Classification

Although the sector classification fication field can be left blank, it provides an extremely flexible way to add as much classification information as you require to the current security's definition. Sector fields are of the form

HEADER = VALUE

where HEADER is the name of the class of variables to be assigned, and VALUE is the value of that class for the given security. HEADER and VALUE must always be linked with an '=' sign, but spaces are ignored.

For instance, suppose you wanted to record each security's country, and to have this appear on FIA's reports. (FIA currently records security currencies and yield curves, but not specific countries.) Simply fill this field with the entry

Country = (country name)

where (country name) is the country you want to associate with the current security. The header Country will then appear on reports that list individual securities, and the assigned value for Country will be shown under that heading.

If a country has been set up for some securities but not for others, the value Undefined will be written to those securities that have not have a value assigned.

The field is also available for use by other parts of the program. For instance, if you want to use a custom classification for asset allocation attribution or interactive reports, use one or more header values as the names of the classifications. The attribution and exposure results can then be decomposed by the given values.

The number of categories that can be assigned to a given security is unlimited. To assign multiple categories, write a string of the form

HEADER1 = VALUE1 ¦ HEADER2 = VALUE2 ¦ HEADER3 = VALUE3

where the assignments are separated by a ¦ character. For instance, to declare that a particular security was issued in the US, that its sector is INDUSTRIAL, and its home state is Utah, write the following string to the classification field:

COUNTRY = US ¦ SECTOR = INDUSTRIAL ¦ STATE = UTAH

If a classification is provided for some securities but not for others, its value will be set to UNKNOWN in any reports that use that category.