Oracle EPM (Hyperion) 11.1.2.3. New Feature Highlights

Last week Oracle held a 4 day conference in Milan to present the new features that come with EPM version 11.1.2.3. that was released a couple of weeks ago.  If you want to see the complete new features in detail related to each product then you can always check out the documentation library on the Oracle web site but here's a few highlights that got me slightly excited.

HFM (Hyperion Financial Management)

The last release 11.1.2.2. was the most significant change to the HFM user interface for many years, using Oracle's ADF front end.  Being so new, there have been many performance issues reported around speed.  Big message from Oracle is that the new version is lightning fast by comparison.......hope so!

You can now execute rules from a web form Rick click in a similar way to Hyperion Planning which is nice.

One for the administrators is a log to compare metadata versions.  This sounds nice, handy to check exactly which metadata change stopped your consolidation rule from working.

Data forms and grids are a little more customizable but dot 2 was the major step change, this one just works.........so they say.

FDM (Financial Data Management)

FDM is going and will and now be called FDMEE, standing for Enterprise Edition.  They new product looks exactly the same as the old product and is certified as having the same level of functionality but is built on the ERPi platform.

Larry doesn't play golf with Bill, so the Windows client has gone finally,but the fish are still there.  It's quicker and can handle more so I'm quite liking the sound of this, but haven't used it yet!  In this release, you'll still get the old FDM but its last chance saloon as from 11.1.2.4. it will be completely dead.

FCM (Financial Close Management)

No massive changes with the latest release but they have added 'Tim to complete' on the tasks so you can report on it when you do you Close debrief.

ARM (Account Reconciliation Management)

Yes I know this is technically bundled as part of FCM but this doesn't really make sense as its a completely different set of users performing the month end balance sheet reconciliations to those that control the overall month end process.

No major improvements since its launch in the last release and still doesn't have transactional balances but its a nice product and I can see real benefit to those customers that need some way of controlling the monthly chore of balance sheet recs.

DM (Disclosure Management)

A few enhancements here such as being able to view the dates when documents were uploaded but general feeling is that it's closing the gap on the competition but still behind.

Tax Provisioning

This is a reasonably new product to the UK market built to compete with products such as Longview.  It's effectively a pure built HFM application that you us to collate date and then apply tax calculations to manage your tax number and then send the journal back into the ledger at the end.

It looks good but list price is not cheap at $5k with minimal user number of 20.  Given most tax departments are fairly small it might have been better to price list at $20k with minimum order number of 5, just my opinion.

This module has led to the creation of new HFM functionality to use users to create simple rules within the application and the VB scripting is automatically created out of the back end.  This is very much trying to hand the control from the consultant back to the finance guy.  I wonder how efficient the rules are but maybe we're seeing the future of HFM being developed by finance, not the consultant..........gulp!

Sustainability Reporting

Another pure built HFM application but this is not very expensive at all, in fact it's completely free when you buy HFM.

It's compliant with the Global Reporting Initiative.  To be honest, I didn't look to carefully into this product and got to be suspicious when Larry gives something away for free...............

Smartview

So this is where the spreadsheet jockeys stand to attention.  Larry brought in a few nice touches with 11.1.2.2. and carries that forward in this release.  FR reports exported into Smartview keep the formats better now and it's faster to retrieve data.

You can now add to metadata for Hyperion Planning using Smartview.  Very funky feature and one that I hope will be extended for other products.

Financial Reporting

Here's a big one...................you can now view financial reports using an iPad AND other devices using Android operating device.  I thought Larry would be faithful to Apple for ever but he's a smart man so he's recognizing that there's an awful lot of Android out there.

There's no app, you just use your browser to a web address of the reports repository.  Hardly any set up required, just 11.1.2.3. installed.  There are going to be a lot of happy FDs out there soon.

OFMA (Oracle Financial Management Application)

OFMA is the only dashboard reporting application out there that gives you true 'real time' reporting functionality on top of your HFM application.n The competition have to move the data out to a DB to report on it.

The downside is that you have to buy OBIEE and OFMA which is a fairly expensive way to get some dash boarding out of HFM.  If you have OBIEE already then obviously the price becomes reasonable.

Obviously OBIEE gives you access to mobile reporting but given that FR is now able to report on mobile for free, I think it's a tricky sell.  The current release still comes working with the four custom dimensions but next release will give you access to the new unlimited capability.  Dunno - for me the jury is still out.

HP (Hyperion Planning)

The majority of the updates were in the bolt on applications that run on Planning.  11.1.2.3. is the version that will be used for the cloud offering due to be released later this year.

PSPB (Public Sector Planning & Budgeting)

Decision packages were a great piece of functionality that were introduced in 11.1.2.2. but being new, they were a little clunky.  New in this release is the ability to copy decision packages which is very cool.  There's also some extra ability to upload supporting information and annotations.

PFP (Project Financial Planning)

I'm still. Not so sure about this module.  Once it gets a few customers singing its praises then I’ll stand up and take a bit more notice.  There is new functionality to import metadata through relational tables but that's about it.

DRM (Dimensional Relationship Management)

Main update it his release was DRG, the G standing for governance.  Nice logical step, well done a Oracle.  I have had many discussions with customers who have been asking for a way to manage approvals for changes......well here it is.  I haven't used it yet but the demo looked good.  Looking forward to seeing this work.

HPCM (Hyperion Cost & Profitability Management)

I love this product.  Back in the day when we were struggling with Activity Based Costing using Excel and Access, it really was a painful process.  HPCM can be used fairly out of the box which is great.  The traceability maps are wonderful, shame you still can't print them :(

In this release there have been some major performance enhancements to ensure lighting fast calculations.  It is also now certified to run on Exalytics if you want warp speed.

You also now get the ability to have three ASO reporting cubes, one for each detailed profitability model.  There's a new destination stage balancing report too.

SUMMARY

After the mind blowing changes to 11.1.2.2. I wasn't too excited about 11.1.2.3. but actually there has been a lot of really useful smoothing of the edges and if the performance improvements work I might actually be recommending to my customers a move to the bleeding edge release..............for the first time EVER!

Boss – “Can I expense claim my Ironman 3 cinema tickets?”

It did make my chuckle when halfway through the film, Robert Downey Jnr's computer tells him that the “Oracle Cloud has finished computing the results” and then later on, some news TV anchor man’s van in the back end of nowhere has managed to squeeze an Exalytics box into his transit.

That’s good enough for me, I’m claiming it!

Oracle EPM 11.1.1.X Premium Support Scare Mongering On LinkedIn

Rant alert!!!

So once again I’ve been getting incredibly frustrated by the number of discussions on LinkedIn where people that should know better are raising panic amongst the Hyperion user base because version 11.1.1.X. comes off Premium Support in July 2013.

Now in my business, I should be supporting this kind of scare mongering because the upgrade to the new versions will give us some consulting revenue in our infrastructure team BUT my mummy taught me not to lie so I can’t support it.

Let’s think about what this actually means…………

Coming out of premium support effectively means there will be no further patches released for this version.

Why?  Well the reason is because this release is STABLE!!!!  Now put 2&2 together, a stable release does not generally need patches.

So in summary, if you are on 11.1.1.x and you are happy with your applications functionality, resilience and performance then I have an idea.  Why don't you save yourself some money and stay on this version?

There are thousands of customers still using Hyperion Enterprise around the world.  Forget premium support, Oracle don’t even sell this product any more.

Coming off premium support is not a reason to upgrade in isolation.

An upgrade should be really carefully considered.  Before you even think about upgrading to the latest version, which has already been found to have performance issues with the ADF, perform a FULL RISK ANALYSIS and look at all the pros and cons.

The numpties that are spreading this scare mongering either didn’t listen to their mummy and want to drum up some business or don’t know what they’re doing.

No more scare mongering please!!!

YOU WON'T LIKE ME WHEN I'M MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Why Enterprise Performance Management is like Rolling Cheese

A little known fact about the Dark Lord is that in May 1996, myself and three team mates endured searing heat and the effects of too much beer to rise to the top and become World Champions at the majestic art of cheese rolling.  Such a noble feat was made even more spectacular in that we were all dressed as tea ladies and our team was called the ‘PG Chimpendales’.  We were interviewed by the regional news TV, had our pictures in the newspapers and treasured a moment that has never left us.

Soon afterwards, our team captain emigrated to Australia and our cheese rolling feats were consigned to happy memories.  That was until this year, when our captain came back to visit his family and we entered again, 17 years after our triumphant moment.  This time we were dressed as Austin Powers characters and naturally the Dark Lord was ‘Dr Evil’.

This year, something happened that got me thinking about EPM project implementations.

To understand, you need to be aware of what cheese rolling is…………..

In the pretty village of Stilton, where Stilton Cheese was first sold, every year teams of four people roll a cut off telegraph pole (sized to resemble a round Stilton Cheese) 100 yards down the High Street which is slightly downhill.  Every team member must touch the ‘cheese’ at least once and the ‘cheese’ must roll.

I know this sound really easy but it’s hard!  Rolling something that is only just wider than its depth is like balancing on a ball bearing.  If you push the ‘cheese’ too hard is spins and can end up going in the complete wrong direction.

One tactic is to start the cheese rolling and then add to it with gentle pushes until you hit the end.  Danger here is that if you push too hard, it’ll spin out of control.

This year one particular team turned up with a strategy.  They were dressed as racing car mechanics and one guy had a crash helmet on.  What they did was hold this guy like a wheel barrow and wedge the cheese in the visor hole.  This way they stopped the cheese spinning out of control and basically pushed it all of the way to the end.

They won by a country mile each time taking the title to a host of jeers and boos from the crowd who could see that this strategy was not really in the spirit of the noble cheese rolling tradition………………..but it was very effective.

So why is rolling cheese like an EPM implementation?

Well……..firstly, EPM implementations are difficult.  There are many, many reasons that can result in a failed implementation.  Just get one wrong and you can spin out of control easily.

Once you’ve kicked off an EPM implementation, you have committed to an investment.  Once it’s kicked off you need to be in control for the whole race.  When it starts to veer out of control, you need to be able to stop and take control of the cheese again.  The journey to the end may not be the same as you originally intended but you will get there.  Don’t worry, EPM implementations rarely run straight down the hill but if well controlled you can get back on track.

Think about scope.  The strategy to set the project rolling and give gentle pushes here and there does work.  Push too hard i.e. take too much scope and your cheese will spin.  Be sensible in your scope.  Bite off too much and you may take longer to reach the finish line.

Finally, the team that won this year has a strategy.  The race lasts less than a minute but they had spent hours dreaming up the winning strategy.  Invest in time before you start the ball rolling, it may delay your actual start but you will definitely finish earlier.

For all of my clients I recommend working with me to build a roadmap that looks at the end goal, not just the start or the next phase.  The chees may still spin but at least we’ll know when it starts to spin and how to get it back on track.

See more in my blog "Gimme an epm roadmap"

Oh and if you’re interested, this year we went out in the first round to the team that eventually became the beaten finalists.  We had a strategy but also one of us was in a sling, one was dressed in an inflatable f@t b@stard outfit so that is another blog about having the right resources matched to the project requirements………………….

……………..Oh and we won second place in the fancy dress so not entirely a failure J

 

 

Cognos TM1 Planning versus Oracle Hyperion Planning

There are currently loads of discussions in the various EPM groups on LinkedIn asking the question “Which is the best software product, Cognos TM1 planning or Hyperion Planning?”

Now this might be controversial but I think it might be a good idea to round up all the guys that are asking and commenting on these subjects and put them to the firing squad.

Guys!  You lot are really missing the point!!  Rant coming……..

Thing is, it's a bit like saying BMW or Mercedes. Both are great car brands, their genetic makeup is very different but they both drive really well and you will not be disappointed with either.

Is the BMW faster than the Mercedes................I would have thought it depends on who is driving the car!

Back to Planning products, the risk of a poor implementation is not really in the software, but in how the business requirements are understood, translated to a design, built to the design, tested end to end, how the users are trained and communicated with i.e. the implementation.

You’ll spend more money on the actual implementation (including internal resource) than you will on the software so why to people get hung on what’s the best software?

If I was these guys I would be more concerned with the quality of the implementation partner:

·        Do they understand my business and process

·        Are they suitably skilled to translate this into a software solution

·        Do they know my industry

·        Do I trust them

·        Do they have a track record

·        Are they respected in the industry

There are many more consultancy companies out there who implement Cognos and Hyperion and they all face the same problem – how to attract and retain quality staff.

There are plenty of guys out there but there is a massive variability in quality………..a much wider variation in quality than there is with the two software vendors above.

Back to the LinkedIn discussion groups, everybody who worked with Cognos recommends ……….guess what……..Cognos and everybody who works with Hyperion recommends…………………guess what…………..Hyperion.  So ignore these discussions as they are totally meaningless.

One thing that REALLY bugs me is the comments from the Cognos lovers saying that Cognos is faster to implement.  Give me a gun!!!!!   Surely anybody out there that knows what they’re talking about will tell you that it’s the BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS that make an implementation simple (quick) or complex (slow) to implement!!!!!!

Trust me, it’s not the software.  I have implemented a simple Hyperion Planning implementation in a week from understanding requirements, designing, building, testing and rolling out to the end user.  Why did it only take a week – the requirement was…………………………..SIMPLE!!!!

On the software choice I always recommend the Gartner Magic Quadrants as they are well respected and as close to independent as you will get.

For the CPM quadrant (maybe I need to have a CPM Nirvana blog) Gartner have favoured Hyperion Planning consistently over many years mainly because Hyperion were years ahead integrating Essbase into Hyperion planning (way before Oracle bought Hyperion) than Cognos were integrating TM1.  In fact even now, there’s two versions of Cognos Planning out in the user base being supported.

Me personally, I love Hyperion and have never implemented Cognos so you mustn’t trust my opinion and I would give it.  Just remember, If either is built badly you'll end up with a rust bucket sitting unused in the garage.

PPS - Oracle all the way J

PPS – I love LinkedIn J

 

Unmasking the Dark Lord!!!

The rumours have been out there for a while but I can confirm The Dark Lord of EPM is Andy Carfax.

If you need help you can reach me at andycarfax@gmail.com

Oracle EPM (Hyperion) 11.1.2.3 released next week (w/c April 15th 2013)

The paragraph below was copied from an article floating around Linkedin.  The Dark Lord will provide a full analysis of the 11.1.2.3 functionality at a later date - watch this space!

 

Hyperion 11.1.2.3 will be generally available next week, according to Oracle officials outlining the Hyperion roadmap this week.

The new release is not as major as 11.1.2.2, but there are still a couple key takeaways. Those include:

•Support for aggregate storage (ASO) cubes in Hyperion Planning, which will require a full-use license for Essbase

•Workforce and capital users can add members on the fly in Hyperion Planning

•Dynamic points-of-view (POVs) and grid improvements in Hyperion Financial Management

•Hyperion Data Relationship Management (DRM) to get a data relationship governance module to create configurable workloads, which each separate module licensed per user

•Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management (HPCM) to be certified to run on Oracle Exalytics

•Hyperion Financial Data Management (FDM) and Enterprise Resource Planning Integrator (ERPI) to be combined into a single module. Existing customers will get an upgrade as part of maintenance.

•A subscription-based, per user per month cloud offering in the second half of 2013

Beyond 11.1.2.3, the most interesting thing on the horizon is that Oracle will look to leverage Endeca in EPM applications in the upcoming release. Speaking for the EPM community, we’re looking forward to this.

John O'Rourke, Oracle vice president of product marketing for enterprise performance management (EPM), outlined the roadmap during a session at the Collaborate user group conference this week. O'Rourke said that the fundamentals of EPM haven't changed in the last 15 years, but the business climate has. We’re seeing slow economic growth, the need to get things done faster, and the requirement to do it with fewer resources.

Rehashing Hyperion 11 1.2.2 features

 O'Rourke also detailed some features available in Hyperion 11.2.2.2, which has now been out for about a year. Two of the major ones are HPCM and the tax provision module for HFM. The tax provision module helps with tax reporting and provisioning.

HPCM, meanwhile, has been updated to enable micro-costing to use the database to perform allocation (SKU, customer, etc.). You can use it to create calc scripts on the fly. When you define allocation rules in HPCM, it creates the calc scripts, and the results are loaded to Essbase for reporting and analysis. The benefit is it gives you the ability to report fully allocated PNL at product, SKU, customer, etc. The result is improved reporting and analysis and the ability to see things like where the profits are, how your customers/products are performing/how much they are contributing to the bottom line, etc.