Configuring availability

What is availability?

If a pattern is unavailable, PolicyCenter does not expose that pattern and does not permit you to create instances from the pattern. In some cases, for example in the Submission Manager, PolicyCenter applies other criteria as well.

All of the product model patterns except policy line patterns have a configurable availability framework, including all of the core coverage patterns (CoveragePattern, CovTermPattern, CovTermOpt, and CovTermPack), exclusions, and conditions. However, PolicyCenter does not apply availability to policy line patterns, but instead controls policy line availability at the product level. There is never a need for a product pattern to be available and one of its underlying policy line patterns to be unavailable. Define other product patterns to make different policy line patterns available.

The availability calculation is a multiple step process as shown in the following illustration.

PolicyCenter controls availability using following mechanisms:

• Lookup tables
• Availability scripts
• Grandfathering
• Offerings

Not all mechanisms are available for every pattern type. For example, you cannot specify an availability script for a product pattern.

To determine whether a particular product model pattern is available, PolicyCenter first consults the appropriate availability lookup table to determine the initial set of available entities. If needed, this set can be a very restricted subset of all the possible entities named in the product model. After PolicyCenter determines the initial set of available entities, it applies an availability script, if one exists, to each member of the set to possibly filter out more elements. The availability script is a Gosu expression that returns a Boolean value. Use the availability script to further limit the available elements. If the availability script is empty, PolicyCenter makes all elements of the set available. The availability script only removes available entities from the set—it cannot add them. If the availability lookup table and an availability script set a pattern to unavailable, grandfathering rules are applied that can keep the pattern available if it was already in use. After all of these rules are applied, a pattern that is otherwise available can become unavailable if it is disabled in the selected offering.

Values on the policy determine which product model entities are available or unavailable. For example, the set of specified jurisdictions can restrict the availability of a particular coverage. If a coverage is available in California and Nevada only, then the coverage cannot be selected for a building in New York. By using an availability script, any policy characteristic can restrict the availability of a particular product model pattern.