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Analytics

Reimagining Financial Planning and Analysis

February 12, 2024 by Revelwood

The fast-paced world of business requires insightful decision-making. Organizations need to harness data effectively to make truly data-based decisions. Many companies today struggle with their ability to leverage technology to capture and compile crucial enterprise data for impactful decision-making. 

Current Landscape: Challenges in FP&A

According to a study from Forrester Consulting, enterprises face a daunting task in managing data from as many as 700 different sources for downstream analytics and business intelligence applications. Organizations need this data to keep up with the speed of business, especially when considering factors such as high inflation, rising interest rates, geopolitical disruptions and the lingering effects of supply chain shocks.

Our partner Incorta recently surveyed finance leaders on the allocation of time within the finance department. The data collected points to some challenges in FP&A processes:

  • Working with complex financial and operational data
  • Team members working in offline Excel
  • Inconsistencies in taxonomy and definitions
  • Outdated data
  • A lack of a single, trusted data source.

These challenges contribute to FP&A teams spending a considerable amount of time on low-value activities such as data collection and validation, hindering their ability to focus on high-value strategic activities.

Organizations can overcome these challenges by using a data hub. A comprehensive solution can provide:

  • Access to Fresh Enterprise Data
  • Streamlined Financial Processes through immediate access to organizational data
  • Improved decision-making by reducing deployment times for baseline reports
  • A unified view of data
  • Integration with existing systems

Incorta provides details on the survey in “Analytical Freedom at Last: Financial Planning and Analysis Reimagined.” Download your copy today.

Read more about Data Analytics in Finance:

How GenAI Will Impact Data Analytics

Increasing Accuracy in Forecasts by Using Workday Adaptive Planning with Incorta

EnergySolutions Makes Faster Data-Driven Decisions with Incorta

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: Data Analytics in Finance Tagged With: Analytics, Analytics Hub, Data Analytics, Data Warehouse, Incorta

EnergySolutions Makes Faster Data-Driven Decisions with Incorta

November 3, 2023 by Revelwood

This is a guest post from Margaret Guarino, vice president of global marketing at our partner, Incorta. Margaret explains how EnergySolutions relies on Incorta to make data-driven decisions and save time and money.

EnergySolutions, a distinguished international nuclear services company, has long stood as a key player in the specialized field of nuclear waste processing and disposal. With a unique portfolio that encompasses waste management, recycling, and decommissioning of nuclear power plants, the company navigates a complex landscape that demands precision and governmental and environmental compliance. EnergySolutions serves an array of clients, including government agencies and nuclear power plants, positioning itself as a leading expert in a highly regulated and distinctive industry. 

Challenges in their Reporting Landscape 

For years, EnergySolutions grappled with the limitations of manual reporting processes, particularly those driven by Oracle OBIEE. The company’s operations spanned multiple systems, each with its own data source, hampering the ability to form a holistic view of the business. The outdated procedures led to bottlenecks, caused by sluggish data loads and impeded the attainment of in-depth insights due to the lack of comprehensive data access. These challenges were magnified by the nature of their industry, where precision and informed decision-making were paramount.

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Revolutionizing Reporting and Data Access 

Incorta’s implementation catalyzed a significant transformation within EnergySolutions. Users gained access to a previously unexplored treasure trove of data, unraveling insights and relationships that were previously elusive. The platform enabled users to bridge gaps between disparate data sets originating from various sources, thus illuminating a comprehensive view of the business and providing access down to the individual transaction level disclosing context and details not accessible before. 

One of the most compelling aspects of Incorta was its innate adaptability. Unlike the conventional ERP systems that often necessitate altering business processes to align with the technology, Incorta molded itself to the company’s existing processes. This malleability proved invaluable, as it allowed EnergySolutions to retain its operational integrity while harnessing the capabilities of the platform.

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Fostering a New Partnership for Future Growth 

The implementation of Incorta not only resolved EnergySolutions’ immediate reporting challenges but also unveiled opportunities for future growth. By centralizing data access and analysis, the company streamlined its processes and increased efficiency, allowing teams to focus on their core tasks. Reports that once took hours or even days to generate were now available in seconds, freeing up valuable time for value-driven activities. 

As EnergySolutions continues its journey with Incorta, the partnership promises to shape the company’s future trajectory. The enhanced ability to generate insights, supported by seamless data access, positions EnergySolutions to make informed decisions swiftly. The platform’s agility to accommodate custom applications and adapt to unique industry needs reinforces the company’s competitive edge and underscores the transformative potential of the partnership. 

Empowered Insights for a Dynamic Industry 

EnergySolutions’ story exemplifies the transformative power of leveraging cutting-edge technology to overcome challenges. By transitioning from manual reporting to an intuitive open data delivery platform like Incorta, the company not only resolved reporting bottlenecks but also redefined its operational landscape. The collaboration with Incorta signifies a commitment to innovation, efficiency, and excellence, ushering EnergySolutions into a future empowered by data-driven insights. As the partnership continues to unfold, EnergySolutions stands poised to navigate its intricate industry with renewed vigor and a heightened competitive advantage. 

This blog post was originally published on the Incorta blog.

Read more about Data Analytics in Finance:

Bringing Operational Analytics to the Office of Finance

Incorta Recognized in 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and BI Platforms

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: Data Analytics in Finance Tagged With: Analytics, Analytics Hub, Data Analytics, Data Warehouse, Incorta

Bringing Operational Analytics to the Office of Finance

October 23, 2023 by Revelwood

In the fast-paced world of today’s business, staying ahead of the curve often hinges on the ability to adapt and innovate. One critical aspect of this adaptability lies in financial planning and analysis (FP&A), a cornerstone of effective decision-making. However, traditional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, while invaluable for transactional data, fall short when it comes to complex data analysis.

Understanding ERP Systems

ERP systems are the backbone of any modern enterprise, efficiently handling transactions and storing vital data. ERPs are optimized for storing transactional data from order entry, order fulfillment, supply chain management and other core operational activities. 

But they are not ideal for analyzing transactional data. In fact, they are not even remotely designed to facilitate the complex analysis that the Office of Finance wants, needs and cares about. This is why running financial analytics within an ERP is inefficient and painful. 

The problem is that finance teams need to analyze data that is stored in an ERP. And not just stored in one ERP – most finance teams must analyze data in multiple different ERP systems. They also need to run queries and reports from multiple types of data sources – such as NetSuite, Salesforce, HR systems and more. 

In fact, according to a recent study by Forrester, enterprises today draw data from an average of 320 different data sources that feed analytic and business intelligence (BI) applications. Over the next 12 months that number is expected to increase to 780 data sources. 

One solution to this problem is to invest heavily in teams of highly skilled data engineers who manually stitch everything together. This is an expensive and slow process.  

There’s a New Approach to Finance Analytics

A much better way to address this challenge is to have an Analytics Data Hub for Finance, such as the one from Incorta. Incorta enables the Office of Finance to access data in various ERPs, other software solutions, ETL pipelines and more. Incorta enables the Office of Finance to access 100% of operational and financial data to measure variances, eliminate errors and adjust forecasts quickly and accurately.

Learn more about how the Office of Finance can better access and analyze data from ERPs and other source systems. Download Leveling up Financial Planning & Analysis and Reporting with Agile Operational Analytics.

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: Data Analytics in Finance Tagged With: Analytics, Data Analytics, Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP, Incorta

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Data Integration and the Planning Data Source

August 17, 2022 by Marc Assenza Leave a Comment

Did you know that Workday Adaptive Planning integrations can use the metadata in Adaptive Planning as a part of the integration?

It’s true! The process requires setting up the credential and setting up a data source for Adaptive Planning. You must have the proper credentials yourself within Adaptive Planning to set this up.

To set up the credential you will need to do the following:

From the Workday navigation button, go to Integration🡪Design Integrations

You will arrive at the following screen. Under the Component Library section click on the Credentials option.

From the list that is presented, the first option is to Create a new Credential, select this.

Once clicked, the following list will be presented, select Planning Credential, and give it a name. Giving it a name that is meaningful matters, Adaptive certainly fits the bill here.

Once created, you will see that your credential exists under credentials in the Component Pane, but no access to the data source has been granted yet because no authorized user has been assigned. To assign an authorized user (a user with the rights to perform all these steps) to the credentials, you follow the on-screen instructions and click “Authorize” under the Actions panel.

When you click authorize, the following appears, enter the credentials in the pop-up screen and click “Authorize” on the lower right-hand portion of the screen.

Next you will want to click the Save button to save the login information with the credential.

The next step will be to Test the connection. This is done by clicking on “Test Connection” under the Actions pane. A pop-up window will display, click on “Test.” If the login credentials are valid, the following window will appear and the credential is all set up.

To set up the data source, you will need to do the following:

Under the Component Library, click on Data Sources.

Click on the option “Create New Data Source.”

Here again select Planning Data Source and give it a meaningful name, keeping the name the same in this example and calling it Adaptive.

Once the Data Source is created, the following screen will appear. Here you will assign the Data Source the Credential that was created in step 1 and save it.

You will notice that no tables have appeared. That is because we have not defined them yet.

On the left-hand side under Actions, click on “Manage Sources.”

The following popup window will appear, click on the sources folder first, then click on the Add button.

You will now see a list; in the example we will import metadata about Accounts and Levels. Those two will be selected.

You have the option to rename the source, so Accounts and Levels will be used in place of the default name.

No tables are in the Data Source yet because the Data Source needs to be saved and the structure needs to be imported. Click the Save option first followed by “Import Structure.”

The table structures are now present as seen below.

The next step is to import the data, this is done by clicking “Import Data” under the Actions pane.

That’s all it takes to set up the credential and the Adaptive Data Source, now you’re ready to utilize it in the Staging area for integration however you see fit!

Visit Revelwood’s Knowledge Center for our Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks or sign up here to get our Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks delivered directly to your inbox. Not sure where to start with Workday Adaptive Planning? Our team here at Revelwood can help! Contact us info@revelwood.com for more information.

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Revenue Cohort Modeling

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Check Boxes in Modeled Sheets

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Show Actuals for Linked Accounts

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Adaptive Insights, Analytics, Financial Performance Management, Planning & Forecasting, Workday Adaptive Planning, Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Change Element Type in PAW

December 22, 2020 by Thanh Chau Leave a Comment

Most users of IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) are familiar with the dashboarding and reporting capabilities for front-end users. However, IBM has built-in features that allow administrators to manage their models from PAW as well. Managing the dimension structure is one such feature. Though most of it is intuitive, updating the element type is a bit hidden.

To access the dimension editor, first open a workbook in PAW. Then in the left navigation pane, expand the “Dimensions” node to find the dimension that you would like to edit.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Change Element in PAW

Drag the dimension to the work area pane on the right. You’ll see a warning stating that any changes will apply instantly unless you have reserved the dimension. Reserving the dimension locks the dimension so that no one else can make changes.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips: Change Element Type in PAW

In the PAW dimension editor, click on the paw iconicon to show the properties window. Select a member to show or change its properties. Please note that PAW doesn’t have “Consolidated” as a selectable type in the dropdown. PAW will automatically convert an element to a consolidation when you add children to it.  Conversely, it will change a consolidation to a simple element when you remove all children.

IBM Planning Analytics Tricks: Change Element Type in PAW

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Asymmetric Axis in PAW

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Change Connection used by Quick Report

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Edit Action Button

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Analytics, Financial Performance Management, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, Planning Analytics tips, Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Log Lock Notification

December 8, 2020 by Lee Lazarow Leave a Comment

Have you ever tried to move or download log files and then realize that some of the files cannot be modified since they are in use? IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) recognizes this and now offers notifications to let you know which files are locked.

You can download log files by first selecting the PA Administration button at the top of your screen.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Log Lock Notification

One inside the administration area, you can view the logs by clicking on the three dots at the top, right corner of your server and selecting the option called “Download logs.”

IBM Planning Analytics Tips: Log Lock Notification

From there, you can simply select the logs that you want to download and then select the “download” button at the bottom of the screen. Any locked log files will show the word “locked” on the screen and will also prevent you from selecting that log. The example below shows the tm1server.log file checked and shows the tm1s.log file as locked.

IBM Planning Analytics Tricks: Log Lock Notification

This approach will help you easily remember which files are accessible and which are not.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Alternative Row Formats for Excel Reports

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Show Members

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: An Approach to Strengthening Your MDX Skills

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Analytics, Financial Performance Management, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, lee lazarow, Planning Analytics tips, Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Asymmetric Axis in PAW

December 1, 2020 by Thanh Chau Leave a Comment

One of the helpful features of IBM Planning Analytics is the ability to create explorations using asymmetric axes. This is useful when you have stacked column or row dimensions, and only want to display certain combinations of elements instead of all combinations of the stacked dimensions.

To do this in Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW), open a workbook in PAW and open an exploration. Click on the Icon in PAW icon to make the row dimensions asymmetric or the icon in PAW_2 icon for the column dimensions. Next, hold down the CTRL key and select the rows or columns you want to keep or hide.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Asymmetric axis in PAW

Right-click on one of the selected columns and select “Keep” or “Hide.”

Asymmetric axis in PAW

If you need to revert back to the normal view, right-click on any row or column and select “Unhide All.”

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters. You can also sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks sent directly to your inbox.

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Pass Context

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: The Collect Feature in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Navigating Back to the Source

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Analytics, Financial Performance Management, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM Planning Analytics Workspace, Planning Analytics tips, Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, Planning Analytics Workspace, TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Convert Existing View Directly to Reports

November 24, 2020 by Nina Inverso Leave a Comment

Did you know that Planning Analytics for Excel (PAx) provides the ability to convert an existing view directly to a report in Excel? Without opening the view as an Exploration, you can start building your report directly from the Task Pane.

Just right-click on the view in the Task Pane to display the available options.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Convert Existing View to Reports

You will see the following options by hovering over the Quick report, Dynamic report, and Custom report items:

How to convert existing views into reports in Planning Analytics

In this example, each of the items does the following:

  • On this sheet: This will open the existing Planning Analytics view as a Quick report on the current Excel sheet at cell $A$1.
  • On new sheet: This will open the view as a Quick report on a new sheet at cell $A$1.
  • At current location: This will open the view as a Quick report at the cell that is currently active.
  • At specified location: This will open a pop-up window that allows you to input the cell at which you would like the Quick report to appear. You can then enter the cell address and click OK to generate the Quick report, as shown in the following image.
Learn how to convert existing views to reports in Planning Analytics

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters! You can also sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks sent directly to your inbox!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks posts:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAx Task Pane Workbook Tab

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAx Control Objects

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Video: Using Drag & Drop to Change Selector Elements in PAx Reports

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Analytics, Budgeting, Budgeting Planning & Forecasting, Financial Performance Management, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, Nina Gordy, Planning & Forecasting, Planning & Reporting, Planning Analytics tips, Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAx Task Pane Workbook Tab

November 17, 2020 by Nina Inverso Leave a Comment

Did you know that Planning Analytics for Excel (PAx) automatically keeps track of the Planning Analytics objects you have open in an Excel workbook?

Simply click on the Workbook tab of your Task Pane to view the list of Dynamic reports, Action buttons, Explorations, and Quick reports that are currently in use.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAx Task Pane Workbook Tab

These folders will be populated as you work with your Planning Analytics environment. Whether you manually add these items to a worksheet, or they are included in an existing view or report, they will appear here.

For example, clicking the Exploration button in the PAx ribbon will create an Exploration on a new worksheet.

The PAx task pane workbook tab in IBM Planning Analytics

This will also add an item to the Explorations folder on the Workbook tab of the Task Pane. When you right-click on the name of the new Exploration, you will see the following options:

Learn about the PAx task pane workbook tab in IBM Planning Analytics

Similar options appear for Dynamic reports, Action buttons, and Quick reports.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters! You can also sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks sent directly to your inbox!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAx Control Objects

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New PAx Features – Double Click

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Video: Using Drag and Drop to Change Selector Elements in PAx Reports

Home » Analytics

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Analytics, Budgeting, Budgeting Planning & Forecasting, Financial Performance Management, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, Nina Gordy, PAx, Planning & Forecasting, Planning & Reporting, Planning Analytics for Excel, Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, TM1

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