www.onecloud.io
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2018
IBM Planning Analytics BizApp In Action
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OneCloud, Inc.
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So what is happing out there? Or what isn't?
The OneCloud IBM Planning Analytics BizApp provides TM1 specific orchestration and automation functionality. It also allows you to easily connect and tightly integrate TM1 with a range of on-premise and cloud technologies including Salesforce, NetSuite, Workday, Namely and relational technology. This helps application owners to greatly enhance their ability to share and streamline data and tasks between applications in a controllable, auditable, and scalable environment. Business users on the other hand can be granted access to manage, run or even build their own OneCloud automations through the user-friendly and self-service web and mobile interface. Later in this white paper, we will explore three possible use cases of the OneCloud IBM Planning Analytics BizApp for TM1: Automating the load of tabular data from Google Drive into IBM Planning Analytics (TM1). Leveraging TM1 as a data source by extracting a TM1 view and uploading the tabular dataset to Google Drive. Automating IBM Planning Analytics with various administrative functions. But first let's provide a bit more background and insight into the OneCloud platform.
| OneCloud IBM Planning Analytics BizApp
Jeff Brobst (VP Financial Planning, Seagate)
OneCloud is an integration and automation platform designed to boost end-user productivity and reduce the burden on IT. OneCloud seamlessly connects legacy and modern technologies and orchestrates complex handshakes across a hybrid mix of on-premise and cloud systems while making it easy for application owners and end-users to be self-sufficient in a code-free and intuitive environment. The focus of this whitepaper is to highlight specific OneCloud functionality that support IBM Planning Analytics Cloud for TM1. The intended audience are users and administrators of IBM Planning Analytics. To learn more about the OneCloud platform or other application specific support, please visit www.onecloud.io
About OneCloud
"The OneCloud platform enabled our corporate planning team to be self-sufficient from day 1 to connect and automate our cloud and on-prem apps…the easiest go-live we’ve ever experienced."
OneCloud IBM Planning Analytics BizApp
Enterprise software has become so fragmented and unnecessarily complex that end-users struggle to use it. Enterprise software users rightfully complain about clunky interfaces that lack visibility and self-service. This places an extraordinary amount of pressure on IT departments to keep the data flowing and is having an adverse effect on productivity. One factor in boosting business productivity is to build an ecosystem of connected applications. To accomplish this, the first order of business is to tackle the integration of a vast number of fragmented enterprise applications. This integration challenge goes hand-in-hand with the need to orchestrate and automate the many processes that support critical business functions that are the heartbeat of every company including: operational planning, performance management and business intelligence. The final and most overlooked step to boost productivity is to empower the business user. Business users nowadays already bring to the workplace a savvy ability to use an array of digital tools from social media to ride hailing services and now every company with an eye on the future should enable its business users with a powerful tool-set to get more done with less. A user-friendly tool that allows end-users to easily run and manage their business processes on-demand is imperative, but the concept of self-service and self-sufficiency is still deafeningly and surprisingly absent in today’s enterprise. Let’s change that! - The OneCloud Team
OneCloud Terminology
The OneCloud Platform
OneCloud ensures that cloud and on-premise applications operate together. The platform's native connectivity to many of the most widely used enterprise performance management (EPM), business intelligence (BI), and resource management systems allows for a connected ecosystems of applications. OneCloud eliminates the challenges of integrating a hybrid mix of technologies that co-exist on premise and in the cloud. Key features of the OneCloud architecture include:
Deployment Architecture
Command Commands are the building blocks of OneCloud automation workflows (chains). A command is a single task that is pre-configured to perform an operation on a system. When building a command, the user links it with a connection in order to choose where the command is executed. Chain A linear sequence of commands that represents an automation workflow. Chains can be scheduled, run manually, or even triggered externally via the OneCloud API. Each chain allows a user to build commands based on conditional logic. Commands can also be grouped within a chain, and execute either serially or in parallel. Connection A connection consists of a resource (i.e. a server) that is pre-configured to run a certain type of command and the credentials associated with connection to a particular application (i.e. login information for a SaaS platform). Connections can be configured to use either a Linux or Windows environment. Commands are aware of which connections they need to run (for example, a command that can run only in a Windows environment), and cannot be created until an appropriate connection is configured. Environment Environments are used to manage the life-cycle of your chains. Chains can be moved between environments, and variables can be set per environment. The most common example is using a development environment to test your chain, and when you are happy with the results, you can promote the chain into a production environment. Resource Resources are files that are managed within the OneCloud platform. They be can attached to commands as inputs, and even support variable replacement for extensibility and re-usability throughout a user's workflows. Runner Runners are the agents that carry out commands and send the results to OneCloud. CloudRunners are managed by OneCloud, whereas GroundRunners operate within a user's the corporate firewall. Users control where commands are run by linking each connection to a particular runner. Variable In the context of OneCloud, variables are inputs that can be changed. Variables defined on a workspace can be used across chains that belong to that workspace, and variables defined in a chain can be used locally by the chain's commands. In addition, commands can use a variety of system-level (for example, current time) and metadata variables (chain name, environment, etc). Outputs Outputs are artifacts from previous Commands and can have the following types: Strings, Integers, Lists, Dates, JSON, Maps, File. They will appear as variables in subsequent commands in a chain. Workspace A grouping of related workflows that encapsulates multiple environments. In addition, workspaces can store variables that can be used within chains and commands. Lastly, connections are stored at the workspace level.
Connect & Automate Code-Free
Self-service to manage, view and run automated processes via web and mobile interfaces. CloudRunners and GroundRunners that natively integrate cloud and on-premise applications.
OneCloud allows technical and non-technical users to easily connect, automate, manage and run their applications. OneCloud Chains are created by simply adding automation commands and setting parameter values. In the example to the left, OneCloud is being configured to execute a TM1 Process and dynamically set process parameters.
| OneCloud IBM Planning AnalyticsBizApp
Step 2 - Set User Notifications OneCloud can easily integrate with email and messaging systems such as Slack. Timely notifications ensure that end-users and administrators are alerted in the event of any processing issues.
OneCloud IBM Planning BizApp - Case Studies
Case Study I: Load data directly to a TM1 Cube without a TM1 Process
Step 1 - Create a OneCloud Chain Creating a OneCloud Chain is the framework for an end-to-end process that will includes commands, logic, schedules and triggers.
Introduction OneCloud provides the ability to directly load TM1 in contrast to the traditional approach that requires you to first stage the data and then subsequently execute a TM1 Process. The OneCloud approach allows direct integration with an array of cloud and on-premise technologies and eliminates many complexities such as moving files via FTPS. The following example explores how to sync tabular data sourced from Google Drive and directly load into a TM1 Cube. This approach can be applied with all other source and target systems that OneCloud supports including Workday, Namely, NetSuite, relational databases and other performance management and business intelligence technologies.
Case Study I: Load data directly to a TM1 Cube without a TM1 Process (cont'd)
Step 4 - Run the OneCloud Chain Each Command in the Chain will execute creating an end-to-end OneCloud process. When a Command executes, an end-user can view the live output of the running command with relevant actionable insight such as the live completion status, the number of records loaded or any warning and error conditions.
Step 3 - Add Commands to the Chain Group 1 The first command will download the tabular data set from Google Drive and make it available for direct loading into TM1. This command has a file output that is used as a data source for subsequent commands. Group 2 The second command group showcases OneCloud's lightweight transformation capabilities. The first command will remove the first column which is not needed and cannot be mapped into the target TM1 Cube. The second command will map headers from the source dataset to headers that define the dimensionality of the target TM1 Cube. Group 3 The final command group interfaces with TM1. The first command will directly load the transformed data to TM1. While not required to load the data, the second command is an example of executing a native TM1 process.
Step 1 - Create a Chain Create a 3-step process to extract the TM1 View, map the headers to a simplified format and upload the content to Google Drive.
Case Study III: Filtering TM1 Message and Transaction Logs
Step 2 - Configure the Commands Read View Cells In this command a connection to IBM Planning Analytics Cloud (TM1) is created and the source TM1 Cube and View are defined as command parameters. Map Headers This command will transform the dimensional TM1 headers to a simplified format for streamlined loading to a target system.
Case Study II: Extract enriched TM1 Planning data to a downstream target
Introduction IBM Planning Analytics for TM1 receives end-user inputs and calculates results and is thus a rich source of data that can be leveraged and combined with other data sets. OneCloud streamlines TM1 data extraction in a compatible format to directly load to a variety of target systems including relational databases or other cloud and on-premise systems that can accept tabular data. The following example showcases using OneCloud to extract data from a TM1 Cube in a tabular format and upload content to Google Drive.
Introduction OneCloud can easily harvest log content from the TM1 service for use in downstream log consolidation, reporting and alerting. In this example, a OneCloud chain is created to filter the latest records added to the TM1 Message and Transactions logs since the prior OneCloud Chain run.
OneCloud Chain - Design Time
Technical data subject to modification and delivery subject to availability. Any liability that the data and illustrations are complete, actual or correct is excluded. Designations may be trademarks and/or copyrights of the respective company, the use of which by third parties for their own purposes may infringe the rights of such owner.
Disclaimer
Data Operations Execute MDX Read View Cells Write Cube Cells Delete Server Objects Delete a Chore Delete a Cube Delete a Process Delete a Cube View Execute Deactivate a Chore Activate a Chore Execute a Chore Update Chore Task Parameter Execute a Process
The OneCloud IBM Planning Analytics BizApp for TM1 has the following commands available to connect and automate TM1 with other applications supported by OneCloud. Each command has different parameter inputs and outputs that are relevant to the operation being performed. Please see http://docs.onecloud.io/ for more information.
All rights reserved, including intellectual property rights. Changes to technical data reserved. Delivery subject to availability. Any liability that the data and illustrations are complete, actual or correct is excluded. Designations may be trademarks and/or copyrights of the respective company, the use of which by third parties for their own purposes may infringe on the rights of such owner. For further information see http://www.onecloud.io ©2018 OneCloud, Inc
List Objects List Chores List Chore Tasks List Cubes List Cube Dimensions List Cube Views List Processes List Users Logs Filter Message Logs Get Process Error Logs Filter Transaction Logs
More on the OneCloud IBM Planning Analytics BizApp
Available Commands
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