Oracle EPM - Life Cycle Management

Use Cases

Nicholas King

• What is Life Cycle Management (LCM)?

• Use Case 1 – Explore LCM and Add 10 “Training” Users

• Use Case 2 - Security

• Security Sync Demonstration

• Using Command Line LCM

• Putting it all Together - Automation

Life Cycle Management Use Cases Introduction

• Putting it all Together - Automation

• Use Case 3 - Hyperion Planning

• Disaster Recovery Considerations

• Debugging LCM

Lifecycle Management provides a consistent way for Oracle Hyperion

Enterprise Performance Management System products to migrate an

application, a repository, or individual artifacts across product environments.

What is LCM?

Development Environment Production Environment

File System

In past versions of Hyperion, moving and upgrading applications was a

monumental task requiring specialized consulting skills.

Examples

•Reporting Security

•Web Analysis

•Planning Artifacts

•Keeping Essbase in Sync

LCM is becoming a critical tool for production support.

Why is LCM Important?

The Life Cycle Management tool has completely rewritten the book on how

to perform migrations and upgrades.

Hyperion users can now perform once complex migration tasks with only a few clicks.

Module Artifacts

Shared ServicesUser and Group Provisioning

Projects/Application Metadata

EssbaseFiles (.csc, .rpt, .otl, .rul), Data, Filters, Partitions, Index and Page files,

Application and Database properties, Security

EAS/Business Rules Rules, Locations, Sequences, Projects, Security

Hyperion Planning Forms, Dimensions, Application, Properties, Security

One Source for a Myriad of Artifacts

Hyperion Planning Forms, Dimensions, Application, Properties, Security

Hyperion Financial

ManagementMetadata, Data, Journals, Forms/Grids, Rules, Lists, Security

Reporting and

Analysis

(Workspace)

Reports, Files, Database Connections, Security

LCM has a User interface in Shared Services under “Application Groups”.

Three Basic Components:

1. Foundation – Users/ Groups/ Provisioning

2. File System – The file system objects which are exported

3. Applications and Artifacts – Drill down through the applications and

products for granular objects

The command line interface for automation is described later

LCM Basics

Security Basics

Hyperion has multiple layers of security which give very granular control over

applications and data.

Provisioning

Users and Groups

Establish MSAD and native user and group relationships

Product Level Granular Security

Dimensional security, reports access, business rules projects

Provisioning

What products and roles users have – administrator, consolidation user, planner?etc

Use Case 1: Add 10 “Training” Users

1. LCM Export Users, Groups and Provisioning

2. Review File System & Exported Objects

3. Modify the Files

1. Add 10 users, train1-10

2. Add 2 Groups, training and training2

3. Provision group training and training2 to Essbase

4. LCM Import Objects

5. Test Login to Essbase

Use Case 2: Security Sync Demonstration

Typical End User Scenario: Sync Prod Security with DR or Dev

Export Users/Groups/Provisioning from Source

Reformat Source Files for Import

New Step

Import Users/Groups/Provisioning into Target Environment

Repeat the Process

Use Case 2: Security Sync – Reformat Source Files for Import

Review exported files and look for changes before importing

• Info/listing.xml

• Essbase Server Name in Directory

• Essbase Server Name in Files

• Essbase Studio

• Business Rules – Locations

• LDAP/MSAD Name Change

• Changing application names between

environments? environments?

Apache “Ant” is a good xml based scripting tool that

provides access to powerful scripting methods like

recursive search/replace for quick automation.

Newer Versions of Hyperion Make it Easier by not Referencing Products by Server Name

Use Case 2: LCM Security Synchronization Reexamined

What happens over time?

Provisioning may not be removed from the target environment

Picture an environment with thousands of users?

Demonstration:

•Group training2 is deleted

•Group training unprovisioned from Essbase server or

LCM Is “Additive” in Nature – Unwanted Artifacts can Accumulate Over Time.

application

Use Case 2: LCM Security Synchronization - Reexamined

Export Users/Groups/Provisioning from Source

Export Users/Groups from Target

Delete Users and Groups from Target

The Revised Process

New Step

New StepRemoves

provisioning

Reformat Source Files for Import

Import Users/Groups/Provisioning into Target Environment

Use Case 2: Delete Users and Groups from Target Environment

To delete all users/groups from an environment you must provide a list of

objects to delete.

1. Export All Users and Groups

2. Import All Users and Groups Using the “Delete” Option

Use Case 2: LCM – Going Command Line

LCM Command line automation is a great way to automate

synchronization tasks between environments.

Simple to convert from GUI/Web to command line:

Utility.bat:

• Use “–local” flag to redirect the output to another folder

• How to connect to a different Shared Services (xml file

reference)

Use Case 2: Automated Security Sync

Putting It All Together?

1. Export Users and Groups from Source

Utility.bat exportUsersGroupsProvisioningTgt.xml

2. Transform Export Files in Step 1 for Import

ant –f transform.xml

3. Export Users and Groups from Target3. Export Users and Groups from Target

Utility.bat exportUsersGroupsTgt.xml

4. Delete Users and Groups from Target

Utility.bat deleteUsersGroupsTgt.xml

5. Import Users Groups Provisioning

Utility.bat importUsersGroupsProvisioningTgt.xml

Other Considerations for Synchronization

1. Planning Forms

2. Planning Security

3. Reports

4. Business Rules

Did you ever think Syncing Shared Services was so hard? What about other products?

4. Business Rules

5. Essbase Scripts

Hyperion Planning Synchronization:

1. Sync Security

2. Drop data from Essbase cube

2. Sync Planning Application

3. Perform a Planning Refresh (Essbase Outline Restructure)

4. Rebuild / Calculate the Cube

5. Sync Business Rules

Use Case 3: Hyperion Planning Synchronization

•Restructuring can take time - drop data first

•Using LCM - Business Rules and Planning Artifacts can become stale

LCM & Disaster Recovery

• LCM is a great way to migrate and save artifacts for future use.

Essentially it can export artifacts which are not typically accessible

and provide a user friendly means for exporting.

• LCM is not a “behind the scenes” interface – it works on top of the

different Hyperion modules.

• Hyperion has to be fully functional for LCM to operate reliably.

• You cannot depend on LCM to work during a disaster scenario where

you are recovering products/modules which are not working.

LCM may not be suitable for Disaster Recovery

LCM Debugging

Issue Resolution Best Practices:

• Review the output of the LCM operation to get clues

• Review the server side log, Shared_Services_LCM.log

• Try only a subset of objects

LCM is Part of the Production Life Cycle,

Learn How to Investigate Issues!

• Look for special characters

• Restart the environment

• Use Google and Oracle Knowledgebase for more info

• Look for patches to Shared Services or Product Level Patches

• Turn on debugging for LCM tool (log.xml and hss-log.xml)

Questions?

Questions or Comments?

Nicholas King

kingn@tusc.comkingn@tusc.com