CSMS Message: 99-000323

** THE IMPACT OF ALPHA NUMBERING ON THE DAILY STATEMENTS **

LAST WEEK (APRIL 26, 1999), WE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM IN OUR STATEMENT
PROCESSING PROGRAM. AS A RESULT, THE ACS SYSTEM PROCESSED TWO DAYS
WORTH OF STATEMENTS ON ONE DAY, RESULTING IN THE GENERATION OF OVER
999 STATEMENTS IN ONE PORT. BECAUSE OF A SIMILAR PROBLEM OVER THE
CHRISTMAS 1998 HOLIDAY, WE IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO INCORPORATE A
PROGRAMMING CHANGE TO ACCOMMODATE THE GENERATION OF OVER 999 STATEMENTS
IN A GIVEN PORT ON A SINGLE DAY. THIS CHANGE IN THE SEQUENCING OF THE
STATEMENT NUMBER (LAST 3 POSITIONS) IS OUTLINED IN ADMIN MESSAGE
99-0279, AND ALLOWS FOR THE STATEMENT SEQUENCE NUMBER TO INCLUDE AN
ALPHA CHARACTER, WHEN THE STATEMENT NUMBER EXCEEDS 999, PER PORT, PER DAY.

STATEMENTS CONTAINING AN ALPHA CHARACTER IN THE SEQUENCE NUMBER
SHOULD NOT OCCUR UNLESS THE NUMBER OF STATEMENTS IN A PORT ON
A GIVEN DAY EXCEEDS 999. CURRENTLY, THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES
HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF STATEMENTS GENERATED IN A PORT ON ANY
GIVEN DAY (APPROXIMATELY 800). WITH THIS IN MIND, IT IS NOT
ANTICIPATED THAT THE STATEMENTS WILL EXCEED 999 IN THE NEAR FUTURE,
UNLESS TWO DAYS WORTH OF STATEMENTS ARE ERRONEOUSLY RUN TOGETHER.
AS A RESULT, THIS SITUATION SHOULD PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL TIME NEEDED FOR
OUR TRADE PARTICIPANTS TO INCORPORATE THESE PROGRAMMING MODIFICATIONS,
AS OUTLINED IN ADMIN MESSAGE 99-0279, TO HANDLE THE ALPHA NUMERIC
NUMBERING SEQUENCE. WE URGE OUR VENDORS AND SELF-PROGRAMMING CLIENTS
TO MAKE AND IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAMMING CHANGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

WE REALIZE THAT WE HAVE NOT PROVIDED THE NORMAL 90 DAY NOTICE AS
PROMISED, AND WE APOLOGIZE. WE ARE WORKING HARD TO ENSURE THAT
THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MESSAGE, PLEASE
CONTACT YOUR CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE.

THANK YOU.