Ranzal Practice Director, Tony Scalese conducted this presentation at the recent ODTUG Kaleidoscope conference in Long Beach, California.

1. Taking Your FDM Application to the Next
Level with Advanced Scripting
Tony Scalese
Edgewater Ranzal
www.ranzal.com

2. About Edgewater Ranzal
One of the Largest
Oracle/Hyperion Practices in
the U.S.
Oracle / Hyperion Platinum
15 Years Partner - Highest Status
700+ clients
1000+ projects Vertical Expertise with High-
Profile Clients from Coast to
Coast
Sound Project Methodology
Insures Project Success
“One Stop Shop” for ALL EPM
Implementation needs

3. Our Services
Business
Consolidation Planning
Intelligence
Data Project
Infrastructure
Services Management

4. Who Is Tony Scalese
Over 10 years Experience with Data Integration and
Financial Planning & Consolidation on the Hyperion suite
of products
Established many innovative FDM design, customization
and automation concepts that have evolved into standard
Industry-wide practices.
Certified HFM Consultant - System 9 & Fusion 11
Present at Oracle conferences, Ranzal webcasts and post
on Oracle Technology Network (OTN) and blog on
www.FDMGuru.com
B.A. Economics, Allegheny College; MBA Candidate,
Babson College

5. Agenda
Script Types Import Scripts
Event Scripts
Custom Scripts
Tips & Tricks Common Script Usage
Batch Scripts
Leveraging Workbench
Scheduling Scripts
Solution Overview & Wrap-up Smart Replace
Resources
Scripting Challenge

6. What is FDM Scripting?
FDM has a powerful scripting engine that
leverages the VBScript programming
language to further extend the application’s
functionality
Scripts can be used to execute SQL queries
Scripts can leverage windows objects (Shell) to
execute batch command files
FDM Scripting is as powerful as your
programming skills & knowledge of the
application architecture

7. Script Types
Import: Execute during the import workflow
stage when assigned to the import format
used by the location processing data
Event: Execute during predefined “events”
within the application. These are similar to
Excel workbook macros that execute
“OnOpen”
Custom: All other scripts that are used to
perform additional actions/functions in FDM

8. Import Scripts
DataPump – Used with Delimited & Fixed Width
Import formats
Execute for the dimension to which they are assigned
in the import format.
Execute for each line in the data file
Integration – Used with Script Import Formats
Used to provide direct integration to relational sources
Executes SQL queries to retrieve data from source
Often Utilizes an ADO connection
Working example in the Admin Guide

9. Import Scripts – Some Facts
API objects are not available for use in Import
Scripts - Data Pump or Integration
Data Pump scripts are passed the field (strField)
defined by the import format – i.e, field x of y - as
well as the entire record (strRecord)
Temporary variables can be used during the
import process and accessed by other import
scripts – RES.pVarTempx
You cannot execute Import scripts from the
script editor

10. Import Scripts – The #1 Pitfall
Pre/Cross Dimensional Mapping - if source account
is X, Y or Z then Entity is A
While there are times this can be necessary, robust event
scripting can often address the need for this logic
Why is this approach flawed?
Limited visibility to the true source value for a given
dimension
Mapping “logic” is likely no longer an end user function;
scripts are only visible to administrators
Any time the logic changes, the data file must be re-
imported
ERPi does not currently support modifications to the source
member that was extracted from the G/L

11. Example Integration Script Package
Create connection to source
Connection strings vary based on source
DB type
Run query to get source records
SQL Select query
Append query result to FDM worktable

12. Event Scripts – Some Facts
Only execute when the Event actually has
code
Application passes certain arguments to the
event script when triggered
“Action” event scripts often execute multiple
subprocesses and/or other event scripts
You cannot add “new” Event scripts
You cannot execute Event scripts from the
script editor

13. Event Scripts
Event Script Executed
StartUp During Log In and Logout of the application
ShutDown Does not execute in 11.1.2.0
StatusMessage When using the API function mStatusMessage
SystemLocked When the system is Locked
POVChanged When the point-of-view is changed
SecurityChanged When security is changed
ImportMap (Bef & Aft) During the Import of a mapping .TRx file
CopyMap (Bef & Aft) During the Copy of map from one location to another
ClearData (Bef & Aft) When data is cleared for a given point-of-view
FileImport (Bef & Aft) When a flat file is imported; does not apply to adaptor & script
based import formats

14. Event Scripts
Event Script Executed
Validate (Bef & Aft) During Validate workflow step
ExportToDat (Bef & Aft) During Export step when a data file is created
Load (Bef & Aft) During Export step when data file export is loaded
to target system
Consolidate (Bef & Aft) During a target system is consolidation
Check (Bef & Aft) When Check workflow step
Calculate (Bef & Aft) When Calculate is executed; Process Logic/Maps
ProcLogicGrp (Bef & Aft) When Logic groups applied; during Import &
Process Logic/Maps
ProcMap (Bef & Aft) When Maps are applied; during Import & Process
Logic/Maps; only executes for locations with
Wildcard maps

15. Event Scripts
Event Script Executed
ArchiveItemAction During archive of import & export files
ControlsAction During Certification (un)Review & (un)Submit
ImportAction When Import workflow step is run
MemoItemAction When Memos are added, updated or deleted
MultiloadAction During Multi-Load and Journal processing
BatchAction During batch execution
BatchAutoMapCorrect During a batch process that utilizes the autocorrect
mapping feature

16. Custom Scripts – Some Facts

17. Custom Scripts
3 types of Custom scripts
General: All other actions in FDM; example –
Batch loader script
Plug-In: No longer used
Web: Used to create tasks flows that allow end
users to execute scripts without requiring access
to script editor

18. Running SQL from Scripts
Select Queries – Used to retrieve data from a
table
Set rs = DW.DataAccess.farsKeySet(strSQL)
DML Queries – Used to Update/Insert/Delete
data
blnResult =
DW.DataManipulation.fExecuteDML(strSQL)

19. Scripting Objects
File System Object
Set FSO =
CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject)
Set objFile = FSO.CreateTextFile(PathToFile,
OverwriteExisting, blnUnicode)
Windows Shell Object
Set wShell =
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
lngResult = WShell.Run(strCommand,
WindowStyle, blnWaitOnReturn)

20. Batch Loader
From the Workbench, Tools Batch
Processing
Set the Batch Processing options and click
Create Script

21. Batch Loader Script Package
Process Level – Tells FDM which workflow
steps to perform; see
enmBatchProcessLevels
Delimiter – File name delimiter use in the
batch file name.
Example: 1~Location~Category~Period~rr.txt
Map Auto Correct – Controls if FDM should
automap missing members to a
default/suspense member; True/False

22. Object Browser
Object Browser contains a
list of all of the API functions
that are available to be used
in FDM scripts
Object Browser is only
available in WorkBench
Many objects provide a
description of the return or
required arguments

23. Accelerators
Accelerators are prewritten snippets of code
that perform common scripting operations
including:
Get detailed POV information (location metadata)
Create and loop through a recordset
Work with text files using FSO
Send email
Accelerators provide 70-80% of the code,
you will often need to update/refine

24. Using Accelerators
Select the section of the script where you need the
accelerator code
Double click the accelerator and the code is inserted
Refine as needed – you will need to review the code

25. Adaptor Specific Objects
Import the Type Library of the
Adaptor
Right click the object browser
and select Add Type Library
Browse to the adaptor folder
and import the
AdaptorName.tlb file

26. Scheduling Scripts
FDM Task Manager – FDM component that
allows custom scripts to be scheduled on
specific intervals; seconds, days of the week,
specific day(s) each month
FDM Shell Object – Used to execute custom
scripts from a windows batch file; batch file
can be scheduled within Windows Scheduled
Tasks or any enterprise scheduling software

27. Task Manager
Select application &
script to execute
Specify Login
credentials – non
expiring recommended
Specify Time interval to
execute

28. FDM Shell
Shell object is in the SharedComponents of
the installation directory
Double click the UPSShell executable
Open Notepad and paste
Default syntax is provided
Consists of 2 parts – Path to FDM Shell & Call to
script

29. FDM Shell Syntax
C:OracleMIDDLE~1EPMSYS~1productsFINA
NC~1SHARED~1upsShell.exe
CustomScriptEx=AppName~UserID~PW~DOMA
IN~LoadBalancerName~LogDirectory~ScriptNa
me~LanguageCode(Default=1033)~EncodeUnic
ode(Default=0)
C:OracleMIDDLE~1EPMSYS~1productsFINA
NC~1SHARED~1upsShell.exe
CustomScriptEx=App1~admin~password~~local
host~C:Temp~BatchLoad~1033~0

30. Taking a Detour – HFM Architecture
HFM subcubes are the intersection of the
Accounts, ICP, Custom1-4 & Period for the
Year, Entity, Scenario and Value dimensions
When loading in replace mode, the entire
subcube is cleared for each unique Year, Entity
Scenario that is contained in the data
This is the default HFM behavior – loading
through FDM or directly in HFM through load
tasks
Data is “orphaned” in HFM if an entity is loaded
and then in subsequent loads is not part of the
data set – meaning potentially inaccurate
financial results

31. Preliminary Load
Preliminary
load includes a
errant G/L
posting that
misclassifies
data into the
‘Rhode Island’
entity

32. Reload
G/L posting is
corrected and
previous entry is
re-classed from
Rhode Island to
Massachusetts
Data is not cleared
from Rhode Island
since no data
exists in the G/L
file for R.I.
HFM is wrong!

33. How Can FDM Help?
Smart Replace is a Ranzal custom developed
FDM solution that addresses this common data
quality issue caused by the default clear
behavior of HFM
A list of the unique entities that have been loaded to
HFM is maintained
The data that is currently being loaded to HFM is
compared against the list of historically loaded data
If any “orphaned” entities are found, a data clearing
record for that entity is added to the data set being
loaded

34. Reload with Smart Replace
G/L posting is
corrected and
previous entry is
re-classed from
Rhode Island to
Massachusetts
Data is cleared
from Rhode
Island by the
custom Smart
Replace
functionality
HFM is correct!

35. What To Learn More?
FDM Adaptor Actions
FDM API Guide
http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/epm.html
Oracle Technology Network (OTN)
http://forums.oracle.com/forums/forum.jspa?forumID=409&s
tart=0
Ranzal & Associates
http://www.ranzal.com
W3 Schools
http://www.w3schools.com
Google

36. Scripting Challenge
Tell me a problem you are facing in your
FDM application that you believe or know
custom scripting will address
Entries can be dropped at the Ranzal booth or
email me (ascalese@ranzal.com) before the end
of the conference
I will select 1 challenge and create a script
that addresses the issue
I will schedule a 1 hr web session to demo
the solution

37. Questions
Tony Scalese
ascalese@ranzal.com
www.ranzal.com

38. Other Ranzal Presentations
Calculation Manager: The New and Improved Application to Create Hyperion
Planning Business Rules – Monday, 11:15 am, Room 102C
Security and Auditing in HFM – Tuesday, 4:30pm, 101B
Best Practices for Using DRM with EPMA – Wednesday, 8:30am, 103A
Getting Started with Calc Manager for HFM – Wednesday, 8:30am, 101B
Advanced Topics in Calc Manager for HFM – Wednesday, 9:45am, 101B
Maximizing the Value of an EPM Investment with ERPi, FDM & EPMA – Wednesday,
11:15am, 101B
Taking your FDM application to the next level with Advanced Scripting – Friday,
8:30am, 101B
IFRS reporting within Hyperion Financial Management – Thursday, 10:30am, 101B