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Data entry forms

Introduction

Data entry, i.e. entering and editing data in the application database, can be performed via data entry forms. These forms can be used both from the web interface and within the Excel add-in, and can also be opened in navigation mode to consult data.

IMPORTANT: unless specified otherwise, this section describes how to use the functionalities of data entry forms both within the Excel add-in and from the web interface.

A data entry form must contain at least one of the following elements:

Data entry in the Excel add-in

Via the Excel add-in, the user has quick access, in Data Entry mode, to the forms for which they are authorised. The following jobs can be performed in the add-in:

Activity Functionality
Data entry on gross and intercompany amounts, and comments Data entry in the Excel add-in
Run data entry and submission tasks Workflow panel

Data entry from web interface

From the web interface, the user can access and work on the data entry forms for which they are authorised from the process cockpit.

Opened... Description
Directly In the contributor cockpit: 1. Select the detailed overview tab or one of the step tabs 2. From the Actions column, click Forms: forms related to the process/step can be chosen from the list. The form can be run as a web form, if enabled, or as an Excel form.
From workflow In the contributor cockpit, the user can see the data entry form as content of a task in the process’s task workflow. See Workflow section of the tab. - If the data entry form is enabled for opening on the web, the form will open in the web interface. - If the data entry form is not enabled for opening on the web, it will open in Excel. Note: whether the form is opened from the web or in Excel, the data are synchronised in the application database when the form is saved.

Conditions for using forms during data entry

Data entry forms have the following particular features:

  • The can only be opened in data entry mode using the same filters by one user at a time. A form that has already been opened by a user is locked for other users, who cannot open it until it has been closed by the first user.

Note: when the form manages Analytical Workspace data only, and the ‘Show user data only’ option is active in the reference dataset, the form is never locked and it can be opened by several users. Multidimensional matrices do not support the ‘Show user data only’ dataset property. - When a form is open in Data Entry mode, the system automatically applies the filters of the process from which it is launched (e.g., Scenario, Period, Entity). As a result, filter options may be limited or unavailable for selection if they are not linked to the process. - In editable cells containing numbers or formulas, and with spreading enabled, a maximum of 15 significant figures can be saved and displayed.

Note: when the fifteenth figure is changed, the system automatically calculates the value and shows a message in the Cell Properties window. If a sixteenth figure is entered, it will be replaced by a zero and will not be saved. - Forms built on datasources that use DTP parameters cannot be opened in data entry mode. - Forms that use a period filter that allows several periods to be selected simultaneously cannot be opened in data entry mode, since data entry cannot manage more than one period at a time.

Data entry forms: cell editability

When designing the data entry form, it is necessary to define which cells are to be made editable, i.e. which cells contain values that can be modified by the user. Every time data is saved in the form, the system performs the following checks:

  • The dimension filters set when opening the form for the current cell are single elements of one dimension and not nodes. This condition applies only if break back is enabled on the selected process, which allows data entry at node level (see the Break Back function)
  • The user has the rights to edit and save data on the filters selected when opening the form.
  • All dimensions indicated as filters, in particular the account, are associated with the application process.
  • There are no restrictions among the dimensions defined as form filters.

Cells are editable for users with edit rights only when all conditions are met.

Note: to distinguish editable cells from non-editable cells, it is useful to assign a specific colour to editable cells (see Layout options details).

Data entry data processing

Running data processing from data entry forms allows the user to enter data in the system and run complex calculation algorithms for purposes such as financial planning or consolidation. Data processing is launched using the filters managed in the form as run parameters. For example, in a form in which, for a product, the quantities sold and prices are entered, it is possible to define data processing to calculate revenue based on these two values (revenue = quantity * price). This can be defined in the web interface to then be included in a form and run automatically at the user’s request or when the form is saved.

For more details on how to configure data processing to be included in forms, see Data processing run from reporting.