Data Protection / Smart Merge

Nearly all Finit Solutions' clients are faced with the dilemma of loading data via FDM while protecting existing data in the target system that was not loaded via FDM. Finit's Smart Merge solution addresses this problem by allowing the user to overwrite only the data that was previously loaded via FDM (e.g. previous iterations of the trial balance file.) Smart Merge works in the following way:

• End users load trial balance and other data via FDM. The users also enter data into HFM via other methods (e.g. Smart View, web forms, or data entry grids.)
• The end users need to reload the trial balance or other data via FDM using the Replace method. However, the users do not want to erase the other data that exists in HFM.
• The end users reload using the Smart Merge solution. Smart Merge archives the last loaded data file for each FDM location, category, and period. For subsequent loads, Smart Merge updates the current data file so that it contains the previously loaded data records with a value of 'NO DATA' as well as the current data with the actual values. The ‘NO DATA’ designation removes the value that existed previously.
• The Smart Merge solution loads the new data values and preserves the data in HFM that was not loaded via FDM.
• The Smart Merge solution allows end users to overwrite only the data that was previously loaded via FDM (e.g. previous iterations of the trial balance file) while preserving data that was entered via Smart View, web forms, or data entry grids. Finit’s clients use Smart Merge to make the data loading process much more flexible and less prone to rework; users never have to start over and re-enter all their data if they need to reload a trial balance.

Finit recommends the Smart Merge solution on all FDM implementations, and almost all Finit's clients have chosen to apply this custom script to simplify and streamline the data submission process.