Author: Ashley Faherty

NEW

New Table Editor

Slope has an updated table editor that now supports in-application editing of up to 100,000 rows and offers greater keyboard support more consistent with excel.

• A few specific improvements of the new table editor include the ability to:
  • Select entire rows/columns by the header for easier copying and pasting.
  • Undo, redo, copy and paste using the right click menu or keyboard shortcuts.
  • Insert rows into the middle of a table.
  • Extend cell selection with shift arrow shortcuts.
  • Check and uncheck actions for boolean fields.

Please note that rows are no longer added in the lower right hand corner of the interface. Instead you can use the left click menu to insert a row or copy and paste multiple blank rows into your table.

Default Values in Data Tables

Empty index values are now valid in the data table editor and will be treated as a default. Clearing out the value in an index field will display the <DEFAULT> label. When the values you are looking up match those specified in the index columns, the values in the matching rows will be used. When the values you are looking up don’t match those specified in the index columns, the rows with default values will be used. This allows you to define a standard value or set of values in non-index columns using <DEFAULT> and then define specific exceptions. 

In the example below, you will see that by default, a commission rate of .05 will be applied unless the plan code and issue year combination matches one of the other specified lookups.

IMPROVEMENTS

Economic Scenario Generator

You can now continue to use the SLOPE application while your economic scenarios are generating in the background. Additionally, we have added the ability to generate up to 10,000 scenarios with a monthly time step to the Academy Interest Rate Generator.

Looks in the Analyze Module

Now when you load a look in the Analyze module, the projection ID will automatically be set to the projection you selected.

Additional Improvements

• The 1st “Duration (in months)” label in Annuity Factors was updated to “Annuity Length (in months) for clarity.
• Projection Start Date was added as an option in System Variables and can be used in place of DateOf (Time 0).

FIXES

• Fetching Treasury Rates is now retrieving rates following an update by the US Treasury.
• Duplicate options were removed from the System Variable drop down.
• Referencing “Current Array Value” within a Time formula will now consistently return the correct array value.
• Merging Array variables that reference table structures from the Slope Library (e.g. Collateral Adjustment variable in the Asset Backed Security product) will now properly merge the Array variable and map the table structure.

NEW

Copy Model: Auto-Include Required Tables

When selecting Products, Portfolios and Projection Templates to include in a model copy, Slope will automatically include the necessary Data Tables and Mortality Tables with the new “Auto-Include Required Tables” toggle enabled.

Upon click of Create Copy, a new confirmation modal will list all of the selected entities, files and automatically included data and mortality tables that will be included in the copy. 

Analyze: Looks for Automated Projection Results

Looks are now available in the Analyze module and allow clients to save a data query with filters and visualization for reuse on multiple dashboards. Looks have been added to the Analyze module so that API clients can retrieve the raw results data file for the Look via the API. To pull the raw data file for a Look, create the look in the interface and pass the Look ID into the POST Reports/Looks endpoint. 

Looks can be created using the + button found on the Your Looks and Shared Looks sections of the left hand rail. Looks can also be created from existing Dashboard Tiles by clicking “Explore from Here” found under the context menu (three dots) and then clicking edit and saving as a Look.

For clients not using the API, Looks can still be used within the Analyze module as reusable dashboard components. When the Look is updated, all Dashboard’s that contain the Look are also updated.

IMPROVEMENTS

Projection and Template Updates

Projection templates can now be created from projections so that once the desired settings and inputs for a projection are finalized, they can be turned it into a template for future runs. This functionality is available under the new, consolidated Actions menu found in the top right corner of a projection. 

Data Tables that are referenced by variables excluded by tags in a projection no longer need to be configured to run the projection. These tables which are unnecessary to set due to the variable(s) referencing them being excluded will now appear in an “Unused Tables” section and selecting a table for the structure will be optional in the event the table is indirectly referenced by a variable that is not excluded.

API Updates for Valuation Automation

• Added table name and version to the Patch Projection endpoint so API users can specify which table to update using table name as an alternative to Data Table ID. 
• Added the version number next to the latest version of data tables in the SLOPE interface so that it is easy to identify the version number for the API. 
• Separated the Scenario Tables endpoint into POST and PATCH endpoints for the creation and updating of Scenario Tables.
• Created a Github repository with sample API Scripts in python available here. 

To learn more about the SLOPE API, visit our FAQ page. 

Additional Enhancements

• Slope Library Models are now available as a source for merging for efficiently merging changes and updates into working models. 
• Model Compare is now identifying changes in before/after investment timing selected on Product Aggregates.
• Product Aggregate Results (Grouped) explore now returns all results when filters are empty.

FIXES

• The ID column has been added to the grouped list view of projections found in the Execute module for consistency with the ungrouped view and to align projection metadata (e.g. Model Name) under the proper header. 
• A data table loading issue has been resolved.
• Single Value (Formula) variables now reference dynamic array values from the correct time period. 

NEW

Academy Interest Rate Generator

The economic scenarios you know and trust from the American Academy of Actuaries and SOA’s ‘Academy Interest Rate Generator (Version 7.1.202105)’ can now be generated without having to leave the application. SLOPE provides in-app generation for up to 1,000 scenarios with a quarterly, semi-annual or annual time step.

Upon generation, your ready-to-use economic scenario file can be found in both the File Manager and Economic Scenario Tables within your model. Additional information on how to create an Academy Interest Rate generated scenario can be found on our support site here. 

Please note that generation may take a few minutes for larger scenario sets such as that shown below. 

Defaults for Single Value (Formula) Array Aggregates

SLOPE now allows users to specify a default value when a Single Value (Formula) Array Aggregate does not match any values in the array. When ‘Ignore’ or ‘Warn’ is selected for ‘On Failure’, a default value can be specified. 

Slope Library Models

The Slope Life Library will now be published in a copy-only format under a new Library Models tab within Model Development. This will ensure that clients always have an unedited version of the library models available for copying. All future versions of the Slope Library will be made available here along with Version 2021.8 and 2021.3.  

Exclude Variables by Tags

Specific variables can now be excluded from being calculated using variable tags. This offers increased control over the scope of projections and run times. A common application for this feature is to exclude variables for a specific accounting basis (e.g. US GAAP). Previously the application supported the inclusion of specific variable tags only. 

Model Point File Filters on Projection Templates

Users can now add Model Point Filters when adding products to projection templates making it easier to run and re-run a subset of your policies. This functionality that was available on projections has now been added to templates.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Added Table Name and Version to the Patch Projection endpoint on the API so tables can be specified with ID or Table Name.
• Index formulas will be preserved when switching table references in a table formula when the index column names on the tables match. 
• Products can now be added to both projections and projection templates without a model point file so you can select your file at a later time. 
• Increased the vertical height of the Explore view in Analyze and added a handle for window resizing (lower right corner). 
• Added a scroll bar to the Table Structure list.
• Snapshot descriptions can now be modified after snapshot creation.

FIXES

• Upon adding a product to a new projection, the Data Tables section will now load without requiring a page refresh.
• SLOPE will now prevent users from entering invalid characters in the Excel file name when creating a Data Table.
• Dynamic array portfolio variables are now working properly with product aggregate output groupings.

NEW

API to Automate your Valuation Workflow

The Slope API now covers full valuation workflow automation so clients can increase valuation reporting cycle efficiency. Interested clients should speak with their account representative to learn more.

CHANGES

‘Output Variable’ property has been split into two unique settings.

To give users more granular control of their projection runs, we now have ‘Output Variable’ and ‘Always Calculated’ settings.

The ‘Output Variable’ setting indicates if the variable is output to the reporting module during model execution. This setting should be unchecked for intermediate calculations that do not need to be used for reporting to aid with run time performance.  

The ‘Always Calculated’ setting should be unchecked if you wish to skip calculating this variable when it is not referenced. Previously, all product and portfolio aggregate variables were always calculated even if they were not directly referenced by another variable.

IMPROVEMENTS

Economic Scenario Enhancements

• When using the New York 7 Economic Scenario Generator, you can now pull the US Treasury rates for a given start date from the SLOPE interface with the click of a button. 
• Economic Scenarios can now be downloaded directly from the Economic Scenarios Tables screen so that you don’t have to navigate to File Manager to download.
• Users can now run a projection without a scenario file if none of the variables contain a Scenario Table Formula or Present Value

Investment Strategy Enhancements

• Investment strategies can now be copied so existing strategies can be used as a starting point rather than creating all new strategies from scratch. 
• Users can now view older versions of investment strategies from sales and asset allocations views. Older versions are available in read-only mode. 

Additional Improvements

• Dates can now be used for Min/Max array aggregation so that you can get the earliest or latest date from a set of array results.
• Updated labels on Product-related entities across the site to provide clarity (e.g. Model Development → Model → ‘Products’ button updated to ‘Product Definitions’). 
• Split Mortality Tables into their own section on the Inputs Used Page for clarity. 
• Updated the following to sort in alphabetical order:
  • Drop downs found within the Confirm Merge modal 
  • Tags within the variable filter drop down
  • Mortality tables on the Mortality Table Detail screen

FIXES

• Goal seek formulas now automatically calculate the target variable without requiring ‘Always Calculate’ to be set.
• Arrays that recursively reference themselves will produce the correct output.
• Time Index controls now properly update when switching between Force Recalc variables on the debug view.
• Formula validation errors now consistently display upon load of a variable with errors.
• Invalid date format errors in file-only tables now have a descriptive error message.
• The Change Management UI will now display the different names and versions of model point files in the comparison pane.