FDM Drill Into Anything vs. Oracle ERP Integrator
FDM Drill Into Anything extends Oracle Hyperion Financial Data Quality Management with flexible drill-back access to source transactions. This comparison explains where it differs from Oracle ERP Integrator (ERPI), including supported systems, configuration effort, licensing, and implementation considerations.
Drill-into-Anything is a powerful Enhancement for Oracle’s Hyperion Financial Data Quality Management. Our custom Source Adapter for Hyperion Financial Data Quality Management, Drill-into-Anything (DIA), enhances and extends the functionality of Oracle’s Hyperion ERP Integrator.
Compare Mindstream DIA vs. Oracle’s ERP Integrator
In a recent release, Oracle published a new component called ERP Integrator (ERPI) which can be configured to create a direct connection between FDM and a source GL system (Oracle Financials and PeopleSoft). This can be used in two ways:
- To extract data directly from the source GL system and import it into FDM
- To drill back from an aggregated level in FDM into the actual transactions which exist in the Source GL data and further more logon to the source GL system and being directed to the exact transactions which have comprise the value existing in FDM
Limitations of ERP Integrator
ERPI’s ability to drill into a source GL system is an important step towards the goal of creating Management Excellence. However, it currently has some limitations. The most critical ones are:
- Supported Source Systems are limited to most recent versions of E-Business Suite and PeopleSoft.
- Import Formats: restricted capabilities (concatenation of Entity dimension) multiple Import Formats required
- Complexity: multiple tools and configuration steps required
- High Licensing fees
| Function | ERP Integrator | FDM Drill-Into-Anything |
| Drill back launches GL system | Yes (requires configuration) | Not without customization |
| Supported Source Systems | Oracle Financials (selected versions after 11.5.10 cu2); PeopleSoft (?) | Any relational source system (no known limitations) |
| Implementation | Pre-built solution, mapping of pre-defined Source data file to FDM Import Format, additional Import Format | Based on integration Templates, slight modification of Import Format |
| Required components | Oracle Data Integrator (ODI), ERPI Integrator, Hyperion Workspace | FDM “Drill-into-Anything” patch (2 file changes, Java Servlets); Workspace or Web Application server for Java Servlets |
| Configuration Effort | ODI Topology, ERPI connectivity, Metadata Rules, Data Rules, FDM adapter (1 adapter per Set of Books) | FDM adapter (1 adapter for all Sets of Books, Location settings), Infrastructure to connect from FDM to Source Database |
| Implementation Time | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Complexity to understand | High(ODI/ERPI/Drill back configuration, requires 2 Import Formats with limited capabilities) | Low (Definition and assignment of views, 1 Import Format with full capability) |
| Number of Database Schemas | 3 | 1 |
| Supported by | Oracle | MindStream Analytics |
| Security | Shared Services AND FDM | FDM only |
| Licensing | Additional license required (around $2900 per user???) | None (implementation and support as T&M) |
| Known Issues | FDM Import Formats not supported; only certain Versions of certain GL systems are supported | Full support of FDM Import Formats; no restrictions to |
Why Choose FDM Drill Into Anything Over ERPI?
FDM Drill Into Anything is designed for finance teams that need drill-back flexibility beyond a narrow set of general ledger versions. It can connect FDM to relational source systems through tailored integration views while preserving the import-format logic teams already understand.
For evaluation, compare the required components, security model, database footprint, configuration effort, and long-term support model. FDM Drill Into Anything can be especially useful when multiple source systems or customized import formats make a standard connector restrictive. The best choice still depends on your Oracle release, source architecture, governance requirements, and support strategy.
Before implementation, validate connectivity, user access, drill-back paths, and representative transactions in a controlled environment. Review Oracle’s official FDMEE administration documentation for the applicable platform guidance. FDM Drill Into Anything should be assessed alongside your broader FDMEE import formats, Oracle Data Integrator, EPM Automate, Hyperion Planning, and Oracle Hyperion support strategy.
