What's New in Lucanet 25?

Come and explore the exciting new features of our latest release! The following new features for the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform have been released since Lucanet 24.1:

Our Highlights

New in Version 1.4 (Release Date 2024-10-31)

Apart from bug fixes and performance enhance­ments, the release contains the following new features:

Unified Login Page for Lucanet.Financial Client

As a user of the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform, if you have access to Lucanet.Financial Client, you can now log in to Lucanet.Financial Client using the same login page as for the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform. You can either log in with your Lucanet credentials or via SSO, if external authentication is enabled for your Lucanet CFO Solution Platform account. This new feature provides a seamless user experience when logging in and streamlines access to your Lucanet services.

UX and Usability Improvements in Administration

In Lucanet 25, we have introduced a number of updates to the Administration section that are designed to improve the user experience and increase user-friendliness. Some of the main improvements are:

  • Navigation improvements in the list of users: By using infinite scrolling, administrators can now better navigate the list of users by first displaying 20 users and then loading more by scrolling as needed. By default, the most recently updated users appear at the top of the list.
  • Moving user configuration to the right side panel: Administrators of the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform can now use the right side panel to create or update users. The side panel replaces the previous dialog and offers the same fields, input requirements, and validation checks. This allows an intuitive and efficient configuration of all necessary user settings.
Displays the 'Create User' panel on the right side of the window. The rest of the window is grayed out. Side panel for creating users
  • Optimization of the license display: Lucanet 25 offers you as administrator an improved overview of your license information. The table in the Licenses workspace shows the used and available license slots per user role for each solution, whereby user roles with 100,000 or more license slots are marked with the infinity symbol (∞). In addition, the user roles are listed on separate lines for a better overview. The workspace Licenses, is displayed as follows, for example:
The 'Lucanet licences' workspace is displayed. 'Lucanet licences' workspace
New in Version 1.3 (Release Date 2024-09-24)

Apart from bug fixes and performance enhance­ments, the release contains the following new features:

Enhancement of the Login Options: New Workspace 'External Authentication'

From now on, administrators of the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform can configure and enable an External Identity Provider in the External Authen­tication workspace. The following authen­tication protocols are available: OIDC and SAML.

The External authentication workspace is displayed as follows, for example:

Displays the ‘External authentication’ workspace in the Platform Management. The option 'Enable external authentication' and the authentication method 'OIDC' are activated. The ‘External authentication’ workspace

If external authentication is activated, the Enable external authentication option is available when creating or editing a user. If external authen­tication is not activated within the External Authentication workspace, the option to Enable external authentication will not be visible for the administrator when creating or editing a user. Thus, the users will continue to log in with their Lucanet credentials.

This enhancement allows for more flexibility and security when logging in, improves the user experience, and enables seamless integration into our customers' existing IT infrastructure.

Improved User Management Efficiency: New Labels And Filter Options for Special User Groups

In version 1.3, we have further optimized the user management. Administrators of the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform can now identify and manage users more quickly using the following labels:

LabelUsers
Lucanet.Certified Professional users
Permanently locked users
Users for whom external authentication is activated

As soon as one of these options is configured for a new or existing user, the label appears after the user name in the list of users. If you hover over the label, a tooltip displays the corresponding information.

In addition, a new filter above the list of users enables a targeted search and quick display of the three user groups.

No More Licenses Needed for Lucanet.Certified Professional Users

With the new release, Lucanet.Certified Profes­sional users no longer require license slots. This allows Lucanet.Certified Professional users to be assigned roles in a licensed solution even when there are no more license slots available.

New in Version 1.4 (Release Date 2024-11-04) 

Apart from bug fixes and performance enhancements, the release contains the following new features:

Assigning Reporting Entities to Specific ESRS Questionnaire Sections

When configuring the ESRS questionnaire, an ESG Master can now assign specific reporting entities to particular sections within the questionnaire hierarchy for editing, such as a category or a question, or unassign these reporting entities accordingly. This feature allows the ESG Master to have more granular control and also allows for a more flexible data collection process, e.g.

  • To ensure that data that only needs to be collected for one reporting entity or on group level can only be assigned to these specific reporting entities.
  • To enable data collection on location level.
The questionnaire builder is displayed. The buttons displaying the assignment states are highlighted in red. Questionnaire builder with assignment state per element

For more information, see Configuring the ESRS Questionnaire.

Assigning Users to Specific ESRS Questionnaire Sections

In addition to the possibility to assign reporting entities to particular sections when configuring the questionnaire, an ESG Master can also assign individual users with the user role ESG Data Collector to certain parts of the ESRS questionnaire in the data collection step. This possibility to assign ESG Data Collectors to e.g. categories or guidelines allows for a more focused data collection process and a better alignment with individual enterprise structures. For example, the main responsible person for a reporting entity, i.e. the user assigned to a reporting entity in the master data, can delegate specific questions of the ESRS questionnaire to subject matter experts within their enterprise.

The dialog 'Assign users to 'ESRS 2 General Disclosures' is displayed. The 'Assigned' column is highlighted in red. Assigning users to standard 'ESRS 2 General Disclosures'

For more information, see Defining Individual Access for Users.

Duplicating ESG Reports

An ESG Master can duplicate ESG reports by cloning an existing ESG report without the collected data. This way, the ESG Master does not have to create all the reporting entities and users again. The ESG Master can then adjust the report name, date, reporting entity selections, users, locations, and group currencies. This will enable comparisons and highlight changes.

The ESG Reports menu is displayed. The Report overview tab is selected. The 'Duplicate report' option is highlighted in red. Duplicating an ESG Report

For more information, see  General Functions in ESG Reporting.

Attaching Files in ESRS

Users can now attach files within the ESRS questionnaire. This feature will enable all users to upload supporting documents, such as details about their electricity provider. By providing additional information, users will enhance the evidence for the input data.

The ESRS tab is displayed. The file-attachment icon and the drag and drop and browser field are highlighted in red. Attaching files in ESRS

For more information, see Collecting Data.

Displaying Aggregated Responses During Data Collection

An ESG Master can display the aggregated data of all reporting entities during data collection. This will allow for real-time aggregation of data without delays.

With this functionality, the ESG Master will be able to see details on individual questions, including how many reporting entities have answered or have not answered yet.

The 'Data collection' step is displayed. The 'Show aggregated responses' button is highlighted in red.
Enhancements to the Data Collection Step

The data collection has been enhanced as follows to comply with the ESRS XBRL taxonomy:

  • Many of the previously existing free-text input fields have been replaced by drop-down lists in the ESRS questionnaire. The values in the drop-down lists are based on predefined values from the ESRS XBRL taxonomy to make data entry more consistent and more standardized.
  • Questions that are to be answered with a radiobutton (YES/NO) now have a description field where ESG Data Collectors can provide explanations for the answers they have given.
A YES/NO answer with a respective text field is displayed. Text field for YES/NO answers
Filter Options in the ESG Reports Workspace

New filter options have been implemented for the tabs Report overview and Canceled reports in the columns Report name and Status. The filter option facilitates the search for specific reports or for all reports in a specific status, e.g. reports in the data collection step.

The report overview is displayed. The filter icons in the columns 'Report name' and 'Status' are highlighted in red. Filter options for ESG reports

For more information, see  General Functions in ESG Reporting.

New in Version 1.3 (Release Date 2024-08-19)

Apart from bug fixes and performance enhancements, the release contains the following new features:

Restoring Canceled ESG Reports

A master user can now restore ESG reports that were canceled previously. If a canceled ESG report is restored, the status of the ESG report is automatically set to the one the ESG report had before it was canceled.

All reporting entities that were assigned before cancellation will be assigned to the ESG report again.

The 'Cancelled reports' tab in the 'ESG Reports' workspace is displayed. The 'Restore' context menu option is highlighted in red. Restoring an ESG Report

For more information, see Functions for ESG Masters in General Functions in ESG Reporting.

Opening Canceled ESG Reports

ESG Masters and ESG Data Collectors can now open canceled ESG reports at the last status of the report. Canceled reports can be opened in the ESG Reports workspace on the Cancelled reports tab:

Displays ESG Reports. The tab 'Cancelled reports' is displayed. Open cancelled reports

A canceled report is displayed in the step that it was in when it was canceled. If the report was canceled e.g. in the step Questionnaire builder, it will also be opened in the step Questionnaire builder. If a canceled report is opened, it is displayed in read-only mode. For more information, see General Functions in ESG Reporting.

Reopening Aggregated ESG Reports

Once the Data aggregation step has been finalized, an ESG master can reopen the aggregated ESG report to collect updated values from the assigned reporting entities.

An aggregated report can be reopened from:

  • The Data aggregation page

    Reopening an aggregated report from the 'Data aggregation' page
  • The report overview in the ESG Reports workspace

    Reopening an aggregated report from the 'ESG Reports' workspace

 

When an aggregated ESG report is reopened, its status as well as the report statuses of the individual reporting entities will be set to In Progress and ESG data collectors can edit the values on the ESRS questionnaire and submit the ESG report again. For more information, see Reopening an Aggregated ESG Report.

Enhancements in the Master Data Administration

When creating an ESG report, the ESG master assigns reporting entities that are part of the data collection. As of now:

  • It is possible to search for reporting entities in the list of assigned reporting entities.
  • Users who do not have a license for Lucanet.Financial OLAP Server can now manage their reporting entities, i.e. they can delete or rename their reporting entities.
The 'Manage Reporting Entities' dialog is displayed. The options to search, edit, or delete reporting entities are highlighted in red. New functionalities for users who do not use Lucanet.Financial OLAP Server

For more information, see Creating an ESG Report.

Enhancements for the Configuration of the ESRS Questionnaire

The configuration of the ESRS questionnaire has been revised. As of now, the questionnaire is displayed in a tree structure to make it easier to recognize which elements (e.g. guidelines, topics, or questions) belong to which superordinate element and the current position of the user in the hierarchy. The various levels can be shown or collapsed individually or completely.

The ESG master can include or exclude various levels of the hierarchy structure from the ESRS questionnaire via a checkbox to show or hide an element in the ESRS questionnaire, i.e. a category, a guideline, a topic, a sub-topic, or a question.

Questionnaire builder. The Treeview 'General Discussion' is expanded.. Questionnaire Builder

An ESG master can also display all questions in the new preview mode to get an impression how the question type and the format for the answers are displayed for the ESG data collectors. For more information, see Configuring the ESRS Questionnaire.

Enhancements for the Data Collection

There have been several user interface improvements to enhance clarity as well as the navigation. You can now benefit from the following:

  • All actions that are available to you depending on your user role and on the data collection step are now available in an additional column in the ESG Reports and Data collection workspaces, e.g. to show notes or the option to submit or approve an ESG report.

  • The data collection details of a specific reporting entity are now displayed on a single page instead of one page for ESRS and one page for the emissions module. For easier data collection and data review and a better navigation within the page, the ESRS questionnaire and emissions module are displayed as tabs.

  • In the ESRS questionnaire and emissions module, it is possible to collapse the panel on the right-hand side of the screen to gain more space for data collection or review.

  • As an ESG data collector, you can now submit your data or, as an ESG master, you can approve or reject data directly in the data collection page of a single reporting entity.

 

The data collection page of a reporting entity is displayed. The tab view and the options to submit the report and collapse the panel on the right-hand side are highlighted in red. New functionalities for the data collection

For more information, see 

Enhancements Regarding the Data Version of the Emission Factor

When creating a footprint, the system now automatically uses the latest data version of the emission factor for GHG calculation. The data version used is stored and displayed for every footprint: 

Shows a footprint created for electricity. Highlighted is the location where the data version of the emission factor is shown. Data version displayed on a footprint

For more information, see Collecting Data.

Drill-down on Aggregated Data in Tables

An ESG master can drill down on aggregated data in the aggregated ESG report to display the underlying data that have been submitted by each reporting entity, such as text inputs, answers to multiple-choice questions, or currencies. As of now, it is also possible to drill down on aggregated data displayed in tables to view the data entries of individual reporting entities. 

An example of data that two individual reporting entities submitted for question is shown. The tables contain the columns 'Reporting entities, 'Topic', Revised comparative figures' and 'Previous figures' Drill-down to data entered by individual reporting entities

For more information, see Aggregating Data.

Creating and Displaying Notes

As of now, a note can be added in the confirmation dialog for certain actions: 

Bestätigungsdialog für das Einreichen einer Datensammlung. Creating a note

A note can be added to the following actions:

  • The submission of a report by the ESG data collector
  • The approval of a report by the ESG master
  • The rejection of a report by the ESG master

 

As soon as a note has been created for an action, the note can be displayed on the data collection page by clicking the three-dot-icon and then Show notes:

Ausschnitt aus der Datenerfassung. Der Link 'Show Notes' ist rot umrandet. Opening a note

 

You can also display the notes on the data collection page of a specific reporting entity directly in the panel on the right-hand side. For more information, see General Functions in ESG Reporting.

New in Version 1.4 (Release Date 2024-11-05) 

Apart from bug fixes and performance enhancements, the release contains the following new features:

Import of MS Excel File Data into Reporting Entities

Data from MS Excel can now be imported via the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform using the new workspace Importing Data into Reporting Entities. This new feature reduces time and effort, since, previously, it was only possible to import data into reporting entities via Lucanet.Financial Client

This Lucanet CFO Solution Platform feature provides the well-known functionality of importing data from MS Excel while also providing an enhanced UI.

The 'Importing Data into Reporting Entities' workspace is displayed. The 'Importing Data into Reporting Entities' workspace

Changes to the Menu

Unified workspace for an improved overview: The functional area Journals is renamed to Import and Journals and will contain, additionally to the Journals workspace, the newly added workspace Importing Data into Reporting Entities.

UX and Usability Improvements

A number of improvements have been implemented for the overall user experience and usability. Some of the most prominent improvements are:

  • Labeled tabs: The browser tabs in the Lucanet CFO Solution Platform are now labeled with a title naming the opened workspace, ledger, or solution, allowing for better navigation and management of the browser session.
  • Enhanced view of long texts and elements:  If the name of an element is too long to be shown, a tooltip with the complete name will be displayed when hovering over the element. 

New in Version 1.0.862 (Release Date 2024-11-07)

Apart from bug fixes and enhancements in terms of usability and performance, the release contains the following new features:

Transferring Tables and Texts from ESG Reports

From now on, tables and texts from the questionnaire of aggregated ESG reports created with the solution Lucanet ESG Reporting can be inserted directly into documents in Lucanet Disclosure Management. As a result, no new report tables have to be created or new report texts compiled. They can simply be transferred with a few clicks instead.

The new feature is configured using the Excel ribbon (for tables) and the Word ribbon (for text values):

 

Combined screenshot with an excerpt from the Word ribbon and an excerpt from the Excel ribbon. The 'Insert ESG text value' button on the Word ribbon is outlined, and the 'Insert ESG table' button on the Excel ribbon is outlined in red. ' Inserting ESG text values and tables by means of the Word (left) and Excel (right) ribbon
Adding Footnotes

From now on, it is possible to add footnotes to the Oareas of Excel files. For this purpose, footnote columns can be defined using either the Excel ribbon or the context menu. The footnotes stored there are then displayed in the Word documents in the Outareas and can be edited in the data view by means of the detail view for a value.

Adding Column Names

A column name can now be assigned to cells in MS Excel to distinguish between different value columns within a period in the data view. The column names can be added in MS Excel using either the Excel ribbon or the context menu of a cell.

Import into Selected Periods of a Data Source

When configuring the execution of an import in the Import data area, periods previously defined in the data source can now be excluded from the import. For this purpose, the No import option must be chosen for the periods in which data is not to be imported only during the parameterization process.

With this option, data can be imported only in selected periods of a data source without having to define a new data source for this purpose. 

New Features in the Data View
Improved User Interface

The user interface of the data view has been revised. A uniform design and new icons and identifiers make it easier to use the individual features.

Data View Legend

A legend is now available for the data view. It can be opened with a button on the user interface of the data view. The cell colors, highlighting, marking, and validation icons used in the data view are explained in the legend:

Shows the data view legend with explanations of the cell colors and icons used. Data view legend
Detail View for Text Values

A detail view is now available in the data view also for cells that contain text values. This allows, for example, the history of a text value to be displayed and past text values restored.

Link to Referenced or Validated Values

If a value referenced from a different Excel document is displayed in the data view, the data view of the Excel document from which the value comes will now be able to be opened and the value edited directly there by clicking the reference icon. 

If a value for which a validation has been configured is displayed in the data view, the data view of the Excel document to be used for the validation will now be able to be opened by clicking the validation icon. This allows faulty validations to be checked more quickly and the underlying values corrected if necessary.

An excerpt from the data view with the icons for validated and referenced values is displayed, i. e. with a red exclamation mark, a green exclamation mark, and a #r. Link to validated and referenced values in the data view