DSD News Archive

View all our company news and investigative reports complied by our DSD team.

Data Service Bulletin Archive

 

DSD alert: Possible Data Delay, 8 April 2010 IMPORTANT MESSAGE  This message is part of Vestdata’s commitment to informing its valued clients if there is a known technical issues or threats. You may experience a delay to the data distribution tonight due to third party technical issues out of our control. We have taken appropriate steps to ensure continuation of our service and have been in constant contact with the provider regarding the matter. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience that may occur. Regards, Data Services Division Vestdata±

Daylight Savings change this weekend, 1 April 2010 This message is part of Vestdata’s commitment to informing its valued clients if there is a known technical issues or threats. Daylight Savings in Australia is coming in to play this coming weekend, on Sunday April 4th 2010. As a result, some of our clients may experience troubles connecting to the Vestdata download service. Most computers will activate the daylight savings change automatically, and this may not effect you. If however this does not happen, you will need to check and change the time and date on your computer, commonly putting it back one hour. For more information about the Australian time zones, please view this Australian Governement web page. If when attempting to download the data and you experience one of the following errors of "Problem Contacting Host. Message Expired At least one timestamp has expired.” or “Problem Contacting Host. An error was discovered processing the Header”, you will need to change your time and date settings and also confirm your time zone settings are correct. If you have any problems or need to match the time and date, please ring us on 03 9798 9611 during business hours. Vestdata recommends keeping your computer up to date and receiving all of the latest Microsoft Windows updates. Clients who's computers already have the latest Microsoft updates, are unlikely to experience any problems. There is help available at the Microsoft website for adjusting your computer's clock. Regards, Data Services Division Vestdata±

Easter Weekend, 30 March 2010 Dear Valued Clients, Please note that the Vestdata office will be closed during the Easter period. Our office will be closed on Good Friday, April 2th, and Easter Monday, April 5th, for the Easter public holidays re-opening on Tuesday the 6th of April, 2010. From all the staff here, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you, your staff, family and friends a safe and happy Easter. Regards, The Vestdata± Team

Important Notice, 26 March 2010 IMPORTANT MESSAGE This message is part of Vestdata’s commitment to informing its valued clients if there is a known technical issues or threats. One of Vestdata’s servers experienced an unexpected outage last night causing a delay in the data being processed. Files are currently being distributed to valued clients. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience or concern that this may cause.

Possible data delay, 8 February 2010 Vestdata is experiencing connection issues to its web host and would like to inform clients of a potential delay in the data dissemination tonight. The technical problem is beyond the control of Vestdata with support staff working closely with telecommunications suppliers. Vestdata would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to its valuable clients. Vestdata IT staff are monitoring the situation and although no delays in the quality of service are expected any issues will be handled expediently.

Vestdata Holidays and News, 22 December 2009 Christmas is only days away, and as we all get ready to spend time with family and friends, there's a few things we'd like to quickly mention. Firstly, the VESTDATA Team wish you a safe Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 2009 has seen many 'highs and lows' within the finance markets and we trust you have all faired well and are looking forward to 2010. We'd also like to thank you for the kind notes of thanks and emails we receive during the year. We appreciate your thoughts and we'd like to make special mention of them, and would like to thank you for allowing us to service you. The other thing is to let you know of our operating hours over the Christmas break. Christmas 2009 and New Year 2010 VESTDATA will officially be closing our Sales and Administration departments from 1pm on Thursday 24th December 2009 through the Christmas and New Year Period, reopening on Monday 4th January 2010. Even though data will continue to be distributed and monitored as normal, please note that our DSD and Support departments will also be taking a well deserved break during this Christmas and New Year period. During this time, we recommend logging in to our website for additional documentation if you need help. Normal business hours (9am to 5:00pm AEST) will resume from Monday 4th January 2010. Kind regards, The VESTDATA Team

DSD alert: Daylight Savings, 2 October 2009 This message is part of Vestdata’s commitment to informing its valued clients if there is a known technical issues or threats. Daylight Savings in Australia is coming in to play this coming weekend, on Sunday October 4th 2009. As a result, some of our clients may experience troubles connecting to the Vestdata download service. Most computers will activate the daylight savings change automatically, and this may not effect you. If however this does not happen, you will need to check and change the time and date on your computer, commonly putting it forward one hour. If when attempting to download the data and you experience one of the following errors of "Problem Contacting Host. Message Expired At least one timestamp has expired.” or “Problem Contacting Host. An error was discovered processing the Header”, you will need to change your time and date settings. If you have any problems or need to match the time and date, please ring us on 03 9768 9611 during business hours. Vestdata recommends keeping your computer up to date and receiving all of the latest Microsoft Windows updates. Clients who's computers already have the latest Microsoft updates, are unlikely to experience any problems. There is help available at the Microsoft website for adjusting your computer's clock if you are using Windows Vista, or if you would like to see a screen cast for Windows XP, view this link for help. Regards, Data Services Division Vestdata±

New Product Launch: Introducing monitormysuper, 22 September 2009 Vestdata± is pleased to announce the launch of its Individual Client Account Monitoring (ICAM) strategy solution; monitormysuper. Developed over 3 years at the request and in conjunction with leading industry experts, the ICAM strategy solution has received “all the right ticks” from Accountants, Advisers, Financial Planners and their clients. For clients with a current AFSL number please follow this link for further information. To ensure your superannuation investment is running according to plan we created a ‘Snapshot Report’ giving you that all important financial health check. By working with your Adviser you will be able to select a percentage threshold +/- that will trigger an instant ‘Snapshot Report’ that you receive, complete with graphics, count down to retirement, suggestions to consider and a direct link to your Adviser if you have any questions. When used with our online risk solution ‘Vest Profiler’ both you and your Adviser will never be left wondering what is happening or what action to take. Benefits include: Competitive Analysis of Key Performance Positioning of your retirement planning Transparency of intent, desire of financial outcomes Instant 1, 3 & 5 year graphical performance of funds Fully customisable ‘trigger points’ for auto alert functions Development of Key messaging that aligns with your strategy Retain Total control on all aspects of the ICAM solution To find out more about our ICAM strategy “monitormysuper”, please visit our website : www.monitormysuper.com.au

Downloader service impaired, 11 September 2009 Our host is currently experiencing some issues, which may cause downloads using our Internet Downloader to fail. They are working to fix the problem. Meanwhile, professional clients can download data by logging in to our website at www.vestdata.com and clicking on Downloads. Retail users can get their data file by sending an email request to data@vestdata.com.

Queen's Birthday Public Holiday, 4 June 2009 Please note that the Vestdata office will be closed on Monday June 8th, 2009 due to the public holiday for the Queen's Birthday. There will be no interuption to your data feed, but please note support will not be available on that day. Vestdata will re-open for business on Tuesday the 9th of June, 2009. From all the staff here, we would like to wish you a safe and happy long weekend.

New Data Feed Format, 20 May 2009 Vestdata is excited to release a new data format for it's existing clients using the BGL Simple/Fund Invest programs from Monday 25th May. What does this mean for you and why add a new data format? In keeping with the trends of computing, Vestdata created the new XML feed to be 100% compatible with recent additions of BGL's new import format. The new Vestdata format will make future enhancements and data importation more efficient. Is this going to change anything? Nothing will change in the way you download data and all procedures will remain the same. The only difference you will see is two files shown for the same date in the price lists tab. Clients will have the option of either the older format or the new XML format. You can load either date if you wish, however we suggest loading the new XML file as the prefered option. Image showing the new file format. What about historical data? All clients will be able to download current data in the new format. Historic data will still be available in the old format, however it will be available in the new format on request. What if I am importing the feed for Desktop Super or another package? You will still receive the current data feed and be able to import it the same way. Nothing will change for you. If you require any clarification on this matter please feel free to contact our customer service department on 03 9768 9611.

Support Email Outage, 29 April 2009 This message is part of Vestdata’s commitment to informing its valued clients if there is a known technical issues or threats. Vestdata is experiencing a delay with all incoming email communications. Clients are therefore advised to contact Vestdata by telephone on 03 9768 9611 if they require immediate assistance. Vestdata’s email provider has advised us of unforseen technical issues which has affected 70% of its customer base. These issues are currently being worked on by them. This issue is out of Vestdata’s control, and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern that this may cause.

Easter Weekend, 7 April 2009 Please note that the Vestdata office will be closed during the Easter period. Our office will be closed on Good Friday, April 10th, and Easter Monday, April 13th, for the Easter public holidays re-opening on Tuesday the 14th of April, 2009. From all the staff here, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you, your staff, family and friends a safe and happy Easter.

Important message for BGL clients regarding data support, 6 April 2009 Simple facts for data support for BGL Clients It has come to attention that many clients have been told that BGL will no-longer be offering data support to clients who use our data. The simple fact of the matter is that since 2002 (when we commenced data compatibility with BGL solutions) we have always been responsible for the support of our data into the BGL solutions. Has anything changed? NO, we still maintain ALL support for our data into BGL solutions. Is our data compatible with BGL solutions? YES and we are committed to ensure that the high quality data that we provide will continue to be compatible with BGL solutions. We have a complete R&D team that monitors ALL software upgrades from ALL the vendors we support to ensure that users of any of the selected software solutions are supported. Do we charge for support? NO, we never have charged for any support issues that you may have and remain committed to the belief that “…clients should not have to pay for support when using our services”. Should you be concerned about support? NO, if you experience any issues with the compatibility of the data and the BGL solution please contact our support team who will be more than willing to answer any questions you have. What if you are not happy with your current solution? We are not software vendors, we only specialise in data thus giving us an independent position on software solutions. We can however refer you to other vendors who may have a better tool for you to use in your business.

Daylight Saving, 31 March 2009 This message is part of Vestdata’s commitment to informing its valued clients if there is a known technical issues or threats. Daylight Savings in Australia is coming in to play this coming weekend, on Sunday April 5th 2009. As a result, some of our clients may experience troubles connecting to the Vestdata download service. Most computers will activate the daylight savings change automatically, and this may not effect you. If however this does not happen, you will need to check and change the time and date on your computer, commonly putting it back one hour. If when attempting to download the data and you experience one of the following errors of "Problem Contacting Host. Message Expired At least one timestamp has expired.” or “Problem Contacting Host. An error was discovered processing the Header”, you will need to change your time and date settings. If you have any problems or need to match the time and date, please ring us on 03 9768 9611 during business hours. Vestdata recommends keeping your computer up to date and receiving all of the latest Microsoft Windows updates. Clients who's computers already have the latest Microsoft updates, are unlikely to experience any problems. There is help available at the Microsoft website for adjusting your computer's clock.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE, 20 March 2009 IMPORTANT MESSAGE  This message is part of Vestdata’s commitment to informing its valued clients if there is a known technical issues or threats. Vestdata’s web hosting provider (WebCentral) has advised us of unforseen technical issues at their server end. As a result, all Vestdata clients are effected and may experience problems trying to download data using the website service and also the Internet Downloader. Clients are advised to contact Vestdata if they require the data to be emailed to them. We have taken appropriate steps to ensure continuation of our service and have been in constant contact with WebCentral regarding the matter.  These issues are current being worked on by WebCentral. Due to this issue being out of Vestdata’s control, we apologise in advance for any inconvenience or concern that this may cause .

Victorian Labour Day, 5 March 2009 Please note that the office will be closed on Monday 9th of March for the Victorian Labour Day public holiday. The data will be available at the usual time however. Vestdata will re-open for business on Tuesday the 10th of March, 2009.

Vestdata Holidays and News, 3 December 2008 Dear Client, Well it’s hard to believe that 2008 is coming to an end and after the effects of the current world downturn, many of you will be looking forward to your Christmas functions and catching up with family and friends. At Vestdata we wil be doing the same hence why we are sending you this email. Here’s some important things you need to be aware of; VESTDATA Christmas Function VESTDATA will be closed from 3:30pm on Thursday 11th December for the Annual Christmas event, normal operating hours will resume on Friday 12th December from 9.00am Christmas 2008 and New Year 2009 VESTDATA will officially be closing our Sales and Administration departments from 1pm on Wednesday 24th December 2008 through the Christmas and New Year Period, reopening on Monday 5th January 2009. During this time our DSD and Support departments will be operational during normal business hours on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th, Wednesday 31st December they shall be closing at 1pm and Friday 2nd January from 9am to 4pm.  Vestdata moves to New Offices During the past week we have moved to new offices and now have a new main number, 03 9768 9611 so up-date your phone contact address with the new number for any support or sales calls. Normal business hours (9am to 5:00pm AEST) will resume from Monday 5th January 2009. The VESTDATA Team wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We look forward to working with you in 2009.

Vestdata is moving, 27 November 2008 Vestdata is on the move and is happy to announce that as of the 1st of December, our new address and contact details are as follows: Vestdata±™ Street Address: Unit 6, 68-70 Old Princes Hwy, Beaconsfield, Vic, 3807 Postal Address: PO Box 422, Beaconsfield, Vic, 3807 Ph: + 61 3 9768 9611 Fax: + 61 3 9796 2088 Email: info@vestdata.com We encourage you to update your address book at this time, so that after the 1st of December your can still reach us. Until the 1st of December, you can only reach us at our Mt Waverley office. While all due care has been taken to limit downtime and minimize the effects on customers, limited phone support service may be experienced during this time. Vestdata is committed to supplying quality data on time during the moving process. As we are moving our servers, Vestdata has implemented a disaster recovery plan, and has taken all appropriate measures to ensure that no disruption to our data streams will be encountered. Please accept our apologies in the event that you may experience any issues.

SERVICE BULLETIN ALERT, 21 June 2008 *Questionable conduct by new data vendor* Clients are advised to exercise due care when being solicited with 'cheap' low cost solutions as many clients have reported to us that they have been misled on what they would receive. Some of these vendors have even put in writing their offer using ambiguous terms that do not clearly set out the data feed. DSD (Data Solutions Division) has investigated the matter and working with our wholesalers offer this explanation so as to ease any confusion that clients may experience. Click for more information. Managed Funds Data * End of Month (Daily Feed) Vs Daily Data Feed * To ensure clients are accessing the correct data, based on their needs please read the following explanation of each service as defined by the data wholesaler. * End of Month - Daily data feed (EOM) * An EOM data feed for managed funds is data reported by fund managers at the end of each month NOT daily reporting or fund price movement. Example: Some fund manages may only report price movement every 6 weeks and in this case the data would be made available on the following month. The delivery of the data to the vendor is made available daily but this does not mean the fund movement is reported daily. Many vendors access this type of data as it is based on a lower cost base and promote it as a true daily data feed, which it is not. * Daily Data Feed (DDF) * A DDF is a true daily data feed where all managed funds are reported when ALL actions/movements has occurred on the day it occurs. DDF data is both a higher value and more instant picture of the funds movement resulting in no downtime or delays. * Suggested Action to be taken * To receive a true daily data feed and NOT a simple End of Month daily data feed please contact our customer service department who will confirm the exact type of data feed you are being offered and compare its structure to the industry daily data feed definition. In addition to this we advise clients to REQUEST A SAMPLE FILE to ensure you are not being misled - Don't be fooled... not all Data is the same. If you require any clarification on this matter please feel free to contact our customer service department on 03 9544 6200.