Hyperion Planning Implementation Edgewater Ranzal UK Division Mike Killeen Vice President, Oracle Ace & Mija Deering Principal Solutions Manager UKOUG EPM & Hyperion Conference 2011 Slide 2 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 Agenda Slide 3 Focus Services People Methodology Customers Partnership About Edgewater Ranzal 15 Years 700+ clients 1000+ projects Slide 4 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? Quick Audience Poll Slide 5 Key Project Phases Slide 6 Ranzal Project Lifecycle Overview Proposal & Statement of Work Kick-Off, Logistics, Coordination & Plan Manage schedule, scope, issues, risks, cost & resources status reporting Successes & Lessons Learned Project Planning & Management Approach Pre-Engagement Project Initiation Project Execution Project Closure What & How to Deploy Install, Configure & Unit Test Infrastructure, System Integration & Acceptance Testing Training, Documentation & Knowledge Transfer Implementation Approach Design Build Test Rollout / Sustain What is Wrong, Right & Needed Analyze Define the Change and How to Manage Define Future Organization and Understand Impact Prepare for the Change Facilitate the Change Change Management Approach Assess/Design Build Deploy Monitor Plan/Scope Focus Points Multiproduct Experience Knowledge Transfer Performance Benchmarking Understand Priorities Flexible Approach Modular Scope Prototyping Leverage Prior Work Monitor the Results Slide 7 Typical Implementation NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS PLAN AND DESIGN PHASE BUILD PHASE TEST PHASE GO LIVE AND ROLLOUT SUPPORT CUSTOMIZED TRAINING Current state and stakeholder needs analysis Identify process, system, and organizational components Define a project roadmap Determine optimal level of detail and structure Design docs Detailed work plan with deliverables Construct templates and models Report / dash- board build-out Prototype reviews Develop data interfaces Upload test data User validation Calibrate models Document final process, system, org Develop easy to use reference guide Develop custom training and exercises Deliver user training Review Go Live Checklist Move solution into production Provide on-site support Semi-annual audits and process/model reviews Slide 8 Analyze 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) Design 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) Analyze vs. Design Slide 9 Planning 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 Planning Leading Practice: Does it improve productivity? Does it make us more accurate? Does it improve decision making through greater insight? Leading Practices in Analysis What Should We Do? Slide 10 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 Maximize Value! Value = Num/Den Numerator What We Deliver Denominator Time & Cost Leading Practices in Design How Should We Do It? Slide 11 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 systemearly 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) Planning Implementation Risks Slide 12 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 Tradeoffs in a Sample Project Tradeoffs in a Sample Project Slide 13 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 Critical Success Factors Slide 14 Planning Design Recommended Practices Slide 15 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 Basic Build Approach Slide 16 Types of Applications G&A Expenses Cost Centers Cost Allocations Driver Based Salary / Labor Employee Position Variable vs. Fixed Margin Product / LOB Customer / Segment Capital Asset Category New vs. Existing Capital Integrate w/ Source Capex Project Internal / External Projects Resource Allocation Balance Sheet / Cash Flow Full Financials Intercompany / Consolidations Key Drivers, I/S Integration Sales Pipeline Sales Reps Customers Integration with CRM Long Range / Strat Plans Integrate w/ AOP / Forecast Driver Based Initialization of Future AOP Slide 17 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 doesnt support asymetrical security models Ran out of plan types Separate Workflow Processes (e.g. Geography vs. Functional) PLANNING vs. ANALYSIS Application Definition Slide 18 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 Application Definition Slide 19 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 Delineate Plan Types Slide 20 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. Slowly Changing Attributes future Examples Start Date (Employee) Address (Customer) Brand (Product) Growth, Productivity, Maintenance (Project) Define Dimensionality WARNING! Attribute Limitations No Security Limited Selections Limited Reporting Performance Slide 21 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) Define Dimensionality Slide 22 DATA ELEMENT (TEXT / DATE) 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) Define Dimensionality Slide 23 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) Update via Interface Tables ETL, or Flat File EPMA File Generator Creates ADS Files DRM 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 Master Data Integration WARNING! Planning vs. HFM Entity Legal vs. Mgmt Structure Version CY vs. NY Slide 24 ETL TOOLS ODI 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 DIM/Informatica - Near End of Life 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 Master Data Integration Slide 25 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 Data Integration Slide 26 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 Building a Planning Model Slide 27 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) Dont 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 Development of Forms Slide 28 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 Development of Forms Slide 29 DESIGN TIPS Startup Message to Guide Blank Forms Column Definition Drivers & Commentary in BegBalance Member Data Values in IDESC (YearTotal) Development of Forms Slide 30 Use Flag Members to drive form layout Smart List to drive Flag UDAs to drive form definition Flag Member Set flag based on UDA definition and Smart List Selection Development of Forms Slide 31 Simple Form Enhanced Forms Development of Forms Slide 32 Composite Forms Grid 1 General Information Grid 2 Data Collection Development of Forms Slide 33 Control Navigation with a Menu Development of Forms Slide 34 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 Development of Forms Slide 35 Essbase Member Formula Simple Member Calculation Dependencies - Outline Order Important Calculations that dont require user input Calculations dont require moving data between plan types Can be run upon save of form Calc members on form Development of Calculations EXAMPLES Ratios Metrics Modeling TIP Create Calc Mbrs Put All Logic in One member to Eliminate order of Operation issues Slide 36 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 Development of Calculations Examples Data Movement Aggregations Currency Conv. Allocations Eliminations Slide 37 Essbase Member Calc Script Write multiple member formulas 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 Development of Calculations Slide 38 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 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 Development of Calculations TIP Key Commands @RELATIVE @IALLANCESTORS DATACOPY Slide 39 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) Process Flow/Control Slide 40 PROCESS 1. Setup Groups & Users in Shared Services 2. Assign Access in Planning & Workspace 3. 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 Define Security Slide 41 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 Shared Services Slide 42 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 Security Utilities Slide 43 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. 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) What is Optimization? Slide 44 Retrieval Time: Assumption: Essbase retrieval is FAST so focus on calc optimization - Trade Off - 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 Calc Time Usage of Attribute Dimensions Dense/Sparse Configuration to support calculations Dynamic Calcs Allocation of Memory to Caches Transparent Partitions Optimization Priorities Balance Query & Calc Slide 45 Optimize Outline (BSO) Block Size Impact on Calcs vs. Reports 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) Sample Application Optimization Techniques Slide 46 Dynamic Calc Usage OUTLINE METRICS Dollars Nbr Employees Avg $ Per Employee (formula) YEAR QTR 1 Jan Feb Mar Scenario Actual Budget PctVar Product Prod1 Prod2 Prod3 Upper Level Members of Dense Dimensions Level Zero Members with Formulas Two Pass Members Upper Level Sparse Dimension Members with a Few Children Typical Dynamic Calc Usage Slide 47 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 Dynamic Calc Usage (continued) Slide 48 Dynamic Calc Trick (Dense) Eliminate Dependencies on other dynamic calcs in formulas or hierarchies Total Expenses = @SUM(@RELATIVE(TOTAL EXPENSES, 0)) Total Expenses Non Operating Expense (and all of its hierarchies) Operating Expenses (and all of its hierarchies) is FASTER than Slide 49 Dynamic Calc Trick (Sparse) Stagger Dynamic Calc at Multiple Level of Hierarchies, and Supplement with Multiple Loads (e.g. Add to Existing Values) Scenario (Label Only, Sparse) 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)(+) Use Add to existing Values to Load Here in Rule Slide 50 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 Typical Maintenance Routines Slide 51 Maintenance Routines Bulk Load of Supporting Details a must for Pillar Migrations Essbase CDF via Business Rule - Copy Supporting Details/Cell Text Incorporate into Business Rules with Run Time Prompts Better then Copy Data or Copy Versions Key Planning Table - 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 Audit Reporting Search Capability for Supporting Details Custom Security Reports Currency Conversion Typical Planning Customizations Tip! Use Essbase CDFs, and the relational repository to Customize will be easier to upgrade later on Slide 52 Maintenance Routines 1. Consider alternatives to out of Box Planning Currency Conversion & Target Scenarios (storing data high) 2. Load and Validate Dims & Data in Essbase, then port to Planning 3. Separate Business Rule Functionality Modeling, Data Movement, Agg 4. Ensure Developers have test user ids to validate functionality and view of forms Administrator masks a multitude of sins 5. Separate Essbase ASO Reporting Cube optimize read vs. write 6. Model it in excel before you model it in Planning 7. Understand impact of Scenarios (Management Cycles) vs. Versions (Iterations of a Management Cycle) 8. Use Suppress Empty Blocks in Form Design 9. Convert Actual Data to Plan View to accommodate different levels of grain and simply form design 10. Push data between plan types on change, dont pull always 11. 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 Eleven Planning Tips to Remember Slide 53 Closing Contact Mike Killeen VP of Technology, Oracle Ace Edgewater Ranzal E-mail: mkilleen@ranzal.com 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 Principal Solutions Manager Edgewater Ranzal E-mail: mdeering@ranzal.com