Hyperion Financial Reporting - PSU 704 and Desktop Client News

With Hyperion Financial Reporting PSU 11.1.2.4.704, which was released on December 20, 2016, came multiple updates for the web studio:

New Features in 11.1.2.4.704

Financial Reporting Web Studio enhancements to achievemore parity with the Windows Studio functionality:

•   Conditional formatting and suppression 

•   Auto-Calculation

•   Ability to Save Objects

•   Related Content

•   Row/Column templates

Also, Oracle announced in the patch the planned date for parity with the Windows desktop client and its subsequent removal from the suite.

Removal of Support for Financial Reporting Studio Desktop Client

Oracle is committed to providing a simple and intuitive experience to the users of the service. To achieve this goal, Financial Reporting Web Studio, a component available since the 11.1.2.4.701 release, will be established as the only tool for designing and building reports. As a result, Financial Reporting Studio desktop client support will be fully transitioned to Financial Reporting Web Studio, tentatively in mid-2017. With a planned mid-2017 update, Financial Reporting Studio desktop client is planned to no longer be distributed.

Starting with the 11.1.2.4.704 release, Financial Reporting Web Studio will achieve functional parity with most of the capabilities provided with Financial Reporting Studio desktop client. You will be able to create new reports and modify existing reports using Financial Reporting Web Studio.

Oracle recommends that you transition to using Financial Reporting Web Studio at the earliest opportunity.

I've been using the web studio for a while now and for the most part it is familiar to those used to the desktop client. The key thing when working with it is to open the report, and then on the left panel click the object (grid, image, text, chart) on which you wish to work. The additions in the 704 PSU address some of the missing items. There are a few more to go.

Creating Intercompany Matching Reports via Script

One of the features that has been in HFM since almost day 1 is intercompany matching reports. HFM's predecessor, Hyperion Enterprise (which was originally called Hyperion) had intercompany matching reports. Enterprise's predecessor, IMRS MicroControl, a DOS product developed in the 1980s, had intercompany matching reports.

In the beginning of HFM, intercompany matching reports were developed in script (using KEdit or Notepad or other text editor), uploaded, and then you ran it to see if it worked, anything need changing, etc. Later on the graphical interface came along and nowadays no one really sees the script anymore.

But, it is still there.

Where working with script comes in handy is the initial build of the matching reports. Just built 45 matching reports today using script. Here are the steps.

Build one report through the graphical interface like normal and then extract it from the Documents screen.

Open the file in Notepad and copy the script into Excel.

In this screenshot, the script is in column L. Cells L2 and L3 and the last cell (AccountPlug) have been edited to use cell level formulas to point to I1 and I2. Column I is fed from a list in column E and F with all of the plug accounts that need a report.

Paste the script into Excel and save the file. Then move on to the next item in columns E and F. If you have a huge amount, you could write a macro that cycles through the list and writes out the text files.

Last, go into HFM to the Documents screen and load in the script files. Make sure to set the options at the top to the desired folder, document type, and security class before selecting the files.

Having to create the reports via script has gone the way of the green home page, but the utility of working with the script is still there.

Enjoy!