Data Services Platform FAQ

How do I access the new platform?

Access to the new platform will be supported via SMART Click ID. Existing SMART Click IDs will not change and will seamlessly migrate, allowing for access to the new platform. No action is required on the part of existing users.

Are there any changes to my market data agreement as a result of the new platform?

No, there are no changes to your existing agreement with CME as a result of the new platform.

Will there be any changes in billing or invoices?

Yes, in conjunction with launching the new platform, CME Group will improve the monthly billing process. Customers will now receive one invoice per billable account, per billing period. This means that all licensed activity with CME will now be on one invoice. Customers will no longer receive invoices per CME Group Exchange and product set. The consolidated invoice will also include all approved adjustments for prior periods. Service periods will be included on the invoice to facilitate identification and reconciliation of all billed license fees.

Are there any changes to reporting deadlines as a result of the new platform?

No. Reporting deadlines will not change. As a reminder of current policy, reports are due within 30 days after the end of each calendar month, for that month. For example, February inventory reports are due by the end of March.

How will the transition to the new platform affect reporting deadlines?

Key Customer Dates

Will reporting codes change?

Most customers will not have reporting code impacts. However, as a result of functionality in the new platform, CME will be able to reduce the number of reporting codes that customers are required to use. Directly impacted customers will be contacted by their account manager to ensure accurate migration of reporting codes. Additionally, all customers will have the ability to extract their last reported inventory from the new platform, in the new Excel format. This extract will provide customers with their last inventory report including customer specific reporting codes.

​How will the reporting code reduction impact customers who use their own reporting codes?

Customers who utilize their own reporting codes in VARS or VRXML reports may continue to do so. Account managers will reach out to all customers who will experience a reduction in the number of reporting codes. A full list of the code changes will also be posted to this FAQ in March.

Will there be any improvements to the reporting of prior period adjustments?

Yes, we have made several improvements to filing of prior period adjustments. With the new platform, adjustments to prior periods will be accepted within the current period monthly reporting file. Customers must only modify those subscriber inventory records that have a prior period change, instead of submitting an entire file for the period in which the adjustments are being made.

All file submission methods (including manual) accept date of inventory within the current monthly file which will update the identified Subscriber inventory counts for the specified period. Allowing for the submission of adjustments within the current period monthly reporting file will result in much faster and efficient processing of adjustments as customers may submit current period reporting and adjustments in a single file.

Customers may also modify or correct adjustments throughout the course of the month without waiting for the next reporting cycle. Account managers will monitor and review adjustments as they occur, facilitating accuracy on the first submission. This will drastically reduce the number of invoice changes that may have occurred relating to adjustment reporting in the past.

As outlined in the timeline above, to ensure a smooth transition to the new platform, all adjustments for prior periods must be submitted prior to March 15th in DataPoint. After that date, we will need to suspend all adjustments until the new platform is made available in April.

What other improvements and changes should I expect around reporting monthly inventory for my subscribers?

One of the primary changes in reporting monthly inventory is for termination of services at a given Subscriber Location. The new platform will require that Subscriber Locations with active inventory (a count of 1 or more units previously reported) are reported with an inventory count of zero, for the month of termination. If Subscriber Locations that have terminated services are omitted from the reporting file (as previously accepted in CME DataPoint), reporters will be notified that a Subscriber Location was omitted from the file, prompting on the manual screen to either terminate the Service, or leave the active inventory from the previous report. For reports submitted using file upload, an email confirmation will be delivered to the reporter, indicating the omission and the active inventory count that will be accepted. To terminate the Service in this case, reporters will be prompted to re-submit their file with zero (0) inventory counts for that Subscriber Location.

In addition to the online or email notification of the omission, the ability to “Review Prior Reports” is available within the platform. Accessing this functionality, will provide the status of each report submitted, any errors that may have been identified while processing the report, and any omitted services, as described above.

Our goal in implementing this modification is to minimize errors and omissions through smarter reporting and processing, and to help ensure the accuracy and timeliness of reports.

Are there changes to the manual entry reporting process?

Yes, we have made several improvements to the manual entry/GUI based reporting. The new reporting grid has a spreadsheet look and feel that will be intuitive to those familiar with Excel. The reporting grid has a new vertical orientation that is more consistent with the way entitlement data is extracted for reporting.

In addition, exchange level reporting will now be consolidated to one screen/template, enabling the submission of all reporting at the same time. Due to the consolidation of the reporting, navigation through the manual reporting feature will be streamlined, simpler to use and require fewer clicks to complete the monthly reporting requirement.

As with all reporting formats, manual reporting will also support prior period adjustments on a Subscriber Location basis. Customers may now submit all activity within one screen, for both current and past reporting periods by identifying the inventory effective dates on screen at the Subscriber Location level.

The new platform will also support reporting a zero quantity per Subscriber Location. This new functionality will allow for the reduction of inventory counts to zero, without completing removing the Subscriber Location from reporting. This will facilitate Subscriber Location management and reduce the data entry required to add existing Subscriber Locations back in. While manual reporting is dramatically improved, customers should consider leveraging our new auto-generating Excel feature. Through this feature, a customized Excel report, prepopulated with information from the last reported period, is properly formatted and populated for modification and submission. Within this file, customers will also receive a list of all of the approved reporting/license codes on their account including code descriptions and details. Additionally, the file will contain a list of all of the country codes and descriptions, for convenience.

Will the format of the Excel template change?

Yes, based on feedback about the current Excel reporting format, changes will be made to the format of the template. The Excel template will now mirror the manual reporting screens, in using the vertical orientation instead of the columnar/wide orientation used today. Switching to the vertical model will facilitate automation of reporting and reduce the number of errors in using the template, when reporting/licensing codes are added or deleted from customer accounts. The general approach is reporting each Subscriber location along with the reporting code and quantity on a distinct line.

Customers will be able to download a prepopulated report based on the most recent service inventory. These prepopulated Excel reports will contain information from the last reported period in the new format, as well as a list of all of the approved reporting/license codes on customer accounts, with descriptions and country codes for convenience. Please contact your CME Account Manager to receive a copy of your XLS template.

The table below depicts reporting using the Excel template for a single office location with one display device using CBOT, NYMEX, and CME.

The first row (row one) of the Excel file will have the following parameters:
Row 1: File Identifiers

As demonstrated in the reporting sample above, row two will contain the main headers as outlined:
Row 2: Headers Descriptions

View an extended example.

Are there any changes to the VARS reporting format?

Yes, customers may continue to use the VARS file format for reporting.

There are two minor changes to VARS file specifications & processing:

• CME will not support 'D' type records on line type 2. To identify removal of a Subscriber location, record type ‘A” should be reported with a quantity of 0.
• Subscriber Location inventory should be reported on one type 2 record, per Subscriber Location. Multiple type-2 records within one file for the same Subscriber Location will result in the report being rejected.

These specifications will be included in the updated VARS & VRXML Implementation Guide found on www.cmegroup.com/distributor

Are there any changes to the VRXML reporting format?

There are no changes to existing contracts (MDLA, etc.) or services provided.

Yes, customers may continue to use the VRXML file format for reporting.

There is one minor change to the VRXML file specifications & processing:

All inventory per Subscriber Location should be consolidated and reported using one entry in the VRXML file. Files containing multiple records for the same Subscriber Location and reporting code per inventory period will not be accepted.

This change will be included in the updated VARS & VRXML Implementation Guide found on www.cmegroup.com/distributor.

Will the status of my report be available in the new platform?

Yes. The status of each report submitted using the new tool will be available online. This feature will provide details on each report, including whether the report was accepted, or what if any errors were identified when processing the report. It will also indicate whether the updates to inventory were accepted or were flagged due to variances against the prior inventory.

Can I still post my monthly inventory file to the FTP location?

Yes, posting of inventory files using FTP will still be available. However, there will be a new FTP delivery location with different login credentials. Additionally, customers who deliver inventory reports via FTP may need to update their firewall setting to support these changes. Global Account Managers will contact current FTP customers with the domain name and resulting IP(s) of the new FTP location. Customers who would like to begin using FTP for monthly report delivery should contact their Global Account Manager.

Who should I contact with questions?

Customers may contact their Global Account Manager directly, or their regional GAM team

Global Account Management (GAM)