Release Notes 24.4 IDL Konsis, IDL Forecast, and IDL Xlslink

1 General Notes

1.1 About This Release

This documentation describes the changes in IDL Konsis, IDL Forecast, and IDL Xlslink compared to Release 24.3. The minimum requirement for installing this version is the installation of Release 24.1.

The previously released fixpacks are included.

With this release, maintenance for the 24.3 release ends.

1.2 Data Backup

Before installation, please make a backup of your database(s) and check it to protect against data loss.

1.3 Migration

After installation, the release migration for IDL Konsis / IDL Forecast must always be performed first. After logging in, start the release migration via <Start migration now> in the message window. A restart is not necessary, all applications are available afterwards.

You can find the protocol of the migration under the short word KONVERT (right-click on the corresponding migration).

If the migration is not started in this manner, e.g., because the logged-in user lacks authorization, the call of other applications is blocked. The only exceptions are the applications for maintaining the authorization data if the logged-in user does not have authorization to execute the migration due to the use of individual authorization groups. After manual execution of the migration, IDL Konsis / IDL Forecast must be restarted.

1.4 Documentation

In the subdirectory Doku\Release you will find the following documentations:

• Technical Installation Instructions
• Operational Installation Instructions
• Release Notes

For the currently valid "Hard and Software Requirements", please refer to the Customer Portal https://help.insightsoftware.com/s/article/IDL-Hard-and-Software-Requirements (login required).

1.5 Security

TLS 1.3 is used as the communication protocol between the client and the application server. Perfect Forward Secrecy makes it even much more difficult to decrypt the connection at a later date.

1.6 Technical Information

To enable"Web Client (Streaming)" please start configure.exe on your Application Server and go to the Common Configuration Section. After services have been restarted you could access IDL Konsis with your Browser at your individual URL followed by https://myIDLKonsisAppServer/webswing-server/konsis/

The Desktop Client and the Launcher deliver the used JRE (Java Runtime Environment) in the installation directory, so that no separate installation is necessary.

Java 17 has been used since release 22.1.

The business runtime environment included in this release is limited until 01.03.2027 and must be renewed from this date at the latest.

1.7 Application server

Since release 23.4, part of the application code is executed in a different runtime environment. No additional processes are started anymore, instead the application code is always executed within the application server.

If not already done during the installation of Release 24.1, please adjust the memory usage of the application server in the configuration program so that it has about 50 percent more memory available. This memory was previously used outside the application server and should therefore already be available on the infrastructure used.

1.8 Multilingualism

Improvements have been made to the French and English translations.

1.9 External libraries

Numerous external libraries were updated to eliminate potential vulnerabilities.

1.10 Licensing of the ESG Component

Since release 24.3, the functions of the ESG topic area can only be used with a valid license file that contains the ESG feature.

1.11 Discontinuation of Support for Oracle Databases

Support for Oracle as a database system will end on December 31, 2025.

2 IDL Konsis

2.1 Menu Authorizations

The following menu items have been disabled with this release, as they have already been replaced by other applications in previous releases. The menu items will be deleted in a subsequent release. Until then, please remove all individual uses (authorizations, menu structures) of these menu items:

• none

2.2 Home Screen

On the Home screen, you can find tiles to reach the most frequently used applications within IDL Konsis as easily as possible. Only tiles are shown, where a valid license is available.

2.3 Help Function/Documentation

The help function/documentation for IDL Konsis is now technically no longer within IDL Konsis. Rather, it is now available online, just like for many sister products. An overview of all products can be found under https://docs.insightsoftware.com.

The current format requires an internet connection, but on the other hand it makes it easier to maintain existing articles or create new articles compared to the old, proprietary format. As a customer, you enjoy the benefit of a consistent, end-to-end user experience.

These pages can be accessed without entering a username and password.

The respective help function for an open application within IDL Konsis can still be called up by pressing the function key <F1>.

2.4 Master Data

2.4.1 Chart of Account Definition (COADFN)

In the Chart of Accounts (COADFN) application, not only the account number of an assigned account is now displayed, but also its description.

2.4.2 Chart of Account Definition (COADFN)

The account for the result of the year (account flag = R) can now also be assigned to an asset position. The same applies to the corresponding import application. This is helpful if the report positions on the liabilities side of the balance sheet have been technically defined as "assets" to show them in the report with a negative sign.

2.4.3 Data Fact (FCT)

In the Data Fact (FCT) application, the terms local currency, group currency, and parallel currency have been replaced by the terms local value, group value, and parallel value.

2.4.4 ESG Conversion Factors (CNVFCT)

Negative values are now no longer permitted, as this would mean that local value and group value or parallel value have different signs. The same applies to the associated import program.

2.5 Transfer Exchange Rates from ECB/SNB

An internet connection is required to transfer the exchange rates from the ECB or SNB. If the server is not available, an error message is displayed indicating that the Internet connection to the application server (not to the local machine) must be established.

2.6 Platform

If an IDL Konsis license is assigned to a new platform user, a user is now automatically created for this user within Konsis based on a so-called "template user".

The following assignments apply to the respective types of platform users in IDL Konsis.

2.7 Open Business Data Fabric (OBDF, formerly known as Platform Data Sharing)

2.7.1 IDL Konsis as a Data Supplier

The business view for positions no longer shows report column definitions, but positions only.

The remark and a reference to the help text (narrative information) was added to the following business views: pds_accountBalance_V1, pds_icAccountBalance_V1, pds_controllingBalance_V1, pds_voucher_V1, pds_posting_V1, pds_consolidationVoucher_V1, pds_consolidationPosting_V1, pds_developmentTransaction_V1, pds_fixedAssetsTransaction_V1.

A new business view for help texts (narrative Information) was added: pds_helptext_V1.

2.7.2 IDL Konsis as a Data Consumer

The UI of the Import Wizard has been improved.

As a platform customer, you can now process data from SAP S/4 Hana Public Cloud with IDL Konsis, provided you have a valid license. There is a format definition for the import program for the following data:

• Country code (LKZ)
• Currency code (WKZ)
• Charts of Accounts and Accounts (KTODEF)
• Controlling Objects (CTLDEF)
• Business Divisions (UBR)
• Companies (GES)
• Account balances (KTOSAL)
• IC balances (ICKTOSAL)
• Transaction developments (ANLBEW, KAPBEW, RUEBEW, SPIBEW)

2.8 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

You can also access your IDL Konsis data in the CXO reporting solution via the MISPAR interface. This includes ESG data.

2.9 Entry Form Account Balances

The entry form account balances shows both, help texts attached to the account’s master data and help texts attached to the account balance (narrative information).

The two columns for help texts have been rearranged to distinguish them clearly and at first glance. The help texts for the account master data can be found next to the account description, the help texts for the account balance can be found next to the column with the balances.

2.10 Entry Form Transaction Developments

The entry form transaction developments allow to display and enter help texts (narrative information) as long as the transactions are displayed line by line.

2.11 Rule-based Consolidation Vouchers and postings

Originally, the selectable companies were defined by the combination of group, period and data type. However, it turned out that this approach was difficult to understand and therefore not particularly practical. Therefore, all valid companies can now be selected. Thus, only those companies whose validity ends before the validity of the rule begins are not displayed.

Rule-based consolidation postings can now also be carried out based on IC balances or IC movements. You can use a corresponding selection option in the rule wizard for posting rules to transfer IC balances to non-included companies per group. In the case of IC balances, all those companies that do not appear in the group of companies at all or that are marked as "not included" or as "at-equity" are considered not included in IC balances.

For companies whose consolidation type is "no inclusion", no rule-based consolidation postings are generated, even if the company delivers balances and transactions to the corresponding source accounts, since these balances and transactions would not be included in the total financial statements.

Rounding differences from companies included on a pro rata basis are now automatically compensated.

The status in the Group Monitor is now automatically updated after the rule-based postings have been executed. This only applies to the column "JM", as all rule-based postings are generated as "Manual Postings".

2.12 Consolidation

In the context of debt consolidation between a fully consolidated company and a company included in the quota, only the proportionate shares of the reported IC balances are posted. On the part of the fully consolidated company, the "remainder" can be transferred to a so-called quota reference account. These automatic consolidation postings no longer receive the posting text "Elimination", but "Transfer to Quota Reference Account".

2.13 Translation

The sorting options in the English interface are translated now.

3 IDL Xlslink

3.1 General information

In addition to the new features described below, this release has again incorporated a number of bug fixes and performance improvements, especially for the formula editor in IDL Xlslink.

3.2 Formula Editor

In addition to the bug fixes of the last fix packs, the layouts of the fields for company divisions have also been standardized in the formula editor.

3.2.1 Export Function for Assignment of Check Rule Exclusion Group PRFZUO

For users with a large number of check rules, there is now the export function for the assignment of the check rule exclusion group.

3.3 ESG Functions

For metrics, units and conversion factors, read and export functions are now also available in IDL Xlslink.

Narrative information (help texts) for account balances can now also be exported with Xlslink.

3.3.1 ESG Metrics

Metric data can now be imported from IDL Konsis.

The export function for metrics is also available.

3.3.2 Allocating Metrics to a Company

We provide the read function to import all associated metrics of a company.

And we also provide the appropriate export function for allocating metrics to a company.

3.3.3 ESG Units

We added the read function for ESG units defined in IDL Konsis.

And we also enable you to enter new ESG units using the export function.

3.3.4 ESG Conversion Factors

A new read function for conversion factors allows you to import all available units from IDL Konsis.

A likewise export function also enables exporting ESG units into IDL Konsis.

3.3.5 ESG Narrative Information for Account Balances

Narrative information (just like help texts) for account balances can now be exported to IDL Konsis. The new multi-line entry field for narrative information allows you to structure your texts by adding line breaks. You can do so by pressing Ctrl + Enter to add a linebreak at the cursor position inside that multi-line text field.