Reporting Information
There are a number of tools available for users to help review and manage their financial data. Tools vary from traditionally static month-end reports to a dynamic business intelligence application that allows users to drill-down and interact with data.
Following is a brief summary of e*mpac reporting tools available:
- SUMMIT – Built on Oracle’s powerful OBIEE business intelligence tool kit, the Summit system is an interactive dashboard of information. Most financial data is available through Summit, and in the future this will also include other data sets such as iSiS student and HR Direct employee information. The UMass System is moving all enterprise reporting into the Summit environment as a way to improve access to data for managers.
- PeopleSoft Applications – There is a separate Finance Reporting instance in place that individuals have access to use specifically for reporting. This is a copy of the previous days production information and is optimized for reporting purposes. Depending upon security access granted, users can run ad-hoc reports and view both ad-hoc and batch reports. Some central finance staff also have access to run reports out of the production instance. Within e*mpac the following reporting tools are available:
- Report Center’s Report Distribution Tool (RDT) – This is a common reporting tool which allows users access to view month end batch reports. Reports are broken out by department and fund. Users can view, save, or print as needed.
- NOTE: The RDT solution is being planned for retirement as more robust access to reporting data is available via Summit.
- Report Center’s Finance and Grant Reports – Users can access reports in the same format as those available during month-end, but here users enter the report parameters (department, fund, time frame). User can view, save, or print as needed.
- Query – This is an end-user, ad-hoc reporting tool that allows users to extract information easily and efficiently. Queries can be as simple or as complex as needed; and can be one-time queries or saved queries used repeatedly. To use Query efficiently, you need a basic understanding of the data (that is, in what record is the data stored) the query will be based upon and relationships to other records within the database. It is fairly simple to create a query, but it takes time and understanding to create a query and bring back accurate data.
- nVision – This is a fairly complex reporting tool that is not recommended for most users. It leverages the features of query with drill down functionality.
Please contact Maura Shield if you have questions or suggestions about the Summit application.