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Version: 4.0.x
Content
CORPORATER EPM SUITE 4.0.X .......................................................................................................... 7
THE USER MANUAL ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
THE WEB ................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Starting the Web: ................................................................................................................................................ 10
My Responsibilities .............................................................................................................................................. 11
My Favorites ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
CONFIGURATION STUDIO ............................................................................................................................................... 14
Starting Configuration Studio .............................................................................................................................. 14
Scorecard Structure ............................................................................................................................................. 16
Creating a scorecard ........................................................................................................................................... 17
Data structure ..................................................................................................................................................... 18
Organizations ...................................................................................................................................................... 19
Nodes .................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Node type ............................................................................................................................................................ 22
Period .................................................................................................................................................................. 23
TEMPLATES ................................................................................................................................................................. 24
Adding a Status object ........................................................................................................................................ 25
Adding Functions ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Configuring Functions.......................................................................................................................................... 28
Entering data....................................................................................................................................................... 33
Drills .................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Viewing your Scorecard on the web page ........................................................................................................... 36
Standard Chart .................................................................................................................................................... 38
Configuring a Standard Chart .............................................................................................................................. 41
CONFIGURING THE WEB PAGES – SHARED WEB ITEMS ......................................................................................................... 45
Page setup - Tabs ................................................................................................................................................ 45
Creating new Tabs ............................................................................................................................................... 45
Moving an object to a different Tab .................................................................................................................... 46
Tab configuration ................................................................................................................................................ 46
Creating new status types ................................................................................................................................... 49
Perspective column set ........................................................................................................................................ 51
AVAILABLE FUNCTIONALITY ON THE WEB PAGE .................................................................................................................. 53
Creating new Tabs ............................................................................................................................................... 53
Adding new objects ............................................................................................................................................. 54
Configuring objects on the web ........................................................................................................................... 55
Corporater Enterprise Performance Management Suite has been designed to meet the
Performance Management needs of the business user by offering tools for Enterprise
Reporting, Initiative Management, Balanced Scorecards, Performance Dashboards,
Benchmarking, Analytics, and Risk Management. In this training program we will use
several of these models, including the system’s default EPM model, The Balanced Scorecard.
The Login page is the first page you come in contact with when you start working with
Corporater EPM Suite. The User name and Password will be given to you by your system
administrator.
2. You can also open the help file by clicking on the question marks that you see in
the Properties panel for each object. When you click on such an icon the user manual
opens in a new window or tab, showing the section describing the functionality you
are working with.
In the manual for Configuration Studio you will find an introduction to EPM model building
and guides to all the modules and functions found in the application. The manual is
searchable, and it is recommended that you consult it during the training program.
The Web
Navigating in the EPM model is done using standard Internet browser navigation. You move
between different pages by clicking on links in your browser. The screenshot below shows
the default scorecard page. The rectangles indicate examples of links/buttons that the user
can interact with.
Objects (Scorecards, Key Performance Indicators, and so on) that you create in the
Configuration Studio will appear in the web as soon as they are created. All you need to do
is to refresh the browser (F5) to see the changes. You can also add new objects directly on
the web page, if you administrator has given you access rights to do so.
2. Log in using the username and password given to you by your system administrator.
Default username for the administrator is admin and default password admin. The
password for the admin user should be changed as soon as possible.
My Responsibilities
Every web user has access to tasks and objects he is responsible for in the My
Responsibilities menu. This menu is found by clicking on the Portal icon, i.e. the small
Corporater logo, in the top left corner in the web page.
All objects throughout the system that have the user’s name in a Responsible field will be
displayed here, categorized by module.
My Favorites
In the same menu in the top left corner, web users will also find My Favorites. All web
elements the user has marked as favorites, i.e. objects that the user wants to have easy
access to, will be displayed here.
The user can add an element to this list by choosing it from the web menu of perspectives,
tables, charts, etc.
If a user wants to remove an element from My Favorites, it can be removed in the same
way as it was added, by clicking “Remove from My Favorites” in the menu of the object.
Configuration Studio
When you log on with an empty database the web page will be empty. You must create a
scorecard first. This is done in Configuration Studio. This is also where you define the
business logic behind your measures and create and administrate users and their access
rights. It is also where you access the different modules you are licensed for. These
modules are currently available: Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Strategic
Initiative, Risk, Reporter, Forms, Transformer, Workflow, and Analytics.
Click your user name at the top right and choose Configuration Studio in the drop-
down menu. If you don’t see Configuration Studio in the menu it means that you
don’t have the necessary access rights to use it. Contact your system administrator
for access.
When you open Configuration Studio for the first time after installation you will see this
screen (the default EPM model view):
Menus->
Quick menu->
Scorecard Structure
Organizations are the cornerstones in the scorecard structure. The scorecard structure is
built under organizations, and the top level the scorecard structure is the scorecard. Each
organization can have an unlimited number of scorecards.
Perspectives are created in scorecards. In the original scorecard theory there are four
perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Processes, and Learning & Growth, but they do
not exclude the use of more or others.
Strategic Objectives are placed under the Perspectives, and under the Strategic Objectives
come the lowest level in the structure, the Key Performance Indicators or KPIs.
This basic structure cannot be altered, e.g. a KPI cannot be created directly below a
Perspective. Names and properties of the model objects can be changed. This will be
explained in the next sections, and you can learn more about it in the user manual.
Creating a scorecard
To create a new scorecard:
1. Right click in the EPM model panel and choose Add in the menu.
2. Select Organization.
3. Right click on your new organization and choose Add. The menu that is displayed
contains the objects that you are allowed to add on your organization. Adding
objects by right-clicking is utilized throughout the application. You can only see the
objects that you are allowed to add on the object that you are working with. Add a
Scorecard.
4. Right click on the scorecard you just added and choose Add. Click on Business object
-> Perspective to add a perspective.
5. Double click on the perspective and rename it, to for example “Financial”. You can
also add the 3 other standard perspectives, “Customer”, “Internal processes”, and
“Learning & Growth”, in the same way.
6. Right click on a perspective and choose Add -> Business object. On the top of the
list, you will see Strategic Objective. Add a strategic objective.
7. Right click on your Strategic Objective, choose Add, and add your first KPI (Key
Performance Indicator).
You have now created your first EPM model in the EPM Suite. In the next chapter, we will
discuss the model structure in greater detail.
Data structure
All data in the Corporater database must be connected to the following dimensions:
Organization
Node
Node type
Period
This means that all data stored in the Corporater database must have a reference to each of
these four dimensions.
Example:
“The budgeted income for the Sales Department in January 2013 was €100 000”.
These dimensions do not have to be chosen in any particular order. You might first want to
choose the organization where you would like to store your data. Then you need to choose
what node to store the data in and what type of data you are storing (Actual, Budget,
Forecast, and Target). Finally, you need to choose in what period you are going to store
your data.
Organizations
An Organization in the Corporater EPM Suite can be used to represent anything from an
organization or department to a region, person, or project.
Organizations can be created under other organizations, if you want to create a hierarchy.
1. Go to EPM Model by clicking on the icon in the Quick menu or in the View menu.
2. Right click in the EPM window and choose Add -> Organization.
3. To add a sub-organization select the organization that you would like to place a sub-
organization under, right click and choose Add -> Organization. A new organization
will be created as a child of the first organization.
Nodes
A node is a generic data container that is used to store values. Nodes are not connected to
organizations, only the values stored in nodes are, so node names do not have to refer to
an organization. Nodes should be given names to describe the values they contain.
Example:
The node ”Income” contains the values 1000 and 2000, where 1000 is the income for
Organization 1 in April and 2000 is the income for Organization 2 in April, i.e. the same
node is used to store values for the same month but connected to different organizations.
Nodes are created and maintained in Node Management, found by clicking the icon in
one of the menus. Nodes can be created other nodes to create a hierarchy:
Example:
If 101 Sales contains the value “10000” for a certain period and 102 License fees “5000” for
the same period, then the value of 100 Income will be 10000+5000 = 15000.
Node type
The node types are used to differentiate between different values within a node. By default,
every node has four node types that you can store your data in: Actual, Budget, Forecast,
and Target.
Example:
The node Income contains the values “1000” and “1100”, where “1000” represents the
actual income and “1100” represents the budgeted income. In this case, we would use the
node types Actual and Budget respectively.
Period
All data stored in the Corporater database is given a timestamp that determines the period
in which the data is shown. The period can vary from "minute” to "year”.
A value stored with the date January 15, 2013 will be shown in the period January if the
period is “month”, in Q1 (first Quarter) if the period is “quarter”, 2013 if the period is “year”
and so on.
Templates
With Templates you can create an object that you can reuse throughout the system. You
can create the object once and copy or link it in the system, which simplifies building and
maintenance of scorecards. When building large scorecards, we recommend that you start
in “Template” rather than in “Model” to keep the flexibility og linking one scorecard to
several organizations.
Template is part of the default EPM view, so click on in one of the menus to open it. You
can build you scorecard structure in the usual way, as described earlier. The objects you
create should be as generic as possible so that you can link them out with as few changes
as possible. That makes it possible to make changes in a Template object later and the
changes will affect the model at the same time, so you only need to make the changes
once. It is still possible to change individual properties, i.e. override properties on linked
objects. The links to the other properties in the template will remain unchanged.
After you have built the template, you can link the template structure to a scorecard like
this:
The most important functionality on a Status object is the Limit settings. The limits control
the color of the status light and gauge that indicate the status of your KPI. Status lights and
gauges have different levels of indication. The most common are red, yellow, and green.
Which color they are given depends on the data in a given period in relation to the limit
values that are set.
The values on the far left and far right specify the minimum and maximum on the status
gauge. The other values show the limits between the other colors. Enter the values in the
period they are for. These limit values apply until new values are entered in a later period.
Example:
In the screen shot below, you see that the limits set in January 2013 will be used through
August 2013. Prior to the end of August, as long as the Result is between 0 and 30 the
status light and gauge will show the color red. After August 31st every result below 60 will
give a red status indicator.
Adding Functions
After you have connected a Status object to the KPI, the KPI needs to be given a value. This
is done by adding a Function object to it. A Function retrieves data for use in the KPI.
There are four default function types: Actual, Budget, Forecast, and Target. As the names
indicate, they are related to the Node types explained earlier, and they can be used to
collect different types of data.
By default, the first function under the first status object is the one that determines the
color of the status light and gauge, based on a comparison with the limits in the Status
object.
Configuring Functions
Functions are used to control which data to retrieve and how to modify it before displaying
it on the Result page.
Double click on your newly added Actual function located under the Result object in the EPM
Model window.
That brings up the function window shown below. The pink Function field will turn green
when a valid function has been entered into it.
Click located at the end of the Function field to open the Function calculator, to create
your function.
The Function Calculator is a powerful tool for modifying how your stored data is displayed.
There are a number of calculation operations available. The most important ones are
marked in the figure below:
Node tab
Expression tab
Functions
Node types
Date adjustments
Functions are created by clicking Nodes, Operations and numbers, as well as choosing Node
types and Date functions if desired. For more information, see the sections in the User
Manual explaining the Calculator and Calculator functions.
Example:
How to collect data from a specific node:
1. Double click on the desired node in the Node panel in the middle of the Calculator. In
this example that means double clicking on the “100 Income”.
2. This will make the pink field turn green, indicating a valid function, and the node
name (“Income”) will be displayed in the green field, as shown below. BOP,EOP
means “Beginning of Period”, “End of Period”, i.e. that all figures for the entire
current period for Node 100 will be included.
The Function window has now changed - the pink field has become green, and the function
you created is displayed in it. If you hold your mouse cursor over the node ID in the
function [100], an information text will appear that displays the Node name, in this case
“Income”.
In this function, we only defined which node to use and time period to use, bit not which
organization, or node type. The application must have these four parameters in order to
retrieve data from the database and will use the following default values when retrieving
data for use in the web if nothing is specified:
Organization: The organization the function is placed on. (To retrieve data from
more than one organization or a different organization than the one the scorecard is
placed on, use the AGG (Aggregate) function).
Node type: The function’s default node type. In this case “Actual” since we created
an Actual function. To retrieve data for a different node type you must specify the
node type in the function.
We now have a KPI with a valid function connected to it. It is time to enter some data into
the database in order to have something to display as a “Result”.
Entering data
To enter data into the database manually:
6. To start your data entry press the icon (Refresh) located next to the Period drop-
down.
7. Highlight “January 2013” and the cursor will start blinking in the Value field. Enter
the value “10” and click the button.
8. The date automatically changes to the next period, i.e. February 2013, so just enter
the value “20”.
Repeat this step until you have entered the data as shown below.
If you enter an incorrect value, just right click on it, choose Delete, and then enter the
correct value.
Now you have entered the data that is necessary to bring some life into your scorecard.
Click the End data entry button at the bottom to end registration. All values that are added
in one Manual data entry session (i.e. until End data entry is clicked) can later be found in
Data imports and Data records. They will be given the name “Manual data entry” with the
import number that you will see just above the End data entry button.
Drills
A Drill is a predefined route through different data dimensions, and is used to show detailed
figures the calculations are based on.
Check Hide NA and NaN rows and/or Hide 0 rows if you don’t want the drill to include rows
that have no value or where all values are 0.
Click the icon and choose the scorecard under the organization where you entered
data.
Click the date in the Top Bar and choose “February” in the drop-down list.
The value that is stored in February will be displayed and the page should look like this:
User the navigation arrows to move through the different time period and see how
the status lights and gauges change according to the limits and values you entered.
As you can see the Trend arrow changes in relation to how the values change from
month to month. The Trend arrow compares this period’s results with the results from last
period and shows whether the difference is positive, negative, or unchanged.
In the Drill column you will see the Drill icon , and by clicking on it, it is possible to see
the underlying figures for the KPI function.
Standard Chart
You can use a Standard Chart if you want to show your data graphically on your
KPI/scorecard. A Standard Chart uses the functions under the closest preceding Status
object and presents them in a bar or bar-line diagram.
Double click on the “Standard Chart” you just added, located under “KPI” in the EPM Model
window. That brings up the window below.
You can configure the appearance of a Standard Chart in many ways, but for now just make
sure that Include function 1 is set to “Include”. This means that the function we configured
above will be displayed in the chart.
Click OK to end.
Now go back to your web browser and press the F5 button (Refresh page).
In the drop-down list for months, choose “April”. Click on “KPI” in the middle of the page to
move to the KPI page where the Standard Chart is located. It should look something like
this:
Include function
This is a list of the functions corresponding to the functions under the closest preceding
status element to the Standard chart element, or the closest following status element if
there are none preceding. By choosing "Include" or "Exclude" from the drop-down list for
each function listed, you indicate whether that function should be included in the chart or
not. You can include any or all of them (max. 6). You can also choose to show some of the
functions as lines, se Number of Lines under Configuration.
Visibility
Period format - the format in which the period should be displayed: Short, Medium,
or Long
Switch axis - check the box to pivot the chart
Border style - choose the style the object should have:
o Border and Title bar
o Border only
o None
Visible - select how the object should appear on the web:
o Visible
o Not visible
o Only visible for Admin - shows the object on the web only for users with
admin user role; this applies everywhere, e.g. breadcrumb, organization tree,
page content, Reporter, searching, filtered lists, maps, and Workflow.
Configuration
Chart title - the text to use as title on the chart
Stacked - whether the bars in the chart should be stacked
Stack as percentages – display stacked charts using percentages instead of values
Line width - enter the width the line should have; 1.0 is default
Line style - choose between "Marked", which has dots at each value, and "Plain"
which does not
Number of lines - indicate how many of the functions should be shown as lines in the
chart, counting backward from the last one that you have included. I.e. if you have
specified "Include" on the first four functions, and set 'Number of lines' to two,
Functions 3 and 4 will be shown as lines. The others will be shown as bars.
Vertical - whether the chart is displayed vertically (as columns), which is default, or
horizontally (as bars)
Layout
Auto size - mark the box if you want the chart height to be adjusted automatically
Height - the height of the chart in pixels
Sorting
Sort column/row - the number of the column/row by which to sort, when counting
from the left/top, where the first column/row is 0
Sort order - choose from "None", "Ascending" or "Descending"
Sort row - check to use row instead of column for sorting
Color
Plot background - the background color for the area behind the bars
Color theme - the color theme to use in the bars and lines
Background - the background color of the area surrounding the chart itself, including
the Chart heading
Legend
Position - where to place the legend in relation to the chart; choose from "North",
"East", "South", and "West" or use "None" to not show the legend
Background - the background color for the Legend
Reverse order - reverse the order of the functions in the legend
Number axis
Auto range - check and the values on the axis will be calculated automatically based
on the values in the chart
Auto range includes zero - check to always include the value zero in the auto-range
Upper value - if Auto range is unchecked specify the upper limit for the values that
are to be displayed on the axis
Lower value - if Auto range is unchecked specify the lower limit for the values that
are to be displayed on the axis
Label - enter the text to be used as the Axis label
Reversed direction - show negative values above the x axis and positive values
below
Auto-tick interval - turns automatic calculation of Tick interval on/off
Tick interval - set the size of the tick interval manually when Auto-tick interval is
turned off
Reversed direction - show negative values above the x axis and positive values
below
Auto-tick interval - turns automatic calculation of Tick interval on/off
Tick interval - set the size of the tick interval manually when Auto-tick interval is
turned off
Use Bars - use bars instead of lines in the Secondary axis
Auto-axis - when Auto range is unchecked the axis to use will be automatically
assigned based on Upper value and Lower value. This may be especially useful in
combination with Benchmarking.
Category axis
Label angle - the angle the Category axis texts should have. This property can be
used to improve readability of the chart.
Label - enter the text to be displayed as the Category label
Item labels
Visible - whether to show the actual values in the chart itself
Override format - check to change the format of the values that are displayed in the
chart. The fields in Format will become active.
Format - enter optional formatting information (Prefix, Type, Decimal, Postfix, and/or
Color). If nothing is entered Type and Decimal will have the default values "Normal"
and "2". See Formatting for more information.
Tab configuration
In Shared Web items, you can configure the tabs, e.g. which icon to show on the tab and
the number of columns.
In the example we have been using in this training all elements have been placed in one
column in the Result tab. You can give the Result tab two columns:
Now you can move some of the scorecard objects from the left to the right column.
Now when you view the scorecard on the web it will look like this:
If you want different types of Status gauges, such as a bipolar status or blue status, you
can configure them under Status types category in Shared Web items.
Procede to configuration of the status type you just added by double clicking it.
You can change the proportion a color will take of the gauge, add or remove colors, or make
the status bipolar. Trend arrows can be adjusted to be monocolor.
E.g. if you want to change the column name "Actual" to "Achieved" you can do the
following:
1. Go to the Shared web items by clicking the icon in one of the menus.
2. Click the + beside the Perspective column set folder.
3. Click the + beside the Default column set.
4. Double click on Actual
5. Enter Achieved in the Name field
6. Click OK
Now when you go back to the web page and refresh the screen (F5) you see that the name
of the Actual column has been changed to Achieved.
Note that changes you make in Shared web items apply to the entire system.
If you want to create a new tab on a web page you can click in the Tab line. Then you
can either choose an existing tag that is not in use on that particular page or you can create
a completely new tab.
In the example above we have two tabs on the KPI page: “Result” and “Charts”. When we
click we see that we can choose between adding a New Tab or adding a tab called
”Status” that already exists. We choose “Status”.
When you click the icon in the "Status" tab you will see this menu:
Now you can move objects from another tab by using ’Drag and Drop’ (described below), or
Each object on the web has a button that opens that object’s Options menu . Some
objects have column called Add.
The Add column in the menu for the main object on a page contains all objects that may be
added to that object, like this:
The menus for other elements on the page contain the next valid object that can be added
in the tree structure. For a Perspective it is a Strategic objective.
Manual status can only be set on the web. Status algorithm “Manual status” must be
selected first.
cursor over the right side of the object’s Title line until you see on the . Then you can
use it to drag the object to its new position. When you see the text “Drag here” you can
“drop” the object in the box.
Sorting Tables
To change the sorting order of objects in a table, click at the top of the column you want
to sort by. Tables can be sorted by most columns. You can choose between:
Sort descending
Sort ascending
Default sorting – i.e. the way the objects were sorted to start with
Restore table – returns the table to its original setup, including hidden columns
Hide – the column will not be displayed
Comments
A common task for users is to enter comments in the web page. This is done by clicking Add
Comment in the Title bar of a Comment list.
To edit an existing comment click the Edit comment icon to the right of the text.
Now you can enter your comment. The text area expands automatically as you fill it. You
click Advanced Editor if you want to format the text, e.g. font, font size, color, etc.
Click Submit when you are finished, or Cancel if you don’t want to save the text.
To delete a comment completely click the Delete icon to the right of the comment.
Exporting
It is possible to export objects from all web pages, including drill pages, for printing. The
export format will depend on the object being exported: tables are exported in Excel
format, images and maps in image formats, text objects in text format, etc.
All data that is displayed in tables can be exported to an Excel file, including perspectives,
strategic objectives, KPIs, drills, etc., in addition to all types of tables. The Excel file will
contain the same columns and data as the table on the web page, and status gauges and
trend arrows are displayed in the same way.
Charts can be exported to .jpg, .png or .pdf format. They can also be exported to Excel files
as tables.
Resources
A Resource is an external file or connection that is used to retrieve data from an external
source such as a database.
and click .
When you have uploaded the file in Resources it is ready for use anywhere in the EPM Suite.
Corporater Transformer
Introduction
Corporater Transformer™ is an ETL tool (Extraction-Transformation-Loading) that performs
the following tasks:
To open the Transformer, click Transformer in the View menu or in the Quick menu.
Project Structure
Transformer objects:
Category – A folder created by the user to create a structure for different
Transformer projects.
Transformer project group – sub-category where the different Transformer
projects are stored. A Scheduler can be added here, making it possible to run the
projects in a group in chronological order.
Transformer project – this is where the dataflow is designed. There is one design
window per project to enable an easy overview of each project.
Source – object that specifies a file or other data resource that contains the data to
be used in a Transformer project
Process – object that is used to select and transform the data
Target – object that is used to write the data to a destination
Transformer uses the dataflow structure of: Source -> Process -> Target.
Creating a project
To create a project you need to add a Category, a Transformer project group and finally a
Transformer project. To do this you right click in the Transformer Model window and
choose:
1. Add -> Category
2. Right click on “Category” and choose Add -> Transformer project group
3. Right click on “Transformer project group” and choose Add -> Transformer project
Highlight your “Transformer project” and you will see the view displayed below:
Follow the instructions on the screen and right click in the Transformer design window. This
will open the Add menu that contains all the sources, processes and targets that you can
add, as well as alternatives for layout and comments.
Source
Right clicking in the Design window and choosing Source opens the following menu:
SQL source: retrieves data from a database (MS SQL Server, Oracle)
HTTP source: gets data from an HTTP source; for example, currency exchange
rates
MDX source: gets data from multidimensional data sources (cubes)
Excel source: retrieves data from an Excel spreadsheet
OpenOffice Calc source: retrieves data from an OpenOffice calc spreadsheet
CSV source: retrieves data from text files (comma separated)
Surveyor source: uses results from a Corporater Surveyor v.1.x survey as source
LDAP source: retrieves data from a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol server
Agresso web service source: directly accesses data in an Agresso Query Engine
Web Service, if an Agresso web service is available
Surveyor web service source: uses results from a Corporater Surveyor v.3.x
survey as source
To make a file available in the Source configuration it must first be uploaded in Resources in
Configuration Studio.
)
2. Right click on “Category” and choose Add -> File resource. When the ‘Open’ panel
opens browse to the Excel file that you would like to upload, mark it and click
Remember that if changes are made to the original file it must be uploaded again.
Once you have uploaded the file in Resources it is available for use in a Transformer project.
5. In the Properties tab you can change the name of the object and give it a
description.
6. In the Custom tab you will find a button. Click on that and you will open a
new panel where your Resources are listed. Choose the newly added Excel document
and click OK.
Now you will see a preview of the first sheet in the Excel document.
It is also possible to add an Excel source using ‘Drag and Drop’. Highlight the
Transformer project in the Transformer model panel, then drag the Excel file from the
Resource window and drop it into the Transformer design window.
element and clicking the Refresh button in the Preview window. This will bring up
information about the data as shown below.
In this case we will find the information Field name and Data type.
If you click on the Sample data tab you will see a sample of the data.
Connecting elements
The elements in a project are connected via points called Connectors. Some elements have
only one (Source and Target elements), some have two (for example Calculation) and
others can handle multiple connections (Splitter, Copy).
Connectors can only be linked to one other object, with the exception of the exit (right)
connector in Splitter and Copy, which divide data into several streams, and the in (left)
connector in Merger, which collects data from several elements and combines them into one
data stream.
A Connector on the right side of an element can only be linked to a Connector on the left
side of another element.
1. Press and hold the left mouse button on a Connector on the right side of an element.
3. … drag the cursor towards a Connector on left side of another element and release
the mouse button.
Process
Processes are used to select and manipulate data before sending it to the Target.
Aggregation – used to perform these operations: 'sum', 'avg', 'count', 'max', 'min'
Copy – used to copy a stream into two or more identical streams for further
processing or to be sent to targets
Merger - combines data from several streams into one stream
Hierarchy – used to build node structures automatically and dynamically from a
stream of data, e.g. for loading into an EPM database.
Set constant date - add a fixed date
RTF date conversion (relative to fixed) - adjust a date with the value in a field
Set date (relative to runtime) - adjust a date relative to the date at runtime
String date conversion - converts a column (string format) into a date column
with desired date format
Calculation – used to transform from number to string, select parts of strings,
replace strings and perform simple calculations
Depivot conversion - reshapes data sets into a format that is more suitable for use
in Transformer
Splitter - splits the data into different streams based on specified conditions
Node Mapping - manual node mapping; usually used with Node Target which has
automatic node creation
Organization mapping – manually maps organizations found in a stream to
organizations in the EPM database
Multi Calculation - used to perform several selections and operations at the same
time
Target
A Target is where the data is to be stored. Each project must have at least one Target
element.
CSV Target – saves the stream as a .csv (comma separated values) file
EPM Data records Target – loads data into the EPM database
Excel Target – saves the stream as an Excel 2003 file
Trash can – all rows sent to this target will be ignored
Error target – terminates a Transformer run when a row meets a condition you set
Node target – automatic creation of nodes from a stream, for loading into the EPM
database
Organization target – automatic creation of organizations from a stream, for
loading into the EPM database
Group target – automatic creation of groups in the EPM database, for example from
an LDAP source
User target – automatic creation of users in the EPM database, for example from an
LDAP source
Membership target – creation of group memberships in the EPM database, for
example from AD.
Add the desired target from the Target menu and click on the connector point in the source
and create the connection between the source and the target.
Most of the objects in Transformer need some configuration. The settings for each object
can be found by double clicking on the object in the Transformer design view.
EPM Data Records Target should not be used in the same project as Node Target or
Organization Target. Transformer may attempt to insert data into a node or organization
that has not yet been created. Create different projects, and run them in the correct order
(Node/Organization Target first) so that nodes and/or organizations are created before data
are inserted.
Double click on the EPM Data Records Target icon to open the configuration. Click the
Custom tab.
Value – In the Value column drop-down list you will see the data columns that are
available, i.e. the columns that are in numeric format. Select the column that contains the
data (values) you want to load.
Set Frequency (Year, Half Year, Four-month period, Quarter, Month, Week, Day)
Organization - Mark Select organization, then click the icon to the right to select the
organization to use, or click Organization column and choose the desired column from the
drop-down list. The value in the selected column will be compared with the Organization IDs
found in the EPM model.
Node - Mark Node and then click on to select the desired node, or use Node column as
described above.
Node type – Choose the node type to user by clicking on and choosing the desired
node type in the pop-up window, or choose Node type column and the desired column in the
drop-down list.
Comment – Choose the comment column in the drop-down if desired, or “No comment”.
Date - To store all values with the same date, choose Date and enter the desired date or
use the calendar to find the correct date. Or to use a column in the data source as basis for
date selection, mark Date column and select the column from the drop-down.
Import – Each time a project is run it is given a unique number that identifies it. You may
however choose Overwrite previously inserted import (if any), and the same ID will be
reused. If you check ‘Overwrite the previously inserted import (if any)’, the first time the
project is run it will be given the next available ID, but anytime it is run thereafter the same
ID will be reused, and the data from the previous run will be replaced with the new data.
You can set the name of the Import in Name field in the Properties tab. Using a good name
will make it easier to find the correct Import later.
Remember that if you choose to use an existing Import ID the data from the previous
Import with this ID will be lost.
Auto Layout
Right click in the Transformer design window and find ‘Auto layout’ in the menu. This menu
item has two choices:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
If there are any errors in the project configuration you will see a Validation error
message. These errors must be corrected before the project can be run.
In the Imports window you will now see a new import. The newest import is found at the
bottom of the list.
Data imports
To view the records imported by Transformer projects, go to the Data imports view by
clicking on the icon located in the View menu or in the Quick menu.
1. Clear any previous selection by clicking on the icon located in the Data record
window.
2. Highlight the data import of interest in the Import window.
3. Choose the desired time period in the Data records window and press or check
the Auto refresh box.
You will now see the data that was imported in that Import under Data records. You will
also find some general information about the import in the Properties window.
Name – the EPM Data Records Target’s name can be found here. It is important to
create good names so that it is easy to find them in the list.
Start time - date and time the data import was started
End time - date and time the data import was finished
Source – where the data came from
User - shows the login in name used by the user running the import
ID - Each import has a unique ID. In Transformer you can specify that a job should
be given a new ID or choose to reuse the same ID as a previous run. Thus you can
decide whether to add or replace data.
This is the only place where you can delete the entire import, i.e. all the data from an
import will be deleted from the database if you delete the run here.
Data records
In the Data Records view you can search for specific rows within specific imports. Data
records can be found by clicking the icon in the View menu or in the Quick menu.
In this view it is possible to search all values in the system whether they are loaded via
Transformer or not. It is also possible to filter the data by using the different dimensions:
Organization, Node type, Node, and Time.
You can clear your selection by clicking on the icon located in the Data record window.
Scheduler
With the Scheduler you can set up when Transformer runs are to take place and plan
automatic runs at regular intervals. You can add a Scheduler to a project group in order to
run projects in a certain order.
Configuration
Status – shows the status of the job (Active, Inactive, Finished).
Frequency - an Adjusting function that is used to calculate when the next run
should start, based on the previous run, e.g. to run once a month enter +1M in the
field. Click the icon to the right to use the Date calculator.
Start date - the date of the first run of Transformer job
End date - the end date of the schedule. The job will not be run again after this
date.
Send log via e-mail - mark the box and an e-mail containing run information will
be sent to the user selected in Send e-mail to (below). This is the only way to get
the run log via e-mail.
Send when there are - select when you want Transformer to send e-mails:
o Always - send all run information each time the project is run
o Dropouts, warnings, or errors - send e-mail when there are dropouts,
warnings, or error messages
o Warnings or errors - send e-mail when there are warnings or error messages
o Errors only - send e-mail only when there error messages
Send e-mail to – users and groups e-mail should be sent to
Run as - click the icon to the right to select a user other than yourself who should
own the run
Information
Last run – shows the date and time of the last run
Introduction
Corporater Strategic Initiative enables you to set up initiatives (action plans) and integrate
them into the Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) model.
Start the Strategic Initiative module by clicking in the Quick menu or in the View menu.
Click Category to add your first category. A Category is a container that holds your
Strategic Initiatives. It should be named as descriptively as possible in order to
create a good structure and keep track of the organization’s Strategic Initiatives.
Right click on your category and choose Add. Now you can choose to add a
subcategory or add your first Strategic Initiative.
Choose Strategic Initiative and you have created your first initiative.
Right click on the Strategic Initiative and choose Add. This will open the list of objects you
can add to your initiative.
When you have added a Task list you need to populate it with Tasks. Tasks and Milestones
can also be added by users on the web.
Right click on your task list and choose Add -> Task
You can create a structure with several subtasks and milestones below a main task.
Adding a Checklist
A Checklist is a list of activities that can be checked as complete or incomplete.
You can add a Checklist to a Strategic Initiative in the same way as you added a Task list,
by right-clicking on the initiative and choosing Add -> Table -> Checklist.
Add Checks to the Checklist by right-clicking on the Checklist and choosing Add -> Check.
A strategic initiative can be linked out to multiple EPM objects. That means that an initiative
can be displayed on several different organizations or objects (scorecard, KPI, etc.) that it
affects. The objects a strategic initiative affects are the ones it is linked to and are the ones
it will be displayed on.
This opens a copy of your EPM model tree. Choose one or more objects in your EPM
model that the initiative in focus affects. Organizations cannot be chosen.
Click OK when you have chosen the objects that will be affected.
For example: You have a Strategic Initiative that you linked to the main scorecard (i.e.
added the scorecard to Affects in the Strategic Initiative) and now you would like to display
that initiative on the main scorecard on the web.
Open the EPM model by clicking on the icon in one of the menus.
Right click on the object that you would like to display your initiative on, in this case
the scorecard
Click Add -> Table -> Initiative table
Now go to the scorecard on the web and you will see the newly added Initiative table listing
the initiative you created earlier, because the scorecard was added to Affects in the
Strategic Initiative.
Clicking on My first Strategic Initiative will take you to the initiative page.
As you can see the task is listed under the Task list. The Status, Responsible, Start date,
End date, and Progress columns are empty since only Name has been entered. You can
enter more information here.
Click on the right of the task “Send work environment survey” in the table. This opens
the options menu for the task.
Start by setting a Start date for this task by clicking in the empty field; this brings up a
calendar where you can select a date.
Add an End date in the same way. If you don’t know the end date of the task the field may
be left blank.
Manual Progress can be set manually and entered as a percentage. In the example
Progress is 35 which will be displayed as “35%”. Progress can also be based on the progress
of the tasks in the task list. Choose the desired status type from the drop-down list. You can
change the Progress algorithm to use in the Advanced tab.
Status can also be set manually on a task by selecting “Manual status” in the Status
algorithm drop-down in the Advanced tab. In this example 35% progress is considered to
be a “yellow” status. Status can also be based on the status of the tasks in the task list. In
that case choose the desired status type from the drop-down list.
On the web page you can see the information you just added. Start date and End date are
set, Status is “yellow” and Progress is “35%”
Introduction
Corporater Risk™ is a Risk assessment tool that will enable your organization to include risk
assessments in its EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) solution.
Structure
To create your first Risk assessment, right click in the Risk model window. This will open the
menu in the Risk module. Click Add to bring up the objects that are available to add at this
level.
Choose Category to add your first category. A Category is a kind of folder that holds
your Risk assessments. It should be named as descriptively as possible in order to
create a good structure and keep track of the organization’s Risk assessments.
Rename your category and add a description, if desired. Then click OK.
Right click on your category and choose Add. Now you can choose to add a
subcategory or add your first Risk assessment.
Change the name of the risk assessment and add a description, if desired. You can
also add one or more users as Responsible. Click OK when you are finished.
Now that you have created you first Risk assessment you need to add the objects needed to
capture the risk factors that are relevant to the organization.
Right click on the Risk assessment and choose Add. This will bring up the list of objects you
can add.
When you have added a Risk factor list you need to add one or more with risk factors.
Right click on “Risk factor list” and choose Add -> Risk factor
By right clicking on a risk factors you can add objects to them that can help you prevent or
control them. E.g. you can make it possible to enter comments.
Right click on your risk factor and choose Add -> Comment list
Right click on your Risk assessment and choose Add -> Chart -> Risk chart
Double click on the Risk chart and add a name and description, if desired. Click OK.
You have now created the basic structure of your first Risk assessment.
A risk assessment can be linked out to multiple EPM objects. That means that a risk
assessment can be displayed on several different organizations or objects that it affects,
such as scorecards, KPIs, and strategic initiatives. The objects a risk assessment affects are
the ones it is linked to and the ones where it will be displayed. See the section “Displaying
Risk assessments” below.
This opens a copy of your EPM model tree. Choose one or more objects in your EPM
model that the risk assessment in focus affects. Organizations cannot be selected.
Click OK when you have chosen the objects that will be affected.
Example: You have a risk assessment that you linked to your main scorecard (i.e. your
main scorecard has been added to Affects in the Risk assessment) and now you would like
to display that risk assessment on the main scorecard in the Portal.
Open the EPM model by clicking on the icon in one of the menus.
Right click on the object that you would like to display your risk assessment on, in
this case the scorecard.
Click Add -> Table -> Risk assessment table
Now go to the scorecard in the web page and you will see the newly added Risk assessment
table listing the risk assessment you created earlier, because the scorecard was added to
Affects in the Risk module.
Clicking on “My first Risk assessment” will take you to the risk assessment.
As you can see the risk factor is listed both the Risk factor list with value “0”. It is not yet
plotted in the risk chart since there are no Risk values.
Click on the risk factor “Loss of key personnel” in the Risk factor list to see the objects you
added to the risk factor in the Risk module, in this case a comment list.
Go back to the Risk assessment page and click to the right of the Risk factor “Loss of
key personnel”.
This opens the risk factor for editing where you, among other things, can add values for
Probability and Consequence.
Risk factors are calculated using the probability that the event will occur and what
consequence it will have if/when the event occurs. Add 2 in each field, as in the example
below, and click Submit.
Now go back to the risk assessment and refresh the screen (F5) if necessary. Now you can
see that the risk factor “Loss of key personnel” has the risk value 4 and it is plotted in the
risk chart at the point 2x2.
Corporater Reporter
The Corporater Reporter is a comprehensive reporting tool that expands the possibilities for
analysis, comparison and presentation of data in the EPM Suite. It is a template based
reporting system that allows users to design report templates and then apply those
templates to create a wide variety of reports.
In addition, there is a comprehensive reporting language, the Reporter Tag language, which
has been built to make it possible to create good reports quickly and effectively. Reporter
can also use third party sources such as data warehouses or databases.
Reports can be distributed to individuals or groups of employees through the web or via e-
mail in different formats, such as MS Word or PDF.
Reporter concepts
Every element in the EPM model has a set of properties and views that can be used in a
report. These are available through ‘Template listings’. From these listings you can copy and
paste into a template of the report itself, which is then put in a context (time period and
organization) to create a report.
1. Open the Reporter menu by clicking on the Reporter icon in the View menu or
the Quick menu.
To edit a report template simply right-click on the report and select ‘Edit template’.
This will open the report template in the Reporter editor (OpenOffice Writer or MS Word).
Here you can add and format the contents of the report template, for example add
headlines and images, create a table of contents and so on. When you have finished editing,
save the report by clicking on the Save icon or File -> Save (Ctrl+s), and the changes
you made will be saved in the report template.
It is also possible to edit a template by exporting it as a file and then importing it back to
Reporter after editing. This is done by selecting Export in the right-click menu and saving
the file, e.g. to your desktop. Then edit the file as you would any other file and save it when
you are done. Return to the Reporter model in Configuration Studio, right click the report,
and choose Replace.
Note that this method can also be used to migrate reports from .odt format to .doc format.
Template listings
EPM Model objects like perspectives, KPIs, and charts all have a set of properties and views
that can be used in reports.
This will open the Reporter editor (OpenOffice Writer or MS Word) showing a list of all
available properties for the selected object.
Example:
The screenshot below shows the top of the template listing for a “Finance” perspective.
1. Highlight all the text in the Tag cell for Name,”${t.187.name}” in this example.
or pressing Ctrl+v.
In addition to the properties of each object, you can find different templates in the listing,
for example different Status and Trend arrow images and also tables like the example in the
image below.
This is a table that loops through the Strategic Objectives and KPIs in the perspective. The
fact that no other specific objects than the perspective are referred to, means that the table
will expand as you add new Strategic Objectives and KPIs to the perspective.
The text in the example, ${t.187.name}, can be interpreted in the following manner:
$ - indicates that the following segment wrapped in { } is not regular text, but
Reporter tag language. Any text between { } is “reserved words” and must always
be written exactly as it is written in the Template listing.
You can of course edit the tag language instead of just copying from template listings. The
Reporter tag language is covered in greater detail in the Reporter Advanced training.
This period
If you want to always include the current period in a report, you can use the following tag:
${this.bop.long}
This will show the date of the beginning of the ‘current’ period (bop) in a ‘long’ date format,
according to the period and period-type selected by the user.
Example:
For a monthly report for March 2013, the result would be ‘March 2013’.
For a quarterly report for March 2013, the result would be ‘Q1 2013’.
This organization
${this.organisation.name}
Note that "organisation" is always spelled with an ‘s’ in the Tag language.
To avoid having to move back and forth between the EPM view and the Reporter view when
copying from template listings, you can add the EPM model window to the Reporter view by
selecting it from the Window menu:
You can save your new Reporter view layout by selecting Save current layout in the Layout
menu.
Previewing a report
To preview a report:
Publishing reports
When a report template is complete, it can be distributed in a number of ways:
Only the first of these distribution methods gives the end user the option to choose the
context, though the administrator can set the context when distributing and thus remove
the user’s option to choose.
Publishing templates
Report Templates are published by using a View object called Reports view. Publishing a
report template can allow the end user to select the context when opening a report, usually
which period the report should retrieve data from. Organization context can also be
selected.
3. Double-click on the Report View object and select the formats the report should be
published in.
4. Right-click on the Reports View object and add a Report Reference. You can add as
many reports as you want by adding more references.
5. Double-click on the reference and select the report you want to publish in the
Configuration menu.
The report is now accessible in the portal on the object you placed the Report View.
If you did not select Organization, Period or Date in the reference object, these parameters
will be taken from the current selection in the portal.
Report scheduler
Before you can distribute a report by e-mail or publish it as a resource you must create a
Report scheduler that is a plan where you specify how, when, and how often the report
should be generated.
Click OK.
3. In the E-mail file type drop-down select the file type the report should have when it
is sent as an attachment to an e-mail.
5. You can choose to add users one by one or add an entire group. Start by choosing
the user/group you would like to distribute the report to, and the organization to
connect the data to. Click to add the user or group to the Distribution list at the
bottom.
If you want to remove a user from the list highlight and click .
6. In the Organization depth drop-down you can choose between ‘This’, ‘Subs’, or ‘All’
to specify the number of levels in the organization structure to include in the report.
7. Click OK.
The report will be sent to all users in the distribution list according to the date information in
the Report scheduler.
Appendix
List of ClassNames
ClassName is a system constant that can be useful when making reports, especially
together with the find statements. ClassName is case-sensitive.
You can find classNames in template listings as a property. The use of ClassNames is
covered in the Reporter Advanced training course.
The list below shows some of the classNames that are available. ClassNames in this list are
in singular and plural forms. ClassNames are often used in plural, e.g. in #repeatElement
statements. The plural is usually formed using “s”, but sometimes "es" is used, e.g.
"Statuses".
Example:
#repeatElement(${t.100.Kpis},kpi)
where "Kpis" is a className that refers to all KPIs under t.100, while "kpi" outside the tag
is an alias.
Corporater Workflow
The Corporater Workflow module is a module for creating dynamic management processes
and rule-based activities. A Workflow “listens” for events according schedules you have set
up, to find out whether rules you have defined are fulfilled. If so, messages are sent and/or
actions are taken. Any event that can be described as a rule can trigger action(s). It’s also
possible to set up follow-up rules that will be run based on the results of the original rule
and additional rules, if any.
An Event rule defines the conditions that must be met in order for the Workflow processes
to be preformed. E.g. if a KPI has red status in a given period then certain actions should be
taken.
“Element list”. If Element list is chosen click on and mark one or more
elements. When include subelements is checked the search will go
through all subelements of the chosen elements.
Now define the conditions that are to be met by creating rules. This is done by selecting the
desired properties, operations, and values from the drop-down lists, e.g. Status = red,
Name contains "Finance".
All: Drop-down list with options for which combination of the rules that follow
that are to be met, with the options “All”, “Any”, and “None”. The chosen option
applies to the current rule set.
Name: Drop-down list where you can choose the property to use in the rule
contains: Drop-down list showing available operators based on what you chose
as element type in the previous drop-down list. Some examples are: ‘contains’,
=, >, >=
(white field): the condition to be met. The content depends on what was
selected in the two previous drop-downs. If a drop-down list appears choose
among the options, otherwise enter a condition in the white field.
Add new rule: If more than one condition is to be met, click on this button in
order to configure your next condition.
Add new rule set: Click here to create a new rule set. This new rule set will be
in addition to (AND) the first one.
Example:
If you want to find out which KPIs had a red status last month enter these values:
Rule set
Name, drop-down list 1: Status
Drop-down list 2: =
Drop-down list 3: Red
A preview of an Event rule will show the objects that meet the sum of all rules and rule sets
in the Event rule as well as any Additional rules. In the example this means all KPIs in the
entire system with red status.
With the Event schedule you can set up when and how often the Event rule should be run.
One Event schedule is created automatically with each Event rule. To create another:
1. Right click on the Event rule in the ‘Workflow Model’ window and choose Add ->
Event schedule.
Example:
Enter these values if you want the Event schedule to be run once a month starting Nov 1,
2013:
Frequency: +1M
Start date: Nov 1, 2013 5:30:00 AM
Adding an Action
In addition to setting up an Event rule and an Event schedule at least one Action must also
be set up. An Action tells the program what to do if the conditions in the Event rule are met.
More than one action may be chosen.
In this chapter we’ll look further at Send e-mail. For more information about the other
Actions please see the user manual.
Send e-mail
By using Send e-mail e-mail(s) will be sent to specified users and/or groups when the
conditions in the Event rule are met. An attachment can be added to the e-mail.
text area, or click on the icon to the right to bring up a new window where you
can enter text and select tags* to include in the text.
Attachment: click Add and find an optional attachment that will be added to the e-
mail(s)
E-mail user/group: the user(s) and/or group(s) who will receive the e-mail
Click on the icon to the right of Content to bring up a new window where you can
enter text and select tags to include in the text. Double click on the tag to insert it in the
content.
description: the description that is registered for the object found by the Event rule
id: the ID of the object found by the Event rule
name: the name of the object found by the Event rule
organizationId: the ID of the organization the object found by the Event rule
belongs to
organizationName: the name of the organization the object found by the Event
rule belongs to
repeat endRepeat: if more than one object meets the conditions in the Event rule
using “repeat” “endRepeat” will cause the results to be presented in a list in the e-
mail message. The other tags should be added between “repeat” and “endRepeat”. If
“repeat endRepeat” is not used the entire e-mail content will be written for each
result. See examples 1 and 2 below.
time: the period defined in the Event rule, i.e. the period the Event rule is run for
url: the link to the object that has been found by the Event rule
user: the user receiving the e-mail
This will give the following e-mail with the two red KPIs for October 2013 in a list:
This will give the following result. The entire e-mail content is listed once for each object /
Event rule result.
When the settings are configured you can activate the Event rule by right clicking on the
Event schedule and choosing Activate.
A green arrow indicates that the Event schedule has been activated.
To deactivate an Event rule / Event schedule right click on the Event schedule and choose
‘Deactivate’.
Logs
When you create a Workflow Event Rule a Log folder is added by default.
When an Event rule is run a Log is automatically created for each Action under the Event
Rule. E.g. if you have an Update object property action and a Send e-mail action, two Logs
will be created. The Logs contain status information for the actions.
Each Log in the Logs folder has an icon that indicates the status of the action. A Log for a
successful action with no error or warning messages will display a green icon. A Log
containing errors will display a red icon.
By using an Additional rule you can check for events on other objects in the same hierarchy
as the one(s) found by the Event rule. The Additional rule defines additional conditions that
must be met in order for the actions in the Workflow to be performed.
An Additional rule will only be applied to parents or children of the items returned by the
Event rule.
Period type and Period relative to run date chosen in Event rule will also be used in the
Additional rule.
Example:
Enter these values if you want to find out which of the KPIs with a red status have no
comments:
Run Additional rule on: Children of items returned by Event rule
Select: Comment
Rule set: Period =
Inverse rule configuration: Checked
A Follow-up rule is a rule that will be run based on the results of the original Event rule and
any Additional rules. E.g. if users are to perform certain actions when the first event occurs,
you can use a Follow-up rule to check that the actions have been performed and send a
reminder if they have not.
Make sure the Event schedule is not activated before adding a Follow-up rule.
Example:
In order to check whether or not there are KPIs with red status that do not have comments,
we configure the Follow-up rule in the same way as the Additional rule above:
Use a Follow-up schedule to set up when and how often a Follow-up rule is to be run.
Example:
Enter these values if you want the Follow-up schedule to be run five days after the event
schedule:
In addition to setting up a Follow-up rule and a Follow-up schedule an Action should be set
up. This Action defines what to do if the conditions in the Follow-up rule are met. One or
more actions may be chosen. The Actions that are available are the same as for an Event
rule.
2. Double click on the Send e-mail action to open the configuration. The configuration is
the same as for Send e-mail in the ‘Add Action’ chapter.
By using a Send e-mail object e-mail(s) will be sent to specified users and/or groups
when the conditions in the Follow-up rule are met. An attachment can be added to
the e-mail.
Example:
This text including tags will give an e-mail containing information about what period the
result is for and a list of all red KPIs with URLs to the KPIs.
You can only activate the Follow-up rule by activating the Event rule, which is done by right
clicking on the Event schedule and choosing Activate, as described above.
This is how the structure of the examples used in this documentation looks in the Workflow
module in Configuration Studio:
Corporater Forms
The Forms module (separately licensed) can be used to create forms for collecting data
from selected users in your organization. You choose which users are to have access to
enter data into the form. These users can then fill in the form, and the data they provide
will be stored on nodes in the database according to the form’s specifications.
Scheduled Forms – used to gather data from users based on a schedule. When you use
Scheduled Forms you can specify how long a form should be valid and whether users should
receive reminder e-mails if they have not entered their data by the deadline you have given
them.
If you are running an unlicensed version of Forms, only Periodic Forms with
Multiperiod question will be available. Other question types and Scheduled Forms require
separate licensing.
Periodic Forms
Periodic Forms are used to enter data into the database via a form created specifically for
that purpose. A Periodic Form can be seen as a kind of "mini spreadsheet". Users who have
access to register data in Periodic Forms will find them in My Forms under My
Responsibilities on the web.
Periodic Forms are stored in Categories, so you must create at least one category before
you can create your forms.
To add a Periodic form, go to the Forms module by clicking the icon in one of the menus.
If you want to reorganize the Forms tree, Forms can be moved or copied to different
Categories using Cut/Copy/Paste functionality. This can be done even after a form has
been activated.
Form properties
General
Name - the name "Periodic Form" is generated automatically but it may be changed
Description - an optional text describing the from
Responsible - the person who is responsible for the Form. Click the icon to the right
and choose from the list. More than one person may be set as responsible.
Distribution
Start date - the first day the Form is available for entering data
End date - the last day the Form is open for entering data; it will not be possible to
enter data after this date
Storing period - an adjusting function for the period the data will be stored for,
relative to the distribution date, e.g. -1M for the previous month
Due - when the data is due, relative to the distribution date, e.g. +1W for one week
Stay open after submit - whether the respondent may resubmit the Form
Distribution lists - choose the Distribution list(s) to be used when distributing the
form by clicking the icon on the right. You can use any Distribution list in the Forms
module; choose one that exists already or create a new one. See below about
creating Distribution lists.
Show reminder on user login - mark if you want to show a reminder message
respondents log in
Read only - mark if the form should be available in read only mode for other users
than the respondents
Period type - the period type data should be registered for
Information
Auto-generate nodes - Each question/subquestion in the form must be connected to
a node, indicating where the response should be stored in the database. If you check
Auto-generate nodes a new node will be created in the EPM database for each
question in the form the first time the form is distributed. The question’s name will
be used as node name, and that node's ID and Name will be entered into the
question's node field. After the node has been created the Auto-generate nodes
checkbox will be disabled.
If you want to use nodes that are already in the database, uncheck Auto-generate
nodes. Then you can specify which node to use under each question/subquestion you
create.
If Auto-generate nodes is checked it is not necessary to specify nodes on any
question in the Form. If it is not checked you must specify nodes on all questions.
You may however, specify nodes even if Auto-generate nodes is checked. That will
force the use of the node(s) you specify, and no new node will be generated for that
question.
Parent node – the node under which all the auto-generated nodes in the form should
be created. When nodes are auto-generated a structure is created in the database
with the node specified here as the starting point. For each question in the form a
new node is created directly below this node, and for each subquestion, e.g. in a
Matrix question, a new node is created below the question's node.
Status
Distribution status - the status of the form (information only)
Layout
Page layout
o Row layout
o One column layout
o Two column layout
In this example:
The periodic form is set to be available from Nov. 4th to Nov. 29th.
The storing period of all data will be set to beginning of the month (-BM) regardless of the date
the user actually inputs the data.
The input is due in 2 weeks from the Distribution Date.
Stay open after submit is checked, so the user will be able to edit figures as many times as he
wants until the End date.
Pages
The Page is the most basic element in Forms. Use Pages to group questions and make the
form more readable.
Each Form contains one Page to start with, and you can add one or more questions to a
page. Creating a new Page will divide the form into sections, and the recipients can move
Creating questions
Users input data by answering questions in the form and then submitting the form.
Corporater Forms has these types of questions:
Numeric Question
List Question
Radio Button Question
Matrix Question
Comment Question
Date Question
Question Table
Multi Period Question
Label
1. Right click on Page then choose Add -> Question and select the type of question you
want to add.
Numeric Question
Numeric question is a question that requires a number as input.
Example:
List Question
With List question you can create a drop-down list with alternatives for the respondents to
choose from.
The Question text will appear as a header for the response alternatives. Add your
alternatives by right clicking in the empty area in Alternatives and choosing Add response
alternative. When you have added text for your Alternative, give that it a value in the Value
column. This is the value that will be stored in the node.
The configuration for a Radio button question is similar to a List question. Add your question
in the Question text field, and add your alternatives by right clicking in the empty area in
Alternatives and choosing Add response alternative.
Matrix Question
With a Matrix question you can create a series of questions that share a set of answers.
In a Matrix question you set a header in the Question text cell, in our example “How do you
like forms?” After the header is set enter your questions in the Subquestions cell. You do
this by right clicking in the empty area and choosing Add subquestion. If you don’t have
Autogenerate nodes checked you need to connect your subquestions to a node in the Node
field.
After the Subquestions are set up you need to add your Response alternatives. This is done
in the same way. Right click in Alternatives and choose Add response alternative. Click the
cell below Question text and enter the alternative text. Then give that Alternative a value in
the Value column. This is the value that will be stored in the node.
Comment Question
A Comment question adds an empty field for respondents to enter a comment of their
choice. Add a Question text that will be the header for the comment question.
Date Question
Date question is used to enable date selection into a form. If you want you may specify:
Min. date: an adjusting function indicating the earliest valid response date
for the question; if this field is empty no limit applies and all dates will be
accepted
Max. date: an adjusting function indicating the latest valid response date for
the question; if this field is empty no limit applies and all dates will be
accepted
Example:
The Form will contain a calendar where respondents to choose a date.
Question Table
Question table is an advanced Matrix question where each cell in the table can be controlled
individually.
Open the configuration for the Question table by double clicking on it. In the Properties tab
enter your Question text and choose in what period you want the values to be stored. Click
the Custom tab.
In the Custom tab you will find the matrix where you can set up your cells as desired. Right
click in a cell to open the menu.
Function: A function is used to display data from a node, with the option to modify
the data using the calculation operations available. Double click on the function field
then click on the icon on the right to open the settings.
By clicking you open the same calculator that is used for creating functions in
the Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) Model. In the example above, [100]
means that the value that is stored for the current period for the node with ID 100
will be displayed in the form.
A Multi Period question is based on four period fields that you configure in the Properties
tab.
Periods before: the first period to be included in the question
Periods after: the last period to be included in the question
Periods relative to: choose from the following: Today, Beginning of Year, End of
Year, Beginning of Period, End of Period
Period type: the type of period you want data for: Year, Half year, Third (4
months), Quarter (3 months), Month, Week, or Day
Example:
If you want users to be able to register data for the current month and the two previous
months enter these values:
Periods before: -2
Periods after: 0
Periods relative to: Today
Period type: Month
Subquestions
When you create a Multi Period question a Subquestion is also created. Subquestions are
used to make up the rows in the Multi Period question. By default Multi Period questions will
contain a row for each organization for which you want users to enter data.
Double click the Subquestion to configure it. The Properties tab is where you specify the
node and node type for the row. By default the organization name is used as Subquestion
name, but you may enter a different text int the Subquestion field if you want. You may
also add values in Min.value and Max.value to limit the values that may be entered. In the
example, we use “Expenses” instead of “Subquestion” as Subquestion name.
Label
Use a Label to add information to the form, e.g. text explaining the Form or a certain
question. Respondents will see the text you enter in the Label text field in the settings for
the Label object.
Distribution list
When you have created and configured the questions, the next step is to create a
Distribution list. Distribution lists may be created on a specific form or they may be created
independently in a Category.
To create a Distribution list, right click on the Form or Category and choose Add ->
Distribution list. Double click it to open the settings for the Distribution list. Click the
Custom tab.
You can choose to add users one by one or add an entire group. Start by choosing the
user/group you would like to distribute the form to and the organization they should enter
data for. Click in the middle to add the user or group to the Distribution list at the
bottom.
The users you select here will find the form on their My Forms under My Responsibilities.
Previewing a Form
If you want to see how the Form will look to the users who are answering it, you can see a
preview by right clicking the Form in the Forms model panel on the left and choosing
Preview. You will also be able to try answering the questions to make sure they work as
expected. The values you enter will not be stored in the database.
In order to be previewed a Form must be valid, i.e. the questions and the Distribution
list must be properly configured. Questions that are not correctly configured will be marked
with a warning icon and information about errors can be seen when you move your cursor
over questions.
Starting
Now you are ready to distribute the Periodic Form. To do this you need to activate it.
Activating will make it available to the users in the Distribution list.
Make sure you have entered the correct Start date in the configuration for the Form. Now
you can activate it by right clicking it and choosing Start Form from the menu.
The form will be distributed to My Forms in My Responsibilities for the users in the
Distribution list. You will see a confirmation message like this:
Active Periodic Forms are marked with a green symbol on the icon in the Forms model
panel. When the End date is reached or the form is stopped manually the icon changes. If
there is no End date the Form will remain active indefinitely.
It is still possible to make changes to elements after a Periodic Form has been activated,
and new elements may be added to it. Form schedules and Distribution lists may also be
edited and added on active forms.
Stopping
An active Periodic Form may be stopped by right clicking it and choosing Stop form.
Stopping only sets the Form status to "Stopped", meaning that no new distributions will be
done. Stopping does not affect distributions that have been done previously, and users will
still be able to enter data into forms they have already received.
Resetting
If you want to cancel a Form distribution completely, the Form schedule can be reset by
right clicking it and choosing Reset. Resetting a Form deactivates it, and all distributions are
deleted, regardless of their status. Form status is set back to "Draft".
You will be asked if you want to delete the node data belonging to the distribution. Choose
"Yes" to delete Node data; choose "No" to keep it.
Scheduled Forms
Use a Scheduled Form to collect data from selected users based on Schedules. Forms can
be scheduled to be distributed periodically, for example once a month or once a year. E-
mail notification can be used to inform users that a form is now available to them or that a
form is overdue.
To add a Scheduled form, go to the Forms module by clicking the icon in one of the
menus.
1. Right click in the Forms model and add a category. Forms are stored in
Categories, so you must create at least one category before you can create a Form.
When you create a Scheduled Form the following are automatically created:
A Distribution list with one Form schedule
A Page where questions will be added
Scheduled Forms are configured similarly to Periodic Forms. The same question types may
be used, with the exception of Multi Period questions, which are not available in Scheduled
Forms.
Form schedule
A Form schedule is a plan for distributing a Scheduled Form, i.e. when the Form should be
made available for the users in the Distribution list. You specify when the distribution should
start and stop, the storing period, how often the form should be distributed, when it is due,
and when it expires.
To create a Form schedule right click the Distribution list for the Scheduled form and choose
Add -> Form schedule. A Distribution list may have more than one Form schedule.
Due: an adjusting function specifying when the response to the form is due, e.g. one
week from distribution is +1W
Expiration: an adjusting function specifying when the form expires, e.g. +2W. It
will not be possible to enter data into a form after the Expiration date.
Start date: the date and time when the form should be distributed for the first time
End date: the form will not be distributed again after the date and time specified
here
The dates and times entered in Start date and End date should be relative to the
server time.
Example:
In this example the Form will be distributed once a month starting Nov. 1st, i.e. on Nov. 1st,
Dec. 1st, and Jan. 1st. It will not be distributed after that because End date is Jan. 31st. Data
that is registered in the form will be stored for the previous month, i.e. data registered in
the Nov. form will be stored in Oct. Each form will be due 2 weeks after distribution, i.e.
Nov. 15th, Dec. 15th, and Jan. 15th. The forms will expire on Jan. 1st, Feb. 1st, and Mar.
1st, respectively.
Distribution information
After a Form has been distributed, a Distribution entry will appear under the Form schedule.
A new Distribution entry will be created each time the Form is distributed, and its name will
contain the distribution date and time. Click a Distribution entry to see information about
that specific distribution and its status.
It is also possible to make changes to a Distribution here. Right click one of the recipients in
the Custom tab to bring up a menu where you can add, change or delete a recipient. These
changes will take effect immediately and will apply the next time the form is distributed.
Notifications
Distribution notification – send an e-mail to the users in the Distribution list each time
you distribute a Scheduled Form. If there is no Distribution notification, no e-mails will be
sent.
Reminder notification – send an e-mail to the users in the Distribution list who have not
responded to the form by the date you specify. You can also designate how many reminders
to send and how often.
Form owner notification - send an e-mail to the user registered as form owner.
E.g. you may want to notify the form owner each time the form is distributed, or when the
expiration date has been reached.
Starting
After configuring a Scheduled Form it must be started.
Before you can start a Scheduled Form you must configure at least one Form schedule.
Then you can start the form by right clicking it and choosing Start Form.
The form will be distributed to the users in the Distribution list according to the Form
schedule. You will see a confirmation message like this:
Active Forms are marked with a green symbol on the icon in the Forms model panel.
When a Scheduled Form has been activated, users it has been distributed to will find it in
My Forms under My Responsibilities on the web page.
Stopping
An active Scheduled Form may be stopped manually. Stopping means that no new
distributions will be done. Users will still be able to enter data into previously distributed
forms that have not expired. Form status is set to "Stopped".
Resetting
If you want to cancel a scheduled distribution completely, you can reset it by right clicking it
and choosing Reset. Resetting a Scheduled Form stops it, and all distributions are deleted,
regardless of their status. The contents of the Scheduled Form, including Distribution lists,
is not deleted. Form status is set back to "Draft".
It is also possible to delete the node data belonging to each distribution by checking the
Delete node data box in the confirmation message. Click More info beside each distribution
to see details of the status.
Monitoring Forms
If you are Responsible for one or more Forms, you can monitor them on the web in
Monitored Forms under My Responsibilities. You will see two lists of the Forms you are
responsible for:
The lists contain information about the Forms such as Respondents they have been
distributed to, Organization and Period they are for, as well as their Due date and Status. In
addition, there is a column containing icons indicating the Actions you can perform on each
Form, such as Answer the form to go directly to a form you should answer and
Send e-mail to create and send Reminder e-mails.
Pages Module
With the Pages module (separately licensed) you can create a way for users to navigate to
scorecard objects that they are responsible for and to other personal content.
By default, the Pages module contains a main section called My Responsibilities, which in
turn contains My KPIs, My Tasks and Milestones, My Initiatives, My Risks, My Checks, My
Forms, Monitored Forms, and My Transformer jobs. Each of these pages contains a Filtered
list that is configured to always show the objects of that type that the current user is
responsible for (Responsible contains “this.user”).
On the web, Sections and Pages can be found by clicking the Portal button . When a
user clicks on a Section a list of the Pages it contains is opened, and when she clicks on
a Page she is taken directly to a list of the relevant objects that she is responsible for.
You will need a separate license if you want to add or edit Sections and Pages in
the Pages module or on the web. Without this license only the predefined pages in My
Responsibilities will be available.
Any content that is unrelated to an organization can be placed on a Page, such as:
Help page
Pages with filtering based on user
My or my group's red KPIs
A Table view of a remote database or a spreadsheet
Map objects may often belong on Pages, especially if they are starting point
Text elements containing relevant information
You can add most objects to a Page, such as tables, charts, file views, etc. However,
items pointing to "this organization" will fail in Pages, as Pages don't have any organization
context. E.g. you cannot use functions, tables, properties, texts using 'this', or any dynamic
tags pointing to "current organization".
The above objects are invalid because there is no organization ancestor and
therefore no organization in the context.
Sections
Top level Sections are shown as main groups on the web, so My Responsibilities is a
separate section by default. You can add more Sections as needed.
To create a new Section right click in the empty area in the Pages panel and choose Add -
> Section. Give the section a name and configure it.
Pages
You can create any number of Pages in a Section. Pages are actually links to scorecard
objects, lists, etc.
To create a new Page right click the Section to which it belongs in the Pages panel and
choose Add -> Page. Give the page a name and configure it.
Now you can add other objects to the page, e.g. a Text element that contains information to
users, Filtered lists that you use to create lists of objects that should be easily available to
users, etc. You can also add business objects, but remember these must not have any
organizational context.
Contacting support
If you need further assistance with the Corporater EPM after the finished training, you can
use Corporater’s eSupport system.
http://corporater.helpserve.com/