I haven't done a blog post in a while so it's past time for one. And after reading this and seeing my previous post, I am glad there is continuity.
Let me start by saying I'm liking FCC. It's the next evolutionary step in Oracle consolidation just like HFM was an evolutionary step above and beyond Hyperion Enterprise. But sometimes with these processes there is a step back. And yes, there are bits of Enterprise that were never replicated in HFM and are still missed to this day. This post describes one area like this, offers a workaround, and asks for a favor.
For HFM users, and this was true for Enterprise, when you used the spreadsheet add-in of the day to do ad hoc analysis you had a choice something like this. Ignore Indentation and Ancestor Position - they are headings for other fields that are hidden by the expanded dropdown.
So when you're in an ad hoc grid you can choose to see the member labels, member descriptions, or both. Both would look like 100 - Petty Cash.
When using Smart View with FCC or Planning, the same dropdown has different selections.
Both of these are versions of the member label. To see the alias or description, there is a second button that appears on the ribbon called Change Alias.
With these options, choosing None will show the labels and choosing one of the aliases (this application only has one called Default) would show the alias instead.
THERE IS NOT AN OPTION TO SHOW BOTH. And this is the departure from HFM, etc.
So, here's the solution. Note this wasn't my idea but was proferred and confirmed by people smarter than me in these areas. Create another alias and populate it with the combination of label and the regular alias. Users can choose that as they desire. You can also use it for reporting if you want. The downside is you have two fields to maintain instead of just one. If you are using EDM, DRM, or other metadata management tool, then you can use a formula to calculate this field. Regardless of how you do it, just watch the overall length though.
Now, the favor. There is something you can do. If you read the previous post on this blog, it describes how to go to Oracle Cloud Customer Connect and submit and like ideas. Someone already created an idea for this topic. So here's the favor: if you agree, please log into CCC and like this idea. Here's the link. I have seen ideas that get liked in this fashion make it to the product, so it is not a pointless exercise. Guaranteed, no, but not pointless.
I think FCC is great, but I do miss the simple things in life sometimes.
