Why Third-Party, Excel-Based Reporting Tools Make Sense
Addressing the Limitations of Oracle’s Native Reporting Tools in Oracle Fusion Cloud Apps and Oracle EBS
1/18/23
Introduction
Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications and Oracle EBS are two of the most prominent business application software tools in the market, with products that span business functions such as finance, human resources, and supply chain management.? Thousands of businesses rely on these applications every day.? Integral to these systems is the capability for robust data reporting, a pre-requisite for businesses to make informed and timely data-driven decisions.? Oracle itself provides a range of reporting tools designed to meet the needs of its user base.? However, the adequacy of and efficiency of these native tools have often been a subject of debate.
This white paper is meant to address a crucial question – is settling for Oracle’s reporting tools a strategic move or does the pursuit of excellence in reporting warrant investing in third-party solutions.? This whitepaper was written as a response to a webinar presented recently by a consulting firm and promoted by the OATUG.
In this paper, we explore the multifaceted nature of Oracle’s reporting tools, acknowledging some strengths but also highlighting their limitations, particularly in terms of intuitiveness and user experience.? The discussion then shifts to the third-party solution API Wizard, which uses Microsoft Excel as its full-time user interface, a platform that is a standard in the business world.? We will make the case that Excel-based reporting is not a mere alternative but a significant enhancement, offering capabilities that go way beyond what Oracle’s native tools provide.
The core argument revolves around the dynamic nature of business requirements, the need for real-time reporting, the significance of user-friendly interfaces, the importance of customization capabilities, and ultimately, the strategic significance of efficient and effective reporting tools.
Understanding the Limitations of Oracles Reporting Tools
Diverse but Non-Intuitive Toolset
Oracle offers a wide array of reporting tools, each designed to cater specific aspect of business data analysis and reporting.? The multitude of tools includes Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE), Oracle Analytics Cloud, Oracle BI Publisher, and various other modules within Oracle EBS and Oracle Cloud Applications.? While Oracle is clearly attempting to meet its customers’ reporting requirements, the myriad set of tools creates a level of complexity that is daunting for users.
These tools each have distinct user interfaces and functionalities, making it challenging for an organization to effectively adopt them and making it quite inefficient for a user who must bounce between tools.? Additionally, many of the tools, while powerful in some respects, are often quite complex.? For example, BI Publisher requires a fair degree of technical expertise to create and modify reports, necessitating an understanding of XML and other data definition languages.?
While one can commend Oracle for offering multiple tools, one also cannot help but feel they’ve been built in silos and that this siloed approach results in a disjointed user experience, complicating the adoption of these tools across the organization.
Limitation in Oracle’s Excel Integration
While Oracle does offer some integration with Microsoft Excel, such as Smart View and the ability in some tools to export data to Excel, these integrations have significant limitations that hinder their effectiveness.
One significant limitation in many of the Oracle reporting tools is the nature of the data downloads: data downloaded into Excel is static or 'dead'.? This means that once exported into Excel, it does not maintain a live link to the Oracle system.? As a result, changes in Oracle are not reflected in the Excel sheet without going back to Oracle and re-running the report.? This necessitates additional manual work and frequently results in issues with data timeliness and accuracy, often referred to as 'stale' data.?
The challenge of stale data is but one on the limitations, other key limitations include restrictions on the volume of data they can process, the slow performance of the reporting tools, and the fact that a large percentage of the predefined Oracle reports cannot even be exported to Excel in a sensible manner.
Standard Reports, Modifications to Standard Reports, and Custom Reports
Where Oracle offers the most value is in the large number of standard reports they provide.? Most business processes will have one or more associated standard reports.?
Where Oracle falls short is in the ability to modify the standard reports and the creation of custom reports.? Firstly, since there are many Oracle reporting tools, one has to decide in which tool to modify or build a new report and, unfortunately, none of the tools are particularly easy to work with.? To some extent, Oracle really can’t help this – they are trying to make tools that do everything for everybody, which in turn makes them overly complex and has unfortunately diverted their attention from usability.
The complexity of modifying existing, or creating new, reports using Oracle’s tools means that that either they are expensive to build and maintain or they are just not built, depriving users of the specific information they need.
In Summary
While Oracle provides a wide range of reporting tools, the collective complexity of these tools and the limitations in their Excel integration pose significant challenges. These challenges can impact the efficiency and effectiveness of business reporting, underscoring the need for more streamlined, user-friendly solutions.
Advantages of Third-Party Excel-Based Reporting Tools
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User-Friendly Interface:
A critical benefit of native Excel-based reporting is the user-friendly interface, which contrasts sharply with Oracle’s diverse and complex toolsets.? API Wizard’s reporting module simplifies the reporting process, allowing users to run and refresh reports directly from Excel.? The intuitive user interface, combined with the familiarity that most business users have with Excel, makes those users very efficient both in terms of running reports and, more importantly, in terms of analyzing and working with the report data.?
Elimination of Stale Data
The very legitimate concern about 'Stale Data' has been an issue impacting the process of exporting data to Excel across many systems, not just Oracle.? The concept is simple; data is extracted to Excel and ends up becoming its own data silo, not getting refreshed.? This potentially leaves the user with outdated and inaccurate data, which may then be propagated throughout the business.? API Wizard solves this problem in two ways (1) We provide the ability to easily refresh data from within Excel in a way that keeps intact any data analytics that have been built using the data, so that the user doesn’t face the typical burden of rerunning the Oracle report and rebuilding the analysis and (2) By providing a mechanism to track the date of data and inform the user if they are using a data set that is too old (the definition of which can be modified based on what type of data and what period of time would make it stale).? In these ways, API Wizard’s innovations have solved the 'stale data' issue that has plagued users for decades.? Oracle provides no solution of this type.
No Limitations
Limitations such as the maximum number of rows and columns that can be extracted, the need for scheduling versus running reports in real-time, and the inability to get report output formatted natively in Excel do not apply to API Wizard’s reporting tool.? In API Wizard, users can leverage the full power of Oracle and Excel without the design limitations of Oracle’s tools.
Simplified Report Modification and Creation:
API Wizard significantly eases the process of modifying and creating reports, which is done within the easy-to-use Excel interface.? What would take hours or days of work in Oracle tools, takes just minutes in API Wizard and reduces the dependency on IT for these tasks.? Enabling quicker adaptation to changing business needs results in significant time and cost savings in report development as well as ensuring users have the information they need, when they need it.
Advanced Capabilities:
Advanced capabilities, such as the ability to easily drill down into detailed data or drill up to summary data, easily change column headers and the location of data fields, efficiently work across multiple worksheets to process several data sources simultaneously, and quickly create report functions that can be integrated into analysis worksheets are just a few of the ways the API Wizard reporting solution for Excel far exceeds any of the tools that Oracle provides.? The feature set and advanced capabilities provide a flexibility and capability that really empowers its users.?
In Summary
API Wizard’s Excel-based reporting tool offers a range of advantages that make it a compelling alternative to Oracle’s native reporting tools.? By enhancing the user experience, ensuring data timeliness, removing data volume constraints, streamlining report development, integrating with Excel’s power features, and providing advanced functionality not offered in any Oracle tool, the API Wizard Excel reporting tool elevates the efficiency and effectiveness of Oracle business reporting, making it an attractive alternative for organizations striving to optimize their data analyses.
Page 3: Strategic Implications and Conclusion
The Dynamic Nature of Reporting
Reporting requirements are not static.? They are often changing based on rapidly changing business conditions and the competitive advantage that comes from being nimble.? Adaptability, flexibility and ease of use greatly favor API Wizard’s Excel-based reporting tool over the myriad of confusing, conflicting solutions provided by Oracle.? With API Wizard, users are able to get the information they need, the way they need it, in real time without a dependency on their IT team.
Does Sufficient Suffice?
This white paper was in large part inspired by a presentation coordinated by the OATUG last week attempting to make the case that Oracle’s reporting solutions were 'good enough' and that their inclusion as part of your Oracle license was reason enough to use them in favor of a third-party solutions.
This seems like a fundamentally flawed position.? Reporting is too critical for businesses to be stuck with a 'sufficient' tool when a significantly better solution exists.? Empowering businesses to respond quicker, with more accurate insight into their business and operations, provides a significant advantage that customers who rely entirely on Oracle for reporting will miss out on.
Cost-Benefit Analysis and ROI
Of course, we recognize that when considering adoption of a third-party tool, such as API Wizard’s Excel reporting, a cost-benefit analysis is essential.? To that end, our customers find that the initial investment in this tool is offset by significant time savings, increased efficiency, and improved data accuracy.? Furthermore, a reduction in dependency on IT for report generation and customization can lead to substantial cost savings.? The Return On Investment (ROI) becomes evident in the form of quicker decision making, better resource allocation, and enhanced capability to identify and respond to business opportunities and risks.
Conclusion
Throughout this white paper, we have explored the advantages and strategic implications of adopting API Wizard’s Excel-based reporting tool in Oracle environments. This tool not only addresses the limitations of Oracle's native reporting capabilities but also adds significant value through its user-friendly interfaces, real-time data integration, and powerful analytical features. The ability to handle extensive data sets, coupled with enhanced customization and reporting flexibility, positions it as a vital tool in the arsenal of Oracle customers.
In conclusion, the strategic importance of choosing the right reporting tools in today's data-driven business landscape cannot be overstated. As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of data management and reporting, API Wizard’s Excel-based solutions stand out as not just an alternative but a necessary enhancement to Oracle's reporting capabilities, as they help drive organizations towards greater analytical prowess and more informed decision-making.
About API Wizard:
API Wizard is the leader in Oracle data processing efficiency.? Our flagship products designed for Oracle EBS and Oracle Fusion Cloud Apps offer a streamlined solution for data entry, data maintenance, and reporting.? Using the familiar interface of Microsoft Excel, API Wizard significantly simplifies the complexities associated with Oracle systems.? For more information about API Wizard, please visit our website, www.api-wizard.com.