Hyperion Planning Input Forms

Youre Doing it All Wrong

Jake Turrell

Background

16+ Years Hyperion Implementation Experience Certified in both Planning and Essbase Prior Practice Lead at Hyperion Partner Firm Co-Editor of the book Developing Essbase Applications: Advanced Techniques for Finance and IT Professionals

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US-Analytics is an industry leading professional services firm focused on helping clients successfully establish and maintain long term Business Intelligence (BI) and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) applications and programs.
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Whats in the Demo?

Planning 11.1.2.2 (ADF Interface) Major League Baseball Statistics (Pitching & Hitting) 50+ Stat Accounts FY10 FY13

Covers All Teams, Players & Games

Attendees will Receive Exported Demo Application

Data Available from Windows Azure Marketplace

Disclaimer

The Planning and Essbase objects used in this demo are available for free. They are unsupported.

They are available for learning purposes only and may include incomplete and/or inaccurate data.

Characteristics of Bad Input Forms

Difficult to Interpret Perform Poorly Allow Bad Data Lack Interconnectivity

Let the Database Do All the Work

Include Only Lifeless Grids

Dont Predict the Future

Agenda

Organizing Data Limiting Data Creating Interconnected Forms Creating Data Validations Creating Row & Column Formulas Creating Embedded Charts Predictive Planning

ORGANIZING DATA

Organizing Data

Good Layout = Easy Consumption Forms vs. Bulk Data Interfaces White Space Borders Composite Forms

Make Forms Easy to Consume

Dont present users with a massive wall of cells. Hide irrelevant rows and columns.

Use the Show Separator feature to give users context regarding different subject areas.
Use blank rows to introduce spacing into forms. Use Composite Forms to present different (but related) subject areas on the same form. Use Data Validation Rules that always evaluate to True for additional formatting options.

The Wall of Data

Introducing Blank Spaces

To introduce a blank line into a form add a Formula Row with no formula or label. Certain older versions of Planning require a label, otherwise the dimension name will be displayed. In these instances, use . as a label.

Using Blank Spaces

Good Things Bad Things

Using Borders

Show Separator does not work with certain unpatched versions of ADF.

Using Composite Forms

Composite Forms

Pros

Under the right circumstances, composite forms bring together multiple subject areas into a single view.

Cons

Formatting and space allocation can be unpredictable, especially when users have different display resolutions. In Smart View, composite forms render on separate Excel tabs.

Forms vs. Bulk Data Interfaces

Typical OTN Planning Forum Thread

Using Validation Rules for Formatting

Data Validations are good for more than just validating data!

Developers can create validations that ALWAYS evaluate to True, simply to format cells in a form.

Using Validation Rules for Formatting

LIMITING DATA

Suppress Missing Data / Blocks

Suppress Missing Data (Rows & Columns)

Set in the Grid Properties, Row Properties or Column Properties. Prevents blank rows or columns from being displayed.

Suppress Missing Blocks

Set in the Grid Properties. Does nothing, unless used with Suppress Missing Data. Typically good for forms where most rows will have no data. Typically bad for forms where most rows have data. Can cause issues displaying certain dynamic members and attributes.

Demo / Examples
Limiting Data

Suppress Missing Data / Blocks

Pros

Can keep irrelevant data off the form. Can make forms faster (when used correctly). Can make forms easier to consume.

Cons

Planning does not support Conditional suppression in forms. What happens when users want to plan for a member combination that currently has no data? (Hint . . . Take the Form Ad-Hoc)

INTERCONNECTING FORMS

Creating Interconnected Forms

One aspect of building a good form is providing multiple navigation routes to and from that form.

Create right-click menus that take users from one form to another, while passing context.
This is especially useful when moving from a summary form to a detail form.

Creating Interconnected Forms

Menus can be used to do much more than navigate to another form. They can:

Take Users to a URL.

Launch a Business Rule (Now with confirmation messages!) Take Users to Manage Approvals Take Users to the Previous Form

Creating Menus

Create a menu using the menu options Administration, Manage, Menus.

Add menu items that open forms, launch business rules, manage approvals, open URLs, etc.
Assign the menu to a Required Parameter. This simply tells Planning where the user must right-click in order to open the menu. Add the menu to a form in the forms Other Options.

Demo / Examples
Menus

User Variables

Users can set User Variables that limit the data presented on a form.

Forms must be built to take advantage of variables.

Variables can be placed in the POV, Page, Rows or Columns. Variables can be placed within functions.

Creating User Variables

Open the Planning application. Select the menu options Administration, Manage, User Variables. Click Add.

Designing Forms with User Variables

In the form layout, select the variable from the Variables tab.

Setting Variable Values

A typical User Variable is set by the end-user in their Preferences.

Users open the Planning application and select the menu options File, Preferences. **
Users must select the Planning icon, then the User Variable Options tab.

Setting Variable Values

Use Context vs Enable Dynamic Variable

The documentation is not clear. Use Context is a variable setting. Enable Dynamic Variables is a form setting. Both options allow users to change variable values on the fly, but in different ways. Both options can be used at the same time.

Use Context vs Enable Dynamic Variable

There are two main differences:

Use Context variables are set when the user right-clicks on one form to navigate to another form (and passes context). Use Context variables can not be set in the user preferences. Enable Dynamic variables can be modified directly in a form. Enable Dynamic variables can be set in the user preferences. A variable can leverage both settings.

Demo / Examples
User Variables

Use Security to Limit Data

If a user does not have read or write access to a member, it will be suppressed on the form.

Usefulness of this feature is limited, because users often have read access to more members than those to which they can write. There is no easy way to limit members in a Page list box, row or column based only on write access. **

DATA VALIDATIONS

Creating Data Validations

Data validations allow developers to alert users to bad data.

Developers can create soft validations that do nothing but present a message.
Developers can create hard validations that prevent users from promoting their data or alter the promotion path. Developers can create data validations that ALWAYS evaluate to true simply to introduce some formatting into their forms.

Data Validations Can . . .

Evaluate conditions in an individual cell or range of cells. Evaluate conditions in a design-time cell, for example a cell defined in the form with a function that returns multiple individual cells. Evaluate conditions in a column or row.

Evaluate cells specific to a members data value.

Evaluate cells specific to a member name itself.

Evaluate the cells of a specific account type.

Data Validations Can . . .

Evaluate cells with a specific version type. Evaluate cells with a specific variance reporting type.

Evaluate cells that reference members of a dimension with a specific user defined attribute.
Evaluate cells that reference members with a specific attribute member association. . . . . format cells that meet these criteria.

. . . . display a validation message.

. . . . alter or stop the Approvals process.

Demo / Examples
Data Validations

Data Validations

Pros

Theyre very flexible and support many conditions. They integrate with Approvals. Unlike custom JavaScript, they work in Smart View. Unlike custom JavaScript, they dont require programming skills.

Unlike custom JavaScript, they dont break every time you upgrade.

Data Validations

Cons

Watch out for floating point decimal errors. Reference a range of numbers rather than an explicit number. Cannot easily exclude non-editable cells. They dont actually prevent data from being saved (yet). A data validation in one form cannot reference another form. Be careful using red cells with data validations if your users format negative values as red in their user preferences.

ROW & COLUMN FORMULAS

Creating Formula Rows & Columns

In the Form Layout, right-click a row or column and select Insert Formula Row (or Column).

Give the row or column a name in the Formula Label.

Select the formula row or column heading (not the cell) to display the formula properties. Indicate the Formula Data Type for each dimension. Enter and validate a formula.

Creating Formula Rows & Columns

Abs Average

IfThen Max Min Mod PercentofTotal Pi Product

Random Rank Round Sqrt Sum Truncate Variance VariancePercent

AverageA
Count CountA Difference Eval

Example Parameters

Sum(row[2]) row[2].Sum

Sum(column[A], column[C])
IfThen((IsMissing([A]) AND [B] > 0), 0, Eval([A] / [B]))

IfThen(Not(IsNN([B])), Eval(PercentofTotal([B], [B,3]) / 100),[B])

Demo / Examples
Formula Rows & Columns

Creating Formula Rows & Columns

Pros

Can help with database retrieval performance. Can help resolve database calculation order issues. Can save having to run a business rule with the save of a form. Good for one-off calcs that dont require database development. The function Pi is available for anyone who wants to forecast the circumference of a circle or is to lazy to type some numbers into a formula . . .

Creating Formula Rows & Columns

Cons

Does not handle divide-by-zero issues gracefully. No explicit function to return #Missing. This is a challenge when suppressing missing rows and you have a column formula. Formula columns are suppressed entirely if a label does not exist in the first row heading. Limited control over in-sheet calc order when mixing Row AND Column formulas in the same form. The Pi function is irrational . . . what if I need 16 digits???

EMBEDDED CHARTS

Embedding Charts in Forms

Users can add charts in Composite forms.

Bar Horizontal Bar Line Area Pie Scatter

Embedding Charts in Forms

Step 1 Create Composite Form Step 2 Edit Form Layout

Step 3 Right-Click One of the Forms

Step 4 Select Display as Chart Step 5 Select Options Tab Step 6 Select Legend Position Step 7 Select Label Position

Demo / Examples
Embedded Charts

Embedding Charts in Forms

Pros

Very quick and easy. Charts are attractive out-of-the-box.

Cons

Chart options are very limited.

Cannot place labels on chart axes. Not without bugs . . .

OTHER RANDOM TIPS

Grid Diagnostics

To monitor the performance of forms, Planning includes Grid Diagnostics. (as of version 11.1.2.2) Select the menu options Tools, Diagnostics, Grids. Select the Run Diagnostics button. Select the forms to review. Press the Run Diagnostics button. Click the chart for individual form stats. Experiment with different chart options.

Demo / Examples
Grid Diagnostics

Opening Multiple Forms at Once

By default, Planning users may open one form at a time.

To change this behavior, select the menu options Administration, Application, Properties.
Add the setting DATA_GRID_CACHE_SIZE and give it a value. Save changes and restart the Planning server.

Opening Multiple Forms at Once

Place the property in the Application Properties to only affect a single application.

Place the property in the System Properties to affect all applications.

WARNING This will increase memory consumption.

Grid Fetch Properties

When using the ADF interface, Planning will return the form in chunks of 25 rows and 17 columns.

When the user scrolls beyond this initial chunk the application will fetch 25 more rows and 17 more columns. Administrators can change this threshold by adjusting an Application Property called GRID_PARTIAL_FETCH_SIZE.

Grid Fetch Properties

Property requires two values (row & column setting) separated by a comma.

Grid Fetch Properties

Affects all forms and all users in a given application. Only available starting with 11.1.2.2 patch 303. Patch readme file makes no mention of a related System Property.

PREDICTIVE PLANNING

Turbocharge Your Input Forms with Predictive Planning

Wednesday, June 26 11:15 AM 12:15 PM Grand Ballroom E

Questions?