Smart View Ad Hoc Analysis: Creating Reports

Smart View, Microsoft Office interface for Oracle Planning

Document Last Updated: December 2010

Table of Contents Overview ............................................................................................................1 Installing Smart View ..........................................................................................1 Connecting to the Reporting Cube ......................................................................1 Setting User Preference Options .........................................................................2
Ad Hoc Options ................................................................................................................ 3 Display Options................................................................................................................ 5 Cell Styles Options ........................................................................................................... 6

The Ad Hoc Grid ..................................................................................................6 Selecting Members for Ad Hoc Analysis .............................................................. 7 Dragging and Dropping Dimension Members ...................................................... 8 Displaying Alias Member Names ....................................................................... 10 Refreshing the Grid ........................................................................................... 11 Drilling on Dimension Members........................................................................ 11
Zooming In on Dimension Members ............................................................................... 11 Zooming Out on Dimension Members ............................................................................ 11

Pivoting Dimensions ......................................................................................... 12 Keeping or Removing Data ................................................................................ 12 Formatting Data Cells in the Grid ...................................................................... 13 Working with Formulas in Ad Hoc Grids ............................................................ 13 Saving Reports .................................................................................................. 14 Smart View Toolbar Buttons ............................................................................. 14 Help .................................................................................................................. 16

Smart View Ad Hoc Analysis

Office of Budget & Management Analysis 710 Franklin Building / 6205 215-898-6651 Fax: 215-898-6652

http://www.budget.upenn.edu Budget Planning Tools: http://www.budget.upenn.edu/plantools/ Direct questions to: [email protected] Online Manual: http://www.budget.upenn.edu/PlanTools/doc.shtml

Smart View Ad Hoc Analysis

Overview
The Ad Hoc Analysis feature of Smart View (Excel Add-In) can be used to create reports and analyze data from the cube. After connecting to a reporting cube, You specify the data to view. This approach provides flexibility, allowing you to design exactly the type of report you want, save it, and simply refresh whenever you need the latest data.

Installing Smart View

Users can install only on Windows platforms because Smart View is an add-in to Microsoft Office products. To install Smart View from the installation file, navigate to the Budget Planning Tools web page at http://www.budget.upenn.edu/PlanTools/ and select the Smart View AddIn link in the Application Links field. Use your Penn Key and Password to access the installer. You can either take all the defaults to download and save it for your LSP to install or have your LSP install it with all the defaults. Your LSP will need to download it as you, the user, and NOT the LSP. If the installation is successful, the next time you open the Microsoft Office Suite, the Hyperion menu or ribbon will be displayed.

Connecting to the Reporting Cube

Connect to the reporting cube from the Connection Manager and make sure the connection is active. The connection should appear off the Active Connection choice with a checkmark beside it. If the checkmark does not appear, your connection is not yet active. Select the connection from the Active Connection menu to make it active.

In Excel, go to the Hyperion menu and choose Connect to add a new connection that points to the reporting cube, select Hyperion > Connect > Smart View Data Source Manager > Connect to Provider Services > Oracle Essbase > plandb.budget.upenn.edu: 36000 > PennHist. Select PennHist and drill down to the cube.

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Note: In the pop up window, sign in, and hit Connect. If you signed into a Microsoft Office document, your password will be remembered, and you will not be asked to sign in. In the Hyperion tab, select Activate to see if you are connected to a cube.

Setting User Preference Options

Before you begin creating reports, review the options that control how data is retrieved and which data is retrieved. Defaults were selected with the installation of Smart View, but changing some options is discretionary. After changing options in the Options dialog box, users must perform a refresh or drill operation to put the new setting into effect. To set the options, open Excel, and select the Hyperion tab to find Options. Scroll to the far right end of the ribbon to find Options on the ribbon. The Options window has three tabs: Ad Hoc, Display, and Cell Styles.

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Note: If you had the Essbase Add-In for Excel previously installed, you don't need to have your Local Service Provider, LSP, install the Smart View Add-In.

Ad Hoc Options Ad hoc options control how data is retrieved into the spreadsheet and which data is retrieved in ad hoc queries. When Smart View was installed, one default was changed in Ad Hoc Options. The default URL was changed to: http://www.budget.upenn.edu/PlanTools/.

Formatting and Navigation Suppress Rows: The first time in, you cannot suppress rows. Thereafter, you can check No Data/# Missing and Zero to suppress rows that contain no data, missing label, and rows that contain a zero value Indentation: Users discretion on this formatting choice. Indents member names to make it easier to view relationships between members in the spreadsheet. None - no indentation, Subitems descendants are indented from ancestor values, Totals ancestors are indented from descendant values. Mode: Leave unchecked. Enabling this function allows the user to navigate through the sheet without retrieving data. Using the Navigation without Data setting can speed up operations such as Pivot, Zoom, Keep Only, and Remove Only by preventing calculations during navigation. Once set data will not appear again until you clear this setting. Mouse Operation: By default Use Double Click for Ad Hoc Operations is checked. This function must be enabled to retrieve the default grid from the server and be able to drill down or up to more or less detail. Undo Check Enable. Number of undo actions can be set by the user, however, the higher the number of undo actions, the more memory used. The Undo selection allows users

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to undo Zoom In, Zoom Out, Keep Only, Remove Only, or Refresh commands. You can also redo work you have undone. To undo one of the commands, use the Undo command on the Hyperion menu (Control Z does not undo your work in Ad Hoc Analysis). Hierarchy Zoom In: Next Level is the default zoom option, and is used to retrieve data for the children of the selected member or members. All Levels retrieves data for all descendants of the selected member or members Bottom Level retrieves data for the lowest level of members in a dimension Member Retention: Include Selection is the default option, and is used to retain the selected member along with the other members retrieved as a result of the zoom. Within Selected Group applies only to the group of members in which the selection is made. By default, Within Selected Group is disabled. This setting is meaningful only when the sheet contains two or more dimensions of data down a sheet as rows or across a sheet as columns. (This setting also affects the behavior of Keep Only and Remove Only operations.) Remove Unselected Groups removes all dimension groups that are not in the selected group. Hyperion Provider User Services URL In Default URL: Check Override default Type in: https://eps.budget.upenn.edu:35543/aps/SmartView

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Display Options The user is able to select options of how data is displayed on the worksheet. Replacement enables you to define labels to missing values and for data to which you do not have access. You may wish to display missing values with a dash (-) or a 0. Member Name Display Options allows several choices of descriptive names. Other useful options include formatting of numbers and cells by checking Use Thousands Separator or Use Excel Formatting. Replacement Suppress Rows: in the field No Data/Missing type #NumericZero for 0 or for a dash In the field # No Access Label, type #No Access In the field, #Invalid/Meaningless type #Invalid Member Name Display Options Member Name Only to display member name labels Member Name and Description to display both member name labels and descriptions

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Check the box for Use Thousands Separator to format the data in data grids Check Use Excel Formatting to let Smart View control cell formatting or you can control formatting by using the functionality of Excel formatting. Use Excel Formatting for highlyformatted reports. It is supported for refresh and submit actions but not for zoom or pivot operations. This function overrides the Use Thousands Separator option when both are selected, Styles selected in the Cell Styles tab of the Options dialog box, and styles set using Capture Formatting. Preserve Formula on POV Change to preserve formulas after you change the POV. Formulas that have been entered into data forms are maintained upon refresh; only the POV of the formula changes.

After changing an option in the Options dialog box, users must perform a refresh or drill operation to put the new setting into effect. Cell Styles Options The user can apply styles to data cells. For example, to apply bold font, a border or a background to the parent level members, you would: 1. Expand the plus sign next to Analytic Services 2. Expand the plus sign next to Member cells 3. Place a check mark next to Parent 4. Right click on Parent 5. Select Font, Background, or Border 6. Click OK after making your selections Note: If you select the Use Excel Formatting option within the Display tab, the Excel formatting will override all style options set in the Cell Styles tab.

The Ad Hoc Grid

Ad hoc grids are used to analyze data from a data source. Ad hoc queries enable you to view data for specific dimensions from the data source without writing spreadsheet functions. After connecting to a data source and opening a worksheet, you can open the default Ad Hoc grid.
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To activate the Ad Hoc Grid, double click a cell in a worksheet or hit the Refresh icon in the ribbon. Here is an example of what appears when the default Ad Hoc grid is opened.

There are ten dimensions in the grid, two on the worksheet itself and eight in the POV toolbar. These ten settings define what appear in your report. Dimensions are the most basic categorical definition of data within the database outline. You need at least two dimensions to make any meaningful reference to data. The elements within a dimension are members. Initially, no data is displayed in the grid because specific members have not been chosen. To see data, you need to select dimension members and place them in the grid.

Selecting Members for Ad Hoc Analysis

There are multiple ways to select members for the grid. For the beginner, it is advised to start with the default grid and choose members from the POV toolbar.

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Dragging and Dropping Dimension Members

Before selecting dimension members on a blank worksheet, it helps to visualize how you want your report to look (which dimensions are rows and which are columns) as you construct the grid. You can begin adding members to your worksheet by dragging and dropping dimensions from the POV toolbar to one of the member cells. As you drag members from the POV toolbar, those dimension members will no longer be listed on the toolbar. To drag and drop a dimension member, use one of the following methods: To drag a dimension member from the POV toolbar to the grid, select the member, and drag it to the desired location on the grid. To drag a dimension member from the grid to the POV toolbar, select the member in the grid, right-click then drag it to the toolbar. Note: To drop a dimension member to the worksheet, you must drop it on a member cell. If you attempt to drop it on an empty cell, an error symbol will be visible, and the dragged member will not stick.

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The POV toolbar lists the dimensions, but you have the opportunity to specify the members. 1. Click the dropdown arrow next to a dimension in the POV toolbar and select The Member Selection dialog box appears. 2. Click the + (Plus sign) above the left column to display all the members of the dimension. 3. Select the members you want to use in your report and then use the arrows between the Members and Selection columns to place them in the Selection column. Multiple members can be selected. 4. Click OK. 5. The members now appear in the dropdown menu of the POV toolbar, and can be dragged to the worksheet. If you havent specified the members in the POV toolbar and have added dimensions to the worksheet, then you can still specify members. If you are familiar with the nomenclature for the dimension, you can type it in the cell. As an example, for the dimension Versions you can type member names of Working, Actual, or Forecast. You can also select the members: 1. Position the cursor in a cell on the grid and select Hyperion > Member Selection, the Dimension Name Resolution dialog appears. 2. From the Dimensions drop-down list, select a dimension and click OK. The Member Selection dialog box appears. 3. Click the + (Plus sign) above the left column to display all the members of the dimension. 4. Select the members you want to use in your report and then use the arrows between the Members and Selection columns to place them in the Selection column. 5. Click OK. Note: Smart View drag and drop is disabled after you perform Excel editing actions such as typing over member values, inserting or deleting columns or rows, dragging and dropping an Excel region. etc. To re-enable Smart View drag and drop, refresh the grid.
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If a dimension is already on the grid, such as OBJ, you can double-click on it to drill into that dimension. (The OBJ member will drill down to the level that you chose in Options. This example drills down to the Next Level.)

Displaying Alias Member Names

Alternative names for members are known as aliases. The descriptive value for each member is defined in an alias table. No alias table is defined when you first connect to the reporting cube. If you assign the Default alias table to the grid, dimension descriptions will appear in the grid and alternate descriptive names for database members will default to aliases. In the alias table, users have three choices of how to display member names. Those choices include Default, None, or ReportLabels. As an example, if default is selected, then Object member name of K033-Transfers will display. If None is chosen, then OBJ-K033 will display. If ReportLabels is selected, then Transfers will display.

To change the alias table, go to Add-Ins > Hyperion > Ad Hoc Analysis > Change Alias Table. Use this option to change alias tables for existing grids. Otherwise, users can access the Change Alias Table by the Data Source Manager, and right-clicking the active provider (PennHist) to select Change Alias Table. Select the alias table that contains the member names that you want to use, and click OK. Refresh the grid to display the alias names from the table you have chosen Note: The Member Name and Description option or the Description Only option must be selected in order for alias names to display in the Ad Hoc grid. Using the Change Alias Table command may result in the loss of cell comments and formulas that you added to the worksheet, and formatting that you preserved using the Capture Formatting command.

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Refreshing the Grid

You can refresh the grid at any time to retrieve data from the connected data source into the active worksheet. For example, after you change the Point of View (POV), you can refresh the grid to see the changes. If you want to save the POV settings in a worksheet, refresh the settings before you save the worksheet. To refresh the grid, select Hyperion > Refresh (toolbar button) in the Hyperion ribbon. To refresh all grids, functions, and forms in the workbook, select Hyperion, then Refresh All in the Hyperion ribbon.

Drilling on Dimension Members

With a live connection you can drill to various levels of data in the grid by zooming in/out on members. For example, if you want to view data for a specific quarter or month rather than for the whole year, you can zoom in on the Time Periods member to see more detailed data. Zooming In on Dimension Members When you zoom in on a member, it is expanded according to the options specified in the Options dialog box. If you select the option to zoom in on all levels, the grid displays all descendants of the selected member.

The default zoom option is to zoom in to the next level to retrieve data for the children of the selected member or members. For example, if you double-click the Scenario member, the system displays Actuals and Budget. To set Zoom-In options, select a cell you want to zoom in to and choose Hyperion > Ad Hoc Analysis > Zoom In. Zooming Out on Dimension Members You can drill up to higher levels of data in the grid by collapsing, or zooming out to, dimensions. For example, if you previously drilled down on a dimension such as Periods to view data for October, November, and December in Q2, you might want to drill up to view aggregate data for the period. When you zoom out from December, the Period dimension is collapsed for Oct, Nov, and Dec and replaced with Q2.
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To zoom out of dimension members, select a cell you want to zoom out of and choose Hyperion > Ad Hoc Analysis > Zoom Out.

Pivoting Dimensions
Pivoting changes the orientation of the data on the worksheet. You can move dimensions between rows and columns and move dimensions in and out of the grid. When you move between rows and columns, the system moves the selected dimension to the outermost row or column on the opposite axis.

To pivot data, select a dimension by highlighting a row or column, then choose Hyperion > Ad Hoc Analysis > Pivot.

Keeping or Removing Data

You can modify the Ad Hoc grid to keep only or remove only selected dimension members. Using the Keep Only command, you keep only the selected member, such as an active cell, or a member range within the grid, while removing all unselected members from the worksheet for that dimension.

To keep data in the grid, select the member(s) by highlighting the member(s) that you want to keep in the grid, then select Hyperion > Keep Only.

To remove data from the grid, select the member(s) by highlighting the member(s) that you want to remove from the grid, then select Hyperion > Remove Only.

NOTE: If you delete members from a grid using the Delete key (not using the Remove Only command), you must also delete the corresponding data points; otherwise, when you refresh the grid, the remaining cells are treated as comments.

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Formatting Data Cells in the Grid

Smart View provides formatting options, which include Capture Formatting and Excel-based formatting, to apply formatting styles, such as font color or number styles, to selected data cells (but not to dimension member cells). You must refresh the grid after you type member names in the grid in order to use Capture Formatting.

To apply formatting to one or more data cells in a grid: 1. Select the cell or cells to which you want to apply formatting. 2. Choose one or more of the following format options: 3. To apply a background color to the selected cells, click the arrow next to the Fill Color button, and click on a color from the palette to select it. 4. To apply a font color to the selected cells, click the arrow next to the Font color button, and click on a color from the palette to select it. 5. To apply formats to numbers, such as add decimals places or a currency symbol, select Format > Cells and make the appropriate selections in the Number tab. 6. Select Hyperion > Capture Formatting to retain the formatting options for the selected cells. Note: Formatting assumes you are displaying the Formatting toolbar in Excel. (To display the toolbar, right-click in the toolbar area of Excel and select Formatting.) The Capture Formatting feature is not compatible with Excel-based formatting.

Working with Formulas in Ad Hoc Grids

When working with ad hoc grids, you can create Excel formulas to manipulate or analyze the data. You can create formulas inside or outside the ad hoc grid, as well as on cells that have cell text or are locked. You cannot create formulas on read-only cells or on cells that have supporting detail.

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Formulas are preserved even when you: Refresh the Ad Hoc grid Use the Keep Only or Remove Only functions Add comments Zoom in or zoom out (referential formulas are updated with their new relative positions)

Formulas are not preserved if you change the grid by: Pivoting data Clearing the grid Retrieving data without saving the formulas Using the Change Alias Table command Note: After performing a Zoom In or Zoom Out operation, the location of the formula is calculated based on the first occurrence of a member on any row or column. If member names are repeated, then zooming in or zooming out on the grid may cause the formula location to be wrongly calculated. Avoid using Zoom In and Zoom Out operations when working with grids containing repeated members and formulas referring to them.

Saving Reports
Once your report is in a format with the level of detail you are examining and with which you are satisfied, save it. Whenever you want an updated report, connect to the reporting cube and simply click the Refresh key.

If you are making changes to the POV in a worksheet, refresh the settings before you save the worksheet.

Smart View Toolbar Buttons

Smart View supports Microsoft Office 2007, which features ribbons that display buttons for accessing most Smart View commands. The buttons on the Hyperion ribbon are labeled and grouped according to function. Below are the active buttons:

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Button

Purpose Data Source Manager Zoom In Zoom Out Pivot Keep Only Remove Only Refresh Refresh All Undo Redo Copy Data Points Paste Data Points R & A Edit POV Manager Member Selection Function Builder Adjust Visualize in Excel Options Add or Remove Buttons

Description Opens the Data Source Manager where you add, delete, and edit data source connections Zooms into data from the connected data source Collapses the cell view Changes the dimension orientation Deletes all members except the ones that are selected Removes only the selected members Refreshes data in the active Excel worksheet Refreshes data in all worksheets of the Excel workbook Restores the previous database view Reverses an Undo Copies data points from Excel that you can paste into Word or PowerPoint Pastes data points that were copied from Excel into Word or PowerPoint Enables you to edit Reporting and Analysis documents imported into Excel (not selectable for Hyperion Enterprise) Opens the POV Manager where you can perform operations on a Point of View Opens the Member Selection dialog box where you can select members and filter member lists Opens the Function Builder, where you create and validate functions Provides options for adjusting the values of selected cells Enables you to view the detail of a selected Excel data point in a linked report without losing the formatting of the source report Opens the Options dialog box where you set ad hoc, display, and cell style preferences Click opens a menu of Smart View toolbar buttons to add or remove Right-click opens a menu of toolbars to add or remove

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Help
If you need further help, you can access the help feature for Smart View by right clicking on a member cell, then selecting Hyperion > Help. Help explains features and options including the concepts, processes, and examples that you need to use Smart View. To find information, click Contents, Index, or Search in the left frame of the pop up window.

In January and February, the Budget Office hosts Open Houses (7th floor, Franklin Building) on Wednesday afternoons, from 4 pm to 5 pm for demos, questions and answers, and related discussions. Individual users are encouraged to stop by.

Users can also direct their Smart View questions to [email protected].

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