HMIS Reporting Tool Upgrade: Moving From ART to SAP BusinessObjects
ICA anticipates that a new version of the Advanced Reporting Tool (ART) will be available in HMIS by the second week of May. WellSky, the HMIS software vendor, has announced that the new version of ART will be referred to as “SAP BusinessObjects”.
Since we last shared an update on this transition, ICA has conducted extensive testing of BusinessObjects. Issues discovered through that testing were sent along to WellSky to help the software vendor mold BusinessObjects into the best possible shape before our users’ access to ART is shut off.
While BusinessObjects has technically been available to all users since mid-January, there are a few remaining system updates that must be completed before it is ready for widespread use. One of those updates is a final copy of reports from ART to the new tool, which WellSky has recently announced will take place during the weekend of April 29th, 2022. Once the final report copy is done, HMIS will be updated to remove users’ access to ART and make BusinessObjects easier to find.
The following are important details that every HMIS user should know about the transition:
WellSky will be copying reports from ART’s Public Folder to BusinessObjects. Reports saved in a user’s Favorites folder, their inbox, or their list of scheduled reports will not be copied over. If it is important to preserve those reports, users will want to save them in a secure location outside of HMIS.
Any reports that are scheduled to run on an ongoing basis will need to be rescheduled in BusinessObjects following ART’s retirement.
ART access will be shut off two weeks after WellSky finishes copying reports. All links to ART will be removed from HMIS, with the “Connect to ART” link being replaced by a “Connect to BusinessObjects” link. Though the exact date for this system update is not yet known, ICA recognizes that agencies will be facing several deadlines in early and mid-May, and we are working with WellSky to ensure this transition takes place with a minimum of disruption for our users.
New resources that help orient users to BusinessObjects will be made available in multiple online locations, including the HMIS Knowledge Base and Moodle training site.
Want to learn more about BusinessObjects right now? Click here to find a recorded preview of the tool that ICA provided during March’s User Group meeting. You can also find an introductory PowerPoint presentation on the Forms and Instructions page of the HMIS MN website.