chapter 1 - hyperion essbase...

H Y P E R I O N E S S B A S E O V E R V I E W 1-1

C O N F I D E N T I A L A N D P R O P R I E T A R Y I N F O R M A T I O N O F V E R I Z O N W I R E L E S S . N O T F O R U S E O R D I S C L O S U R E O T H E R T H A N B Y A N D F O R V E R I Z O N W I R E L E S S W I T H O U T P R I O R W R I T T E N P E R M I S S I O N

Chapter 1

C H A P T E R 1

HYPERION ESSBASE OVERVIEW

Overview Hyperion Essbase is a powerful database application that lets you analyze aspects of your business in comparison to one another.

This chapter will explain what Hyperion Essbase is and some common Essbase terms. This chapter will go into some technical explanations; however, understanding how Essbase is structured will make it easier to retrieve data when you are building reports or performing ad-hoc analysis.

Objectives By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

• Understand the differences between multi-dimensional & relational databases

• Understand Essbase terminology

• Identify the components of the Essbase outline hierarchy

Icons Used in th is Chapter Remember – this icon is used to flag bits of text that are important to remember. It may represent something new or recall something presented in another chapter.

Tip – this icon flags actions or strategies that you can use to make your report development or maintenance easier.

Warning – this icon represents any pitfalls you may encounter as part of your interaction with Essbase & strategies on avoiding them.

H Y P E R I O N E S S B A S E M A R C H 2 0 0 8

1-2 H Y P E R I O N E S S B A S E O V E R V I E W


Essbase Database

a.k.a. Essbase Cube

Source files “Actuals”

Hyperion Planning “Budget”

Essbase Database Hyperion Solutions Corporation, a subsidiary of Oracle, is a company that specializes in Business Performance Management (BPM) software. In Verizon Wireless, we own several Hyperion software components. The most commonly used are:

Hyperion Essbase Database

Hyperion Essbase Excel Add-In

Hyperion Planning

Hyperion Reports

Hyperion Analyzer

History of Essbase

In the early 90’s two developers noticed that companies were starting to use spreadsheets not only for presentation of data, but as a place to store data and business logic as well.

They decided to build a database that specifically supports this type of spreadsheet analysis. The database was called Extended SpreadSheet dataBASE, or ESSBASE for short. Because the design of the database was based off spreadsheets that business analysts built, and not based off system outputs, Essbase presented a new paradigm in database applications.

Hyperion Reports

Essbase Excel Add-In

Hyperion Analyzer

M A R C H 2 0 0 8 H Y P E R I O N E S S B A S E



Chapter 1

Multi-dimensional vs. Relational Databases In simple terms, a database is just a collection of related data.

Before Essbase, databases were built to store data the way it was received from a source system. These databases are optimized for compact storage of transactional data. Although summarization of the data is possible, it is not what these databases were designed for. These types of databases are known as OLTP (On-Line Transactional Processing) databases, or more commonly, relational databases.

Essbase, on the other hand, was designed based off how business analysts were summarizing and presenting data in their spreadsheets. Business analysts would group data into common hierarchies, such as months into quarters, and then into years; or markets into regions and areas, and then to total company. The Essbase database was designed to optimize the groupings of the data so that it allowed the business to quickly analyze data that is structured in a way that they think about their business.

Because of the different way Essbase was handling data, it didn’t fit the model of a relational database, so the term OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing) database, or more commonly, multi-dimensional database, was developed to describe what Essbase was. Multi-dimensional databases are also commonly referred to as cubes.

Remember – Throughout this training manual, the term OLAP, cubes, and multi-dimensional databases are used interchangeably.

The following table highlights some of the main differences between multi-dimensional and relational databases:

Feature Relational Multi-dimensional Dimensionality Two dimensional: Records &

fields Multi-dimensional: can contain as many dimensions that are practical

Retrieval Optimization

Designed for optimal retrieval of detailed records

Designed for optimal retrieval at any level of the hierarchy, even the topmost level that represents the results of the entire company.

Data Grouping Data is stored in one table and user has to join to one or more other tables that contains the hierarchy to group the data

Hierarchies are native to the database structure.

Ad-hoc analysis capabilities

Queries have to be re-written to look at different results

Hierarchy of the database supports drilling down into details

The Essbase database structure, which contains many dimensions that groups the data into hierarchies, is a key differentiator of multi-dimensional databases. When you are using Essbase, it is important to understand the terminology Essbase uses to describe the database structure.

Tip – Many options in Essbase refer to the database structure terminology, so understanding these terms will make using Essbase easier!




Essbase Structure

Database Outline

The Essbase database structure is contained in what is called the Outline. The Outline is a collection of dimensions and members.

Dimensions are the business categories and members are the individual elements of each dimension.

Within a dimension, members are organized into hierarchies.

Dat

abas

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Dim

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Hierarchy

Mem

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Chapter 1

Essbase Structure (Continued)

Hierarchy Terminology

The most common way to refer to members in an outline relative to each other is by using “family tree” relationships

Hierarchy Term Hierarchy Description Example

Dimension The highest point of the hierarchy structure.

Time Periods

Members All items below the dimension name.

YearTotal, Q1, Jan, Feb, etc.

Children Members directly below another member

Q1 is a child of YearTotal.

Jan is a child of Q1.

Parents Members that contain children. Also referred to as nodes.

Q1 is a parent of Jan, Feb, Mar

Siblings Members that share the same parent

Apr, May, Jun are siblings

Ancestor A member’s parent, grandparent, great grandparent, and so forth until it reaches the dimension

Q1 and YearTotal are ancestors of Jan

Descendent A member’s children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so forth until it reaches the lowest point in the dimension

Q1, Jan, Feb, Mar, Q2, Apr, May, etc. are descendents of YearTotal.

Dimension

Members of the Time Period Dimension

Parent of Jan, Feb, Mar

Children of Q2, also siblings of one another




Essbase Structure (Continued)

Hierarchies are also described in terms of their generation and level. Generations and Levels describe a member’s position within the hierarchy.

Hierarchy Term

Hierarchy Description Example

Generation The position of a member within a dimension numbered from top down

Time Period is a Gen 1 member

YearTotal is Gen 2 member

Q1, Q2, etc are Gen 3 members

Jan, Feb, Mar are Gen 4 members

Level The position of a member within a dimension numbered from bottom up

Jan, Feb, Mar are Level 0 members

Q1, Q2, etc are Level 1 members

YearTotal is a Level 2 member

Time Periods is a Level 3 member

Understanding the hierarchy structure of the database can make it easier to select members from the database. For example, if you want to build a retrieve that just includes the months, you can just request the Level 0 members of the Time Period dimension and the retrieve will only return the months. Chapter 3 goes into more detail of querying based on a hierarchy name.

Level 0

Level 1 Level 2

Level 3Gen 1 Gen 2

Gen 3

Gen 4




Chapter 1

Summary In this Chapter, you learned the following:

What is an Essbase database

How is an Essbase database different from a relational database

How Essbase is structured

The terminology of the Essbase structure

Now that you understand the Essbase structure, you are now ready to begin using the Essbase database!

E S S B A S E E X C E L A D D - I N ( B A S I C S ) 2-1


Chapter 2

C H A P T E R 2

ESSBASE EXCEL ADD-IN (BASIC)

Overview

Hyperion Essbase provides multiple ways of reporting & analyzing your data. From retrieving data in a standard report template to creating your own ad-hoc analysis retrieves, Essbase is a powerful tool that allows you to drill into the data & analyze results from different perspectives.

This chapter will explain how to use the Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in to connect to Essbase, retrieve and analyze data, and format results. Various tips and tricks will also be covered to help assist in the creation of spreadsheet reports.


• Connect to an Essbase Database

• Perform Basic Retrieval Techniques

• Set the Default Essbase Options




Technical Stuff – this chapter may go into some more specialized Essbase terms. You can skip over these icons & be just fine, but it may contain info that helps you understand the database better.


Overview of the Essbase Excel Add-In The following is a short guided tour of a few of the most frequently used features of the Essbase Excel Add-In. Each of the features will be explained in more detail later in the chapter.

Adding the Essbase Add-In to Excel When you start Excel 2003, the Add-In should automatically load and you should see the

Essbase Menu in the Main Menu bar: .

If you are using Excel 2007 or higher, you should see the Essbase Menu on the Add-Ins tab of the ribbon.

If you don’t see Essbase Add-in, follow these instructions to add it:

1. If you are using Excel 2003, from the Excel menu, click on Tools > Add-Ins…

OR

If using Excel 2007 or higher, click the Excel button > Excel Options > Add Ins then make sure Excel Add-ins is selected in the Manage drop-down box and click the Go button.

2. The Add-Ins window is displayed.

3. If you are using the Essbase version 7 Client, click on the Browse button and navigate to the following folder on your C: drive: C:\Hyperion\Essbase\Bin\

OR

If you are using the Essbase version 11 Client, click on the Browse button and navigate to the following folder on your C: drive: C:\Hyperion\Products\Essbase\EssbaseClient\Bin

4. Select the essexcln.xll file and click OK

5. In the Add-Ins window, make sure the following add-ins are checked:

• Oracle Essbase OLAP Server DLL*

• Oracle Essbase Query Designer Addin*

* The labels say “Hyperion Essbase OLAP Server DLL” and “Hyperion Essbase Query Designer Addin” in version 7.

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N E W E S S B A S E C U B E 2-3


Chapter 2

Overview of the Essbase Excel Add-In (Continued)

Adding the Essbase Toolbar to Excel To add the Essbase toolbar to Excel, follow these instructions:

1. Start Excel

2. From the Excel menu, click on File > Open

3. If you are using the Essbase version 7 Client, click on the Browse button and navigate to the following folder on your C: drive: C:\Hyperion\Essbase\client\Sample

OR

If you are using the Essbase version 11 Client, click on the Browse button and navigate to the following directory on the C: drive: C:\Hyperion\products\Essbase\EssbaseClient\client\sample

4. Open Esstollb.xls

5. A blank worksheet opens. If a macros dialog box is displayed, choose Yes. You need to enable macros for the Essbase toolbar to work.

6. The Essbase toolbar is displayed in the toolbars section

7. From the Excel menu, choose File > Close

Remember – When you open a new workbook, the Essbase Toolbar will be automatically displayed. If not, choose View>Toolbars from the Excel menu and select Hyperion Essbase.

Connect ing to an Essbase Database Since Essbase is a client/server system, the database resides on a remote server that is reachable over the network. While the data is stored on the server, all of the analysis happens on your computer. Once you connect to the server, you can pull all the data back to your client and look at it in Excel.

The first step to using Essbase is to connect to the remote Essbase server.

Try It!

In the Excel menu choose Essbase > Connect or click on in the toolbar.

1. If this is your first time accessing the Essbase server, you will need to enter the server name. Valid server names are:

proforma.ddc.vzwcorp.com (to connect to the PROFORMA cube)

rptg.ddc.vzwcorp.com (to connect to the RPTG cube)

location.ddc.vzwcorp.com (to connect to the LOCATION cube)

For training purposes, enter rptg.ddc.vzwcorp.com





2. Enter your USWIN ID & your USWIN password.

3. Select the desired Application/Database from the list box. For training purposes, select RPTG/Main.

4. Choose OK.

Warning – Essbase does not support multiple sessions of Excel. When you connect to Essbase, make sure that you only have one Excel session active & open new files or worksheets within that Excel session.

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Chapter 2


Managing Database Connect ions As you are working with Essbase, you may be connecting to several databases on multiple worksheets. There are several guidelines to keep in mind when working with Essbase:

You can have only one database connection from any individual worksheet in a workbook. That is, you cannot retrieve data from more than one database to a single worksheet.

Tip – You can create retrieve ranges on a worksheet to retrieve data from different databases in a single worksheet; however, you’ll need to select each range separately and connect to the desired database each time you do a retrieve.

Within a single workbook, you can have multiple database connections, one each on multiple worksheets.

Database connections are persistent until you disconnect them or you are disconnected by the system after 30 minutes of inactivity. Closing the Excel workbook does not end established connections.

To view all current established connections, open the Disconnect dialog box by selecting Essbase > Disconnect from the Main Menu.

Disconnect ing From a Database To disconnect from a database connection:

1. Select Essbase > Disconnect to open the Essbase Disconnect dialog box.

2. Select the desired worksheet connection

3. Click Disconnect to disconnect the selected worksheet

4. Click Close

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Before retrieving data, it is important to understand how Essbase displays and interprets data in a spreadsheet.

Displaying Mul t id imensional Data in Two-Dimensional Reports An Excel spreadsheet is a two-dimensional report made up of cells that are the intersections of a row and a column. To translate data from a multidimensional database into a two-dimension Excel report, Essbase data is represented in three categories: rows, columns, and a page field. Just as in a spreadsheet, the intersection of a row and column, or a cell, represents the data value, while the page field contains the dimensions not included in the rows or columns. The page field section is used to filter the data represented in the rows and columns.

Page Field Row

Column

Once you understand how Essbase data is represented in an Excel spreadsheet, you can navigate the data using various tools. As you make changes to the layout, you will notice how changes in the values of rows and columns affect their entire respective rows and columns, and how any change in the value of the page field will change the data in the entire report.

Understanding how Essbase Retr ieves Data When data retrieval is performed, the Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in requests data from the server which receives data from the database and transmits the data back to the Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in.

In order for Essbase to know what data to return, it initiates a label-scanning process. The scanning looks for report labels on the spreadsheet to match with members in the outline. The page field section of the worksheet is scanned first, then the column and row sections.

In order for the label-scanning process to work for Essbase to know where to place data in the spreadsheet, the Essbase retrieve range must adhere to the following rules.






Chapter 2


General Rules

• Labels on the worksheet must match outline members or their aliases.

• All standard dimensions must be represented in the header or row-column section for Essbase to resolve a data point.

• You must precede all member names that consist of numbers with a single quote. For example, if you type in 2010 to represent the year dimension, enter ‘2010 in the spreadsheet cell.

Page Field Rules

• Only one member from a dimension can be displayed.

• If a dimension is represented in the header section, members from the dimension cannot be displayed in a row or column.

• If a dimension name is not found on the worksheet during the label scanning process, Essbase places the dimension name (generation 1) in the header section.

• Generation 1 members of all dimensions are displayed as headers when retrieving a blank spreadsheet, except the first dimension in the outline which is displayed as a row.

• To display children of dimensions, the dimension must be placed in the column or row.

• To zoom in (drill in) to a dimension, the dimension must be placed in the column or row.

Row / Column Rules

• Row and column labels must be on separate rows below the header.

• Reports must include at least one row and one column dimension. The column dimension can be represented by the page field.

• All members from a given column dimension must be displayed in the same row.

• All members from a given row dimension must be displayed in the same column.

• There is no limit to the number of nested dimension, up to the total number of dimension in the database.

If your spreadsheet does not follow these rules, then Essbase stops the request retrieve action and displays an error message.

Now that you understand the guidelines of Essbase reports, you are now ready to retrieve data!


Retrieving Data

Gett ing Started Before retrieving data, make sure you are connected to a cube.

To retrieve data into a blank sheet:

1. Select an empty cell.

2. Select Essbase > Retrieve or click on in the Toolbar.

Tip – you can also double-click your left mouse button to do an initial retrieve. To do this, make sure your Essbase Options are set to enable Double-Clicking. Essbase Options will be covered later in this chapter.

When you retrieve data into a blank sheet, Hyperion Essbase returns data from the top levels of each dimension. You can use this as a starting point to navigate into more detailed levels of data.

Technical Stuff – The first retrieval generally returns what is called the apex data point, which is most often the grand total of all the dimensions combined. For example, in the RPTG cube, the apex data point is Total VZW Net Income results for the current year, as represented by the ‘Total VZW’ (top of Entity dimension) ‘Net Income’ (top of ReportingLine dimension) for the current year (top of Year dimension) for all months (Time dimension), all Accounts, all Products, all ServiceTypes, and so on.

Remember – Your security level within the Essbase cube determines what data points you’ll see. If your security doesn’t allow you to see the apex data point, then on the initial retrieve, you’ll see #NoAccess (or whatever label is defined in your options). Once you enter data points that you have access to, you’ll be able to see the data values.






Chapter 2

Retrieving Data (Continued)

Tip – By default, Essbase returns the page field all in one row. To make it easier to read, move the page field into one column.

To place the page field into one column:

1. Insert approximately 12-14 rows after row 1 (amount of rows to insert depends on the number of cells in your page field).

2. Copy the cells that are in the page field (typically in Row 1).

3. Select Cell (Row 2, Column B).

4. Select Edit > Paste Special

5. Check the checkbox for Transpose.

6. Click OK.

7. Delete the original page field members left in row 1



Navigat ing Data There are several ways in which to navigate to choose members from a dimension.

Type in the member name in Excel to retrieve a specific data point.

Use Essbase data manipulation operations to navigate the data in the cube.

Use the Member Selection box

Typing in Member Names

If you know the specific member name you want to retrieve, you just need to type it into the appropriate dimension section.

Try It!

1. From your initial RPTG cube retrieve, select the cell that contains ‘ReportingLine’:

2. Type ‘Service Revenue’ over ‘ReportingLine’






Chapter 2


3. Select Essbase > Retrieve or click on in the Toolbar to refresh the data.

The retrieve returns ‘Service Revenue’ in your report:

Warning – when typing in member names to do a retrieve, remember that you must follow the Essbase Retrieval Guidelines (found on page 2-6 in this Chapter) for your retrieval to work. If you violate one of the guidelines, your retrieve may not work!

Try It!

1. In your report select the cell that contains ‘Scenario’


Retrieving Data (Continued) 2. Type ‘Budgets’


If your Options are set to display Error Messages, you should receive the following error message specifying that Essbase doesn’t recognize ‘Budgets’:

Click on the ‘No’ button & Essbase returns the data set:






Chapter 2

Retrieving Data (Continued) Look at the cell where you had originally typed ‘Budgets’. This cell is now blank & ‘Scenario’ was added in row 1. What happened? The correct member name in the outline is ‘Budget’. Essbase couldn’t interpret that when you typed in ‘Budgets’, that you actually meant ‘Budget’, so it advised you that it didn’t recognize the member name & removed it from the retrieve. However, since the Scenario dimension was no longer in your retrieve, Essbase added it back to the page field, thinking that you had forgotten to include it in your retrieve.

4. Type ‘budget’ (all lower case) in the cell that contains Scenario


Look at the cell where you typed ‘budget’. After the retrieve, the cell now displays ‘Budget’ (mixed case).

Tip – Although Essbase cares about the spelling of member names, it is not case sensitive.



Essbase Data Manipulation Operations

The following are basic data manipulation operations of Essbase:

Operation Description

Zoom In Drills down from a selected member into the dimension hierarchy as specified by the outline

Zoom Out Collapses on level up from a selected member, as specified by the outline hierarchy

Flashback Restores the previous worksheet view

Pivot Changes the row-column orientation of a dimension or the order of grouping of dimensions in rows or columns

Keep Only For the selected dimensions, retains only the selected members

Remove Only

For the selected dimensions, removes only the selected members

Zoom In This function allows you to expand to a lower level by drilling into a member. There are several ways to use this function within a spreadsheet.

Zoom In on Rows:

The most common way is to drill in on members in the rows section of the spreadsheet.

To Zoom In (drill down) when in the rows section:

1. Select a cell from the row section that you wish to drill into.






Chapter 2

Retrieving Data (Continued) 2. Select Essbase > Zoom In

3. The results immediately return.

Tip – To Zoom In with your mouse, set your Essbase Options to ‘Enable Double-Clicking’ and double-click with the left mouse button. Use the ‘Limit to Connected Sheets’ option to avoid conflicts with other add-ins.

More on Essbase Options later in this chapter.

Tip – You can also use the button in the Essbase Toolbar to Zoom In on the selected member.


Retrieving Data (Continued) Zooming In on Page Field Members:

If you have your page field members all in one row, then zooming in on a dimension will move that dimension to the row section.

Before Zoom In action with the page field in rows:

After Zoom In action on Years dimension with the page field in rows:

If you have your page field members all in one column, then zooming in on a dimension will move that dimension to the column section.

To Zoom In (drill down) when in the page field section:

1. Select a cell from the header section that you wish to drill into.

2. Select Essbase > Zoom In







Chapter 2


Tip – When drilling in on a dimension in the page field, Essbase converts that dimension & the dimensions below it within the page field section to the column section. Dimensions in the column section repeat across all columns. To just have the desired dimension move to the column section, move that dimension to the bottom of the page field & then Zoom In:

Tip – You may also change this default behavior of the Zoom In operation to display results across columns or rows, depending on how your page field is set up, by pressing the Alt key while drilling down. Note that in Excel 2003 that the Alt key is a short-cut to launch the Excel Research function, so if you use the Alt key to change the drilling behavior in Essbase, it will also launch this Excel feature.

Zooming Out: This function allows a user to navigate up a level within the Essbase outline by collapsing the current member tree.

To Zoom Out (drill up) when in the rows section:

1. Select a cell from the rows section that you wish to collapse.



2. Select Essbase > Zoom Out

3. The results immediately occur:

Tip – To Zoom Out with your mouse, set your Essbase Options to ‘Enable Double-Clicking’ and double-click with the right mouse button. More on Essbase Options later in this chapter.

Tip – You can also use the button in the Essbase Toolbar to Zoom Out on the selected member.

Flashback: Flashback is Essbase’s Undo Function. Although it is similar to Excel’s Undo command, it can only undo one action. This is because to maintain the Flashback function, Essbase takes a snapshot of your entire worksheet before it performs any Essbase action. A snapshot could take up a lot of RAM on your computer, so Essbase only takes one snapshot at a time, and thus can only do one level of undo.

Remember – To enable Flashback, the option needs to be turned on in your Essbase Options (go to Essbase > Options > Global and select ‘Enable Flashback’.

Using Flashback:






Chapter 2


1. You are currently building your Essbase report and realize you want to undo the last operation.

Report before Action:

Report before Action (All Functions changed to Retail):

2. Select Essbase > Flashback or click on in the Toolbar.


Pivoting: Essbase can instantly reorganize your data by changing dimension positions. This process is known as pivoting.

The pivot function allows a user to change the orientation of the worksheet data by performing one of the following tasks:

• Move a row group to a column group

• Move a column group to a row group



• Move a page field group to a row group

• Change the order of row groups

• Change the order of column groups

Remember – The Pivot function cannot be completed in the Formula Preservation mode. To turn off this option, go to Essbase > Options > Mode and unselect ‘Retain on Retrieval’.

Try It!

To move a column group to a row group:

1. Select the column group that you wish to pivot.

2. Select Essbase > Pivot

3. The results immediately return with your selection pivoted:






Chapter 2


To move a row group to a column group:

1. Select the row group that you wish to pivot.


3. The results immediately return with your selection pivoted:

To move a page field group to a row group:

1. Select the page field dimension that you wish to move to the row:



Retrieving Data (Continued) 3. The selected dimension is moved from the page field to the row group:

Tip – You can also pivot data by right-clicking & dragging a member to the desired position. To perform this function, you need to check the ‘Enable Secondary Button’ in the Essbase Options.

If you have your Secondary Button enabled, you can perform the additional pivot function changing the order of rows or columns.

1. Select a member within the row or column group that you want to move:

2. Right-click & drag the member to the desired position:

3. The order of the dimensions has now changed within the row or column:






Chapter 2


Keep Only: This command retains the selected member(s) and removes all non-selected member(s) in the rows or columns of the selected dimensions in the worksheet.

To only retain desired members in your report:

1. Select the members in the dimension that you wish to keep only.

2. Select Essbase > Keep Only or click on in the Toolbar.

3. The results immediately return with only the selected members of the dimension:



Remove Only: This command removes the selected member(s) and retains all non-selected member(s) in the rows or columns of the selected dimension in the worksheet.

To remove selected data from your report:

1. Select cells from the rows section that you wish to remove.

2. Select Essbase > Remove Only or click on in the Toolbar.

3. The results immediately return with the non-selected members of the dimension:






Chapter 2


Using the Member Selection Tool

Up to now, you’ve been navigating the data by typing in member names directly, zooming in or out; keep/remove only, or pivoting data on the worksheet. These functions work when you know the exact member names to type in, or where a member exists within an outline that you can zoom to, but another way to select members for a retrieve is to use the Essbase Member Selection tool.

With the Essbase Member Selection tool, you can:

• Select member from the database & place in the spreadsheet report

• Find members

• Expand to Descendants

Note: This will be explained in detail in Chapter 3.

• Get member information

Note: This will be explained in detail in Chapter 3.

The database outline may contain thousands of members making it difficult to remember every member name. The Essbase Member Select tool enables a user to find and select members and define their layout in the spreadsheet. It also provides direct access to the database outline.

Opening the Member Selection tool:

Select Essbase > Member Selection or click on in the Toolbar.

The Essbase Member Selection window will open:



Selecting Members via the Member Selection Tool Box:

1. In your report, select the dimension that you want to select specific members for

2. Open the Member Selection tool box.


Notice that the dimension that comes up is Years. When using the Member Selection tool, Essbase will make a guess of what dimension you want based on what’s in the cell you currently have selected. If this isn’t the dimension you want, you can change dimensions in the Dimension drop-down box.






Chapter 2


3. Highlight the member(s) from the Essbase Members Selection dialog box.

4. Select .

5. This moves the selected members to the Rules field.

6. Use the ‘Place Down the Sheet’ box in the Output Options section to have your members return as rows (checked) or columns (uncheck).

7. Select to add to the spreadsheet.



8. The spreadsheet is updated with the selected members.


10. Repeat “Select Member” & “Place Member” processes to achieve desired results.






Chapter 2


Finding Members via the Member Selection Tool Box:

There are two ways to search for members

• Search for the member through the tree structured outline.

• Search for member using the Find option

Search for Member(s) Using the Tree Structured Outline You can search for a member by drilling through the outline structure

1. Open the Member Selection tool box.


2. In the Members Box, you can double-click on the button to drill down within the tree structure, or the button to drill up within the tree structure until you find the member you are looking for.

Tip – To see the entire dimension without having to expand each parent node, click on a parent node and choose the ‘Expand to Descendents’ button:

Search for Member(s) Using the Find Tool. If you don’t know where a member is located within the outline, use the ‘Find’ button in the Member Selection toolbox to find the member.

1. Check the check box for Use Aliases if not already selected.

2. Select the . button

3. Type in the full member name or the beginning part of the member name or alias and click Find.



4. You will be taken to where the member exists within the Outline.

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If you do not know the full name, type the beginning part that you know, add an *, then click Find.

You can select to look for more Member Names.






Chapter 2

Essbase Options

The Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in includes options that control how the add-in operates. Use the Essbase Options dialog box to select options for the active sheet and customize the behavior of the Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in software.

The Essbase Option dialog box contains the following tabs:

• Display

• Zoom

• Mode

• Style

• Global

In this chapter, we’ll look at the Display, Zoom, Style, & Global Options. In Chapter 3, we’ll look at the Mode Options.

To open the Essbase Options box:

Select Essbase > Options

Note: After you change a worksheet option in the Essbase Options dialog box, you must perform a retrieval or drill operation to put the new setting into effect.

Options specific to individual worksheets

Zoom in Options

Style and color formatting options

Options specific to the user environment

Advanced Options


Essbase Options (Continued)

Display Options:

Display options are specific to individual worksheets. Each sheet can have its own settings. These options enable you to control the format of your reports.

Indentation Three levels of indentation are provided:

• Totals

• Subitems

• None

Replacement This option allows a user to enter their own nomenclature for #MISSING and #NOACCESS labels.

For example, you can set #MISSING to be a dash ‘-‘ or a text value of zero ‘0’.

Tip – If you have the Essbase 7.1.5 Client installed on your computer, you can set the #MISSING option to retrieve a numeral value by entering the value ‘(0)’.






Chapter 2


Suppress Three levels of suppress are provided:

• #Missing Rows

• Zero Rows

• Underscore Characters

This options allows users to suppress rows that contain missing data, zero values, or underscore ( _ ) characters in member names in the retrieval.

Tip – If the Suppress section is grayed out, go to the Mode tab & uncheck ‘Retain on Retrieval’.

Aliases Most member names have aliases. These aliases can be displayed in reports two different ways, either separately or together.

• Uses Aliases: Uses aliases according to the selected alias table. Members with no aliases default to the member name.

• Use Both Member Names and Aliases: Use both member names and aliases for row dimension labels. This feature does not apply to columns.

Tip – To minimize the impact Alias changes could have on your reports, it is recommended that you pull results to include both Member Names and Aliases.

By selecting ‘Use Both Member Names and Aliases’, you can reduct the amount of maintenance needed after each month’s change controls. If you just show Aliases in your reports without the Member Names, then when an Alias is changed, the database won’t recognize it anymore & give you an error. However, if you have both Member Names & Aliases selected, then the database will recognize the Member Name and automatically update the Alias with the latest Alias name.

Tip – To hide the columns with Member Names in your report & just show the Aliases, select the column with the Member Name & choose Data > Group and Outline > Group from the Excel Main Menu.

Cells Users can control the display of certain cell characteristics. There are three cell options:

• Adjust Columns: Select this to have Essbase automatically adjusts column widths to the longest data value or member name every time you retrieve.

• Use Styles: Select Use Styles if you want to apply any formatting you defined in the Styles tab.

• Repeat Member Labels: Select this to populate the outer grouped member names in rows and columns when you use more than one dimension.



Zoom Options:

Zoom options are specific to individual worksheets. Each sheet can have its own zoom settings. Zoom settings are saved with the Excel workbook.

Zoom In This option enables you to control zoom behavior. Zoom in has the following settings.

• Next Level: Navigates to the next level in the hierarchy, which is the default setting. For example, you can navigate from a member to its children.

• All Levels: Drills down on all descendants of the selected member.

Warning – Be careful not to zoom to all levels on a dimension with thousands of members (i.e. ReportingLine dimension).

• Bottom Level: Drills down to level 0 descendants of the selected member. This is a useful feature when you want to quickly see input data (which is usually loaded to the bottom of the dimension hierarchy).

• Sibling Level / Same Level / Same Generation: Cross the dimension hierarchy horizontally from the selected member rather than drill down vertically from the selected member.

• Formula: Enables drilling down based on member formulas in the outline. The drill results in a list of the members that compose the formula.

Remember – The Zoom In functions do not affect the Zoom Out command.






Chapter 2


Member Retention This option enables you to control the retention of members. Member Retention has the following settings.

• Include Selection: The selected member remains.

• Within Selected Group: The Zoom action applies only to the selected nested group.

• Remove Unselected Group: Only the nested group including the selection remains. Unselected nested groups are removed.

Hybrid Analysis Select to display members from a Hybrid Analysis relational source (if available).

Sampling This represents the approximate percentage of an Essbase cube to query during a Zoom In operation.

Mode Options:

Mode options contain several advanced options. These functions are described in more detail in Chapter 3.

Style Options:

Users can create different style schemes for each database and choose to display the styles created in specific worksheets. The style scheme applies to all worksheets for which styles are enabled. The Style schemes are saved as local user settings and not within the workbook.

Remember – Because styles are defined for each specific database connection, the Styles tab is not displayed if the worksheet is not connected to a database. You can tell what database connection your style will be applied against by looking at the ‘Connection Information’ box.



Tip – Use the ‘Connection Information’ box to also see what database you’re currently connected to.

There are three style categories:

• Member styles: Set font characteristics (font, size, color, and so on) for parent, child, shared member, members with formulas, and members with a Dynamic Calc storage setting. Settings apply to members of all dimensions. Parent style settings apply to all non-level 0 members. Child style settings apply only to level 0 members.

• Dimension styles: Set font characteristics and backgrounds for each dimension in your database. When both dimension and member styles apply, the member style takes precedence.

• Data cell styles: Set font characteristics on data cells themselves (not member labels) for distinguishing linked reporting objects, integration server drill-though links, read-only data, and read-write data.

Remember – The Use Styles box must be enabled on the Display tab if you define styles on the Styles tab.

As previously mentioned, the Use Styles checkbox must be selected on the Display Tab so the specified styles are visible in your worksheet.






Chapter 2


Example of using Styles in a report: You are creating a trended, high-level P&L report & want to apply formatting that will update based on user interaction:

Any members that can be drilled into for further detail should be highlighted in bold blue.

Months & Years should be formatted with a background color to represent header rows.

1. Create a P&L Report using various navigational tools.

2. Determine the format to apply to the report.

• Parent Essbase Members, which can be drilled into for more detail, will be defined in Bold Blue.

• Months & Years will have a gray cell color, a cell border, and bold white font.

3. Select Essbase > Options > Style to apply the selected style

4. Under Members, check to box next to Parent. Then click Format. Select Color: Blue and Font Style: Bold. Click Ok.

5. Under Dimensions, Select the checkbox next to Time. Select the checkbox for Cell border. Select the Gray Background Color. Then click Format. Select Color: White and Font Style: Bold. Click Ok.

6. Under Dimensions, Select the checkbox next to Years. Select the checkbox for Cell border. Select the Gray Background Color. Then click Format. Select Color: White and Font Style: Bold. Click Ok.



7. Select Ok.

8. Retrieve your report:






Chapter 2


Remember – If the styles weren’t applied when you retrieved your report, make sure that the ‘Use Styles’ box was checked on the Display Tab in the Essbase Options.

Global Options:

Global options are specific to the user environment. Global option settings apply to all worksheets and workbooks.

Mouse Actions Essbase offers enhanced mouse actions in Excel. You can use the mouse to perform any of the following tasks:

• Retrieve data on blank worksheet (Left Double-Click)

• Drill down (Right Double-Click) and drill up (Left Double Click) on database members

• Pivot (move or transpose) data rows and columns (Right Click)

The ‘Limit to Connected Sheets’ option has been available since Essbase Client 7.1.5. This option tells Essbase to react to mouse clicks only in worksheets that are connected to an Essbase database.

Memory The functionality that stores the current view before processing retrievals or pivoting can be turned on or off. Disabling Flashback conserves memory.





Mode Navigate Without Data: Enable users to develop reports using zoom, pivot, and keep-only actions without retrieving data from the database. This feature is especially useful when dealing with dynamically calculated members, which Essbase must calculate every time you perform a retrieval or data manipulation operation.

Note: After your navigational operations are complete, you must remember to turn off (unselect) the Navigate Without Data option in order to retrieve data.

Note: This operation can also be performed through the Essbase Menu by selecting Essbase > Navigate Without Data. Essbase displays a check mark next to the menu item. This will enable the function, but it will still need to be turned off in order to retrieve data.

Display Messages Four levels of messages are provided:

• Information: Highest level of feedback. Messages pertaining to every action performed, including all warnings and errors.

• Warnings: Essbase displays all warnings and error messages.

• Errors: Only error messages.

• None: Essbase shows no messages.

This option allows users to see Essbase messages or avoid seeing these messages while working in the spreadsheet. It is common to use the Warnings setting so you are aware of why you are unable to pull data.

Display Unknown Members: Enable users to be warned of miscellaneous text that is not valid Essbase member names. You can be made aware of members within an outline that have changed.

Tip – Use ‘Display Unknown Members’ to be notified if Aliases in the outline change.

Summary In this chapter, you have learned some of the basic techniques for using the Essbase Excel Add-In. This included:

Connecting to the Essbase Database

Managing Connections

Understanding the General Rules of Essbase Retrievals

Retrieving data & performing basic navigation techniques:

Retrieving data by typing in the member name

Using Essbase Navigational Operations (Zoom In or Out, Keep/Remove Only, Pivot

Using the Member Selection Toolbox to select or find members in the outline.

Setting Essbase Options to support basic reporting functionality

E S S B A S E E X C E L A D D - I N ( A D V A N C E D ) 3-1


Chapter 3

C H A P T E R 3

ESSBASE EXCEL ADD-IN (ADVANCED)

Overview In Chapter 2, we learned how to use the Essbase Excel Add-In to perform ad-hoc analysis against an Essbase database. In this chapter, you will learn advanced techniques such as creating formatted reports, automating a series of reports from one report template, and advanced Member Selection techniques.


• Create formatted Essbase reports in Excel

• Use the Cascade function to create a series of reports off one template

• Understand advanced Member Selection techniques




Technical Stuff – this chapter may go into some more specialized Essbase terms. You can skip over these icons & be just fine, but it may contain info that helps you understand the database better.


Formatted Reports There are basically seven steps to creating formatted reports:

1. Retrieve your data from Essbase

2. Move your row, column, and page members around to where you want them

3. Add any text descriptions

4. Insert Excel formulas

5. Turn on Essbase Formula Preservation

6. Apply formatting

7. Save

Try It!

Let’s create a simple Customer report from the RPTG cube.

Step 1: Retrieve data from Essbase

Go to a blank worksheet and type ‘View’ into cell B1, and ‘RL.ST.CU’ (Customer Stats) into cell A2.

Retrieve from Essbase and you should see:

Zoom In on Customer Stats to show its children & then Keep Only these members:

Gross Adds

Disconnects

Net Adds

Customers

Churn %

3-2 E S S B A S E E X C E L A D D - I N ( A D V A N C E D )





Chapter 3

Formatted Reports (Continued) You should see something like this:

Select the View dimension (cell B2) and open the Member Selection toolbox. Select the following members from the View dimension & unselect ‘Place Down the Sheet’, and then select OK:

Retrieve from Essbase.


Formatted Reports (Continued)

Now Zoom In on All ServiceTypes and Remove Only ‘No Service Type’

If your spreadsheet doesn’t look quite like this, try the following:

Make sure your Essbase Display Options are set to indent subitems and automatically adjust columns.

Highlight all your cells and using Excel formatting, change the number format to display Number format with no decimals, & % format for Churn.

Step 2: Move Members

The data on our report is a bit cramped, so we’ll insert some blank rows. Highlight the following rows (by clicking on the row number) and select Insert > Rows from the Excel menu:

Row #8 (Prepaid Gross Adds)

Row #13 (All Service Types Gross Adds)

Insert a total of 12 blank lines above the Views (Current Yr, Prior Yr, YoY Chg). We’ll add the page field dimensions to these lines next

Remember – Inserting rows and/or columns into your Excel report will not impact the Essbase retrieve as long as you continue to adhere to the Essbase Retrieval Guidelines found in Chapter 2, page 2-5.






Chapter 3


Now move the page field dimensions to a single column into these cells:

KPI to cell D1

Scenario to cell D2

All Product Types to cell D3

All SubAccounts to cell D4

All CostCenters to cell D5

All Accounts to cell D6

Company to cell D7

Row 8 should be blank

Time to cell D8

Years to cell D9

All Functions to cell D10

All Entities to cell D11

Row 13 should be blank

Group Rows 1 – 6: Highlight Rows 1-6 and select Data > Group and Outline > Group from the Excel Menu. After collapsing the group, your report should look like this:



Step 3: Add Text

When Essbase is scanning a worksheet, if it encounters a name that it doesn’t recognize, it will display an Unknown Member error message, but the retrieve will still continue scanning the rest of the spreadsheet and return data for the members it does recognize.

This allows you to add extra text to your formatted Essbase reports, as you know the retrieve will continue to work just fine. Extra text can include header information, such as the company or name of the report.

In our example, we’re going to add some descriptions to let users know what they should select in cells D8:D11. Type in the following:

In cell C8, “Enter Month:”

In cell C9, “Enter Year (FY##):”

In cell C10, “Enter Sales Channel:”

In cell C11, “Enter Market:”

The top of your retrieve should now look like this:

Tip – If you know you have unknown members in your report & you don’t want to receive an Error message each time you retrieve, you can uncheck the box next to ‘Display Unknown Members’ in your Essbase Options Global tab:

Warning – ‘Display Unknown Members’ is a global setting and will apply to all your spreadsheets. You may want to turn it back on when you’re finished with spreadsheets with expected unknown members.






Chapter 3


Step 4: Insert formulas

At times you may want to add formulas to your report to calculate things that are not in Essbase. In our report, let’s add a column that shows the Customer stat activity as a % to Total.

Add the following:

Type ‘% to Total’ in Cell C13

Insert the formula ‘=C14/C26’ in Cell C14 & copy this formula down to Cells C15:C17

Insert the formula ‘=C20/C26’ in Cell C120 & copy this formula down to Cells C21:C23

Apply % formatting to your formula results. Your report should now look like this:

Step 5: Formula Preservation

By default, Essbase will remove formulas on retrieval unless you set your Essbase Options otherwise. This is because when you’re doing general ad-hoc analysis, like Zoom In, pivot dimensions, etc., it is difficult for Essbase to figure out what to do with the formulas.

To tell Essbase to keep your formulas in your worksheet, go to Essbase > Options, select the Mode tab, and check ‘Retain on Retrieval’ in the ‘Formula Preservation box.



Tip – If the Formula Preservation section is grayed out on your report, go to the Display tab & uncheck any of the options under the ‘Suppress’ section, such as Suppress #Missing and Suppress Zero Rows. Essbase won’t allow you to retain formulas if you selected the option to suppress #Missing or Zero rows because it wouldn’t know what to do with the formula if rows were suddenly eliminated.

The Formula Preservation options will be discussed later in this Chapter.

Step 6: Apply Formatting

Once you get to Step 6, all the Essbase related work is done. Now you can format your report as you like.






Chapter 3

Formatted Reports (Continued) Tip – After you’ve completed formatting, to ensure your report always prints as expected, uncheck the ‘Adjust Columns’ box found on the Display tab in Essbase > Options. If you have this option checked, then Essbase may adjust columns that result in other columns spilling over onto a new page.

Step 7: Save

Before you save your report, blank out all the numbers that are retrieved from Essbase (remember to keep your formulas). This will make the file size smaller and much faster to open the next time you open the report.

The next time you want to user your report, open it up & use the Member Selection tool to choose the Month, Year, Sales Channel and Market, or just type in the values directly. Select Essbase > Retrieve and your report will automatically update!


Essbase Options - Mode Chapter 2 discussed all the Essbase Options except for those found on the Mode Tab.

Mode Options:

Mode options are specific to the user environment. Mode option settings apply to all worksheets and workbooks.

Formula Preservation: By default, Essbase will not keep any user-entered formulas on a worksheet when it does a retrieve. In the Formula Preservation section of the Mode tab, you can tell Essbase how to handle formulas in your retrieves.

The following options are available for preserving formulas:

Option Description

Retain on Retrieval

This option preserves formulas on an Essbase > Retrieve operation. It does not preserve formulas on any other operations, such as Zoom In, Keep Only, Remove Only. If you perform any of these other operations, Essbase will delete the formula without warning.

Retain on Keep and Remove

Only

This option instructs Essbase to preserve formulas when Keep Only or Remove Only is used.

Retain on Zooms

This option instructs Essbase to preserve formulas during a zoom operation.

Formula Fill This option fills in formulas for newly inserted members during a zoom operation.






Chapter 3

Essbase Options – Mode (Continued) Keep in mind the following guidelines and restrictions when using the Formula Preservation options:

• On the Mode tab of the Essbase Options dialog box, you must have the Advanced Interpretation option selected to enable Retain on Retrieval. The Formula Preservation options do not work with free-form retrieval mode.

• You must enable Retain on Retrieval to enable Retain on Keep and Remove Only and Retain on Zooms.

• You must enable Retain on Zooms to enable Formula Fill.

• When you select the Retain on Retrieval check box, the Suppress #Missing Rows and Zero Rows options on the Display tab are not selectable. If you have selected either of the Display options, the Formula Preservation options are not selectable automatically.

• When you select the Retain on Zooms check box, the Remove Unselected Groups option on the Zoom tab is not selectable. When you enable the Remove Unrelated Groups option, Retain on Zooms is not selectable automatically.

• You can not pivot in formula preservation mode.

• When Retain on Retrieval is selected; retrieval time may be slightly delayed.

• As a general rule, insert a blank row as the last row in the formula range. This action ensures that the cell range in the formula expands properly when you drill down on members when Retain on Zooms is selected.

• Formula arrays are not supported in Spreadsheet Add-in when the preserve formula option is on. If formula arrays are in the worksheet, Essbase does not preserve these types of formulas.

Retrieval: The Retrieval options determine how Essbase retrieves the data. You will only need to use the Advanced Interpretation option for any work that you do in the Excel Add-In. This is the default retrieval mode and supports the functions that allow for easy manipulation of the data during ad hoc retrievals.

The Free Form option is a hold-over from the earlier versions of Essbase when users had to write in code to tell Essbase how to return the data.

Mode: The Update Mode check box has no impact on data retrieves. It is an option used to send data back to the database.


Cascade The Cascade option is used to create a series of reports based off of one report template. While you could make several copies of a report template, & then use Member Select to pick the appropriate member on each report, & then retrieve each one separately; the Cascade option will help automate the process a bit.

Try It!

Let’s take the report we created earlier in this chapter & use the Cascade option to generate a report for each Region in your Area.

In the report, type in your Area where the ‘All Entities’ dimension is and then choose Essbase > Cascade. The Essbase Cascade Options window opens:

Select the ‘Cascade Information’ tab. This tab shows what members are going to be drilled on and to what level. The default is always to the next level below the member(s) you highlighted before launching Cascade.






Chapter 3

Cascade (Continued)

The Cascade Level options include:

Cascade Level Description

Next Level Creates a report for the children of the selected member. This is the default cascade option.

All Levels Creates a report for the descendants of the selected member.

Bottom Level Creates a report for all level 0 descendants of the selected member.

Sibling Level Creates a report for the siblings of the selected member.

Same Level Creates a report for all members at the level of the selected member.

Same Generation

Creates a report for all members at the generation of the selected member.

Formulas Creates a report for all members that are included in the formulas of the selected member

In our report, since we want the Regions for our Area (which we typed in), select ‘Next Level’.

Next, we need to define how we want our reports outputted. Click on the ‘Destination Options’ tab. In the Destination Options tab, you define the following information:


Destination Directory: This will define to Essbase where to put the worksheets and/or workbooks it will create. Use the Browse button to navigate to the directory where you want the reports to be saved.

For our exercise, leave this field blank.

File Information:

Check the ‘Open Created Files’ if you want the Essbase to open the reports for you after they are created. ‘Overwrite Existing Files’ should be checked if you want to replace previously created reports.

For our exercise, check both boxes.

Warning – Depending on the number of replicated worksheets that you want to create, the Cascade command can create more worksheets than can be stored in the memory of your computer. Therefore, the Open Created Files option should not be used when you are replicating large numbers of worksheets.

Destination Types: You have three options for the destination type:

Destination Type Description

Separate Workbooks

This option will put each worksheet in its own workbook. This is useful if you’ll be emailing each worksheet to a different person.

One Workbook. Separate

Worksheets

This option will put each generated worksheet on a separate tab in the same workbook. This is the default option.

Printer This option sends each generated sheet to the printer specified by the printer button.

For our exercise, keep the default selection of ‘One Workbook. Separate Sheets’.






Chapter 3

Cascade (Continued)

Naming Information: When Essbase creates each worksheet, it’ll number the worksheets sequentially. Adding a Prefix or a Suffix just adds a label before or after the sequential number.

In the Workbook text box, you can enter the name for the workbook. If you left this blank, Essbase will probably name it 0.xls

For our exercise, either leave these fields blank or enter any value you wish.

Next, click on the ‘Format Options’ tab.

Sheet to Sheet Replication: Check the ‘Copy Formatting’ option to copy most Excel formatting you have to the other worksheets. If you don’t check this box, then Essbase will copy the Essbase members and data, but you will lose any of the Excel formatting you added to your report.

Warning – The Cascade option only copies cell formatting. It does not copy other formatting, such as Page Setup information, any graphs, page breaks, or column widths.

The Cascade option also doesn’t copy headers or footers, but provides you the option to enter this information.

For our exercise, check the ‘Copy Formatting’ box & type in the following Footer: “Confidential & Proprietary Information of Verizon Wireless”


Cascade (Continued)

Sheet Formatting: The Suppress Missing Rows option will suppress missing rows as it generates each worksheet. Selecting this option could mess up any Excel formatting that was set up as rows get suppressed.

For our exercise, leave this box unchecked.

Table of Contents: ‘Include Table of Contents’ creates a text file that lists all replicated worksheets, their creation dates, and their member content. By default, Essbase names the Table of Contents file with the extension .lst.

For our exercise, leave this box unchecked.

Select OK & watch Essbase a report for each of the Regions!

Notice that there is a tab for each region, and the tabs numbered sequentially. Feel free to rename the tabs accordingly.






Chapter 3

Member Selection – Advanced Techniques

Member Selection

The database outline may contain thousands of members, making it difficult to remember every member name. The Essbase Member Select dialog box enables a user to find and select members and define their layout in the spreadsheet. It also provides direct access to the database outline.

Chapter 2 covered using the Member Selection dialog box to select members from the outline and find members. In this chapter, we’ll review additional features of the dialog box.

The Member Selection dialog box:

1. Dimension: Use the drop down box to select a dimension

2. Members: This box lists Member Selections for your outline and lets you locate one or more members by expanding dimensional branches.

3. Rules: This box contains and displays the members you selected from the Members list box.

4. Add: This button adds all selected items, displayed or in collapsed hierarchies, from the Members list box to the Rules list box.

Note: Double-clicking an item in the Members list box performs the same function as the Add button.

5. Remove Item: This button removes a selected member from the Rules list box.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9


Member Selection – Advanced Techniques 6. Remove All: This button removes all the members.

7. Find: This button allows you to search for members based upon a text string and/or the use of wildcard characters (*, which is called the trailing asterisk, is the wild card that can be used after a alphanumeric value). This function is defined in Chapter 2.

8. Output Options:

• Use Aliases: This becomes active when the view method is set to By Member Name. The Use Aliases check box displays member aliases from the current alias table. By default, this option is unchecked.

Note: It is preferred to have this check box selected.

• Suppress Shared Members: This prevents shared members from appearing more than once in the sheet. This option works only when the selected items are generation or level names. By default, this option is unchecked.

• Place Down the Sheet: This inserts members down a column. When unchecked, this option inserts members across a row. By default, this option is unchecked.

• Insert List Before Active Cell: This inserts members before an active cell. When unchecked, this option overwrites the active cell. By default, this option is unchecked.

9. Member Information: Select this button to show information about the member.

Tip – Select this member to view the formula, if the member is considered an Expense item or not, & if there are any comments regarding the member.






Chapter 3

Member Selection – Advanced Techniques Advanced Selection Rules:

Right-click on a member name in the Rules list box and you will see advanced selection criteria. These advanced selection criteria work best on higher-level members or dimension names.

The Advanced Selection Rule options are:

• All Children: Creates a listing of all the selected member’s children.

• All Children and Member: Creates a listing of all the children of the member including the member.

• All Descendants: Creates a listing of all the descendants of the member.

• All Descendants and Member: Creates a listing of all the descendants of the member including the member.

• Subset: Creates a listing based on pattern matching, generations, levels, pattern or user-defined attributes. UDA’s are created in the database structure. They are text attributes that help categorize a particular member.

To create a list of the selected member’s children:

1. Select the dimension from which you want to pull the detailed information.

Note: this can be done when the member is in the Row or Column section of the worksheet. If from the Row section, ensure to select the checkbox “Place Down the Sheet”. If from the Column section, deselect this checkbox.

2. Select Essbase > Member Selection

3. Find the member in the outline


Member Selection – Advanced Techniques 4. Select Add

5. Right-click the member in the Rules box.

6. Select All Children

7. Select OK.

8. Results will appear in the original worksheet.

9. Select Essbase > Retrieve to retrieve data

To create a list of the selected member’s descendants:

1. Select the dimension from which you want to pull the detailed information.


3. Find the member in the outline






Member Selection – Advanced Techniques 4. Select Add

5. Right-click the member in the Rules box.

6. Select All Descendants

7. Select OK.

Chapter 3

8. Results will appear in the original worksheet.

9. Select Essbase > Retrieve to retrieve data

Summary In this Chapter, you learned the following advanced techniques:

Creating formatted reports

Understanding the Essbase Mode Options

Using the Cascade option to create multiple reports off a template

Using advanced Member Selection techniques

E S S B A S E R P T G C U B E 0-1


Chapter 4

C H A P T E R 4

HYPERION ESSBASE – RPTG CUBE

Overview There are two Essbase cubes which comprise the main Managerial Reporting application for Verizon Wireless: PROFORMA and RPTG. Both combine financial information from the General Ledger with statistical data from other systems to provide key KPIs for the entire company. Both include budget, bestviews, & outlooks to allow organizations to benchmark themselves against set targets. The Essbase RPTG cube contains results as reported at the time. The Essbase PROFORMA cube contains proforma results historically.


• Understand the difference between the PROFORMA and RPTG Cubes

• Understand the Cube Outlines

• Understand the Dimensions of the cubes

• Perform ad-hoc analysis using the cubes

• Create Excel Reports using the cubes

Icons Used in this Chapter Remember – this icon is used to flag bits of text that are important to remember. It may represent something new or recall something presented in another chapter.




0-2 E S S B A S E R P T G C U B E





Chapter 4

Understanding the difference between the PROFORMA and RPTG Cubes

Overview Prior to the merger with Alltel, there was only one managerial reporting cube: RPTG. With the Alltel merger, a need arose to be able to report year over year results on a proforma basis. However, we also did not want to lose the as-reported results. Therefore, two cubes were created.

Cube comparison Topic PROFORMA RPTG Structure Identical Structure Identical Structure Data - Historical Beginning with 2008 Actuals Beginning with 2006 Actuals

Data - Alltel Contains 2008 Alltel data for Proforma analysis

Alltel data flows to cube beginning with merger (Jan ’09)

Data - Adjustments

Proforma adjustments made to show year over year affect of management changes

No proforma adjustments flow to cube. Cube shows as-reported results only.

Market moves Market movements reflected in cube historically

Market movements reflected in cube historically

Connect ion informat ion The Proforma cube can be accessed by logging into the server: Proforma.Ddc.Vzwcorp.Com

The Proforma cube can be accessed by logging into the server: RPTG.Ddc.Vzwcorp.Com


Understanding the Outline

Overview The reporting cubes contain 14 dimensions.

The dimensions are:

Dimension Alias Description ReportingLine ReportingLine High-level financial & statistical groups Account All Accounts Accounting figures (i.e. GL accounts)

KPI KPI KPI Comparative tools (i.e. Per Average Customers)

View View Time-based Comparitive Tools (i.e. QoQ, YTD)

Time Time Individual months (i.e. Jan) or periods of time (i.e. Q1)

Years Years Fiscal years (i.e. FY07)

Scenario Scenario Different point of view (i.e. Actual, Budget) & variances (Act vs. Bud).

Product All Product Types Company offerings (i.e. Voice, SMS Messaging)

SubAccount All SubAccounts More detailed slice (i.e. Technology Type, COA/COR)

ServiceType All ServiceTypes Customer service types (i.e. Prepaid, Postpaid)

Function All Channels Company functions (i.e. Retail) CostCenter All CostCenters Departmental groupings of GL cost centers Entity All Entities Area & Regional groupings of GL Markets Company Company Source company (i.e. VZW, Alltel, RCC)

Remember . Dimensions define different categories of the data. For more information on dimensions, refer back to Chapter 1.

Data Sources Data in the reporting cubes is sourced from multiple systems:

Financials: PeopleSoft General Ledger Customers (Voice & Data): EIS VZW Headcount: PeopleSoft HR Minutes: RAAT Equipment Units: CIABI Segmentation Data: Data Warehouse (via Revenue Cube) Other data sourced from other systems and manually loaded






Chapter 4

Understanding the Outline (continued)

Outl ine Naming Convent ion The reporting cubes utilize a standard naming convention for Members within the outline. Members are represented by code names that use a breadcrumb approach to identify where the member can be found in the outline. Business labels are then used in Aliases.

Remember . A Member is an item within a dimension & is generally identified with a short, technical naming convention. For more information on Members, refer back to Chapter 1.

Member Naming Convention - Breadcrumbs:

The Member Names in the reporting cubes utilize a “breadcrumb” methodology to help identify where the Member can be found within the outline.

Member Name example:

RL.ST.CU.1000

The first two digits of the member name represent which dimension the member can be found (RL = ReportingLine). The next two digits represent the main hierarchy within the dimension where the member can be found (ST = Statistical Accounts). If the member is further within the outline, then the next set of digits will provide further details of where the member is (CU = Customer Stats). The numerical value appended at the end of the Member name is a generic code to make the member name unique & has no significant value.

So if you see a member name RL.ST.CU.1000, you will know that it is in the ReportingLine dimension, in the Statistical Account sub grouping, within the Customer Stats parent node.

The following page provides a chart of common Member Name conventions and where they can be found within the reporting cubes outline:

Common Member Name Convent ions:

Dimension Code Dimension Name RL ReportingLine

RL.IS Income Statement (Close P&L) RL.CAP Capital Expenditures RL.ST Statistical Accounts RL.EXT External P&L RL.CPGA CPGA Costs RL.MPL Mgmt P&L

AC Account KPI KPI


KPI.CU Customer KPIs KPI.GA Gross Add KPIs KPI.REV Revenue KPIs KPI.DAT Data KPIs KPI.HC Headcount KPIs KPI.EQ Equipment KPIs KPI.MIN Minute KPIs

VW View FY Years SC Scenario

SC.A Actual SC.B Budget SC.BV Bestview SC.O Outlook SC.CV Commitment View

PR Product PR.VP Voice Products PR.DP Data Products PR.EQ Equipment Devices PR.PAG Paging Product PR.GL GL Product Codes

SA SubAccount SA.SB Salary Bands SA.BT Bill Types SA.TT Data Technology Type SA.SK Location Types SA.PTT Total PTT SA.LNP Total Businesses SA.COA-COR COA/COR SA.SG Segmentation

ST ServiceType ST.POST Postpaid ST.PRE Prepaid

FN Function CC CostCenter EN Entity

EN.MKT Market Codes CO Company






Chapter 4

Understanding the outline (continued)

Aliases:

Although the reporting cubes Member Names provide insight into where a member can be found within the outline, it is not very informative about what the member represents. This is where Aliases come in handy. The Aliases in the reporting cubes provide the descriptive, business-defined name for the data represented in the outline.

Business names/Aliases can evolve overtime. This is either because the business decides to rename a product or description & the Alias needs to be updated to remain relevant for reporting requirements, or because the existing business name is causing confusion to end users & needs to be modified to be more descriptive,

Tip – To set up reports to automatically update the Aliases when they change, set your Essbase Options to ‘Use Both Member Names and Aliases for Row Dimensions’ (found in the Display Tab) & then hide the Excel column that contains the Member Name. If an Alias changes, Essbase will be able to read the Member Name on your report, & will automatically update the Alias with the latest description in the Outline. Refer back to Chapter 2 for more details.


Understanding Dimensions

Report ingLine Dimension

Dimension Description: The ReportingLine Dimension represents a high-level grouping of financial and statistical data. It contains the business roll-ups of the G/L Accounts, as well as other key statistics from other sources such as EIS, Data Warehouse, etc. The majority of Excel retrieves will use the ReportingLine dimension.






Chapter 4

Understanding Dimensions (continued) The major components of the ReportingLine dimension are:

Primary Reporting Lines

o Close P&L

o Capital Expenditures

o Statistical Accounts

External P&L

CPGA Costs

Other Reporting Lines (Management P&L & other alternate roll-ups)

All data is originally loaded to one of the members within the Primary Reporting Lines. The other Reporting Lines (External P&L, CPGA Costs, Other Reporting Lines) are variations of the members within the Primary Reporting Line. Tip – In general, you should use the Primary Reporting Lines to build your reports off of or for ad-hoc analysis. The other Reporting Lines are designed for specific reporting purposes, & may not provide the expected results if used out of context. Primary Reporting Lines: Close P&L: the Close P&L represents the P&L used by the General Ledger Accounting Team. All GL Accounts are mapped to a reporting line member within the Close P&L. Total Capital Expenditures: the CAPEX reporting line represents both Network & Non-Network Capital Expenditures Statistical Accounts: the Statistical Accounts reporting lines represents all statistical measures loaded into the RPTG cube. These include:

• Customer Stats • Data Stats (Subscriber & Usage) • Network Stats • Population Stats • Location Stats • Minute Stats • Equipment Stats • Headcount Stats • Customer Service Stats • LNP Stats


Understanding Dimensions (continued) External P&L

The External P&L represents the external view of the P&L. For some members within the External P&L, formulas are used to define the member, for example, Retail Access (RL.EXT.REV.0002) is a formula that pulls Access Revenue (RL.IS.REV.0002) & Retail (FN.0044) together.

Warning - Be careful when using External P&L members with the KPI dimension. For example, if you want to report Retail Service ARPU, although the External P&L contains a member for Retail Service Revenue, if you use the ARPU KPI without also selecting Retail from the Function dimension, you will get Retail Service Revenue per Avg Customer. This is because Retail has only been applied to the numerator, you need to also select ‘Retail’ to apply to the denominator.

CPGA Costs: The CPGA Costs Reporting Line provides the Cost per Gross Add reporting logic, including COA/COR metrics. This Reporting Line should be used in conjunction with the SA.COA-COR SubAccount members to derive COA/COR.

Other Reporting Lines: The Other Reporting Lines contain other reporting roll-ups, including:

• Management P&L • Management P&L (w/o Intra VZW Roaming) • Operating Free Cash Flow • Total Cash Expense • Total Salary and Commissions • Total Data Revenue






Chapter 4

Understanding Dimensions (continued)

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the dimension have the following nomenclature: RL.XXX.####.

Where “RL” represents the “ReportingLine” dimension, “XXX” represents the sub category where the member is located within the ReportingLine dimension, and “####” is a generic numerical or alphanumerical value.

For the numerical or alphanumerical value, the following criteria should be followed:

• Primary Reporting Lines: RL.IS.####, RL.CAP.####, RL.ST.#### or RL.NONE

• External P&L: RL.EXT.#### and other shared members

• CPGA Reporting Line: RL.CPGA.####

• Other Reporting Lines: RL.####

Using the ReportingLine Dimension with other Dimensions: Here are some examples on how to use the ReportingLine Dimension with other dimensions:

Example 1: Retail Postpaid Service Revenue

Select “RL.IS.REV” (Service Revenue) from the ReportingLine dimension, “FN.0044” (Retail) from the Function dimension and “ST.POST” (Postpaid) from the Service Type dimension.



Example 2: Add Retail Postpaid Avg Customers

Select “RL.ST.CU.1008” (Average Customers) from the ReportingLine dimension, “FN.0044” (Retail) from the Function dimension and “ST.POST” (Postpaid) from the Service Type dimension.

Example 3: Add Retail Postpaid ARPU

Select “RL.IS.REV” (Service Revenue) from the ReportingLine dimension, “FN.0044” (Retail) from the Function dimension, “ST.POST” (Postpaid) from the Service Type dimension, and “KPI.REV.ARPU” from the KPI dimension.






Chapter 4


Account

Dimension Description: The Account Dimension represents how activity was recorded to G/L Accounts within the PeopleSoft Financial System. When used in conjunction with other dimensions, the Account dimension shows how a G/L Account contributes to the results of the data retrieved.

Dimension Mapping: G/L Accounts are mapped to the ReportingLine dimension, the Function dimension, the Product Dimension, and the ServiceType dimension. For details on how a GL Account has been mapped in the RPTG Cube, refer to the GL_Mapping_Master document.

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the dimension have the following nomenclature: AC.####.

Where “AC” represents the “Account” dimension and “####” is the G/L Account value found in PeopleSoft.

Alias names in the Account dimension is a concatenation of the PeopleSoft Short Description & the GL Account code.

Using the Account Dimension with other Dimensions: The Account Dimension can be used with other dimensions to see how GL Accounts contribute to the results pulled.

Tip – When using the Account dimension, set your Options to Suppress #Missing Rows (found in the Display tab) before Zooming In on Accounts. This will ensure that only the applicable accounts are returned in your analysis. Don’t forget to turn off the #Missing Suppression after you Zoomed In.

Remember . When using the Account dimension, the value returned represents the account’s contribution to the selected intersection of data. For example, if you choose account AC.740000 along with the ReportingLine member ‘Building Expense’, the value returned will be positive, as AC.740000 has a positive impact to the Building Expense total. However, if you selected AC.740000 & had ReportingLine at the top of the dimension, the value returned will be negative, as AC.740000 has a negative impact to Net Income (the default value of the ReportingLine dimension).


Understanding Dimensions (continued) Example 1: Building Expense

A user wants to see what G/L accounts contributed to the total building expense results. The user selects “RL.IS.OPEX.0019” (Building Expense) from the ReportingLine dimension. To see the GL Account detail, the user places the Account dimension next to the ReportingLine dimension, sets the options to suppress #Missing, & then selects ‘Zoom In’ on the Account dimension.

Example 2: Building Expense Accounts against ReportingLine

A user wants to see how the Building Expense Accounts contribute to Net Income. The user changes Building Expense to ReportingLine & retrieves the data.

Notice that the sign of the accounts turn negative to reflect that these expenses have a negative impact to Net Income (default value for ReportingLine dimension).






Chapter 4


KPI

Dimension Description: The KPI Dimension represents a grouping of indicators used in calculating Key Performance Indicators.

The KPI components are:

Customer KPIs

Gross Add KPIs

Revenue KPIs

Data KPIs

Headcount KPIs

Equipment KPIs

Minute KPIs

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the dimension have the following nomenclature: KPI.XXX.####.

Where “KPI” represents the “KPI” dimension, XXX represents the KPI grouping, and “####” represents the type of KPI within the grouping:

• Customer KPIs: KPI.CU.####

• Gross Add KPIs: KPI.GA.####

• Revenue KPIs: KPI.REV.####

• Data KPIs: KPI.DAT.####

• Headcount KPIs: KPI.HC.####

• Equipment KPIs: KPI.EQ.####

• Minute KPIs: KPI.MIN.####



Using the KPI Dimension with other Dimensions: The KPI dimension can be used against the ReportingLine or Account dimension, in conjunction with other dimensions to filter the data.

Remember . When using the KPI dimension, remember to filter data on other dimensions if you want the filter to apply to both the numerator & denominator of the KPI calculation.

Example 1: SMS Data Revenue per Data Customers

A user wants to retrieve Data Revenue per Data Customer for the SMS product, The user selects “RL.IS.REV.0005” (Data Revenue) from the ReportingLine dimension, “KPI.DAT.PDPC” (Per Data Customer) from the KPI dimension, and “PR.DP.SMS.TTL” (SMS) from the Product dimension.

Example 2: Add MMS Data Revenue per Data Customers

A user wants to add MMS Data Revenue per Data Customer to their retrieve. The user adds ‘MMS’ to the next column.






Chapter 4


View

Dimension Description: The View Dimension represents different time period formulas used in comparing financial and statistical results. It works in conjunction with the Year and Time Dimensions.

The components are:

Current Yr

Prior Yr

2 Yrs Prior

Prior Period

Prior Mth

Prior Qtr

QoQ Chg % B/(W)

QoQ Chg B/(W)

MoM Chg % B/(W)

MoM Chg B/(W)

YoY Chg % B/(W)

YoY Chg B/(W)

YTD

YTD Prior Yr

YTD YOY Chg B/(W)

YTD YOY % B/(W)

QTD

QTD Prior Yr

QTD YOY Chg B/(W)

QTD YOY % B/(W)



Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the View dimension have the following nomenclature: VW.####.

Where “VW” represents the “View” dimension and “####” is a numerical or alphanumerical value representing the type of View:

• Prior Periods: VW.BAS.####

• Quarterly Change: VW.QOQ#

• Monthly Change: VW.MOM#

• Yearly Change: VW.YOY#

• YTD or QTD: VW.YTD or VW.QTD






Chapter 4


Using the View Dimension with other Dimensions: The View Dimension can be used with all other dimensions to show comparisons over time.

Remember . When using a View dimension member, remember to include the Time & Year dimension that you are using for comparison purposes in the same row or column that contains the View member.

Example 1: SMS Messages QoQ Change

A user wants to show how SMS Messages has changed quarter over quarter. The user selects “PR.DP.SMS.TTL” (SMS) from the Product dimension, “RL.ST.DU.1001” (Messages) from the ReportingLine dimension, the current month from the Time dimension, and “VW.QOQ” (QoQ Chg B/(W)) from the View dimension.

Example 2: SMS Messages QoQ Growth %

The user now wants to add QoQ Growth % to their report. The user adds “VW.QOQ%” (QoQ Chg% B/(W)) from the View Dimension



Time

Dimension Description: The Time Dimension represents an individual month or a period of time.

The components are:

Year Total

14 Month Roll

The Year Total rollup represents the 4 quarters and the corresponding months, which are shown below:

• Quarter 1 o January o February o March

• Quarter 2 o April o May o June

• Quarter 3 o July o August o September

• Quarter 4 o October o November o December

The 14 Month Roll alternate rollup represents the current month & the previous 13 months. This rollup updates dynamically each month to always reflect the current month & previous 13 months.

Tip – If you have reports that show a 14-month trend, use the 14 Month Roll members in your report to have the data automatically update with the latest month. This will eliminate the need for you to manually update your reports to reflect the latest month.






Chapter 4


Using the Time Dimension with other Dimensions:

Example 1: Show a 14-Month Trend of SMS Data Revenue

A user wants to set up a report that will always show the current months & previous 13 month’s SMS Data Revenue. The user selects “PR.DP.SMS.TTL” (SMS) from the Product dimension, “RL.IS.REV.0005” (Data Revenue (w/o Roaming)) from the ReportingLine dimension, & the members within “14 Roll CrYr” from the Time dimension.



Years

Dimension Description: The Years Dimension represents the fiscal calendar years. The current year is always the default year.

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the Years dimension have the following nomenclature: FY##.

Where “FY” represents the “Years” (Fiscal Year) dimension and “####” is the Year.

Using the Year Dimension with other Dimensions:

Example 1: SMS Messages by Year

A user wants to set up a report that shows annual SMS Messages. The user selects “PR.DP.SMS.TTL” (SMS) from the Product dimension, “RL.ST.DU.1001” (Messages) from the ReportingLine dimension, and the Level0 Members of the Year dimension

.






Chapter 4


Scenar io

Dimension Description: The Scenario Dimension represents different sets of data inputs, such as actual, budget, bestview, or outlook. Scenarios do not roll up to a single root category, since that number would not be meaningful. This dimension also includes variances, both value and percent differences.

The components are:

Actual

Budget

Best View

Outlook

Commitment View

Variances

Each Scenario Component shows the type of data that was loaded, whether it was a base component, representing how the data was originally received & loaded to the RPTG Cube, an adjustment to the original load, or an allocation (for actuals) or transfer (for budget).

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the Scenario dimension have the following nomenclature: SC.XX.####.

Where “SC” represents the “Scenario” dimension, XX represents the type of Scenario, and “####” is a numerical or alphanumerical value representing the data type of the Scenario:


• Actual: SC.A.###

• Budget: SC.B.###

• Best View: SC.BV.###

• Outlook: SC.O.###

• Commitment View: SC.CV.###

• Variances: ACTvs####



Using the Scenario Dimension with other Dimensions: Example 1: SMS Messages Actual & Budget

A user wants to set up a report that compares Actual SMS Messages to Budget. The user selects “PR.DP.SMS.TTL” (SMS) from the Product dimension, “RL.ST.DU.1001” (Messages) from the ReportingLine dimension, and “SC.A”, “SC.B”, and “ACTvsBUD” from the Scenario Dimension.






Chapter 4


Product

Dimension Description: The Product Dimension contains three main roll-ups:

Product Types

G/L Product Codes

Non Consolidating Product Types

Product Types represents the type of merchandise, service, or special activity Verizon Wireless offers.

G/L Product Code represents activity coded to the PeopleSoft Product Code.

The “Non Consolidating Product Types” roll-up represent unique products that are not meant to be included in the Product total. To maintain the performance of the cube, these members have been moved into this special roll-up where they won’t impact the retrieval times of the data.

Product Types: The Product Types contains the Voice Products, Data Products, Paging Products, Equipment Devices, and No Product Types. The Data Products are categorized in the following groups:

• Messing (i.e. SMS) • Location Based Services (i.e. VZ Navigator) • Content Focused (i.e. V Cast, Mobile Web, GIN) • VZ Mail (i.e. RIM/Blackberry, Wireless Sync, Goodlink) • VZ Access (i.e. Broadband Access, Data Tethering) • Data Transport (i.e. CDPD, IS95, Telementry) • Data Products Combined

The Equipment Devices are categorized in the following groups:

• Wireless Devices & Accessories o Wireless Devices

Phones Data

o Accessories (Unbundled Accessories) • FRU Devices



Dimension Mapping: All activity is mapped to its relevant Product Type. G/L Data is also mapped to the G/L Product Codes roll-up.

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the Product dimension have the following nomenclature: PR.XX.####.

Where “PR” represents the “Product” dimension, XX represents the sub category of the Product Dimension, and “####” is a numerical or alphanumerical value representing the Product Type or GL Product Code:

• Product Types: PR.VP.####, PR.DP.####, PR.PAG.####, PR.EQ.#### or PR.NONE

• G/L Product Codes: PR.GL.####

Using the Product Dimension with other Dimensions: Example 1: Data Revenue per Data Use by Data Product Type

A user wants to set up a report that shows Data Revenue per Data Use by Data Product Type. The user selects “RL.IS.REV.0005” (Data Revenue (w/o Roaming)) from the ReportingLine dimension, “KPI.DAT.PUS” (Per Data Use) from the KPI dimension, and drills down on “PR.DP” (Data Products)






Chapter 4


SubAccount

Dimension Description: The SubAccount Dimension provides a more detail slice of the data. This dimension was designed to allow a further level of data normalization without muddying the other dimensions with the addition of repetitive or unnecessary members.

The components are:

Total SubAccount

Total COA/COR

Retail Postpaid Segmentation

The Total SubAccount component includes the following:

• Salary Bands • Bill Types • Data Technology Types • Location Types • Total PTT • Total Business • No SubAccount

Dimension Mapping:

Each SubAccount has the following data loaded to it:

• Salary Bands – Headcount data • Bill Types – Adecco Billed data • Data Technology Types – Data Customers • Location Types – Store Location types • Total PTT – PTT Customers • Total Business – LNP data • No SubAccount – all other data • Total COA/COR – all data used in the CPGA process • Retail Postpaid Segmentation – Customer & Revenue data from Revenue

cube.



Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the SubAccount dimension have the following nomenclature: SA.XX.####.

Where “SA” represents the “SubAccount” dimension, “XX” represents the SubAccount category, and “####” is a numerical or alphanumerical value.


• Total SubAccount: SA.#### or SA.NONE

• Total COA/COR: SA.####

• Retail Postpaid Segmentation: SA.SG.####

Using the SubAccount Dimension with other Dimensions: Example 1: Equipment Subsidy split between COA & COR

A user wants to set up a report that shows Equipment Subsidy split by COA and COR. The user selects “RL.CPGA.EQS.0001” (Equipment Subsidy) from the ReportingLine dimension and “SA.COA” (COA) and “SA.COR” (COR) from the SubAccount dimension.






Chapter 4


Service Type

Dimension Description: The Service Type Dimension represents the kind of classification we specify our customers. This is dependent on the method of payment for the services used. The 2 major components are:

Postpaid

Prepaid

The Prepaid section breaks-out into the following further services:

• EasyPay • InPulse • Other Prepaid

Dimension Mapping: G/L Accounts are mapped to ServiceType based on the account type.

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the ServiceType dimension have the following nomenclature: ST.XX.####.

Where “ST” represents the “Service Type” dimension and “####” is an alphanumerical value.

For the alphanumerical value, the following criteria should be followed:

• Postpaid: ST.POST

• Prepaid: ST.PRE.####

• No Service Type: ST.NONE



Using the ServiceType Dimension with other Dimensions: Example 1: Postpaid SMS Disconnects

A user wants to retrieve Postpaid SMS Disconnects. The user selects “RL.ST.DS.1912” (Total Data Subs) from the ReportingLine dimension, “PR.DP.SMS.TTL” (SMS) from the Product dimension and “ST.POST” (Postpaid) from the Service Type dimension

.






Chapter 4


Funct ion

Dimension Description: The Function Dimension represents functional departments in the company. In the same way that the ReportingLine dimension represents the business roll-ups of the G/L Accounts, the Function dimension represents the business roll-ups of the G/L Cost Centers.

The main components are:

Primary Functions

Alternate Functions

The Primary Functions contains the Sales Channels, Non-Sales Functions, Other Cost Centers and No Function. This roll-up supports the traditional Sales Channel roll-ups and CPGA reporting.

The Sales Channel represents the cost centers related to Distribution functions of the company, including:

• Retail • Reseller • Other Distribution Functions (i.e., Asurion)

Non-Sales Functions represents the cost centers that do not directly impact the support of end customers, and therefore, should not burden the Sales Channels. Other Cost Centers represents the cost centers that indirectly impact the support of customers, and therefore, their subsidy & commission amounts are allocated to the Sales Channels. No Function represents any activity that isn’t associated with a function. In addition to the Primary Functions, there are additional alternate roll-ups that represent various groupings of Cost Centers. The Alternate Functions includes the following:

• Total Line and Staff Functions • Total Cust & Non-Cust Facing • VZ Services • Marketing w/CMO • Direct Sales w/3rd Party • All Cost Centers excluding IT, Network • All Cost Centers excluding IT, Network and VSO


Understanding Dimensions (continued) Total Line and Staff Functions represents the break-out of Line Functions (employees or activity that directly impacts the customer) and Staff Functions (employees or activity that indirectly impacts the customer). The roll-up includes the following members:

• Line Functions o Retail (Shared Member) o Reseller (Shared Member) o Sales Support Functions (comprised of the following Cost Centers):

• CUSTOMER_CARE • NETWORK_OTHERS • NNO • NET-CTO • 8300 • VZE_BILLING & CUST_CARE

o Staff Functions (comprised of the following Cost Centers): • NETWORK_OPER_SUPPRT (excluding 8300) • TECHNOLOGY_DEV • NETWORK_PLANNING • HUMAN_RESOURCES • FINANCE • VSO • MARKETING_&_SALES • CMO • INFO_TECHNOLOGY (excluding VZE_BILLING &

CUST_CARE) • ALL_OTHER_STAFF_FUNCTIONS

VZ Services represents the Cost Centers associated with Verizon Services, including

• VSO Functions • VZE Functions • CMO Functions • CTO Functions

Dimension Mapping:

Activity is mapped to the Function dimension based on the following criteria:

• The data source file specifically identifies the Function on each record.

• If the data source file does not specifically identify the Function, then the Account/ReportingLine is mapped to a Function based off the Account/ReportingLine’s associated translation file.

• If the Account/ReportingLine is not specifically mapped to a Function in a translation file, then it will be mapped to Function based off the Account/ReportingLine’s Cost Center.






Chapter 4


Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the Function dimension have the following nomenclature: FN.####.

Where “FN” represents the “Function” dimension and “####” is a numerical value.

For the numerical value, the following criteria are followed:

• If the Function member represents an existing Channel member, then the numerical value should be the same as the numerical value from the Channel member to maintain consistency between the old & new cubes. For example, CH0009 from the Reportng cube would be coded as FN.0009 in the new cube.

• If the Function represents an alternate roll-up of various Cost Center

groupings, then the numerical value should start with ‘9’. For example, an alternate roll-up that combines the CMO & Marketing Cost Centers would be FN.9004.

Outside of the above two criteria, the number generation is in sequential order & carries no other logic.

Using the Function Dimension with other Dimensions: Example 1: Retail Postpaid Service Revenue

A user wants to retrieve Retail Postpaid Service Revenues. The user selects “RL.IS.REV” (Service Revenue) from the ReportingLine dimension, “FN.0044” (Retail) from the Function dimension, and “ST.POST” (Postpaid) from the ServiceType dimension.



Cost Center

Dimension Description: The Cost Center Dimension represents how activity was recorded in the source systems (PeopleSoft G/L, PeopleSoft HR, and Equipment Units). The Cost Center dimension works in conjunction with the Function Dimension, where the Cost Center represents how activity was recorded in the source systems, while the Function Dimension provides the business reporting roll-ups of various cost centers.


Total Cust Svcs (Excl. CFS)

Customer Financial Services

Network

Human Resources

Finance

VSO

VDSI

CTO (8999)

Distribution

Marketing

Enterprise and Government

Information Technology

All Other Staff Functions

Dimension Mapping:

Activity is mapped to the Cost Center dimension based on these criteria:

• The data source file specifically identifies the Cost Center on each record.

• If the data source file does not identify the Cost Center, but identifies the Channel, then the data will be loaded to the Cost Center equivalent of the Channel.






Chapter 4


Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the Cost Center dimension have the following nomenclature: CC.####.

Where “CC” represents the “Cost Center” dimension and “####” is the Cost Center value found in PeopleSoft.

Using the Cost Center Dimension with other Dimensions: Example 1: Marketing Group Gross Adds

A user wants to retrieve Gross Add sales completed by Marketing group based on Cost Centers. The user selects “RL.ST.CU.1000” (Gross Adds) from the ReportingLine dimension and “CC.MARKETING” (Marketing) from the CostCenter dimension.



Ent i ty

Dimension Description: The Entity Dimension represents a roll-up of markets at the Region, Area, Headquarters, & Total VZW level.


Total VZW

Unconsolidated Entities

Partnership Rollup

Network VZW

Dimension Mapping: Activity is mapped to the Entity dimension based on how it is received from the source system.

Dimension Naming Standards: Member Names in the Entity dimension have the following nomenclature: EN.MKT.####.

Where “EN” represents the “Entity” dimension, “MKT” represents the General Ledger Market and “####” is the Market value found in PeopleSoft.






Chapter 4


Attr ibute Dimension – TSA Type An attribute dimension called TSA Types was created to further classify our costs by TSA vs. Non TSA cost centers.

To create a report using an attribute dimension:

1. Select an empty cell in the worksheet; specifically where you would like the data placed. For example, B14 was selected.


3. In the Dimension dropdown list box, click the down arrow to display the details. Scroll down to view the attribute dimension(s).



4. Select the TSA Type dimension and Add to the Rules section. Click OK.

5. TSA Type is added to the selected cell.






Understanding Dimensions (continued) 6. Select Essbase > Zoom in

Note: This view presents data dimensionally that would otherwise only be available in a hierarchical view. This data is created from the members that actually belong to the Cost Center dimension. The Level 0 cost centers have a many-to-one relationship with TSA and Non-TSA. C

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