New Release Nomenclature Adopted

Because TariffShark consists of database, application server, and desktop client components and each can have different version numbers, we have adopted a new way of talking about TariffShark releases.  For example, if you are running what was previously known as TariffShark v1.1, your database is version “8”, your application server is “v1.1.0”, and the desktop client is “v1.1.8”.  That’s three different version numbers that comprise the same software release.

In an effort to simplify, every TariffShark release will be known by a Release number.  For example, the mix of version numbers above is now known as TariffShark Release 2.0 (as it was the second software release).

Visit our Releases page for the full list of software releases.  Questions or comments?  Please post them below or contact TariffShark Support.

FERC Filing Types Updated

On Tuesday, May 31, 2011, FERC posted an updated definition of eTariff filing types (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/etariff/filing_type.csv).  It is the third time in 2011 that FERC has updated the eTariff filing types.  As detailed below, most notable in this update is the reclassification of certain filing types, all of which go into effect July 1, 2011.

Power Administrations

  • filing code 40 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 440 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 450 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 460 was AMENDMENT; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 1020 was AMENDMENT; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 1050 was AMENDMENT; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE

NGPA 311 Gas Pipelines

  • filing code 760 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 770 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 820 was NEW; on July 1 will be classified as REFILED
  • filing code 980 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 1000 was AMENDMENT; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE

Federal Power Act Electric (Traditional Cost of Service and Market Based Rates) Public Utilities

  • filing code 1030 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 1040 was AMENDMENT; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 1080 was NEW; on July 1 will be classified as REFILED

Federal Power Act Electric (Market Based Rate) Public Utilities

  • filing code 1090 was AMENDMENT; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE
  • filing code 1110 was NORMAL; on July 1 will be classified as COMPLIANCE

The first thing you may have noticed is that FERC programs “NGA Gas Pipelines” and “Oil Pipelines” are unaffected.  Therefore, if your company is eRegistered under one of these FERC programs, you are not impacted by these changes.

We Are Updating TariffShark

In order to accommodate these filing type changes, we are updating TariffShark.  Only the server components are affected (database server and application server), so these are the only components we are updating.  You will not need to roll out updated desktop client software. In addition, any filings with the above filing codes that have a filing date on or after July 1, 2011 will be appropriately migrated to the new filing type definition.  Rest assured, regardless of the TariffShark release you are running (1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 (previously v1.0, v1.1, or v1.1.172, respectively)), you will have an upgrade path.

Enterprise Customers

  • If you are running database version 7 (a component of Release 1.0), you will need to download and run the database installer and upgrade your database to version 710 (a component of Release 1.1).
  • If you are running database version 8 (a component of Release 2.0), you will need to download and run the database installer and upgrade your database to version 810 (a component of Release 2.1).
  • If you are running database version 9 (a component of Release 3.0), you will need to download and run the database installer and upgrade your database to version 910 (a component of Release 3.1).
  • If you are running v1.0 of the application server (a component of Release 1.0), you will need to download and install v1.0.71 (a component of Release 1.1).
  • If you are running v1.1 of the application server (a component of Release 2.0), you will need to download and install v1.1.81 (a component of Release 2.1).
  • If you are running v1.1.172 of the application server (a component of Release 3.0), you will need to download and install v1.1.291 (a component of Release 3.1).

Hosted Customers

We have your back.  On or before July 1, your hosted database and application servers will be updated during the regular maintenance window (weekdays after 7pm and before 7am…or on the weekend).  We will notify you in advance once the server upgrade has been scheduled.

We are currently programming and testing the software update.  Therefore, updated TariffShark software is not available for download just yet.  We will update this blog article once the software is available for download on the tariffshark.com website.

If you have questions or comments, please post them below or contact TariffShark Support.

View Recent Filings Easily

You’re back in the office bright and early, you’ve had your first few sips of coffee, and now you’re ready to jump back into the Filing you were working on yesterday.  Did you know that you can bring up the Filing Details quickly in TariffShark?

On TariffShark’s “View” menu there’s an item labeled “Recent Filings”.  As shown below, it provides a list of the most recently viewed Filings (up to 8).


The list of Filings is organized with the most recently viewed Filing at the top and the least recently viewed one at the bottom.  If you wanted to open “Last Week’s Filing”, simply click on it and the Filing Details screen appears.

Note that after viewing “Last Week’s Filing”, it now appears at the top of the list of Recent Filings.

We hope this feature saves you time working on your tariffs and filings so that you can better enjoy your morning coffee.

As always, if you have questions or comments, please post them below or contact TariffShark Support.

TariffShark Release 3.0 Now Available

TariffShark Release 3.0 (previously v1.1.172) is a FERC-compliance maintenance release.  The changes are intended to help tariff filers in selecting the proper Filing Type for their particular filing scenarios.  The list below outlines the changes in TariffShark Release 3.0.

  1. In January 2011, an update was posted to the FERC eTariff web page that made available a revised Type of Filing CSV file. The only change was in the description for Type Of Filing Codes 1120 and 1150 from “Market-Based Rate Request and Triennial Review” to “Market-Based Rate Triennial Review” in order to make clear that these filing codes should not be used for initial requests for market based rates.  The new descriptions became effective on January 24, 2011.  Note that codes 1120 and 1150 are electric industry codes, so members of the gas and oil industries are unaffected.
  2. In April 2011, FERC once again updated the Type of Filing CSV file, this time adding the FERC regulatory citation for most types of filings. TariffShark displays the citation in the Filing Type drop-down list field on the Create Filing form.  (Sample shown below; note highlighted area.)

Though this release of TariffShark was brought about by changes initiated by FERC, it is not a mandatory update.  The changes merely make it easier to select an appropriate filing type when preparing to make an eTariff filing.  If you are still running TariffShark  Release 1.0 (previously v1.0), however, we strongly encourage you to upgrade to the newest release.

If you have questions or comments, please post them below or contact TariffShark Support.