Blog

Oracle updates all Planning & Budgeting Cloud environments (PBCS/EPBCS) monthly to address defects and introduce new features. These updates are delivered automatically on specific dates scheduled by Oracle, during the mandatory daily maintenance window. Keep in mind that while you can configure your daily maintenance window time, you can't change the dates these updates are applied. Oracle announces next month's update dates via newsletter at the end of each month.

November 2019 updates are currently scheduled to be deployed in test environments on Friday, November 1, 2019, and to production environments on Friday, November 15, 2019, starting at 22:00 p.m. UTC. Any schedule changes are also announced via the newsletter, which is automatically sent to all cloud administrators (keep an eye out for Oracle emails with Enterprise Performance Management Cloud Services in the subject).

Highlights of the November 2019 updates common to all cloud products:

• New User Group Report
  • Following the new release, a new report will be available via Access Control. This new report lists the direct or indirect membership of users assigned to a group.
  • Direct members are those assigned to a group while Indirect members are user who are assigned to a group which is a child of another group
  • Provides the following information:
    • Login ID
    • First and Last name
    • Email ID
    • Name of groups assigned to. Both Direct and Indirect.
  • CSV version of report will be available
• New EPM Automate Utility Version
  • Will include a new command: userGroupReport which generates CSV file that lists groups which a user is assigned
• New Features in Smart View for Office (Mac and PC)
  • With the newest update of Smart View, users and planners will now be able to save Formatting on Ad Hoc Grids and Smartforms. Spreading values using Grid Spread, with Cell Locking and leveraging Mass Allocation
  • To use Mass Allocation and Grid Spread, be sure that either the Service Administrator or Power User has enabled the form for Grid Spread and Mass Allocation
• Planning Label in Migration Changed to Core
  • The artifact category listed as Planning will be changed to Core with the new release when accessing Migration. This will have no functional impact but will for sure cause some confusion initially.
• New Menu in Modal
  • To better provide Oracle Customers with online support, Oracle has added a new menu within many of the access control and migration modal windows. This will provide better access to online help, the provide feedback utility and EPM cloud customer Connect and Oracle submit. Oracle wants your feedback!
• Group Export and Import Options Removed from Access Control
  • Oracle has removed the ability to export and import groups from Access Control. As a result of this change, the Export and Import buttons are no longer available in the Manage Groups screen. This change was made because the ability to import and export groups is available through migration and EPM Automate. You should use Migration for interactive export and import of groups and EPM Automate for automated import and export groups.
• New Home Page Icon for Switching Navigation Flows at Runtime
  • This will allow for users to switch Navigation Flows within the application. This will be a nice update as it will no longer require a user to log off the application to refresh the new Navigation Flow when toggling between different flows
• Access to Data Integration Extended
  • Users defined as Power Users and Users will now have access to the Data Integration user interface. Previously this was reserved only to Service Administrators and will allow for non-administrator users to leverage the drill through capability. This will be useful when Service Administrators would like to delegate data validation and reconciliation to non-administrator users.
• Upcoming
  • Removal of instance names from predefined role names
    • Within security roles, the "Planning" prefixes are going away. Example: Instead of the role "Planning1 Service Administrator" the name will now be "Service Administrator"
    • Oracle states that this enhancement was made to "address customer feedback". Specifically, around migrating EPM cloud artifacts across the different environments
• EPM Cloud is getting a redesign of the landing/home screen
  • If you have been working with PBCS since the original simplified interface was released, you are probably getting tired of the same old blue background… I know I am. Oracle is releasing a new “Sky Blue” theme… so still blue… but with clouds! It’s the little things.
  • Along with the background color change, the application icons will also be getting a makeover to look a little more updated. All the same functionality will continue to remain the same, with only a few slight changes to enhance navigation
  • New customers’ application will automatically come with the updated makeover. All existing customers will need to navigate to the tool>appearance menu and make the change manually from there
• Planner Role to be renamed as user
  • This name change will have no functional impact

Highlights of the November 2019 updates – Planning Specific

• New Database Suppression option in form grid properties
  • To eliminate the impact row suppression can have on query thresholds within webforms, there will be a new suppression option at the Essbase level instead of the planning level. The hope is that this will reduce the amount of data handled on planning and reduce the number of time outs and query limits when opening a form.
  • New option will be in the layout tab, under grid properties when inside a form
  • Two upcoming changes coming soon:
    • The Start Month member will be replaced with a Start Date member within Workforce. The start date member will provide user with more accuracy in calculation. For existing customers, the start month will be converted over to a start date for you, so that calculation will not be affect by this update. Although, you may/will need to make changes to your data load files to accommodate this update
    • The classic dimension editor decommission will continue to be delayed. Please continue to familiarize yourself with the simplified dimension editor, as the classic view will eventually go away. As a reminder, to access the simplified dimension builder, navigate to menu>Overview>Dimensions>select the cube from the filer at the top> then click the name of the dimension you would like to view/edit