BPC Functions

Activities - activities the user is involved in

Process Monitor - includes the status of processes
Library - includes public and private reports, input forms, workspaces,
and dashboards, for example.
Documents - this is a central storage location for important
attachments
Consolidation Central - the all-in-one interface for accountants
Consolidation Monitor - used to execute closing activities and monitor
progress
Controls Monitor - used to execute data validation and monitor the
results
Journals - used to manage and create journal entries
Ownership Manager - used to manage ownership data

The Excel Interface of the EPM Add-in has the following features.
EPM Data Retrieval
Create reports
Analyse data
Dynamic formatting
Calculations
Charts
Print and share
Integration
Planning and Consolidation Only
Data input
Planning functions
Distribution and Collection
Data manager

EPM - Command Display Options

You can customize the ribbon. To display or hide the commands or group of
commands in the ribbon, select EPM Options Command Display Options.
Depending on the connection type of the selected report, and the related
features that are available, interface items are hidden or shown. Here, you
define what interface items to hide or show. Your selections have priority
over the visibility settings determined by the connection.

Workspaces
A workspace allows the user to store content (documents), reports, and input
forms in a single place.
Workspaces are edited and viewed in a separate tab. Icons are used for each
of the components.

Note: When journals exist in the existing environment, they are always
copied when you create an environment with reference to an existing one.
Environment Status
To prevent users from using the environment, you can set the environment
status to Not Available.
A message informs users that the environment is not available and that
they cannot log on.
You can customize this message when setting the environment status.
Users defined with the Use System When Offline security task can log on
when the system status is Not Available.
Note: Some administration tasks automatically set the environment status
to Not Available.
Note: When you close Planning and Consolidation Administration, if the
environment is Not Available, a message will ask you whether you want to
set the environment to Available.
To Set the Environment Status

1.
2.
3.
4.

In the Navigation Pane, select your environment.

In the Action pane, select Set Environment Status.
Set the status to Available.
Select Update Environment Status.

Dimension Overview
Dimensions are the different perspectives that you can use to analyse data.
Dimensions consist of members. Members are defined with an identifier and
a description.
Dimension members can also be described by properties. For example,
country is a typical property for the entity dimension.
You can arrange members in a hierarchical order.
You maintain dimension members in a dimension member sheet.
Note: Member ids can have up to 20 characters. You cannot use a
space or special characters for ids (except underscore).
Descriptions can have up to 50 characters, including special
characters and spaces, but you cannot use double quote.
Dimension Types
Dimension types define the behaviour and the required properties of a
dimension.
For example, the account type dimension contains a property named
Account Type to indicate whether the account is a profit and loss account
or a balance sheet account.
Each dimension must be assigned to one of the following dimension types:
Dimension Types
A Account
C Category
D Audit
E Entity
G Group
I Intercompany
R Currency
S Subtable
T Time
U User defined

A model must contain at least the following dimension types:

Account
Category
Entity
Time

Note: The Intercompany dimension type is required to perform

intercompany eliminations.
Subtable is typically used in consolidation to disclose movements, like
increase, decrease, and transfers for balance sheet accounts.
Audit is used to classify data according to the origin, such as input,
calculations or adjustments.
Caution: The Measure appears as a dimension. This is a special case
dimension created by the system to determine the periodic or year-to-date
view of the data.
Dimension Properties
You use dimension properties to evaluate or select members in different
contexts like calculations, reports, and input forms. You can also display
property values in reports and input forms.
Properties appear as columns in the dimension member sheet.
Depending on the dimension type, some properties are automatically
created because they are required by the system. For example, dimensions
of the Entity type have a Currency property. Additional optional properties
are also proposed, depending on the dimension type. A number of these
properties are used for consolidation purposes.

Caution: For the entity type dimension, the properties Owner and Reviewer
are not required. However, they are mandatory if you want to use the Work
Status and Process features.

You can create additional properties depending on your own requirements.

To use properties in MDX queries, script logic, or reports, the property must
be stored in the database. To store a property in the database, select the
InApp checkbox.

Deleting a Property
To delete a property, you delete the property name. When the property is
defined with the InApp option, you need to process the dimension after you
delete the property.
Caution: Before you delete a property, you should consider the different
places where this property is used (reports, logic, and so on).
Dimension Hierarchies
For every dimension, you arrange members in one or more hierarchies. You
use hierarchies to roll up values from base members to parent members. For
example, you can group entities by regions within one hierarchy, and by
segment using a second hierarchy. You can use hierarchies in reports to
group or select members. You also use hierarchies to show a hierarchical
order in reports. In the PARENTH1 column, you define the parent member.
Each hierarchy appears in the dimension member sheet like a separate
column, with a name such as PARENTH1, PARENTH2, and so on.
Reference Dimension
A reference dimension is required for some specific dimension types. The
reference dimension is used to check the values of a property against a
separate dimension. For example, the entity dimension is defined with a
reference to the currency dimension. The currency defined for one entity is
therefore checked in the currency dimension.

Dimension Member Sheet

Each dimension has a member sheet. It is stored on the server in Excel
format and contains:
IDs and description
Properties
Column for hierarchies
You maintain the members in the member sheet using Excel functions. For
example, you can copy and paste members from an external Excel
worksheet.
Note: You can create a member report that shows the members arranged in
hierarchical order. This report is saved in the Excel file along with the
member sheet.
Processing a Dimension
After you maintain the dimension members, you need to process the
dimension to save your changes in the database. Processing a dimension
also validates the hierarchies and the dimension formulas.
When you process dimensions, you can:
Select one, several, or all dimensions
Select the models to process
Set the system offline

Complete the exercises on page 106

Maintaining Models

Secured Dimension
In the Data Access Profiles, you define security restrictions using dimensions.
A dimension can be used in the security definition with two different data
access
Options:
Read only access
Read and write access
To allow access to the model, you define Data Access Profile. For example,
you define the category dimension as a secured dimension in your model.
In the Data Access Profile, you can allow access as follows:
User A can read actuals and budget data, but cannot change this data.
User B can read actuals and budget data, and can change budget data.

To Create a Model
Prerequisites - Before you create a model, the dimensions must exist.
Procedure 1. In the navigation pane, choose Model, and in the action pane, choose Add
a New Model.
2. In the action pane, enter a name and a description for the new model, and
choose Go to Step 2 of 4.
3. In the action pane, select the model type and choose Go to Step 2 of 3.
4. Select the following:
The source model you want to copy
The Exchange Rates model and the Ownership model, when required

 The Business Rules you want to use in this model.

5. Choose Go to Step 4 of 4.
6. If you want to copy the dimensions from the source model, select the
Dimensions checkbox and choose Add New Dimension.
7. If you do not select the Dimensions checkbox in this step, you can:
Select the dimensions you want for your model
Define the dimension to be secured by choosing the Secured or the R/W
pushbutton.
In the action pane, choose Add a new Model.

Model Optimization
Data is stored in models on the following levels:
Real-time (Write Back table): corresponds to the most current data sent to
the system using the input forms.
Short-term (FAC2 table): corresponds to the data created or loaded using
the Data Manager packages.
Long-term (FACT table): corresponds to the FACT table, which offers better
performance.

You periodically optimize your models to improve system performance. The

optimization options are as follows:

For example, you can run Lite Optimize every day, and Incremental Optimize
every week.
Caution: When you create a new model, it is best practice to run a full
optimization.

Caution: By default, model data storage is periodic. The year-to-date view is

calculated in the reports when you select the corresponding measure.
If you want to define a year-to-date storage for your model, you need to
change the YTDINPUT parameter.

Concurrent Lock

To prevent concurrent data submission, you can define the lock level for your
model. You select three or more dimensions, for example, entity, time, and
category. When two users submit data on the same members for the
dimensions selected in the lock setting, the first data sent is accepted. The
following data sent is rejected.

Context Default
The context is the combination of the model, dimensions, and associated
members that the user is working with. You can set a model to be the default
model.

You can also define the following for each dimension:

Exercise to be done on Page 127

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