If you are a user of right-click menus in Oracle EPM (Hyperion), they most likely are primarily used for business rules. They’re excellent for allowing users to leverage the form layout in determining how a business rule should be selectively run. However, there is a bit of a disconnect between the use of menus and how data is entered into forms. For example, a scenario might be made “read-only”, but this won’t stop a business rule from being run by default. Because of this, data integrity is threatened if proper steps are not taken.
In the past, there have been two common ways to correct this issue. The first is to simply use web forms and menu option combinations that allow or disallow menu use. For example, at the end of the cycle, the administrator could simply remove all menu options from planner forms. Likewise, there may be web forms that only give access to administrators to prevent planners from executing admin-only menu options. While this represents the simplest solution, it is also the most manual and redundant. It is especially difficult for organizations that may have many web forms with menu items.
The second solution is to use business rule security. Prior to Oracle Hyperion Planning 11.1.2.3.500 (more on this later), assigning security to business rules would allow the security to “pass-through” to menu options. This means that if a business rule was given “No Launch” access to users, the menu option referring to this rule would not show up. To accomplish this easily, administrators could set up folders for business rules that included all necessary Planning menu items. Security could then be set up to “Launch” or “No Launch” access, accordingly, throughout a budget cycle. Additionally, any administrator-only rules would be unavailable to the general planner.
If you have used the second option, there is an unpublished bug that has been brought up with the 11.1.2.3.500 version. This bug basically breaks that “pass-through” that was allowing the menu options and business rule security to properly communicate. Due to this issue, all business rule menu items on forms will be visible to all users, regardless of security.
The “pass-through” technique has worked previously and will work again. However, this does not help those that are currently experiencing the issue. The most obvious workaround to this issue is to just use the first steps that were described until a fix comes out.
However, as previously mentioned, the manual removable method is quite redundant. Fortunately, there are a few more alternatives that are more nontraditional that can be used in place of not only the manual steps but also the business rule security if desired. To see how one of these alternatives can be applied, check out the follow-up blog, “Using Dimensional Security with Oracle Hyperion Business Rules”.
For further information on incorporating a solution like the one described here, please contact Performance Architects at sales@performancearchitects.com.
Author: Tyler Feddersen, Performance Architects