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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 AUG 2021 | Created initial document. |
This document outlines the upcoming Enterprise Data Management Cloud update.
HAVE AN IDEA?
We’re here and we’re listening. If you have a suggestion on how to make our cloud services even better then go ahead and tell us. There are several ways to submit your ideas, for example, through the Ideas Lab on Oracle Customer Connect. Wherever you see this icon after the feature name it means we delivered one of your ideas.
Column Definitions:
Report = New or modified, Oracle-delivered, ready to run reports.
UI or Process-Based: Small Scale = These UI or process-based features are typically comprised of minor field, validation, or program changes. Therefore, the potential impact to users is minimal.
UI or Process-Based: Larger Scale* = These UI or process-based features have more complex designs. Therefore, the potential impact to users is higher.
Features Delivered Disabled = Action is needed BEFORE these features can be used by END USERS. These features are delivered disabled and you choose if and when to enable them. For example, a) new or expanded BI subject areas need to first be incorporated into reports, b) Integration is required to utilize new web services, or c) features must be assigned to user roles before they can be accessed.
| Ready for Use by End Users Reports plus Small Scale UI or Process-Based new features will have minimal user impact after an update. Therefore, customer acceptance testing should focus on the Larger Scale UI or Process-Based* new features. |
Customer Must Take Action before Use by End Users Not disruptive as action is required to make these features ready to use. As you selectively choose to leverage, you set your test and roll out timing. |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature |
Report |
UI or |
UI or |
|
||
Enterprise Data Management Cloud
Test Environments: Oracle will apply this monthly update during the first daily maintenance that occurs at or after 22:00 UTC on Friday, September 3, 2021.
Production Environments: Oracle will apply this monthly update during the first daily maintenance that occurs at or after 22:00 UTC on Friday, September 17, 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, September 3, 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.
NOTE: Fixed issues for EPM Cloud Common components (Smart View for Office, EPM Automate, REST API, Migration, Access Control, Data Management/Data Integration, Reports, Financial Reporting, and Calculation Manager) are available in a separate document on the My Oracle Support “Release Highlights” page.
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.
Follow EPM Cloud on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
These are great resources for the latest updates and information about EPM Cloud.
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.
New Topics in EPM Cloud Operations Guide
The EPM Cloud Operations Guide has been enhanced with additional sections.
Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting
Newly added sections include:
- Optimize BSO Cubes
- Resolving HSP_ID_xxxx Errors while Running Rules in Workforce Planning
- Understanding Implicit and Explicit BSO Restructure
- Oracle Cloud Classic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Migration Assistance Program for Early Adopters
Business Benefit: These new topics help customers fix issues, optimize performance, and make requests to Oracle more efficiently.
Key Resources
A new version of EPM Automate is now available. This version introduces the exportDataManagement and importDataManagement commands and contains changes to the getDailyMaintenanceStartTime and setDailyMaintenanceStartTime commands. This version also includes some security enhancements that affect the installation and upgrade of EPM Automate and access to the .prefs file. Additionally, the Working with EPM Automate for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud guide has been enhanced with a sample script to clone 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
exportDataManagement Command
Exports Data Management records of an environment to a ZIP file. This command exports a complete set of setup and staging tables including the ID columns to CSV files so that the data can be imported into another environment without losing referential integrity.
importDataManagement Command
Imports Data Management records from a ZIP file into an environment.This command imports data into setup and staging tables from a ZIP file created using the exportDataManagement command.
getDailyMaintenanceStartTime Command
The getDailyMaintenanceStartTime command has been enhanced to display an optional timezone parameter to display the daily maintenance time in the time zone that was specified while setting it.
setDailyMaintenanceStartTime Command
The setDailyMaintenanceStartTime command has been enhanced with an optional timezone value to the startTime parameter. This new value allows you to specify the daily maintenance start time in a time zone other than UTC.
Security Enhancement Affecting Installation and Upgrade
On Windows computers, EPM Automate can be upgraded only by Windows Administrators or by the user who installed it. Starting with Windows 10, EPM Automate can be installed only by a Windows Administrator.
Security Enhancement Affecting .prefs File
EPM Automate creates a .prefs file, which contains user information, in the current directory. On Windows computers, the content of the .prefs file is now visible only to the user who created it and to Windows administrators. In Linux, UNIX and macOSX environments, .prefs file is now generated with permission 600, which allows only the owner to read and write to this file.
Sample Scripts to Clone Environments
The Working with EPM Automate for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud guide now contains a script to clone EPM Cloud environments including Narrative Reporting environments.
Business Benefit: The new commands facilitate the remote administration of EPM Cloud environments. Changes to the setDailyMaintenanceStartTime and getDailyMaintenanceStartTime commands help you set and view daily maintenance time in a local time zone. Security enhancements ensure that EPM Automate abides by the security policies of the platform that hosts it. The new clone script helps you automate the cloning of EPM Cloud environments and migrating from Oracle Cloud Classic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
Key Resources
- Working with EPM Automate for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud:
IMPORTANT Actions and Considerations
Null Values in Expressions – Change in Behavior
Starting in 21.07, null values are handled differently for certain expression methods. The following changes were made:
- Methods on literal null strings are evaluated using a null value instead of a blank string.
- StartsWith(null) and EndsWith(null) will return False instead of True.
- Substring on a null string will return a null value instead of a blank string.
- When comparing strings using LessThan or GreaterThan, nulls are considered the minimum possible value.
- When null values are used in predicates for NodeList and StringList methods such as Any, Count, and Find, those methods will return False instead of True.
One-Week Lag Between Readiness Documents Live and Help Center Live
Because Oracle readiness documents (What's New and New Feature Summary) are live one week before the monthly update is applied to Test environments, some links to documentation included in the readiness documents will not work until after the Oracle Help Center update is complete when the monthly update is applied to Test environments.
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?