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Your question is still unanswered? Contact our technical support team. Also, you may download the Analyst's User Guide that is available in the Client Access section on this site. 1. System RequirementsHardware - Personal computer: P.C., desktop or laptop with at least a 600 MHz processor (Pentium II recommended).
- Computer monitors or screen: Either colour or grey scale with a minimum resolution of 800 x 600 (SVGA) (1024 x 768 (XGA) or better recommended).
- Memory required: Minimum of 256 Mb.
- Hard disk space: 120 megabytes free (120 Mb).
- Pointing device: Microsoft compatible mouse or tracking device.
- Printing: Printer with a 300 dpi resolution minimum. (Colour printing capability recommended for graphics.)
- Modem: high speed recommended
Software Microsoft Windows 98, NT, 2000 or XP. Please be advised that we currently do not support the Vista operating system. 2. Correlation option not working| Q. | I want to use the Correlation Analysis, but when trying to select the fund, nothing works, why? | | A. | Because the fund must have at least three years of history for a correlation analysis to be performed. |
3. Data Import| Q. | What are the technical specifications for the data import functions? | | A. | The Equisoft Import format is an XML file with informations regarding the investor, his/her spouse and their assets. The following documents provide details about the format: - Description and sample (Import Format.pdf).
- XML Schema (Import.xsd)
Should you need any assistance, contact us. |
| Q. | Where can I find the import files? | | A. | It depends on the platform type that is used in your office. The easiest way is to contact the representative for your back office system or your technical support service. These resources will help you find the files on your computer or help you to get the files over a network or the web. |
| Q. | During the import process, I can't go further than the Import File Account Match step. How come? | | A. | The import procedure allows the importation of client accounts, but in the case where's no account are in the client's file, the import cannot be done. |
4. Data sharing via network| Q. | I want to share my data over a network, but I systematically receive an error message or a connection window that ask me to specify the data path even if I have already specified the location. How can this problem been solved? | | A. | To be able to share the data over a network, you must change the data path. However, you might need to copy the file called system.mda (from the Analyst directory) and paste it on the network directory. |
| Q. | I followed the previous instructions including copying the system.mda file and I still can't share my data, what I can do? | | A. | There is a possibility that your database is corrupted. Go to the Analyst directory and click on the file clean.exe, then change the data path. The problem should be corrected. |
5. Data Update| Q. | How can I make sure I have the most recent data in the application? | | A. | The current version of the Analyst and the date of the last data update (shown in parenthesis in the format dd-mm-yyyy) are displayed in the title bar of the application. |
| Q. | How do I update the data used in the Analyst? | | A. | The most recent data update of Asset Allocation Analyst (also called The Analyst) is located on the application's web site. You can easily update your data files by following the download instructions below: Download instructions: On this web site, click on the Client Access link, on the upper right corner of the page. In the login window, enter your User ID and password that are provided upon purchase of the software license and click OK. The next window is your personal download page. Check the date of expiration of your annual license and your personal information. You can modify any of this information by clicking the Modify Profile link to the right. The lower part of the page has 3 buttons. To know which one corresponds to the operation you need to be performed, answer the interactive questionnaire. You can also click on one of the 3 buttons to access directly the option needed. In our case, click on Software and Data Upgrade and then click the Update button. A software + data upgrade instruction page appears. Once you have read the information, click on the Upgrade button at the bottom of the page. A File Download box will appear. You will be asked to choose between opening the program from your computer (not recommended) or saving the program on a specific directory (strongly recommended). If you choose Open: The program will be saved to a temporary directory on your computer, and the installation process will start automatically. If you choose Save: In the Save As window that appears, select the directory that is displayed by default or specify a new one. We suggest you save it to your Desktop, as it is the easiest place to find your file after the download. -
When the download is complete, go to your Desktop (or wherever you specified to save the file) and double-click the Setup[date].exe icon to start the update.
Once the update begins, screens will appear with instructions for you to follow. Enter any required information and click the Next button to go to the next screen. When the installation is complete, an Update completed box will appear. Click the Finish button.
Refer to the first section of the User Guide entitled Program Management, for more detailed instructions. |
6. Error messages while using the software| Q. | I receive an error message when trying to open a session: You have encountered error 13 (Type mismatch) in procedure modPortfolioFonctions.RefreshAssetDistribution. How can I correct the situation? | | A. | This message appears if there is a fund in a client account that doesn't exist anymore in the database. You must delete that fund and replace it by an existing fund. Here is what causes the error: To calculate the distribution for an account, funds must be associated to a specific asset class; a fund that doesn't exist anymore is under an undefined class. |
| Q. | I receive an error message when trying to create a new client: You have encountered error 13 (Type mismatch) in procedure frmWisard.SetStep. How can I correct the situation? | | A. | This problem appears with some version of Windows. To solve that problem, you must go to the Control Panel, under Regional Options and change the default language to French (France) (don't forget to click on Apply). Then, go back and re-select the original language(and click on Apply) and you should be able to create new clients. Most of the time, this problem is related to Windows XP. |
7. Installation| Q. | I am installing Asset Allocation Analyst for the first time. How do I proceed? | | A. | The latest version of Asset Allocation Analyst (also called the Analyst) is located in the Client Access section of this web site. You download the 'setup' file to your PC and then run the installation. The following steps describe the basic procedure. Download and installation steps: On this web site, click on the Client Access link, on the upper right corner of the page. In the login window, enter your User ID and password that are provided upon purchase of the software license and click OK. The next window is your personal download page. Check the date of expiration of your annual license and your personal information. You can modify any of this information by clicking the Modify Profile link to the right. The lower part of the page has 3 buttons. To know which one corresponds to the operation you need to be performed, answer the interactive questionnaire. You can also click on one of the 3 buttons to access directly the option needed. In our case, click on First Time Installation and then click the Installation button. A software installation instruction page appears. Once you have read the information, click on the installation button. You will be asked to choose between opening the program from your computer (not recommended) or saving the program on a specific directory (strongly recommended). If you choose Open: The program will be saved to a temporary file on your computer, and the installation process will start automatically. If you choose Save: In the Save As window that appears, select the directory that is displayed by default or specify a new one. We suggest you save it to your Desktop, as it is the easiest place to find your file after the download. When the download is complete, go to your Desktop (or wherever you specified to save the file) and double-click the SetupX.X.exe icon to start the installation.
Once the installation begins, screens will appear with instructions for you to follow. Enter any required information and click the Next button to go to the next screen. When the installation is complete, an Update completed box will appear. Click the Finish button.
Refer to the first section of the User Guide entitled Program Management, for more detailed instructions. |
8. Matrix of Returns| Q. | How come, in the Asset Mix screen, the return on investment in a Worst-case situation is sometimes higher than the Best-case return? | | A. | These numbers are calculated based on the Matrix of Returns estimates (Figures menu, Matrix of Returns). The estimated returns for the 6 asset classes in each of the three economic outlook scenarios (Worst case - very bad stock markets, Best case - very good stock markets, and Most Likely) are applied proportionally to the Benchmark, Custom and Suggested portfolio allocation on your (Asset Mix) screen, giving an overall estimated return for that portfolio allocation in each economic scenario. (A description of each economic scenario can be viewed by clicking the 'Comments' button on the bottom left of the Matrix of Returns box.) Depending on the objective of your investor (aggressive, conservative, short or long term etc) the corresponding asset class allocations will react differently to the various economic scenarios. Example: A portfolio heavily weighted in fixed income will not fare favorably in Best case (good stock market) economic scenarios, as (matrix of return) estimates will show high returns for stocks and low returns for bonds, which when applied to that portfolio will show a poor return overall. An aggressive high stock content allocation will have high positive returns in that same Best case scenario. |
9. Modification of Personal Profile| Q. | I have a new email address. Should I modify my personal information? | | A. | Yes, it is important that your personal information be up to date in the Analyst. The information (name, title, company, etc.) is displayed in the cover page of the reports that are generated with the application. Secondly, your username contains your email address, and is required to access the client access section for the software and data upgrades. Also you are advised of any new developments (data updates, software upgrades) regarding the Analyst by email. Please update your personal information whenever changes occur. How to update your personal information: Click on the Client Access link. Your personal information will be displayed in the upper section of your Client Access page. Check the profile for possible errors. If you want to modify information, click on the Modify Personal Information link. In the form that appears, type in the appropriate modifications. When your changes are complete, click on the Update button to save the new data or on the Reset button to return the form to its initial status. The newly modified information will be displayed in the upper section of your Client Access page.
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10. Number of users by license| Q. | How many users can share the same license? | | A. | Each advisor must purchase a separate license to use the Analyst. One license entitles you to install the software on several PCs for your own use or for your assistants'. Upcoming versions of the Analyst will be protected by an activation key, which will encode the advisor information being printed on the reports. |
11. Software Backup and Reinstallation| Q. | What must be saved in order to retrieve my client files should I have a problem with my PC? | | A. | In the installation directory of the Analyst (usually "C:\Program Files\Analyst"), two files must be saved as backup: Investor.mdb and Funds.mdb. Those files contain your client files and the current list of funds. A third file, Models.mdb, should be backed up if the user has made changes to the funds in the benchmark portfolios. If you are working on a network, you can save a copy of the files on a shared drive. It is possible that your network administrator makes backup copies of your files, check with the people responsible for the technical support at your firm. Otherwise, you can either copy the files on a CD-ROM or a diskette (in the case of the diskette, it would be necessary to zip the files by using one of the utility programs available on the market). |
| Q. | How do I transfer my client files to my new PC? | | A. | First, install the Analyst on your new PC (see Installation in this page). Then, in the installation directory of the Analyst (usually "C:\Program Files\Analyst"), replace the two files, Investor.mdb, Funds.mdb and possibly Models.mdb, by the backup files you had previously made (see the previous question). |
12. Software Upgrade| Q. | How do I know which version of Asset Allocation Analyst is installed on my computer? | | A. | Go to the Asset Allocation Analyst menu, select Help, then About. |
| Q. | How do I replace the version of the Analyst that is currently installed on my PC, by the new version? | | A. | You must proceed as if you were installing the software for the first time (see Installation in this page). When the installation software is run on your hard disk, it overwrites any previous version of the program but will keeps all of your data (your client and fund files). |
| Q. | Do I have to install a new version of the software when I receive an email that tells me that a new version is available? | | A. | The email specifies the modifications brought to the new version. That way, you can decide to download the new version or not. One thing to know before making any decision is: If you have any problem with your current version, downloading the new version is the surest way to solve the problem. |
13. Suggestions regarding the software| Q. | I want to give my impression about the software or make suggestions about features that may improve the software, how can I do so? | | A. | We would be pleased to receive your comments about Asset Allocation Analyst. Before contacting us, please ensure that you have the latest version of the software installed. Then, send us an e-mail (info@assetallocationanalyst.com) or call our toll free number 1-866-790-3141. |
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