Notable New Features in 11.1.2.4 - EPMA, LCM, Calculation Manager

EPMA 

* There is a new Management Ledger application type for Profitability and Cost Management applications. Management Ledger applications enable you to perform management reporting and data modeling tasks. 

* Limits on Planning dimensions and alias tables are increased. Each Planning application can have up to thirty-two alias tables and up to thirty-two standard and custom dimensions. 

LCM 

* There is now a new application base level data artifact for HFM, which allows you to extract base level data including ownership information, exchange rate, etc. 

* There is also a new application snapshot artifact for HFM, which allows you take a full backup of the application and can be restored at a later time.

Calculation Manager 

* Support for Parallel Processing in Member Range Components: You can enable parallel processing to process the member range commands of a member range component simultaneously, instead of sequentially. Selecting parallel processing may optimize the calculations in the member range. 

* Running Essbase Calculation Scripts with Runtime Prompts in Essbase: You can deploy Essbase business rules with runtime prompts to Essbase and then launch them from Essbase Administration Services, MaxL, or any other component that can run a calculation script. 

* Importing Essbase Calculation Scripts: You can import Essbase calc scripts with runtime prompt variables. When you import an Essbase calc script, all of the references to the variables are converted to Calculation Manager runtime prompt variables. 

* New Design-Time Prompt Functions for Templates: There are new design-time prompt functions that you can use within DTP Assignment components for custom defined templates. 

* New Custom Defined Functions: There are new custom defined functions that you can access from within the function selector of Calculation Manager script and formula components. 

* Finding and Replacing Text in the Variable Designer: You can search for, and replace, text within the Variable Designer. Find allows you to find text in variables of any scope (global, application, plan type or database, or rule level). 

* Aggregation System Template Enhancements: The Aggregation system template has been enhanced to make it easier to use and understand. 

* Script Editor Enhancements: Several enhancements have been made to the script editor that you use to edit script components and to edit business rules in script mode: a wrap feature reformats any long lines of the script to display on the same page; line numbers you enter are highlighted in the script; you can expand or collapse a line in the script; you can enter search text in Find and click Previous or Next to find the previous or next instance of the text; auto suggestions are provided for functions in a dialog box. 

* Filtering Objects in the System View: The support of filters in the System View enables you to apply a filter to the System View to limit the display of objects for better usability. 

* Analyzing Scripts: You can analyze any business rule, not just graphical rules. When analyzing scripts, the rule is displayed in a view script mode, and each line that has analysis information has an icon beside the row. 

* New Cell Text Range Component and Data Range Component Changes for Financial Management Applications: You can create a new type of component for Financial Management applications called a cell text range component. A cell text range component is a type of loop comprised of a range of cell text from Financial Management applications. In the Financial Management data range component, there is a new POV entry in the component grid to support the new POV attribute, Data Unit, for Financial Management Visual Basic scripts. 

* Customizing Views: In the System View, Deployment View, Custom View, and Filter View, you can customize the columns that display and the order in which they display. In the System View and Deployment View, you can also expand and collapse the contents of application types, applications, consolidation types, plan types or databases, and the objects within them. 

* Comparing the Scripts of a Saved Rule to a Changed Rule: Now you can display the scripts of a saved business rule and a changed business rule side-by-side in a window within the Designer view of Calculation Manager. 

* Creating and Working with Location Aliases: You can create, edit, delete and display a list of location aliases for a block storage database and application. 

* Tracking Queries: You can use query data to select the most appropriate set of aggregate views to materialize for an aggregate storage database. 

* Compacting a Database Outline: You can compact aggregate storage outline files to remove the records of deleted members, reduce the outline file size, and improve performance. 

* Merging Incremental Data: You can merge all incremental data slices of an aggregate storage database into the main database slice, or merge all incremental data slices into a single data slice while leaving the main database slice unchanged. 

* Aggregating System Generated Views: You can calculate aggregations for aggregate storage databases that contain data and for which you have Calculation permission. 

* Selecting a Compression Dimension: You can set any aggregate storage dimension as the compression dimension if it is a dynamic dimension, with a single dynamic hierarchy, and no attributes. 

* Displaying Level Information: If you are working with an aggregate storage database, in addition to viewing other properties of the database, you can view the number of levels in each dimension of the application. 

* Managing Sessions: You can use the Sessions window to display and refresh a list of open user sessions and requests for aggregate storage applications. You can end lengthy user requests or log off users from selected servers, applications, or databases.

Notable New Features in 11.1.2.4 - Smart View and Financial Reports

Smart View 

* Enhanced Submit Data Functionality: The new Submit Data Without Refresh option lets you submit modified cells, also called dirty cells, from Essbase, Planning Ad Hoc, and Financial Management Ad Hoc without first refreshing. Also, the new Submit Data Range option lets you select and then submit contiguous and non-contiguous single cells and cell ranges from Essbase, Planning Ad Hoc, and Financial Management Ad Hoc. 

* POV and Pivot Enhancements: When connected to Essbase and Oracle Hyperion Provider Services 11.1.2.4 or later, the POV toolbar and pivoting behavior is enhanced such that: multiple members can now be pivoted from the grid to the POV toolbar, multiple members can now be pivoted from the POV toolbar to the grid, and a single dimension can now remain on the POV toolbar. 

* Improved Extension Update and Distribution: In release 11.1.2.5.400 and later, you can customize the extension update process so that Smart View end users can control when they install, update and remove extensions. 

* New Diagnostics Tools: This release introduces new Diagnostics tools. When an issue arises while using Smart View that you cannot resolve on your own, you can use the new tools, found in the Diagnostics group in the Smart View ribbon to help you create and collect files and screenshots for Oracle Support. 

* New Member Selection Dialog Box for Business Rules: The Member Selection dialog box for Business Rules and for modifying user variables on forms is changed in this release, and is now the same as the standard Smart View Member Selection dialog box accessed from the data provider ribbons. With this new dialog box, performance is improved when selecting members for Business Rules or modifying user variables. 

* User Name and Password Support for Drill-Through Reports: An Essbase administrator can require that users specify a user name and a password when logging on to the data source to access drill-through reports. 

* Oracle BI EE Filter Enhancement: When defining the filter expression for views in View Designer, to accommodate loading large amounts of data in the Value Selector, Smart View now presents values in groups. You can make your selections by group until you have viewed and made selections from the entire data list. 

* Oracle BI EE Prompt Enhancement: In View Designer, to accommodate loading large amounts of data when editing prompts in the Value Selector dialog box, Smart View now presents values in groups. You can make your selections by group until you have viewed and made selections from the entire data list. 

* Measure Label Flexibility in Oracle BI EE View Designer: In View Designer, when working with a pivot table view that has the pivot table display style, you can now reorder the Measure Label element within the Column edge, and move the Measure Label to any edge except the Measure edge. 

* Sheet Information Improvements: The Sheet Information dialog box in Excel now presents consistent information across Essbase, Planning, and Financial Management providers, including connection status and other information. 

Financial Reporting 

* Financial Reporting now supports the Indian rupee symbol and the Turkish lira symbol in report grid cells. 

* When users create annotations, they can specify whether users with the required permissions can edit the annotations. 

* New text functions in Financial Reporting Studio retrieve decision package information such as descriptions, justifications, and notes and attachments to use on financial reports. Where applicable, you can insert these functions into a text box; a grid’s text row, column, or cell; or a custom heading. 

* New Financial Reporting Workspace preference to launch a Query Ready export of a Financial Reporting report to either a new workbook or a new worksheet.

Notable New Features in 11.1.2.4 - Hyperion Essbase

* Thread Pool for Parallel Operations: Historically, Essbase dynamically created threads for parallel operations such as parallel calculation, parallel data load, and parallel restructure. However, beginning this release, the following parallel operations do not dynamically create threads, but instead use a set number of threads from a pre-created pool of threads: 

o Parallel calculation, with CALCPARALLEL or FIXPARALLEL 

o Parallel data load, for aggregate storage and block storage databases 

o Parallel export, for block storage databases 

o Parallel restructuring 

You can customize the size of the thread pool. 

* XML Outline Editing: XML outline editing enables you to use an XML file to make basic changes to the database outline. This method is a streamlined way to make outline edits without needing to use a rules file nor invoke the Outline API. To perform XML outline editing, you reference a provided .xsd file, create an .xml file, and call the C Main API function EssBuildDimXML (or the Java API method buildDimensionXml). To use the XML outline editing feature in Essbase 11.1.2.4, aggregate storage outlines that were created in an earlier release must first be migrated to 11.1.2.4. 

* Enhancements to Hybrid Aggregation: Hybrid aggregation mode was introduced in Release 11.1.2.3.500 as a way to bring improved calculation efficiency to block storage databases. In this release, Time-balance tagged members and Dynamic Time Series members can also be calculated in hybrid aggregation mode. Additionally, many more calculation functions are included in the list for member formulas that can be calculated in hybrid aggregation mode. For the full list, see the topic “Functions Supported in Hybrid Aggregation Mode” in the Oracle Essbase Technical Reference. 

* Optimizations for Oracle Exalytics In-Memory machine: Enhancements have been introduced for Essbase Server running on Oracle Exalytics In-Memory machine. An accompanying increase in virtual memory usage is normal and expected. Virtual memory usage is increased by the size of page files. On SPARC T5/Solaris Exalytics In-Memory machine, for best performance, configure swap space on the system to be greater than the sum of the expected sizes of dynamic calculator caches, for all databases on the system. 

* Calculation Enhancements 

o New Calculation Functions: @RELXRANGE - Generates a cross dimensional list based on the relative position of the cell that is currently being calculated and the offsets. 

o Calculation Function Changes: Support for the XrangeList parameter is added to a number of functions. XrangeList is a range of members from one or more dimensions, and can help you incorporate time continuum navigation. The functions that support XrangeList are: 

@COMPOUND @COMPOUNDGROWTH @CORRELATION @COUNT @DECLINE @DISCOUNT @GROWTH @INTEREST @IRR @IRREX @MEDIAN @MODE @NEXT @NEXTS @NPV @PRIOR @PRIORS @PTD @RANK @RELXRANGE (new function) @SHIFT @SHIFTMINUS @SHIFTPLUS @SLN @SYD @VARIANCE @VARIANCEP 

* Configuration Setting (essbase.cfg) Changes 

o New Configuration Settings: WORKERTHREADS - See Thread Pool for Parallel Operations. CRASHDUMPLOCATION - Sets the location where Essbase saves a core dump file when an abnormal termination occurs. CONNECTIONTIMEOUT - Specifies the maximum time that Essbase should wait for a SQL connection before timing out. QUERYTIMEOUT - Specifies the maximum time that Oracle Essbase should wait for a SQL query to execute before timing out. 

* MaxL Grammar Changes: The MaxL export data statement includes grammar you can use to make exported data anonymous, wherein real data is replaced with generated values. This removes the risk of sensitive data disclosure, and can be used in case a model needs to be provided to technical support for reproduction of certain issues. 

* Essbase API Changes 

o New C Main API Function: EssBuildDimXML - See XML Outline Editing. 

o New C Outline API Function: EssOtlVerifyOutlineEx3 - A new API function for verifying outlines. This function differs from EssOtlVerifyOutlineEx in that it provides both member warnings and formula errors. 

o Changed API Functions and Structures: ESS_PERF_CUSTCALC_T and ESS_PERF_ALLOC_T have an additional field, dataloadOption. Generated calculation or allocation values can be added to existing values, instead of overwriting them.

Notable New Features in 11.1.2.4 - Hyperion Planning

* Enhanced Performance in Simple Forms: new shortcut keys Tab and Shift+Tab, and new actions such as Undo (Ctrl+Z) and Wrap Text. 

* Control the Look and Feel of the Interface: Can add your company logo to the Home page, or create a watermark background by including a URL to an image file. 

* Manage the Application with the Console 

o Get a visual overview of the application. 

o View a graphic of the number of dimensions by plan type. (You can add plan types.) 

o See the total number of tasks, plans, rules, and approval hierarchies in the application. 

o Refresh the application. 

o Set a schedule for backing up the application, including setting the time zone. 

* Schedule Recurring Jobs: Schedule and manage jobs such as importing and exporting data or metadata, launching a business rule, and refreshing the database. You can start the job immediately or schedule it to run at intervals. 

* Enhanced Planning Capabilities: 

o Easily create dashboards in Planning to provide a quick, visual view of key data. Just drag forms, charts, and external links to a dashboard. 

o Analyze data in robust ad hoc grids by zooming in and out on members, and pivoting dimensions. Change which members to work with. 

o Format and save ad hoc grids as reports for viewing in Planning or in Oracle Hyperion Financial Reporting. 

o Format forms to emphasize certain data. For example, set the font size and color. Bold, italicize, or underline data. Set the background color. You can save or clear the formatting. 

o Visualize tasks by status or by type. 

o View planning unit status in a graphic. 

* Automatic Save: Administrators can set up a simple form so that planners' data is automatically saved when they move out of a cell, and values are aggregated immediately. The affected cells are displayed in green. To enable automatic save, the administrator selects the new Grid Properties option Enable Autosave. With that option selected, administrators can also select Run Form Rules on Autosave, which updates dynamically calculated cells that depend on the changed cell values. 

* Support for Dynamic Dimension Members: Users can now add children whenever they want and name them whatever they want. If a parent member is enabled for adding dynamic children, users can create a new member by entering its name in the runtime prompt.

Notable New Features in 11.1.2.4 - Hyperion Financial Data Quality Management (FDMEE)

* Target Application Enhancements: FDMEE now supports the Oracle Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management (HPCM) and Tax Provision Application of Oracle Hyperion Financial Management target applications. 

* Target Load Options: In Data Load Rules, you can now specify target application options specific to a location. For example, using the Target Options feature, you can specify different data protection values for each location. 

* Data Synchronization: A data synchronization feature has been added so that you can easily move data between the EPM applications irrespective of the dimensionality of the application without having to create a data file from the EPM source application. You specify the source and target EPM application, and then map the data. Given the powerful mapping features already available, the data can be easily transformed from one application to another application. For example, synchronizing data enables you to move data from HFM to Essbase for reporting. 

* Write-Back: FDMEE supports write-back from all EPM applications (except ARM) to ERP applications. This feature offers significant advantages, such as writing back budgets created in Planning to PeopleSoft or E-Business Suite ERP GL, or moving adjustment journals from HFM to ERP Systems like Oracle E-Business Suite or PeopleSoft. Other target systems still need to use a custom application framework. 

* POV Locking: Point of View (POV) lock options are available that enable you to lock and unlock the POV for all or an individual location. 

* Import Format Builder: A new Import Format Builder has been added that enables you to map source fields graphically to target dimension members. When the source system is a file-based data load, you can use the Import Format Builder feature to map source fields graphically to target dimension members instead of typing the starting position and the field length. This feature is available for both fixed and delimited files; however, the Import Format Builder does not support tab-delimited files. 

Note, in the 11.1.2.4 release, FDM Classic is no longer available.