EPMware or OneStream ACM? When Should I Choose Which?

If your finance team uses the OneStream platform, you may use Application Control Manager (ACM) to manage metadata requests, like adding or updating accounts and cost centers or making changes to other dimensions within OneStream applications.

But what happens when you need to share metadata to OneStream, ERP, and Data Warehouse systems? EPMware’s unified metadata management and data governance platform bridges the gap between applications to govern and control changes across your entire organization. 

Both OneStream ACM and EPMware are excellent options for managing metadata requests, so how do you decide when to use ACM and when to use EPMware? Let’s take a closer look at the change management features of each solution and then take a deeper dive into when to select one over the other. 

Key Benefits of OneStream ACM

ACM is available for immediate download on the OneStream marketplace and is designed to work within OneStream to govern application changes. 

ACM allows finance teams to:

• Easily request changes to OneStream applications such as adding new accounts, updating cost centers, and modifying user privileges.

• Utilize multi-level approval workflows for change requests within OneStream.

• Create audit reports on application change requests in OneStream.

Key Benefits of EPMware

EPMware is a SaaS and on-premise technology-agnostic MDM platform. It allows finance and administrator users to collaborate on metadata change requests across all enterprise applications, with the help of business application adapters and built-in validations. 

EPMware helps users: 

• Create a master data repository to author all financial and non-financial metadata across cloud and on-premise applications.

• Display and communicate the impact of metadata changes across all applications before pushing them downstream.

• Expedite system integrations with built-in plug-and-play adapters and validations for OneStream and many other popular ERP and data warehouse applications.

• Manage metadata changes across DEV, UAT, and PROD environments. 

• Access, cleanse, enrich, and report on all metadata changes while maintaining historical versioning

When to Use EPMware and When to Use OneStream ACM

Although EPMware and ACM have several features in common, there are fundamental differences in how metadata is managed with both offerings. In certain circumstances, ACM should be your first choice for managing metadata changes, and in others, EPMware would be the best option. 

OneStream vs. Non-OneStream Environments

ACM was built to manage metadata and orchestrate governance and approvals within OneStream. Metadata is created within the platform and can be shared outside of OneStream using interface tables. While it is a powerful tool for OneStream administrators, it’s not likely the solution to author and master metadata for the enterprise. 

EPMware, on the other hand, is meant to be the single source of truth for master data and data governance across enterprise applications. Managing master data for OneStream is a natural task for EPMware, because it is aware of the unique Extensible Dimensionality data model and the validations needed to properly capture dimensional changes by finance users. 

Dimensional Visibility

EPMware displays real-time metadata changes in a graphical hierarchy view across all enterprise applications. This visual perspective makes it easier to model changes for multiple reporting and analytics products because the hierarchies in EPMware match the business’s reporting hierarchy structure. 

ACM allows users to define the changes needed for hierarchies in a tabular format. Properties for these members can also be updated in subsequent columns. Because the changes in ACM will not directly impact other applications, this simplified view gets the change applied to OneStream quickly and effortlessly.

Flexibility

Many legacy Oracle Hyperion DRM and EDCMS customers migrate to EPMware during a OneStream implementation for several reasons. 

• They need to replace DRM with a solution that is purpose-built for mastering CPM, ERP, and Data Warehouse. 

• In addition to managing metadata, EPMware brings governance and validations to the OneStream implementation, and not only to a live application in a business-as-usual state. 

In other words, EPMware has been used as a development tool to expedite hierarchy builds and share them with a project team for collaborative development. 

For example, when a leading U.K.-based broker-dealer decided to implement OneStream, it quickly realized it was more cost-effective and operationally efficient to implement EPMware to replace Oracle DRM. EPMware’s ​​real-time validation capabilities, one-click metadata deployment, and plug-and-play adapters for OneStream and Oracle EBS helped simplify the organization’s business processes during implementation for the project team, and after going live for the admin and end-user teams.

ACM can replace DRM (and DRG) in some cases, but it may not be the most optimal choice. While a lightweight DRM application can easily migrate to ACM, a DRM application that is managing and authoring master data for non-CPM applications will require those non-CPM teams to access OneStream to author change for non-OneStream applications. Most administrators would disapprove of this type of access.

Pricing Preferences

In some organizations, budget constraints may influence which solution they use. ACM is available for free on the OneStream marketplace, whereas EPMware offers a paid subscription that can be used as SaaS or on-premise. Unlike some competitors, EPMware utilizes an enterprise pricing model rather than charging per record.

For legacy Oracle DRM users, migrating to EPMware becomes a logical choice because many have struggled to manage a full application’s master data due to per-node limitations. EPMware allows customers to subscribe by technology and utilize an unlimited member-per-technology pricing model. This gives customers the flexibility to create a true master repository without removing nodes to stay in compliance with a rigid licensing model.

Why Not Both?

Some finance teams choose to combine forces and use ACM and EPMware in tandem. This is an extremely effective approach if you need to integrate with ACM interface tables from EPMware. 

For example, you can use EPMware to capture cross-application changes and then push incremental changes to ACM. EPMware can push the metadata to ACM interface tables using seamless REST API integration. Additionally, ACM users can approve and enrich OneStream-specific metadata using a subscription from EPMware. 

However, certain use cases may be better suited for EPMware alone. For example: 

• Replacing Hyperion DRM/DRG legacy applications that are integrated with ERP and data warehouse applications

• Validating and governing changes across a variety of non-OneStream applications, such as Oracle EBS, Fusion ERP, SAP, Salesforce, and NetSuite

• Creating a central repository to synchronize metadata changes across OneStream, ERP, and data warehouse applications

• Replacing Oracle EDMCS 

What Makes the EPMware Adapter for OneStream So Powerful?

The OneStream Adapter for EPMware Cloud and On-Premise platforms makes it easy for OneStream customers to author and share metadata between CPM, ERP, and data warehouse applications. But that’s just part of what makes this adapter powerful. 

The OneStream Adapter allows users to fully leverage EPMware’s metadata management and data governance platform with:

• Single sign-on (SSO) integration to create a seamless authentication experience

• Complete support for all native OneStream application dimensions and properties, including Extensible DImensions

• Built-in validations to ensure EPMware change requests follow technical governance requirements in real time

• Audit and reporting capabilities to visualize and export all hierarchies, approvals, and daily point-in-time views

• Detailed adapter communication logging for all EPMware-to-OneStream communication, ensuring result reporting of successful or failed deployments 

Get the Most Out of EPMware and OneStream ACM

While EPMware and ACM both manage OneStream metadata very well, you get the best performance from a tool when you use it for its intended purpose. Understanding when to use EPMware and when to use ACM will ensure your financial systems are utilizing metadata that is accurate, accessible, and trustworthy. 

Schedule a demo today to learn how EPMware’s unified metadata management and data governance platform integrates seamlessly with OneStream, Oracle EPM, SAP, and other leading business systems.