Custodian interfaces are available at the Professional and Enterprise levels of the software.  These are intended for importing the large volume of data typically associated with the relatively large number of accounts managed by investment professionals.  Some custodians also accept data for import, such as advisor fees and account trades, covered further under the topics Management Fees/Billing and Portfolio Rebalancing.

 

Data for custodian import interfaces typically are downloaded in file form from the custodian or the custodian's clearing firm on a daily or weekly basis.  The download process often will be accomplished using software provided by the custodian or clearing firm.  Once the data is on the Captools/net server it is then imported using the appropriate custodian interface.  Each interface includes a set of instructions appropriate for that custodian.  Before you use each interface you should carefully read those instructions as the type of data provided varies from custodian to custodian, sometimes requiring different procedures.

 

Interface Operation - This section covers the basic operation of Captools/net custodian import interfaces when the imports are manually initiated.  Higher versions of the Pro and Enterprise programs can perform these imports automatically on a scheduled basis as described in the topic

 

Data Initialization - This is a task that needs to be performed when importing data for the first time on already existing accounts.  Generally this is accomplished at the time of data import by indicating that this is an initialization import.

 

Data Reconciliation - This is a task generally performed weekly or monthly to confirm that the Captools/net data that has been imported produces that same share and cash balances as reported by the custodian.  Captools/net provides an easy to use reconciliation table so that you can quickly perform this task.

 

Captools/net and your data privacy - Unlike some portfolio software solutions, Captools Company is NOT a data intermediary. You control the download of your data from your custodian, clearing firm or other data provider direct to your computer.  Once the data is on your computer it can be imported into your Captools/net data base on your computer at a time of your choosing through either a manually triggered import or at a scheduled time.

 

The details of importing data downloaded from custodians varies widely depending upon the custodian you are using.  Some custodians offer more than one format for their data so it is important that you are obtain the correct data before trying to import into Captools/net.  This topic is intended to provide advisory information about imports from specific custodians to assist you in successfully importing their data.  Interfaces for which we have such information are listed below as links upon which you can click to see the relevant information.

 

Important Disclaimer - All Captools/net import interfaces are provided on a "best effort" basis using information provided to us from various sources, including licensees, and in some, but not all cases, by custodians or data providers.  Captools Company generally does not enter into any agreements with custodians in exchange for access to data format information or preferred treatment, as we feel that these typically are intended solely for the benefit of the custodian and data provider and would restrict our flexibility to act in the interest of our licensees. As a consequence, Captools may not appear on some custodian's software providers lists, although in fact support data imports from such providers.  In instances where custodians or data providers have restricted access to data formats and protocols, we have generally been able to maintain support for these data sources using information provided by other sources.

 

Scripting - The details behind the Captools/net custodian import scripting are described in the advanced topic Custodian Import Scripting.