Consolidation Consultancy Limited

Hyperion Financial Management (HFM)

Hints and Tips
Version: 1.58
Date: 20 October 2009
Author: David Crawford

Consolidation Consultancy Limited

www.consolidationconsultancy.com
Preface
Note
This document is work in progress and is not finished. Some things need changed and some parts
normally indicated by [] have not been finished. Hopefully you will find it useful in its part-finished
state.
About Me
My name is David Crawford I am an accountant with many years’ experience of implementing and
supporting budgeting and consolidation software. I have developed IFRS, statutory and management
systems for many blue chips companies. I now mainly work with Hyperion Financial Management. If
you have any projects you need help with please contact me.
Contacting Me
Landline: +44 (0)20 8393 5565
Mobile: +44 (0)7761 823795
Address: Consolidation Consultancy Limited
72C Reigate Road
Epsom
KT17 3DT
United Kingdom

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Introduction
The idea of this document is to disseminate some of the good ideas I have had and come across while
working with Hyperion Financial Management (HFM). Some of the tips may seem very obvious but
they are all based on real issues I have encountered while consulting.

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Principals
Principals to apply when developing Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) applications are:
Defaults
Principal
Accept the default settings.
Justification
• Simplifies build
• Simplifies maintenance
• Saves money
Examples
• Software installation folders. It might seem a good idea to install software in C:\Program
Files\Hyperion instead of C:\Hyperion but it is not. The default location is always better.
• Form fonts, colors and so on.
• Report fonts, margins and so on
DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself)
Principal
Repeat as little data, metadata and rules as is practical and consistent with KISS.
Justification
• Principal applies to all computer systems.
• Not repeating metadata and rules makes systems more reliable and easier to maintain.
• No repeating data means no reconciliation.
Examples
General examples of this principal are:
• Normalisation of relational databases; and
• Using subroutines, functions and objects to hold common code.
These examples have close parallels in Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) which are explained
in the following sections of this document:
• Analysis Accounts
• Split Subroutines
• Statutory Accounts Enrichment
KISS (Keep It Simple)
Principal
Make applications as simple as possible.
Justification
• Improves usability
• Simplifies building and maintenance
• Reduces training

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 • Saves money
Examples
• Simple formatting of reports
The following are normally too complex for most Hyperion Financial Management (HFM)
applications.
• Automating associate and minority interest accounting.
• Automating consolidation eliminations, investment in subsidiaries and so forth. It is just easier for
accountants to write journals
Reporting
Principal
All core reports should be in Hyperion Financial Reports. Smart View should only be used for user
generated reports.
Justification
• Packs can be produced at the click of a button.
• Maintenance is reduced as new members are automatically added to Hyperion Financial Reports
• Support is reduced as all users run the same report.
Responsibilities
Principal
The responsibilities of finance and system teams should be clearly defined. The finance team should
be responsible for data and the system team should be responsible for the system.
Justification
Clearly defined responsibilities let everyone focus on what they as good at.
Examples
Team Responsibility
Finance Team Data
Journals
Mappings
Process Control
Smart View
Systems Team Metadata
Rules
Documents (except user grids)
Hyperion Reports
Security

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Accounts
Analysis Accounts
Tip
Analysis accounts containing financial data that is part of the trial balance should be included in the
main balancing hierarchies, normally profit and loss and balance sheet.
Justification
Some times analysis accounts are configured as follows:
Profit
`--OperatingCost
`--GrossProfit
|--Turnover
`--COS
TurnoverAnalysis
|--Product A
|--Product B
`--Product C
The total from TurnoverAnalysis is transferred to Turnover by a rule. This breaks the DRY principal
as the value for Turnover exists twice in the database. The same functionality can be more simply
implemented as follows:
Profit
`--OperatingCost
`--GrossProfit
|--Turnover
| |--Product A
| |--Product B
| `--Product C
`--COS
In older versions of Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) this may not be possible if analysis
accounts are collected at a different time in a different Scenario. While the example about is for the
accounts hierarchy to principal applies to all hierarchies
Balance Sheet Accounts
Tip
In statutory IFRS style applications all balance sheet accounts should have a movement table in a
custom dimension. For accounts for which movements do not need to be disclosed the movements
should be:
Acquisition of subsidiaries
Movements
Disposal of subsidiaries
Foreign exchange
Justification
I have singled out IFRS because IFSR and similar standards (UK GAAP) require the disclosure of
movement information that is not required by US GAAP. I think US GAAP applications would also
benefit from all accounts having movement tables but as I have not built one I would not like to
suggest it as a standard. Does anyone have an opinion?
Giving all balance sheet accounts movement tables has the following advantages:
• If all balance sheet accounts do not roll forward journals posted to accounts that do not roll
forward will not balance in future years.
• Makes cashflows easier to calculate as acquisition and disposal balance sheets are easily
identified.

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 Descriptions
Tip
Descriptions should be sentence case that is first letter capitalised.
Justification
I would tend to use title case (first letters capitalised) but if you look at published accounts they mostly
use sentence case for account descriptions. I think once you get used to it, it looks better and is easier
to read.
Examples
Good Bad
Fixed assets Fixed Assets
Creditors less than one year Creditors Less Than One Year
IsICP
Tip
IsICP should be set to R for intercompany accounts.
Justification
Prevents entities selecting themselves as partners for intercompany input.
Labels
See Metadata section.
Promoting Accounts
Tip
When promoting an account from base to parent a new parent account should be created. The existing
account should be made no input.
Justification
Base accounts cannot be changed to parent accounts because their new children would overwrite their
data.
Example
Before
1200 – Consultants cost
After
1201 – Consultants cost
|--1210 – Consultants PWC cost
|--1220 – Consultants Accenture cost
|--1220 – Consultants other cost
`--1200 – Consultants cost (Closed)

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Calendars
Period Names
Tip
When creating *.per files month labels should be three letters. The month description should be the
full month name.
Justification
Makes short and long descriptions for months available in Hyperion Reports.
Example
Label Description
Jan January
Feb February

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General
Data Migration
Tip
Do not use Hyperion tools (HAL or FDM/ FDQM) to migrate data from an old system to Hyperion
Financial Management (HFM). Try using desktop tools like MS Access they are usually quicker and
easier.
Justification
I think the advantages of desktop tools are:
• Shorter lead-time for installation. MS Access is often already installed on workstations.
• Skills are readily available.
I think the disadvantages of Hyperion tools are:
• To complex and slow for data migration.
• FDM is optimised for loading single periods and has limited functionality for loading multiple
periods.
• Skills are less readily available.

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Hyperion Reports
Advanced Member Selection
Tip
When creating a report of the following hierarchy:
IE1448 Net surplus before Exceptional Items
|--IE1010 EBITDA
|--IE1450 Depreciation
|--IE1455 Net interest
`--IE1475 Other
The following rows can be specified to obtain the desired formatting.
A
Actual
1 IE1010 #
2 IE1450 #
3 IE1455 #
4 IE1475 #
5 IE1448 #
This is not dynamic and if and extra child is added to IE1448 Net surplus before exceptional items it
needs to be manually added to the grid. However, the following grid that uses advanced member
selection is completely dynamic.
A
Actual
1 IE1010 #
2 Children of IE1448 AND NOT IE1010 #
3 IE1448 #
Advanced member selection is activated using the Veiw button on the Members selection dialog box.
See Selecting Multiple Members Based on Criteria in the Hyperion Reports manual for more
information.
Borders and Formatting
Tip
Simple borders and formatting should be used on reports.
Justification
• Complex formatting is difficult and time consuming to create and maintain.
• Complex formatting can confuse reports.
• Complex formatting often looks messy as most report writers do not have graphics training.
Change Control
Tip
• New or revised reports should be created in a sub folder named _New within the folder containing
the existing report. Only the report writer and the users responsible for reviewing the report should
have access to this folder.
• When a report is approved the old report should be copied to a sub folder named _Old within the
folder containing the old report. The new report should then be copied to the main folder.
Justification
Using a development report server is often unnecessary and impractical as development systems often
do not have full sets of data. This procedure provides sufficient safeguard to avoid accidental changes
and allows rollback.

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 Column Widths
Tip
Standard column widths should be defined for reports. Suggested column widths are:
Data 70 This is the default column width and seems to work well.
Formula 70 Ditto
Separators 15 Narrower columns are difficult to select.
Justification
Helps reports have a consistent appearance.
Designer
Tip
• For single grid reports the entire grid should be visible in the report designer screen.
• For single grid reports the grid should be made as large as possible.
Justification
• Making the grid fit on the screen means you have to use one set of scroll bars to edit the grid.
Grids will autosize to show all the members selected.
• Making grids as large as possible makes the most information possible visible to the report writer.
Dimensions
Tip
Set dimensions that do not change on a grid with the grid POV.
Justification
Putting dimensions which do not change on a grid m
Folder Hierarchies
Tip
Folder hierarchies should have the fewest possible levels and be limited to a maximum of three levels.
Justification
[]
Folder Names
Tip
Folder names should be three characters. Normally the characters should be letters though numbers
could be used if it is logical and improves usability.
Justification
Three character names provide a short reference for folders. The folder description can be used to
provide more information. Folder names are used in the report names standard and using three
character codes keeps report names to manageable lengths.
Examples
ACT Actuals
FOR Forecast
PLN Plan
See Also
Report Names

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 Font Size
Tip
Fonts smaller than 8pt should not be used.
Justification
• 8pt is the default font size for Grids, presumably for a reason.
• Smaller fonts are difficult to read.
• If a grid does not fit on a page it can be made smaller using the fit to page options File > Page
Setup.
General
Tip
Reports should be as dynamic as is practical
Justification
Dynamic reports will automatically reflect changes to hierarchies and will not need to be manually
updated.
Grid Dimensions
Tip
Put dimensions on the grid in the standard dimension order:
Scenario, Year, Period, View, etc
Justification
[]
Linked Objects
Tip
Put all linked objects in one folder. Do not group linked objects in subfolders.
Justification
[]
Margins
Tip
Standard margins should be defined for reports.
Justification
Helps reports have a consistent appearance.
Network Backup
Tip
All reports from the Reports Repository should be backed up as *.des files on a network drive.
Justification
Provides a backup of the live reports in case you accidentally break them.
Number Formats
Tip
Use the following prefixes and suffixes:

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 Prefix Suffix
Positive numbers Space Space
Negative numbers ( )
Justification
Lines up numbers like this:
(100)
100
Instead of like this:
(100)
100
Replace With
Tip
Replace with (Format > Cells > Replace tab) should not be used when text can be displayed using
alternatives such as Custom Headings.
Justification
The alternatives to Replace With are easier to use and maintain.
Report Names
Tip
Report names should be the folders that contain the reports joined by dashes followed by a three-digit
number. The numbers sequence should leave gaps so new reports can be added.
Justification
• Provides short names for reports.
• The report description can be used to provide a full description for users.
• Ensures every report has a unique name and shows the folders reports are in. This is useful as
there is no search facility in Hyperion Reports 7.2.
• The three digit numbers can be used to sort reports in the order they appear in books.
Examples
ACT-BOA-110 Actual Board Profit and Loss
ACT-BOA-120 Actual Board Balance Sheet
Row Heights
Tip
Standard row heights should be defined for reports. I suggest multiplying the font size by two.
Justification
Standard heights help give reports a consistent appearance. The standard font is 8 and the standard row
height is 18. 16 makes the maths easier and saves a little paper.
Suppressing Formula Columns
Tip
Suppress formula columns using the equals suppressed condition in Advanced options:
1. Select the formula column you want to suppress.
2. In Suppression check Advanced Options.

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 3. In Suppression click Setup.
4. In the first condition column select Data Values in Column.
5. In the second condition column select a data column with the suppression you need. If you do
not have one create a extra column give it the suppression you want ands hid it.
6. In the third condition column select =.
7. In the fourth condition column select Suppressed.
8. Click OK.
Justification
You cannot suppress formula columns dynamically depending on dimensions of the point of view like
month. Well you can but sometimes it does not work.

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Infrastucture
Operating Systems
Tip
Install Hyperion System 9 exclusively on Windows servers.
Justification
While some elements of Hyperion System 9 (for example Shared Services) can be installed on Unix
operating systems some ( for example Financial Management and FDM) require Windows. Its makes
life easier if everything is installed on Windows servers. It means one server administrator can deal
with all Hyperion System 9 issues. If one part is installed on Unix servers and others parts on
Windows servers you will probably need to involved two administrators to fix problems.

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Metadata
Labels
Tip
If you are not using numeric codes most of the standards for Rules variables apply to naming Metadata
labels
See Also
Rules Variable Names

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Rules General
Commenting
Tip
Comments should be formatted as follows:
‘***
‘ Calculates cashflows.
‘
‘ The first line should be a short summary of what the subroutine does
‘ followed by a blank line. These lines should be a more detailed description
‘ of the subroutine. Complex descriptions for how a subroutine works should be
‘ included here rather than in the body of the subroutine.
‘
Sub CalculatesCashflow

‘***
‘ Large sections of code should be commented like this.
‘

‘ Small blocks of code should be commented like this.

End Sub
See http://java.sun.com/j2se/javadoc/writingdoccomments/ for authoritative code documentation
standards.
Justification
• Adapts standard commenting style to VBScript.
• ‘*** is quicker to create and maintain than the normal VBScript commenting styles.
Const Statement
Tip
Use the Const statement to declare constants.
Justification
Rules files sometimes declare constants as global variables as follows:
Dim AllTops
Dim AllTopsXC1

Sub Calculate()

AllTops = “C1#AllC1.C2#AllC1.C3#AllC3.C4#AllC4. I#[ICP Top]”

AllTopsXC1 = “C2#AllC2.C3#AllC3.C4#AllC4.I#[ICP Top]”
The correct way to declare them as constants is:
Public Const ALL_TOPS = “C1#AllC1.C2#AllC2.C3#AllC3.C4#AllC4. I#[ICP Top]”
Public Const ALL_TOPS_XC1 = “C2#AllC2.C3#AllC3.C4#AllC4.I#[ICP Top]”

Sub Calculate()
The values of constants created using this syntax cannot be altered.
Constant Names
Tip
Constant names should be upper case with words separated by underscores.
Justification
• Capitalisation is standard practice.
• Underscores make names more readable.

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 Examples
Public Const ALL_TOPS = _
".I#[ICP Top].C1#AllC1.C2#AllC2.C3#AllC3.C4#AllC4"
Public Const ALL_NONES = _
".I#[ICP None].C1#[None].C2#[None].C3#[None].C4#[None]"
For Each
Tip
Where possible use For Each Member In List instead of For i = Lbound(List) To
Ubound(List).

Justification
Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) rules sometimes have For loops as follows:
AccountList = HS.Account.List("A#Register","[Base]")
For i = Lbound(AccountList) To Ubound(AccountList)

‘Code in loop

Next
These can be changed to For Each loop as follows:
AccountList = HS.Account.List("A#Register","[Base]")
For Each AccountMember In AccountList

‘Code in loop

Next
For Each loops are:
• Simpler
• Easier to read and understand.
• Probably quicker as array length does not have to be calculated for every loop.
If Then Versus Select Case
Tip
Generally If … End If should be used. Select Case… End Select should only be used where it
significantly more concise and improves readability.
Justification
If…End If is more like natural language and normally easier to use than Select Case…End Select.
However, sometime Select Case…End Select produces more readable code and is preferred.
Examples
If CurrentMonth = “Jan” Then
‘Code
ElseIf CurrentMonth = “Feb” Then
‘Code
ElseIf CurrentMonth = “Mar” Then
‘Code
End If
Is preferable to:
Select CurrentMonth
Case “Jan”
‘Code
Case “Feb”
‘Code
Case “Mar”
‘Code
End Select
But

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 Select CurrentMonth
Case “Jan”, “Feb”, “Mar”
‘Code
End Select
Is preferable to
If CurrentMonth = “Jan” _
Or CurrentMonth = “Feb” _
Or CurrentMonth = “Mar” Then
‘Code
End If
Indenting
Tip
Indent code four spaces to show code structure.
Justification
Visual Basic standard.
NoInput Subroutine
Tip
Put NoInput rules in a separate subroutine called MakeNoInput. Suggestions for a better name
gratefully accepted.
Justification
Make it easy to disable NoInput rules if required, for example to load historic data.
Option Explicit
Tip
Option Explicit should be used for complex rules files.
Justification
The Option Explicit statement, requires all variables to explicitly declare using the Dim, Private,
Public, or ReDim statements. If you attempt to use an undeclared variable name, an error occurs.
Option Explicit prevents incorrectly typing the name of an existing variable and avoids confusion in
code where the scope of the variable is not clear.1
The following example illustrates affect of the Option Explicit statement.
Option Explicit ' Force explicit variable declaration.
Dim MyVar ' Declare variable.
MyInt = 10 ' Undeclared variable generates error.
MyVar = 10 ' Declared variable does not generate error.
Profiling
Tip
You can check how long sections of code take to run as follows:
Dim StartTime, EndTime
StartTime = Timer

‘Code you want to test

EndTime = Timer
WriteToFile("Took = " & (EndTime - StartTime))

1
Microsoft Windows Script Technologies documentation.

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 Split Subroutines
Tip
Long predefined routines should be split into sections using subroutines.
Justification
Many applications have Calculate subroutines that are thousands of lines long. This conflicts with
programming best practice2 that requires subroutines to be short and to the point. As the code in
Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) rules is often simple lists of HS.Exp() statements I think
Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) subroutines can be longer than normal but that applications
with subroutines of more than a few hundred lines of code will benefit from being split up. Possible
subroutines are:
• CalculateCashflow
• CalculateKPIs
A few of the benefits of splitting long subroutines are:
• Reduces the scope of variables making rules simpler to write and easier to maintain.
• Rules development can be split by subroutine allowing more than one developer to write rules and
help avoid the Rules hat problem.
• Allows code to be more easily performance profiled.
• Allows code to be more easily optimised as new code can easily be called in place of the old code
to see if performance improves.
Subroutine Names
Tip
Subroutines should be named VerbObject, for example CalculateCashflow and GetPriorScenario.
Justification
Makes code easier to understand.
VBScript Documentation
Tip
Download Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition documentation from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/. If you cannot find it there search for vbscript chm
site:microsoft.com in Google.
Justification
Contains full documentation of the VBScript language used by Hyperion Financial Management
(HFM).

2
Code Complete.

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Rules Variable Names
Please note some of these standards are very much my personal preference. Please do not flame me if
you disagree. See Code Complete for extensive discussion of variable naming.
Avoid Abbreviations
Tip
Avoid abbreviating variable names.
Justification
• Variable names up to 20 characters do not impair the readability of code3.
• Abbreviations make code less like natural English and impair understanding.
• Means not having to ensure abbreviations are consistent.
• Means not having to guess which abbreviation to use, for example Man, Mgt or Mngmt.
Examples
Good Bad
AccountIndex i
PriorPeriod PrPrd
Prefixes
Tip
Variable names should not have prefixes.
Justification
I think preceding variable names with prefixes makes them and the code they are in less like natural
English and therefore more difficult to understand. Generally the variable type should be obvious from
the variable name. Also VBScript is not a typed language so type is less important than in other
languages
Examples
Good Bad
AccountIndex intAccount
AccountsList astrAccount
AccountMember strAccount
Standard Suffixes
Tip
Use the following standard suffixes for variable names.
Suffix Use Example
Count Holds the number of members in a list or elements in and AccountsCount
array.
Index Hold the currently member or element of any array in a loop. AccountIndex
4
List Holds a list of members. AccountsList
Member Holds a member of a list. AccountMember

3
Code Complete.
4
This is a bit verbose I would normally use Account and Accounts but these names conflict with names used by the HS
object so I use AccountMember and AccountsList in HFM.

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 Justification
Makes code consistent and therefore easier to read and maintain.

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Scenarios
Default Frequency
Tip
All scenarios in an application should have the same default frequency.
Justification
• Having different frequencies can confuse users.
• Where data is not collected in all periods the unused periods can be blocked with no input rules.
Forecasts
Tip
If forecasts are collected every month the current forecasts should be stored in the same scenario every
month. If prior forecasts need to be retained the current forecast should be copied to storage scenarios.
Example
ForecastCurrent
ForecastFeb
ForecastMar
:
ForecastOct
ForecastNov
Justification
Having the current forecast in the same scenario every month makes reports much easier. The
disadvantage of this approach is that reports for previous months cannot be rerun.

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Security
Custom Dimensions
Tip
If at all possible security should not be enabled for custom dimensions.
Justification
• Enabling security for custom dimensions greatly increases the complexity of the security
model and is very difficult to maintain. Keeping entity security up to date is normally a
challenge.
• In statutory applications access to balance sheet movements can generally be suitably
controlled by NoInput rules and by omitting movements from input users’ data entry forms.
Class Names
Tip
Security class names should be prefixed with a letter indicating what the class is securing followed by
an underscore and the label of the member being secured. For example E_1000 would be the security
class for entity 1000.
Justification
• Using prefixes helps distinguish what the class is securing. Even if you are only securing entities
using prefixes allows you to easily additional security in the future.
• This is a common convention.
Default Role
Tip
When using groups to provisions users with roles users must be manually provisioned with the Default
roles.
Justification
If users are not provisioned with the Default roles they cannot be provisioned with classes.
Native Groups
Tip
Use native groups in Shared Services to provision users with roles and classes. Almost all applications
will benefit from using groups for roles and most will benefit from using groups for classes.
Justification
• Native groups can be maintained the Shared Services administrator.
• Provisioning a few groups with tasks and assigning users to groups is much easier than
provisioning hundreds of users with roles.
Native Groups Classes
Tip
Use classes groups to provision users with access to divisions where the children of have different
security classes.
Justification
• Restricting access to divisions by the individuals entities in divisions can be very difficult to
configure and maintain.

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 Example
ABC Group has the following entities:
3000 ABC Group
|-3010 ABC UK Group
| |-3020 UK IT
| |-3030 UK Consulting
| |-3040 UK Technology
| `-3050 UK Overhead
|-1002 ABC Germany GmBH
|-1003 ABC USA Ltd
|-1004 ABC France SA
|-1005 ABC Italy SA
`-1006 Consol adjustments
To give UK divisional management access to entity 3010 and its children.
1. Create a group HFM_ManClassesE_3010.
2. Add the following classes to the group:
E_3010
E_3020
E_3030
E_3040
E_3050
3. Assign UK divisional users to this group.
Native Groups Names
Tip
Name native groups as follows:
Template For
HFM_<Application>Roles<Name> Roles
HFM_<Application>Classes<Parent> Classes
Justification
• Allows groups for HFM and each HFM application to be easily identified in Shared Services by
searching for HFM* and HFM_<Application>*.
• The underscore after HFM is the make the names easier to read.
Examples
Group Description
HFM_ManRolesInput Roles for management application
HFM_ManRolesDivision
HFM_ManClasses1000 Classes for entities in US
HFM_ManClasses2000 Classes for entities in Europe
HFM_StatRolesInput Roles for statutory application
HFM_StatRolesDivision

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Smart View
General
Tip
Use functions and not ad-hoc grids for creating reports and saving data to Financial Management.
Justification
• Functions are more robust than Excel grids
• Data retrieved from Financial Management can be formatted.
Parameters
Tip
Link the connection and every dimension of HS functions to a cell.
Justification
This makes you reports more flexible and easier to maintain.
Example
[]
Printing
Tip
• Use the Excel print area function (File > Print Area > Set Print Area) to hide areas you do not
want to print.
• Use page break preview (View > Page Break Preview) to check you have set the print area
correctly.
Justification
Hides the workings for Smart View formulas and is easier the hiding and unhiding rows and columns.
Sheets
Tip
• Put all function parameters (connections and dimensions) on all pages of multi-page workbooks.
• Link parameters that do not change to the first page of the workbook.
Justification
Parameters which do not change could be linked to the first page of the workbook but the resulting
formula syntax Sheet1!A1 make the HS formulas much longer and more difficult to debug.

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Tools
The following are freeware programs I have found useful when working with Hyperion Financial
Management (HFM). They would also be useful for people working with Hyperion Enterprise. I spent
hours trying out different programs before selecting these. Hopefully this list will save you going
through the same exercise. For a great list of freeware see http://www.techsupportalert.com.
Agent Ransack
They say, Agent Ransack is a free tool for finding files and information on your hard drive fast and
efficiently. When searching the contents of files Agent Ransack displays the text found so you can
quickly browse the results without having to separately open each file.
I have used Agent Ransack to search through hundreds of Web Data Entry Forms files (*.wdf) and
Reports files (*.des) to find which use particular accounts.
IZArc
They say, With a modern easy-to-use interface, IZArc provides support for most compressed and
encoded files, as well as access to many powerful features and tools. It allows you to drag and drop
files from and to Windows Explorer, create and extract archives directly in Windows Explorer, create
multiple archives spanning disks, creating self-extracting archives, repair damaged zip archives,
converting from one archive type to another, view and write comments and many more. IZArc has
also build-in multilanguage support.
I have used IZArc at organisations that where to mean to put WinZip on every PC.
PSPad
They say, The universal freeware editor, useful for people who: work with plain text - the editor has a
wealth of formatting functions, including a spell checker; create web pages - as a web authoring editor,
PSPad contains many unique tools that save your time; want to use a good IDE for their compiler -
PSPad catches and parses compiler output, integrates external help files, compares versions and much
more.
I have used PSPad to edit *.rle files. The folding feature lists and functions and subroutines making it
easier to navigate rules files with many subroutines.
Replacem
They say, At its core, ReplaceEm is essentially a text search-and-replace program. However, unlike
the search-replace functionality of a standard text editor, ReplaceEm is designed to operate on multiple
files at once. And you need not only perform one search-replace operation per file -- you can setup a
list of operations to perform. If different groups of files need to have different operations performed on
them, this is no problem either. You can also specify a backup file for each file processed just in case
the replace operation didn’t do exactly what you wanted. See http://www.fitsoftware.com/replace for
more information.
I have used Replacem to perform bulk changes to *.des file generated by Hyperion Reports.
WinMerge
They say, WinMerge is an Open Source visual text file differencing and merging tool for Win32
platforms. It is highly useful for finding what has changed between project versions, and then merging
changes between versions. See http://winmerge.sourceforge.net for more information.
I have used it to compare Rules files it could also be used to compare Members Lists and to a limited
extent HFM *.app files. See Consolidation Consultancy Hyperion Financial Management (HFM)
Utilities documentation for a fuller discussion of comparing HFM *.app files.

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