HFM Java API Part 1: Getting Started

Ok, Kscope16 went by and the conference was awesome. My summer holiday is also far gone and it was nice even though the weather could have been better (but hey, I live in Finland, not in Spain or Florida so some fluctuations are expected). After getting back to work in August I have been very busy helping a couple of customers who have gone live with their new HFM 11.1.2.4 environments or are in the process of doing so. But now it's time to update the blog again!

I did a presentation about the new HFM Java API in Kscope16 and was glad to hear that many developers are already using it to achieve some cool things - like Ricardo and Rodrigo of DEVEPM.com with their ODI KM (how's the paper doing guys? ;). I decided to release my short "Getting Started" document to public to make it slightly easier for to people to pick up JDeveloper and get their first project built using the Java API.

Link: Set Up New HFM API Project In JDeveloper (PDF document)

After getting the IDE ready you can start developing code for your Java program. In the next post I will concentrate on the coding part and show you examples of common tasks in HFM such as extracting data and running consolidations.

Copy HFM Applications Using The Import Application Feature

In this post I document the steps required to configure the Import Application feature introduced in HFM 11.1.2.4.200. I recommend reading my earlier post about the Patch Set Update if you haven't done that already. Note that the configuration is database vendor specific and I used MS SQL Server – if you need guidance for setting things up with an Oracle database you can see Larry Lapp's recent blog post about the same topic.

Prerequisites

• HFM with Patch Set Update 11.1.2.4.200 (patch number 21225611) installed 
• Access to SQL Server Management Studio with sysadmin privileges
• SYSADMIN role granted to the SQL login used by HFM (Yes – the almighty sysadmin role. This requirement is documented as known issue #21032270 in the PSU .200 readme)

Quick Review Of HFM Patch Set Update 11.1.2.4.200

Oracle has released another big PSU to HFM 11.1.2.4. This one has been in the works for a long time so I was eager to test the update ASAP even though I'm still jet-lagged after returning from a two-week vacation in the Far East.

Version number reads "Oracle Hyperion Financial Management, Fusion Edition - 11.1.2.4.200.5149"

New Features

Let's start with the most interesting bits. The list of new features included in the readme file is long but slightly misleading... Most of the "new" functions have already been included in PSU .100 and just listed again as this is a cumulative patch. Read on to find out what actually is new in this Patch Set Update.

Copy Application Utility For HFM 11.1.2.4 - Well, sort of...

Oracle has just released a new patch for Financial Management 11.1.2.3. The patch delivers what many (if not all) customers who have adopted the latest HFM release have been asking for: a version of the Copy Application utility that works with HFM 11.1.2.4. The following actions are possible using the updated utility:

• Copy HFM applications between different 11.1.2.4 environments (both need to have minimum patch level of 11.1.2.4.100)
• Copy HFM applications from older release (11.1.2.x) to 11.1.2.4. The Upgrade Applications taks must be performed in EPM System Configurator afterwards.

Smart View 11.1.2.5.500 Released

Oracle has released Smart View version 11.1.2.5.500 yesterday. I haven't had a chance to test the release yet but according to the documentation the biggest changes in this release are:

• Support for HFM journals: view journal properties, create, edit, submit, approve, post, unpost, and delete journals. HFM version 11.1.2.4.100 is required to use this new functionality.
• Extended support for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE): multiple connections now supported. OBIEE patch 11.1.1.7.140527 is required.

Read full details and download the patch from Oracle Support: Patch 21635725: Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.5.500 for Oracle Smart View for Office. When upgrading from SV 11.1.2.x you can simply run the installer to upgrade the add-in (no need to uninstall the older version first). And as usual, please share your experiences if you try this version in your EPM environments!

HFM 11.1.2.4 PSU 100 - Fixes And New Features

EPM version 11.1.2.4 was released in February and as you probably already know it brought a lot of changes to Hyperion Financial Management. Application performance is promised to be better and the new simplified HFM architecture has other benefits as well. Still it's common for many customers to be careful after major changes like this and to wait for at least one Patch Set Update to become available before picking up the new version. After a long wait, HFM PSU 11.1.2.4.100 was released on Friday last week. You can download PSU .100 (patch nr. 20455650) on Oracle Support. Let's have a look at the list of changes in this update.

New Features

The following new features are introduced in the PSU.

The HFM Upgrade Diaries Part 1 - Known Issues

Lately I have been busy installing HFM 11.1.2.4 environments for several local customers. In this series of blog posts I will share my experiences about these upgrades - hopefully making life a bit easier for other early adopters.


Known Issues In HFM 11.1.2.4

In this first post I will list the most notable problems I (and my colleagues) have ran into so far.

HFM 11.1.2.4 - Proven Performance?

Since EPM 11.1.2.4 was released in February, we have been busy testing the new release on the Infratects lab servers. It seems that Oracle was not bluffing when they showed us some very promising performance figures in Kscope14... HFM 11.1.2.4 indeed seems to give a nice boost to most of the customer's applications we have tested so far. I did a 2 Minute Tech Tip session with Bob Rhubart of OTN ArchBeat in March in which I shared some of our initial findings. See the video below for this bite-size introduction into what makes the new HFM version so fast.

My colleague Kieron Cassidy from our Netherlands office has collected the consolidation test results into a nice white paper which you can download from the Infratects website:  White Paper: Hyperion Financial Management 11.1.2.4 - Real Performance Improvements

Personally I have installed two EPM 11.1.2.4 environments for different customers so far. These are Development/Test environments, with first Production ones scheduled to be implemented in May. There are plenty of upgrade projects in the pipeline and it's nice to see that customers are willing to give this version a try. Watch this space as I'm planning to post new stuff about the release soon!

HFM 11.1.2.4 Running On Commodity Linux

HFM 11.1.2.4 was released by Oracle last week. The talks about platform independency got many EPM professionals excited - and then disappointed when they learned that besides Windows Server you can only run HFM on Oracle Exalytics. But some Exalytics servers run on Oracle Linux, right? Could HFM be installed and configured to run on a commodity Linux box? Just for the fun of it I tried and managed to get it working!

Say Hello To HFM 11.1.2.4

As many of you may already have heard, the Oracle EPM release 11.1.2.4 was made available on Oracle Technology Network earlier this week. Social media has been abuzz with activity since and many bloggers have already written posts about all the new features. Instead of making another set of installation screenshots I wanted to take a closer look at Hyperion Financial Management as HFM is the product that has gone through most changes in this version.

HFM Base Level Data Extracts Via LCM

Starting with EPM 11.1.2.3 it is now possible to extract base level data from HFM applications using LCM. This is a handy way to back up your level 0 data without using third-party tools.

There is one requirement for this functionality that is easy to overlook in distributed environments though. (excerpt from the EPM System Lifecycle Management Guide)

In order to export or import Financial Management Data artifacts in a distributed EPM installation, Lifecycle Management must have a shared file system path. The domain account that has access to this shared/disk folder should be used to start services. Configure hfmLcmServiceAppPool(IIS) with this domain account.

If you have a two-server setup with web components installed on machine called "WebServer" and HFM application server components on "AppServer" you will need to make a small change to the default Foundation Services configuration.

• Share the default import_export folder (usually looks like D:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\epmsystem1\import_export) so that the share is writable by local Administrators and by the HFM DCOM account (also verify the file system permissions)

• Stop all EPM services
• Use EPM System Configurator to modify the LCM import/export path to point to the shared folder (in my example \\webserver\import_export). After finishing the task in Config Utility you can verify the change by running EPM System Registry Editor from the Start menu and by searching for "filesystem.artifact.path". Note that in case the share is created locally you shouldn't need to change the login user for the Windows service that starts Foundation Services.

• Start up EPM services and test that LCM is still able to read and write to the import/export folder.

• Finally start a base level data extract from HFM to verify that the configuration is working. The data extract should appear as a gzip file in \\webserver\import_export\HFM data extract\HFM-APPNAME\resource\Application Base Level Data. You can open the file using a third-party tool such as 7-zip.

Some notes about the way the extract process works (may be useful for troubleshooting):

• Data is initially extracted to the HFM working folder on the application server (for example D:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\epmsystem2\products\FinancialManagement\Server Working Folder\AppServerName_WorkingData_APPNAME) - this is done by the hsvdatasource.exe process
• Hsvdatasource.exe copies the produced data file from the working folder directly to the LCM import/export folder defined in HSS Registry. This is why the modification described above is needed.
• Some of the metadata files used in the process are transferred via the HFM FileTransfer folder (e.g. D:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\epmsystem1\products\FinancialManagement\Web\FileTransferData on the web server). Make sure the IIS application pools have write access to this directory.
• The following error appears in HsvEventLog.log on the application server if the import/export folder is not properly configured as a share: "An unknown error occurred - Param: D:/Oracle/Middleware/user_projects/epmsystem1/import_export/MyExportFolderName/HFM-APPNAME/resource/Application Base Level Data/Data.gz."
• The following error is produced in Foundation Services log file SharedServices_LCM.log if the import/export folder is not properly configured as a share: "[FoundationServices0] [ERROR] [EPMLCM-30034] [oracle.EPMLCM] [tid: 176] [userId: <anonymous>] [ecid: 00iQfXqUa0zFw00Fzzw0w00001ZS000ZAL,0:1:4:3:4:3:4:3:1:1:1:1] [APP: SHAREDSERVICES#11.1.2.0] [URI: /workspace/logon] [SRC_CLASS: com.hyperion.lcm.product.manager.WebServiceProductManager] [SRC_METHOD: exportArtifacts:717] Failed in communicating to Hyperion Financial Management remote service at URL "http://webserver:80/hfmlcmservice/LCMWS.asmx" during "export" operation for application name "APPNAME" and cluster name "HFMCLUSTR". Nested exception is  [[ org.apache.axis2.AxisFault: javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamException: Premature end of file encountered"

Essbase Analytics Link Gets Updated

Oracle Essbase Analytics Link for Hyperion Financial Management (let's just say "EAL") is a very handy product if you want to take data out of HFM and create reports out of it in Essbase (or using OBIEE for example). The product is not quite integrated with the rest of the Oracle EPM product suite though and it also hasn't received too many updates lately. Now it looks like EAL has awakened from its slumber as Oracle has produced Patch Set Update 11.1.2.2.400 for the product. The most important change is that EAL finally has official support for the EPM 11.1.2.3 release:

Analytic Links 11.1.2.2.400 can be used with the Oracle Enterprise Performance Management System 11.1.2.2.xxx and 11.1.2.3.xxx EPM System releases only. Pre-11.1.2.2.xxx EPM System releases are not supported.

Another new feature is that migration of HFM security to Essbase has been improved for more fine grained control when using Shared Services groups with HFM security classes. And as usual, lots of bugs have been squashed. See the Patch Details page on Oracle Support for full description of the update: Oracle Essbase Analytics Link for Hyperion Financial Management Patch Set Update (PSU): 11.1.2.2.400

Note that this update requires a full installation of EAL (uninstall previous version, install updated one, configure the updated version).

Backup Utility And Index Update Utility for HFM 11.1.2.2 And Later

In my previous post I mentioned the following information that was originally included in the readme file for HFM 11.1.2.2 Patch Set Update 306 (the rows have later been removed though):

• Defect Fixed: 16317490 - HFM application backup utility provided for 11.1.2.2.X.
• Defect Fixed: 12332259 - HFM Index update utility provided for 11.1.2.2.X.

I thought this meant that the aforementioned utilities would be included in the PSU package but this was not the case. The Application Backup Utility has been updated to support HFM versions 11.1.2.2 and 11.1.2.3 but you still have to log on to Oracle Support and open the following article to download it: How To Use HFM Application Backup Utility (HFMApplicationBackUpUtility.exe)? - Doc ID 1515967.1

Please note that the HFM Application Backup Utility is not meant for production use (as a means to back up your HFM applications for example). But I still find it handy for extracting single applications from a running system (the tool produces a single zip file) and loading them into a virtual machine for testing or troubleshooting purposes. The utility includes options for anonymizing data values and strings, making it safer to transfer applications into sandbox environments.

The HFM Index Update Utility is still a mystery though. The original Support article written about the utility (How to Find the FMIndexUpdateUtility for Hyperion Financial Management? - Doc ID 1535195.1) tells me that I should find an updated version included in the new HFM PSU package but either I am blind or it just is not there. I have just asked Support about the utility and will update the post once I receive their reply.

2014-02-03 - Update from Oracle Support about the Index Update Utility (thanks Usha):

It seems that the statement about the updated HFM index utility has been added to the documents in error:

"Development are currently working on an indexing utility that will work with 11.1.2.2.x, but currently there is no such utility available"

First PSU Out for HFM 11.1.2.3

Oracle has released the first Patch Set Update for HFM 11.1.2.3 last week. The PSU .100 (patch number 16956060) includes one new "feature":

The HFM UI has been tested in accordance with the software accessibility standards required by the US Federal Rehabilitation Act (Section 508).

Besides mentioning this accessibility feature the rest of the readme is stuffed with fixed defects (41 in total!). One of the most important corrections is that the web form performance fixes already released for HFM 11.1.2.2 have now been brought over to 11.1.2.3 as well. For the rest of the list please see the readme file on Oracle Support.

Note that this PSU requires three patches to Oracle common components: ADF patch 16788543 and two general Fusion Middleware patches: 13866584 and 16810628. Make sure you get the correct version (111170_Generic) of these packages when downloading them from Support.

Update: There are quite a few PSUs released for other products as well. See the Oracle Business Analytics Proactive Support blog for the lengthy list: October EPM patch set updates released.

Updated HFM Tuning Guide

A new version of the official HFM Tuning Guide has been released by Oracle. New additions to the document include:

• Basic information about custom dimensions in HFM 11.1.2.2
• Section describing recommended web server timeout settings for IIS and OHS
• Better explanations for commonly tuned HFM registry settings
• An example case of tuning the memory settings for an HFM application

The guide can be downloaded via the following Oracle Support article:

Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) Performance Tuning Guide, Fusion Edition [ID 1083460.1]

The following statement in the new tuning guide also caught my eye: “A complete list of all published HFM registry settings can be found in Appendix A of the Oracle® Hyperion Financial Management, Administrator's Guide starting with Release 11.1.2.2.300”. This useful document is available in the Oracle EPM Documentation Library for Release 11.1.2.2 (direct link to hfm_admin PDF).

PSU 600 Brings IE9 Support To EPM 11.1.2.1

The following Patch Set Updates have been made available on Oracle Support with the primary purpose of adding support for Internet Explorer 9 into Oracle EPM System Release 11.1.2.1.

• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 for EPM Architect (patch ID 14224664)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 for Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) (patch ID 14354419)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 for Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management (patch ID 14548006)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 Hyperion Planning (patch ID 14464109)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 Shared Services 11.1.2.1 (patch ID 14142678)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 Workspace 11.1.2.1 (patch ID 14119724)

You should apply the PSUs for Shared Services and Workspace in all environments and include the other specific updates depending on what products are installed. Take time to study the readme files carefully as some of the updates (especially the one for Planning) includes quite a few prerequisites and also instructions to work around known issues.

I'm not sure if these will be the only products to receive (or to require) the IE9 treatment but this information will hopefully be added to the EPM certification matrix document soon. It's also worth noting that the readme file for the Planning PSU mentions that even with these updates applied, Internet Explorer 9 is still supported in compatibility view mode only.

Maximum Number of Custom Dimensions In HFM 11.1.2.2

Note: I have now updated the post with some additional research. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see my later findings.

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"Unlimited" number of custom dimensions is one of the biggest changes introduced in HFM 11.1.2.2. The actual amount of dimensions is not unlimited though - and it is pretty hard to find solid information about the real limits at the moment. So far the best resource explaining how to use the expanded dimensionality seems to be this post on the Oracle OBI/EPM PAE (Product  Assurance Engineering) blog:

• Oracle Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) Configurable Dimensions FAQ

A Ton Of Updates For EPM 11.1.2.2

I just noticed that the long awaited Patch Set Update for HFM has been released yesterday. And Financial Management is not the only product to get the PSU .300 treatment - read below for a full list of recently released updates for EPM 11.1.2.2.0:

HFM 11.1.2.1 PSU 104

Here's a quick heads-up note for HFM customers: HFM 11.1.2.1 has received another update in the form of Patch Set Update 104. The update includes one new feature - logging capability for the Task Automation module which helps in troubleshooting taskflow issues. The PSU is cumulative so it includes all previous HFM Patch Set Updates and also a lenghty list of new fixes.

Review the readme file and download the package for HFM 11.1.2.1 PSU 104 on Oracle Support.

HFM 11.1.2.2 User Interface

In this post I will show you what the HFM web interface looks like in the new EPM 11.1.2.2 release. There are quite a few changes - partly because the technical foundation has been changed and partly for the reason that HFM applications now support virtually unlimited number of custom dimensions.