Introduction of Essbase Cube in Fusion Applications

Essbase cube stores balances from multiple data sources in multidimensional cubes. Users interact, report, and analysis data in real time and along business dimensions and hierarchies in Fusion Applications. Fusion Accounting Hub leverages Fusion General Ledger and Fusion General Ledger combines traditional general ledger functionality with embedded Oracle Essbase. Fusion Accounting Hub’s reporting platform provides real-time access to financial information with exceptional reporting and analytics capabilities to all users. This makes reporting platform unique with its embedded multi-dimensional data model that leverages Oracle Essbase, the market leading online analytical processing (OLAP) server. The purpose of embedding the Essbase cube with this reporting platform is-

• This allows to store large quantities of data in a way that can be accessed rapidly.

• Also this helps to manage and organize this data for fast and powerful retrieval for immediate decision support

At the time users create their chart of accounts, the Oracle Essbase cube is created automatically. If a cost center is added or a date-effective hierarchy is modified, Fusion General Ledger automatically creates or modifies the corresponding cube hierarchy in Essbase. As transactions/journals are posted, Fusion General Ledger automatically updates the multi-dimensional balances to ensure that balances are always in sync and up-to-the-minute accurate. No batch programs need to be run to populate the multidimensional balances, it is all happening in real-time whenever a journal or transaction is posted.

Business Benefit of Essbase Cube

Fusion General Ledger also pre-aggregates balances at every possible summarization level across each dimension of the chart of accounts and accounting periods for multiple date-effective hierarchies. This results in extremely fast reports and queries. Reports and analytics can be refreshed on-the-fly without having to run a process or program because the balances have already been pre-calculated. Multidimensional analysis is also instantaneous. Users can quickly slice and dice data across dimensions and drill up, down, and sideways on any parent level.

Intelligence and analytics have also been embedded within the context of a business transaction, before we post a journal, the system will tell them the impact the journal will have on an account’s balance. This eliminates the need to have to navigate to a separate page to run a query or run a report. This helps users make smarter decisions faster while remaining in context of the transaction and staying focused on completing the task.

GL Posting program in Fusion General Ledger has undergone some changes due to enhancements made to the program, new features included in Fusion and especially integration with Hyperion Essbase which basically embeds Essbase into Fusion General Ledger. This offers-

1. Entered Currency Balancing: In Fusion all transactions will need to be balanced by entered currency at posting time. This is to be done after suspense and intercompany and before rounding imbalance.

2. Integration with Essbase: The posting program updates the Essbase Cube that gets created upon the completion of the ledger setup. It updates balances in both the GL_BALANCES table and the cube dimension members to keep them in synch.

Integration of Hyperion Essbase in GL Posting

In Fusion General Ledger a cube gets created per combination of Chart of Accounts (COA) and Calendar in a ledger setup. The cube is made up of dimensions which may have a member hierarchy. The dimensions of the GL cube are the segments of the COA plus the ledger, calendar, currency, balance amount, currency type and amount type. The Figure below depicts how a ledger setup is reflected in the cube.

Diagram taken from Oracle Implementation guide showing different Cubes that can be created

The GL balances are stored and maintained in the cube in a multi-dimensional and pre-aggregated fashion. The Posting program is in charge of updating the balances in the cube to keep the information between the GL_BALANCES table and the cube in sync.

Any errors during the Posting process which includes the update to the cube get recorded in the Posting program log file. The Posting program in Fusion still makes use of the profile option ‘GL: Debug Mode’ and it is enabled by default to ensure enough debug information is written to the log file in case of failure at any time during posting including steps related with updates to the cube.

In the unlikely event that the GL_BALANCES table and the cube become out of sync, it will be necessary to run the Refresh Balances program which transfers the balances from GL_BALANCES to the cube and makes them in sync. The Refresh Balances program is part of the Cube Creation program but it can also be run standalone through ESS.

What Are Essbase Filters?

An Essbase filter is an Essbase resource that provides an access control mechanism for dimensional data. For example, a filter might restrict a user to view or update data only for a specific geographical region or a specific product. We can create Essbase filters using Essbase Administration Services.

How to refresh balances in the GL balances cubes?

A user needs to run the General Ledger Transfer Balances to Essbase process by selecting Ledger or Ledger Set and Starting Period to refresh balances in the GL balance cubes.

To create a filtered list of objects in the List View:

1. From the System View, select View, List View.

The Filter dialog is displayed the first time you open the List View. If you select filtering options, then close the Listview to work in the System or Custom View. When you reopen the List View, the filter dialog is not displayed. If you want to change the filtering options when you reopen the List View, select Tools, Filter to open the Filter dialog.

2.  In the Filter dialog, on Filter Options, under Application Type, select Essbase.

3.  Do one of these tasks:

• For Essbase: In the Application and Object Type fields, select the applications and object types you want to display in the List View. The default is all.

• Under Deployed Status and Validated Status, clear any check boxes of selections you do not want to display. All checkboxes are selected by default.

Conclusion

Oracle Fusion General Ledger embeds Oracle Essbase technology to combine traditional general ledger functionality with dimension based reporting functionality. At the time users set up their ledger and complete the accounting configuration, the balances cube is created automatically. Later, if a user makes a change such as adding a cost center or modifying a date effective hierarchy, the General Ledger uses simple maintenance routines to easily update the dimensions. As transactions or journals are posted, the General Ledger automatically updates the multidimensional cube when the journal is posted.

Oracle Fusion General Ledger also pre aggregates balances at every possible summarization level across each dimension of the chart of accounts and accounting periods for multiple date effective hierarchies, which accelerates reporting and inquiry. Reports and analytics are refreshed immediately when an entry is made, without having to run a process or program, because the balances are precalculated and aggregated in real time. Multidimensional analysis is also instantaneous. Users can instantly view reports using different dimensions on the same data, and drill up, down, and through on any parent level.

End users are not distracted from the task at hand, reporting and process demand is reduced, and users can make smarter decisions in the context of the transaction.

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