This is an example of a conceptual (rather than procedural) topic for this web-based documentation set.
How iBP Uses OFX to Export Bill Data
An iBP consolidator can use OFX to transfer data to an external
consolidator or other client proxy system. The information below describes client proxy
systems, iBP’s OFX export services, and how this process works.
What Is a Client Proxy System?
A client proxy system is an external consolidator or other entity that
interacts with the iBP site and uses OFX to enroll users, activate, delete, and change
the accounts that customers have with billers, fetch bills from iBP, and
present bills to customers.
- The client proxy system registers with iBP as an external consolidator. It
gets a user name and password, which it must use in the SIGNON OFX request
message for all subsequent requests.
- The client proxy system sends OFX requests to iBP for enrollment data, bill
data, service accounts, and group account information.
- iBP receives the requests and sends OFX responses.
- The billers interact with the iBP consolidator site. Billers have the option
of subscribing to a given client proxy system through iBP or not.
- The customers interact with the client proxy system. iBP is largely invisible
to them, although customers may view bill details on the iBP site.
What Do iBP’s OFX Export Services Do?
iBP’s OFX messaging components handle incoming OFX requests, which the client
proxy system sends over HTTP to iBP’s OFX cartridge. These requests are to:
- Get the list of all billers subscribed to the client proxy system
- Enroll new customers for the client proxy system
- Change customer information
- Add, delete, and change biller accounts for these customers
- Get account information for the client proxy system’s customers
- Get bill data for the client proxy system’s customers
OFX messaging also returns OFX responses for these requests.
The OFX Export Process
Biller Registration:
Billers register with iBP using the iBP biller interface.
Identifying Billers:
- Periodically—at a predetermined frequency--the client proxy system issues a "Find Billers"
request to the iBP consolidator.
- The iBP consolidator sends back the list of billers that are registered at
the iBP consolidator site and are subscribed to that client proxy system.
Customer Enrollment:
- The client proxy system batches the enrollment requests it has received from
customers into a single OFX message.
- The client proxy system sends the OFX message to the iBP consolidator site.
- iBP accepts the request. If the client proxy system has not provided a unique user ID and password for each of the customers in the request, iB&P generates them. It stores the request and sends an OFX response to the client proxy
system with the user ID and password for each customer.
- The client proxy system communicates with each customer, confirming the
enrollment and including the user ID and password.
Account Activation:
- The client proxy system sends a request to iBP to add and activate the
customer’s account with the billers.
- iBP sends a response to the client proxy system with the account status set
to Pending.
- The biller uses the iBP biller interface to activate the customer accounts.
- The client proxy system issues a group account information request to get the
latest status on customer account activation with the billers registered in
iBP. iBP’s OFX messaging services identify the client proxy system using the user name
and password fields in the SIGNON request message set. All customers enrolled
through the client proxy system are treated as one group for this group account
information request.
- iBP sends back information reflecting the latest status for the accounts in
this group.
Changing Customer Information:
When necessary, the client proxy system sends a request to iBP to change or
delete customers' accounts with billers or to change customers' enrollment
information.
Bill Summary Request:
- The client proxy system sends an OFX message to iBP requesting bills.
- iBP sends the client proxy system the bill summary information that has been
loaded into the iBP system from the billers. The information includes the URLs
where the customer can view the detail data for their bills. The bill details
may be stored at the iBP consolidator site, at the biller site, or at some
other site designated by the biller.
- The client proxy system stores the bill summary information.
Viewing Bills:
- Customers view their bill summaries using the client proxy system's
presentment services.
- Customers can click a bill detail URL to view the detail information for their
bills, which are hosted at the iBP site.
Bill Data Export Using OFX File Server Support
Alternatively, you can FTP the bill data to client proxy systems in OFX
format.
