Two Processes for Sending and Loading Data

Billers may send their bill data to iBP as ASCII files, which you load using the SQL*Loader, or in OFX format over HTTP. The data loading method affects your system performance. The information below describes and compares these two data loading methods.

Two Acceptable Formats

Billers may have legacy bill data from various sources and in a variety of formats. To load this data into the iBP system, the biller or the site administrator must translate the bill data into one or the other of the following formats:

If necessary, this can be done using third-party translators or extractors.

File-based Loading Using the SQL*Loader

The SQL*Loader is a database utility that is part of Oracle 8.0. It loads data from external files into tables in an Oracle database. If the biller's data is in the form of ASCII files or printstream:

1. The biller converts its bill data to a specific ASCII file format customized for iBP.
2. The biller sends its bill data to your iBP site in this ASCII format.
3. You process and load the data directly into the database using the SQL*Loader.

HTTP-based Loading Using OFX

OFX (Open Financial Exchange) is a standard method for exchanging financial data and instructions between customers and financial institutions over HTTP connections on the internet. OFX enables institutions to connect directly to their customers or to other institutions without any intermediaries. It uses widely accepted open standards for data formatting, connectivity, and security.

If the biller's data is already in OFX format, the biller may choose not to spend the time on conversion to iBP’s custom format.

1. The biller opens a network connection to the OFX port on the iBP server.
2. The biller sends its bill data, in standard OFX file format, to the OFX processor.
3. When the OFX processor receives the bill data, it automatically opens a connection to the iBP site. It sends an encrypted username and password to initiate a SSL (Secure Socket Link) authorized logon to the iBP application
4. The OFX processor sends the bill data to iBP and then closes the connection to the iBP site.
5. iBP’s OFX processor processes and loads the data.

Comparing the Two Methods

The speed at which you can load bill detail data into iBP depends on which data loading method you use. The SQL*Loader will be your most common method of loading bill data. Billers will use OFX only in cases where their data is already in OFX format for reasons external to their relationship with your organization, or where automation is a higher priority than performance.

Factor	SQL*Loader	OFX
Loading speed and open standards	Using this method, the data transfer takes place locally. The speed of data loading is limited only by the available bandwidth between the file storage device and the iBP staging database. SQL*Loader is the fastest way to store information in the Oracle database.	Data loading using OFX inserts data via the application layer into the staging section of the iBP database. OFX is a more generic, open way to store information into iBP.
Manual intervention required	The site administrator must initiate file transfers using the site administrator interface. Alternatively, someone must set up scheduling software on the file storage device, such as a cron job to schedule recurring data file transfers at recurring intervals.	Automated. Requires no manual intervention once the biller has opened the network connection.

Data Loading Methods Diagram