May 2021 Update

Revision History

This document will continue to evolve as existing sections change and new information is added. All updates appear in the following table:

Date	Product	Feature	Notes
29 APR 2021			Created initial document.

Overview

This document outlines the upcoming Enterprise Data Management Cloud update.

Feature Summary

Enterprise Data Management Cloud

Monthly Update Schedule

Test Environments: Oracle will apply this monthly update during the first daily maintenance that occurs at or after 22:00 UTC on Friday, May 7, 2021.

Production Environments: Oracle will apply this monthly update during the first daily maintenance that occurs at or after 22:00 UTC on Friday, May 21, 2021.

NOTE: Backing up the daily maintenance snapshot and restoring the environment as needed are self-service operations. Oracle strongly recommends that you download the maintenance snapshot every day to a local server.

The Oracle Help Center provides access to updated documentation. The updates will be available in the Help Center on Friday, May 7, 2021.

NOTE: Some of the links to new feature documentation included in this readiness document will not work until after the Oracle Help Center update is complete.

Fixed Issues and Considerations

Software issues addressed each month and considerations will be posted to My Oracle Support.

This provides visibility into EPM Cloud release contents.

Please Join Oracle Cloud Customer Connect

Please take a moment to join the Cloud Customer Connect forums for EPM Cloud services. Oracle Cloud Customer Connect is a community gathering place for members to interact and collaborate on common goals and objectives. This is where you will find the latest release information, upcoming events, or answers to use-case questions. Joining takes just a few minutes. Join now!

https://cloud.oracle.com/community

NOTE: The Settings and Actions menu now contains a link to Cloud Customer Connect. To access this link, from the Home page, click the down arrow next to the user name (in the upper right-hand corner of the screen), and select Cloud Customer Connect.

Give Us Documentation Feedback

We welcome your comments and suggestions to improve the content of the What's New document and the product documentation.

Please send us your feedback at EPMdoc_ww@oracle.com. In the body or title of the email, state that you are inquiring or providing feedback, and indicate for which EPM Cloud service and the monthly update cycle.

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These are great resources for the latest updates and information about EPM Cloud.

Features

EPM Cloud Common

Updates to the Clone Environment Feature

This update contains changes to the Clone Environments feature, which will now change the version of Essbase in the target environment to match the Essbase version in the source environment. Starting with this update, this feature retains the contents of the inbox and outbox and existing snapshots in the target environment and, optionally, imports users and their predefined and application roles into the target environment. Previously, this feature was named Clone Snapshot, which has now been changed to Clone Environment.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Handling of Essbase Versions During Cloning

For environments that use Essbase, if the target environment has a different version of Essbase, the Clone Environment feature will change the target Essbase version to match that used in the source environment. Specifically, if the target environment uses an Essbase version that does not support Hybrid cubes and the source environment has hybrid-enabled Essbase, the cloning process will update the target with Hybrid-enabled Essbase. Similarly, if the target environment has Hybrid-enabled Essbase and the source environment has a version that does not support Hybrid Cubes, this feature will update the target environment to use the Essbase version that does not support Hybrid Cubes.

Cloning of Users and Predefined Roles

A user assigned to both the Service Administrator and the Identity Domain Administrator roles can clone application artifacts and, optionally, users and predefined role assignments.

Retaining Snapshots and Files in Inbox and Outbox

Starting with this version, the cloning process does not delete existing snapshots or files in the inbox and outbox of the target environment.

Limitations

Cloning of environments may fail in these scenarios:

• Source is a legacy environment with Non-Hybrid Essbase and the target is an EPM Enterprise Cloud Service in which the Essbase version was downgraded to Non-Hybrid Essbase.

• Source is an EPM Enterprise Cloud Service environment Hybrid-enabled Essbase and the target is a legacy environment in which the Essbase version was upgraded to Hybrid-enabled Essbase.

Business Benefit: These changes facilitate the cloning of snapshots across environments and address customer concerns with this recently introduced feature.

Role Information

• Cloning EPM Cloud Environments in Administering Migration for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud

Assign and Unassign Role: Change of Behavior in Access Control

From Access Control screens, Service Administrators can now assign and unassign application roles to themselves. Previously, Service Administrators were prevented from using Access Control screens to assign or unassign roles to themselves.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: This avoids the extra step of involving another Service Administrator to complete the application role assignment process.

EPM Automate Updates

A new version of EPM Automate is now available. This version introduces support for using custom URLs with EPM Automate and includes changes to the behavior of  addUsers, assignRole, importSnapshot, recreate, runBusinessRule, setManualDataAccess, and unassignRole commands. Also, addUsersToGroup, addUserToGroups, assignRole, createGroups, deleteGroups, removeUserFromGroups, removeUsers, removeUsersFromGroup, and unassignRole commands have been enhanced to print information on failed records to the console. Additionally, the exportLibraryArtifact command has been enhanced with a new optional exportFormat=LCM parameter to convert the exported reports to the format used by Migration so that these reports can be imported into EPM Cloud and the copyPOV command has been enhanced to accept an optional nonEmptyTupleEnabled runtime parameter that allows you to disable non-empty tuple.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Financial Consolidation and Close, Enterprise Data Management, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Support for Custom URLs with the Login Command

Starting with this update, EPM Automate supports the use of vanity URLs created using third party link shorteners such as T.ly, Bitly, Rebrandly, TinyUrl, is.gd and so on.

addUsers Command

The addUsers command has been enhanced to add EPM Cloud users to the identity domain using a system generated temporary password. Previously, the only way to add EPM Cloud users to the identity domain using this command required you to assign one password to all the users added using this command. Additionally, on running this command, EPM Cloud emails new users their temporary passwords.

assignRole and unassignRole Commands

The behavior of these commands has been altered to allow Service Administrators to assign and unassign predefined and application roles to themselves. Previously, these commands did not allow users issuing these commands to assign or unassign roles to themselves.

importSnapshot Command

The importSnapshot command has been enhanced with the ability to specify whether to add users to the identity domain if a user who is not in the identity domain is referenced in the snapshot being imported. For this purpose, a new optional parameter (importUsers) has been added to this command. If the value of importUsers parameter is set to true, EPM Automate creates a user in the identity domain and assigns the default password that you specify in the command or a temporary unique password to each user if you do not specify a password in the command. Only a Service Administrator who also has the Identity Domain Administrator role can successfully import users and their role assignments using this command.

recreate Command

The recreate command has been enhanced so that if an EPM Cloud environment is converted to Account Reconciliation, Oracle Enterprise Data Management Cloud, or Profitability and Cost Management environment, you can convert it to any other service environment without requiring it to be first converted to Planning environment. This change reduces the number of steps involved in  converting an EPM Cloud environment type to another.

runBusinessRule Command

Starting with this update, the ability to run rule sets has been removed from the runBusinessRule command. Instead, you should use the runRuleSet command to launch rule sets in Financial Consolidation and Close, Planning, Planning Modules, and Tax Reporting business processes.

setManualDataAccess Command

The setManualDataAccess command has been enhanced to use an optional parameter (disableEmergencyAccess) that can be used to prohibit Oracle from manually accessing the EPM Cloud database even if a service request to remedy a database issue is open.

Information on Failed Records for User, Group and Role Management Commands Printed to the Console

The following commands have been enhanced to print information on the records that failed during processing and the reasons why they failed.

• addUsersToGroup
• addUserToGroups
• assignRole
• createGroups
• deleteGroups
• removeUserFromGroups
• removeUsers
• removeUsersFromGroup
• unassignRole

exportLibraryArtifact Command

Starting with this update, this command has been enhanced to use a new optional exportFormat=LCM parameter which converts the exported reports to the format used by Migration so that the exported reports can be imported into Financial Consolidation and Close, Planning, Planning Modules, and Tax Reporting business processes.

copyPOV command

Starting with this update, the copyPOV command for Profitability and Cost Management has been enhanced to accept nonEmptyTupleEnabled as an optional runtime parameter. Using nonEmptyTupleEnabled=false as a runtime parameter allows you to override the default behavior (nonEmptyTupleEnabled=true, which is identical to the original behavior of this command), which in rare cases, may cause the command to not perform well for copying Essbase data.

Business Benefit: These changes in behavior make EPM Automate easier to use.

Key Resources

• Working with EPM Automate for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud:
  • Installing EPM Automate
  • addUsers
  • addUsersToGroup
  • addUserToGroups
  • assignRole
  • createGroups
  • copyPOV
  • deleteGroups
  • importSnapshot
  • recreate
  • removeUserFromGroups
  • removeUsers
  • removeUsersFromGroup
  • runBusinessRule
  • setManualDataAcces
  • unassignRole

Activity Report Now Identifies the Cloud Infrastructure in Use

The Activity Report has been enhanced with additional information to identify the type of cloud infrastructure that your environment uses. Additionally, some table titles have been changed to better reflect the contents of the table.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Activity Report Headers Identifying Classic and OCI (Gen2)  Cloud Infrastructure

Business Benefit: This information helps you identify the type of cloud of infrastructure that Oracle uses to support the environment.

Key Resources

• Using Activity Reports and Access Logs to Monitor Usage in Getting Started with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud for Administrators.

REST API to Set Default Password, Force Password Reset, and Set Temporary Password While Importing Snapshot

When using the LCM Import REST API to import the contents of a snapshot into the service environment, you can now complete these tasks for imported users:

• Set a specific password for all users in the snapshot
• Set a unique temporary password for each user in the snapshot
• Force password reset at first login

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: Using REST APIs allows you to automate the process for managing passwords while cloning an environment.

Key Resources

• LCM Import in REST API for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud

Role Information

• Service Administrators

REST API to Disable Emergency Access to Database

You can now use a REST API to to prohibit Oracle from manually accessing the EPM Cloud database, even if a service request to remedy a database issue is open.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: Allows you to automate disabling emergency access to the database.

Key Resources

• Manage Permission for Manual Access to Database in REST API for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud

Role Information

• Service Administrators

User Management REST APIs Now Show Details on Which Records Failed and Why They Failed

For the User Management REST APIs, you can now see which records failed and the reason why they failed. Previously, you could only see how many records passed and failed.

This applies to the following REST APIs:

• Removing users from an identity domain
• Assigning users to a predefined or application role
• Removing users' predefined or application role assignment
• Adding users to a group
• Removing users from a group
• Adding a user to a batch of groups
• Removing a user from a batch of groups
• Adding groups
• Removing groups

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: This gives you visibility on any records that failed and helps you resolve issues.

Key Resources

• Managing Users in REST API for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud

Role Information

• Service Administrators

Users Running the Role Assignment REST API Can Include Their Own Roles

For the User Management REST APIs, you can now assign and unassign a pre-defined or application role to the user who is running the REST APIs. This applies to the following REST APIs:

• Assigning users to a predefined or application role
• Removing users' predefined or application role assignment

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: Allows users who makes role assignments to include their own role.

Key Resources

• Managing Users in REST API for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud

Role Information

• Service Administrators

Instructions for Configuring Azure AD as Identity Provider for OCI (Gen 2) Environments

Getting Started with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud for Administrators now contains instructions on configuring Microsoft Azure AD as a SAML2 identity provider for OCI (Gen 2) EPM Cloud environments. This section provides guidelines on the steps to be completed in Oracle Identity Cloud Services and in Azure AD to establish federated single sign-on where by Azure AD authenticated users can seamlessly access EPM Cloud environments.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: Establishing single sign-on using Azure AD secures EPM Cloud environments using the corporate directory server.

New Topics in EPM Cloud Operations Guide

The EPM Cloud Operations Guide section "Use of Dedicated VPN Connection to Restrict Access" has been enhanced with suggestions for establishing secure connections with OCI (Gen2) EPM Cloud. These include the use of Service Gateway as a secure communication channel to avoid traffic going over the internet and the use of Oracle Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) with FastConnect through the Service Gateway.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: This new topic helps customers to create a secure communication channel to EPM Cloud.

Key Resources

• Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud Operations Guide

Enterprise Data Management

New Videos

There are two new videos.

Overview: Understanding Security in Enterprise Data Management Cloud - Part I

This video explains how the different security components in Enterprise Data Management work together to ensure that each user gets the right level of access to application functions and enterprise data.

Overview: Understanding Security in Enterprise Data Management Cloud – Part II

This video reviews the security components explained in part 1 and demonstrates using an example how security is implemented in Enterprise Data Management.

Business Benefit: Videos provide overviews and step-by-step instructions to help you perform your related business activities.

IMPORTANT Actions and Considerations

Redwood Experience as Default Theme

Within the next few months, the Redwood experience will be the default theme upon creation or recreation of an EPM Cloud service, or upon creation or recreation of a business process/application for all POD instances (existing as well as new). Existing active services/business processes/applications will not be impacted. All migrations (i.e., LCM import/reimports of existing cloud applications) will honor the theme from the source/import file. You will be able to switch to an alternate non-Redwood experience theme from the Appearance page in the Tools cluster.

Loaner Program for Cloud Infrastructure Generation 2 Testing

Oracle EPM Cloud is now live on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Gen 2 environments. If you are interested in testing your application performance on an OCI Gen 2 environment, open a service request following the process at https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/enterprise-performance-management-common/tsepm/op_procs_loaner_envs.html and request for a loaner environment in an OCI Gen 2 data center for a duration of 30 days with the business justification as “Want to test application performance in an OCI Gen 2 data center”.

After you have performed the testing, submit Provide Feedback from the loaner environment. Create a service request using the normal support process, if you have any issues or feedback for the OCI Gen 2 environment.

For more information, see What is a Gen 2 Cloud?

Import Snapshot - Change of Behavior

Importing snapshot will no longer reset the daily maintenance start time of the target environment to that of the environment from which the snapshot was taken. The import process will honor the maintenance start time set for the target environment.

Starting with the 21.02 update the behavior of the import process was changed to update the daily maintenance start time of the target environment to that of the source environment. Oracle is reverting this behavior based on customer feedback.

See these information sources if you need to change the daily maintenance start time:

• Setting Service Maintenance Time in Getting Started with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud for Administrators
• setDailyMaintenanceStartTime EPM Automate command