IMPORTANT Actions and Considerations
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.
This update includes Important Actions and Considerations for the EPM Cloud Platform and Planning.
EPM CLOUD PLATFORM
Approval Unit Hierarchy Option
When you enable approvals for an Approval Unit Hierarchy, selecting the All - Include if parent is selected option may produce unexpected results.
It is recommended that you do not use this option until this issue is resolved. Selecting the All option works correctly.
Dialog Drawers Within Tasks, Supplemental Data Forms, and Enterprise Journals Fail to Close in Firefox Browser
When viewing the Task Action, Supplemental Data Form, or Enterprise Journal summary dialog within Firefox, the user can expand and view the side drawers. Double clicking the drawer fails to collapse the drawer control. The user must close and reopen the dialog to collapse the drawer control.
Workaround: Recommend using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome browsers until this issue is resolved.
User Interface Updates
Oracle continues to adopt the latest technology to enhance and secure the user interface experience. Some updates may potentially affect the GUI automation managed by your company. Oracle recommends that you take these changes into consideration as you manage your GUI automation efforts.
Upcoming Changes to the Permission Required to Create Forms, Dashboards, and Library Folders
In an upcoming monthly update (currently targeted for the 24.10 update), Oracle plans to change the permissions required to create forms, dashboards, and sub folders. With this change, users assigned to the Power User predefined role will require write access to the folder in which they create forms, dashboards, or sub folders.
Currently, all users assigned to the Power User predefined role can create forms, dashboards, and sub folders in folders to which they have read access.
Job Scheduling Migration in Data Management/Data Integration
With the addition of the new Job Scheduling feature in Data Integration in this update, customers are encouraged to migrate any existing job schedules from Data Management to the EPM Platform Job Scheduler console. In Q4 2024, the scheduling functionality accessed from the user interface in Data Management will be deprecated. To support the migration to the new job scheduler, a new script titled "Migrate Schedules to Platform Jobs Scheduler" is available from System Maintenance Tasks in Data Management.
Install the Newest Version of EPM Automate
Oracle strongly recommends that you install and use the latest version of EPM Automate. The best practice is to update EPM Automate every month so that you get to take advantage of the latest new features, bug fixes, and stability, security, and reliability improvements.
Fixed Issues in Forms 2.0 and Dashboard 2.0
Many of the gaps and issues that customers have raised for Forms 2.0 and Dashboard 2.0 through Cloud Customer Connect forums have been addressed. We encourage you to use Forms 2.0 and Dashboard 2.0 to ensure that your use cases are being met.
The issues that were addressed are posted to a knowledge article on My Oracle Support. Click here to review. You must have a My Oracle Support login to access the article.
Plan to Discontinue Support for Infolets
Oracle plans to stop supporting the creation of infolets later this year. Applications using the Redwood Experience will no longer see the option to create infolets on the listing pages. In applications using non-Redwood themes, the Create button on the Infolets page will be disabled. There will be no future enhancements or support for infolets.
Plan to Remove Users Administration and Groups Administration from Audit Reports
Currently, you can get information on Users Administration and Groups Administration from the Audits Reports available in the Identity Console. You can also get this information using EPM Automate and EPM Cloud REST APIs. In an upcoming monthly update, information on Users Administration and Groups Administration will no longer be included in audit reports.
In the Enable Audit dialog box, the Users Administration and Groups Administration options will remain available for some time to allow customers who already have these records to view any existing user and group provisioning records. However, after this change, no new records will be displayed in the Audits Report.
- Planning: Auditing Overview in Administering Planning
- Working with EPM Automate for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud:
- REST API for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud:
Allow access to static.oracle.com
Customers are reminded to allow access to static.oracle.com. For the Oracle Redwood Experience to work, Customers must allow access to static.oracle.com, which provides image files, JavaScript, and other static content.
See About Redwood Experience in Getting Started with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud for Administrators.
Additional Execution Sequencing Routines for Task Manager Jobs
In a future update, Task Manager Jobs will include additional execution sequencing routines to ensure application and data integrity. When potential conflicting jobs are executed simultaneously, the service will sequence the jobs to ensure application integrity. While the individual job’s execution times will not be impacted, the job’s start time may be delayed due to the optimization sequencing.
Change in the Default Format When Exporting to Microsoft Excel
In a future update, the default format for exporting table data to Microsoft Excel from Task Manager, Supplemental Data Manager, and Enterprise Journals will be changed to .XLSX instead of .XLS.
Future Deprecation of Native Mode Option for Smart View Ad Hoc Behavior Application Setting
Native Smart View Ad Hoc Behavior mode is currently still available for EPM Cloud.
Standard is the ad hoc mode upon which all enhancements in the EPM Cloud are being delivered.
Oracle plans to stop supporting Native mode by the end of year 2024. Customers on Native mode are advised to convert the Smart View Ad Hoc Behavior application setting for their environments to Standard mode and test their use cases. Any gaps found should to be logged as an enhancement to Standard mode. Enhancements should be logged on the Customer Connect EPM Platform Idea Lab by end of April 2024 for Oracle to review.
Perform the following steps to begin working with Standard mode in your test environment:
- In Application Settings, change Smart View Ad Hoc Behavior to Standard.
- Open worksheets from Smart View and reconnect.
- Refresh the sheets.
NOTES:
-
The expectation for existing Native-mode worksheets is that they will work “as is” when the setting is changed to Standard. New ad hoc sheets will only be created in Standard mode using Standard features.
-
Smart Forms are not supported in Standard mode and there is no plan to support them in Standard mode.
Data Management Feature Migration to Data Integration
The user interface pages listed in the table below are no longer available in Data Management, but are available in Data Integration. Data Integration is available from the Data Exchange card from the home screen in the Cloud EPM Business Process, and users can access these features in the current Cloud EPM update. Data Management is not going away – we are only moving a few features now that have 100% parity with Data Integration. Profitability and Cost Management customers are not affected by the migration and do not see a change in their Data Management user interface. REST APIs are not impacted by this change.
Data Management | Data Integration | Data Integration Navigation Path |
---|---|---|
Source System |
Configure Connections |
From the Data Integration UI, select the Actions drop down, and then Applications. In Applications, there is an icon next to the drop down labeled Configure Connections. |
Target Application |
Applications |
From the Data Integration UI, select the Actions drop down, and then Applications. |
Period Mapping |
Period Mapping |
From the Data Integration UI, select the Actions drop down, and then Period Mapping. |
Category Mapping |
Category Mapping |
From the Data Integration UI, select the Actions drop down, and then Category Mapping. |
Data Integration is the next generation of the Data Management user interface, enabling users to easily build and manage Cloud EPM integrations. As feature parity between Data Integration and Data Management becomes complete, Data Management features will be turned off, and users will use the new Data Integration user interface instead.
This transition is gradual; future What's New documents will include information about the first set of planned changes as well as updates about additional changes planned for the future.
All Data Integration features discussed in this document are currently generally available in the Cloud EPM business processes.
Integration definitions built with Data Management are also visible in Data Integration, which enables an easy transition. (Data Integration is a new user interface on the Data Management data model and does not require migration of content from Data Management to Data Integration).
Please note that additional new integration features will only be included in Data Integration, and will not be back-ported to Data Management. Critical bug fixes and security fixes will still be made to Data Management until all features are fully migrated. In addition, all features from Data Management will be migrated to Data Integration with the exception of the following:
- The batch feature will be replaced by the new Pipeline feature. The Pipeline feature was available in the June (23.06) update.
- The Report Definition feature will not be migrated, only the Report Execution feature. Please note that Account Reconciliation, Financial Consolidation and Close, Planning and Tax Reporting provide a feature to report against the Data Integration relational tables using a custom SQL and a BI Publisher report template via Task Manager.
- The ability to create new Custom Applications in Data Management will no longer available, and customers should use the “Data Export to File” application type instead. (Existing integrations using a custom application will not be impacted.) See Custom Application in Data Management under EPM Cloud Platform in the Important Actions and Considerations section of this document.
For reference, please see the Data Integration guide available from the documentation library for your specific EPM business process. Select the desired business process, then Books, and then scroll down to the Administering Data Integration for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud documentation link.
See Administering Data Integration for Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Cloud for more information.
Removal of Support for Custom Application in Data Management
Since the September (23.09) update, custom target applications can no longer be added in Data Management. (Existing integrations that use a custom target application will not be impacted, and will still run without any changes.) This type of application was used to extract data from the EPM Cloud, and then the data was pushed into a flat file instead of being loaded to an EPM Cloud application. The custom application was superseded by the Data Export to File feature in an earlier update. The Data Export to File feature has enhanced functions and capabilities.
If you still have a custom target application, it is recommended that you use the Upgrade Custom Applications option to migrate your existing custom target application to a data export to file application. For more information, see Upgrade Custom Applications at: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/enterprise-performance-management-common/erpia/upgrade_custom_applications_100x438d5119.html.
The migration converts existing file formats from the custom target application to the file formats used in the data export to file option and retains all the existing setup. When the custom target application has been converted, you can run same integration as before. Data export file applications are available both in Data Management and Data Integration.
Calculation Manager Errors and Considerations Enforcement
In a future update, Calculation Manager will enforce the execution of the Errors & Considerations diagnostic tool for any rule being launched, validated, or deployed. This enhancement is scheduled to coincide with the enhancement to the Rules listing page. Administrators will see the Rule Status indicating if there are Errors and/or Considerations in the listing page in addition to the Errors & Considerations tab in Calculation Manager.
Rules will continue to deploy and execute even with Errors or Considerations. In all cases, existing rules that are already deployed will continue to run as-is without any change in behavior. However, Oracle Support will require all Errors to be cleared before reviewing any issues submitted for such rules. Any remaining Considerations will require justification for why they are not cleared before Oracle Support will review any such rules.
Change in Behavior for Grids Created from Groovy and REST APIs for ASO Cubes
In a future update, the suppression behavior for grids created via Groovy DataGridDefinitionBuilder and the exportdataslice REST API for ASO cubes will be made consistent with that of the run time data grids created using the Form Designer. Previously, if a grid was built for an ASO cube in Groovy or REST API, then the system used the NON EMPTY MDX clause to suppress missing rows when the suppressMissingBlocks flag was true. Now, when a grid is built for an ASO cube, it will use the NON EMPTY MDX clause when suppressMissingRows is true, and suppressMissingBlocks will be ignored. This means that ASO grids with suppressMissingRows true and suppressMissingBlocks false will now start using MDX. Likewise, ASO grids with suppressMissingRows false and suppressMissingBlocks true will no longer use MDX. Grids where the suppressMissingRows and suppressMissingBlocks flags had the same value will not be impacted. These changes may result in a change in behavior or performance for some ASO grids. If this happens and is undesirable, consider toggling the value of suppressMissingRows from the builder or the JSON payload in case of the REST API.
Report Import/Export to Excel: Font Installation Requirements for Text Boxes in Excel
Due to performance and rendering quality enhancements to Report text boxes when exported to Excel, Report text boxes may appear distorted or with overlapping text while importing or exporting to Excel when the fonts used within the text boxes are not installed on the client machine. To fix this, install the missing fonts used within the text boxes on the client machine.
Oracle Financial Reporting Statement of Direction
Please refer to the Statement of Direction for Oracle Financial Reporting:
Oracle Support Document 2910806.1 (EPM Cloud Financial Reporting Statement of Direction)
Please note that the Oracle Financial Reporting tentative deprecation dates have been moved to mid-to-late CY24.
For more information:
- See Appendix B in the Designing with Reports Guide: Migrating Reports from Financial Reporting.
- On June 8, the most recent Oracle Cloud Customer Connect event, Migrating Your Financial Reporting to Reports, was presented. There is a presentation, an event recording, and an FAQ sheet accessible. In order to view the event recording and documentation, you must log in to Cloud Customer Connect.