Documentation
Everything you need to know about using EPM Design Manager to design, document, and collaborate on EPM implementations.
Overview
EPM Design Manager is a collaborative platform built specifically for Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) implementation teams. It provides a centralized environment to design, document, and manage all aspects of EPM solutions.
Manage cubes, dimensions, forms, business rules, and more in one place.
Work together with role-based access and real-time updates.
Get intelligent suggestions and explore designs with natural language.
Getting Started
Follow these steps to start using EPM Design Manager for your implementation projects.
Create an Account
Sign up with your email address. You'll get a 14-day free trial with full access to all features.
Create a Workspace
Workspaces are isolated environments for your projects. Create one for each client or implementation.
Enable EPM Applications
Go to Settings → Applications and enable the EPM applications you're implementing (Planning, FCCS, ARCS, etc.).
Invite Your Team
Add team members with appropriate roles (Admin, Member, or Viewer) to collaborate on the design.
Start Designing
Create divisions, add design artifacts, and use the AI assistant to accelerate your work.
Workspaces & Teams
Workspaces provide isolated environments for managing EPM implementations. Each workspace has its own team, settings, and artifacts.
Multi-Tenant Isolation
Each workspace is completely isolated. Data, settings, and team members are separate from other workspaces.
Custom Branding
White-label your workspace with custom logos, colors, and application names for client-facing presentations.
Flexible Settings
Configure navigation visibility, enabled applications, and workspace-wide preferences.
Full control including billing, workspace deletion, and ownership transfer.
Manage team members, settings, and all artifacts. Cannot delete workspace.
Create, edit, and delete artifacts. Cannot manage team or settings.
Read-only access to all artifacts. Cannot make changes.
EPM Applications
EPM Design Manager supports multiple EPM application types. Enable the applications relevant to your implementation in Settings → Applications.
Budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning applications.
Financial consolidation and close management.
Account reconciliation and transaction matching.
Enterprise data management and master data governance.
Financial and management narrative reporting.
Tax provisioning and country-by-country reporting.
Profitability analysis and cost allocation.
Each application type may have specialized artifact types. When you filter by application in the sidebar, you'll see only the artifacts associated with that application.
Divisions
Divisions represent business units, regions, or organizational segments within your EPM implementation. They help organize requirements and track artifact ownership.
Responsible Persons
Track the Implementation Lead, Client Responsible, and Consultant Responsible for each division.
Requirements Tracking
Document division-specific requirements including business context, planning processes, revenue planning, and cost planning details.
Artifact Associations
Link cubes, forms, business rules, integrations, and other artifacts to specific divisions for traceability.
Design Artifacts
Design artifacts are the building blocks of your EPM implementation. EPM Design Manager supports all major artifact types with specialized fields and workflows.
Artifacts can also be marked as Deprecated when no longer in use.
- Define BSO (Block Storage) or ASO (Aggregate Storage) cube types
- Document cube purpose and data flow position
- Track version history and change reasons
- Associate cubes with specific EPM applications
- Position cubes in the architecture diagram
- Create dimension hierarchies with member relationships
- Classify dimensions by type (Entity, Account, Period, Scenario, Version, etc.)
- Link dimensions to specific cubes
- Document dimension purpose and usage
- Track changes with version control
- Design data entry forms with row/column/POV dimensions
- Specify form type (data entry, composite, task list)
- Define target users and access requirements
- Link forms to cubes for data context
- Document validation rules and formatting
- Document calculation scripts and logic
- Define trigger types (manual, on_save, scheduled, on_load)
- Specify rule types (calculation, allocation, data push)
- Track rule dependencies and execution order
- Version control for calculation changes
- Define source and target systems or cubes
- Specify integration method (Data Management, REST API, EPM Automate, etc.)
- Document field mappings and transformations
- Set integration frequency and scheduling
- Track data flow direction (inbound, outbound, internal)
- Define allocation types and methodologies
- Specify source and target entities
- Document allocation keys and drivers
- Set allocation frequency
- Track allocation rules and exceptions
- Define report types and formats
- Specify dimensions used in reports
- Document target audience and distribution
- Track report versions and changes
- Link reports to data sources
- Define role-based access patterns
- Specify entity and version access levels
- Document role scope and permissions
- Track security role assignments
- Manage role hierarchies
- Design task lists and workflow sequences
- Create composite forms and menus
- Define navigation hierarchies
- Document user journeys
- Link flows to forms and reports
- Define alias tables for dimensions
- Map technical codes to display names
- Support multiple languages and contexts
- Document alias usage in reports
- Track alias table versions
Architecture View
The Architecture View provides an interactive visual diagram of your data flow, showing how systems, cubes, and integrations connect.
Node Types
- Source Systems
- BSO Cubes
- ASO Cubes
- Target Systems
Features
- • Division-based filtering
- • Click nodes to view details
- • Drag-and-drop positioning
- • Create artifacts from diagram
- • Auto-layout options
Project Management
Track implementation projects, tasks, timelines, issues, and risks alongside your design artifacts.
Create projects with phases, milestones, and health status tracking. Link projects to divisions and team members.
Manage implementation tasks with assignees, due dates, priorities, and progress tracking.
View Gantt-style timelines with phases, milestones, and dependencies across your implementation.
Track implementation issues and risks with severity levels, owners, and resolution status.
Environment Management
Track your EPM environments (Development, UAT, Production) and manage release deployments.
Environment Types
Track Development, UAT, Staging, and Production environments with version info, server details, and health status.
Release Management
Plan and track releases with deployment dates, release notes, and rollback plans.
Configuration Tracking
Document environment configurations with sensitive field protection.
AI Design Assistant
The AI Design Assistant helps you explore your designs, answer questions, and create artifacts using natural language.
Natural Language Queries
Ask questions like "What dimensions does the Revenue cube have?" or "Show me all business rules that run on save."
@ Mentions
Reference specific artifacts by typing @ to see an autocomplete list. The assistant will have full context about mentioned artifacts.
Artifact Creation
Ask the assistant to create artifacts: "Create a cube called REVENUE with BSO type for revenue planning."
Design Suggestions
Get recommendations for dimension structures, business rule logic, and integration patterns.
Conversation History
Your chat sessions are saved automatically. Access previous conversations from the session dropdown to continue where you left off.
Settings & Customization
Customize your workspace with branding, navigation preferences, and application settings.
Customize your workspace with a custom logo, application name, company name, tagline, and color scheme.
Show or hide sidebar sections and menu items based on what's relevant to your implementation.
Enable or disable EPM application types. Control which applications are available for artifact filtering.
Invite team members, manage roles, and control access to your workspace.
Collaboration
EPM Design Manager is built for team collaboration with features that keep everyone aligned.
Real-Time Updates
Changes are reflected immediately across all team members. No need to refresh to see the latest updates.
Version History
All artifacts track version numbers, change reasons, and who made changes. Review the history of any artifact.
Export & Sharing
Export designs to PDF, Excel, or share links with stakeholders for review.
Dashboard Overview
The dashboard provides a real-time overview of artifact counts, active projects, open issues, and recent changes.
Ready to get started?
Start your free 14-day trial today. No credit card required.