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Learn how Avago Technologies implemented a Hyperion Planning application to enhance efficiency in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting cycles.
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Moving Data within a Planning Application at Avago Technologies Audrey HolifieldProject Manager, FP&AAvago Technologies Patrick LouieDirectorHackett Technology Solutions
About Avago Technologies • Leading global manufacturer of optoelectronics and analog interface components • Former semiconductor business of Agilent Technologies • $1.6B in annual revenue • Primary Locations: California and Singapore • Primary Finance Locations: California, Singapore and Malaysia
About Hackett Technology Solutions • Provide Professional Consulting Services for all of Oracle’s Hyperion suite of products • Publicly traded on the NASDAQ (symbol: ANSR) • Formerly known as Answerthink • #1 Hyperion Americas Reseller Award at Solutions 2006 and 2007
Agenda • Introduction • Main Considerations for Design • Issue 1 – Workforce Inputs • Concerns • Solution • Issue 2 – Functional Reporting • Concerns • Solution • Closing • Q&A
Introduction • Avago Technologies decided to implement a Hyperion Planning application to enhance the efficiency of its budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting cycles for both the Income Statement and Balance Sheet. • Three databases deployed at Avago: • Workforce (Employee level planning) • FINSTMT (Annual Operating Plan at account, department and country level) • FCST (Forecast and monthly reporting at summary level)
Main Considerations for Design • Performance • Simple for users • Supports user analysis and reporting needs
Issue 1: Workforce Inputs • Finance users making salary and benefits entries to the Workforce database • Need to see the effects on the Income Statement in the FINSTMT database • Waiting for scheduled batches to transfer data from Workforce to FINSTMT would slow down the planning process
Concerns • Scheduled batches would have to be broad in scope and would affect performance while the batch was in process • Run-time prompts could lead to human error • Users could forget to run scripts to transfer data, leading to expenses not populating in FINSTMT as expected
Solutions • Hyperion Business Rule that utilized the @XREF function to transfer data from Workforce to FINSTMT • Using Variables in the HBR that could take the POV from the form so that only the members that were being written to were transferred; the changes were then aggregated up in FINSTMT with the @ANCESTORS function • HBR wasset to ‘run on save’ in the input form
Issue 2: Functional Reporting • Operating expense accounts jointly used by all functions at Avago (i.e. people and project expense account numbers) • Functions appear at in different sections of the Income Statement (i.e. R&D is function 2, Marketing is function 4) • Previous application used by Avago was set up for a unique account and function combinations, which created 5x number of expenses accounts (i.e. 800001 – FN1, 800001 – FN2, etc.) • Need an intuitive solution so users can easily enter expenses and have them appear in the correct section of the Income Statement without complicating the account structure
Concerns • Having same accounts appear at different points on an Income Statement hierarchy could create duplicate data • Relying on all users to use Account and Function combinations in reporting and analysis is cumbersome and risky • Need database to correctly calculate the various subtotal values of the Income Statement (i.e. Cost of Sales, R&D, Admin)
Solution • Create custom accounts dedicated to each function that could be placed at different points in the Income Statement hierarchy • Create People Expenses, Project Expense and Absorption accounts specifically for each function
Solution • Create custom accounts dedicated to each function that could be placed at different points in the Income Statement hierarchy • Create People Expenses, Project Expense and Absorption accounts specifically for each function • Use member formulas to copy level 0 data for department and geography from each of the specific functions
Solution • Create custom accounts dedicated to each function that could be placed at different points in the Income Statement hierarchy • Create People Expenses, Project Expense and Absorption accounts specifically for each function • Use member formulas to copy level 0 data for department and geography from each of the specific functions • As a maintenance and scaling compromise, detailed analysis on those expense accounts would be done at an Account/Function level
Closing • Solutions were efficient to not slow down the planning process • Users were not required to use a complex process to enter data • Structure supports reporting requirements