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

Business Analytics 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 BA parameters, especially useful to handle calculated report parameters that are based on input parameters.
Supporting Global BA 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)

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
Definition of Global BA Parameters, i.e. allows for centralized parameter handling outside Business Analytics, affecting one or many BA reports
Management of Materialized Views
Monitor and configure actions related to BA run-time performance
Monitor and manage Incremental Load of Information Sources

BA Execution Server

A Business Analytics specific server application for complete rendering of scheduled Business Analytics reports