Using exported spreadsheets

You can send exported spreadsheets to agents or customers who then use any compatible spreadsheet application to fill in the needed details, adding one row per coverable. After you receive a filled-in spreadsheet, you can open it in your spreadsheet application to visually check the information. Then you can import the spreadsheet into PolicyCenter. Unless you are importing a template spreadsheet, import the spreadsheet into the same policy transaction (job) from which it was exported or a policy transaction (job.basedOn) the exported policy transaction. PolicyCenter displays an error message and aborts the import if the spreadsheet does not match the current policy transaction.

The exported spreadsheets have the following characteristics:

• The individual worksheets of the spreadsheet are protected and designed to be used while protected. If special use cases require a worksheet to be unprotected, the protection password is 1234. This password can be changed as explained in Changing the spreadsheet protection password.
• Some columns of the spreadsheet are read-only so that you do not change their contents. These columns correspond to read-only fields in the PolicyCenter database. Read-only cells have a light gray background and an italic font.
• Capitalization of data in the spreadsheet is significant. For example, you attempt to add two buildings to the same location, but spell the city name with different capitalization in each of the two rows. The import operation displays an error because it assumes you are attempting to change the city name during an Add operation. Only the first building is added if you complete the import operation.
• Some columns contain lists that have been populated with the contents of a PolicyCenter typelist. In these columns, you must either select a value from the list or type the value exactly as it is listed, including capitalization.
• Numbers are exported as text to preserve their formatting. For example, class codes must be preserved with leading zeros, because 0034 is not equivalent to 34. Numbers are converted back to their appropriate types during the import operation.
• Policy data import ignores columns with headings that it does not recognize. Therefore, you can add notes or other information to the spreadsheet in unused columns, provided the column heading does not conflict with column headings used by policy data import/export. Any data you enter in such columns is not imported.
• You can import a spreadsheet only when the imported spreadsheet is basedOn the exported spreadsheet. You cannot import a spreadsheet that was exported from a different policy or from a different policy transaction in the same policy. To help you match spreadsheets to policies and transaction numbers, PolicyCenter suggests file names when saving exported spreadsheets. The pattern of the file name varies depending on the type of spreadsheet.

  Policy_PolicyNumber appears at the beginning of the file name only when the policy transaction is not a submission policy transaction. PolicyCenter does not assign a policy number until a submission policy transaction is quoted and bound.

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