Setting Up a Table Lookup Alias

To set up a table lookup alias, use the Table Lookup Alias component (TABLE_LOOKUP).

Page Name

Definition Name

Usage

Setting Up a Table Lookup Alias

PA_TBL_LOOKUP

Set up a table lookup alias for searching a table.

Use the Table Lookup Alias page (PA_TBL_LOOKUP) to set up a table lookup alias for searching a table.

Navigation:

Set Up HCM > Product Related > Pension > Variable Definitions > Table Lookup Alias > Table Lookup Alias

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Table Lookup Alias page.

Table Lookup Alias page

Field or Control

Description

Table Name

Enter the name of the table that stores the information you want to search. The table name must begin with PS_PA_TL_.

Table Name

Field or Control

Description

One Dimensional or Two Dimensional

Select One Dimensional to look up the result based on a single lookup value—for example, to look up the social security retirement age, based on the date of birth.

Select Two Dimensional to look up the result based on two lookup values—for example, to look up the factor that converts a single life annuity to joint and survivor, based on both the participant age and the beneficiary age.

Lookup Values

Field or Control

Description

Use Alias

Select to indicate a regular table lookup, which looks up information once.

Program Generated

Select to indicate a program-generated table lookup, which looks up information for each period.

Interpolation Method

Select Higher, Linear, Lower, or Nearest as the method for handling intermediate values on a table.

For example, for the following social security retirement age table, select Lower. To look up the SSRA for someone born August 16, 1944, you would find the next lowest value on the table, January 1, 1938, and use the associated SSRA.

Birth Date

SSRA

December 31, 1937

65

December 31, 1954

66

December 31, 1955

67

In another example, for the following hours-to-service table select Linear. Then 1000 hours is worth .5 years of service. If you use any other interpolation method, you probably need additional rows in the table.

Hours

Service

500

.25

2000

1.00

Lookup Value is Below Minimum and Lookup Value is Above Maximum

Each or these group boxes offers a choice between taking the lowest (or highest) value and ending the calculation with an error. For the SSRA example, select Use Minimum Value and Use Maximum Value. For other tables, you might select Error - End Calculation.

Lookup Value Aliases

For a regular table lookup—that is, if you choose Use Alias to find the lookup values—you have to specify the lookup value aliases. To look up SSRA, the lookup basis is the employee's birth date, accessed through the database alias BIRTH_DT. The same principle applies to all table lookups that are not program generated: The lookup basis is always another alias. If you set up a one-dimensional table, you only specify a value in Lookup Value 1 Alias. If you are setting up a two-dimensional table, you also need to specify a value in Lookup Value 2 Alias.

Options

Field or Control

Description

Numeric Rounding

Select the rounding method the system is to use if the lookup produces a number:

  • None: Numbers are truncated after the specified number of decimals.

  • NumRndUp: Numbers are rounded up or down, based on the following decimal position.

The following table compares the behavior of the two rounding settings. These examples assume that the final value has two decimal positions.

Number

No Rounding (Always Truncates)

Round Up (Rounds Up or Down)

5.444

5.44

5.44

5.555

5.55

5.56

5.666

5.66

5.67

Field or Control

Description

Decimal Positions

For both numeric rounding options, None and NumRndUp, enter the number of decimal positions.

Date Rounding

Select a date rounding method if the lookup produces a date.