Hyperion Planning Classic vs. BPMA 9.3

Question

Hi,
We are on Hyperion Planning 9.3 (including all latest patches). We are in the process of building a new Planning application. Currently we donot have an ETL tool and it doesnt seem we will get one for the next few months until our new Planning application is deployed into production. So in a nutshell we wont have an ETL to solve the below problem.
I have used Planning Classic along with an ETL tool to build my meta-data in past implementations, and havent had a chance to use BPMA. Lately I have started getting aquinted with BPMA and understand some of its advantages. However, I still have a few specific questions;
1. I know Planning Classic allows manual creation of members, does BPMA allow the same? Or does BPMA have to have flat file or interface table to create or add members? Our business users would be manually creating some members, or for instance change the start or end month of a 'Scenario'. So, does BPMA allow manual editing and pushing of meta-data?
2. If an application is created via BPMA, they would have to interface via BPMA and not Planning Classic anymore. Is that true?
3. I understand it is possible to convert a Planning Classic application into BPMA but "NOT" vice versa. Is this true?
4. Finally, a more difficult question, a more specific question which kinda of dictates the choice for us.
My client would like individual departments do their respective budgeting (noting unusual there). However, most of these departments budget per 'Project' and more specifically like to budget based on 'Project Name' (which are unique and not generic) as opposed to 'Project Numbers' (there isnt a Project number standardization as such yet). The challenge is getting the 'Project Names' into Hyperion Planning (sadly it doesnt exist in ERP/GL yet because these are new projects).
So, though the Finance Team ultimately approves each department's budget, they would like each department be able to create their respective 'Project Names' in Hyperion Planning. And Planning capabilities like supporting detail, etc wouldnt work as they would like variance based on 'Project Names' and be able to slice-n-dice based on 'Project Names'.
Now if we had an ETL tool the above would have been simple, I would have just created an automation to say pick-up a file with 'Project Names' from a pre-determined folder location. However, because we donot have an ETL, I was wondering if BPMA could do the same, i.e., automatically pick-up a file from a folder and create members and refresh Hyperion Planning? Could the 'Batch Processing' in BPMA handle this?
Appreciate all your responses...

Answer 1

Hi,
First of all I wouldn't recommend using EPMA until version 11, 9.3.1 was riddled with issues.
To try and answer some of your questions
1. You can manually maintain members in EPMA if you choose to do so, you need to push it down to planning/essbase if you do make changes.
2. If the planning app is in EPMA mode then you can't edit/add/delete member information through the classic route, you can view. You still can design forms, task lists etc through planning web.
3. It is possible but no you are not meant to.
Sounds like you could do with ODI it would make your life easier, are you sure you are not licensed to use it, you may be entitled to use it.
Cheers
John
http://john-goodwin.blogspot.com/