1.
Deep Dive on Dynamic Member Lists and
Dynamic Point of View Member Lists for
HFM
April 27, 2018
Grace Xu, Finit Solutions
Mary Chan , Finit Solutions

2.
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6.
Questions

7.
Upcoming Webinars
• Friday, May 18 – Cash Flow 2D vs 3D – Part I
• Presented by Matt Spencer
• Friday, May 25 – Cash Flow 2D vs 3D – Part II
• Presented by Matt Spencer

8.
About The Presenters
• Grace Xu
• (gxu@finit.com)
• Lead Consultant
• 4+ years at Finit
• 10+ years working with HFM,
FDM, BI+ Financial Reporting,
Smart View, ARM, FCM and
Hyperion Enterprise
• HFM/Planning Essbase
Certified
• Mary Chan
• (mchan@finit.com)
• Implementation Manager
• 11+ years at Finit
• 11+ years working with HFM,
FDMEE, BI+ Financial Reporting,
Smart View, FCM and Hyperion
Enterprise
• Oracle Hyperion Financial
Management 11 Certified
Implementation Specialist

9.
Agenda
• Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists
• Dynamic Member Lists Use Cases
• Dynamic Member Lists Limitation
• Dynamic Point-of-View (POV) Member Lists
• Dynamic POV Member Lists Use Cases
• Dynamic POV Member Lists Limitation
• Q&A

10.
Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists

11.
Usage of Member Lists – Demonstration
• Challenge:
• Often times, users have to select the year and the period before
entering data into data forms
• Can you design data forms so that they are automatically set to
the current year and period without the users having to select
them and to prevent users from selecting the wrong year and/or
period?

12.
Usage of Member Lists – Demonstration (cont’d)

13.
Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists
• Static Member Lists
• Members in the lists are hard-coded in the scripts
• Members in the lists are not intended to change frequently or at all
• Example: Quarter end periods list (Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec)
• Maintenance is performed in the member lists file
• Dynamic Member Lists
• Members in the lists share similar property or attribute
• Members in the lists may change, especially if new metadata is added
• Example: Non-USD Entities list, Rollforward Account list
• Maintenance is intended to be done in metadata rather than member lists file
• What dimensions can static / dynamic member lists be applied to?
• Scenario, Year, Period, Entity, Account, ICP, and Custom dimensions

14.
Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists – Demonstration (cont’d)
• Option 1: Static Member List approach
• Create a CurPeriod and a CurYear member lists with the current period and
the current year hard-coded in the lists
• Have all the periods listed and commented out, then uncomment the line
that represent the current period
• Replace the current year manually every year

15.
Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists – Demonstration (cont’d)
• Option 1: Static Member List approach
• Pros
• Easy to understand and to update
• Cons
• Require update to the member list file
• Require loading the member list file to HFM which means system down
time

16.
Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists – Demonstration (cont’d)
• Option 2: Dynamic Member List approach
• Create a current year and a current period member lists that reference the
value inputted into a trigger account
• Create a data form for the administrator to enter the current year and
current period values into the trigger account
• The member lists are updated after the value is entered and saved in HFM

17.
Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists – Demonstration
(cont’d)

18.
Static vs. Dynamic Member Lists – Demonstration (cont’d)
• Option 2: Dynamic Member List approach
• Pros
• No member lists update required
• No system down time required
• Easy to use
• Cons
• Require setting up a trigger account
• The scripts for the member lists are not as simple or straightforward as the
static lists

19.
Dynamic Member Lists
• Whenever possible, design and use dynamic member lists over
static member lists
• Aim for update to member lists based on metadata update rather
than the member lists file
• Can be used in rules, data forms, FR reports, data grids, Smart
View, taskflow, journals reports and intercompany matching
reports
• Can use VBScript syntax and functions as well as HFM functions in
the script
• Can use custom defined functions or subroutines in the script such
as Sorting and WriteToFile

20.
Dynamic Member Lists Use Cases

21.
Dynamic Member Lists for Account Dimension
• Challenge:
• Is there any easy way to pull the balance sheet accounts subject
to historical currency override into a data form for override input
and into a FR Report for review and analysis?

22.
Dynamic Member Lists for Account Dimension (cont’d)
• Solution:
• In one of the three User Defined (UD) fields in the Account dimension,
enter a code such as “HIST” for the accounts that are subject to historical
currency override

23.
Dynamic Member Lists for Account Dimension (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create a Historical Override Account member list for the balance sheet
accounts that have the code “HIST” in the UD field
• To add or change members in the list, modify the code used in the UD field
for the applicable accounts
• Use the Account member list in the row of the applicable data form and FR
report

24.
Dynamic Member Lists for Entity Dimension
• Challenge:
• A client has legal entities set up as parent entities in the Entity
dimension
• Process Control is used and validations are to be run on the legal
entities instead of the base entities
• How can you include all the legal entities that are in multiple
Entity hierarchies in the validation rules or FR Report for
analysis?

25.
Dynamic Member Lists for Entity Dimension (cont’d)
• Solution:
• In one of the three User Defined (UD) fields in the Entity dimension, enter a
code such as “LEC” for the parent entities that are legal entities and are
subject to validations

26.
Dynamic Member Lists for Entity Dimension (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create a LEC Entity member list for the parent entities that have the code
“LEC” in the UD field
• Reference the Entity member list in the rules, data forms or FR reports

27.
Dynamic Member Lists for ICP Dimension
• Challenge:
• A client wants to be able to enable data input and running
reports for their entities with Intercompany Partner (ICP) in a
certain country, and with ICP excluding a certain country
• How do you limit the users’ selection of ICP to a certain country
or excluding a certain country?

28.
Dynamic Member Lists for ICP Dimension (cont’d)
• Solution:
• In one of the three User Defined (UD) fields in the Entity dimension, enter a
code that represents the country such as “IL” for Israel in all the entities in
Israel that can be used as ICP

29.
Dynamic Member Lists for ICP Dimension (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create the ICP member lists for the entities that are flagged as ICP and have
the code equals or not equals “IL” in the UD field
• Use the relevant ICP member lists in the data forms and FR Reports

30.
Dynamic Member Lists Limitation

31.
Dynamic Member Lists Limitation
• Challenge:
• A client wants to have the users enter rollforward data by legal
entity or market or region (parent member) instead of by every
base entity
• Can you set up a data form that shows the beginning and ending
balances from the parent entity and allow input to the child
(base) entity?

32.
Dynamic Member Lists Limitation (cont’d)
• Solution:
• Identify one base entity for each legal entity or market or region
• By the unique naming convention for the entity with certain prefix such
as “Input_” or suffix such as “_Input”
• By entering a code in one of the three User Defined fields in the Entity
dimension

33.
Dynamic Member Lists Limitation (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create a dynamic Entity member list for the base input entity called
Data_Forms_Input
• In the data form, let the users select the base input entity in the POV from
the dynamic member list Data_Forms_Input

34.
Dynamic Member Lists Limitation (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Use the HFM function E{@Cur.[Parents]} for the beginning balance, ending
balance and activity check columns which are pulled from the parent entity
• Use the HFM function E#@Cur in the columns for data input

35.
Dynamic Member Lists Limitation (cont’d)
• Issue:
• Each base input entity can have one and only one parent, which means no
alternative entity hierarchy with the base input entities
• The HFM function E{@Cur.[Parents]} pulls all the parents for the current
entity selected by the user in the POV
• If there are multiple entity hierarchies, there will be more than one column
of beginning balance, ending balance and activity check, and could be very
confusing

36.
Dynamic Point-of-View Member Lists

37.
How to solve the problem?
• Goal is to have user select the entity from the POV and the data form to show
the beginning balance, ending balance and activity check from 1 designated
parent regardless of how many parents the base entity has

38.
Dynamic Point-of-View (POV) Member Lists Demo
• Solution:
• Create a dynamic point-of-view (POV) Entity member list that will
dynamically pull a base entity based on the entity selected in the POV
• In the data form POV, use the dynamic Entity member list LE_Check to
allow users to select the parent entity
• The designated base entity with the code “LEI” will be pulled into the
columns for data input

39.
Dynamic Point-of-View (POV) Member Lists Demo (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• In the columns where the parent amounts are pulled, use the HFM function
E#@Cur to reference the parent entity selected by the user in the POV
• In the columns where user is to input the rollforward activities, use the
dynamic POV Entity member list

40.
What is Dynamic Point-of-View (POV) Member List?
• Dynamic POV member list is part of Dynamic member list, and is
based on the current POV member of one or more dimensions
• POV Dimensions include:
• Scenario
• Year
• Period
• Entity
• Can be used in Data Forms and FR Reports

41.
Dynamic POV Member Lists Use Cases

42.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #1
• Challenge: Previous example, but with users selecting the base
entity instead of the parent entity

43.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #1 (cont’d)
• Solution:
• Create a dynamic POV Entity member list that will dynamically pull a parent
entity based on the base entity selected in the POV
• In the data form POV, use the dynamic Entity member list
Data_Forms_Input to allow users to select the base entity
• The corresponding parent entity will be pulled into the columns for the
beginning balance, ending balance and activity check

44.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #1 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• In the columns where the parent amounts are pulled, use the dynamic POV
Entity member list
• In the columns where user is to input the rollforward activities, use the
HFM function E#@Cur to reference the base entity selected by the user

45.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #1 (cont’d)
• Caution:
• This solution also requires the designated input base entities to have one
parent only since the list is pulling [Parents]

46.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #2
• Challenge:
• A client’s consolidation team wants to review data using FR
Reports without having to change the POV entity for each entity
• Can you design a FR Report which will enable the user to select a
parent entity for a region and then a report will be generated for
that selected parent entity region and all the legal entities
(intermediate parent entities) that roll up to the region?
• Can the report be dynamic that it can be run for any region and
their children?

47.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #2 (cont’d)
• Solution:
• Create a FR Report that allow user to select the region or parent entity in
the POV
• Drop-down box shows the different pages for the different legal entities

48.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #2 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create a dynamic Entity member list for the parent entities
• Create a dynamic POV Entity member list LE_Report(@POV) which will pull
all the legal entity entities with the UD code “LEC” underneath the parent
entity selected by the user in the POV

49.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case 2
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create a FR Report with the followings:
• Entity in User POV – User can select any parent entity
• Entity in Grid POV – User Point of View for Entity
• Page dimension – the Dynamic POV member list

50.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #3
• Challenge:
• A client has an archive application with 15 years (2003-2017) of historical
data
• Some entities are active only in certain years
• Client wants a set of reports to run for only the active entities for each year
• Client does not desire to hard code the active entities for each year in the
rows for every report in the set, which could result in hundreds of report
and not a sustainable solution
• Can you design a set of FR reports that will generate a report for the active
entities in the year selected by the user in the POV?

51.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #3 (cont’d)
• Solution:
• In one of the three User Defined (UD) fields in the Entity dimension, use a
15-digit code to tag the active years for each entity where 1 indicates active
and 0 indicates inactive
• For example, if entity A is active in the years 2003-2005, enter a UD code
“111000000000000”. If entity B is active in the years 2014-2017, enter a UD
code “000000000001111” (to avoid becoming a number, add a letter at front)

52.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #3 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create a dynamic POV Entity member list based on the POV Year selected
by the user
• For example, if the POV Year selected is 2003, the dynamic POV Entity member
list will check if the 1st digit of the 15-digit UD code equals “1” for each entity
being considered. If it is, the entity will be added to the member list and
included in the FR Report

53.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #3 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Create a FR Report with the followings
• Dynamic POV Entity List in the row
• Year in the User POV
Entity list changes automatically when the user
selects different year

54.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #4
• Challenge:
• A client has a lot of acquisitions
• Client wants to use a data form to enter information for all newly
acquired base entities within 12 months based on the current POV
of year, period and parent entity
• For example, if an user selects Mar 2018 for region US in the POV,
the data form will need to show all base entities within US that are
acquired between Mar 2017 and Mar 2018
• Can you design the data form that will dynamically pull the base
entities into the form for data input based on the Period, Year and
parent Entity selected in the POV?

55.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #4 (cont’d)
• Solution:
• Create a dynamic POV Entity member list based on the combination of
current POV Year, Period and Entity
• Once the user selects the Year and Period in the POV, these values will be
compared against the acquisition date information for the base entities
• In one of the three User Defined (UD) fields in the Entity dimension, enter the
acquisition date information
• Alternatively, enter the acquisition date to a trigger account if the users want
to be able to modify the dates on their own without going through the HFM
admin
• If the difference between the value for the current POV Year and Period and
the value for the acquisition date is within 12 months, and if the entity is a
base of the current POV of entity, add this entity to the list

56.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case 4 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d) Compare Acquisition Date against the POV Date to
check whether the difference is within 12 months, and
also check whether the entity is part of the POV region
every time the user makes a selection
Entity list is generated
dynamically based on
comparison

57.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5
• Challenge:
• A client has a forecast scenario for each month. e.g. JanFcst,
FebFcst, MarFcst, etc.
• The forecast periods start from the month in the forecast
scenario to the end of the year. e.g. JanFcst has Jan as the first
forecast period, FebFcst has Feb as the first forecast period
• Client does not want to create and maintain multiple forecast
data forms
• Can you design a data form for entering the forecast data with
the columns dynamically showing the forecast periods based on
the Scenario selected by the user in the POV?

58.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.1a (cont’d)
• Solution:
• Option 1 – Dynamic Period Member List approach
• Create a starting forecast period member list that reference the value
inputted into a trigger account
• Create a data form for the administrator to enter the starting forecast
period values into the trigger account
• The member lists are updated after the value is entered and saved in
HFM

59.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.1a (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Data form to input starting period
• Script that creates the dynamic Period member list

60.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.1a (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Data form that uses the dynamic Period member list
• Can we also use a member list to refer to current forecast scenario instead
of hard coded in the form?
Another member list?
Starting period is corresponding
with the forecast scenario

61.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.1b (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Yes, we can. And we can also utilize the trigger account for the starting
period that we previously used.
• Let’s call it CurForecastScenario

62.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.1b (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Put it in the data form
• Now the trigger account value is driving 2 member lists
• Current forecast periods member list
• Current forecast scenario member list
• The data form is dynamically updated once the trigger account is updated

63.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.2 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Option 2 – Dynamic POV Member List approach
• Create a dynamic POV Period member list which will generate a period
member list base on the current point of view of scenario dimension
• User selects the forecast scenario in the POV, the data form will display
the corresponding forecast periods

64.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.2 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d)
FebFcst with starting period Feb
Form changes the starting period to May automatically when user selects MayFcst

65.
Dynamic POV Member Lists – Use Case #5.2 (cont’d)
• Solution (cont’d):
• Dynamic POV Period member list derived from the user POV Scenario
• Use the dynamic POV Period member list in the data form column

66.
Dynamic POV Member Lists Limitation

67.
Limitation with Dynamic POV Member Lists
• Can only be used in Data Forms and FR Reports with HFM
• Cannot be used in Smart View or Data Grids
• Can create various dimension lists but can only be based on POV
members for dimensions Scenario, Year, Period and Entity
• For FR Reports, Scenario, Year, and Period must be in the user or
the grid POV if the dynamic POV member list is not for them. That
is, they cannot be in the rows or the columns; and only 1 member
can be selected in either the user or the grid POV
• Workaround – create a multi-grid report

68.
Questions?

69.
Upcoming Webinars
• Friday, May 18 – Cash Flow 2D vs 3D – Part I
• Presented by Matt Spencer
• Friday, May 25 – Cash Flow 2D vs 3D – Part II
• Presented by Matt Spencer

70.
• PBCS Revenue Forecasting with On-Prem FDMEE at Weight Watchers – Jun 11 Mon 1:15-2:15p.m.
• Presented by Nathan Rank, Weight Watchers and Cindy Eichner, Finit Solutions
• EPBCS / PBCS / Hyperion Planning 101: The Freshman Level Intro Class – Jun 12 Tue 9:00-10:00a.m.
• Presented by Cindy Eichner, Finit Solutions
• Imagine that! Explore HFM Design Concepts – Jun 12 Tue 11:45a.m.-12:45p.m.
• Presented by Chris Barbieri, Finit Solutions
• Supplementing Your Financial Reporting Diet – Jun 12 Tue 3:45-4:45p.m.
• Presented by Geordan Drummond, Finit Solutions
• Creative Solutions for FX Analysis in HFM – Jun 13 Wed 10:15-11:15a.m.
• Presented by Brock Neal, Yum Brands and Mary Chan, Finit Solutions
• Lego My Cash Flow! – Jun 13 Wed 11:45a.m.-12:45p.m.
• Presented by Geordan Drummond, Finit Solutions
• Wow! You can be a Financial Reporting Pro, too! – Jun 13 Wed 11:45a.m.-12:45p.m.
• Presented by Monica Chan, Finit Solutions and Srinivas Salguti, Finit Solutions
• HFM Rules for Absolute Beginners – Jun 13 Wed 3:30-4:30p.m.
• Presented by Chris Barbieri, Finit Solutions

71.
Thank you for Attending!
Today’s Presenters:
Grace Xu
gxu@finit.com
Mary Chan
mchan@finit.com
Copy of the slides or Recording:
Email us for a copy of the slides or a
link to the recording
insights@finit.com
Past webinars:
www.finit.com/webinars
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@Finit_Solutions