21 Workflow Manager

Workflow Manager is the application area used by administrators and System Integrators (SIs) to define and maintain the workflows that users follow in the application. It is used after the application domain has been built from the configuration established in Solution Designer.

A workflow template is a reusable definition of an application workspace. It combines the workspace configuration and taskflow structure, including the task, steps, tabs, views, measures, and related settings.

Accessing Workflow Manager

Administrators and SIs can access Workflow Manager from the Oracle Home icon (Right Corner Bottom) of the application. Click the Oracle Home icon, then workflow manager is available under the Administration section.

The landing page opens with the activities and workflow templates that are available in the current application domain.

Landing Page

The landing page is the central workspace for organizing and managing workflow templates. Templates are displayed as tiles within activities. The landing page also provides the current status of each template. Use the page refresh action, or auto-refresh when available, to review changes made by other administrators or to monitor a publish operation.

Navigating through the Landing Page:

Key Element Purpose
A Tool Bar Contains the tools which can be utilized to work through workflow manager such as Add Activity, Create task, Publish, Refresh, and Export & Import.
B Sample Activities Consists of all the sample workflow templates which comes out of the box with application. Sample workflow templates cannot be edited and can only be copied.
C Activities Contains the workflow templates utilized in the application. All the workflow templates are linked to activities.

Manage Activity

An activity groups related workflow templates for display in the application. An activity can contain multiple templates, while each template is associated with one activity. Activities provide the top level of the application taskflow and help users navigate related workspaces.

Create Activity

Create an activity to establish a grouping for related workflow templates. You can create multiple activities. To create an activity:

  1. Click the Add Activity action button from the tool bar.

  2. Enter the label for activity. Click OK.

    The activity is created on top of the list.

Once the activity is created, you can proceed to add task within the activity. The task can be added by copying the Sample workflow template or using the Create Task action button.

Note:

One activity can have multiple workflow templates.

Rename Activity

You can rename an activity by using the Edit icon (pencil) available next to each activity.

Delete Activity

You can delete an activity by using the Delete icon (bin) available next to each activity. An activity can only be deleted when all the workflow templates within the activity are eligible for deletion.

Copy Activity

You can copy an activity by using the Copy icon available next to each activity. When you copy an activity, enter the name and click OK. With an activity, the workflow templates are also copied.

Workflow Template

A workflow template contains one taskflow and defines the structure and settings of an application workspace. A task within the template is linked to a rule set. The rule set determines which measures, rules, custom menus, and alerts can be used in the workspace. When a workflow template is opened for editing, administrators can manage its taskflow, available measures, and temporary measures.

Create Workflow Template

The workflow template can be created when a new workbook or task is required. You can create a task from the landing page or add a task directly within an activity.

  1. Click the Create Task action button.
  2. Select the activity in which it will be organized.
  3. Enter the Label.
  4. Click OK.

You can also add a workflow using the Add Task action button available against each activity.

Copying a Workflow Template

Copy an existing workflow template when you want to use it as a starting point for a new workspace. The copy action creates an editable version that can be renamed and placed in a selected activity.

GA sample templates are provided as read-only references. Copy a GA template before making changes. This preserves the original reference template for future upgrades while allowing administrators to save and publish a tailored copy.

Editing a Workflow Template

Select the Edit icon (pencil) on the workflow template tile to open the template. The editor opens at the Task Level and provides access to the following areas:

  • Taskflow, where the activity, task, step, tab, and view structure is maintained.
  • Available Measures, where selected properties of realized measures can be updated for the task.
  • Temporary Measures, where contribution, variance, and custom calculation measures can be created and maintained.

Deleting a Workflow Template

Delete a saved workflow template when it is no longer required. Workflow Manager displays a confirmation message before the template is removed.

Note:

A published workflow template can be deleted only when no workspaces are associated with it. GA sample templates are read-only reference templates and cannot be deleted.

Saving and Publishing a Workflow Template

Saving a Workflow Template

You can save the workflow template which will store the work in progress. Users can save at any point in the process and continue later from the last saved state. Saved work is visible to administrators, but it is not visible to non-administrative users until the template is published.

When you save a workflow template, the last updated date & time stamp is updated on the template tile.

Publishing a Workflow Template

You can publish the workflow template when it is complete. This will initiate a patching process and applies the workflow template to the application workspace. To publish a workflow template:

  1. Select one or more tiles.

  2. Click the Publish Selected action button from tool bar.

    A template must pass validation before it can be published.

To know the progress of the publish task, you can check the administration dashboard of the application. Once the publishing task is complete, you can refresh the workflow manager landing page to update the status of the tile.

Note:

If multiple templates are selected, templates that pass validation can be published while templates with validation errors remain unpublished. GA sample templates cannot be published directly.

Validating a Workflow Template

Use validation before publishing to identify configuration errors that would prevent a workflow template from being applied. Validation checks the completeness and consistency of the taskflow and its related settings.

  • The task must have a rule set.
  • The taskflow must contain at least one step, and each step must contain at least one tab.
  • Each tab must contain at least one view or worksheet.
  • A view must have a worksheet intersection and window type.
  • A viewable measure profile must include at least one valid measure.

To know the progress of the validation, you can check the admin dashboard of the application. Once the validation task is complete, you can refresh the workflow manager landing page to update the status of the tile.

When a workflow template fails in validation, the tile displays the status of failure with the count of errors. You can review errors from the error panel within the workflow template. You can correct the reported issues and validate them again before publishing.

Workflow Template Status

The tile status identifies the availability and lifecycle state of a workflow template. Review the status before editing, publishing, exporting, or importing templates.

Status Meaning
Sample Template A read-only reference template. It can be copied but not edited or published directly.
Last Updated A saved workflow template that contains work in progress.
Publish in Progress A template that has been submitted for publishing and is temporarily unavailable for editing or export.
Published A template that was successfully applied to the application.
Published and Last Edited A published template that has additional saved changes and can be published again.
Publish Failed with Error A template whose publish operation did not complete because validation errors must be addressed.

Export and Import a Workflow Template

Export

You can export workflow templates from one application environment to another, for example, if you need to copy workflow templates from stage to prod environment. Select one or more templates and specify the export file name. The exported file contains the workflow-template data in JSON format.

To export the workflow:

  1. Click the Export action button from the landing page.

    A side panel opens with the list of workflow templates.

  2. Choose the template. You can choose either published or all workflow templates.
  3. Proceed with the export. The system will save the json file in your system.

Note:

A template cannot be exported while it is being edited or published. GA sample templates must be copied before the editable copy can be exported.

Import

You can import an exported JSON file to add workflow templates to the current environment. You can import all templates in the file or select individual templates. Imported templates are unavailable to users until the import has been completed.

To import the workflow:

  1. Click the Import action button.

  2. Select the json file from your system.

    A side panel opens with the list of workflow templates from json.

  3. Select the templates to be imported.
  4. Click Import. The tile is created on the landing page.

If an imported template has the same name as an existing template, Workflow Manager identifies the conflict. In the case of the same name of the template, the system provides an option to either skip the import or replace the existing template or keep both the templates. If you choose to keep both option, then system will suffix the imported template label with a number.

Managing a Workflow Template

A workflow template defines an application workspace and the taskflow that users follow to complete their work. When you open a workflow template for editing, Workflow Manager opens at the Task level. From there, you can define the workspace settings, build the taskflow, and maintain the measures used by the views.

The taskflow is a hierarchical structure that organizes the user experience from activity through view. It enables administrators and System Integrators (SIs) to arrange tasks, steps, tabs, and views / worksheets to match the retailer's business process.

When you edit a workflow template, you work through three sections:

  • Taskflow
  • Available Measures
  • Temporary Measures

Taskflow

The Taskflow area is used to create and maintain the structural levels of a workflow template. Select an item in the taskflow tree to view and update the settings that apply to that level. The hierarchy of the levels determines how users encounter the workspace in the application.

The taskflow tree uses the following sequence. Each level groups the level beneath it.

Level Purpose
Activity Groups related tasks for display in the application. It is read only within the edit mode of the workspace template. The activity can be edited from the landing page.
Task Defines the workspace and the settings that apply to the taskflow. One Taskflow can be linked to only one activity. It groups one or more steps.
Step Groups one or more tabs into a business-process step.
Tab Groups one or more views and can contain tab-level settings.
View Represents a worksheet that users see and work with in the application.

Ordering of Taskflow Hierarchy

The Taskflow hierarchy can be re-ordered. Within a task, steps, tabs, and views can be repositioned to reflect the required sequence. To re-order the levels, hold the level and drag and drop in the required place. You can also use the context menu to add levels or to cut, copy, and paste levels below the task.

Add Level within the Taskflow Hierarchy

You can add levels below Task by using the Add action from the tree tool bar or using the context menu on the levels. To add a level, right-click the parent level and select the Add option. Enter the Label and click OK.

For example, if you need to add Step below the task level, select Task and right-click to launch the context menu. Select the option Add Step, enter the label in the dialog box, and click OK. The Step is added within the task level.

Once you are done with adding levels, you can proceed with setting up the properties at each level.

Task Level

The Task level is the entry point for editing a workflow template. It displays the taskflow tree and provides the workspace-level settings. Use the Task level to update the task identity, select the rule set, configure workspace behavior, and add the first step in the taskflow.

Define Task Level General Properties

This section describes the fields that display on the General Tab.

User Label

This is the label that the end user sees when selecting which workbook to build.

Rule Set

Select the rule set to use within the workbook. Each task is linked to a rule set selected from the rule sets available in the domain configuration. The rule set controls the measures, rules, custom menus, and alerts that can be used by the workflow template.

Use Default Rule Set

Select this option to use the default rules (Load, Commit, Calc, and Refresh) associated with the rule set. If this option is selected, the Load Rules, Commit Rules, Calc Rules, and Refresh Rules properties are disabled. If the option is not selected, the Load Rules, Commit Rules, Calc Rules, and Refresh Rules properties are enabled.

Load Rules, Commit Rules, and Calc Rules

Select the rule group to apply for each rule group type. Only rule groups from the selected rule set are offered.

Refresh Rules

When the Use Default Rules option is not checked, Refresh Rules is enabled. Select the rule groups to use as refresh rule groups. When enabled, click the Refresh Rules field.

Pivot Settings

Pivot Settings are used to define the default axis layout of the worksheets in the workbook (that is, which dimension appear in each axis).

Use the drop-down option to select the dimension for each axis. You can select more than one dimension for an axis.

Note:

The dimensions that appear in this process are the dimensions used by measures within the selected rule set.

Define Standard Wizard

Select the dimension and its levels which are selected by the end user in the standard wizard.

To define the standard wizard:

  1. Click the drop-down icon. A side panel launches with the dimension list.

  2. Select the check boxes next to the hierarchy names to enable the hierarchies for which the end user in the RPASCE Client should select positions.

    Note:

    Dimensions used in the lowest base intersection for the measures used in the rule set assigned to the workbook will be displayed. For each dimension, there will be a choice of levels. The levels offered will be the lowest level in that dimension that is used in the base intersection of a measure in the rule set assigned to the workbook, plus all higher levels.

    For a dimension in the workbook for which a wizard is not available, all the positions in the PDS will be pulled into the workbook. If position level security has been applied to the user, a subset of the position will be pulled in.

  3. Level: Select the desired dimension from each of the enabled hierarchies.
  4. Left Label and Right Label: (Optional) Enter the left and right labels for each hierarchy. These labels will be displayed on the left and right trees of the corresponding 2-tree wizards during the workbook build process. If these fields are left blank, no labels will be displayed over the hierarchy trees.
  5. Restricted Dim and Max Positions
  6. Wizard Label: To attach a custom label to a wizard page, enter the desired label in this field. If this field is left blank, the wizard page will be given the default label.
  7. Order: Adjust the order of the dimensions as necessary. Open the drop down menu on top of the side panel, use the hamburger icon to hold, drag and drop the dimension to re-order. This will be the order that the position selection wizards are presented during the workbook build process.
  8. Click Apply to save any changes and close the side panel.

Enable Image Modification

Select this option to allow users the ability to add, modify, or delete image paths for all image-enabled dimensions in this workbook.

Pre-Range Mask

Dimension pre-ranging allows you to filter available positions for selection in two-tree wizards based on relationships established at a specific intersection between the positions of two or more dimensions. For example, you can set pre-ranging up so that when users select the time period Fall 09 in the wizard, the subsequent SKU selection screen will only display Fall-specific products, such as sweaters and jackets.

Dimension pre-ranging can be enabled for both standard wizards and for two-tree wizards in custom wizards; however, in custom wizards the behavior is guaranteed only if two-tree wizards are used as is, that is, their code is not overridden by the implementation team.

Pre-ranging is achieved by setting up one or more Pre-Range Mask measures for the workbook. Each dimension in the workbook template can be optionally assigned a Pre-Range Mask measure. Each of the dimension-specific mask measures must contain a level that ties back to one or more dimensions that display in the wizard, along with one or more levels along which you want to pre-select relevant positions.

Multiple dimensions can share a common mask measure. The masking function is applied in the order of the wizard pages such that the selections of a wizard page may affect the list of available positions on any subsequent wizard page, but the selections of wizard page do not affect the list of available positions on a previous page if you click Back to return.

This approach allows:

  • One or more dimensions within the workbook template not to be ranged, reducing the processing time and storage space.
  • The mask measure only needs to contain the target dimension plus optional conditioning dimensions at its base intersection, reducing the number of dimensions per mask measure and thus storage space as well.
  • The same mask measure can be used to range a common set of dimensions in different workbook templates.

Example

In a workbook template that contains PROD, LOC, and CLND dimensions, two different mask measures are used: measure prodmaskloc (sku,str) to range down the positions that display in the LOC wizard, and measure locmaskclnd (str,week) to range down the positions that display in the CLND wizard. In the ConfigTools, PROD:,LOC:prodmaskloc,CLND:locmaskclnd are specified in the Pre-Range Mask field under the General tab in the Workbook Designer tool.

Assuming the order of the wizard pages is PROD, LOC, and CLND, this is how the masks are applied:

  • All positions in the PROD dimension are available for selection as PROD is not masked.
  • Available positions for LOC dimension depend on the PROD dimension selections combining with the masking values of measure prodmaskloc.
  • Available positions for CLND dimension will solely depend on the LOC dimension selections combining with the masking values of measure locmaskclnd. The PROD selections do not affect the CLND page directly.

To update the Pre-Range Mask:

  1. Click the pre-range mask Edit icon. A side panel opens.

    The side panel displays the driving dimension and measure to select against dimensions.

  2. Select the driving dimension from the drop down and measure against the driving dimension.
  3. Click Apply.

Dimension-Specific Pre-Range Mask Assignment

To assist in the configuration of the pre-range mask, use the pre-range mask attribute. The window consists of a set of rows, one for each dimension in the application. Each row lists the name of the dimension associated with the row and provides a field in which a measure name can be entered. Each row also has a button that allows selection of a measure instead of typing a measure name. The mask-measure selection window has a list of dimensions, a list of measures, and a text field to accept a partial measure name as a filter.

By default, the list of measures contains all Boolean measures in the application that meet validation criteria for the dimension being configured. Typing text in the filter field removes measures that do not meet the pattern. Selecting a dimension in the dimension list removes all measures that do not also contain the selected dimension or dimensions within its base intersection.

Mask Measure Type and Properties

All pre-range masking measures must be Boolean measures, use OR or AND aggregation, and cannot be scalar measures. The measure intersection can be equal to, higher than, or lower than the wizard intersection, which is constructed from the base levels of the wizards. If the measure intersection is lower, RPASCE aggregates using the specified aggregation type. If it is higher, cells are mapped using replication; the measure spread type is ignored. A measure intersection that mixes levels higher and lower than the wizard intersection cannot be used as a pre-range mask measure.

Mask Measure Type and Properties

All pre-range masking measures must be Boolean measures, use OR or AND aggregation, and cannot be scalar measures. The measure intersection can be equal to, higher than, or lower than the wizard intersection, which is constructed from the base levels of the wizards. If the measure intersection is lower, RPASCE aggregates using the specified aggregation type. If it is higher, cells are mapped using replication; the measure spread type is ignored. A measure intersection that mixes levels higher and lower than the wizard intersection cannot be used as a pre-range mask measure.

Driving Dimensions Based on the Mask Measure’s Base Intersection

Any additional dimensions in the mask measure’s base intersection are automatically treated as conditioning dimensions. For example, if a measure containing PROD, LOC, and CLND is assigned to range the LOC wizard, PROD and CLND are conditioning dimensions; their selected positions determine which positions are available in the LOC wizard.

Evaluation of a Pre-Range Mask in the Wizard

The masking intersection is based on wizard order. It gathers intersection and position information only from earlier wizards. For example, if wizard order is CLND, LOC, PROD, then the LOC wizard considers only selections in CLND—even if a user has navigated to PROD and then returned to LOC. Other dimensions in the mask measure are treated as fully selected (unfiltered).

Dimension Without the Wizard

A workbook template can omit a wizard for a dimension, in which case all positions in that dimension are normally included by default. A mask measure can still be assigned; the positions included are then determined by mask evaluation at the end of the wizard process.

Mask Measure Error

If a mask measure becomes invalid—for example, due to an incorrect measure type, intersection, or aggregation type—ranging is disabled only for that dimension. A warning is logged, workbook building continues, and that dimension becomes unmasked.

Backward Compatibility with Existing Workbook Templates

After an RPASCE upgrade, a template configuration using the old single-mask format produces the same result as before. It is equivalent to assigning that one masking measure to every dimension in the workbook template.

No Available Position after Pre-Ranging

If mask evaluation leaves no available position in a wizard during the workbook build, RPASCE throws a CancelWizardException with an appropriate user-facing error message, and workbook building ends.

Use Rolling Calendar

Some applications prefer that the workbook calendar range automatically advances relative to the workbook build date instead of using a static set of calendar positions. The Rolling Calendar functionality can help them to achieve this goal. First, the workbook template must be configured to use rolling calendar. The Use Rolling Calendar property determines if Rolling Calendar is allowed for the workbook template.

Select the check box to enable the Rolling Calendar Range Measures property. Clear the check box to disable the Rolling Calendar Range Measures property. Once the workbook template is configured with Rolling Calendar and the PDS build/patch is complete, users can then enable and select Rolling Calendar during the workbook wizard process. See the Oracle Retail Predictive Application Server Cloud Edition User Guide for details.

Rolling Calendar Range Measures

This field is only available when the Use Rolling Calendar check box is selected. This field allows you to select up to four rolling calendar range measures, which represent the time period threshold used within the Rolling Calendar wizard process. These time periods are:

  • Maximum periods into the future (MaxF)
  • Minimum periods into the future (MinF)
  • Maximum periods into the past (MaxP)
  • Minimum periods into the past (MinP)

When no range measure is specified during the workbook template configuration, the RPASCE UI will default to 0 time periods in the case of MinF and MinP and the no-limit for MaxF and MaxP.

A qualified Rolling Calendar Range measure must meet the following criteria:

  • It must exist in the application but is not required to be in the workbook rule set.
  • It must be of Integer type with a valid storage database.
  • It must be a scalar measure.

The Rolling Calendar Range measures are configured in the Workbook General Property table. A window is displayed once the user selects this field using either the mouse or the keyboard. In this window, the user can select up to one range measure for each Maximum Future Periods (MaxF), Minimum Future Periods (MinF), Maximum Past Periods (MaxP), and Minimum Past Periods (MinP) in the workbook.

Note that the rolling calendar settings in the workbook template configuration are patchable for the PDS, but not for existing workbooks, since the rolling calendar wizard process is not patchable.

Setting the Rolling Calendar Range Measures Assignment

In order to configure the Rolling Calendar Range measures, use the Set Rolling Calendar Range Measures window. From the General Properties Table, when you click in the Rolling Calendar Range Measure field, the window opens.

The window consists of four rows, one for each Time Periods category. Each row lists the name of qualified range measures in the application and provides a field in which to enter a measure name. If you enter an invalid measure name and click OK, the invalid measure shows a validation error in the Task List Panel.

Each row has a button that you can use to select a measure instead of typing in a measure name. Clicking the button next to the measure opens the Rolling Calendar Range Measure Selection Window for the selected measure.

The selection window contains the Time Periods Category name, such as MaxF, in the top window label; a list of measures; and a text field to accept a partial measure name as a filter.

By default, the list of measures contains all scalar, integer type measures in the application. Entering text into the filter text field filters the measure list to remove those measures that do not meet the pattern.

Login User Only

Some applications, such as Oracle Retail Assortment & Item Planning for Fashion/Softlines Cloud Service, prefer that the workbook USER dimension level only contains the login user so that when users define a measure with the base intersection containing the USER dimension level for storing the user preferred values, only the login user, instead of all users, has the data committed when users commit the data from the workbook to the PDS. For example, store the user selection for product attribute rollups in the workbook. The Login User Only property can help users to achieve this goal. When this property is set to true, the workbook template, if not ranged by wizard explicitly, should only include the login user within its USER dimension level.

The row Login User Only contains a check box. By default, this check box is not selected. The user must select this check box to indicate that the User dimension of this workbook will only contains the login user and no other user will be included.

Step Level

A step is a child of a task and groups one or more tabs into a business-process stage. A task can contain multiple steps. Each step is shown in the taskflow tree and is displayed in the order defined by the administrator.

You can:

  • Add a step below the task.
  • Enter the step label; the system-generated name is read only.
  • Move a step up or down within the taskflow tree.
  • Delete a step when it is no longer required.

Tab Level

A tab is a child of a step and groups one or more views. Use tabs to organize related worksheets within a step. A step can contain multiple tabs, and a tab can be moved between steps within the task.

At the Tab level, you can manage alerts and custom menus defined in Solution Designer.

Alerts

Alerts configured in Solution Designer can be assigned at the Tab level.

For each alert:

  1. Select the target measure. The target-measure list is based on the rule set linked to the task.
  2. Select the worksheet/view within the current tab where the alert should be displayed.
  3. If an alert is displayed in more than one view, select a primary view and a multi-view layout. When an alert is assigned to a single view, the full-view layout is used.

Target Measure - The target measure is the measure over which alert hits will be evaluated and to which the formatting will be applied. Boolean measures cannot be used as target measures for real time alerts. Target measure must be defined within the Viewable Measure Profiles of the workbook.

When an alert is selected and defined for a tab, then it is not available for another tab for selection.

Custom Menu

At the tab level, you can assign or select custom menus which are configured against the rule set. Select menu items from the available list and place them in the selected list using drag and drop. Select the custom menu, use the two line icon to hold and drag the custom menu, and drop to the selected side. The selected order is reflected in the workspace tab.

A custom menu assigned to one tab cannot also be assigned to another tab in the same workflow template.

View Level

A view is the final level of the taskflow tree and represents a worksheet in the application. A tab can contain one or more views. You can add, edit, delete, and move views between tabs within the same task. At the view level, you can define the General Settings, Measure Profiles, Position Queries and Style override.

Define View Level General Properties

This section describes the fields that are displayed on the General Tab.

User Label

Enter a description of the worksheet that users will see.

Workbook Type

This is a read-only field which is set to Pivot/Chart by default.

Filterable Worksheet

Determine candidates for filtering from the worksheet, if any.

Pivot Table Axis

Define the axis layout of the worksheet. Pick the dimensions using the drop down menu. You can also select the default axis layout which will copy the dimension placement from the task level.

Hide Worksheet Measure

This property is optional and can only be configured within the Grid/Pivot worksheets. Once the Hide Worksheet Measure is configured and has a value of TRUE, the worksheet is hidden within the RPASCE UI.

Base Intersection

Update the base intersection using the action button. The side panel opens to select the levels for the dimensions or you can choose from the labelled intersection.

Measure Profile

Complete the following steps to update the Measure Profiles tab. This tab allows users to configure additional measure profiles beyond the Default profile for the worksheet. These additional profiles may be populated with measures in the same manner as the default profile. When the workbook is built, these additional profiles will be available through the RPASCE Client to provide users a different set of measures or a different measure ordering for the measures of the worksheet.

Adding a Measure Profile

Complete the following steps to add a profile:

  1. Click the Add icon.

  2. A row is added with default name and default label. Change the name and label as needed:
    • Name - The name for the measure profile used by RPASCE. This name must be unique across the worksheet.
    • Label - The label for the measure profile that is used internally by RPASCE. This label must be unique across the worksheet.

Note:

Duplicate label names are not allowed within the scope of the worksheet.

Marking a Measure Profile as Default

Complete the following steps to mark a measure profile as default:

  1. Click the Measure Profiles tab.

  2. Select an existing measure profile that is not the default (the first profile in the table is always the default).

  3. Right-click in the table area and select Make Default.

    The selected measure profile becomes the default profile for the worksheet and moves to the first row in the measure profile table.

Removing a Measure Profile

Complete the following steps to remove a measure profile:

  1. Select the profile row from the table.
  2. Click the Delete icon from the table tool bar.

To add a measure in the profile, you can list the measure in the Matching measure list using the components and drag and drop them in viewable or profile. To remove the measure, you can use the context menu.

You can also add the Variance and Custom calculation measure in the profile using the toggle button.

Filter the Measures List

You can search for a measure using the filter option within the Matching measure and Viewable list. Click the Filter icon. A search text bar opens. You can enter the measure name to search and based on the search text. It displays the matching measure in the list below.

Position Query Tab

Usage of this tab is optional. This tab allows you to specify a worksheet where the positions that are shown in a query level are based on the current position in driving levels. The driving levels can be absent, such as in IPOCS-Demand Forecasting applications. If the driving levels exist, they must be in the slice area.

The process uses a position query that is a Boolean measure leveled on the query level and the driving levels. Only positions in the query level that have the value TRUE for the position query measure for the positions in the driving levels are shown in the worksheet. All other positions are automatically hidden.

When more than one driving level is present, all driving levels have to be in the Z-axis for the position query to execute. If one or more driving levels are taken out of the Z-axis and placed in X or Y axes, associated position queries will not be executed. A given window can have more than one position query, driven by one or more levels in the Z-axis and driving different levels in the X, Y, and Z axes.

Position Queries are referred to as Special Filters in the Oracle Retail Predictive Application Server Cloud Edition User Guide and several other documents. Both terms refer to the same functionality.

Complete the following steps to update a Position Queries tab.

  1. Click the Position Queries tab.
  2. Click the Add button from the table tool bar.
  3. Enter the following information:
    • Name - The name for the position query used by RPASCE. This name must be unique across the project.
    • Label - The label for the position query that is used internally by RPASCE. This label must be unique across the project.

    Duplicate label names are not allowed.

    • Measure - This defines the position query measure. This must be a Boolean-type measure. Click in the field, and then click Select Measure to view a list of the Boolean measures used in the workbook. Type the first few characters of the measure name in the box at the top of the list to go to the required measure, or scroll to find it. Double-click to select the desired measure.
    • Result Level - This defines the query level. Select a level from the list of levels for the selected measure.
  4. PQD Default On - This property controls whether this PQD is On by default in the Special Filter list in the RPASCE client. By default, this field is blank, which means False. Users can select either True or False from the drop-down list. When set to True, the PQD defaults to On in the Special Filters list and the filter is applied. In RPASCE, users can toggle this PQD from On to Off, or Off to On, based on their needs.
  5. To remove a row from the tab, select the row, and click the Delete icon. The row is deleted from the Position Queries tab.

Style Override Tab

Usage of this tab is optional. This tab allows you to override the style property for a measure, so that measure uses a different formatting style in the worksheet. The Style Overrides tab can also be used to apply a formatting style to an attribute defined on any of the dimensions used in the worksheet. This formatting style will then be applied to the attribute where it displays within the worksheet.

Note:

The measures that appear in this process are those placed on the profiles of the worksheet.

Complete the following steps to update the Style Overrides tab:

  1. Click the Style Overrides tab.

  2. Select an override formatting style for a measure. Measures whose styles have been overridden display in black. Those whose styles are defaulting display in gray.

Available Measure

The use of this tab is optional. It allows you to override certain properties of measures at the workbook level. Use this tab in cases when it is necessary to configure multiple workbooks for a solution and the processes implied by those workbooks require different measure behavior. For example, a measure must be writable in one workbook in a solution but read only in all other workbooks.

By using this tab, you can override the following standard measure properties at the workbook level:

  • Label, Description
  • Base State
  • Agg State
  • UI Type
  • Single Hier Select
  • Range

In addition, there are two properties, LoadRange and LoadRangeMeas, that are not standard measure properties and may only be set through the Measures tab.

Defining Measure Properties Override Settings for a Workbook

Complete the following steps to define the Measure Properties override settings for a workbook:

  1. Click the Create Available Measure action button.
  2. A drop down menu opens to select the measure. A measure row is added with its configured properties.
  3. Modify the appropriate property information for the measure.

Measures that already have an entry in the Measures tab are listed but unavailable and cannot be selected.

Removing a Measure Override Settings from a Workbook

Complete the following steps to remove the measure property override settings:

  1. Click the Measures row.

  2. Click the Delete button from the table tool bar.

Temporary Measure

Temporary measures enable administrators and System Integrators (SIs) to define workspace calculations using measures available through the task rule set. These calculations are available to planners while they work in the application and do not require additional persisted measure configuration.

You can create and maintain three types of temporary measures:

  • Contribution measures
  • Variance measures
  • Custom calculation measures

Temporary measures can be added to worksheet viewable-measure lists and measure profiles so that users can use them in the applicable views. The temporary measures are added as read-only measures in the workspace.

Contribution Measures

Contribution measures calculate a value relative to another value, intersection, dimension, or ranking context. They are created at the task, or workspace, level using a source measure selected from the available measures list.

To define a contribution measure:

  1. Click the Create Contribution Measure action button.
  2. Select the source measure from the drop-down list. A new row is added in the contribution measure area.
  3. Select the required usage and arguments.
  4. Based on the selected measure, usage, and argument, the Label and Name for the contribution are generated by the system. You can update the generated label if a different business-facing description is required.

The available usage options are:

  • Relative
  • Absolute
  • Ranking
  • Cumulative Value
  • Cumulative Percentage

If the Usage is defined as Absolute, then for arguments a dialog opens. Set the appropriate option for dimensions displayed in the dialog box and click OK. The dimension level that is used to determine the percent-to-parent contribution of an Absolute extended measure may be set. All dimensions higher than the dimension level of the measure's base intersection for that dimension are available as well as the value AllDim, which represents all positions within the workbook.

If the Usage is defined as Relative, select the appropriate dimension from the list displayed in drop down.

If the Usage is defined as Ranking, Cumulative value or Cumulative percent, the dialog open with following options. Set the appropriate options and click OK.

  1. Rank Order - Whether the ranking must be in ascending or descending order.
  2. Display Type - Whether the ranking must be completed only on the base intersection of the measure, or at all aggregate intersections also.
  3. Dimension - The dimension along which the values of the measure should be ranked or totaled.

Remove Contribution Measure

You can delete a contribution measure using the tool bar delete action. Before deletion, Workflow Manager warns that the measure will also be removed from associated viewable-measure lists and measure profiles.

Variance Measure

Variance measures compare a source measure with a related measure. They are typically used to compare versions, such as current working plan and last year, for the same metric and unit of measure.

To define a variance measure:

  1. Click Create Variance Measure and select the source measure.
  2. Select the role and version for the measure against which variance needs to be created. The metric and unit of measure remain the same as the source measure.
  3. Select the variance operator: percentage or absolute.
  4. Select one of the expressions suggested based on the selection of operator.

Review or update the generated name and label. You can edit the name and label, provided that they remain unique within the workspace.

For percentage variance, Workflow Manager can suggest expressions such as:

  • (A - B) / B * 100
  • (A - B) / A * 100

For absolute variance, Workflow Manager uses:

  • A – B

For example, when the source measure represents working-plan sales and the comparison measure represents last-year sales, a percentage variance can show the difference relative to either the comparison measure or the source measure.

Remove Variance Measure

You can delete a variance measure. Deleting it also removes it from related viewable-measure lists and measure profiles.

Note:

Percentage variance measures use percentage style by default. Absolute variance measures use the formatting of the source measure.

Custom Calculation Measure

Custom calculation measures enable you to define a calculation using two or more measures. Use this type when a contribution or variance measure does not meet the required calculation need.

A custom calculation allows you to add a single expression and supports the following operators:

  • Addition (+)
  • Subtraction (-)
  • Multiplication (*)
  • Division (/)

To create a custom calculation measure:

  1. Click the Create Custom Calc measure action button.
  2. Enter a name and label in the dialog box.
  3. Enter or paste the expression in the available field. You can also choose to pick the measure from list using the drop down icon in expression field.

Custom calculation expressions must meet the following requirements:

  • Measures in one expression must have the same base intersection.
  • The expression can use database measures and calculated measures from the configuration or rule set.
  • Contribution and variance measures created in Workflow Manager are not available for use in a custom calculation.
  • The expression, name, and label must be unique within the workspace.
  • Workflow Manager validates the expression for correctness.

The custom calculation measure inherits the style of the first source measure used in the expression.

Remove Custom Calc Measures

You can delete a custom calculation measure. Deleting it also removes it from related viewable-measure lists and measure profiles.

Managing Temporary Measures in View Profiles

After you create a temporary measure, add it to the relevant views from the Measure Profile tab at the View level of the taskflow.

Temporary measures can be added to the matching-measure list and then moved into:

  • The viewable-measure list
  • A measure profile
  1. Contribution measures are available through component selection.
  2. Variance and custom calculation measures can be added to the matching-measure list by using the toogle button available on top of the measure list.

When a temporary measure is deleted, Workflow Manager removes it from the profiles in which it was used.

Temporary Measure Validation

Workflow Manager validates temporary measures to protect the integrity of the workspace configuration.

For all temporary-measure types, names and labels must be unique within the workspace. Custom calculation measures also require a unique expression.

If a source measure is removed:

  • Custom calculation measures remain in place but show an error for the invalid expression. Update the expression to resolve the error.
  • Contribution and variance measures that use the removed measure are removed from the Temporary Measures list.

When you delete any temporary measure, review the confirmation message carefully because the deletion also removes the measure from its associated measure profiles and viewable-measure lists.