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Before You Begin

Chapter summary

This chapter describes the requirements for installing Oracle Financial Analyzer (hereinafter referred to as "Financial Analyzer") on a server and on a client PC. The chapter also describes additional software that you can install to use with Financial Analyzer.

List of topics

This chapter includes the following topics:

• Server Requirements

• Client Requirements

• Additional Software to Install for Use with Financial Analyzer

• Installation Components and Workstation Types

• Client Modes

• Selecting a Client Mode

Server Requirements

Express Server installation

Before you install Financial Analyzer, you must install, configure, and start up the appropriate release of Oracle Express Server (hereinafter referred to as "Express Server"), running as a service on Windows NT or Unix. Refer to the current Oracle Financial Analyzer 11i Release Notes for release information.

Configuring Express Server

For optimal support of Financial Analyzer, follow these guidelines:

• In the New-Install/Upgrade Configuration dialog box, choose Configure as SNAPI and XCA Server.

• In the Optional Modules Configuration dialog box, select the following optional features:
  • Shell Command support.

  • File Authorization support (for Unix installations only).

  • SQL-OUT support. This feature is required if you intend to use the Oracle General Ledger Integration Module, or bring data into Financial Analyzer using SQL.

For more information about installing, configuring, and starting up Express Server, refer to the Express Installation and Configuration Guide and the Express Installation Help system.

Express Server client support files

You must install client support files from the Express Server CD-ROM.

Important: After installing the client support files, verify that the location of the client support files is included in the ServerDBPath in the Express Server Instance Manager. Refer to Appendix A for more information.

Express Server Administrative Tools

You must install the Express Server Administration Tools from the Express Server CD-ROM.

Server hardware requirements

Refer to the Oracle Financial Analyzer 11i Release Notes for hardware information.

Server disk space requirements

Disk space requirements for installing Financial Analyzer on the server are as follows.

Component	Disk Space Requirements
Code databases	35MB
Shared databases	13MB
Personal databases for thin client workstations Super administrator Administrator Budget Analyst Task Processor Shell EIF files	4MB 4MB 4MB 3MB 1MB 1MB

Important: The disk space requirements for the personal and shared databases are minimum guidelines only. You must consider the additional disk space that you will need as you add database structures and financial data to the system.

Client Requirements

Hardware requirements

In order to install Financial Analyzer, a PC must meet the following hardware requirements:

• A minimum of 32MB extended memory

• A CD-ROM reader

• A Windows-compatible monitor, VGA or higher resolution

• A Windows-compatible mouse

Disk space requirements

The following table lists minimum disk space requirements for installing the Financial Analyzer software on client workstations.

Component	Thick Client	Thin Client
SNAPI	1.55MB	1.55MB
User Interface	15MB	15MB
Code components	12MB
Personal databases Super administrator Administrator Budget	3MB 3MB 3MB

Important: The disk space requirements are minimum guidelines only. For thick client workstations, you must also consider the additional disk space that you will need as you add database structures and financial data to the system.

Software requirements

In order to install Financial Analyzer, a PC must meet the following software requirements:

• Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows NT 4.0.

• To install a thick client workstation you must install Personal Express on the PC.

Communications requirements

You must install TCP/IP support on the PC. TCP/IP is the network protocol used to communicate with Personal Express.

In exceptional cases, there may be a problem connecting to Personal Express using a TCP/IP product. If you suspect that your TCP/IP installation is causing a connection problem, notify Oracle Server Technical Support.

Swap file requirement for Windows NT

A Windows NT workstation requires a 15MB permanent swap file.

Additional Software to Install for Use with Financial Analyzer

Why you need to install additional software

If you want to use the Oracle Express Spreadsheet Add-In (hereinafter referred to as "Express Spreadsheet Add-In") or allow users to access Financial Analyzer through the Web, you must install and configure additional software. If you think you will want to use these features at any time in the future, you should install the software listed in the following topics before you install Financial Analyzer. You can install the additional software after you install Financial Analyzer if you decide that you need it later, but the installation process will be easier if you install the additional software first.

Financial Analyzer Web access

Software requirements

If users will access Financial Analyzer through the Web, you must install the following components on the same network as Express Server:

• Oracle Express Web Agent (hereinafter referred to as "Express Web Agent") software. Install this software from the Express Server CD-ROM.

• Web listener software. Oracle Corporation recommends that you install Oracle Web Application Server, which has a Web listener plus additional features.

For detailed instructions on how to install and configure each of these components, see the documentation for each component.

For information about configuring Financial Analyzer for Web access once you have installed the required components, see "Configuring Financial Analyzer for Web Access .

Browser requirements

Users who will access Financial Analyzer through the Web must have one of the following browsers installed on the PC:

• Netscape, version 4.7.4 or higher.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 5.01 or 5.5, with Java Virtual Machine (JVM) 5.x.

Oracle Corporation recommends the following minimums for browser cache settings:

• Memory cache -- 4MB (Netscape only).

• Disk cache -- 5MB.

Oracle Express Administrator

You must install the correct release of Oracle Express Administrator (hereinafter referred to as "Administrator") if you want to use it in conjunction with Financial Analyzer. Install Administrator from the Express Client CD-ROM.

Refer to the current Oracle Financial Analyzer 11i Release Notes for release information.

For detailed instructions about installing and configuring Administrator, refer to the Express Installation and Configuration Guide and the Express Installation Help system.

Express Spreadsheet Add-In

You must install the Express Spreadsheet Add-In if you want to use it in conjunction with Financial Analyzer. For detailed installation instructions, refer to the Oracle Express Spreadsheet Add-In User's Guide.

As Portlets

The AS Portlets make data from Financial Analyzer available to users of Oracle Portal.

Requirements

The following are required for installing the AS Portlets and making them available to users:

• The correct release of Oracle Portal must be installed

• The Java Portlet framework must be installed.

• Cabo/UIX must be installed.

• Business Intelligence Beans must be installed.

• A database schema, for which you have a user ID and password, must be available for storing the AS_PORTAL_DATABASE_LIST table. This is the table in which you will need to enter information about the databases that you want to make available to users.

• The Web Listener Files component of the installation must have access to one or more instances of Oracle Sales Analyzer, including all Web components.

Note: Java Portlet Framework, Cabo/UIX, and Business Intelligence Beans are available on http://technet.oracle.com.

Related information

For more information on installing AS Portlets, refer to the following:

• For current software release information, refer to the current Oracle Financial Analyzer 11i Release Notes.

• For detailed information about how to install this component, refer to the topic "Procedure: Completing the AS Portlets component installation .

• For information on setting up and maintaining AS Portlets, refer to Appendix D.

Installation Components and Workstation Types

Installation components

Before you install Financial Analyzer, you should design your system configuration.

There are three server components available:

1. Super administrator Component --This component must be installed first. Selecting this component installs all the necessary files and directories including the personal database for the Super administrator workstation. All other users of this component will be created through the Super administrator workstation using the Manage Users option.

2. Administrator Component -- Selecting this component installs all the necessary files and directories for an Administrator workstation. The Administrator workstation's personal database is not created during this installation but when an Administrator workstation user is created in the superior Administrator workstation.

3. Cluster Component -- Installing this component installs all the necessary files and directories to support a cluster of Budget workstations. You install a cluster component if a community of users is located on a different server from the Administrator's shared database, or if the community of users wants to use a different instance of Express Server.

These components can be installed on different NT or Unix servers. For example, you can install a Super administrator component on a Unix server and a cluster component on a NT server.

For more information about typical configurations and data distribution, see the Oracle Financial Analyzer User's Guide. For more information on creating users, refer to the topic "Creating Users" in the Financial Analyzer Help system.

Workstation types

Each component is made up of a number of workstations. You can install the following types of Financial Analyzer workstations.

Super administrator workstation

This workstation type enables the administrator at the highest level to perform the following functions:

• Define database structures and documents for system-wide use

• Control subordinate administrators' and users' access to financial data

• Process tasks submitted by users to update the Super administrator's shared database

Note: There can be only one Super administrator workstation for each Financial Analyzer installation.

Administrator workstation

This workstation type enables an administrator to perform the following functions:

• Define database structures and documents for users who report to the administrator

• Control users' access to financial data

• Process tasks submitted by users to update the administrator's shared database

In a multi-tiered installation, a Super administrator controls these administrators' access to financial data, and distributes structures and documents to them.

Task Processor workstation

This workstation type enables an administrator to monitor and control the transfer of data and structures between user workstations and the administrator's shared database.

A Task Processor workstation is automatically installed with each Administrator workstation. You can dedicate a client to running the Task Processor, which enables your system to process tasks without interruption, or you can launch the Task Processor as a background process on the server.

Budget workstation

This workstation type enables a user to prepare budgets and perform sophisticated financial analyses using models, worksheets, reports, and graphs.

Budget workstation users can accept slices of financial data from a shared database, work with the data locally in their personal database, and submit the changed data back to the shared database, where it can be accessed by other users. Each Budget workstation user keeps his or her personal database current by refreshing it periodically with data from the shared database.

Analyst workstation

This workstation type enables a user to create worksheets, reports, and graphs for analyzing and reporting financial data by working directly with the shared database. Although the primary purpose of an Analyst workstation is to analyze existing data rather than to contribute new data, an analyst is able to make ad hoc changes to data in the shared database using a worksheet.

Related information

For more information about workstation types and typical configurations, see the Oracle Financial Analyzer User's Guide.

Client Modes

Client configuration options

When you set up Oracle Financial Analyzer for a Super administrator, Administrator, or Budget workstation, you decide whether the user will access the server in thin client mode or thick client mode.

Note: The standard installation process allows you to install only a Budget workstation as a thick client. To manually configure Administrator or Super administrator workstations as thick clients, refer to Chapter 5.

Thick client mode: Description

When a workstation is set up as a thick client, the following components reside on the PC:

• The Financial Analyzer personal database for the workstation

• The Financial Analyzer code components

• The Personal Express Server software

• The Financial Analyzer client component

The shared databases and shared code components are located on a server. The majority of processing occurs on the PC. Connection to the server is made only when necessary, such as when data is refreshed or submitted.

When a connection between the PC and the server is not available, the user of a thick client workstation can work in a stand-alone session, disconnected from the server. Refer to the Oracle Financial Analyzer User's Guide for more information about stand-alone sessions.

Thick client mode: Illustration

The following figure illustrates a thick client configuration.

Text description of the illustration ofaclient.gif

As shown in the figure, in thick client mode:

• The application programming interface (API) between the Financial Analyzer client component and the Financial Analyzer personal database using Personal Express on the PC is SNAPI (Structured N-Dimensional API).

• The interface between the Financial Analyzer personal database and the Financial Analyzer shared component using Express Server on the server is XCA (Express Communications Architecture).

Thin client mode: Description

When a workstation is set up as a thin client, only the Financial Analyzer client component resides on the PC. The personal database, Express Server software, and shared and code components reside on the server.

The majority of processing occurs on the server. A connection to the server is always necessary. If the connection cannot be made, the workstation cannot start up.

Thin client mode: Configuration options

There are two configuration options for thin client mode:

• The personal database resides on the same server as the shared component running under a common instance of Express Server.

• The personal database is associated with one instance of Express Server while the shared component is associated with a different instance of Express Server. This type of thin client configuration is called a cluster.

  In the cluster configuration, both instances of Express Server can be installed on the same physical server, or each instance can be installed on a different physical server.

Thin client mode: Illustration of personal database associated with the same instance of Express Server as the shared component

The following figure illustrates a thin client configuration in which the personal database and shared component are associated with the same instance of Express Server.

Text description of the illustration ofasnapi.gif

As shown in the figure, in this thin client configuration, the application programming interface (API) between the Financial Analyzer client component and the Financial Analyzer personal database using Express Server on the server is SNAPI (Structured N-Dimensional API).

Thin client mode: Illustration of personal database associated with a different Express Server instance than the shared component

The following figure illustrates a thin client configuration in which the personal database is associated with a different instance of Express Server than the shared component.

Text description of the illustration ofacodec.gif

As shown in the figure, in this thin client configuration:

• The application programming interface (API) between the Financial Analyzer client component and the Financial Analyzer personal database using Express Server on the server is SNAPI (Structured N-Dimensional API).

• The interface between the Financial Analyzer personal database using Express Server on the workstation's server and the Financial Analyzer shared component using Express Server on the shared component server is XCA (Express Communications Architecture).

• The dashed line indicates that the personal and shared databases can be on two different physical servers, or they can be on the same physical server. In a typical cluster configuration the personal and shared databases are on two different physical servers, but this type of configuration is not required.

Selecting a Client Mode

Issues to consider

Whether a workstation should be set up in thin client mode or thick client mode depends on the workstation type and platform as well as on issues of mobility and performance.

Workstation type, platform, and client mode

All workstation types can be set up in thin client mode.

Note: Task Processor and Analyst workstations on all platforms must be set up in thin client mode.

When used in a cluster environment, the following types of workstations can be set up in thick or thin client mode:

• Super administrator workstation

• Administrator workstations

• Budget workstations

Note: You cannot use Oracle Universal Installer (hereinafter referred to as "Installer") or the Financial Analyzer Manager User option to set up Administrator and Super administrator workstations as thick client workstations in a cluster. Instead, you must set them up manually as described in Chapter 5.

Mobility and client mode

If the platform and workstation type support thick client access and the user requires the ability to work in a stand-alone session disconnected from the server, then the workstation should be set up as a thick client.

Performance and client mode

The following table compares performance issues for thick client and thin client modes.

Performance Issue	Thick Client	Thin Client	Thin Client in a Cluster
Network traffic	Infrequent but high volume when refreshing and submitting data.	Frequent but low volume.	Frequent but low volume to the local server. Infrequent but high volume to the shared server when refreshing and submitting.
Data distribution	Refreshing and submitting data is slower, because the personal and shared databases are not on the same server.	Refreshing and submitting data is faster, because the personal and shared databases are on the same server.	Refreshing and submitting data is slower, because the personal and shared databases are not on the same server.
Demands on remote system	Relatively low because most processing occurs on the PC.	Relatively high because most processing occurs on the server.	Low because processing occurs on the local server.
System performance	Can be improved for an individual workstation by upgrading the PC, because most processing occurs on the PC. However, this requires a high specification PC.	Can be improved for all users by upgrading the server, because most processing occurs on the server.	Can be improved for users of the cluster by upgrading the server, because most processing occurs on the server.