UKOUG EPM & Hyperion Conference 2011
Key Considerations for a Successful Hyperion Planning Implementation Edgewater Ranzal UK Division Mike Killeen Vice President, Oracle Ace & Mija Deering Principal Solutions Manager Slide 1
Agenda KEY PROJECT PHASES RECOMMENDED BUILD TECHNIQUES – Application Definition & Plan Type Delineation – Define Dimensionality – Master Data & Data Integration – Building a Planning Model – Development of Forms – Development of Calculations – Process Flow / Control – Define Security – Tuning, Optimization & Maintenance – Typical Customization
TEN ELEVEN PLANNING TIPS TO REMEMBER Slide 2
About Edgewater Ranzal
15 Years 700+ clients 1000+ projects
Slide 3
Focus Services People Methodology Customers Partnership
Quick Audience Poll • Rolled out Planning? – Pre System 9 – System 9 – Fusion • 11.1.1.x • 11.1.2.0 • 11.1.2.1
• In the midst of a Planning project? • About to embark on a Planning project? • Are IT or Finance Professionals? Slide 4
Key Project Phases
Slide 5
Ranzal Project Lifecycle Overview Project Planning & Management Approach Pre-Engagement Proposal & Statement of Work
Focus Points • Multiproduct Experience • Knowledge Transfer • Performance Benchmarking • Understand Priorities • Flexible Approach • Modular Scope • Prototyping • Leverage Prior Work
Project Initiation
Project Execution
Kick-Off, Logistics, Coordination & Plan
Project Closure
Manage schedule, scope, issues, risks, cost & resources – status reporting
Successes & Lessons Learned
Implementation Approach Analyze
Design
What is Wrong, Right & Needed
What & How to Deploy
Build
Test
Install, Configure & Unit Test
Rollout / Sustain
Infrastructure, System Integration & Acceptance Testing
Training, Documentation & Knowledge Transfer
Change Management Approach Plan/Scope Define the Change and How to Manage
Assess/Design Define Future Organization and Understand Impact
Slide 6
Build Prepare for the Change
Deploy Facilitate the Change
Monitor Monitor the Results
Typical Implementation NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS
• Current state and stakeholder needs analysis • Identify process, system, and organizational components
PLAN AND DESIGN PHASE
• Define a project roadmap • Determine optimal level of detail and structure • Design docs • Detailed work plan with deliverables
BUILD PHASE
• Construct templates and models • Report / dashboard build-out • Prototype reviews • Develop data interfaces
Slide 7
TEST PHASE
• Upload test data • User validation • Calibrate models • Document final process, system, org
CUSTOMIZED TRAINING
• Develop easy to use reference guide • Develop custom training and exercises • Deliver user training
GO LIVE AND ROLLOUT SUPPORT
• Review Go Live Checklist • Move solution into production • Provide on-site support • Semi-annual audits and process/model reviews
Analyze vs. Design Analyze
Design
Requirements unknown or undefined Existing business processes need to be updated Existing business processes not known or documented Desire to re-engineer to align with business vision or industry best practices
Deliverables As-Is vs. To-Be Processes Functional Requirements Technical Requirements Project Roadmap & Timeline (High Level)
Slide 8
Key requirements are understood Future business processes are known Basic understanding of technology being used for build
Deliverables Design Document Proof of Concept / Prototype * Infrastructure Architecture Finalize Scope, Schedule & Budget Project Strategies (Training, Testing, etc)
Leading Practices in Analysis – What Should We Do? Planning
Planning Leading Practice: Does it improve productivity? Does it make us more accurate? Does it improve decision making through greater insight?
Align Strategic & Operational Plans Top Down and Bottom Up Planning Leveraging Driver Based Planning Focus on the Right Areas – Materiality vs. Volatility Reduce Cycle Times Leverage Rolling Forecasting Processes
Reporting Implement Reporting Governance Organization Clearly Define Reporting Standards, Processes, Tools, and Responsibilities Establish “Single Source of the Truth” by Report Type Provide Drill-Through Capability Slide 9
Leading Practices in Design – How Should We Do It? What We Deliver – Scope & Quality
Functional Requirements Performance & Technical Requirements Maintenance Requirements Support Requirements Prioritization of All of the Above
What it Costs – Budget & Timeline Timeline Impact Resource & Cost Impact Appetite for Risk & Appropriate Factors
Slide 10
Maximize Value! Value = Num/Den Numerator – What We Deliver Denominator – Time & Cost
Planning Implementation Risks LACK OF AVAILABLE MASTER DATA & DATA – Clients often underestimate the effort required to source and validate data and master data, and this is a frequent reason for project delays – The level of effort must be aligned with the quality of data, number of data sources, and degree of change (e.g., new COA)
LACK OF RESOURCES – Technical – It is critical to identify the administrators of the new system early on, and ensure they are properly trained for rollout – Functional - Clients sometimes do not dedicate enough resources to the project effort as the project is viewed as simply a technology implementation
LACK OF CLARITY OR CONSISTENCY IN BUSINESS PROCESSES – Planning systems by their nature attempt to predict the future. Clients sometimes have difficulty identifying which disparate elements of their planning process should go into the application, particularly if different areas of the organization have different models. – Defining what should NOT go into the model is as important as determining what goes in (particular impact on Global Planning implementations)
Slide 11
Tradeoffs in a Sample Project • • •
Tradeoffs in a Sample Project
Phase 1 – Focus on Scope and Push the Limits on Performance Phase 2 – Scale Back on Scope to enable better performance Phase 3 – Techniques and Technology Shift the Curve to support both
Slide 12
Critical Success Factors
Clearly Defined and Communicated Project Goals Key Stakeholder Participation and Approval Finance and IT Involvement Throughout Entire Project Clearly Defined, Reviewed, and Approved Application Design Ownership and Accountability for Project Tasks Thorough Quality Assurance and Testing Communication of Company-wide Benefits Proper Administrator and End User Training Consistent Project Management
Slide 13
Planning Design Recommended Practices
Slide 14
Basic Build Approach
Application Definition Delineate Plan Types Define Dimensionality Master Data Integration Data Integration Building a Planning Model Development of Forms Development of Calculations Process Flow / Control Define Security
Slide 15
Types of Applications
•
G&A Expenses Cost Centers Cost Allocations Driver Based
•
Project Internal / External Projects Resource Allocation
• Balance Sheet / Cash Flow Full Financials Intercompany / Consolidations Key Drivers, I/S Integration
• Salary / Labor Employee Position Variable vs. Fixed • Margin Product / LOB Customer / Segment
• Sales Pipeline Sales Reps Customers Integration with CRM
• Capital Asset Category New vs. Existing Capital Integrate w/ Source Capex
• Long Range / Strat Plans Integrate w/ AOP / Forecast Driver Based Initialization of Future AOP
Slide 16
Application Definition SINGLE APPLICATION BENEFITS (up to 3 Custom Plan Types + WFP/FACP)
Master Data is shared across an application Common Versioning, Scenarios between plan types Business Rule Efficiency within same app (XREF & XWRITE) Shared Interface for forms and rules between plan types Leverage common set of task lists, right click menus, smart lists, and personal variables
MULTIPLE APPLICATION USE CASES Common for separate operating units w/ disparate planning processes Allows for distinct processing windows
– US vs. Intl Security – Financials vs. Salary Detail Planning doesn’t support asymetrical security models Ran out of plan types Separate Workflow Processes (e.g. Geography vs. Functional)
PLANNING vs. ANALYSIS
Slide 17
Application Definition WHAT ARE THE CAPEX / WORKFORCE MODULES? A set of pre-built forms, rules, and menus for planning Salary and Capital expenditures. Pre-built functionality – fully customizable Out of the box functionality to calculate: – WFP – Salaries, Payroll Taxes, Benefits, etc. Based on attributes associated with the employee. – Capex – Depreciation, Capital Spending by Asset Categorization.
EXPECTATIONS No one will use the modules out of the box without any customization. Key is to use out of the box functionality with the right blend of customization. Expected customization includes: – Updating Smart List attributes for use within an organization – Modification to forms / rules to allow for budget & forecast processes that converge. – Updating Master Data – Employees, Asset Category, etc. – Adding a requisition number input field Slide 18
Delineate Plan Types WHEN DO I NEED A NEW PLAN TYPE A model needs a different set of dimensionality – Revenue modeling for the organization is done by product and customer – Salary modeling is done by employee and position – Project Planning is done by Project Number – Capital modeling is done by asset classification Inter-dimensional Irrelevance – Does my Core GL plan type need Product, Employee and / or Project #? – Impacts performance of forms, business rules, and reports. – Want to minimize number of stored dimensions for each plan type.
IMPACTS OF A NEW PLAN TYPE Data Movements between Plan Types Additional Essbase Cube to optimize Master Data & Data Integration Considerations
Slide 19
Define Dimensionality DIMENSION
Stored hierarchies within an application Core – Accounts, Entities, Time, Years, Scenario, Versions Revenue – Core + Product, Customer, Sales Person Capital – Core + Asset Category, Project Salary – Core + Employee, Position
ATTRIBUTE Associated with a base dimension A dimension member can be associated with a single attribute member from an attribute dimension. WARNING! Slowly Changing Attributes – future Attribute Limitations •No Security Examples – – – –
Start Date (Employee) Address (Customer) Brand (Product) Growth, Productivity, Maintenance (Project) Slide 20
•Limited Selections •Limited Reporting •Performance
Define Dimensionality SMART LIST
A member in an outline (often an account) that is represented as a drop down within the data grid. Smart Lists can be used to drive business rules Smart Lists cannot be sliced and diced like dimensions * Smart Lists can be reported on within Hyperion Reports Stored as numeric value in Essbase Textual Value show in Planning Forms Can be predefined in Essbase Smart Lists – No adapter, load right to tables or use outline Load Utility (depending on release level)
Slide 21
Define Dimensionality DATA ELEMENT (TEXT / DATE)
Slide 22
Allow user to input text and date directly into a cell in Planning Can leverage in Hyperion Reports
Text stored as numeric lookup relationally – HSP_TEXT_CELL_VALUE Date stored as number 20090101
Can be predefined in Essbase No adapter, load right to tables or use OutlineLoad Utility (depending on release level)
Master Data Integration MASTER DATA MANAGEMENT VS. ETL TOOLS
They are not the same thing A Master Data management tools provides you with a graphical interface to manage your Master Data across disconnected applications. An ETL tool moves data from one place to another
MASTER DATA MANAGEMENT TOOLS EPMA – Essentially “DRM” for EPM Applications, w/additional deployment capabilities – Ability to synch Planning, HFM, HPCM & Essbase dimensions across multiple applications – V11 – More Stable (although not for Essbase) WARNING! – Update via Interface Tables – ETL, or Flat File Planning vs. HFM – EPMA File Generator – Creates ADS Files •Entity – Legal vs. Mgmt DRM •Structure Version – CY vs. NY Full blown Master Data management tool Supports Master Data management across any toolset – Hyperion, ERP, etc. Agnostic – read from any source, write to any source Does not have adapters to source / target systems Flat file extracts created from DRM to load into Planning
Slide 23
Master Data Integration ETL TOOLS
ODI
– – – – –
DIM/Informatica - Near End of Life
– – – –
“HAL Replacement” Limited Use ODI Bundled with EPM toolset Planning must be a source or target to use Relational Staging Repository for work ELT – Extract, Load and Transfer Tool Adapters that connect directly to Planning Additional Licensing Costs For Informatica shops Functionally very similar to ODI
HAL - End of Life
– Not an option for new clients – Still works in 11X for legacy clients OTHER UPDATE METHODS
Outline Load Utility Manual Update SQL into EPMA Interface Tables & Batch Client
Slide 24
Data Integration SOURCES
General Ledger – Oracle EBS, Peoplesoft, JDE, SAP R/3, Lawson Payroll – Peoplesoft, Oracle, SAP, Ceridian, Lawson HRIS Fixed Assets – Oracle, Peoplesoft Project Tracking – Oracle Project, Peoplesoft, JDE Billing System Order Management EDW Manual Load File
INTEGRATION OPTIONS Essbase Load Rules – SQL Interface – Flat Files Outline Load Utility FDQM – With or without ERPi ODI / DIM / HAL – ETL Tools, use when there is heavy file manipulation Slide 25
Building a Planning Model KEY CONSIDERATIONS What data is needed to facilitate input? What data needs to be collected from end users? Are there supporting drivers that must be input? Are there calculations that need to be processed before input? Read vs. Write on data form elements Are there calculations that need to be processed after input? Before Input? Are the inputs and calculations consistent globally? TIPS Break the process into steps if possible Use menus or task lists to drive navigation Simplify the user experience, provide tools to facilitate navigation Try not to clutter and overcomplicate a form Be conscious of release level impact on Smart View vs. Web Slide 26
Development of Forms PERFORMANCE
Balance performance with functionality Load Performance – 3 seconds or less Save Performance – 3 seconds of less Hone business rules – – – –
Focus on fewer blocks – FIX (Entity), FIX (Scenario, Version) Don’t calculate more than you need to Balance form calculations with an hourly ‘sweep’ Poorly performing business rules can stack up and kill Essbase performance
PERFORMANCE TIPS
Suppress Missing Rows vs. Suppress Blocks Rows vs. Columns vs. Page Isolate Performance Issue – Form vs. Rules Query Issue – Size or Poorly Designed Essbase Cube? Block Size Balancing Act – Query vs. Calculations Latest Release – calculations on Forms
Slide 27
Development of Forms DESIGN TIPS
Large Sparse Dims on Rows – (Improvements to GUI in Talleyrand) Turn on Attribute Display and Impact on Suppress Missing Block
Show member formulas
Slide 28
Development of Forms DESIGN TIPS
Startup Message to Guide Blank Forms
Column Definition
Drivers & Commentary in BegBalance Member Data Values in IDESC (YearTotal)
Slide 29
Development of Forms
Use Flag Members to drive form layout –
Smart List to drive Flag
–
UDA’s to drive form definition
–
Flag Member – Set flag based on UDA definition and Smart List Selection
Slide 30
Development of Forms
Simple Form
Enhanced Forms
Slide 31
Development of Forms
Composite Forms – –
Grid 1 – General Information Grid 2 – Data Collection
Slide 32
Development of Forms
Control Navigation with a Menu
Slide 33
Development of Forms TIPS & TRICKS • Calculations & Forms Should be Developed in Tandem • Robust Essbase Calculation Library • Calculation Manager – – – –
Graphical Web Based Rules Builder Pre-built Templates Requires EPMA Integration (Talleyrand support for Classic) Ability to Convert HBR to CM Rules
• Alternatives to Drive Calculations – Member Formulas – Business Rules / Calc Manager Rules – Essbase Member Calc Formula
Slide 34
Development of Calculations Essbase Member Formula – – – – –
Simple Member Calculation Dependencies - Outline Order Important Calculations that don’t require user input Calculations don’t require moving data between plan types Can be run upon save of form – ‘Calc members on form’
EXAMPLES •Ratios •Metrics •Modeling
TIP •Create Calc Mbrs •Put All Logic in One member to Eliminate order of Operation issues
Slide 35
Development of Calculations Business Rules – – – – – –
Allow for user input to the rule Allow for passing through variables from the form to the rule Multiple Members Calculated Upon Form Save with Dependencies Can be launched on save, or from a right click menu Typically more procedural than member formula Leverage BR to move data between plan types @XREF or @XWRITE
Slide 36
Examples •Data Movement •Aggregations •Currency Conv. •Allocations •Eliminations
Development of Calculations Essbase Member Calc Script – – – – – –
Write multiple member formula’s in an Essbase member Place member on form, and hide Allows for procedural member formulas ala Business Rules Run on save of form Cannot allow user input to calc Cannot move data between plan types
Slide 37
Development of Calculations DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS Minimize Calculations
– Run Time Prompts – Align w/ Page – IALLANCESTORS (RTPs) to aggregate instead of CALC DIM
Beware Run on Save / Load Launch Rules from Right Click Menu Sequences – Calculation in Current Plan Type – XREF Data to Core Plan Type
XREF Dangers
TIP Key Commands @RELATIVE @IALLANCESTORS DATACOPY
– Slow across applications – Create Block Issues • Create Blocks in Business Rule • Schedule hourly “sweep” to catch any issues – DATAEXPORT • Use new @XWRITE feature (push vs. pull)
Currency Conversion Limitations
– Rates stored High (impact on block size) – Manual Input of Rates (or use Outline Load in 11.x) – Pros – Entity has requirement to plan in different local currencies Slide 38
Process Flow/Control Form / Folder Organization – Logically name forms and folders (use numbers) – Order based on ‘Steps’
Right Click Menus – Jump to other forms – Launch Rules – Launch Reports
Task Lists – Guide user through a task list – User can check off items as they complete – Review completed vs. outstanding tasks
Workflow Being rewritten due to current limitations Targeted for Talleyrand (next release)
Slide 39
Define Security PROCESS 1. 2. 3.
Setup Groups & Users in Shared Services Assign Access in Planning & Workspace Push Security to Essbase
SETUP USERS & GROUPS IN SHARED SERVICES
Define Groups – – –
ALL_PLANNING_GROUP - Handles basic provisioning tasks – Version, Scenario, Accounts ENTITY_PLANNING_GROUPS - Most detail security occurs along the Entity dimension FUNCTIONAL_PLANNING_GROUPS - In charge of a functional area – for example – margin detail
Assign Users to Groups
PITFALLS / SUGGESTIONS
Groups within Groups (based on release level) AD Groups vs. Planning Level Groups Form Security – Read vs. Write 11X – Apply Security to Folders
Slide 40
Shared Services •
Basic Planning Access – – – – –
Planner – Key role for ‘input’ users View User – Read only user to planning content Interactive User – Create / Delete Forms Mass Allocation – Use the mass allocate features Analytic Services Write Access –
• Direct write back to Essbase • Limitations with Period/Yr & Workflow
•
Essbase Access – –
•
Server Access – Connectivity to server App / DB access
Workspace Access
Slide 41
Security Utilities CSS Import Export
Use to bulk upload users / groups to Shared Services Provision a few “sample” users, export them to expose the format, application, project, and role names Also used a lot in migrations from Pre-System 9 Create a bulk import
Automate Build & Backup of Planning Security
Export - HspExportSecurityCmd Import - HspImportSecurityCmd
Slide 42
What is Optimization?
Optimization
- MINIMIZE the time it takes to perform a specific operation….
Rate = Volume/Time
Time = Volume/Rate
or Decrease Volume (do less)
Increase Rate (do it faster)
NOTE: All optimization techniques focus on either volume or time. However, the business usually mandates the time and the volume and IT will work to meet the required rate.
Slide 43
Optimization Priorities – Balance Query & Calc
Assumption: Essbase retrieval is
FAST so focus on calc optimization
- Trade Off Calc Time
Retrieval Time:
• Usage of Attribute Dimensions • Dense/Sparse Configuration to support calculations • Dynamic Calcs • Allocation of Memory to Caches • Transparent Partitions
Finding the Balance is the KEY! Testing early on with a realistic data set is on the critical path for every project in order to assess and validate this balance Slide 44
Sample Application Optimization Techniques Block Size – Impact on Calcs vs. Reports Optimize Outline (BSO)
• – –
• •
Larger Blocks – typically faster calcs Smaller Blocks – typically faster reports
Outline Order – Impact on Calcs vs. Report Other Techniques – – –
Transparent Partitioning and @XREFs – minimize data Tuning Parameters – CALCLOCKBLOCK and Data Cache Dynamic Calcs – implement best practices (defined later)
Slide 45
Typical Dynamic Calc Usage Dynamic Calc Usage
OUTLINE METRICS Dollars Nbr Employees Avg $ Per Employee (formula)
Level Zero Members with Formulas
YEAR
Upper Level Members of Dense Dimensions
QTR 1 Jan Feb Mar Scenario
Two Pass Members
Actual Budget PctVar Product Prod1 Prod2 Prod3
Upper Level Sparse Dimension Members with a Few Children
Slide 46
Dynamic Calc Usage (continued) •
For Dense Dimensions, keep Number of Children to a parent < 100 if possible (avoid flat lists)
•
For Sparse Dimensions, keep number of children to a parent < 7, and avoid multiple levels of dynamic calc if possible – Great idea for 1 to 2 level small sparse dimensions
•
Avoid dynamic calculation commands that will cause the calculations to execute in CELL mode vs. BLOCK mode – Multiple IF statements for a subset of the block may evaluate faster then @CURRMBR
•
Minimize Dependent Dynamic Calculations, either hierarchical or formula based – Pay attention to Deep, Ragged Chart of Account Structures – consider formulas for certain upper level members – Recreate calc logic as performance optimizer (maintenance impact)
•
Consider nearly all two pass calcs as dynamic – Exception – smaller KPI/metrics cubes where all dimensions are stored
Slide 47
Dynamic Calc Trick (Dense)
Eliminate Dependencies on other dynamic calcs in formulas or hierarchies
Total Expenses = @SUM(@RELATIVE(“TOTAL EXPENSES”, 0))
is FASTER than Total Expenses Operating Expenses (and all of its hierarchies) Non Operating Expense (and all of its hierarchies)
Slide 48
Dynamic Calc Trick (Sparse)
Stagger Dynamic Calc at Multiple Level of Hierarchies, and Supplement with Multiple Loads (e.g. Add to Existing Values) Use Add to existing Values to Load Here
Scenario (Label Only, Sparse) in Rule Actual (Dynamic Calc) Actual_Load (Stored)(+) Actual_EDW (Dynamic Calc) (~) Actual_EDW_A (Stored) (+) Actual_EDW_B (Stored) (+) Actual_EDW_C (Stored) (+) Actual_GL (Dynamic Calc) (~) Actual_GL_JDE (Stored) (+) Actual_GL_PS (Stored) (+) Actual_Adj (Stored)(+)
Slide 49
Typical Maintenance Routines •
•
• • •
Maintenance Routines
Defragmentation Routines – Outline (predominantly ASO) – Database (index/page files) Log Purging Operations – Application Server – Agent and Event Logs on Essbase Server – Planning Audit Logs Recycling of Services to Clear Memory (BEA J2EE) Reboot Machines Monthly Archiving off of Older Data Sets – “History” Cubes – Read Only Reporting Cubes (ASO) vs. Read/Write Modeling Cubes
Slide 50
Typical Planning Customizations Maintenance Routines • •
Bulk Load of Supporting Details – a must for Pillar Migrations Essbase CDF via Business Rule - Copy Supporting Details/Cell Text – – –
• •
Essbase CDF via Business Rules – launch external processes Essbase CDF – solve simultaneous equations vs. Looping (debt/interest modeling) Custom SQL Views in Planning RDBMS against Web Analysis or OBIEE
• – – –
•
Incorporate into Business Rules with Run Time Prompts Better then Copy Data or Copy Versions Key Planning Table -
Audit Reporting “Search” Capability for Supporting Details Custom Security Reports
Currency Conversion
Tip! – Use Essbase CDFs, and the relational repository to Customize – will be easier to upgrade later on Slide 51
Eleven Planning Tips to Remember 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Maintenance Routines
Consider alternatives to out of Box Planning Currency Conversion & Target Scenarios (storing data high) Load and Validate Dims & Data in Essbase, then port to Planning Separate Business Rule Functionality – Modeling, Data Movement, Agg Ensure Developers have “test” user ids to validate functionality and view of forms – Administrator masks a multitude of sins Separate Essbase ASO Reporting Cube – optimize read vs. write Model it in excel before you model it in Planning Understand impact of Scenarios (Management Cycles) vs. Versions (Iterations of a Management Cycle) Use Suppress Empty Blocks in Form Design Convert Actual Data to “Plan View” to accommodate different levels of grain and simply form design “Push” data between plan types on change, don’t pull always Establish thresholds for business rule performance in multi-user environment – e.g. one minute for a rule is too slow in a multi user environment Slide 52
Closing Ranzal Differentiators • Technology Excellence • Delivery Quality • Industry Expertise • Client Focus • Solid Business Methodology • Strong Customer References • Relationship with Oracle / Hyperion • Vertical Expertise from Edgewater • North American and European Presence • Webinars – http://www.ranzal.com/news.htm
Come Visit us in Booth 5 in the Exhibition Hall Contact Mija Deering
Contact Mike Killeen
Principal Solutions Manager Edgewater Ranzal E-mail:
[email protected]
VP of Technology, Oracle Ace Edgewater Ranzal E-mail:
[email protected]
Slide 53
