ArticlesBite Size Analytics: How to Implement and Set Up FM Analytics

There are many useful items within the documentation and online help. This Bite Size Analytics describes how to implement and set up FM Analytics in less than 2 hours.

• Summer 23 release

Installing Business Analytics

Before you can implement FM Analytics you will need to have purchased FM Analytics licenses and have the Business Analytics package Installed in your org. You can find this through Setup > Installed Packages.

This is an extra package that must be purchased through Certinia. Once you buy licenses, we speak to Salesforce on your behalf and get them to enable Analytics in your production org this normally takes less than 48 hours. There's no need for you to speak to Salesforce, we handle it all. Note that since they only enable in production you may need to refresh your sandbox to use Business Analytics in a sandbox. It is my recommendation that since Analytics is a read-only product that you should install straight into production first time and only into a sandbox for upgrades.

Getting Started with Analytics

After ensuring your have Business Analytics installed, you can go about enabling Analytics if you've not done so before. This is a guided experience from Salesforce found via Setup > Analytics > Settings. You should go through all of the steps within the Getting Started. If your administrator cannot see these options then Analytics is likely not in your environment and more likely than not you'll be in sandbox.

Giving Users Access to Analytics

There are two types of users that can access Analytics.

• Admin Users: Allowed to build, edit, and delete dashboards
• View Users: Simply allowed to run, view, and interact with existing dashboards

In the getting started steps above you will have created two permission sets that should be assigned to the relevant users through Users > Permission Sets > 'Select Permission Set' > Manage Assignments. Admin users should be assigned the 'Financial Analytics App Template' permission set. You should also assign both types of user a Business Analytics license through Setup > Installed Packages >'Business Analytics' - Manage Licenses. Finally, each user should also be assigned an 'Analytics Platform' permission set license. These are not the same as permission sets and are a different related list on the user record. To do this you should open each user record of whom you want to access Analytics, scroll to the Permission Set License Assignments related list and assign an 'Analytics Platform' license.

Setting Up the Integration User

The data that comes into Analytics is all controlled through an Integration User. This user is used as the link between Salesforce and Analytics and all data goes through this user. It is not a user that you would log in as and is created automatically once Analytics is enabled in your org. If the Integration User cannot see data then it won't get into Analytics. Simple. Note, we do not add any permission sets to the Business Analytics package because it would add a dependency and we like to provide customers with the ability to install analytics for older versions of AC where possible. The permission sets are therefore within the latest AC, BC, SCM and RM packages.

You must assign the 'Analytics and Financial Statements Read Access' permission set to this user. Without the latest package, you may need to create the permission set manually to provide 'View All' object access and 'View' field access on all AC objects. The Integration User should also be assigned an AC License (you get an extra one for this user).

Optionally if you have Billing Central, SCM or Revenue Management Installed you should also assign the 'Billing Central Analytics Read Access', 'FDN Core - Analytics - Read', 'SCM - Use Business Analytics for SCM' and 'RevenueRecognitionAnalyticsReadAccess' permission sets. You should also assign Billing Central, SCM and Revenue Management licenses. If you don't have or don't assign the Billing Central and Revenue Management licenses then you won't get those analytics.

Creating Assets

You should now have your users set up for access to Analytics. You can start generating the dashboards and datasets. To do this first access the Analytics app called 'Analytics Studio'. You can then press 'Create' > 'App' > 'From Template' > 'Financial Analytics'. Go through the questions around your configuration and you'll be good to go! Make sure to check out the other Bite Size Analytics on setting dashboard defaults, sharing, and refreshing data once the dashboards have been created.

Note that a warning message from the dataflow is normal. Once the app and dashboards have been created, it is recommended to watch the Dashboard Defaults Byte. 

For any feedback or requests for future Bite Size Analytics, post in the Reporting Chatter group.