Distribution Preferences

The Distribution Preferences are the settings that allow a firm to adjust behavior relating to PensionPro's Distributions feature. These preferences should be reviewed and/or set up prior to using Distributions for the first time.

To access Distribution Preferences, navigate to Maintenance > Preferences > Distribution.

Tier Availability: Business

Security Rights Required: Maintenance

Article Contents

• General
• Field Names & Field Setup
• Association Rules
• Web Collection

General

The General view contains preferences that affect all Distributions. To edit a preference, hover over it in the grid, then select Edit on the right-hand side.

The following preferences apply to Distribution emails that are sent manually from the Distribution > Information view within the Project tab, using the Send Email option
Distribution Email Subject	The default subject line used for the Distribution email.
Distribution General Email Body	The default message used as the Distribution email body.
Distribution General Email CC Plan Contact Role	Any Plan Contact Roles specified by this preference will be added to the above email as CCs by default. Multiple Roles can be selected.
Distribution General Email Plan Contact Role	The Plan Contact Role specified by this preference will be the main recipient of the above email by default.

Field Names & Field Setup

The Field Names and Field Setup views in Distribution Preferences work in tandem to customize the data fields that are used to store Distribution information.

• In the Field Names view, the names and descriptions of PensionPro's available Distribution fields can be customized.
• In the Field Setup view, the above fields are managed in a variety of Field Groups. A Field Group is applied to each Distribution based on the criteria set in Association Rules, ultimately determining what information is required for the Distribution.

For example, the Deceased Date field could be renamed to Date of Death in the Field Names view. Then, it could be marked as a Required field in any Field Group that is used for death-related Distributions.

Field Names

The Distribution Field Names grid displays each field that may be used for Distributions. This list is maintained by PensionPro, and fields cannot be added or removed.

To edit a field, hover over its entry in the grid and select the Edit option on the right-hand side. The Edit Distribution Field Name window will display.

Display Name is a required field, and may be changed to customize the name of the field as shown on the Distribution's Project tab. Description can also be modified if desired.

Field Setup

The Distribution Field Group grid displays all Field Groups that have already been created.

To add a new Field Group, select Add at the top-right of the grid; the Add Field Group window will display. Display Name is a required field.

Hover over an existing Field Group in the list to display the Edit and Delete options on the right-hand side.

• The Default Fields to Display Group cannot be renamed or deleted. This Group contains the default Field preferences used when no other Field Group applies to a Distribution.

Double-click a Field Group to drill down into into the list of individual Distribution Fields. The fields and descriptions found here match the preferences set in the Field Names view. These fields are broken up into two categories: Participant and Distribution. By default, PensionPro displays the Participant category; to switch categories, use the view tabs located above the grid, below the Distribution Preferences tab header.

To edit a field, hover over its entry in the grid and select the Edit option on the right-hand side. The Edit Participant Field Assignment window will display.

• The Last Name, First Name, SSN, Reason, and 1099 Responsibility fields are required for all Distributions and cannot be edited.

Distribution Fields cannot be added or removed from a Field Group; each Group will contain all available fields. Whether or not an individual field is used for a Distribution is controlled by its Show and Required options.

• Show determines whether the field is included on or omitted from the Distribution.
• Required determines whether data needs to be entered into the field, or if the field may be left blank.

Additionally, fields in the Distribution category may be reordered as desired by clicking a dragging a field up or down in the list. Fields in the Participant category may not be reordered.

Changes made to a Field Group will take effect immediately for all active Distributions using that Field Group.

Association Rules

Distributions have many moving pieces. Each requires an appropriate Project Template, as well as one of the Field Groups defined previously. Additionally, the correct Fee needs to be applied to the Distribution. All of these aspects may be different depending on the type of Plan or reason for the Distribution, which can lead to a staggering number of possible combinations. Rather than an Employee attempting to recall the correct settings to use every time a Distribution is launched, Association Rules are put in place to automatically apply the desired settings for each new Distribution.

The Association Rules grid displays any existing Rules. Once an Association Rule is added, it is always in effect until it is deleted.

Understanding Association Rules

Each Association Rule follows this format:

Apply the template [Project Template] and the Fee [Fee Item] using the Field List [Field Group] where the following Reasons [Distribution Reason(s)] and Plan Types [Plan Type(s)] apply.

This may seem complex at first. To simplify, an Association Rule can be split into two basic parts:

• The criteria, which determine when the Rule is applied. This is based on a combination of the Distribution Reason and the Plan Type in effect when the Distribution is added.
• The effect, which controls the settings that are applied to the Distribution. This determines the Distribution Project Template launched, the Field Group used, and the Fee Item applied.

In other words, when a Distribution is being added, PensionPro refers to the Association Rules to see if any Rule matches the combination of Reason and Plan Type (the criteria). If so, PensionPro applies the Template, Field Group, and Fee specified by the Rule (the effect). An appropriate Rule is not found, PensionPro applies the items specified by the Default Rule.

Managing Rules

To add a new Association Rule:

1. Select Add at the top-right of the grid. The Add Association Rules window displays.
2. Choose a unique Rule Name.
3. Select a Template Name.
   • This dropdown contains all Project Templates with Project Type set to Distribution.
4. Select a Fee Name.
   • This dropdown contains all List Values in the category Fee Schedules > Fee Item Type. For more information, refer to the article List Values.
5. Select a Field List.
   • This dropdown contains the Field Groups managed in the Field Setup view of Distribution Preferences. Refer to the section Field Names & Field Setup.
6. Select one or more Plan Types.
   • This dropdown contains all List Values in the category Core > Plan > Plan Type.
7. Select one or more Distribution Reasons.
   • The list of Reasons is maintained by PensionPro and cannot be edited.
8. Select Save.
   • The combination of Plan Type(s) and Reason(s) cannot conflict with any existing Rules.

Hover over an existing Association Rule in the grid to display the Edit and Delete options on the right-hand side.

• The Default Rule cannot be deleted or renamed.
• The Default Rule applies to all Reasons and Plan Types. These fields cannot be edited. This Rule serves as a catch-all for when no other Association Rule applies.

Project Templates and Field Groups that are referenced by an Association Rule cannot be deleted from PensionPro until the Rule is removed or edited as appropriate.

Web Collection

The Web Collection view contains preferences that are used when Web Collection is enabled for a Distribution Project. For more information, refer to the article Web Collection for Distributions.