A n00b’s OneStream Journey No.7 — I’ve Got Your Number

Stunning and maybe in a good way. Or not.

It’s all about numbers and – quite honestly, 98% of the reason I write this blog – I have the best, best, best (or perhaps the worst, worst, worst) antediluvian not-at-all-relevant-to-anyone-but-your-grandparents pop culture reference. Please, click on it and pinky promise you’ll watch the whole thing– it’s that good. And yes, it is actually germane to this post.

All done?

Do you ever think you’ll be the same? No. Will you ever click on one of those links? No. Again. Until next time at least. But really, there’s a point other than the searing of your eyes and a reminder that not everything from before-you-were-born is…like that.

How will you feel when you use the Excel add-in to retrieve a number from your super-duper OneStream application and get the wrong number? How is that possible? OneStream doesn’t do bad data. But it can happen. And then it’s bad, right? And you’re frustrated, gobsmacked, fearful, , and even blue? Fired is more like it. Mr. Twimble has the right idea although the mail room might not be the ultimate expression of your ambition.

I’ve Not Got Your Number

Good-Bye

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Why I do what I do when it comes to blogging

Why I do what I do do do

Do you know why I ~~write endless drivel~~ try to contribute something to the CPM/EPM world through the-very-best-social-media-this-Gen-Xer-can-come-up-with?

This is LinkedIn message is why:

This, this, this is why I’ve spent thousands (yes, really, even if to little positive effect) of hours over the last 10+ years on the web. Only this. And trying to figure out how to do something and have an earthly chance of remembering how I did it whatever “it” might be. So, two things, but the former is much more gratifying even if it’s the latter that keeps me employed.

Dear Anonymized Reader, thank you so much for this. The thought that my ramblings have helped anyone, ever, is incredibly gratifying.

Destroying stereotypes

In case you wonder why Yr. Hmbl. & Mst. Obt. Svt. hasn’t identified the writer of this LinkedIn note, said writer really does exist and is a Millennial who isn’t 100% comfortable with public exposure on Al Gore’s Greatest Invention. A complete implosion (complete role reversal really) of stereotypes between the two of us although I have been assured that $12 avocado toasts are part of that millennial’s standard fare.

For the

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Kscope19 live blog, so many days after the conference it can’t really be called live

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know: late

I plead a vacation, freedom from technology, and a healthy-ish communion with dirt, or in other words: tent camping. It was great, thanks for asking. And oh yeah, I’m on doxycycline, thank you .

And with that mea culpa, let’s jump right into Kscope19 and its import

I’ve been out of the Oracle world for the last two years to it’s all been a bit overwhelming as I try to catch up with lo the many new announcements. To wit, Oracle really seem to have their act together for the first time in quite a while.

By that I mean that there’s been a concerted effort to take the multiple SaaS products that make up the Oracle EPM product suite and combine them into a single offering. I am by no means an expert in product pricing (There are those, perhaps quite rightly, who believe that I am by no means an expert in anything – who can argue with such logic given abundant supporting evidence?) but it seems to me that a move away from EPM a la carte pricing on a product by product basis to a broader enterprise license is

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Kscope19 live blog, Day 3 — Starts out with such promise, ends disappointing everyone

Hah! Gotcha!

That has to be the click-baitiest bit o’ nonsense I’ve ever written. Ever and for me with over 10 years of blogging that’s saying something. I’m not talking about Kscope or ODTUG or Oracle. Instead, I am (of course) talking about me. Totes obvs. Why disappointing? ‘Cos I said I would live blog and I seem to be sort of, kind of, completely not doing just that and am instead lagging a day behind. Whoops. You can always follow my insanity on Twitter where I can get stuff out much more quickly.

As an aside, it has been pointed out to me that all of this is available on the Kscope app and that’s absolutely true. Think of this as my way of getting the product roadmaps and announcements out to world+dog.

What Cameron, what are you doing and how are you going to do it? Beats me but if you figure it out, send me a comment care of this blog.

I am again going to post a series of screenshots that highlight the really important announcements Oracle have made at Kscope. (As an aside: really, if you can swing it in any way, manner, shape,

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Kscope19 live blog, Day 1 (final but then again I didn’t cover it), and Day 2, Part 1

Whoops

Did I live blog yesterday? Did I? Did I live Tweet? Did I? No and no. Sorry. But I have some valid-ish reasons.

Here Is The Excuse For Yesterday

I did what makes conferences like this so valuable – talking to other attendees. Tim German, Pete Nitchke, Natalie Delemar, and my younger-taller-smarter-better-looking-brother-from-totally-separate-parents were the unfortunate targets of my attempts to catch up on the last two years. Fun times, fun times.

Onwards into the Future With Essbase SaaS

If I’ve absorbed anything these last few overwhelmingly awesome days it’s this: go with Enterprise Planning. Why? Essbase SaaS. No, that’s not it’s proper name – that’s Free Form Planning. Yes, it’s a Planning app but not as we’ve known them. Dimensions? As many as you want? Managed environment ? Everything? This is HUGE. OMG, Essbase in Planning. Finally.

EPM Platform What’s New and Coming

Again, commentary is going to have to come afterwards. This is just screenshots. If you’re not following me on Twitter, you’re missing it truly live.

With that…

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More to come super-duper soon.

Be seeing you.

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KScope 19 live blog, Day 1, Part 3

EPM everywhere. And Dodeca which is EPM. So there you are.

Big news in Essbase-land, big news in EPM-Land. Again, if you’re not following me on @CameronLackpour you’re not getting this truly as it happens. Perhaps that sort of breathless reportage is not for you but I’m wearing my index finger down to the bone on my phone.

No matter, here’s the latest slides. Again, I have to think quite a bit about what I’ve seen. Put that down to ~~pronounced dullness~~ considered thought. As the conference continues I’ll do my best to reflect on what I hear.

For Oracle’s slides (and probably AppliedOLAP’s), remember: ALL OF THIS IS SAFE HARBORED. What does that mean?

The following is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features orfunctionality described for Oracle’s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle.

With that out of the way, think about this: Freeform Planning cubes = Essbase SaaS.

Here

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KScope 19 live blog, Day 1, Part 2

OAC’s roadmap

ALL OF THIS IS SAFE HARBORED. What does that mean?

In your family, does “maybe” mean “yes” or does it mean “no”.? Maybe.

There. Have I made that clear? Whatever the Idiot Named Cameron posts, it’s all maybe, maybe not likely to happen. You have Been Warned.

With that, I’m going to try to give you a slide by slide take on what’s coming. Again, maybe.

Btw, you should really, really, really be here. It’s one thing to look at slides and entirely another to hear The Man In Charge to actually explain ‘cos there’s not a chance that I can. Being away for two years can do that.

With that, slides galore. Yeah, this is a huge post. I’m not going try to comment for several reasons: 1) I have

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Kscope 19 Live Blog, Day, Part 1

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.

Yup, it’s Yr. Obt. Svt.’s patented Kscope19 live blog. I’m going to do my best to keep this going as long as I can aka until my laptop runs out of battery. I will attempt to keep this going until I run out of human battery.

With that, we’re sitting in the pretty much full Analytics and Essbase Sunday Symposium. It’s exciting stuff. The meat of the session is already beginning. Once I (barely) understand, I’ll do my best to set out my take on Gabby Rubin’s Safe Harbored, i.e., don’t hold Oracle to one single thing. You Have Been Warned.

With that, some snapshots for your enjoyment and edification

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Here’s ODTUG board member Teal Sexton and Oracle’s Gabby Rubin kicking it all off.

And the audience.

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Stick around for more

Kscope 19 Live Blog, Day, Part 1

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.

With that,

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A Change In The Weather

There’ll be a change in the weather and a change in the sea, From now on there’ll be a change in me

Some of you have heard the rumor and reacted with delight (scarcely believable but possible), others have heard and recoiled in horror (arguably correctly), and the vast majority of the 42 or so people who read this blog haven’t heard and if they did wouldn’t care (definitely the right reaction) but regardless the change is upon us. Or me.

What Cameron, what oh what oh what is the change?

I’m gonna change my way of livin ’, And if that ain’t enough, I’m gonna change the way I strut my stuff

The change is I’ll no longer work (and write and present and whatever else I do – send letters care of this address if you’ve figured that out ‘cos I haven’t) with just one technology. It’s a multiproduct CPM (or EPM if you prefer) world and for me at least to stick with just one approach to solving problems simply isn’t enough.

In the past it was Arbor-Hyperion-Oracle, then OneStream, and it will now be about both. And there may be more.

Some would argue that

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A n00b’s OneStream Journey No.6 — Instant Gratification

Instant

Everyone likes fast except when it comes to slow cooking or taking a nap or when pursuing a hobby or simply enjoying oneself. Of course, instant is even better than fast. No, not instant coffee (I can only drink it while camping – I think I somehow enjoy straining out bits of dirt from the tin mug), nor instant pot noodles (a staple of my university life, never to be repeated), but instead instant aggregations. I’m a busy geek; you are too. And I want it all. Now. Instantly.

Generally, in OneStream that’s not an issue as most dimensions are dynamically aggregated with the exception – till now – of Entity. By that I mean: input data at an Account, Time, Custom Dimension (and the other required dimensions – see my previous post for an overview of them in all of their glory) intersection and a single Entity and the numbers at an aggregate level are instantly available across all of those dimensions. That’s lovely in the non-ironic sense. However, that Entity dimension, the spine of every OneStream app, is a stored dimension, i.e. the upper level members must have materialized aggregate views. To get those aggregated –

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