Exporting data from ICommander to other systems for various needs sometimes
involves custom programs. Other export routines are fairly standardized and may
be used by several customers with only periodic adaptations to meet particular
needs.
The P/R Direct Deposit function is an example of exporting data wherein the programs involved look to ICommander Control Files for characteristics that apply to a particular bank. Even though most banks for which we create P/R Direct Deposit files use the full NACHA format, there are many different interpretations of various fields. Some banks want hash totals and others do not. Some want the employer debit record and others do not. Some want unique values in certain fields for their own validation. We have many such variations now covered by the Control Files. If a new bank has other variations, we can also accommodate those but will bill for our time to do so as custom programming work.
The ORS Retirement Reporting used by Michigan School Districts is a good example of an export routine that may be re-used by almost any school district. It is state-wide so once the applicable P/R codes are cross-referenced correctly there is normally no need for customization. This is also true for the CEPI-FID file for Michigan School Districts to upload year-end financial data to the State. ICommander G/L coding structure allows all necessary coding to be accommodated directly so a file meeting the State's requirements may be directly generated.
Magnetic media files generated for P/R W2 forms presume import into a separate software package that actually handles printing the W2 forms and the generation of electronic reporting files for the IRS and SSA.
Magnetic media reporting of 401K Plan Deferrals and Compensation is generally consistent for a particular plan adminstration company, although we have encountered variations due to provisions of a particular plan. Likewise for exporting 401K Census Data from ICommander P/R Files to a plan admistrator.
Export routines have also been implemented for New Hire Reporting in some states. We have also created Positive Pay validation files for submission to certain banks (where a record needs to exist in the file uploaded before the bank will clear that check).
The time to develop new export routines to meet the needs of a particular customer is generally billed to the requesting customer. In the case of mandated exports (such as the Michigan School District reporting), we bill only for the time required to assist customers in getting the necessary codes in place and learning how to run the routines.
Our development of export routines also includes handling transfer of the file(s) created to a consistent location where they can be accessed for Internet or other uploading. We also are careful to design in resiliency that allows for a file being munged or created or deleted at an inappropriate time and needing to be recreated.
Prior to the development of the powerful ICommander Free-Form Data Extraction programs that are now pervasively available throughout the ICommander Application Systems, almost any need to export data from ICommander to a spreadsheet or database required a custom program. This was also the case for such tasks as updating ICommander P/R Data to a separate HR System.
The FFDE programs allow exporting selected information from almost any ICommander data file. The files created by the FFDE tab-delimited file creation option will work for import into almost any type of spreadsheet or database. Users may need some guidance on using the FFDE programs for this purpose but the ability to store parameters for re-use makes this a one-time task.
If an export file is needed where fields need to be pulled from several
different files simultaneously, sometimes a custom program will still be the
best method. Special purpose export routines such as for updating databases in
electronic transaction entry devices may also best be handled with custom
programs.