Data translation an essential SEMCI tool

"...APT software...has clearly reached an excellent level of maturity and market acceptance."

It is very encouraging to see the strides the Alliance for Productive Technology (APT) and its member organizations have made during the last year. The enthusiasm demonstrated by over a dozen carrier, vendor, network and agent association presenters at the Alliance's June 1997 SEMCI Conference speaks volumes about how much can be achieved through the use of APT software, which has clearly reached an excellent level of maturity and market acceptance.

Paragon is excited about the additional opportunities for the use of our TransFluent(TM) data translation software that are arising because of the progress of APT. TransFluent enables insurance companies that receive APT/ACORD Standard uploads to translate them (with or without company unique data) into data formats that are acceptable to their host systems. With these capabilities, changes to the ACORD or X12 standards or proprietary data can be handled in a matter of minutes rather than hours or days!

Moreover, since TransFluent and APT software are network independent, they can operate with all of the popular industry alternatives, including the Internet, intranets, AT&T, iiX, and IVANS. Through the combined use of APT and Paragon facilities, carriers now can implement SEMCI in record time with a greater degree of accuracy and efficiency than was previously possible. Since TransFluent mapping facilities are Windows-based and also have a unique graphical user interface, data mapping is highly intuitive. As a result, complex mapping rules are presented visually and data relationships can be defined with minimal effort. With input and output fields displayed side-by-side on the same screen, mapping is often as simple as drawing a line from the input data element to the output data element. Simply point, click, drag and drop!

Paragon software also can be put to multiple uses in very much the same way APT facilities are used by carriers to perform internal processing that is not directly related to upload or download. This ability provides significant advantages to carriers and to the progress of SEMCI because it can substantially offset the cost of SEMCI implementations. For example, some carriers are using TransFluent to convert data from companies they have acquired, while others are using it to convert legacy system data to a client-server environment.

With TransFluent as well as with the APT Company Module(TM), no programming is necessary for successful use. However, in the event that unique procedures or functions are desired, TransFluent also allows the use of the nonproprietary REXX procedural language.

If the benefits from SEMCI, upload, download, data translation and internal processing aren't enough to choose Paragon, consider the fact that TransFluent has one of the most, if not the most, extensive Year 2000 conversion facilities available anywhere.

If you're planning to implement SEMCI, be sure to consider Paragon along with APT!

Copyright Rough Notes Co., Inc. Sep 1997
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