Table Manager 4.5
The
Table Manager provides a simple way to manage actuarial tables in
electronic form, and to use those tables from inside Microsoft Excel.
Version 4.5 builds on version 4.0 by supporting two new table
layouts - Continuance tables and the Generational tables. As
in the past, typical select and
ultimate tables are also handled with ease.
Version 4.5 includes not only the Excel add-in, but also includes items that had been part of earlier versions but were not included in version 4.0. There is a separate stand-alone program that can be used to manage a database of tables from outside of Excel. Also, there is documentation of the software API, so that other software developers can incorporate the table manager as a software module in their own programs if they wish.
The add-in for Microsoft Excel provides three main areas of functionality:
- Excel worksheet functions that retrieve values from tables in a database. These functions can be used in worksheet formulas so that values from actuarial tables can be used in formulas without requiring the tables or values to be entered directly into the worksheet.
- A menu of actions to enable management of the database, including creating tables, updating tables, viewing tables, and so on.
- Additional menu items to facilitate use and migration of databases developed for the previous version of Table Manager.
The stand-alone program provides the same capabilities through its own independent user interface, but of course does not include the Excel worksheet functions.
The API documentation is for developers that wish to provide table manager functionality by using a .NET assembly. The assembly has been made accessible through COM.
Note that version 4.5 continues the use of the XTbML file format. An article in our News and Opinions page discusses some of the challenges and design decisions that must be made when developing software to use XTbML tables in actuarial calculations.
Download version 4.5 of the Table Manager add-in for Microsoft Excel here:
Installation for 32-bit Excel (both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows)
The links above are Windows installers. After a series of dialog boxes, the installer will install the following files under \Program Files\Blufftop\TableMgr\. Most users will only need to know about the first two files listed.
| File | Description |
| TableManager.exe | The stand-alone Table Manager program. |
| XtbmlLib.xla | The Excel add-in for use in most situations |
| XtbmlLib32.xla | The Excel add-in for use only when running 32-bit Excel under under 64-bit Windows |
| TM45_Help.chm | User help file for the Table Manager. |
| TM45 Read Me.txt | Read me file providing notes on the installation. |
| XtbmlLib.chm | API documentation for the Table Manager. |
| XtbmlLib.dll | Software module for Table Manager 4.5 |
| XtbmlLib.tlb | Type library for Table Manager 4.5 |
| TblMgr3Lib.dll | Software module for Table Manager 3 (old database format). |
| TblMgr3Lib.tlb | Type library for Table Manager 3 (old database format). |
Note: When installing for 32-bit Excel under 64-bit Windows, the installation is under the \Program Files (x86)\Blufftop\TableMgr\ folder, and you should use the add-in file named XtbmlLib32.xla.
The installation also creates a sample database of over 100 tables from the Society of Actuaries database. The sample database is installed in the folder C:\Blufftop\Tables\Society of Actuaries. Additional tables can be obtained from the Society of Actuaries at mort.soa.org. To use tables downloaded from that site, specify the XML format for download and place the downloaded files in the folder with other tables, then use the program menu option to "Update the index of tables".
History
The Table Manager was originally created in 1995 as a project of the Computer Science Section (now the Technology Section) of the Society of Actuaries. Before that time there was no standard file format and no standard software interface for the tables commonly used in actuarial work. Tables were typically published on paper and typed into various systems by hand.
The Table Manager project provided not only a well-defined electronic format for tables and an object-oriented software interface, a large database of tables was made publicly available through efforts of members of the Computer Science Section.
Version 2.0
The original Table Manager was written for Windows 3.0, which was a 16-bit operating system. in 1999, Blufftop Software Development upgraded the Table Manager to version 2.0, which targets 32-bit Windows platforms such as Windows 95 and newer.
An Excel add-in version of the Table Manager was introduced in connection with version 2.0. The add-in provides all the functionality of the Table Manager through additions to the Excel top menu, and also provides Excel worksheet functions that retrieve table values from the database.
Version 3.0
In 2001-2002, the International Section of the Society of Actuaries initiated an effort to expand the database of tables to include many from countries outside the US. In connection with this effort, Blufftop Software Development upgraded the software to version 3.0, mainly to facilitate categorization and lookup of tables in the significantly expanded database.
XTbML
The Technology Section worked with ACORD to develop a variant of XML called XTbML, which can be used to encode the tables in the Table Manager database. This was done to make the database available outside the Windows user community. That work is summarized at this link.
XTbML is a means of encoding a single table, not a database. In addition, it is designed to facilitate display of the table, not electronic retrieval of values. It allows for tables that do not contain values for every age, for example, without defining or providing a software interface to values for the intervening ages.
Version 4.0
In 2011, the Society of Actuaries decided to adopt XTbML as the format in which its database of tables would be mainatained. Given the size and importance of that database, Blufftop Software Development undertook an effort to implement a software interface for tables in XTbML form. The first result is version 4.0 of the Excel add-in, which has now been released.