Connecting a source system to a forecasting system is rarely
straightforward, and typically follows a familiar pattern:
1) Hope and optimism for a beautiful direct integration
2) Your dreams being brought down to earth during
design-time
3) Getting the ERP team to export an extract
regularly
4)Hoping the extract worked and scooping it up
using a batch script to load.Therefore, when an opportunity arises to ditch the shackles of extract-based integrations and migrate entirely through the cloud, one must grasp that opportunity with both hands. And that’s what a fabulous joint effort by the team at Brovanture has managed to achieve.
Why should you read this lengthy blog? Cloud-to-Cloud is cool, but it’s especially cool when
you combine infinitely customisable source queries in NetSuite with the
exceptional mapping capabilities of Data Management. You really can integrate anything between NetSuite and PBCS,
enabling you to migrate metadata and data easily, quickly and regularly for a
near-seamless system. It really is that
good.
This blog is going to walk you through how it works, and how
you can set it up for yourself.
3) If you have any other addiins configured for NetSuite you may be able to skip this step, but you will need to go to the SuiteCloud tab and enable the features: Custom Records, Server SuiteScript, Token-Based Authentication, Client SuiteScript. Again, ask your NetSuite vendor for assistance if needed.
4) Once you’ve got the bundle enabled, go to Customisation in NetSuite and Install it.
5) Setup the
PBCS File Encryption password in NetSuite, noting the requirement to be 16,24
or 32 characters. Select Setup ->
Integration -> PBCS File Encryption Password
6) Create a NetSuite user with the PBCS Integration role which will be automatically available when installing the bundle. Give your user the same password as the NS-PBCS file encryption password. We named our user cloudintegration@brovanture.com for simplicity.
7) The
integrations are powered using the incredible Saved Searches functionality in Netsuite. This powerful
functionality allows you to create extremely customisable queries and save them
to be run by other users. There are three sample searches created to help you
get started which you can use if you like:
However, you
can also create any saved search you like, and provided the ID starts with: customsearch_nspbcs then it will be
automatically pulled through to Data Management later in the process! This means you can
connect literally any customisation
of NetSuite to PBCS using entirely bespoke queries. I’ll be going further into
detail in this in future blogs showing how we used this powerful technique to
create specialised metadata extracts and data extracts and support the Data Management process.
8) You can use
either token-based authentication or user based authentication to connect the
source system. In this tutorial, we’ll be using user-based authentication and
using the user we set up in step 6. When the integration is triggered, in the
background the saved search will be run using this user account’s access in
NetSuite, so bear that in mind and ensure it has the correct level of access
for your requirements.
9) We’ve
finally made it to PBCS and it only took 9 steps! Load up your PBCS instance
with an administrator account and open Data
Management. In Data Management, go to Setup -> Source System and select Add.
10)Select
NetSuite under Source System Type and
give it a name. You can also set up the basis for a full drill-through URL here
but we’ll leave that one for a future blog…
11) Once you’ve
saved your Source System, select Configure
Source Connection. Here you can
select Token Based if you prefer but in this tutorial we will select User Based. Enter:
- Username and password from step 6
- NetSuite Account Number (usually 7 digits)
- Data Centre - can be found in your NetSuite URL: https://system.eu2.netsuite.com/
Once you’ve
entered these hit Test Connection
and you should get a confirmation message.
12)Initialise your source system and
you’ll be prompted for a prefix. This can be whatever you want and will help
group your saved searches together. Hit OK.
14) Create an
Import Format associated with your PBCS cube and your chosen Saved Search.
Navigate to Import Format and select
Add, and you’ll be prompted to
select a source and a target. Your PBCS cube of choice should be the target,
and your chosen saved search should be the source. Once you’ve saved, the
mappings screen will become available. It could not be simpler to map your
NetSuite fields to your dimensions, just use the drop-down box to match up the
fields.
I would highly recommend setting up the
NetSuite saved search with a separate Month and Year field to avoid FDMEE’s
period mappings.
15) We’re on the
home straight! Create a Location
associated with your import format
and then navigate to that Location and create a Data Load Rule.
16) At this point you can create mappings, and any time you run
your data load rule it will request the data directly from NetSuite. A few fish
later and you’ve got drillable NetSuite Actuals ready to inform your Forecast.
This can be automated easily using EPM Automate, but with
no extract nonsense.
So that is how you connect NetSuite to PBCS seamlessly
through the cloud. In future blogs I’ll be walking through a worked example for
metadata specifically, since Data Management is just as powerful when handling metadata.
We’re using this to track our hours, maintain our
targets and calculate commission, but what will you use it for? Find out by
contacting Brovanture on our website www.brovanture.com,
or leave a comment on the blog below.
Thanks to Guillaume
Slee, whose blog you
should already be subscribed to, for putting the framework together for this to
be achieved, as well as the rest of the team at Brovanture for contributing to
this development.
Until Next Time,
Mike
