Oracle EPM Lifecycle Management

1. Oracle EPM - Life Cycle Management
Use Cases
Nicholas King

2. • What is Life Cycle Management (LCM)?
• Use Case 1 – Explore LCM and Add 10 “Training” Users
• Use Case 2 - Security
• Security Sync Demonstration
• Using Command Line LCM
• Putting it all Together - Automation
Life Cycle Management Use Cases Introduction
• Putting it all Together - Automation
• Use Case 3 - Hyperion Planning
• Disaster Recovery Considerations
• Debugging LCM

3. Lifecycle Management provides a consistent way for Oracle Hyperion
Enterprise Performance Management System products to migrate an
application, a repository, or individual artifacts across product environments.
What is LCM?
Development Environment Production Environment
File System

4. In past versions of Hyperion, moving and upgrading applications was a
monumental task requiring specialized consulting skills.
Examples
•Reporting Security
•Web Analysis
•Planning Artifacts
•Keeping Essbase in Sync
LCM is becoming a critical tool for production support.
Why is LCM Important?
The Life Cycle Management tool has completely rewritten the book on how
to perform migrations and upgrades.
Hyperion users can now perform once complex
migration tasks with only a few clicks.

5. Module Artifacts
Shared Services
User and Group Provisioning
Projects/Application Metadata
Essbase
Files (.csc, .rpt, .otl, .rul), Data, Filters, Partitions, Index and Page files,
Application and Database properties, Security
EAS/Business Rules Rules, Locations, Sequences, Projects, Security
Hyperion Planning Forms, Dimensions, Application, Properties, Security
One Source for a Myriad of Artifacts
Hyperion Planning Forms, Dimensions, Application, Properties, Security
Hyperion Financial
Management
Metadata, Data, Journals, Forms/Grids, Rules, Lists, Security
Reporting and
Analysis
(Workspace)
Reports, Files, Database Connections, Security

6. LCM has a User interface in Shared Services under “Application Groups”.
Three Basic Components:
1. Foundation – Users/ Groups/ Provisioning
2. File System – The file system objects which are exported
3. Applications and Artifacts – Drill down through the applications and
products for granular objects
The command line interface for automation is described later
LCM Basics

7. Security Basics
Hyperion has multiple layers of security which give very granular control over
applications and data.
Provisioning
Users and Groups
Establish MSAD and native user and group relationships
Product Level Granular Security
Dimensional security, reports access, business rules projects
Provisioning
What products and roles users have – administrator,
consolidation user, planner etc

8. Use Case 1: Add 10 “Training” Users
1. LCM Export Users, Groups and Provisioning
2. Review File System & Exported Objects
3. Modify the Files
1. Add 10 users, train1-10
2. Add 2 Groups, training and training2
3. Provision group training and training2 to Essbase
4. LCM Import Objects
5. Test Login to Essbase

9. Use Case 2: Security Sync Demonstration
Typical End User Scenario: Sync Prod Security with DR or Dev
Export Users/Groups/Provisioning
from Source
Reformat Source Files for Import
New Step
Import Users/Groups/Provisioning
into Target Environment
Repeat the Process

10. Use Case 2: Security Sync – Reformat Source Files for Import
Review exported files and look for changes before importing
• Info/listing.xml
• Essbase Server Name in Directory
• Essbase Server Name in Files
• Essbase Studio
• Business Rules – Locations
• LDAP/MSAD Name Change
• Changing application names between
environments?environments?
Apache “Ant” is a good xml based scripting tool that
provides access to powerful scripting methods like
recursive search/replace for quick automation.
Newer Versions of Hyperion Make it Easier by
not Referencing Products by Server Name

11. Use Case 2: LCM Security Synchronization Reexamined
What happens over time?
Provisioning may not be removed from the target environment
Picture an environment with thousands of users
Demonstration:
•Group training2 is deleted
•Group training unprovisioned from Essbase server or
LCM Is “Additive” in Nature – Unwanted
Artifacts can Accumulate Over Time.
application

12. Use Case 2: LCM Security Synchronization - Reexamined
Export Users/Groups/Provisioning
from Source
Export Users/Groups from Target
Delete Users and Groups from
Target
The Revised Process
New Step
New Step
Removes
provisioning
Reformat Source Files for Import
Import Users/Groups/Provisioning
into Target Environment

13. Use Case 2: Delete Users and Groups from Target Environment
To delete all users/groups from an environment you must provide a list of
objects to delete.
1. Export All Users and Groups
2. Import All Users and Groups Using the “Delete” Option

14. Use Case 2: LCM – Going Command Line
LCM Command line automation is a great way to automate
synchronization tasks between environments.
Simple to convert from GUI/Web to command line:
Utility.bat:
• Use “–local” flag to redirect the output to another folder
• How to connect to a different Shared Services (xml file
reference)

15. Use Case 2: Automated Security Sync
Putting It All Together
1. Export Users and Groups from Source
Utility.bat exportUsersGroupsProvisioningTgt.xml
2. Transform Export Files in Step 1 for Import
ant –f transform.xml
3. Export Users and Groups from Target3. Export Users and Groups from Target
Utility.bat exportUsersGroupsTgt.xml
4. Delete Users and Groups from Target
Utility.bat deleteUsersGroupsTgt.xml
5. Import Users Groups Provisioning
Utility.bat importUsersGroupsProvisioningTgt.xml

16. Other Considerations for Synchronization
1. Planning Forms
2. Planning Security
3. Reports
4. Business Rules
Did you ever think Syncing Shared Services
was so hard? What about other products?
4. Business Rules
5. Essbase Scripts

17. Hyperion Planning Synchronization:
1. Sync Security
2. Drop data from Essbase cube
2. Sync Planning Application
3. Perform a Planning Refresh (Essbase Outline Restructure)
4. Rebuild / Calculate the Cube
5. Sync Business Rules
Use Case 3: Hyperion Planning Synchronization
•Restructuring can take time - drop data first
•Using LCM - Business Rules and Planning Artifacts can become stale

18. LCM & Disaster Recovery
• LCM is a great way to migrate and save artifacts for future use.
Essentially it can export artifacts which are not typically accessible
and provide a user friendly means for exporting.
• LCM is not a “behind the scenes” interface – it works on top of the
different Hyperion modules.
• Hyperion has to be fully functional for LCM to operate reliably.
• You cannot depend on LCM to work during a disaster scenario where
you are recovering products/modules which are not working.
LCM may not be suitable for Disaster Recovery

19. LCM Debugging
Issue Resolution Best Practices:
• Review the output of the LCM operation to get clues
• Review the server side log, Shared_Services_LCM.log
• Try only a subset of objects
LCM is Part of the Production Life Cycle,
Learn How to Investigate Issues!
• Look for special characters
• Restart the environment
• Use Google and Oracle Knowledgebase for more info
• Look for patches to Shared Services or Product Level Patches
• Turn on debugging for LCM tool (log.xml and hss-log.xml)

20. Questions?
Questions or Comments?
Nicholas King
kingn@tusc.comkingn@tusc.com