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Getting Started with Fiplana

FiplanaWrite! is a dedicated Qlik solution that enables you to:

  • plan projects easily and effectively.
  • plan and analyze finances.
  • draw-up financial forecasts.
  • collaborate with the members of your organization in project planning, analysis, and forecasting.

For more information on specific use cases, see the following video.

This step-by-step guide assumes you have already installed Fiplana an set up network connection.

For Fiplana installation, see Installation.

To set up network connection, see Network Connection Setup

The guide includes the following sections that help you start using Fiplana:

Getting Started with Fiplana for Qlik Sense Server

In this topic, you can find information on how to start using Fiplana for Qlik Sense Server. This topic applies to Fiplana on-premise deployment using a self-hosted server.

Initial Server Setup

After installing Fiplana, you can configure the software using Fiplana Management Console (FMC). You can access FMC by navigating to http://localhost:4001 in the web browser of the system where Fiplana has been installed. The user is fiplanawrite and default password is INSIGHT.

In FMCWMC, you need to complete the initial server setup. This involves, amongst other things, changing the default administrator password and entering your product license details.

Change Administrator Password

To change the administrator password, follow the below procedure:

  1. Go to FMC > Admin Area > Password Settings.

    Password Settings in FMC

    The settings for password change are displayed.

  2. Type in your current password.
  3. Type in your new password.
  4. Confirm your new password by typing it again.
  5. Confirm the change by clicking the Save button.

Now, you can use your new password to access FMC.

Update License

After you change your password, you can update your license. Before you start, prepare the license key provided by insightsoftware. Then, follow the procedure:

  1. Go to FMC > Admin Area > License. License information and the Change License button are displayed.

  2. Click the Change License button. The software displays the Update License popup with a designated License field.
  3. Enter your license key into the License field.
  4. Click the Save button to apply the license key. If the changes are saved successfully, the software displays a confirmation message.

You have activated the license and can access all licensed features of Fiplana.

Update SSL Certificates

This configuration procedure applies to the on-premise Fiplana deployment with self-hosted servers.

To update the SSL certificates, follow the below steps:

  1. Go to FMC > Admin Area > Network Settings. The General Settings, Certificate Settings, and Port Settings are displayed.

  2. Select Certificate Settings. Certificate settings are displayed.

    Certificate Settings

  3. Click the Upload Certificate button at the bottom. You need to upload SSL certificates that match your server Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). For more information, see Network Settings.
  4. Click the Save button to apply the changes.

The software suggests a restart of its Windows service. The changes become effective only after the restart of the service. After restarting the service, you can access the FMC securely through https://server.your-domain-name:4001 (replace server.your-domain-name with your server's FQDN).

Establish Qlik Connection

To secure the communication between the Qlik Sense Server (QS Server) and the Fiplana Server, and to utilize the Qlik APIs, you need to export a certificate as client.pfx (Windows format) from Qlik Management Console (QMC) of the QS Server.

Certificates tab in QMC

Dialog for creating new certificates in QMC

To export the certificate, go to QMC > Certificates and enter the machine name and password. You need to have the Include Secret Key checkbox enabled. Also, you need to provide this password later in the FMC. By default, QMC exports certificates to C:\ProgramData\Qlik\Sense\Repository\Exported Certificates.

The certificate enables the connection with the Qlik Engine and user validation.

Next, perform the following steps in FMC:

  1. Go to FMC > Admin Area > Qlik Settings. You can see Qlik Connection settings.

    Qlik Connection settings in FMC

  2. Enter the Domain of the Qlik Server.

    Do not use localhost as the domain, even if Fiplana and Qlik Sense Server are installed on the same machine. Fiplana enforces CORS rules that validate the origin of requests against the Qlik Server address configured here. Using localhost will cause the connection to fail. Enter the actual fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your Qlik Sense Server instead.

  3. Enter the Qlik Server Engine API, QPS, and QRS port numbers. The default values correspond to Qlik default values.
  4. Enable the Secure option to run your Qlik Server with HTTPS.
  5. Upload the exported client.pfx file using the Select .pfx File button. You are requested to provide the associated passphrase.
  6. Test the connection by clicking the Test Connection button.
  7. After successful testing of the connection, click the Save button to apply the changes.

You have established a connection between your product and the Qlik Server. Now, you need to restart Fiplana.

If you want to establish an authentication between the Fiplana Server and Qlik Cloud, see Qlik Cloud.

Access Allocation Rules

To grant your Qlik users access to the Fiplana extensions, follow the below procedure:

  1. Go to FMC > Management Area > Access Allocation Rules.

  2. Click the Add Rule button. The New Extension Allocation Rule modal dialog opens.

    New Extension Allocation Rule modal dialog

  3. Specify which Qlik users are associated with the rule. Each allocation rule applies to a combination of a User Directory and an associated User Name or User Group, depending on the chosen Type. Both settings accept a name or a wildcard.
  4. Assign Fiplana extensions to the allocation rule. You can choose the following options: Edit; Plan; Gantt.
  5. Select the rule associated Spaces. An allocation rule requires at least one space.
  6. Click the Save button to apply the changes.

You have defined allocation rules for the users. For more information on allocation rules, see Access Allocation Rules.

Establish Storage Connection

To connect your Fiplana server to a database, follow the guidelines included in this section. The specific settings depend on the type of database you're using.

  1. Go to FMC > Management Area > Storage Connections

  2. Clik the New Connection button to add a connection. The New Connection modal dialog opens.

  3. Select the type of database you're connecting to (for example, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB).

  4. Enter the necessary connection details.

  5. Click the Test Connection button to verify that the server can successfully connect to the database.

  6. Once the connection is confirmed, click Save to apply the settings.

You have established the connection between your Fiplana server and the database, which enables you to use your configured database. For more information, see Storage Connections.

Create Endpoints

The final step in Fiplana server's configuration is to create or import Endpoints. Endpoints represent tables inside the databases that have been connected through Storage Connections. Fiplana uses these tables for its Writeback capability.

Endpoints view in FMC

To create endpoints, follow the below procedure:

  1. Go to FMC > User Area > Endpoints.

  2. Click the New Endpoint button. A dropdown appears with different endpoint types.

  3. Select the endpoint type.

  4. Define the endpoint parameters in the endpoint-specific settings modal window. For more information, see Endpoints.

  5. After defining the parameters, review the details to ensure that the configuration is correct.

  6. Click the Save button to apply the endpoints configuration.

The necessary tables are now created in the connected database.

If you have pre-configured endpoints (for example, in a JSON file for demo applications), click the Import button. Upload the JSON file that contains the endpoint configurations and select the configurations you want to import. Additionally, decide which storage connection needs to be used for each endpoint.

Getting Started with Fiplana for Qlik Cloud

This topic applies to Fiplana on-premise deployment with cloud-hosted servers.

To start using Fiplana for Qlik Cloud, you need to perform the steps outlined in Getting Started with Fiplana for Qlik Sense Server. However, when you configure the Connection in FMC > Admin Area > Qlik Settings, you need to select the Qlik Cloud option for the Product as shown in Figure 9 and follow the steps included in this topic.

Qlik Cloud Tenant URL

A tenant URL and a Qlik Cloud API token are necessary. The Qlik Cloud API token is required for user authentication and app reloading. It can be obtained by Qlik cloud users (preferably technical users) with tenant admin rights. Only one user needs to provide the API token.

If all requirements are fulfilled, an API token can be created. In order to obtain an API token, log into your Qlik Cloud account. Click on your profile settings and onto API keys. After clicking the Generate new key, type in a description and the expiration duration. Here, insightsoftware suggests you set the longest duration possible. After generating the key, copy it and paste it into the Qlik Cloud API Token column in the Qlik Settings, test the connection and save.

API keys option in Qlik Cloud Profile Management menu

Qlik Cloud dialog for generating a new API key

Setup Content Security Policies for Qlik Cloud

To use Fiplana with Qlik Cloud, Qlik Cloud needs to allow the communication between the extensions that run under Qlik URL and Fiplana server. For this purpose, you need to setup Content Security Policies (CSP) for Qlik Cloud. You can choose between automatic configuration through the Management Console or manual setup directly in Qlik Cloud.

Automatic CSP Configuration

Before you enable automatic CSP configuration, configure these settings:

  • Set your server URL in Management Console > Network Settings.

  • Select Qlik Cloud in Management Console > Qlik Settings.

To enable automatic CSP configuration, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Management Console > Qlik Settings.

  2. Find the CSP automation toggle button.

  3. Enable the toggle to activate automatic CSP management.

Once you enable this feature, Fiplana will automatically create or update the two necessary CSPs, Fiplana Server and Fiplana Plan Webworker with the required directives.

Fiplana will automatically update your CSP configurations when:

  • You restart the server: Fiplana refreshes CSPs on each server restart.

  • You change related settings: Fiplana updates CSPs when you modify any related settings.

If you want to update CSPs, click the Recreate CSPs button in Management Console > Qlik Settings to update CSPs immediately.

Manual CSP Configuration

Follow these steps to manually set up CSPs in Qlik:

  1. Go to QMC → Integrations → Content Security Policy.

  2. Click the three dots menu and choose Edit.

  3. Enable the Directives as specified below:

    • connect-src: Set the origin to your Fiplana server address with Writeback port.

    • img-src: Set the origin to your Fiplana server address with Writeback port.

Set directives only for the Tenant Alias Hostname (for example, your.company.eu.qlikcloud.com). Access Qlik Cloud through the Tenant Alias Hostname to gain access to the extensions. If you use a different hostname, create an additional content security policy.

Set up the FiplanaWrite! Plan Webworker CSP only if you use Fiplana Plan or Fiplana Dual KPI:

  1. Create a new CSP for the webworker

  2. Enable all available directives for the webworker

Wait a few minutes for extensions to appear due to the cloud deployment process. Consult the Qlik help documentation for additional information.

To do so, go to QMC > Integrations > Content Security Policy. Then, click the three dots and choose the Edit option. Here, you can set the Directives.

Directives are usually set only for the Tenant Alias Hostname (for example your.company.eu.qlikcloud.com), therefore Qlik Cloud also needs to be accessed through the Tenant Alias Hostname to gain access to the extensions. Otherwise, you need to create an additional content security policy.

Fiplana requires enabling the connect-src and img-src CSP. The origin needs to be Fiplana server address and its Writeback port as port.

In on-premise deployments, the entire writeback service setup, including port, needs to be specified. In SaaS deployments, only the base URL needs to be specified.

Directives selected for Fiplana Server

The Fiplana Plan Webworker is only needed when you use Fiplana Plan or Fiplana Dual KPI. Webworker needs all available directives.

Directives selected for Fiplana Webworker

It may take a few minutes for the extensions to appear due to the cloud deployment process.

For more information, see the respective Qlik help.

Getting Started with Fiplana SaaS

If you want to start using the Fiplana software as a service (SaaS) solution, you need to perform the following procedures:

  1. Establish Qlik Connection and select Qlik Cloud as product. For more infromation on how to configure Qlik Cloud, see Getting Started with FiplanaWrite! for Qlik Cloud
  2. Configure Access Allocation Rules
  3. Establish Storage Connection—for SaaS, there is already a pre-configured storage connection available. However, you still need to configure additional storage connections for any other databases that you want to connect to.
  4. Create Endpoints

Getting Started with Fiplana Extensions

Your server is now up and running. You can start using the extension on your Qlik dashboard. Drag and drop one of the extensions onto your dashboard.

Fiplana extensions on Qlik Sense sheet

General Configuration

To configure the extension, follow the below steps:

  1. Go to the Property Panel > Server Settings.

  2. In the URL field, type or paste the following https depending on the deployment:

    • On-premise: http(s)://your-fqdn
    • SaaS: https://<tenant-url>/console

  3. In the Port field, type or paste the port that matches the Writeback Port in FMC. The default port is 4000.

  4. In the Endpoint field, select the endpoint you want to save your data to.

If you have the Fiplana Server URL and Writeback Port fields already configured correctly, the URL and Port fields here are populated automatically with the correct values. For more information on Fiplana Server URL and Writeback Port, see Network Settings.

Endpoint dropdown

Edit and Form

To ensure your Qlik Sense extension works correctly with your endpoint, you need to configure dimensions in the Property Panel for at least each primary field of your endpoint. You can do it by following the below steps:

  1. Click on Add Column and then on Dimension.

  2. Select the Qlik field, from which the displayed data should come.

  3. Fill in the FiplanaTechnical Field Name, which specifies to which column the changes should be written in the database.

    The Technical Field Name (TFN) needs to match the TFN provided in the extension's endpoint in order for saving operations to work for this column.

  4. Under Field Type, select the type of data in the column.

  5. Under Edit Mode, select the editor the end user can use to enter data.

After you have done this for the endpoints primary fields, you can add the remaining fields as measures or dimensions. You can also add additional columns which aren't saved to the database. To do this, follow the above procedure and leave the Technical Field Nameempty. Also, set the Edit Mode to Non Edit.

Plan

For the Plan extension, you can follow the same procedure as for Edit and Form. The Dimensions for year and period are auto-generated for you when you choose the year and period values from the dropdowns.

The year and period dimension is displayed at the top of the pivot table. All other dimensions that you configure here are displayed at the left side of the pivot table. For the Plan extension, please provide exactly one measure, which contains the values for the dimensions. This measure is typically something like the revenue which fits to the provided dimension structure.

Congratulations, you've completed the initial setup. This is just the beginning—there's much more to explore and utilize within the product. For a deeper understanding and to fully leverage all Fiplana features, insightsoftware recommends you read the manual and continue experimenting with the product.

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