Hyperion Enhances BPM Upgrade With Better Integration, Data Sharing
Hyperion System 9 Release 9.3 also includes the option of delivering analytics through Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, and offers integration with Google's enterprise search appliance.
In bridging the BI gap between departments, such as financial, marketing, sales and product development, Santa Clara, Calif.-based Hyperion has introduced what it calls the BPM Architect. BPM stands for business performance management.
The tool enables business analysts, usually the power user of BI software in an organization, to get a view of departments' plans, reports and other artifacts and write the business rules for linking intersecting data. For example, marketing information could be synchronized with sales data, so both sides could get a view of information that affects both.
"You have a much more aligned view of performance," Srikant Gokulnatha, senior director of product marketing, said.
On the integration side, Hyperion has licensed technology from Informatica to connect System 9.3 to transactional systems, such as customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning software. As a result, Hyperion can offer tighter integration with products from SAP and Oracle.
Hyperion calls its new integration module Data Integration Management, which complements its master data management and financial data quality products. Collectively, the modules comprise Hyperion's Data Management Services.
Finally, Hyperion is giving users more options in how they receive analytics. Rather than requiring users to learn its Web-based UI, System 9.3 can deliver data to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel environments. In addition, strings of numbers can be dropped from Word or PowerPoint into an Excel document for further analysis. Word and PowerPoint are frequently used for regulatory and management reporting, respectively.
In addition, the upgrade provides integration with Google's enterprise appliance for searching reports and other information. For companies that have bought Google's product, the integration means Hyperion users won't have to learn the company's business intelligence query tool to find information. Instead, they can use the familiar Google search engine for any data source.
"This is how you make BI easier for the end user," Gokulnatha said.
Besides improvement to System 9, Hyperion also unveiled planning software for capital expenditures. The launch is the second product Hyperion has released as it expands its product line beyond financial planning and reporting. Hyperion also offers workforce-planning software.
Hyperion System 9 Release 9.3 is scheduled to be generally available in mid-November. Pricing starts between $10,000 and $15,000, which cover about 25 users.
