For more than a decade Essbase has provided a number of techniques to import data. As FDM and ERPi continue to become an integral component of the EPM suite, more and more people question - do we need FDM? We will explore the key benefits that FDM offers for Essbase including dynamic calc script execution, an end user controlled data integration process, detailed audit trails and lights out automation. ERPi further enhances the value add with drill through to the transactions within the source system.

1. FDM & ERPI WITH
ESSBASE -
STREAMLINING
DATA
INTEGRATION AND
CHALLENGING
DOGMA

2. About Me
• Oracle ACE – One of 29 in the world focused
on BI
• Over 12 years of experience across the EPM
suite
– More than 35 implementations
• Oracle certified for Hyperion Financial
Management – System 9 & Fusion 11
• FDM Practice Manager @ Edgewater Ranzal
– www.ranzal.com
• www.FDMGuru.com

3. Essbase Dogma
• I’ve been loading data to Essbase for
years. I don’t need FDM.
• I can do everything in load rules & MAXL
that I can do in FDM.
• I’ve got EIS / Studio for drill through. I don’t
need ERPi.
• FDM can’t handle the data volumes that are
loaded to Essbase.
• FDM can’t load to ASO or the Planning
repository.

4. FDM Key Features
• Financial Data Quality Management
• End user friendly web interface that provides
directed workflow
• Drill through capabilities for data investigation
• Organization wide process monitoring &
auditing
• Extensive automation capabilities using built
in batch loader
• Prepackaged target system integration
• Mature product
– Limited bugs / low severity

5. FDM Workflow
• Import
– Data is loaded from a flat file or relational source into the
FDM database
– FDM transformation (maps) tables are applied
• Validate
– Checks that all source members were transformed
• Export
– Clears data from Essbase
– Loads data to Essbase
– Aggregates Essbase
• Check
– Retrieves aggregate/calculated values from Essbase and
compares to administrator defined thresholds to determine
data quality

6. Why Use FDM?
• Web Based
• Robust Mapping Capabilities
– Cross dimensional mapping
– Wildcards
• Centralized data repository
– Drill through
– Re-processing data
• Audit
– When & by whom was data processed
– What maps were applied; who modified the maps;
what was the old map
• Process Monitoring

7. FDM Mapping Types
• Explicit: 1 to 1 Mapping
• Between: Continuous range that maps to 1 EPM
Member
• In: Non-continuous range that maps to 1 EPM
Member
• Like: Wildcard
• Ignore: Skip/Do not load record

8. FDM Drill Through

9. FDM Audit

10. FDM Process Monitoring

11. Even More Reasons for FDM
• Distributed model
• API execution of calc scripts
– “Business Rules”
• Leverage load rules
• Post load validation
• Open architecture product that supports
enhancements
• Automation

12. “Business Rules”
• Dynamic based on the data being
processed

13. Using Load Rules
• Allows default dimensionality to be set

14. Post Load Validation
• Check Report retrieves aggregate values

15. Pre-Load Validation
• Prevent Load/Calculation Errors

16. Automation
• Email status including error capturing

17. Essbase Dogma
• I’ve been loading data to Essbase for years.
I don’t need FDM.
• I can do everything in load rules & MAXL that
I can do in FDM.
• I’ve got EIS / Studio for drill through. I
don’t need ERPi.
• FDM can’t handle the data volumes that are
loaded to Essbase.
• FDM can’t load to ASO or the Planning
repository.

18. ERPi In a Nutshell
• Enterprise Resource Planning Integrator
• “FDM 2.0” - The strategic direction of Oracle
• Enables direct connectivity for many Oracle ERP
systems & SAP (prebuilt) as well as other source
systems (configuration)
• Enables drill through to the source data in the source
system – no data warehouse/staging needed
• Enables metadata to be sourced from the source
system to update EPM applications
• Provides the ability to write back budget data from
Planning and Essbase to the General Ledger
• Integrated into WorkSpace
• The use of ODI supports far larger data volumes
• Utilizes JAVA web services

19. ERPi Drill – EPM

20. ERPi Drill – Source

21. ERPi Supported Systems
System Version EPM Version
Oracle eBusiness Suite 11.5.10 cu2 11.1.1.3+
12 11.1.1.3+
12.1.3 11.1.2.1+
PeopleSoft Financial 9.0 11.1.1.3+
Management 9.1 11.1.2.1+
PeopleSoft Commitment 9.1 11.1.2.2
Control
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.0 Requires Tools 9.1 11.1.2.2
Fusion Financials 11.1.2.1.501+
SAP R3 4.7 11.1.2.1.501+
SAP ECC 6.0 11.1.2.1.501+
PeopleSoft Human Capital 9.0 11.1.2.0+
Management

22. Essbase Dogma
• I’ve been loading data to Essbase for years.
I don’t need FDM.
• I can do everything in load rules & MAXL that
I can do in FDM.
• I’ve got EIS / Studio for drill through. I don’t
need ERPi.
• FDM can’t handle the data volumes that
are loaded to Essbase.
• FDM can’t load to ASO or the Planning
repository.

23. FDM Volumes
• Myth: FDM can only handle files with
<500k records
• Truth: FDM can handle millions of records
in an individual file if properly designed
– Efficient Mapping
– Parallel processing
– Creativity

24. Essbase Dogma
• I’ve been loading data to Essbase for years.
I don’t need FDM.
• I can do everything in load rules & MAXL that
I can do in FDM.
• I’ve got EIS / Studio for drill through. I don’t
need ERPi.
• FDM can’t handle the data volumes that are
loaded to Essbase.
• FDM can’t load to ASO or the Planning
repository.

25. ASO & Planning Loads
• FDM does not natively load Essbase ASO
cubes or the Planning relational repository
• However, FDM can execute batch files
– Execute MAXL to load Essbase
– Execute stored procedures, SSIS packages,
etc.
FDM is as powerful as the creativity &
ability of the person implementing it

26. Use Cases
• Stand alone FDM
• Stand Alone ERPi
• FDM with ERPi

27. Stand Alone FDM
• Non Oracle GL Systems
• Acquisitions
• Relational sources

28. Stand Alone ERPi
• Oracle source systems
• SAP General Ledger
• ASO integration
• Very large data volumes

29. FDM with ERPi
• Oracle source systems
• SAP General Ledger
• Complex mapping

30. FDM Considerations
• Multiple adaptors can be used in a single application
• Dimension names must exactly match Essbase
dimension name
• ESB_PRIV_APPDESIGN or ESB_PRIV_DBDESIGN –
used to perform a load using replace
• ESB_PRIV_CALC – used to execute clear &
aggregation scripts
• If not loading with replace and no need to run an
aggregation, no special roles are needed but string
load must be enabled on the FDM target adaptor
• Load rules should be used to manage “global”
dimensions

31. Ready to Take the Plunge
• Oracle Support
• Oracle Technology
Network (OTN)
• Oracle documentation
• Edgewater Ranzal
• www.FDMGuru.com

32. Questions
Tony Scalese
ascalese@ranzal.com
www.fdmguru.com
FDM, ERPi, EPMA, DRM, EAL - Understanding the
Alphabet Soup of Integration: 3:45 – 4:45