Simple Task Construction
Tasks can be easily built to span multiple years, periods and scenarios, even where the scenarios have different frequencies. Extracting data across multiple scenarios / years or consolidating an entire application can be carried out in a single step.
Automation
Tasks can be easily automated using the Windows Task Scheduler (or another scheduler) to run unattended.
Process Management
When new entities are added to HFM via system maintenance, these entities will be at the 'not started' level. Publishing these entities across multiple scenarios and years can often be a time-consuming process. With the EPM Maestro, these tasks can be completed quickly and easily.
Furthermore, rejection of entities is very simple using the Maestro. Simply select the entities you wish to reject and the desired process level and EPM Maestro will handle the rest. If any parents need to be rejected, these will automatically be processed, even if they exist in multiple hiearchies.
The process management functionality fully supports process management by phase.
Document Management
EPM Maestro can extract and load web documents between applications for HFM versions 3.x and above. This allows web documents to be kept in sync across multiple applications with a minimum of effort.
Log Analysis
HFM logs a lot of useful information in task audit logs. The EPM Maestro makes this information more accessible by continually archiving and collating logs in a format that can be easily analyzed in Excel. Uses of this information include:
Investigation of performance issues. For example, if a user complains about consolidation performance, you will be able to look up the time taken for every consolidation performed by that user, as well as overall trends.
analysis of logon data to identify users who have not logged into HFM for a specified number of days (as an aid to user license management).
EPM Maestro can periodically summarise errors and warnings in your HFM System Messages and email an overview to your HFM administrator. This enhances awareness of infrastructure / application issues.
Data Extraction
The design of the EPM Maestro even adds value to simple tasks, such as data extraction. In the Maestro, you can:
Extract data automatically into datestamped folders, which can be automatically compressed into zip files. This allows 'soft backups' to be made, allowing data for an entity or division to be 'rolled-back' to an earlier stage.
Extract data into a single file. Imagine that you're renaming or deleting an account and need to know if it contains data. With EPM Maestro, it is simple to extract that account for all scenarios and years into a single data file.
Feature summary
- Extract (data/journals/system accounts)
- Extract any slice of data from value dimension (e.g. <Entity Curr Adjs>) in combination with any members of account / custom dimensions
- Copy / clear data
- Extended analytics
- Process journals. e.g. delete all journals from a specified scenario / period
- Copy journals
- Manage journal periods
- Consolidate multiple hierarchies
- Run translations / calculations / allocations
- Process control
- Lock / Unlock
- Web documents extract / delete / load
- Metadata extract / load
- Metadata comparison (e.g. to identify changes in system files before updating the live environment)
- Clear system messages (and send an email summary of errors to administrator)
- Clear and archive task audit log (and archive in Excel-friendly format for further analysis)
- Clear and archive data audit log
- Archive process management logs
- Scan / clear invalid records
- Release inactive user sessions
- E-mail notification
- Link scheduled tasks
- Includes installation and user manual
Installation requirements
EPM Maestro is built on Microsoft .Net technology. It can be installed alongside the HFM Windows client on workstations or on a server.
Want to know more?
Please use the evaluate link to ask questions or request a demonstration.
The best way to learn about EPM Maestro is to request a no-obligation evaluation of the product and use it on a HFM application in your test environment. The product is highly intuitive and can be used with minimal training.