains and losses, check the box. (Otherwise any gain or loss caused by data corrections will appear as “unreconciled”.) The Corrected Database column then becomes accessible. Click in this column and then click the arrow to choose from the list of databases contained in this ProVal client’s database directory. If you have more than one beginning-of-period Valuation, then select “<no corrections>” for Valuations that have no corrected database.

If your data corrections only pertain to continuing actives (not continuing inactives, decrementing actives, rehires, etc.) , you may use the Continuing Actives sources feature in lieu of Data Corrections, but the results will not be identical. Data corrections measure the difference between using the original and corrected beginning of period data, whereas the Continuing Actives database field sources measure the difference between using expected and actual end of period data.

A quick way to create a database with data corrections (this method will capture many changes, but not necessarily all) is to:

1. Make a copy of the beginning-of-period database and store the copy in the same folder as the original beginning-of-period database (this folder is specified by the Databases are saved in directory parameter of the Properties command of the File menu). For example, if the beginning-of-period database is named “2007 database.sf”, create a copy named “2007 corrected database.sf”.

2. Merge corrected data in from the end-of-period database:

1. From the Database menu, point to Current Database and then click Open. Choose the newly created database, “2007 corrected database” in our example, and click OK.

2. From the Database menu, point to Import / Export Data and then click Merge Data.

3. Follow the Merge Data wizard’s instructions, selecting the end-of-period database as the Update file and merging in fields for birth date, hire date, historical pays, sex, beneficiary sex, beneficiary birth date, service start dates, frozen benefits and any other relevant data.

3. List the changes in dates and pays:

1. From the Database menu, point to Screen Data and click Screen Data and then click the New button.

2. Under the Data topic, select the original beginning-of-period database for the Prior Year and the end-of-period database for the Current Year. Also select a Key field. If desired, under the Screening Tests topic, turn on the Salary Changes screening tests. You may also wish to create (under the Custom Tests topic), Custom Screening Tests to identify changes in other fields, e.g., frozen benefits.

3. Click the Run button.

4. List the changes in sex:

1. From the Database menu, click Status Reconciliation.

2. Select the original beginning-of-period database as the Prior Year Data and the corrected database as the Current Year Data. Also select a Key Field.

3. Choose your sex field as the Status Field and click Run.

4. Repeat step m., using the beneficiary sex field.

5. List changes in other coded field values, using the Status Reconciliation command.

6. Scan the list of changes. To restore values for legitimate changes (e.g., a change in birth date and sex because a retiree died, leaving a surviving beneficiary), point to Edit Data, and then click Spreadsheet Edit.