Caution! | The Crystal Ball Enterprise Performance Management Connector submits data from Smart View directly to the underlying EPM application's database. The data is submitted from Smart View during each Crystal Ball EPM trial and is then restored at the end of the simulation. Working with a copy of your production data is highly recommended. Avoid running a simulation on data when other users could be modifying it. |
The following guidelines are important to follow as you work with the Crystal Ball Enterprise Performance Management Connector:
The Crystal Ball Enterprise Performance Management Connector works on only one workbook at a time.
The connector supports Crystal Ball EPM forecasting with Predictor. However, tools under the More Tools menu command or ribbon group, such as Data Analysis and Batch Fit, are not currently supported.
For best results, work in a scenario that contains an updated copy of the database. What If scenarios are frequently created for this purpose. Avoid working directly with production data.
Always refresh the data source before all add, delete, and get commands in the Smart View Data Source Manager.
Before attempting to add Crystal Ball data to a query or form, be sure you understand the view and what you are updating. You can test this manually. Change data and submit it manually. If you want to include a calculation script in the model, you can run it manually as well. When updates occur as expected, you can define Crystal Ball assumptions and forecasts in place of the manual updates.
Be sure you fully understand the functionality of any calculation scripts and are aware of how they might affect the ability to simulate editable values in the data view.
You can pivot views and add to them. However, it is best to make changes before you add Crystal Ball data. If you change views with existing Crystal Ball data, select Define, and then Select to synchronize the Crystal Ball cell colors. Data synchronization occurs when you run a simulation.
If two simulations run simultaneously against the same database, unexpected results can occur. Likewise, it is not acceptable to run one simulation using different EPM applications, for example Smart View and Strategic Finance.
If the view has duplicate members defined as assumptions—for example, you show data for January through March twice—only the values from the last occurrence will be submitted. Avoid defining duplicate data as Crystal Ball data cells.
Crystal Ball Enterprise Performance Management Connector supports the following Crystal Ball EPM commands: Define Assumption, Define Decision Variable, Define Forecast, Simulation Start/Continue/Single Step, and—in OptQuest—Start/Continue. You can also perform a Reset.
If you copy a Smart View sheet within the same workbook, Smart View objects, including Crystal Ball data cells (assumptions, decision variables, and forecasts) are no longer connected to their data sources. The worksheet must be manually reconnected.
If you have a license for Oracle Crystal Ball Decision Optimizer, Fusion Edition as well as Crystal Ball EPM, simulations in Smart View run at Normal speed, although Extreme speed is the default with your license. This is also true if you are using Crystal Ball EPM and Decision Optimizer with Strategic Finance, as described in Using the Crystal Ball Strategic Finance Connector.