1. September 26, 2011
Ariba Knowledge Nuggets
Contract Management — Creating Analytical Reports
Reporting and Analysis gives you access to complex business information from multiple sources, including
contract projects and matching invoices. Reports display data from these sources on a pivot table, which you
can manipulate to see different scenarios for the data. Pivot tables allow you to filter, slice, and drill down into
the information as needed to see broad patterns and relationships, summary information, and detail at the
same time. In this AKN, we will walk through the steps to create an Ariba Analytical Report in your Contract
Management Solution; however, the concept and steps can be applied across any solution that contains
reporting functionality.
Important to note:
• Permission: The ability to create an analytical report is associated most closely with the Senior Analyst
System Group.
• Reports can be placed on the dashboard so that those without permission can review the results of a
report created by someone else.
• Reports can be hidden from others by saving it in a personal workspace or by setting up visibility for a
report or the folder it’s in.
• Facts/Fact Tables: Groups of ‘fields’ (header fields or attributes on a workspace, for example). These are
generally related to the different areas of the system, i.e. Contract Workspace (Procurement), Project
Task, Business Contact
• Dimensions: fields. These are called Dimensions because the values of these fields are used to build
pivots and for drill down. Example: Gender can be Male, Female or Unknown (the dimensions of gender)
• Measures: Numerical fields
• Hierarchies: are the expansion of a field within a complex structure. Example: UNSPSC commodities
have 4 levels of definition with each level being more exact:
♦ Information Technology
– Computers and Peripherals
» Peripheral Devices
• Trackball
• The user can enter any value within the hierarchy which represents the true value of the dimension but
the value exists most fully within its structure. In Analysis, any level might be important for either roll-up or
drill-down.

2. Reporting Concepts Pivot Tables
Data Cubes
Commodity
Page
Year Column
Geography
Data
• Each dimension forms a side of the cube. Slicing through the cube focuses
analysis on specifics, for example, analyzing data for the year 2003
Commodities
Lights
File
Cabinets
Desks
2004
2003
Chairs 2002
2001 Year
E W N S
Geography

3. Reporting Concepts Pivot Tables
• Slicing focuses on one aspect of business information: for example, the sales
for 3 commodities in all regions for the year 2003.
2003
Lights
File
Cabinets
Desks
2003
Chairs
E W N S
• Dicing focuses on one cell of the cube: for example, what was the sales figure
for File Cabinets in the northern region in 2003?
2003
Lights
File
Cabinets
Desks orth
Chairs
E W N S

4. Reporting Concepts Pivot Tables
In Ariba reports, cubes of data are represented by a pivot table. Any dimension in a cube can
be represented by a page field, row field, or column field. The page fields act as filters on the
other fields.
“I want to see how many suppliers participated in events for metal stampings in Singapore last
year.”
If I want to make suppliers the page field, I can view events for metal stampings in APAC by
supplier. Commodity could be the row field and region could be the column field. I can flip
commodity and region (or rotate all 3) to get a different view of the same data.
Creating the Analytical Report
Three steps:
• Select the report’s source data by choosing the fact or facts you want to investigate and
the data fields that provide the information you want to build your report around.
• Lay out the pivot table by placing data in different areas of the pivot table (row, column, or
page fields) and deciding whether you want the report to open in detail or aggregate view
• Refine the report data to limit amount of data displayed in the report.
Next….Run the report

5. Name your report, provide
an optional Description.
You can have up to 3 data sources
(facts) joined in a report. The
“joins” are predetermined by Ariba.
A Fact Table is your The Main Fact is the first level
source data – a of the data sources. In this
collection of fields
case, selecting Workspace
over Task means that the
Workspace “drives” the
selection of the Project Tasks
to be included.
You may choose to include
workspaces that have no
tasks or only use workspaces
that have tasks

6. Each report must have at least 1
measure. Measures will always be
on the right side of the final report.
There are default detail
fields based on the
Fact Table Chosen
Fields are organ-
ized by Fact
The Pivot Layout screen
consists of 2 parts: a list
of available fields and a
layout for the pivot table.
There is a default list of Detail
Fields based on the selection
of the Main Fact. Click on the
field name to get the field
menu and click Remove to
take care of unneeded fields.

7. Each report must have at least 1
measure. Measures will always be
on the right side of the final report.
There are default detail
fields based on the
Fact Table Chosen
Fields are organ-
ized by Fact
The Pivot Layout screen
consists of 2 parts: a list
of available fields and a
layout for the pivot table.
There is a default list of Detail
Fields based on the selection
of the Main Fact. Click on the
field name to get the field
menu and click Remove to
take care of unneeded fields.

8. The left side of the Pivot
Layout Screen is a list of
all of the available fields
organized by fact.
Different fields may have
different selection choices.
Dates, for example, allow you to
choose the actual date or
convert to your fiscal year or
display just the month or year.
To add to the layout, click
on the field name and
select the pivot location.
On the left side of the
screen is the list of
available fields
Some fields have a hierarchical structure, such
as Region or Commodity. Click on Available
Fields to get the full structure of the hierarchy.
Some fields only show up in one list
or the other and sometimes both.
Be sure to check both lists to find
fields.
Commodity actually entered in
the UI, regardless of the level.
Level 1, 2,3 for the commodity,
regardless of the level entered.

9. To move a field from the List of Fields to
the Pivot Layout, either drag and drop or
click on the field name link and select the
pivot layout section
To move a field to another section or to
return the field to the List of Fields, either
drag and drop or click on a field name and
select the action.
The right side of the
screen displays the
planned layout of the
report. Add fields to
Rows, Columns, Page and
Detail
Row Field: a “Group by” for row
values.
Column Field : a “Group by” for
column values.
Detail Field: Additional field data
that is displayed when looking at
the “detail” view.
Data Field: is the measure
(measures) selected on the
Source Data screen.
Page Field: is a field that can
both refine the data set (act as a
filter) and count results without
actually being a part of the report
display.
Each field is preceded
by a “fact” abbreviation
so that the fact “source”
is clear

10. Refine Data is used to filter
data so as not to include
the entire fact population.
Generally, use a relative
date range so that the
report can be used
repetitively and pick up
new data.
However, note that a fixed
date range can always be
used, if appropriate.
Most reports have a basic
filter for dates. You can
change the configuration
by checking the Advanced
Options and selecting a
different date, such as
Expiration Date
Page fields can be used
as filters. Frequently a
single value can be
selected right from the
refine data screen.
However, multiple
“Includes” or “Excludes”
can be set up by clicking
Select Others.

11. Sometimes, additional
filters may be needed for
fields that are detail fields.
Click Customize this form
to access other available
fields.
Select the field(s) to show.
Additional fields may be
available after running the
report

12. When ready, click Run
Report.
Configure the
new field
similarly to
contract status
The report displays in
“Aggregate View” showing 191
total contracts, with the Owners
You could see what Chart results on the left and the contract
are produced or add the chart or expiration years across the top.
basic report to your dashboard
33 will expire in 2012.
Applied Filters show the
“refine data configuration

13. Click the Pivot
Table tab to return.
To see the Details, Click
Aggregate View arrow and
select Show Detail View

14. You could now make changes to your
report to improve readability: make
Project Name and Effective Dates Row
fields, set Effective Date displays as a
date field rather than a year.
You could now Edit,
Save or Export to Excel