Sunday 4 August 2013

Importance of Data Forms in Hyperion Planning



Data Forms are the main input mechanism to collect end user budgets and forecasts. Data forms are a web based grid and its connected to Essbase database. So here essbase is a central repository of budget, forecast and actual data.
When user or planner logged into data form the data is fetched or saved back to the essbase database. These data forms are used by hyperion planners to fill the data and update the data and data forms can be accessed over the web by using the browser.

Data Form Structure:
Page: Its represent of drop-down list. Each drop-down represent a list of selected members from a dimension. This page enables us to select relevant members.
Rows & Columns: In planning data forms rows and columns will be there. So it's recommended to make a data form with account dimension as a rows and period, year as a columns.
POV: POV stands for Point Of View. pov has the static member selection of Dimension members.
Data Form Properties:
- Properties
- Layout
- Other options
- Business rules
Above properties are called data forms properties and two types of data forms will be there. One is simple data form and another one is composite data form by default simple data form has been enabled. And coming to composite data form  when ever user want to see multiple data forms in a single display need to use composite data form.

  • Multiple plan types will have multiple dimension structure, hence a data form needs to be associated with plan type before complete it's creation.
  • Data forms are primarily serve the purpose of data entry.
  • For example we have multiple currency application and it's having three currencies such as UK Pound, Australian dollar and US Dollar. So when we create a data form, need to select local currency US Dollar to enter data. But if planner would like to see the data form in UK Pound currency, user can select UK Pound and then the currency conversion has to happen.
  • In scenario dimension if actual values have to be entered only for the first and second quarter, then need to be created actual members with time period spanning from jan to jun. So planner will able to enter data from jan to jun and remaining cells would be read only.
  • The design considerations are always keep dense dimensions in rows and columns and sparse dimension in page.