Skip to content

Hyperion Planning Integration

This section covers the configuration and integration of the EPMware Agent with Oracle Hyperion Planning applications.

Overview

Hyperion Planning integration enables EPMware to: - Import metadata from Planning applications - Deploy dimension changes - Manage hierarchies - Update member properties - Synchronize with Essbase outlines

Integration Components

Planning Architecture

graph LR
    A[EPMware Agent] --> B[Planning Utilities]
    B --> C[OutlineLoad]
    B --> D[FormBatch]
    B --> E[CalcMgrCmdLineLauncher]
    C --> F[Planning Application]
    F --> G[Essbase Cube]

Prerequisites

Software Requirements

Component Version Location
Planning 11.1.2.4+ Application server
Java 1.8+ System PATH
Planning Utilities Matching Planning version $EPM_ORACLE_HOME/products/Planning/bin

User Requirements

The Planning user account needs: - Planning Administrator role - Dimension Editor privileges - Business Rule Administrator (if managing rules) - Essbase Application Manager access

Quick Setup Guide

Step 1: Verify Planning Installation

# Check Planning utilities
ls $EPM_ORACLE_HOME/products/Planning/bin/

# Key utilities needed:
# - OutlineLoad.sh/cmd
# - PasswordEncryption.sh/cmd
# - FormBatch.sh/cmd

Step 2: Generate Encrypted Password

cd $EPM_ORACLE_HOME/products/Planning/bin
./PasswordEncryption.sh /path/to/password_file.txt

# Enter password when prompted
# File will be created with encrypted password

Step 3: Configure EPMware

  1. Navigate to Configuration → Applications
  2. Select Planning application
  3. Add password file path: 
    PASSWORD_FILE=/path/to/password_file.txt

Step 4: Test Connection

# Test with OutlineLoad
./OutlineLoad.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /I:test.csv /D:Entity /L

Configuration in EPMware

Application Settings

Configure these settings in EPMware for Planning:

Parameter Description Example
Application Name Planning application name PLANAPP
Server Planning server hostname planning.company.com
Port RMI Registry port 11333
User Planning admin user admin
Password File Encrypted password file path /opt/oracle/pwd.txt
Essbase Server Associated Essbase server essbase.company.com
Essbase Application Essbase app name PLANAPP

Agent Configuration

Add to agent.properties:

# Planning configuration
planning.enabled=true
planning.server=planning.company.com
planning.port=11333
planning.timeout=3600

# Utility paths
planning.outlineload.path=/opt/Oracle/products/Planning/bin/OutlineLoad.sh
planning.formbatch.path=/opt/Oracle/products/Planning/bin/FormBatch.sh

# Deployment options
planning.deployment.backup=true
planning.deployment.validate=true
planning.deployment.refreshDatabase=true

Deployment Operations

Metadata Import

EPMware can import metadata from Planning:

# Import dimension members
./OutlineLoad.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /E:Entity.csv /D:Entity

# Import with parent-child format
./OutlineLoad.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /I:hierarchy.csv

Metadata Export

Deploy metadata changes to Planning:

# Deploy dimension updates
./OutlineLoad.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /I:updates.csv /D:Account /L

# Options:
# /L - Load mode
# /A:AppName - Application name
# /D:Dimension - Target dimension
# /R - Replace mode

Supported Operations

Operation Command Description
Load Members /L Add new members
Replace Dimension /R Replace entire dimension
Update Properties /M Modify member properties
Delete Members /D Remove members
Build Hierarchies /H Create parent-child relationships

Integration with Essbase

Planning dimensions sync with Essbase:

Refresh Database

# Refresh Essbase outline after Planning changes
./OutlineLoad.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /RD

# Refresh specific cube
./OutlineLoad.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /RC:CubeName

Database Options

# Essbase refresh options
planning.essbase.refresh=true
planning.essbase.restructure=true
planning.essbase.clearData=false
planning.essbase.runCalc=true

Form and Business Rule Management

Form Management

# Export forms
./FormBatch.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /E:forms.xml

# Import forms
./FormBatch.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /I:forms.xml

Business Rule Deployment

# Deploy business rules
./CalcMgrCmdLineLauncher.sh -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /D:deploy

Security Configuration

User Provisioning

Required Planning roles: 

- Administrator
- Power User (minimum for metadata operations)
- Interactive User (read-only)

Password File Security

# Secure password file
chmod 600 password_file.txt
chown planning_user:planning_group password_file.txt

# Store in secure location
mkdir -p /opt/secure/planning
mv password_file.txt /opt/secure/planning/

Performance Optimization

Batch Processing

# Batch configuration
planning.batch.enabled=true
planning.batch.size=1000
planning.batch.commitInterval=5000

Connection Pooling

# Connection pool settings
planning.pool.enabled=true
planning.pool.minSize=1
planning.pool.maxSize=5
planning.pool.timeout=30000

Memory Settings

# Set heap size for OutlineLoad
export EPM_ORACLE_HOME=/opt/Oracle/Middleware/EPMSystem11R1
export JAVA_OPTIONS="-Xms2048m -Xmx4096m"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue Cause Solution
OutlineLoad fails Invalid password file Regenerate password file
Connection timeout Network/firewall Check port 11333
Permission denied Insufficient privileges Grant Planning Administrator role
Essbase not refreshing Sync disabled Enable database refresh

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging:

# Set debug environment
export ODL_LOG_LEVEL=TRACE
export EPM_ORACLE_HOME_LOG_LEVEL=TRACE

# Run with debug
./OutlineLoad.sh -debug -f:password_file.txt /A:AppName /U:admin /L

Log Files

Check these logs for issues:

# Planning logs
$EPM_ORACLE_INSTANCE/diagnostics/logs/Planning/planning_0.log

# OutlineLoad logs
$EPM_ORACLE_INSTANCE/diagnostics/logs/Planning/outlineload.log

# Agent logs
tail -f /home/epmware/logs/agent.log | grep -i planning

Best Practices

Deployment Strategy

  1. Test First - Always test in non-production
  2. Backup - Create backups before deployment
  3. Validate - Use validation mode first
  4. Incremental - Deploy changes incrementally
  5. Off-Hours - Schedule during maintenance windows

Metadata Standards

  1. Naming Conventions - Consistent member naming
  2. Alias Management - Maintain unique aliases
  3. Property Standards - Standardize UDAs and attributes
  4. Hierarchy Rules - Define parent-child rules
  5. Documentation - Document all customizations

Security Guidelines

  1. Rotate Passwords - Regular password changes
  2. Encrypt Files - Always use encrypted passwords
  3. Audit Access - Log all operations
  4. Restrict Permissions - Minimum required access
  5. Monitor Activity - Track deployment activities

Monitoring

Health Checks

#!/bin/bash
# check_planning.sh

# Check Planning process
ps aux | grep -i planning

# Test connection
timeout 10 $PLANNING_HOME/bin/OutlineLoad.sh -f:pwd.txt /A:App /U:admin /V

# Check port
nc -zv planning-server 11333

Deployment Metrics

Track these metrics: - Deployment duration - Success rate - Error frequency - Database refresh time - Member count changes

Integration Checklist

Before going to production:

  • [ ] Planning utilities accessible
  • [ ] Password file generated and secured
  • [ ] User has required permissions
  • [ ] Network connectivity verified
  • [ ] Test deployment successful
  • [ ] Essbase refresh configured
  • [ ] Backup procedures in place
  • [ ] Monitoring configured
  • [ ] Documentation updated
  • [ ] Rollback plan prepared

Sample Configuration Files

OutlineLoad Configuration

# outlineload.properties
Application=PLANAPP
User=admin
PasswordFile=/opt/secure/pwd.txt
Delimiter=,
LoadMethod=/L
RefreshDatabase=true
LogLevel=INFO

Dimension Load File Format

Parent,Member,Alias,DataStorage,TwoPassCalc,Description
Entity,E1000,North America,StoreData,,North America Region
E1000,E1100,United States,StoreData,,USA Operations
E1000,E1200,Canada,StoreData,,Canadian Operations

Next Steps

Version Compatibility

Always ensure your Planning utilities version matches your Planning application version to avoid compatibility issues.

Production Deployments

Never test new configurations directly in production. Always validate in a development or test environment first.