Release History

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.

New Products

• Structured Assets (MBS, ABS, CLO)
• Critical Illness
• Hospital Indemnity
• Externally Projected Liability
• Stock Option

Updates

• Support for Secondary guarantee calculations was added to the Universal Life product
• New functionality was added to all Bond products (Non-Callable, Callable, Sinking Fund, and Floating Rate) to allow for the initial par value or credit spread to be solved for upon issue for reinvestment assets
• US STAT And US GAAP Variable Tags were updated on all products and portfolios for consistent coverage
• The Cash Flow Start Time variable on all Products was updated to point to centralized Cash Flow Start Time at the Company Variable level for ease of updating
• Commonly used pricing metrics were added to All liability products and a new Pricing variable tag was added to these calculations
• Fix to Sinking Fund product factors
• Policy Count roll-forward variables were added to all Liability Products
• Reinsurance Tables and logic were updated to add support for minimum retention limits and excess reinsurance
• A new Run Settings variable was added to the Company level to control high-level functionality across the entire Library

Fixes

• All Present Value Formulas across the Library were updated to use the time periods to be more efficient
• Market Value calculations for Mortgages and Sinking Fund Bonds were updated to correctly reflect the impacts of prepayment assumptions
• The Number In Force variable on the Sinking Fund Bond was updated to remove the sink percent which was previously resulting in double counting of cash flow reductions in the market values of this product

NEW

New Formula: Is Empty

A new formula is available in the formula builder, which allows users to check for an empty/blank value. The formula returns a boolean true/false value.

New York 7 Scenario Generator

Users can now generate NY7 scenarios directly within the SLOPE application!

Scenario Files – Support for Yield Curve Spot Rates

We’ve added support for users to supply Spot Rates in their scenario files. This new option is available under the “Rate Type” control on the economic scenario structure configuration within Model Development.

Application Programming Interface (API)

We’ve improved granularity and control over file management within the API.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Projection validation now runs asynchronously, which allows the page to load more quickly and users to track the validation process.
• Nested data tables now contain links in the latest version of the table in addition to historical versions of the table.
• Performance improvements around backend validation processes.
• Improvements have been made around caching of front-end code for performance and stability.

FIXES

• Fixed an issue where product aggregate level results were sometimes unavailable for statically run products.
• Deleting a column now properly updates newly versioned tables that were versioned as a result of the change.
• Fixed ability to add new rows in the table editor to tables that contained nested mortality tables.
• Missing model point files on allocations are now caught by projection validation.
• Changing the product when editing a projection product no longer results in an error.
• Fixed downstream issues caused by converting Sell steps to Buy steps and not clearing the rule filters.
• Array variables can now be referenced from withing the ‘Default Value’ formula configured within IRR calculations without causing errors.
• Range Arrays can now be properly merged via the UI.

NEW

Investment Strategies: Pro-rata Selling Filters & Version Selection

Filters can now be added to Pro-rata selling rules to sell a subset of the portfolio.

Older investment strategy versions can now be viewed via a dropdown under the name.

Variable Rate Selection by Formula

Variable rates can now be calculated when reading from the scenario table. Simply specify a formula that returns the name of the Variable Rate to be used.

Change Management Updates

The Compare Projection interface has been updated to the new design. In addition, the Projection ID has been added for searchability.

Company Variable deletions can also now be merged in the Compare & Merge Models functionality.

Application Programming Interface (API)

New API endpoints have been added for updating data tables and retrieving/running projections programmatically. We’ve also made backend improvements for increased performance and security.

IMPROVEMENTS

• We’ve made performance improvements around result writing in the calculation engine, particular for dynamic runs that have very few model points.
• Yield Curves now allow for up to 100 years of rates.
• We’ve made some improvements around the stability of automatic updating and detection of more complex array variable chains to avoid manual intervention after significant changes.
• We’ve improved validation in multiple areas around array variables, including more complex multiple array dependency chain detection.

FIXES

• The Goal Seek ‘Target Variable’ no longer sometimes appears blank in the relationship view’s formula builder.
• New data table columns are now properly propagated to newly versioned tables upon creation of the column in the table structure.
• Drag & Drop on table structures no longer stops functioning after deleting a row.
• Deleted products are now properly filtered out of the Table Structure deletion confirmation modal.
• Fixed front-end display of dependent array on Company Variables that depend on a Product Output Grouping array.
• Fixed an issue when pasting invalid data into the table editor for a table reference cell.
• Fixed an issue with saving imported data tables due to versioning.
• Fixed an issue causing model point level results to occasionally be unavailable, depending on settings.
• Fixed an error that sometimes occurred when using a range array variable within a dynamic aggregate formula.

NEW

Product-level Range Arrays

A new type of array is available that allows individual arrays per model point, based on a range of values. These are currently only available for product variables.

Table Column Dependency Mappings

Individual table columns can now be mapped separately from the table itself when mapping dependencies for a merge operation. This allows users to not only see any failed column mappings, but also manually map table columns, if necessary.

New API Endpoints

New API endpoints have been added for managing Scenario Files programmatically.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Array deletions can now be merged in the Change Management module.
• Performance is improved when calculating PV variables, particularly at the portfolio level.
• The calc engine now uses memory more efficiently when calculating products in dynamic mode.
• Minor performance improvements around data table editing.

FIXES

• Empty condition groups now properly cause a validation error.
• Operand menus are no longer sometimes cut off in the Goal Seek settings section.
• Dynamic array variables now show up properly in the Change Management module and can be merged properly into the destination.
• Fixed an issue causing models with the ‘Copy Only’ permission to sometimes not copy properly.

NEW

Copy Dashboards

Dashboards (including system dashboards) can now be copied within the Analyze module. This allows users to use another dashboard as a starting point, and copy dashboards between shared/personal spaces.

Copy Projection Templates

Projection Templates can now be duplicated via a ‘Duplicate’ button next to the ‘Create Projection’ button.

Present Value Time Period

Present Value formulas now have a ‘PV Period’ field, allowing users to have more control over the period of the calculation, which can help with accuracy and performance.

Merge Product Variable Deletes

Product variable removals/deletes can now be merged in the Change Management module.

Model Points & Results Analyze View

A new view is available under the ‘Explore Data’ option in the Analyze module called ‘Model Points & Results’. This is a merged view with both model point fields and variable results, to allow easy dashboard building with a merged view, allowing fields and variables to be viewed side-by-side.

New API Endpoints

New endpoints have been added to the automation API for creating tables and projections programmatically.

IMPROVEMENTS

• In the debug view, clicking on the variable name now navigates the user to the variable editor.
• Merged entities are now indicated as such in the sidebar of the merge view.
• ‘Initial Book Value’ and ‘Initial Market Value’ are no longer system model point fields and can now be edited or removed entirely.
• Performing a merge that has already been performed now shows a descriptive message instead of an error.
• When editing the tables on a projection, if there is only one option available it will now be automatically selected.
• Product Output Groupings now appear on the Inputs Used view on projections.
• The underlying product name is now shown on the Asset Allocation screen to make it easier to differentiate between products.
• Significant performance improvements to post-projection portfolio & company level goal seeks formula calculations.
• We’ve updated the technology in the calculation engine for increased performance and security.

FIXES

• Creating snapshots no longer shows an empty dialog afterwards.
• ‘Convert to variable’ option on model point fields is once again working properly.
• Fixed an issue with some Liability products not properly being auto-detected as Dynamic.
• Fixed rare case where runs would sometimes get stuck in “Writing Final Results” state.
• Assumption sets are now properly re-applied when adding a new product to a projection.
• Fixed an intermittent unknown error when running dynamic arrays with a large number of products.
• The data table editor no longer allows pasting more than 1000 rows into the editor.
• Sales & Asset Allocations are now properly versioned when a model point file within the allocation is overwritten via the File Manager.

NEW

Option Price Formula – Dividend Rate

A new input for ‘Dividend Rate’ has been added to the Option Price Formula, to allow for non-zero dividend rates when calculating.

Target Value Rules – Ignore Constraints

Constraints can now be ignored on Target Value Match buy and sell rules, allowing for greater flexibility and more complex rule configurations within investment strategies.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Projection ID is now available in the list views in Execute/Analyze modules for quick reference.
• When merging a table structure, deleted columns are now removed from the target to match expectations with what is shown in the diff view.
• Investment strategies can now be included when copying a model.
• The text editor on Investment Strategy Steps has been upgraded for a cleaner look and better performance.
• In the API, the API Key description is now used as the user making any changes in the system, so it is clear that the API made the change and not another user.
• Table names now appear in the debug view for formulas that return tables.
• Table formulas now show indexes in the same order as they are configured on the Table Structure setup.
• The “Less than or Equal” data table index lookup option has been renamed to “Range – Lower Bound” for clarity of its function.
• Products are now sorted by name on the Asset Allocation screen.
• Minor performance improvements when merging new table structures.

FIXES

• Fixed an issue where particular array variable configurations were sometimes not updating the variable chain properly when removing the array reference.
• Fixed an error sometimes caused by non time indexed array aggregate configurations.
• Old versions of asset allocations are now filtered out of the model copy views.
• Table structure column descriptions are now included when merging.
• Run logs for scenarios numbered as “0” can now be viewed.
• Model point fields that are used by model point filters can now be converted to variables without error.
• Overall runtime no longer sometimes appears as less than the run time per scenario on the Run Summary dashboard.
• Merge change dialogs now automatically close after a merge completes, as expected.
• Fixed an edge case with rounding causing unexpected results at midpoints.

OPERATIONS

We’ve made some large underlying infrastructure changes and upgrades to improve scalability, stability, security, and performance going forward. We’re always working hard behind the scenes to keep you on the latest and greatest technology.