Business Analytics

IFS Business Analytics is a Business Intelligence solution that extends Microsoft Excel from a desktop productivity tool to a full-fledged, enterprise-scale client for planning, reporting and analysis. IFS Business Analytics provides easier, more efficient, secure reporting, no matter what your function is in the organization.
IFS Business Analytics is mainly a tool for Analytical Reporting. It transforms transaction based data into structured information. The combination of using the Information Source data layer to retrieve data from IFS Applications together with the Excel calculation functionality enables a flexible and efficient report design not requiring a deeper knowledge of the database design. Business Analytics is particularly suitable for efficiently aggregating and grouping structured data in several dimensions into information on a higher level. All this with the presentation capabilities of Excel.

IFS Business Analytics is a report based tool. Each new report update is initiated by starting a new execution and providing relevant parameters. Updating the content of the report is made by re-executing the report with new parameter values. The execution time is dependant 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 Analytics is limited to the capabilities of Excel for controlling printout formats and paging.

Functionality Overview

Report Design in Excel

• 100% 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.
• 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.

Report Execution in Excel

• Online execution from Excel.
• Online ordering of published reports from Report Repository.
• Use filter criteria for efficient report execution.
• Detailed information with zoom-in and drill down. Direct access to IFS Enterprise Explorer.

IFS/Information Sources

• The main data source for IFS Business Analytics.
• Gives user access to data in IFS Applications when designing BA reports.
• The default access type is online, but data mart is also available in most cases.

IFS/Solution Manager

• User interface for IFS Business Intelligence Services.
• Administration and configuration of Information Sources.
• Control Drill-down, Zoom-in, Write Back and URL relationships.
• Configuration of Client Navigator and Client Navigator indicators.
• Management of Materialized Views.
• Monitor run-time performance.

BA Execution Server

• Execution Server for complete rendering of scheduled BA reports.

IFS/Report Repository

• Database storing and publishing of reports.

IFS/Info Services

• Online and scheduled report execution and delivery.

IFS/Document Management

• 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.