1. Implementing Accounting Hub Reporting
  2. Set Up Financial Reporting Center and Smart View

Set Up Financial Reporting Center and Smart View

The Financial Reporting Center is a powerful tool for reviewing, designing, and presenting financial reports and analytic data. The critical choices required to configure and install the components in Financial Reporting Center consist of:

  • Configuring the Financial Reporting Center

  • Installing Smart View, performed by your end users

  • Configuring Workspace Database Connection, performed by your administrator

Configuring Financial Reporting Center

You have access to the reports in the Financial Reporting Center and Workspace installed with Oracle Fusion Cloud Financials. Your Oracle Fusion Business Intelligence (BI) administrator defines the folder structure in Workspace. The administrator considers your company's security requirements for folders and reports, as well as report distribution requirements for financial reporting batches.

  • Security can be set on folders and reports from Workspace.

  • You are granted access to the folders and reports you want to view by your BI administrator.

Installing Smart View

Smart View is an Excel add-in that must be loaded on each client. To download Smart View, click Navigator > Financial Reporting Center > Tasks panel drawer > Open Workspace for Financial Reports. Once the workspace is started, click Tools > Install > Smart View.

Note:

Since Smart View is an add-in to Microsoft Office products, you can install Smart View only on a Windows operating system.

Once Smart View is installed, you must configure the connection using the Smart View Shared Connections URL. You can derive the Shared Connections URL by following these steps:

  1. From the Financial Reporting Center task panel, select Open Workspace for Financial Reporting.

  2. Edit the workspace URL by removing index.jsp and adding SmartViewProviders at the end.

    Note:

    The following URL is an example for a Cloud-based environment. If the workspace URL is https://efops-rel5st4-cdrm-external-bi.visioncorporation.com:10622/workspace/index.jsp, the Shared Connections URL is https://efops-rel5st4-cdrm-external-bi.visioncorporation.com:10622/workspace/SmartViewProviders.

  3. Copy the URL.

  4. Open Excel.

  5. From the Smart View menu, click Options > Advanced.

  6. Paste the URL in the Shared Connections URL field.

  7. Click OK.

To connect Oracle General Ledger balances cubes in Smart View:

  1. Open Smart View from your Start menu > Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Excel 2007.

  2. Navigate to the Smart View menu > Open. On the Start on the ribbon, click Smart View Panel that appears in the list of values from the ribbon. The task pane opens.

  3. Click Shared Connections on the task pane.

  4. Sign in with your user name and password.

  5. Click the Select Server to proceed list of values.

    Note:
    If the Essbase Server isn't there, then it has to be added. Use the following steps:

    1. Click the Add Essbase Server link.

    2. Specify the Essbase Server login and password.

    3. Expand the Essbase server and locate the cube in it.

  6. Select Oracle Essbase from the list of shared connections.

  7. Click the Expand to expand the list of cubes.

  8. Expand your cube (name of your chart of accounts).

  9. Click db.

  10. Click the analysis link.

Note:

You must perform these steps only once for a new server and database.

To set how the name and alias of the Essbase database appears:

  1. Click Options on the ribbon > select the Member Options > select Member Name Display.

  2. Set one of these three options:

    • Distinct Member Name. Only shows the full Essbase distinct path.

    • Member Name and Alias: Shows both the member name and the alias.

    • Member Name Only. Shows only the member name.

Note:

The Smart Slice feature isn't supported in General Ledger. For all other documentation, refer to the Oracle Smart View for Office User's Guide.

Configuring Workspace Database Connections

Administrators must create database connections from Workspace so users can access the cubes from Workspace and Financial Reporting Web Studio.

Note:

Ledger setup has to be completed before the database connection can be created. General Ledger balances cubes are created as part of ledger setup. A separate cube is created for each combination of chart of accounts and accounting calendar. A database connection is needed for each cube.

Steps to define a database connection are:

  1. Start at the Navigator by selecting Financial Reporting Center.

  2. From the Financial Reporting Center task panel, select Open Workspace for Financial Reporting.

  3. From within Workspace select the Navigator menu > Applications >BI Catalog.

  4. Select Tools menu > Database Connection Manager.

  5. Select New button.

  6. Enter a user-friendly name for the Database Connection Name.

  7. Enter Essbase as the Type, your server, user name, and password.

  8. Select Application (cube) and Database from the list of values. Expand the Application name to see the related Database.

  9. Click the OK button twice to save your selections.

  10. Click Close button in the Database Connection Manager window to save your connection.

Note:

The database connection is available in both Workspace and Financial Reporting Web Studio. Optionally, it can be set up in Financial Reporting Web Studio when putting grids on a report. This should only be done by an administrator.

For more detailed information about Smart View and Financial Reporting Web Studio, refer to the Using EPM with Oracle Fusion Cloud Financials link on the Oracle Financials All Books page of the Oracle Help Center at https://docs.oracle.com.