Selerix Developer Tools
Selerix Census Template
Regardless of the development task, let it be writing script to customize enrollment eligibility rule handling, crafting script to produce custom report output, or using Selerix web services to upload data to a case programmatically, developers who are unfamiliar with the Benefits-Selection system can glean useful insight with a brief examination of the Selerix Excel census template.
On the BenSelect administration site where an enrollment group is configured, case builders use the census template as a container for enrollment group data. After preparing the census file, the case builder uploads it to BenSelect which validates the inbound data and populates appropriate fields in the system database. Additional fields may be added to the census template to house data not directly supported by BenSelect. When BenSelect finds a non-standard field in the source census, the case builder is prompted to map that data to an existing field in the database, or may have BenSelect create a custom field to contain it.
During an enrollment session, BenSelect uses this data to apply appropriate enrollment business rules to determine the enrollment path for the applicant. Data such as the original date of hire, job class, the applicant's age and the employee's location can affect eligibility rules, rates, and benefit amounts, for example. Thus, BenSelect not only uses census data to know who may enroll, it effectively drives the enrollment process based on the rules defined on the case.
Click here to download a copy of the Selerix Excel census template file.
Although census may be pushed to BenSelect other ways, most of the time the person who sets up the enrollment group obtains employee data from the employer, moves the data into the census template and manually uploads the content from the administrator site. Ideally at this time the administrator also selects one or more data extracts from the Selerix library which will be used to deliver enrollment data to the employer, insurance carriers, and other third parties when enrollment completes. Some reports run once while others are scheduled to run on a recurring periodic basis. The case administrator also has the option of running the Selerix Census Extract to obtain the complete enrollment database in an Excel or Access file.
After a case builder configures a BenSelect enrollment group with plans, products, rates and rules, the next step is typically to import applicant data into BenSelect. This is typically accomplished by performing a census upload whereby the system reads the content of a Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access file and assigns each data element to the appropriate field in the group's database. As a side note, this may also be performed with a BenSelect bridge component or using Selerix web services.
As shown above, the system uses Excel worksheets to group different types of data in the census. Employee demographic and employment data is populated in the Employees worksheet and dependent data is populated in the Spouse & Dependents worksheet. As with the Selerix data transmittal used in web service data transmissions, the Dependent Number and Employee SSN fields in the Spouse & Dependents worksheet establish a relational tie back to the employee.
Since voluntary benefits may impose eligibility restrictions or additional fees for late entrants, active policy data may also be required in the Current Benefits worksheet. If preferred provider information is required it is added to the Benefit Detail, again using the employee SSN and optionally the dependent number from the Spouse & Dependents worksheet to create the data relationship, and so forth.
Logically, if cells in the census template correspond with fields in the BenSelect database, and if the Selerix BusinessObjects act as data accessors to that same data, there must be a high correlation between the two both in terms of content and nomenclature. Thus, the census template can be used as a concise map to the BenSelect database and a cross-reference to the data accessor objects in the .NET library.
For more information about the census as it relates to case building, refer to the BenSelect Document Library (login required).
Note that some column headings are bold while most are not. Data fields with bold headings generally indicate a required field which, if absent, will cause BenSelect to return an error on the upload. As the minimalist transmittal example used by web service developers demonstrates, however, this is a rule, not a law.
As another example, the Plan name and Effective date columns in the Current Benefits worksheet have bold headings to indicate they are required. However, they are only required when current benefits are included as part of the census upload.
Lastly, when in doubt, refer to the Key worksheet in the census template. This worksheet contains additional information about the purpose and applicability of particular fields in the database.
Most often, BenSelect is used by employers to enroll employees and their family members in company benefits. Because this is most often the use case, for simplicity Selerix typically refers to the primary applicant as the employee throughout the BenSelect enrollment system. However, primary applicants could also be members of a club, for example, so do not take the term "employee" too literally.
The census template is a useful reference for those unfamiliar with BenSelect. Not only does it identify BenSelect database field names by category, it identifies which of them are required. Refer to the Key worksheet which contains a description of key fields which can provide helpful clarification.
