Friday

Financial Analyzer -I

Definition: Financial Analyzer
Financial Analyzer is a distributed software application that you can use to:
1) Report and analyze corporate financial data and create financial budgets, forecasts, and plans
2) Create and run financial models
3) Configure an efficient and convenient financial system for your business

Financial Analyzer runs on a combination of networked personal computers and servers. A variety of software modules, known as workstations, are installed on the personal computers and servers and are set up to access common databases, called shared databases. These shared databases contain data and structures that are used throughout the Financial Analyzer system.
If Web listener software has been installed and configured on the server, Financial Analyzer reports, graphs, and data entry forms can also be accessed through a Web browser.



Types of workstations
The Financial Analyzer environment includes two basic types of workstations, administrator workstations and user workstations.
The following types of administrator workstations are supported:
- Super administrator workstation
- Administrator workstations
- Task Processor workstations

The following types of user workstations are supported:
- Budget workstations
- Analyst workstations



Types of databases
Financial Analyzer workstations access 2 type of databases:
1) Personal: Personal databases are used to store objects, and on some types of workstations, financial data. Objects include dimensions, financial data items, attributes, and hierarchies, as well as documents such as reports, worksheets and graphs.

2) Shared: The shared database contains financial data and objects that are shared by all users. Shared databases are maintained by administrators.



Tiered system design
Using the Super administrator workstation as the starting point, you can build a tiered architecture by creating subordinate administrator workstations, which can in turn be used to create other subordinate administrator workstations. This tiered approach to system design reduces the size and complexity of the top-level structures and permits greater autonomy and control at lower-level and remote sites.


Super Administrator Workstations

Super administrator workstation enables the administrator at the highest level to perform the following functions:
- Define database structures and documents for system-wide use
- Control subordinate administrators' and users' access to financial data
- Process tasks submitted by users to update the Super administrator's shared database

Location in a tiered architecture:The Super administrator workstation is located at the top level of any Financial Analyzer environment. Only one Super administrator workstation can exist in a given system.
Associated databases: Super administrator workstations are associated with a Super shared database, a personal database, and a Task Processor.


Administrator Workstations
The Administrator workstation is a system management and data access tool that enables you to perform the following tasks:
1) Define and maintain users of Budget, Analyst, and subordinate Administrator workstations.
2) Specify the default configuration for Budget, Analyst, and subordinate Administrator workstations when you create them.
3) Restrict changes to shared data by controlling user access to the financial data in the shared database.
4) Define database structures and distribute them to the shared database, subordinate Administrator workstations, Budget workstations, and Analyst workstations.
5) Distribute slices of financial data to users and the shared database.
6) Refresh the shared database that you maintain with data distributed from your superior administrator.
7) Submit financial data from the shared database that you maintain to your superior administrator's shared database. (Super administrators cannot perform this task because by definition they are at the highest level in the reporting structure.)


Location in a tiered architecture: Multiple Administrator workstations can exist at various levels of an environment that is set up in a tiered configuration. Each Administrator workstation is associated with its own shared database.

Associated databases: Administrator workstations are associated with a shared database and a Task Processor.


Task Processor Workstation

A Task Processor workstation is a queue management tool that has the following characteristics: - It is associated with each Administrator workstation in an Financial Analyzer system
- It enables administrators to monitor and control the transfer of data between user workstations and their associated shared databases
- It enables administrators to manage distribution of structures to subordinate workstations

Methods of running a Task Processor
Although all tasks are actually processed on the server, a Task Processor can be set up:
- As a separate software component on the computer where an Administrator workstation runs
On a separate computer that is dedicated to task processing
- To run directly on a server as a background task

When the Task Processor workstation is installed as a stand-alone workstation on a dedicated PC or server, tasks can be processed without interruption.

Budget Workstations
A Budget workstation is a data access tool that enables you to perform the following tasks:
- Define and maintain personal database objects such as dimensions, attributes, hierarchies, models, solve definitions, and group solve definitions
- Create and maintain personal reports, graphs, worksheets, and folders
- Use administrator defined database objects and documents
- Submit financial data from the personal database to the Administrator workstation's shared database
- Refresh the personal database with data from the Administrator workstation's shared database

Location in a tiered architecture: In a tiered structure, a Budget workstation is located beneath the Administrator workstation that created it and is associated with a personal database that contains database structures, settings, and financial data.
Multiple Budget workstations can exist beneath the same Administrator workstation. In a tiered configuration, multiple Budget workstations can also exist at multiple levels of the configuration.

Analyst Workstations
An Analyst workstation is a data access tool that enables you to perform the following tasks:
- Refresh structures distributed by the Administrator workstation
- Define and use personal reports, graphs, worksheets, and folders or use administrator defined documents
- Access and manipulate data associated with dimensions, dimension values, time, attributes, hierarchies, and models in the shared database

Location in a tiered architecture: In a tiered structure, an Analyst workstation is located beneath the Administrator workstation that created it and is associated with a personal database that contains database structures and settings but no personal copy of financial data

Example: Workstations in a Typical Corporate Environment
In a typical corporation, there are many different ways that Financial Analyzer can be configured and utilized.

Consulting division: In the consulting division, regional Consulting Managers use Budget workstations that report into the Sub Administrator workstation of the Consulting VP. Consulting Managers can:
- Edit the expense and revenue line items of their region.
- View the expense and revenue line items of other regional Consulting Managers. This facilitates Consulting Managers inputting their budget and forecast numbers based on trends in their particular regions.
- Perform what-if analysis to evaluate the potential performance based on the probability of the variable environment factors occurring.
- Augment their personal database by adding financial and personnel data which is not present in the data set distributed to them from the Administrator (which is sourced primarily from Oracle General Ledger).

When budgets or forecasts are completed, Consulting Managers submit their final numbers to the Consulting VP who reviews them and requests revisions if necessary. The Consulting VP may also make edits to the shared data which become the final budget. The lower level Budget workstations Consulting Managers then refresh their personal databases to get the finalized figures. The Consulting VP submits final summary consulting P&L budgets and forecasts to a Senior Financial Analyst in Corporate Finance who runs the Super administrator workstation.


Manufacturing: In the manufacturing environment, Product Managers:
- Follow an organization similar to the Consulting Managers, except that what they can view and edit is determined by their product responsibilities rather than by their geographic region.
- Utilize Financial Analyzer Budget workstations to budget and forecast and perform in-depth analyses such as product profitability, customer profitability, trend analysis, what-if analysis, and production forecasting.
- Submit forecasts and budgets to the Production VP or directly to a Financial Analyst in Corporate Finance.

Some product managers are provided with Analyst workstations to keep current on company performance and to support production line decisions. These Analyst workstation users view the historic, budget, and current forecast data to properly plan and execute to the budget/forecast. Their view of the data is also very product-focused. They do not need to perform analysis or provide budget or forecast data. They use the finalized corporate data for ongoing decision making and planning; therefore, the functionality of the Analyst workstation suits their needs.


Corporate finance: In general, all Manufacturing and Consulting related workstations report directly to the Super administrator workstation in Corporate Finance. Other Financial Analyzer users in the Corporate Finance Department are either Budget or Analyst workstations, all of which report to the Super administrator workstation.
A Senior Financial Analyst or a number of Senior Financial Analysts are responsible for the collection of budget and forecast data throughout the organization. If there are a number of these positions, they act as Administrator workstations which then report to a Super administrator workstation within the Corporate Finance Department. The Senior and Junior Financial Analysts all require analysis and modeling capabilities to review and possibly modify the information coming in from other areas of the organization.
Other specialists in the Corporate Finance Department can require either the Budget or Analyst workstation functionality:
- The CFO normally requires only Analyst workstation functionality
- Budget or Forecast Analysts who concentrate primarily on forward trends and potential changes in the projected performance path require Budget workstations

The Super administrator resides in the Corporate Finance Department and the number of Sub administrator workstations it supports depends on whether data from other areas of the organization is submitted to one or many workstations within the Corporate Finance department.


Typical Financial Analyzer Configurations

Simple configuration: The simplest system configuration is made up of the following:
- A single Super administrator workstation that includes a super shared database and Task Processor
- One or more user workstations


Complex configuration: A more complex system configuration can be set up with multiple tiered structures. In a structure with multiple tiers, each level, or tier, includes the following:
- A single Super administrator workstation, that includes a super shared database and Task Processor
- One or more Administrator workstations that each include a shared database and Task Processor
- One or more user workstations that communicate with the Administrator workstation in the tier immediately above them


External Users
In addition to supporting access through workstations, Financial Analyzer supports external users. External users have access to their administrator's shared database. No client software needs to be installed on the local PC.
There are two types of external users:
- External Web users
- External Express Spreadsheet Add-In users

External Web users: External Web users access Financial Analyzer reports and graphs through a Web browser. An external Web user can also use data entry forms to enter data into the shared database. An external Web user cannot create or maintain personal documents, create or distribute data structures, or distribute data.

External Express Spreadsheet Add-In users: Express Spreadsheet Add-In users fetch data from one or more Financial Analyzer databases and work with the data in a spreadsheet environment. An Express Spreadsheet Add-In user who is an external user is limited to data manipulation; no personal database is available.


Financial Analyzer documents
You can work with four types of documents in Financial Analyzer:
1- Reports
2- Graphs
3- Worksheets
4- Data entry forms

1) Reports: You use reports to view your financial data from different perspectives and prepare presentations based on your analyses.


2) Graphs:You use graphs to create visual representations of your financial data.


3) Worksheets:You use worksheets to enter and manipulate financial data.


4) Data Entry Forms:You use data entry forms to enter data using the Financial Analyzer Web interface.


Compatibility with other products: You can use Financial Analyzer in conjunction with the following products:
1- Oracle General Ledger - You can integrate it with Financial Analyzer during installation and setup.

2-Microsoft® Excel - You can choose to install the Oracle Express Spreadsheet Add-In when installing a Financial Analyzer workstation. This enables you to fetch data from one or more Financial Analyzer databases and work with Financial Analyzer data in a spreadsheet environment.

3- Oracle Express Objects and Oracle Express Analyzer - You can then use Oracle Express Objects and Oracle Express Analyzer to develop custom applications.





Oracle General Ledger Interface
If you have installed Oracle General Ledger, Manage menu opens a cascading menu, which contains the following items:
1- Submit Load from GL -- Opens the Submit Load from GL dialog box, which enables you to log into your GL Account and load data into General Ledger either manually or automatically.
2- Refresh GL -- Opens the Refresh GL Structure dialog box, which enables you to see which database objects from General Ledger are to be added, deleted, or overwritten when you refresh your database.
3- Write Budget to GL -- Opens the Write Budget to GL dialog box, which enables you to specify the data to write back to General Ledger.

4- Add GL Dimension Values -- Opens the Add GL Dimension Values dialog box, which enables you to create dimension values for General Ledger segment values that were imported into Financial Analyzer but which had no associated balances at the time they were loaded.

5- GL Access Settings -- Opens the GL Access Settings dialog box, which enables you to specify the financial data set to be downloaded and the name of the account on the host computer where the Oracle General Ledger data reside.

(GL Interface available in Super administrator workstations.)


Working in a Stand-Alone Session
Thick client : A client is considered thick if the personal database and Personal Express are installed on the PC and a majority of processing takes place on the PC.
Thin client: A client is considered thin if the personal database and express server are installed on the server and a majority of processing occurs on the server.

About working stand-alone
You can work without being attached to the shared database if your PC is set up as a thick client. When you start the software while working on a stand-alone workstation, the software warns you that you are not able to connect to the shared database and asks if you want to work unattached. If you choose Yes, you will be running in a stand-alone session, where you are unable to receive distributions or submit your work. During a subsequent work session when you are attached to the shared database, you can submit the data that you worked on during your unattached session.
You can specify a setting in the Options dialog box that tells the system to automatically ask if you want to work unattached to the shared database. Setting this option enables users who are working away from the office to bypass a set of message boxes requesting passwords and providing warning messages.

Conditions required: You can work in a stand-alone session unattached to the shared database if the following conditions are met:
- You are working on a Super administrator, Administrator, or Budget workstation.
- You installed a personal copy of Financial Analyzer code.
- You are working on a PC that is set up as a thick client.

When you can work stand-alone: Using this feature, you can continue to work productively even if:
- You have to be away from your office and do not have the ability to communicate with the shared database.
- You are unable to connect to the shared database because of communications problems within your normal working environment.

When you cannot work stand-alone: You cannot work stand-alone if:
- You are using an Analyst workstation. This is because Analyst workstations must always attach directly to the shared database.
- You are on a workstation that does not have a copy of personal code installed.
- You are working on a PC that is set up as a thin client.


Dimensions and Dimension Values
Data is organized in Financial Analyzer using three kinds of data structures:
1) Dimensions
2) Dimension values
3) Financial data items

Financial data items are made up of dimensions, which in turn are made up of dimension values.
Dimensions: Dimensions are database objects that perform the following functions:
- They organize the data contained in financial data items
- They answer the following questions about data: what, when, and where
- They enable you to select and work with specific subsets of data


Who can work with dimensions and dimension values?

1) Administrators: As an administrator, it is your responsibility to maintain the dimensions and dimension values that your users access in the shared database that you administer. When you create or modify a dimension or dimension value and want other users to be able to access it, you must distribute the dimension or dimension value to the shared database and to other users.
2) Budget workstation users: As a Budget workstation user, you can create and modify dimensions and dimension values for personal use. You can modify dimensions and dimension values that your administrator has created for you, but you cannot save the modifications unless you assign a new name to the modified dimension or dimension value, so that you retain the original. Also note that you cannot submit data to the shared database if is associated with a dimension or dimension value that you have created in your personal database.


Ways to Set Up Dimensions


- Using dimensions in models: When the data associated with a financial data item needs to be calculated, a model is defined using one or more of the dimensions that make up the financial data item. For example, models might be based on dimensions such as Line Item and Account. Dimensions that are used in models typically aggregate over time and do not require hierarchies because Financial Analyzer provides a Time hierarchy.

- Using dimensions in hierarchies: When the data associated with a financial data item needs to be aggregated into higher and lower levels of detail, a hierarchy is defined using one or more of the dimensions that make up the financial data item. For example, hierarchies might be based on dimensions such as Organization and Product. Dimensions that are used in hierarchies typically do not aggregate over time and are not used in models.

-Using dimensions as attributes: When you need to establish a relationship between two dimensions for the purpose of selecting values of one dimension by their association with another dimension, an attribute can be defined to link them. Typically, the grouping dimension of an attribute is not used to dimension any financial data item, does not aggregate over time, is not used in a model, and does not require hierarchies.


Financial Data Items
Financial data items are database objects that are used to store or calculate financial data values. There are two types of financial data items:
1) Stored financial data items, which are used to store values
2) Formula financial data items, which are used to calculate values

1) Stored financial data items: A stored financial data item can accept data in the following ways:
- You can enter the data manually using a worksheet or a data entry form
- You can enter the data using a data loading program
- You can copy the data into one financial data item from another financial data item

2) Formula financial data items: A formula financial data item contains a formula that calculates values based on the values of one or more stored financial data items. For example, you might create a formula financial data item called Budget Variance whose values reflect the difference between two stored financial data items, Actuals and Budget.
The values of a formula financial data item are calculated and displayed in a report or graph that includes the financial data item. Because the values are based on another financial data item, whose values may change, the values of a formula financial data item are not permanently stored in the system. They are calculated based on their associated stored financial data items.
Types of formula financial data items

There are two types of formula financial data items:
1- Formula Manual -- The value of the financial data item is dynamically calculated using a formula in which the data's dimensionality is specified by the user
2- Formula Automatic -- The financial data item's value is dynamically calculated using a formula in which the data's dimensionality is automatically determined from a stored financial data item

Who can work with financial data items?


1- Administrators: As an administrator, it is your responsibility to maintain the financial data items that your users access in the shared database that you administer. When you create or modify a financial data item and want other users to be able to access it, you must distribute the financial data item to the shared database and to other users.
2-Budget workstation users: As a Budget workstation user, you can create and modify financial data items for personal use. You can modify financial data items that your administrator has created for you, but you cannot save the modifications unless you assign a new name to the modified financial data item and retain the original. Also note that you cannot submit data to the shared database if it is associated with a financial data item that you have created in your personal database.


Sparse data: Sparse data occurs when many data cells in a financial data item contain NA values. For example, if a financial data item contains information that is dimensioned by Product and Market, it is likely that the data will be sparse because not all products are sold in all markets.


Importance of dimension order for financial data items:
When you create a stored financial data item, you must pay attention to the order in which you select the dimensions that comprise the financial data item. The dimension order determines how data is stored in Financial Analyzer, which in turn affects performance and storage in the Financial Analyzer database.

The order that you specify for the dimensions in your financial data items should depend on whether the data in the financial data item is dense or sparse.

1) When data is dense, the Time dimension should be the last dimension in the financial data item definition.

2) When data is sparse,

- You must have at least one dense dimension.
- Place dense dimensions first in the financial data item's definition.
- The Time dimension should always be a dense dimension.
- If you have more than one dense dimension (one of them being Time), the Time dimension can either be the last of the dense dimensions or the last of all dimensions:
a) If you will be consistently processing one period's data at a time for a financial data item, placing the Time dimension last may improve load and solve performance.
b) If you will be consistently processing a time series, placing the Time dimension last of the dense dimensions may improve load and solve performance.

- Dimensions identified as sparse should be ordered according to their number of dimension values, with dimensions with more values coming before those with less. For example, if a fi nancial data item has four dimensions: Account Organization, Product, and Time, and the relationship between Account, Organization, and Product is sparse, then the order of the dimensions should be:


Hierarchies
Hierarchies are tree-like organizational structures that you can use to relate the values of dimensions in your database. Hierarchies enable the data associated with dimension values to be aggregated at various levels along the structure. Dimensions that are associated with hierarchies in this way are called embedded total dimensions because the levels of aggregation are embedded in the dimension's values. Typically, these dimensions include Time, Product, and Organization, but you can define hierarchies for any dimension in your system.


Parent and child values: The relationships between the various values are referred to as though they were part of a family tree. Each dimension value in a hierarchy (except the top-most value) has a parent value, which is the value directly above it in the structure. The dimension values directly below a parent are called its children.


Sibling values: Each parent value can have any number of children. Dimension values that have the same parent are called siblings.


Descendant and ancestor values: Each child value can also have children of its own, and so on. Multiple levels of dimension values that roll up to a common value are called descendants of that value, and the value itself is known as the ancestor of the descendent values.


Leaf values: In a hierarchy, any dimension value that has no children is called a leaf dimension value. Leaf dimension values are the only dimension values for which you can input data for a hierarchy. The data for each non-leaf dimension value is consolidated from its children.


Attributes
Attributes establish relationships between the values of two dimensions in such a way that the values of one dimension (a grouping dimension) can be used to group multiple values of the other dimension (a base dimension). Each value of the grouping dimension serves as a characteristic, or attribute, that applies to multiple values of the base dimension.

Attributes facilitate the process of selecting data for documents. When selecting data by attribute, you can choose any number of values of the base dimension by specifying a single value of the grouping dimension. This eliminates the need to specify each value of the base dimension in a separate operation.

Grouping options: You can create attributes that group related data in many different ways, such as by product type, by time period, or even by user. For example, an administrator could create an attribute called BudgetWest that includes all Budget workstation users in the West division. The administrator could then distribute data specific to Budget Workstation users in the West division, without having to select them all individually.


Attribute Types
Financial Analyzer supports two types of attributes:
1) One-to-many -- A relationship where multiple values of a base dimension are related to a single value of a grouping dimension.
2) Many-to-many -- A relationship where multiple values of a base dimension are related to multiple values of a grouping dimension.

1) One-to-many attributes: Establish a relationship between the values of two dimensions where each value of a grouping dimension is related to multiple values of a base dimension.
Simplify the process of selecting data by enabling you to specify a single value of the grouping dimension to select many values of the base dimension.

2) Many-to-many attributes: Establish a relationship between the values of two dimensions where multiple values of a grouping dimension are related to multiple values of a base dimension.
- Simplify the process of selecting data by enabling you to specify a single value of the grouping dimension to select many values of the base dimension.
- Provide an additional feature for refining your data selection; because the base dimension values can be linked to multiple values of the grouping dimension, the grouping dimension values provide a context for selecting data.


Selector: The ability to select the precise information that you want to work with is a key feature of Financial Analyzer. A data selection tool, referred to as the Selector, supports the data selection function. The Selector:
- Gives you flexible access to your data and to database objects that you use in Financial Analyzer.
- Provides a set of tools that enable you to easily select groups of related data.


Models
Models are sets of up to 8,000 interrelated equations that can be used to calculate new data values. They can also be used in worksheets for performing what-if analyses. Models are:
- Database objects that you create and maintain
- Separate from the financial data items whose data they calculate

To use a model to calculate new data for a financial data item, you include the model in a solve definition, and associate the solve definition with a financial data item. You then run the solve definition to calculate the data. The same model can be used to calculate data for multiple financial data items, as long as they have the same dimensions.

Financial Analyzer models can be used to manage a wide range of financial data issues including:
- Simple relationships between dimension values
- Complex reference calls involving data stored in separate data cubes
- Simultaneous equations where the sequence of multiple calculations is essential to deriving the desired results

Who can work with models?
1-Administrators: As an administrator, it is your responsibility to maintain the models that your users access in the shared database that you administer. When you create or modify a model and want other users to be able to access it, you must distribute the model to the shared database and to other users. Typically, administrators create and distribute the basic line item models for their groups.
2- Budget workstation users: As a Budget workstation user, you can create and modify models for your own personal use. You can modify models that your administrator has created for you, but you cannot save the modifications unless you assign a new name to the modified model, retaining the original.


Specifying how simultaneous equations are solved?
A simultaneous equation occurs when an equation in a model indirectly depends on itself as the result of the dependencies among other equations in the model. A dependency occurs when the expression on the right-hand side of the equal sign in one equation refers to the assignment target of another equation.
You control how simultaneous equations are solved by selecting options in the Model Options dialog box. The model options enable you to specify the following:
- The solution method to use
- The factors to use in testing for convergence and divergence
- The maximum number of iterations to perform
- The action to take if an equation diverges or fails to converge


Model Equation Syntax: Model equations can include operators, numeric constants, and condition statements. You can also include functions.

Operators: Operators include the unary minus symbol (-) and the standard binary operators for addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/). Conventional rules for evaluating algebraic expressions apply.
If a formula contains multiple subexpressions (distinguished from the main expression by parentheses), the subexpressions are evaluated first; then the main expression is evaluated.
Operators are evaluated from left-to-right using the conventional order of precedence: unary operators (negative symbols) are evaluated first, followed by multiplicative operators (*,/), followed by additive operators (+,-).

Numeric Constants: Numeric constants are real numbers (decimal numbers) or integers (non-decimal numbers).
Real numbers-
- Have a decimal point with digits on both sides
- Can begin with the unary minus symbol (to indicate a negative value)
- Can include exponential notation (d, D, e, or E)

Integers-
- Are whole numbers
- Can include the unary minus symbol to indicate a negative value
- Do not include a decimal point or exponential notation


Condition statements: You can use models to derive data based on certain conditions. You must use the condition statements IF, THEN, and ELSE. All three statements are required.


When typing a command or equation into a model, you can continue it onto another line by ending the partial command with a hyphen and then continuing on the next line.
(Financial Analyzer models are limited to one command per If statement)


Referring to another financial data item: When referring to another financial data item, you must create an alias financial data item. In models, you cannot reference financial data items directly; you must always refer to them using their alias. Although the model will compile if a financial data item is referenced directly, a solve that is based on the model will not run.


Modeling Functions: Financial Analyzer has many functions that you can use to make calculations and analyze data. You can use functions to perform the following tasks:
- Calculate totals and moving totals, averages, and moving averages
- Reference values from different time periods or derive data based on other line item values
- Compute logs, square roots, absolute values, and random numbers
- Calculate statistical and financial functions

To use a function, you type its name and, in parentheses, some additional information. Each piece of information needed by a function is called an argument.


Advanced mathematical functions: Advanced mathematical functions operate on each dimension in the expression. The dimensions of the result are the union of the dimensions of the inputs.

ABS - Calculates an absolute value
INTPART - Calculates the integer part of a value
LOG - Calculates the natural logarithm
LOG10 - Calculates the logarithm base 10
MAX - Calculates the maximum between 2 expressions
MIN - Calculates the minimum between 2 expressions
RANDOM - Calculates a random number
REM - Calculates the remainder after a division
SQRT - Calculates the square root


Most advanced mathematical functions operate on a single numeric variable, but the MAX and MIN functions make comparisons between the values of two variables. For dimensioned variables, the MAX and MIN functions compare each value of one variable with the corresponding value of the other variable.


Time-series functions: The time-series functions retrieve and perform calculations on values from a previous or future time period.

CUMSUM - Calculates cumulative sums over time
LAG - Calculates the value for a previous time period
LAGABSPCT - Calculates the percent difference between current and previous values and indicates the direction of change
LAGDIF - Calculates the difference between current and previous values
LAGPCT - Calculates the percent difference between current and previous values
LEAD - Calculates the value for a subsequent time period
MOVINGAVERAGE - Calculates a series of averages over time
MOVINGMAX - Returns a series of maximum values over time
MOVINGMIN - Returns a series of minimum values over time
MOVINGTOTAL - Calculates a series of totals over time

The data you retrieve with a time-series function is usually dimensioned by a time dimension, such as MONTH, PERIOD, or YEAR. LAG and LEAD actually can retrieve data of any type, but the other time-series functions handle numeric data only.
The LAG, LAGDIF, LAGPCT, LAGABSPCT, and LEAD functions let you compare data for the time dimension values in the current status with data from a previous or future time period. You specify the data expression you want to analyze, the number of time periods the function should go back or forward for the comparison, and the time dimension. LAG and LEAD simply return the past or future value.
The LAGDIF and LAGPCT functions make the most commonly used types of comparisons, that is, the difference and the percent difference, between the current data and the comparison value.
The moving functions (such as MOVINGTOTAL or MOVINGMAX) return a value for each time period in the status of a time dimension. The value is based on the data for a range of time periods that precede, include, or follow the period for which the value is being calculated. The range is always relative to the current period, so the range is always moving forward as you process each time value in the current status.

Financial functions: The financial functions provide standard calculations needed for financial analysis.

DEPRDECL - Calculates declining-balance depreciation
DEPRSL - Calculates straight-line depreciation
DEPRSOYD - Calculates sum-of-year's-digits depreciation
FINTSCHED - Calculates the interest on a series of fixed-rate installment loans
FPMTSCHED - Calculates payments for a series of fixed-rate installment loans
IRR - Calculates the internal rate of return for a stream of cash flows
NPV - Calculates the net present value of a stream of cash flows

Aggregation functions: Functions that return an aggregate value ordinarily return one value for many values of the input expression.

ANY - Tests if any values match a criterion (returns Boolean result)
AVERAGE - Calculates an average value
COUNT - Counts values that match a criterion
EVERY - Tests if every value matches a criterion (returns Boolean result)
LARGEST - Calculates the largest value
NONE - Tests if no value matches a criterion (returns Boolean result)
SMALLEST - Calculates the smallest value
STDDEV - Calculates the standard deviation using N-1
TALLY - Counts the number of dimension values corresponding to related dimension values
TCONVERT - Aggregates or allocates data based on time periods
TOTAL - Calculates a total value


Solving data
When changes are made to Financial Analyzer data, the data must be solved to ensure that it is current. Solving data can accomplish the following:
Calculate new data values for financial data items
Aggregate values along any hierarchies that have been defined for the dimensions that make up the financial data item

Solve definition: A solve definition is an information set for calculating new data for a financial data item. The elements that can make up a solve definition are models, hierarchies, and financial data items.
You can use a solve definition to:
- Associate stored financial data items with sets of interrelated equations called models, for the purpose of calculating data
- Associate stored financial data items with dimensional hierarchies for the purpose of aggregating data
- Use both models and hierarchies in combination with the same financial data item so that you can calculate new data for that item and aggregate it along a hierarchy or hierarchies

Group solve definition: A group solve definition is a mechanism for solving large quantities of data in multiple financial data items by running a single process. A group solve definition can combine solve definitions and copy data profiles, and run them in a specific order to calculate and aggregate data for any number of financial data items.
You can use group solve definitions to perform complex sets of calculations that need to be completed on a periodic basis. For example, you can set up group solve definitions to solve all of the financial data items that are affected by a particular occurrence in your business cycle.

Reasons to solve data: You solve the data in a financial data item after you have performed any of the following actions:
1- Changing or adding an equation in a model for a line item associated with the financial data item
2- Changing the aggregation type of a line item dimension associated with the financial data item 3- Changing or adding a hierarchy for a dimension associated with the financial data item
4- Adding new time periods to your database
5- Adding new dimensions to your database
6- Adding new financial data items to your database
7- Changing the current time period for your database
8- Refreshing the financial data item after adding new data
9- Entering or changing data for the financial data item through a worksheet, a data entry form, or a copy data event

[Because solve definitions and group solve definitions perform calculations or aggregations on actual stored data values, you can run them only on stored financial data items. You cannot run solve definitions or group solve definitions on formula financial data items because formula financial data items contain no actual data values. ]


Solving versus recalculating data: Solving data differs from recalculating data in that solves are performed on models, which are defined using specific financial data items. When you run a solve, it is performed for all financial data items in the model.
When you recalculate data, the recalculation is performed only on the dimensions currently in status in the worksheet.

Who can create solve definitions?
1- Administrators: As an administrator, it is your responsibility to maintain the solve definitions that your users access in the shared database that you administer. When you create or modify a solve definition and want other users to be able to access it, you must distribute the solve definition to the shared database and to other users.
2- Budget workstation users: As a Budget workstation user, you can create and modify solve definitions and group solve definitions for personal use. You can modify definitions that your administrator has created for you, but you cannot save the modifications unless you assign a new name to the modified solve definition, retaining the original.


What happens when data is submitted?
Each time a Budget workstation user submits data (or the case of an Analyst workstation user, saves data) for the financial data item, the software automatically initiates the appropriate solve definition or group solve definition to recalculate the data.
The dimension values in status when the solve or group solve takes place is determined by the intersection of the submit status and the solve definition status.

1) IF the solve profile is a solve definition THEN . . .the status set before the solve is the intersection of the status of the submit with the status set in the solve definition.

2) IF the solve profile is a group solve definition THEN . .then the status set before each solve definition in the group is:
a) The intersection of the status of the submit with the status set in the solve definition, if the financial data item in the solve definition is one that was used in the submit.
b) The status set by the solve definition if the financial data item in the solve definition was not used in the submit.

3 comments:

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
yanmaneee said...

kyrie irving shoes
kyrie shoes
louboutin shoes
cheap jordans
calvin klein underwear
yeezy boost
converse shoes
longchamp handbags
vans shoes
golden goose sneakers

Cloud Financials training said...

This blog serves as an enlightening guide for finance professionals, diving deep into the intricacies of Cloud Financials training -I. The author adeptly explores the functionalities and capabilities of this analytical tool, providing valuable insights for individuals seeking to elevate their financial analysis within the Oracle ecosystem.

Followers