New and changed in PolicyCenter 9.0.6

New @PluginParameter annotation

Plugin classes can define their parameters with the @PluginParameter annotation. The annotation can define various properties of the parameter, such as its type and whether it is required.

See also

New ArrayLoader class for loading a multidimensional array

The ArrayLoader class allows you to load a multidimensional array with at most a single pull from the PolicyCenter database.

Assuming no data stored in cache, when you load a multidimensional array manually, you must query the PolicyCenter database for each array element. Thus, for manual array loading, you must query the database N*M times. Here, N is the number of array elements in the first dimension array, and M is the number of array elements in each of the N second dimension arrays.

This number of queries arises from the fact that a multidimensional array is really an array of pointers. The array is not a data structure where all of the array elements are combined in the same location. Hence, manual array loading degrades performance due to the overhead bandwidth requirement for the N*M queries and due to contention with other database queries.

The ArrayLoader class eliminates this challenge by combining the N*M queries into at most single query. The special case where all of the required data is stored in cache requires no database queries. Thus, the ArrayLoader class reduces the overhead bandwidth requirement and the risk of database contention for loading a multidimensional array.

New RetryIfInitialConditionsFail parameter in batch-process-config

Guidewire has added a new optional <param> element to file batch-process-config.xml to use in defining a value for the RetryIfInitialConditionsFail parameter. This parameter governs the behavior of a batch process depending on the return value of batch process class method checkInitialConditions. The name of the parameter is case-insensitive.
This parameter takes the following values.
true If the batch process checkInitialConditions method returns false, the batch process does not terminate immediately. Instead, it continues to execute until its component lease expires. This is the batch process default behavior if the attribute is missing from batch-process-config.xml.
false If the checkInitialConditions method returns false, the batch process terminates immediately.

It is also possible to set this parameter individually on a PolicyCenter batch process by including the optional <param> element on the <batch-process> element definition. If you set the RetryIfInitialConditionsFail parameter at the individual batch process level, it overrides any default value for this parameter set at the global level using the root-level <param> element.

See the System Administration Guide for more information.

Guidewire profiler support for document production operations

The runtime behavior and performance of the document production process can be profiled with the Guidewire Profiler.

User credential masking

In PolicyCenter 10.0.0 it is now possible to mask the input of the user name and password in a command-prompt tool. To do so, insert a dash in the command in place of the actual user name or password, for example:
  • system_tools -ping -user - -password -
Before PolicyCenter executes the tool script, it prompts you to enter the missing information. If you chose to mask the user name and password information:
  • PolicyCenter does not echo the entered user name or password back to the screen.
  • The operating system, either Windows or Linux, does not store the plain text information in the command prompt buffer and command history.

Extended ability to set the length of a phone number extension

There is a new parameter for IPhoneNormalizerPlugin that enables you to set a value greater than 7 for a phone number extension.
  • You set the length of the extension to be saved in the database with the extensionLength parameter.
  • You set the new parameter parseExtensionLength to a value that matches or exceeds the extensionLength parameter, effectively removing any restriction on the length of a phone number extension.

See also

Controlling whether PolicyCenter creates an index for spatial point data

A new createSpatialIndex parameter controls whether PolicyCenter creates an index for spatial point data. The default setting is to create such an index. However, if an index reflects duplicative or otherwise excessive spatial point data and degrades performance, consider opting out of creating the index.

The createSpatialIndex parameter applies only to columns with a spatial point data field. If the createSpatialIndex parameter has the default value of true in a column of an extension or custom entity, PolicyCenter creates an index for spatial point data. If the parameter has a value of false, PolicyCenter does not create such an index. In the latter case, PolicyCenter avoids creating an index regardless of whether the parameter is in a <columnParam> subelement of a <column> element or a <column-override> element.

See also

Multifactor Authentication

Guidewire has added a framework to support multifactor authentication in PolicyCenter 9.0.6. This framework includes changes and additions to existing PCF and class files. In particular, Guidewire modified the PolicyCenter login screen (Login.pcf) to support the use of an entry field for multifactor authentication.

See also

Change to exported user data

In 10.0.0, PolicyCenter handles the export of user data from the Administration > Utilities > Export Data screen differently between development and production systems.
Server mode User export data
Development mode The export file contains usernames and the associated passwords in hash code format.
Production mode The export process strips both username and password information from the export file.

Because of this change, it is not possible to import a previously exported data file from a production environment back into PolicyCenter as it does not contain the required username/password data.

Email plugin supports encrypted user names and passwords

The base configuration JavaxEmailMessageTransport plugin demonstrates the retrieval of user names and encrypted passwords from encrypted credentials files. In conjunction with this encryption feature, the base configuration CredentialsPlugin was expanded and enhanced.

Preloading Rating Management components in PolicyCenter 9.0.6

In this release, the way that PolicyCenter preloads Rating Management components has changed. If you customize preloading Rating Management components, the place that you call your code has changed.

In this release, you use the RateBookPreloadEnabled configuration parameter to specify whether Rating Management components are loaded on system startup.

In PolicyCenter, parameter sets are always preloaded when the server is in development mode. In this release, you can modify the code that preloads the parameter sets.

See also

In preload.txt, remove preloading Rating Management components

About this task

Do not load Rating Management components such as rate books during system startup because this can cause lock timeouts during system startup. This is an issue in PolicyCenter 9.0.5. To address this issue, this release provides a new way to preload Rating Management components. Use these instructions to remove the PolicyCenter 9.0.5 way of preloading Rating Management components.

In PolicyCenter 9.0.5, Rating Management components were preloaded on system startup by adding a call to primeForAllRateBooks in preload.txt.

In PolicyCenter 9.0.5, to customize preloading Rating Management components, you were instructed to create your own method and call it from preload.txt instead of primeForAllRateBooks. This was described in the New and Changed Guide, the “Loading Rating Management components” topic under “New and changed in PolicyCenter 9.0.5”.

These steps describe how to remove the PolicyCenter 9.0.5 way of preloading Rating Management components.

Procedure

  1. In preload.txt, remove the following line that preloads Rating Management components: 
    gw.rating.startup.RTMLoadActions#primeForAllRateBooks
    This line was added to preload.txt in PolicyCenter 9.0.5, and has been removed in this release.
  2. If you implemented your own method to preload Rating Management components and called it from preload.txt, remove that line.

What to do next

See also

Performance improvements for Rating Management

This release includes improved performance of Guidewire Rating Management:
Rate book operations
Faster performance of rate book preloading, import, export, and other operations
Rate routines
Faster loading of rate routines for viewing and editing
Rate table definitions
Faster viewing and editing

Improvements will be most noticeable in larger, more complex rate books, rate routines, and rate tables.

Changes to PolicyCenter Server Tools

Changes to the Upgrade and Versions screen

Under rare circumstances, it is possible for the failure of a rolling upgrade on a specific application server to result in the inability to back out of the rolling upgrade on that server. To provide for this upgrade scenario, Guidewire has added a Force Backout button to the Upgrade and Versions screen. Clicking this button brings up a dialog in which you can select the server ID of the inactive server. The Force Backout button is only available if a rolling upgrade is in progress.

Changes to the Financials Escalation process

In the base configuration, the Financials Escalation batch process can now be executed using a work queue.

To make this change, uncomment the following entry in work-queue.xml:
< work-queue  workQueueClass= "gw.api.financials.escalation.FinancialsEscalationWorkQueue"  progressinterval= "600000" >
< worker  instances= "8"  batchsize= "100" />
</ work-queue >
With this change, you can start the Financials Escalation work queue in the same way as the single-threaded batch process — using the application user interface, the command line, or a web service call.
Note: The writer process for the work queue uses the same name and code as the batch process. By enabling the work queue, its writer process is executed instead of the older, single-threaded batch process.

Change to exported user data

In 9.0.6, PolicyCenter handles the export of user data from the Administration > Utilities > Export Data screen differently between development and production systems.
Server mode User export data
Development mode The export file contains usernames and the associated passwords in hash code format.
Production mode The export process strips both username and password information from the export file.

Because of this change, it is not possible to import a previously exported data file from a production environment back into PolicyCenter as it does not contain the required username/password data.