[CONFIG]
CalcOnly=
The Calculator is a special form (or mode) of ProAdmin. Once ProAdmin has been booted-up and is ready for pension plan administrators to take over and perform the plan’s day to day administration tasks, it can be set to this calculator mode which makes it possible to “hide” all the parameters used to boot up plans. This allows plan administrators to run calculations and generate forms and letters to members of different pension plans without the risk of inadvertently changing the plan coding. To put ProAdmin into the calculator mode, the ProAdmin.ini file must have the line: CalcOnly=yes under the [Config] section. Once in Calculator mode, only three menu items are displayed: File, Execute and Help.
CursorLocation=
This parameter, allows you to change the ADO cursor service location – this option was added to get around a Sysbase bug that was fixed in later versions of their DLLs. Specify the location of the cursor service as either 2 = adUseServer or 3 = adUseClient. The default value is CursorLocation=2.
If you are running the Server Calculator Tester or using Grid Processing, you may override [Config] CursorLocation by setting [Server] CursorLocation and/or [Grid] CursorLocation.
DisableSQLDelim=
This parameter is used to disable the "allow special characters in table or field names". When retrieving data via ADO (see Database Linkage), we use square brackets to delimit table and field names. However, DB2 is one of few the Relational Databases that allows square brackets in database object names (e.g., "EMPLOYEE", "EMPLOYEE]", "[EMPLOYEE]", etc are all valid DB2 table names). When using DB2, the following must be added to the ProAdmin.ini file (in the [Config] section): DISABLESQLDELIM=1
If you are running the Server Calculator Tester or using Grid Processing, you may override [Config] DisableSQLDelim by setting [Server] DisableSQLDelim and/or [Grid] DisableSQLDelim.
FFLUSH.LOG=
If FFLUSH.LOG is set to “Y”’, a log file (FFLUSH.LOG) will record issues that ProAdmin encounters while writing to the network file system. This log file can grow large if the file system is unresponsive for long periods of time. If the log file hasn’t been updated in the last three months, it will be deleted automatically by ProAdmin.
IgnoreDynmortTblsYr=
This parameter greatly simplifies testing of a new version of ProAdmin when the the "Use current applicable 417(e) mortality" checkbox has been used in the client files (i.e., for actuarial equivalence, annuity factors and/or 415(b) limits) and the IRS has released a new mortality table or updated the applicable improvement scale for the current mortality table and that new table is included in the new release being tested. The IgnoreDynmortTblsYr setting allows you to do your release testing first on the prior mortality table and then, once any non-mortality related changes have been reconciled, to identify only those changes related to the new mortality assumption (which, by definition, should be only in Estimates with future commencement dates). (The process for updated interest rates is similar but totally under user control: run initial tests using the "old" interest rate .csv files and then run the final test by changing the interest rate .csv files.)
If, for example, your prior release of ProAdmin used the 2021 dynamic mortality tables, you can specify IgnoreDynmortTblsYr=2021 in the [CONFIG} section of ProAdmin.INI, and your runs with that setting will treat the 2021 table as the "current applicable". Specifically, 'IRS 2018-2021+(MP16-19) Applicable Mortality for 417(e) (dynamic)' table will be used for 2018 and beyond instead of 'IRS 2018-2022+(MP16-20) Applicable Mortality for 417(e) (dynamic)' (or any future table reflecting a new IRS release). This would only impact calculation date years after 2021.
This parameter only potentially impacts calculations if the specified year is 2018 or greater.
If you are running the Server Calculator Tester or using Grid Processing, you may override [Config] IgnoreDynmortTblsYr by setting [Server] IgnoreDynmortTblsYr. (Grid Processing will use the [Server] setting.)
InitialClient=
This parameter tells ProAdmin what ProAdmin client, if any, should be opened when ProAdmin is started. The parameter value is set automatically by ProAdmin as the path to the directory of the client last opened in ProAdmin. If you start a ProAdmin session in one client and switch to another client while in ProAdmin, then, when you close ProAdmin, the parameter value will be changed to the directory containing the latest client. If, for some reason, ProAdmin has trouble opening the client stored in this directory, or if you prefer to open ProAdmin without opening a client, simply blank out everything to the right of the equal sign. This (blank) setting, although perhaps less convenient, ensures that problems in or accessing client files will not prevent you from opening ProAdmin.
LicenseDir=
This parameter pertains to licenses obtained by means of a multi-user PVLS key, rather than from a single-user hardware key attached to a port on the hard drive of the user workstation. The parameter value must be set as the path to the directory containing the ProAdmin license files (PVLIMITS.DAT, PVUSERS.DAT and PVMSG.DAT). This parameter can be left blank if you are not getting a license from a PVLS.
MaxDifferences=
Allows you to indicate how many differences should be captured for each level of comparison noted in the TestLevel setting.
If you are running the Server Calculator Tester or using Grid Processing, you may override [Config] MaxDifferences by setting [Server] MaxDifferences and/or [Grid] MaxDifferences.
NewClientDir=
This parameter, applicable to the New Client command of the File menu, indicates where to save (store) a new client, i.e., a client that you create in your ProAdmin session (unless, of course, you specify a different directory location under this command at the time you create the client).
RunWithSavedData=
This parameter controls the behavior of the calculation Run and Review Data buttons on the Estimated Benefit Calculation, Final Benefit Calculation, and Dates/Age/Service Calculation dialog boxes when there is saved data. Essentially, you choose whether you typically want to refresh the data (such as for live calculations) or typically want to work with the previously saved data (such as for testing). If RunWithSavedData=0 or is missing in the ProAdmin.INI file, the Review Data button will default to "Refresh data & review" and the Run button will default to "Refresh data & run". If RunWithSavedData=1, the Review Data button will default to "Review saved data" and the Run button will default to ”Run with saved data”. Regardless of the setting of this parameter, the other run choice can always be made by clicking on the split button arrow.
SQLFixDupFlds=
Allows you to ALIAS fields that appear more than once in the select statement (e.g., SELECT SSN, SSN FROM ...). This parameter was added because some versions of SQL Server no longer allow a SELECT with duplicate fields.
SummPymtMnthly=
This parameter indicates if the payment amounts should be displayed as annual (0) or monthly (1) amounts in the Summary Results (i.e., _AUDIT.TXT). If the setting is missing, annual payment amounts are shown.
If you are running the Server Calculator Tester or using Grid Processing, you may override [Config] SummPymtMnthly by setting [Server] SummPymtMnthly and/or [Grid] SummPymtMnthly.
TestLevel=
When you rerun a calculation with saved results, TestLevel allows you to indicate how the old and new calculation results will be compared. (If you haven't explicitly set TestLevel in the ProAdmin.ini file, TestLevel=3 is assumed.) Typically the setting should be TestLevel=1 or 3 (default). If TestLevel=1, then the old/new Summary Results are compared first. If differences are found, then these difference test are performed: Member Data, External Tables, Summary Results, Output Definition results and Processing Messages. (No other difference test is performed when the old/new Summary Results are the same.) If TestLevel=2, then all the TestLevel=1 difference tests are performed plus any changes in the detailed results will also be captured. With TestLevel=2, all the tests are performed all of the time -- even if the old/new Summary Results are the same. TestLevel=3, is similar to TestLevel=1, except the Summary Results, Processing Messages and Output Definition results are tested first. If differences are found in any of these results, then these difference tests are performed: Member Data, External Tables, Summary Results, Processing Messages and Output Definition results.
The big difference between TestLevel 2 and TestLevel 1 & 3, is that for TestLevel=2, all the tests are performed, all the time. For TestLevels 1 & 3, all the tests (except Detailed Result differences) are performed only if Summary/Output Definition Result differences are found.
If you are running the Server Calculator Tester or using Grid Processing, you may override [Config] TestLevel by setting [Server] TestLevel and/or [Grid] TestLevel.
UpdateClientFiles=
This feature is useful for groups with multiple users accessing the same set of ProAdmin client files. This indicator can be used to control which user(s) has permission to upgrade a set of ProAdmin client files to the next version. If missing or set to "1" (i.e. Yes), a version update can proceed. If the field is set to "0" (i.e. No), the user will be presented with a message informing them that they are not allowed to update client files.
UsageLogFile=
This parameter instructs ProAdmin to log usage in a text file and defines the file path and name of the text file (for example, UsageLogFile=n:\ProAdmin\usagelog.csv). Whenever a client is opened, created or closed, a record is appended to the comma-delimited file specified as the value of the UsageLogFile parameter. This record contains the Event type (“Open Client” or “Close Client”), the user name, client directory, time stamp and ProAdmin version. Here are three sample records:
Open Client,jane user,g:\ProAdmin\clients\ABC\, 4/14/2008 10:30:01,2.27 3/27/08
Open Client,jane user,g:\ProAdmin\clients\XYZ\, 4/14/2008 10:50:29,2.27 3/27/08
Close Client,jane user,g:\ProAdmin\clients\ABC\, 4/14/2008 10:50:29,2.27 3/27/08
In this example, the second “Open Client” record is immediately followed by a “Close Client” record. This is because opening another client in ProAdmin automatically closes the current client, if any.
As long as the UsageLogFile parameter is not blank, ProAdmin will write log entries every time a client is opened (either by opening an existing client or creating a new client) or closed. However, if the UsageLogFile parameter specifies a directory that is either inaccessible or nonexistent, the log will be created and saved in the ProAdmin application folder located on your hard drive.