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Overview of CDM

CDM is a corporate reporting solution that combines numeric data with other presentation elements. Text and graphics can be used to supplement data in a report.

Many organizations manually produce their external financial reporting documents, for example, 10K, 10Q, and Board Books. With CDM, statutory financial reports are dynamically generated from a central database to produce highly formatted reports complete with appropriate commentary and supplementary notes.

CDM provides a collaborative environment that incorporates workflow and audit trails to ensure a high degree of data accuracy and to provide better internal controls for corporate governance.

Functionality of CDM

The CDM interface is used to produce and output financial reports.

CDM contains the following functionality and capabilities:

  • Performance
    The document rendering mechanism is fast because rendered output is put into a cache that then is shared by all users working on the same part of the report.
  • Collaboration
    Users can check out multiple report objects simultaneously.
  • Workflow
    Users can easily see the status of each part of a financial document and determine which parts are overdue and who is responsible. Workflow includes automatic email notification to quickly contact the persons responsible for items that are overdue.
  • Internal Control
    CDM provides a comprehensive set of internal controls to ensure that the proper steps are followed in the creation, submission, and approval of each document.
  • Audit Trail
    Users can easily compare any two versions of the document to see what was changed, who changed it, and when it was changed. Audit trails are divided into the following sections:
    • Login Audit - Records every authentication request to the CDM database via the web service.
    • Report Properties - Records any changes that have occurred in a report.
    • Report Object Properties - Records any changes that have occurred in an object.
  • Data Sourcing
    This feature provides an easy-to-use method to pull data from various data sources including the leading ERP systems, the leading consolidation systems, relational databases, OLAP databases, and Microsoft™ Excel.
  • Ease of Use
    If users already know how to use Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint, using CDM is intuitive and easy. It provides a user interface that leverages all the calculation abilities of Excel, the formatting capabilities of Word, and the presentation abilities of PowerPoint.
  • Data Collection for Operational Data
    CDM provides functionality so that the user can write back to Cognos® TM1® for data collection. External financial documents often include data that might not exist in your ERP or consolidation system.
  • User Security
    CDM provides controlled access to sensitive information and helps to maintain privacy.
  • Business Rules and Validation
    In some organizations, data might come from various sources. CDM business rules ensure that summary data in one area of the document always ties to detailed data that exists elsewhere in the document.
  • PowerPoint Integration
    Users can create PowerPoint objects to output presentations using existing data in the report.
  • Report and Object Level Commentary
    Gives users insight on the creation process for reports and report objects.
  • Dashboards
    Users can present financial information in the form of charts, graphs, and grids by creating widgets in the dashboard.
  • Integration with IBM® and IBM Cognos® Products
  • Ability to support Single Sign-On

Typical Report Examples

You can use CDM to create various financial reports for internal or external publication for any organization.

Corporate and regulatory reports often contain repetitive sections that are time-consuming to reproduce and manage with consistency. CDM enables such reports to be used as templates, which can simplify and accelerate the process of submitting reports.

Statutory Reporting

In many countries or regions, federal securities laws require publicly traded companies to disclose information on an ongoing basis. You can use CDM to prepare statutory reports.

US Regulatory Reporting: 10-K, 10-Q, and 20-F

Regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) require businesses to submit annual reports on Form 10-K, and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for specified events. Businesses must comply with various other disclosure requirements. Foreign issuers must use Form 20-F to meet disclosure requirements.

The annual report on Form 10-K provides a comprehensive overview of the company's business and financial condition and includes audited financial statements. The annual report on Form 10-K is distinct from the annual report to shareholders.

Form 10-Q includes unaudited financial statements and provides a continuing view of the company's financial position during the year. The report must be filed for each of the first three quarters of the company's fiscal year.

Form 20-F is a comprehensive core disclosure document that foreign private issuers must file annually with the SEC to register securities when they are offered in the US.

Exhibits specifically refer to attachments that the SEC officially defines in its rules and regulations. The SEC might require one or more exhibits to be included with a 10-K or 10-Q filing.

Canadian Regulatory Reporting: Annual Reports and MD&A

In Canada, public and privately owned corporations are required to produce annual reports and to disclose important events that affect the business in Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) reports. You can also use CDM for various other required reports.

UK Regulatory Reporting: Annual Reports and Form 363

The EU Transparency Directive is designed to bring all European stock exchanges up to the same level, with a uniform set of rules for Listing and Disclosure that apply across the European Union. There are more stringent requirements for interim and annual reports.

In the UK, the Companies House and Financial Services Authority (FSA) requires businesses to submit various reports and forms on a timely basis. For example, the Companies House requires an Annual Return (Form 363) to update company contact information, including contact information for corporate executives, and to provide a statement of principal business activities.

Corporate and Industry Reporting

You can use CDM to create standard corporate reports, such as quarterly and annual reports. You can also create industry-specific reports, such as airline industry reports.

Quarterly Reports, Annual Reports, and Board Books

In general, corporations in different countries and regions are required to produce quarterly and annual reports, displaying financial results for the period. CDM enables consistent report formatting and presentation of data.

You can also use CDM to create and manage content related to board meeting agenda packets, known as board books.

Airline Industry: Form 41

The Form 41 provides valuable information for those who need to analyze and understand the US airline industry and its member carriers. Form 41 reports on carrier costs, operations, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets.

Internal Reporting

You can also use CDM to create reports used for internal control. You can also maintain existing customized reports.

Any report that was built in Microsoft™ Excel, Microsoft Word, or any presentation built in Microsoft PowerPoint can be created and maintained in CDM. Additional functionality, such as Workflow and Audit Trail, can then be applied.

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