Analyzing Oracle EPM System Data with Oracle® Financial Management Analytics

Purpose

This tutorial covers analyzing Oracle Enterprise Performance Management System (EPM System) data with Oracle® Financial Management Analytics.

Time to Complete

Approximately 1 hour.

Overview

Oracle Financial Management Analytics provides executive access to a unified financial and nonfinancial picture of the performance of the organization through a series of dashboards. Prebuilt consolidation dashboards display key performance indicators, reports, and metrics by using data from EPM System applications. The dashboards enable users to analyze the data in an accessible format, according to various business and financial scenarios.

In this tutorial, you analyze EPM System data with Oracle Financial Management Analytics.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, you should:

1.

Have installed Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 11.1.1.5.1 and its components.

2 .

Have installed and configured Oracle Financial Management Analytics 11.1.2.1.

Accessing Oracle Financial Management Analytics Dashboards

In this topic, you launch Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition and then access the Oracle Financial Management Analytics dashboards.

1 .

In a browser, enter the URL for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition. The URL is in the format: http://server name:port number/analytics, where:

  • Server name is the name of the computer hosting the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition server.
  • Port is the server port number.
  • Analytics is the Virtual Directory set for Oracle Financial Management Analytics on the server.

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The Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition Sign-In screen is displayed.


2 .

Perform the following actions:

  1. Enter the user ID for the Financial Management administrator. This user must have the required permission in both Financial Management and Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition.
  2. Enter the password for the Financial Management administrator.
  3. Click Sign In.

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Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition is displayed.


3 .

Select Dashboards, then OFMA, and then Oracle Financial Management Analytics.

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The Oracle Financial Management Analytics dashboards are displayed.


Setting the Point of View


The point of view (POV) is a set of dimensions that you define to determine which application data is accessed and displayed in the dashboard. The POV is used for all dashboard pages.

In this topic, you set the POV for the dashboards.

1 .

From the POV Selector frame in the dashboard, perform the following actions:

  1. Click the Scenario drop-down list.
  2. Select the scenario that you want to use in the POV. In this tutorial, select Plan.
  3. Click the Year drop-down list.
  4. Select the year that you want to use in the POV. In this tutorial, select 2010.
  5. Click the Period drop-down list.
  6. Select the period that you want to use in the POV. In this tutorial, select Jan.
  7. Click Apply.

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All dashboards are updated with data from the selected POV members.

 

2 .

Scroll down and to the right to display the Income By Regions report. Notice that the report was updated with your POV selections (Plan, 2010).

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3 .

Perform the following actions:

  1. Click the Year 1 drop-down list.
  2. Select 2010.
  3. Click Apply.

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The dashboards are updated with data from the selected period.


4 .

Verify that the POV for the Income By Regions report was changed to display Actual, 2010 data, in addition to the dashboard POV value of Plan, 2010.

The report POV works in conjunction with the dashboard POV to generate the report.

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The dashboards are updated with data from the selected view.


5 .

In the POV Selector, click Reset Dashboard.

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The dashboard and report POV values are reset to the default members for all dimensions.


Magnifying Reports to Full-Screen Views

Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition provides options for enlarging the reports. You can view full-screen individual reports on a separate web page.

In this topic, you open a report in full-screen view.

1.

Select the dashboard tab that contains the report which you want to open in full-screen view.

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2.

On the Full-Screen View panel, click a report. In this example, you select Gross Profit By Products.

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The report opens in full-screen view in a separate browser window.


3 .

To view Financial Management data in the report, move the cursor over the report.

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The data value is displayed in a pop-up window.


4 .

To return to the Oracle Financial Management Analytics web page, click Return.

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The full-screen report closes, and the Oracle Financial Management Analytics web page is displayed.


Performing Zoom Operations on a Report

Oracle BI provides options to zoom in and zoom out on the data in a report.

Note: You must open a report in full-screen view to perform zoom operations.

1 .

Select the dashboard tab that contains the report on which you want to perform zoom operations. In this example, you select Executive.

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2 .

On the Full-Screen View panel, click a report. In this example, you select Gross Profit By Product by Region.

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The report opens in full-screen view in a separate browser window.


3 .

To see the Zoom icon, move the cursor over the report.

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The Zoom icon is displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen.


4 .

Select Zoom, then Horizontal Axis, and then Zoom In.

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The report is zoomed in.


5 .

To view data that is not visible on the screen, click and drag the horizontal scroll bar.

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6 .

Select Zoom, then Horizontal Axis, and then Zoom Out.

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The report is zoomed out.


7 .

To return the view to the actual size, select Zoom, and then Actual Size.

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The report is returned to its actual size.


Drilling Through the Hierarchy

Drilling is a way to navigate through data within reports. You can drill through data in tables, pivot tables, and graphs. The results that are displayed in the dashboard represent hierarchical data structures. You drill from parent entities to child entities. For example, if you drill down from North America, you can view data for the child entity USA.

In this topic, you drill through a hierarchy to view data for child entities.

1 .

Select the dashboard tab that contains the report which you want to drill through. In this example, you select the Executive tab.

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2.

In the Profit Loss Indicators By Products By Regions report, click North America.

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3 .

Verify that the child entities for North America (Canada, Mexico, North America Corporate, and USA) are displayed, and then click USA.

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4 .

Verify that the child entities for USA (USA Admin, USA Production, and USA Sales) are displayed, and then click USA Sales.

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5 .

Verify that the child entities for USA Sales (East Sales, North Sales, South Sales, and West Sales) are displayed.

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6 .

To reset the view back to the parent entity, on the POV Selector panel, click Reset Dashboard.

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7 .

Verify that the view was reset to the parent entity.

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Printing Reports

You can print reports as printable PDF or printable HTML.

In this topic, you print a report.

1 .

Select the dashboard tab that contains the report which you want to print.

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2 .

In the report, click Print.

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3 .

Click Printable PDF.

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The report is rendered as a printable PDF.


4 .

To send the printable PDF to a printer, click the Print icon.

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Exporting Reports

You can export Oracle Financial Management Analytics reports in the following formats:

In this topic, you export a report in PPT format, and then open the report in Microsoft PowerPoint.

1 .

Select the dashboard tab that contains the report which you want to export.

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2 .

In the report, click Export.

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3 .

Click Powerpoint, then Powerpoint 2007+.

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4 .

Click Save.

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5 .

Select the location where you want to save your data, and click Open.

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6 .

In Microsoft PowerPoint, browse to open the exported report file.

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7 .

Verify that the report is displayed in PowerPoint.

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Navigating Oracle Financial Management Analytics Dashboards

You navigate the dashboards by using the Dashboard tabs. Each dashboard contains multiple reports, and each report pertains to various views of the financial data. These reports are confined to particular dashboard pages. For information about the specific reports in each dashboard, see the Oracle® Financial Management Analytics User's Guide.

In this topic, you open each of the Oracle Financial Management Analytics dashboards to view the reports that it contains.

1 .

Click the Executive tab.

The Executive dashboard provides high-level financial data in graphical or tabular reports. Senior-level management executives use this dashboard to view the financial status of the company.

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2 .

Click the Performance Indicators tab.

The Performance Indicators dashboard provides information about the company's business performance, including whether it meets industry standards. You can measure key performance metrics from the following parameters:

  • Profit and Loss
  • Gross Profit Margin
  • Return on Assets
  • Return on Sales
  • Return on Equity

In the following figure, the consolidated performance indicators are displayed in the form of pie charts. This data provides information about the financial position of the company based on assets, liabilities, and owner's equity. The report helps you understand the company's financial position for an accounting period across different geographical regions. The pie charts show the ratio of the accounts in each performance indicator. Each pie chart depicts one performance indicator, and each sector of the chart represents an account.

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3 .

Click the Profit and Loss tab.

The Profit and Loss dashboard provides profit and loss information for the company. You can manage and decide to finance or invest in a particular product for a particular geographical region.

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4 .

Click the Gross Profit tab.

The Gross Profit dashboard is similar to the Profit and Loss dashboard, but data is restricted to the gross profit accounts and includes more information about product-level reporting. This dashboard includes Variance Analysis, Variance Graph, and Trend reports. Each report includes analysis at a product level.

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5 .

Click the Balance Sheet tab.

The Balance Sheet dashboard provides more information about the financial position of the company, based on the following factors:

  • Assets
  • Liabilities
  • Ownership equity

The Balance Sheet dashboard is similar to the Profit and Loss dashboard and the Gross Profit dashboard. You can consolidate the balance sheet reports. Balance sheet accounts also have a Trend report.

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6 .

Click the Cash Flow tab.

The Cash Flow dashboard provides information about the inflow or outflow cash of a company for a particular period of time. The result of the cash flow information is based on different views, such as the following:

  • Month-to-date (MTD)
  • Quarter-to-date (QTD)
  • Year-to-date (YTD)

You can also consolidate the cash flow reports.

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7 .

Click the Currency Analysis tab.

At the beginning of the financial year, individual entities submit values for the Scenario dimension, such as budget, forecast, or plan. The values are translated and consolidated based on the exchange rates prevailing in the respective periods. The main purpose of the Currency Analysis Dashboard is to neutralize the effect of exchange rate fluctuations. It provides currency-neutral variance reports for the following dashboards: Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow.

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8 .

Click the Process Management tab.

The Process Management dashboard helps users analyze workflow information to accomplish a particular task. It displays the steps involved and the actions required for moving a process unit through the various process levels.

A process unit is a combination of data for a specific Scenario, Year, Period, Entity, and Value. You use process management to review, submit, promote, approve, reject, or publish the process units.

The Process Management Metrics report is displayed in the following figure. The color code of the flags represents the phase of calculating the number of days for changing the process state. For example:

  • The green flag indicates that process units are progressing within expected time lines. By default, the green flag indicates that the process units are within 0 to eight days of the time frame.
  • The yellow flag indicates that process units are delayed. By default, the yellow flag indicates that process units are within 9 to 12 days of the time frame.
  • The red flag indicates that the process units are experiencing significant issues. By default, the red flag indicates that the process units exceed the 12-day limit.

For more information on how the metrics are calculated, see the Oracle Financial Management Analytics User's Guide.

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9 .

Click the Close Schedule tab.

The Close Schedule dashboard provides information about the current status of all running Financial Close schedules. This information enables users to quickly understand and analyze the following key aspects:

  • Schedule Milestones
  • Schedule Roadblocks
  • Task status (using color-coded notifications)

The dashboard enables you to monitor and analyze the scheduled task process. The Financial Close schedule information is sourced from Oracle® Hyperion Financial Close Management.

The Schedule Summary report is displayed in the following figure. The color code in the Condition field represents the state of the schedule based on timelines. For example:

  • Green represents tasks that are progressing within expected time frames. By default, green indicates a sum of delayed tasks less than or equal to 5.
  • Yellow indicates that the schedule needs attention. By default, yellow indicates a sum of delayed tasks greater than 5 and less than or equal to 10.
  • Red indicates that the schedule has significant issues. By default, red indicates a sum of delayed tasks greater than 10.

For more information on how the schedule status is calculated, see the Oracle Financial Management Analytics User's Guide.

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You successfully analyzed EPM System data with Oracle Financial Management Analytics.

Summary

In this tutorial, you have learned how to:

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