Release 11i
Part Number A96138-01
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| Oracle Financial Analyzer User's Guide Release 11i Part Number A96138-01 |
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This chapter describes how structures and data are transferred throughout Financial Analyzer.
Administrators who are responsible for distributing structures, distributing data, submitting data, and refreshing data should read this chapter. Other workstation users can read those sections of the chapter that apply to their role.
This chapter includes the following topics:
Financial Analyzer has a multi-layered, or tiered, structure that follows the reporting structure of the organization or group of organizations that it supports. Data flows both upward and downward through this system in a specific controlled manner. Administrators can ensure the integrity of the data at each level and enable the users that they support to have access to the appropriate data.
When you make data available to users, you must also give the users access to the objects in the shared database that structure the data. When you distribute objects, you provide read and write access to the data referenced by those objects.
Database structures usually flow downward through the levels of the tiered structure. The super administrator, who occupies the top-most level of the structure, creates database objects based on the needs of the organization or organizations that the system supports and makes them available to users in the next level of the structure. Lower level administrators do the same for their organizations.
Data and structure flow is monitored and controlled by the administrator at each level, who maintains the shared database for the users at the level below. The administrator at each level of the reporting structure acts as a sort of "gatekeeper," allowing the appropriate information to flow upward and downward through the system.
The following figure shows how information flows in an installation that uses a tiered architecture. Financial data, represented by the dotted line, is submitted and distributed and thus flows both up and down through the tiered architecture. Database structures, represented by the solid line, are distributed from administrators to lower level users. This process allows data that originates at one level of the tiered structure to be passed to other tiers.
Financial Analyzer supports the following methods for transferring information.
In order to give users access to the shared database that you administer, you must provide access to both the data and to the database objects that reference that data. The process that you follow to provide access to objects in your shared database is called distribution.
You can distribute objects and data as follows:
It is important to ensure that users have immediate access to the most current versions of objects. If there is a discrepancy between the version of an object that users are working with and the version that is in your shared database, the users will be unable to contribute data based on that object to the shared database.
Note: Everything that you distribute comes from your personal database. Always ensure that an object is current before distributing it to other users.
The following list outlines some of the conditions under which you would need to distribute structures to the shared database and to the users that you support:
You choose Distribution, Data Structure from the Manage menu to distribute structures. This opens the Data Structure dialog box, where you fill in a selection grid that specifies the structures and their values, the distribution action, and the users who will receive the distribution.
As you complete the Data Structure dialog box, you select the structure items that you want to distribute. You can choose one or more of the following:
As you complete the Data Structure dialog box, you choose a distribution action for each structure. You can choose one of the following:
As you complete the Data Structure dialog box, you select the users who will receive the distribution.
The following example illustrates a completed Distribute Structures dialog box. In this example, the selected structures will be distributed to eight users.
Do not distribute more than 3000 documents. Also, bear in mind that distributing an extremely large number of documents, such as 1000, might degrade system performance.
You can save the information that you enter in the Distribute Structure dialog box as a distribution profile. A distribution profile captures the information in the selection grid and saves it for reuse. You can apply the profile at a later time -- either exactly as is, or as a template for defining similar distributions.
To name and save a distribution profile, complete the grid in the Distribute Structure Dialog box and choose Save Profile.
To retrieve a list of saved profiles, choose Profiles.
If you distribute new dimension values to your users, you must also redistribute the dimensions with which the values are associated. If you do not redistribute the dimensions along with the new dimension values, users may have trouble contributing data associated with those values back to the shared database.
If you distribute a structure to a user who has already created a structure with the same name in their personal database, the new structure will appear in the "DBA Items to Overwrite Personal" column when the user performs a Refresh Preview. When the refresh is performed, the current structure in the user's personal database will be overwritten by the newly distributed structure.
After you specify structures for distribution, you must submit the distribution. Submitting a distribution sends it to the Task Processor.
If your system is not set up to continually run the Task Processor as a separate workstation or in the background, you must manually start the Task Processor so that the task will run.
For more information about distributing structures, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
As an administrator, you can distribute slices of data that you entered into your personal database to the shared database that you maintain and to subordinate workstations. This feature enables you to control when your users receive specific types of data, such as currency translation rates, because users receive notification that they need to refresh their data, and they cannot contribute new data to the shared database until they have refreshed their personal databases.
It is important to be careful when distributing data, because the data that you distributes overwrites data in the shared database. You can only distribute data for financial data items that you specifically marked for this purpose when you created them by selecting the Distribute Data option in the Maintain Financial Data Item dialog box.
You choose Distribution, Distribute Data from the Manage menu to distribute slices of financial data to users and to the shared database. This opens the Distribute Data dialog box, where you can select a financial data item and define an associated data slice.
The following example illustrates the Distribute Data dialog box. In the example, one data slice is selected for distribution.
After you specify data for distribution, you must submit the distribution. Submitting a distribution sends it to the Task Processor.
If your system is not set up to continually run the Task Processor as a separate workstation or in the background, you must manually start the Task Processor so that the task will run.
For more information about distributing data, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
As an administrator, you are responsible for submitting data that your users submit to your shared database up to your administrator's shared database. This responsibility applies to all administrators below the super administrator level. Because the Super administrator workstation is positioned at the top-most level of the tiered structure, the shared database that the super administrator maintains contains the highest level of consolidated data.
The Operational Mode setting in the options dialog box determines how data is submitted from an administrator workstation. If the operational mode is set to Administrator, data is submitted from your shared database to the shared database of the administrator at the next highest reporting level. If the operational mode is set to Workstation, data is submitted from your personal database to your shared database.
You choose Submit Data from the Manage menu to submit data. This opens the Submit Data dialog box, where you specify the slice or slices of data that you want to submit. A data slice is defined by a stored financial data item (such as Actuals, Budget, or Forecast), which is in turn is defined by a set of dimensions (such as Organization, Line, and Time). You must select values for each dimension of the financial data item.
This example shows the Submit Data dialog box. In the example, three data slices will be submitted. The Slice Details box displays details for the first slice.
If you periodically submit the same data, you can save the information in the Submit Data dialog box as a data submission profile. A data submission profile captures the selection information and saves it for reuse. You can apply the profile at a later time -- either exactly as is, or as a template for defining similar submissions.
To name and save a data submission profile, make your selections in the Submit Data dialog box and choose Save Profile. This opens the Submit/Refresh Profiles dialog box, where you can name the profile.
To retrieve a list of saved profiles, choose Profiles.
As an administrator, you can distribute data submission profiles to your users. For example, you might want to distribute a profile to streamline the process of budget data collection.
After you submit data to the shared database, a submission task is sent to the Task Processor. The Task Processor must process the queued task in order for your data to be incorporated into the shared database. Refer to Chapter 11, "Task Processing" for information about setting up and using the Task Processor.
For more information about submitting data from administrator workstations, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
As a Budget workstation user, you can manipulate the data in your personal database using a worksheet and save your work without affecting the shared database. However, if you want other users to have access to your work, you must submit the data from your personal database to the shared database. For example, after you use a worksheet to prepare a budget or forecast, you can submit your work to the shared database where it can be accessed by other users.
The process for submitting data from a budget workstation is similar to the process for submitting data from an administrator workstation.
You choose Submit Data from the Manage menu to submit data. This opens the Submit Data dialog box, where you specify the slice or slices of data that you want to submit. For details, see "Selecting data for submission.
Before you submit data, you must refresh your personal database to synchronize it with the shared database -- that is, your personal database must contain the most current set of structures defined for you by your administrator. For information about refreshing your personal database to incorporate new structures, see "Manually refreshing structures.
For more information about submitting data from Budget workstations, search for the following topic in the Financial Analyzer Help system: "Submitting Data From Budget Workstations."
If you are using an Analyst workstation, you do not maintain a personal copy of data from the shared database. Rather, you access the shared database directly when you open a worksheet. Therefore, you need only save the data in the worksheet in order to submit your work to the shared database.
If you attempt to save a worksheet from an Analyst workstation and you receive a message that states that the submission failed, you must exit from Financial Analyzer if you want to revert to the data in the shared database. For example, a submission can fail if you attempt to change the value of a dimension to which you do not have write access.
For more information about saving data, search for the following topic in the Financial Analyzer Help system: "Saving Worksheet Data."
As an administrator, you can authorize users who are below you in the reporting tier to submit documents to the shared database that you maintain. This extends the task of creating and maintaining documents to subordinate administrators and to Budget and Analyst workstation users.
A shareable document should be based on structures that reside in the shared database. Users who receive a shareable document cannot see any personal structures.
The following steps describe the process for enabling and using shareable documents.
In the New User or Edit Users dialog box for the user, choose Allow to Create Shareable Documents.
The following example shows the Edit User dialog box. The Allow to Create Shareable Documents option is enabled, indicating that this user is authorized to create shareable documents.
The following example shows the Distribute Structures dialog box. In the example, Add with Write access is selected as the distribution action.
Super administrators and administrators define structures that are appropriate for their users and distribute those structures to the shared database and to their users. Users must then refresh structures in their personal databases so that their view of the data is consistent with their related shared database.
Budget workstation users can set the Automatic Refresh option in the Options dialog box so that a refresh process is automatically initiated if new structures are available to be refreshed when they log onto their systems. They can also choose not to set this option, which enables them to refresh structures manually.
Analyst and Administrator workstation users must always refresh newly available structures when they log in. For these users, the Automatic Refresh option is always on.
You can set the Show Refresh Preview option in the Options dialog box so that the Refresh Preview dialog box appears when you log onto your system and have structures to refresh. You can use this dialog box to view information about the structures that are available for refresh before you apply them to your database.
Depending on the type of workstation that you are using, one of the following types of refresh processes will take place:
You choose Refresh Structure from the Manage menu to manually refresh data structures. If there are new structures to refresh, the Refresh Preview dialog box appears. You can use this dialog box to view information about the structures that are available for refresh before you apply them to your database. When you choose Refresh, the structures are refreshed.
For more information about refreshing structures, search for the following topic in the Financial Analyzer Help system: "Refreshing Structures."
As an administrator, you are responsible for refreshing the data in the shared database that you maintain with new or modified data from the shared database in the tier immediately above you in the reporting structure.
If you are an administrator or super administrator and you work with data in your personal database, you can also refresh the data in your personal database from the shared database that you maintain.
As an administrator, you can refresh data in your personal database or in the shared database that you maintain. You set the Operational Mode in the Options dialog box to indicate how you are refreshing data.
If you set the Operational Mode to Administrator, data in your local shared database is refreshed from the shared database of the administrator at the next highest reporting level. If you set the Operational Mode is Workstation, data in your personal database is refreshed with data from your shared database.
If an administrator has distributed new or updated structures, you must refresh the new structures before you can refresh new data associated with those structures.
You choose Refresh Data from the Manage menu to refresh data. This opens the Refresh Data dialog box, where you can specify which slices of data you want to refresh. A data slice is defined by a stored financial data item (such as Actuals, Budget, or Forecast), which is in turn defined by a set of dimensions (such as Organization, Line, and Time). You must select values for each dimension of the financial data item.
The following example shows the Refresh Data dialog box, with three data slices selected for refresh. The Slice details box displays the details for the first slice.
If you periodically refresh the same or similar data, you can save the information in the Refresh Data dialog box as a data refresh profile. A data refresh profile captures the selection information and saves it for reuse. You can apply the saved profile at a later time -- either exactly as is, or as a template for defining similar data refreshes.
To name and save a data refresh profile, make your selections in the Refresh Data dialog box and choose Save Profile.
To retrieve a list of saved profiles, choose Profiles.
As an administrator, you can distribute a saved data refresh profile to your users to streamline the process of refreshing data.
For more information about refreshing data, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:
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