A small check-mark with a yellow gradient background
Thanks!
Someone from our team will reach out to you soon.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
A black X

Parameters

Heralds version of underwriting, rating, and coverage questions.

When requesting a quote or policy, institutions gather information on the business to determine eligibility and calculate pricing. With Herald, this information is collected in the form of parameters, which are relevant for applications and bind applications.

  • Parameters in applications: Used to collect information related to the business’s operations, exposure to risks, desired coverages and contact information. This information is sent to an institution to request a quote.
  • Parameters in bind applications: Used to collect any remaining information required to get a policy. This can include contact information, payment terms for the policy, and more. Information that was optional to quote typically becomes required to get a policy.

Types of Parameters

Every parameter is documented in our Appendix, but relevant parameters are provided dynamically through [.h-endpoint-link]/applications[.h-endpoint-link] and [.h-endpoint-link]/bind_applications[.h-endpoint-link]. These applications may contain some combination of [.h-code]risk[.h-code], [.h-code]coverage[.h-code], and [.h-code]admin[.h-code] parameters.

Type Description Relevance
risk The values needed to describe a business and its operations. Each question that falls under the risk value umbrella is a risk_parameter Applications, Bind Applications
coverage The values that describe the nature of coverage for an insurance policy. Each question that falls under the coverage value umbrella is a coverage_parameter Applications, Bind Applications
admin The values needed from an administration perspective, such as the brokers license number or billing terms for a policy. Each question that falls under the admin value umbrella is an admin_parameter Applications, Bind Applications

All parameters, regardless of the type of parameter, behave the same. Make sure to read about the relationships and complexities of parameters before creating applications. The set of parameters needed to get a quote or a policy which will vary depending on the product(s) you are using. Here are some examples:

Risk Parameters

risk_parameter_id Description
rsk_4b4z_business_name Business Name
rsk_t3cx_guest_shuttle_service Does the applicant provide a shuttle service for guests?
(conditional for certain industries)
rsk_z1ja_total_gross_sales Total Gross Sales

Coverage Parameters

coverage_parameter_id Description
cvg_38ue_bop_effective_date Effective Date
(for a BOP policy)
cvg_0la5_gl_deductible Deductible
(for a GL policy)
cvg_lw22_cyb_computer_fraud_endorsement Computer Fraud Endorsement
(for a Cyber policy)

Admin Parameters

admin_parameter_id Description
adm_6evk_surplus_broker_license_number Surplus broker's license number
adm_5k6f_surplus_brokerage_name Surplus line brokerage name

Using Parameters

Getting quotes and policies from any institution involves submitting values for risk, coverage, and admin parameters. Every individual parameter has metadata associated with it such as the products it is relevant for, the text to render on screen, acceptable values and validation…the list goes on.

If you are building a static experience, you’ll have to get this information from the Appendix. The appendix serves as our question library, listing each question and all of its associated data. However, you can get relevant parameters for the products you are using by creating applications and bind applications.

Let’s take a look at an example of how risk and coverage parameters are shown when creating an application to get a quote. You can create an application by submitting a product, or multiple products, to [.h-endpoint-link]/applications[.h-endpoint-link] like this:

POST /application
Copied 

{
  "products": [
    "prd_mq3r_herald_general_liability"
  ]
}

The response would include all relevant parameters to get a quote for this product.

Response
Copied 

{
  "application": {
    "id": "6e7c1486-9720-4135-b2b3-44e46df0404c",
    "status": "incomplete",
    "products": [
      "prd_mc4r_herald_general_liability"
    ],
    "risk_values": [
      
      {
        "risk_parameter_id": "rsk_m4p9_insured_name",
        "value": null,
        "text": "Insured name",
        "input_type": "short_text",
        "relevant_products": [
          "prd_mc4r_herald_general_liability"
        ],
        "affects_conditions": false,
        "required_for": [
          "quote"
        ],
        "schema": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      },
      ...
    ],
    "coverage_values": [
      {
        "coverage_parameter_id": "cvg_14fb_gl_damages_premises_limit",
        "value": null,
        "text": "Damages to Premises Rented Limit",
        "input_type": "integer",
        "relevant_products": ["prd_mc4r_herald_general_liability"],
        "affects_conditions": false,
        "required_for": [],
        "schema": {
          "type": "number",
          "minimum": 0,
          "maximum": 5000000
        }
      },
      ...
    ]
  }
}

Read our full guides on creating applications and creating bind applications.

‍

Parameter Metadata

[.icon-circle-blue][.icon-circle-blue]  See our full parameter metadata at [.h-code]GET[.h-code] [.h-endpoint-link]/applications/{application_id}[.h-endpoint-link].

(this information is also available in the Appendix)

‍

[.icon-circle-blue][.icon-circle-blue] Learn how to use these properties to build your application in our guide to building a front-end application.

‍

Next up

The set of parameters needed to get a quote or a policy will vary depending on the product(s) you are using. Read about parameter the relationships between parameters and other complexities before creating applications.

‍

‍