4.3 New Features

Overview

Version 4.3 contains the following new features:

• Audit logging: The audit logs are now placed inside each workspace and can be accessed on the web from http://host:port/CorpoWebserver/audit. The audit log file can be imported into Excel.
• See the document ‘Corporater Audit Logging’ for more information.
• Improved Access Control system: Access control is now set in the Advanced tab.
• “Health check service” that can be used to determine if an EPM instance is running and is healthy. Based on the response, action can be taken and the server shut down and a new one started, either manually or automated. See the document ‘Corporater Automatic Switchover in EPM’ for more information.
• Project Deployment: to branch a workspace in order to make changes and merge it back into the original workspace. See the document ‘Corporater Project Deployment’ for more information.
• Model Deployment: to export objects or structures from one workspace to be imported into another workspace. Contact Corporater Service for more information.
• Possible to lock comments from being added to previous periods
• The Tag system can be used for referencing approvers for more flexible approval cycles
• Reporter: Footnotes implemented in Reporter
• Support for SAML authentication / identification
• Danish language has been added
• Addable objects property added to Tasks and Initiatives
• Comments are now business objects
• Spreadsheet tables can be based on Spreadsheet reports

Improved Access Control system

Access override has been directly exposed to all objects, and is configurable on the advanced tab.  This also applies to template objects, and can be used as a form of local administration:

                                              Admin                                                                                      Local admin

 

Configuration

Access override properties are exposed directly on objects.  These properties can be controlled by Workflow and Transformer.

 

Note that when access is set on a parent object, it does not automatically cascade to child elements.  The behavior is unchanged from previous versions.  In previous versions, when 'apply to subelements' was selected in access override, it applied at the moment when access was overridden.  Subsequent objects that were added did not inherit the overridden access control.

 

Project Deployment

Project Deployment makes it possible to branch a workspace, make changes to it, and merge those changes back into the original workspace. It allows for testing and implementing new features on a sandboxed development server, and then pushing these changes out to the live production environment, without having to reconfigure everything that was tested manually. This is a great way to limit human errors in the implementation of a solution that is already tested, and it provides an opportunity to test the actual configuration that will be implemented.

Benefits

Supports IT policies for some customers

Supports a full test and acceptance process

Eliminates extra work for dual configuration

Improves project quality (reduces likelihood of errors)

Logical workflow

Make branch from the production environment

Initialize the branch in a development/sandbox environment

Implement and test changes in the development/sandbox environment

Export changes from the development/sandbox environment

Merge changes back to the production environment

 

Please see the separate document ‘Corporater Project Deployment’ for information on how to configure and use this functionality.

                 

Locking comments from being edited based on period

Comments can now be configured so they cannot be made for past periods.  This is a simple configuration of settings start and end dates for commenting, on the comment holder:

When locked, users will not have the option to add comments if the period does not meet the conditions for the commenting period.

Approvals: referenced approvers using a tag system

Overview

Approvals can now be dynamically set based on object properties.  This means that the object needing approvals can contain the approval routing based on object user properties, such as created by, responsible, or custom properties.  The order of approvals is set through a comma-separated list. Approval set-up 

In this example, the person who created the object is set as the first approval.  This provides a draft mode so the user who created the object can complete working on it before it is routed to the next approver.  After the creator approves the object, it is routed to the object owner, which is a custom user property on the object.

Web view 

In this example, the creator, Eric, is the first approver, followed by Kathy, the object owner.

Comments are now business objects

In previous versions, filtered comments could display the comments of specific KPIs of sub-organizations for a given KPI, however it required explicitly choosing every KPI or comment object to include.  This was a difficult configuration to maintain, and it was not dynamic when new business units were added.  In addition, it was complicated to 'aggregate' comments at different levels within the organizational hierarchy.

In 4.3, comments are regarded as normal business objects.  This means that comments now appear in Configuration Studio.  In addition, custom properties can be assigned to comments.  By adding a token property, a single configuration can be used in a default KPI (or other object), that can be reused throughout the organizational structure.  While not 100% dynamic, it requires a single variation in the filter configuration when used on other objects.

Comments in Configuration Studio

 

• Normal business objects
• Can add custom properties (token tags!)
• Available in Transformer (rich text not supported)

Comment aggregation

In previous versions, filtered comments could display the comments of specific KPIs of sub-organizations for a given KPI, however it required explicitly choosing every KPI or comment object to include.  This was a difficult configuration to maintain, and it was not dynamic when new business units were added.  In addition, it was complicated to 'aggregate' comments at different levels within the organizational hierarchy.

Concept

Add a token property to a comment

Configure a filtered comment object in the web

Add a token property to a comment

Several approaches can be used.  You can refer to the ID of the template object, or the comment holder itself.  Alternatively, you can find all comments on a KPI (if there are multiple comment holders) by referring to the KPI name.  Note that this will be a problematic approach if different KPIs share the same name.

                 

Create a token tag

In the above example, we refer to the parent of the parent, since the parent object of a comment is the comment holder.  The parent of the holder is the KPI itself.

Link the token tag to the comment default object

 

                 

Configure a filtered comment object

Note that filtered comments will display all comments regardless of the reporting period, therefore the filter includes the registration date.  If multiple comment holders are on the KPI, comments from each comment holder will be displayed.

Web view of aggregated comments

Note that the organization has been included in the column configuration to display the busines units the comments were attached to.

Spreadsheet reports linked to spreadsheet tables

Excel files can be used as a calculation worksheet to provide complex calculations that can be connected to Transformer jobs that can be run from action buttons, without downloading and uploading the Excel file.

Process

1. Create a spreadsheet report
2. Connect the spreadsheet report to a spreadsheet table
3. Connect the spreadsheet table as a Transformer source
4. Connect an action button to the Transformer job

Uses

A spreadsheet report can contain dynamic system data from filtered lists, for example.  Calculations can be performed within the spreadsheet to provide complex calculations, or to transform data for deployment, process workflow, or other purposes.  The resulting data can be used as Transformer source data (through a spreadsheet table used in the template model), and fed back into Corporater for further use.  The only visible element to end users is an action button.

Spreadsheet tables

Excel files can be used as table sources in spreadsheet tables, and linked to table functions.  These table functions can be used to drive status results in Corporater.

Example use:

Count the number of red, yellow, and green KPIs.

Create filtered lists for each of the red, yellow, and green KPIs

Use a spreadsheet report that links to each of the respective tables

Use an Excel 'count' function to count the number of rows for the KPI categories

Link the spreadsheet report to a spreadsheet table

Link the spreadsheet table and associated cells containing the counts to the table function

Table functions

Table functions can refer to cells in spreadsheet reports and used in Corporater to drive status

Uses:  

• Counting red, yellow, and green KPIs (performance distribution)
• Complex calcuations
• Counting overdue tasks or initiatives to drive status

 

Table view

Web tables can refer to spreadsheet reports

Uses:   

• Dynamic tables with Excel functions can be shown as native Corporater tables
• Tables can also be linked to native Corporater charts