IFS Business Reporter
IFS Business Reporter is a reporting solution for analytical reporting based
on a pre-packaged, high-level information model in IFS Applications, IFS
Information Sources.
IFS Business Reporter is a reporting tool that extends
the capabilities of Microsoft Excel to serve as a client for planning, reporting
and analysis. The tool provides an efficient and secure reporting solution that
can be used by many different functions and user categories within an
enterprise. All data and information is securely stored in IFS Applications and
only aggregated, formatted and presented in IFS Business Reporter according to
the report design. In addition to this, selected Information Sources support
data entry, writeback, from IFS Business Reporter in a controlled and secure way
for planning purposes, e.g. for financial planning, budgeting and forecasting.
IFS Business Reporter is IFS main reporting solution for financial reporting and
planning, but can also be used in many other product areas.
IFS Business Reporter is particularly suitable for number crunching:
- Efficiently aggregating and grouping structured data in several
dimensions and adding-up numbers
- Add user defined calculations in report design. E.g. totals, margins,
differences, KPIs etc
- Provide subtotals on different levels
- Display numbers and text using Excel standard formatting capabilities
A report is often designed to use parameters, making the report more generic.
For each execution, the necessary parameters are displayed and should thus be
provided by the end user before the execution is started. A report can be
executed from IFS Business Reporter but a more general approach is to publish
the report to IFS Applications and use ordinary reporting order interfaces to
execute the report. An advantage with this approach is that a report can be
scheduled and for every execution a mail with or without the final report can be
sent to a specific user. The standard IFS reporting functionality also enables
distribution of executed reports to many users and also to connect an executed
report to a document in Document Management.
The execution time is dependent on the data volumes and the
complexity of the report.
The results from a report execution is presented in Excel and are intended to be
viewed from Excel. For page based reporting intended for printing, IFS Business
Reporter is limited to the capabilities of Excel for controlling printout
formats and paging.
Reports ordered from Order Report dialog in IFS Applications can also be
previewed within IFS EE, if the IFS Business Reporter pre-viewer has been enabled.
Contents
A short functionality overview is presented in below sections.
- Business Reporter is based on MS Excel functionality. IFS specific
functionality is used for more advanced reporting features such as report
parameters, filter criteria, design row and columns, repeaters, sheet
repeaters, offline data entry, fixed sheet, zoom-in and URL
- Efficient design based on row and column repeaters. Data is expanded at
execution
- Structure repeaters can be used to include data from IFS structures,
e.g. accounting or project structures
- Sheet repeaters
- Extended Repeater Connection used to connect compatible attributes from
different Information Sources, more or less simulation a virtual dimension.
- Function based BR parameters, especially useful to handle calculated
report parameters that are based on input parameters.
- Supporting Global BR Parameters, defined and managed in IFS Enterprise
Explorer.
- Writeback of planning data, e.g. budgets and forecasts. Complete or
modified writeback can be performed, i.e. all data or only changed data
- MS Excel Pivot functionality is used for ad-hoc analysis
- Include Excel charts in the design
- Utilize most of Excel's calculation and formatting functionality for IFS
specific features.
- Excel security options fully supported, i.e. defined Excel security in
design mode will affect the access end user mode (in the executed report)
- Online execution from Excel
- Online ordering of published reports
- Use filter criteria for efficient report execution
- Detailed information with zoom-in and drill down. Direct access to IFS
Enterprise Explorer
- The main data source for IFS Business Reporter
- Gives user access to data in IFS Applications when designing BR reports
- The default access type is Online, but
Data Mart is also available in most cases
- User interface for services related to IFS Business Reporting & Analysis
- Administration and configuration of Information Sources
- Drill-down, Zoom-in, Write Back , URL relationships
- Management of Materialized Views
- Monitor and manage Incremental Load of Information Sources
- Administration and configuration of IFS Business Reporter
- Configuration of the BR Client Navigator
- Definition of Global BR Parameters, i.e. allows for centralized
parameter handling outside Business Reporter, affecting one or many BR reports
- Monitor and configure actions related to BR run-time performance
- A Business Reporter specific server application for complete rendering of scheduled Business
Reporter reports
- Database storage of saved and publishing IFS Business Reporter reports
- Online and scheduled report execution and delivery
- Preview of online ordered report in IFS EE
- Output of executed reports in PDF format
- Scheduled reports can automatically be stored in Document Management
- Accurate and secure data storage; document version control
- Secure workspaces for collaboration and sharing information
- Capturing of document approvals
