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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 DEC 2020 | Created initial document. |
This guide outlines the information you need to know about new or improved functionality in this update, and describes any tasks you might need to perform for the update. Each section includes a brief description of the feature, the steps you need to take to enable or begin using the feature, any tips or considerations that you should keep in mind, and the resources available to help you.
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Optional Uptake of New Features (Opt In)
Oracle Cloud Applications delivers new updates every quarter. This means every three months you'll receive new functionality to help you efficiently and effectively manage your business. Some features are delivered Enabled meaning they are immediately available to end users. Other features are delivered Disabled meaning you have to take action to make available. Features delivered Disabled can be activated for end users by stepping through the following instructions using the following privileges:
- Review Applications Offering (ASM_REVIEW_APPLICATIONS_OFFERINGS_PRIV)
- Configure Oracle Fusion Applications Offering (ASM_CONFIGURE_OFFERING_PRIV)
Here’s how you opt in to new features:
- Click Navigator > My Enterprise > New Features.
- On the Features Overview page, select your offering to review new features specific to it. Or, you can leave the default selection All Enabled Offerings to review new features for all offerings.
- On the New Features tab, review the new features and check the opt-in status of the feature in the Enabled column. If a feature has already been enabled, you will see a check mark. Otherwise, you will see an icon to enable the feature.
- Click the icon in the Enabled column and complete the steps to enable the feature.
For more information and detailed instructions on opting in to new features for your offering, see Offering Configuration.
Opt In Expiration
Occasionally, features delivered Disabled via Opt In may be enabled automatically in a future update. This is known as an Opt In Expiration. If your cloud service has any Opt In Expirations in this update, you will see a related tab in this document. Click on that tab to see when the feature was originally delivered Disabled, and when the Opt In will expire, potentially automatically enabling the feature. You can also click here to see features with current Opt In Expirations across all Oracle Cloud Applications. Beyond the current update, the Financials forums on Cloud Customer Connect have details of Opt In Expirations upcoming in future updates.
Column Definitions:
Features Delivered Enabled
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. |
Action is Needed 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. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature |
Report |
UI or |
UI or |
|
||
Simplified Getting Started Content
What you see in the Getting Started work area depends on your role and whether there's any company-specific content added to that work area:
- When there's no company-specific content, most users who click Getting Started in the Navigator now go straight to a set of resources that can help them find training and new user orientation. They no longer see a launch page where they have to choose a product family to see a specific set of content.
-
If you previously added or edited company-specific content, users will see a launch page containing a link to the pages you added or edited plus an Oracle Applications Cloud link that opens a new predefined page.
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In all cases, admin users with the Manage Help Content privilege still see the launch page so they can choose a set of content to edit. On the launch page, the Oracle Applications Cloud link opens the predefined page but the other links open blank pages where you can add content.
These changes provide faster access to relevant content for your users while retaining the flexibility to add company-specific content if you choose.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Tips And Considerations
- If you didn't previously add any content in this work area, there's nothing you need to do. Your users will automatically get the new experience of going straight to a new predefined page from the Getting Started link in the Navigator.
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If you previously added content, review the Getting Started page flow to ensure that it still has the content you want. Any pages that you added or edited are unchanged, but other pages have been removed. One new predefined page has been added. If you want to hide it from your users:
- Click the Oracle Applications Cloud link.
- Click Edit Getting Started.
- Select the Getting Started link in the Title column.
- Select the Inactive status.
- Click Save and Close.
-
If you want to add a single set of content for all users, click the Oracle Applications Cloud link then click Edit Getting Started. You can add and reorder pages, and you can hide or retain the predefined page.
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If you want to create multiple sets of content, click the product family links and add your own pages. Users will then see a launch page containing all the links where you added content.
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If you want to change the text of the links on the launch page, use the User Interface Text tool.
Key Resources
Role Information
You must have the Manage Help Content (ATK_CUSTOMIZE_HELP_TOPICS_PRIV) privilege to make changes in the Getting Started work area.
Updated Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Add-In
You can now download the latest version of the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration add-in, version 5.0.5.21758. In this version, you can use a second add-in installer, adfdi-excel-addin-installer-all-users.msi. Administrators can use this new installer to install the add-in for all users on a given machine. For more information, see How to install the ADF Desktop Integration Add-in for Excel (2681794.1) on My Oracle Support at https://support.oracle.com.
The new installer allows IT administrators to install the add-in for all users on a given machine.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Key Resources
Create Automated Regression Tests
You can create automated regression tests against your staging pod by following the set of instructions for Oracle ADF - Runtime Automation Sample Library.
Using this tool you can make better use of the limited testing time before you use your production pod.
Steps to Enable
- Please download the Oracle ADF - Runtime Automation Sample Library
- Once downloaded, review the requirements, installation instructions and test automation development steps in the user guide: Test Automation Oracle JDeveloper Java SE Development Kit Selenium WebDriver
Edit Sandboxes While Importing Migration Sets
You can now edit sandboxes when importing your migration set to the target environment. You can delete and recreate any web service connections and reconfigure mashup URL definitions in the target environment before applying the migration set. Previously, these changes were done in a new sandbox in the target environment after applying the migration set, and then the sandbox was published. But now you no longer need to do these tasks after migration. Moreover, you can use delta migration for all subsequent migrations.
Editing sandboxes while importing migration sets makes the migration process more efficient.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Key Resources
Role Information
To edit sandboxes in preview mode, you need to have the Application Administrator (ORA_FND_APPLICATION_ADMINISTRATOR_JOB) role, which gives you access to the Configuration Set Migration work area.
Optimization of Workflow Rule Evaluation
When using BPM Worklist to configure rules, optimize the rule evaluation when parent and child attributes are used within the same rule in a workflow and avoid the performance issues during evaluation process. This is done by identifying and correcting missing parent child joins in BPM Worklist.
Here's an example of how this feature works for invoices, but the feature can apply to workflow tasks for other business objects also:
An organization’s approval policy mandates that the Finance department must approve all invoices matched to a purchase order that have a capital expenditure in excess of 5000 dollars. Capital expenditures are charged to a specific account. To meet this requirement, the workflow administrator needs to configure a rule to evaluate invoices that meets the following conditions:
- Invoice amount more than 5000
- Invoice line is matched to purchase order
- Invoice distribution account for the related lines reference the capital expenditure account.
This rule is configured in basic mode with parent (Invoice Line) and child (Invoice Line Distributions) attributes in the same rule without additional condition, in order to establish the relationship between parent and child attributes.
Rule Configured Using Parent and Child Attributes in the Same Rule
When the rule is validated, BPM checks whether a join condition exists between the parent and child attributes to establish the relationship. If a relationship does not exist, then the business rule validation displays the message that the rule configuration ended in an inefficient rule evaluation. Click the message link to add the missing join condition to establish the relationship between the parent and child attributes.
Business Rule Validation Message
Click the message link to open the Rule Recommendation page. The page displays two radio buttons with these options.
Option 1: Optimize rule definition by adding 'contains' condition automatically between parent and child facts.
If you select this option, the system adds the additional join condition automatically between the parent and child facts to establish the relationship between parent and child, as shown in this screenshot.
Join Condition Added to Establish Relation Between Parent and Child Facts
Option 2: Edit rule in basic mode to optimize rule definition by adding join condition between parent and child facts. Alternatively, change rule to advanced mode and optimize rule definition.
If you select this option, the page displays the problematic rule and condition for you to either add the join condition manually or change the rule to Advanced mode.
Validation Message At Condition Level
Once the join condition is added manually to establish the relationship between parent and child facts, the rule is validated and saved.
Rule Saved Successfully Without Any Warning Message
This feature ensures that workflow rules that use parent and child attributes within the same rule are configured in a manner that optimizes the rules evaluation process and avoids the performance issues during rules evaluation.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Role Information
Any role that provides access to the Task Configuration tab in BPM Worklist.
Inactive and Unavailable BI View Objects (BIVOs) and BIVO Columns for Exclusion from Extraction in BI Cloud Connector
Beginning with update 18B, there are BI View Objects and BI View Object columns that are unavailable or marked inactive in Oracle Applications Cloud. The unavailable and inactive objects and columns must be excluded from BICC extracts.
Steps to Enable
Refer to this link for a list of BIVOs and BIVO columns that are unavailable for extraction using BI Cloud Connector (BICC).