UCT has collected the following questions about data conversions, data mapping, and our unique methodology.

1. Can our customers’ employees use DCA or can only UCT employees use DCA?
2. Will DCA perform for projects other than insurance in scope?
3. What if I’m interested in offshore resources?
4. If UCT is working on a project will the UCT staff be on site 100% of the time?
5. We don’t use Windows™ servers in our environment; can you host DCA for us?
6. What do you mean when you refer to being “vendor neutral?”
7. What is a “top-down” conversion strategy?
8. Can I buy “software only” from UCT?
9. Your literature refers to the terms “reusable and repeatable:” what do you mean?
10. How much does a conversion project cost?

1. Can our customers’ employees use DCA or can only UCT employees use DCA?
The licensed DCA product may be accessed and used by company designated employees. UCT offers an excellent training program to prepare the appropriate employees to maximize their access to this powerful and efficient tool, and the documentation and help facility will greatly assist every user. It should be noted that many clients elect to train their non-technical SME’s to use our software as opposed to their technical staff. And, while the DCA is easy to learn it is sufficiently robust to handle the most complex issues with respect to data bases and application systems.
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2. Will DCA perform for projects other than insurance in scope?
Absolutely! DCA has been utilized in the county government sector as well as the legal market place where the customer will be completing 100 data conversions in a 12 month window. The issue is the scope and not the industry. The project is converting from the source application(s) to the target application. DCA was built to be flexible and easily adapted to new opportunities; the software is generic with respect to application systems and verticals.
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3. What if I’m interested in offshore resources?
There are two parts to the answer to this question. First, in a complex conversion situation a customer will always want to deploy their own resources to architect the conversion system and write the specs for data extraction, transformation, balancing, exception processing, reporting, and data clean-up.

With the UCT approach, the same SME uses DCA to express these business rules and conversion code is automatically generated. It compiles the first time without error. Changes to the rules automatically result in new programs. With this methodology we’ve already achieved a major cost reduction in the same areas where offshore savings would have been most available.

Second, if offshore resources are still necessary, they could be trained to use DCA and could process through the same training program that domestic resources utilize. Permitting those offshore individuals to utilize DCA will offer the presumed lower labor cost, AND the proven lower costs associated with the use of DCA will also be recognized.
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4. If UCT is working on a project will the UCT staff be on site 100% of the time?
Upon request UCT will subsidize your project staffing requirements and provide experienced professionals, including both Business Analysts and Programmers (our consultants average 30 years experience).

UCT consultants work in a virtual office environment. This business model helps to reduce overall project costs by eliminating some travel expenses and results in working in a more productive environment without the conflicts for prioritizing time such as competing project assignments or company functions that contend for the consultants time. Depending on individual client requirements, UCT consultants typically spend no more than 10% of their time on site while our project managers spend between 25% and 50% of their time on site, when needed.
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5. We don’t use Windows™ servers in our environment; can you host DCA for us?
Yes, UCT can and does host DCA for clients who elect this option. If you are asking this question, one might assume that your data resides on a different platform, and that is OK because the actual code generated from DCA may be deposited on any processing platform.
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6. What do you mean when you refer to being “vendor neutral? ”
This is a very good question and critical to your conversion project. UCT’s only business is the data conversion business. We do not offer administration, claims, or rating applications, and as a result we do not create the prospect of being a competitor with your selected application vendor. Since we are not a competitive threat, problems about access to confidential material seldom arise, and consequently potential issues with executing non-disclosure agreements with these companies are avoided. This will save you money and stress! UCT has worked with many vendors and has never been questioned about our handling trade secrets.
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7. What is a “top-down” conversion strategy?
UCT’s methodology does not just include moving data and then re-checking to insure it is properly re-located and remains accurate. While in most cases we also convert some data directly to the target data base, UCT’s methodology uses the technique of populating transactions for the target system in order to populate that data base whenever possible. Benefits include:

• Error reduction. Results are produced dynamically as opposed to simply moving data.
• Expanded and more thorough testing. Target system transactions are tested as part of the conversion process to insure that the appropriate results are produced.

8. Can I buy “software only” from UCT?
This is definitely an option. One should consider their resource availability in making this decision. Typically our customers are not conversion specialists, and as result they do not have a need to develop this center of excellence. Most often our clients elect to use UCT resources to supplement their staffing constraints. And another benefit of incorporating UCT resources into your project team is that our people fulfill a “mentoring” process which, in the end, reduces our clients’ dependence on UCT.
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9. Your literature refers to the terms “reusable and repeatable:” what do you mean?
Our business solutions have been designed to allow for calling pre-existing tables and modules that accomplish the desired tasks. Most source and target systems are rich with reusable components that are required for a data conversion project. In addition, UCT has a considerable library of reusable extensions from previous projects. All projects realize this high level of reuse, especially in companies where multiple administration systems are being consolidated into a chosen target, and situations where a company does frequent conversions such as a BPO provider.

However, a significant amount of prior work may be leveraged due to our consistent methodology which includes such areas as project initiation, project planning and conversion architecting. Referring to the term “repeatable” is similar to reusable. An example of a repeatable process is the conversion project itself. With UCT’s methodology once a conversion project has been completed a knowledge base has been constructed and whenever the need for a future data conversion project reappears you have a proven process that will permit itself to be repeated for this next project.

In some cases, a client may have a need to convert from a system that they’ve already converted from, as in acquisition-oriented companies. In those cases most of the conversion system components from the earlier system can be plugged into the new project and updated as needed. This has saved some customers more than 50% of the time and cost of the earlier conversion project.

10. How much does a conversion project cost?
UCT believes the better question is “how much can I save working with UCT?” We are the conversion experts with software tools and methodology that maximize efficiency. This is why we can consistently outperform our competition, because we maximize efficiency. UCT generally comes in 40% to 60% lower in terms of cost and in terms of time to complete. We have the tools and the experience, and we don’t have start each project from an empty planning pad! We are so confident that we will fix price projects if the prospective customer so desires.