Oracle EPM Cloud Update – Oct’21 (21.10)

Posted by: PARC’s Oracle EPM Team

Each month PARC analyzes Oracle’s EPM Cloud updates with an eye toward our customers’ ability to take full advantage of them. The monthly updates include things like bug fixes, modest changes, and even powerful new functionality. This update is part of PARC’s service to its valued customers and is centered around changes to the products and technologies most impacted in their implementations.

The below changes are scheduled to take place during the first nightly maintenance period on or after 2AM ET on Saturday Oct 2, 2021 (test environments) and on or after 2AM ET on Saturday, Oct 16, 2021 (production environments).

Customers needing more information or with questions about any of the changes summarized below should contact us. Oracle’s web page for the full contents of the update can be found here:

Oracle EPM Cloud Update – October 2021

EPM Common

Updates to the Clone Environment screen

The Clone Environment screen, which provides a screen-based way to clone an environment, has been enhanced to help you clone the Data Management records available in Planning, Planning Modules, Financial Consolidation and Close, and Tax Reporting environments. If you are cloning Financial Consolidation and Close, Planning, Planning Modules, or Tax Reporting you can select the Data Management check box to clone Data Management records.

EPM Automate updates

A new version of EPM Automate is now available. This version introduces the getApplicationAdminMode and optimizeASOCube commands. Additionally, this version includes changes to the cloneEnvironment command.

For more information, see this topic in the update at the link above.

Support for Comments and Unknown Members in Smart View (Mac and browser)

The new View Comments ribbon command launches the Comment Edit dialog, allowing you to easily access and edit comments in an ad hoc grid. Comments consist of (1) Unknown members on a grid, OR (2) Text typed outside the grid; for example, your own notes on a sheet.

For more information, see this topic in the update at the link above.

Support for defining Invalid Intersections and other Valid Intersections enhancements

A new definition type, called Invalid Intersections, has been added to the Valid Intersections functionality.
Valid intersections prevent data entry to a large number of cell intersections, whereas invalid intersections prevent data entry to a select few intersections.

In use cases where data entry is allowed in most cell combinations but you need to prevent data entry to only a select few cell combinations, the process for defining those intersections was cumbersome. We’ve eased the definition process by supporting the ability to define invalid intersections. You define invalid intersections in the same way that you define valid intersections except you can now specify the Invalid Intersection definition type when creating the intersection group.

In addition to the ability to define invalid intersections, you can now filter the intersections listing by type and import and export valid/invalid intersections.

Support for using the PeriodOffset function within the Range member selector in reports

In Reports, the Range member selector function returns a range of members based on specified start and end members. It is commonly used with the CurrentPOV or Prompts in a Time (for example, Period) dimension to produce a “rolling” report that displays months before and after the “current month” (for example, three months before through three months after the current month).

Previously, the Range function could not automatically span across years, when years and periods were in separate dimensions. You can now use the Range function with the PeriodOffset function, which can produce a rolling report across the specified year and period dimensions.

Planning

Support for creating multi-cube FreeForm apps

A new option to create multi-cube FreeForm apps has been added to the application creation wizard.

You can create a FreeForm app with multiple cubes using the application creation wizard, or you can create a FreeForm app with a single cube and then add more cubes later (up to 12 cubes total). Additional cubes can be added on the Application Overview page, and then selecting the Cubes tab.

To create a multi-cube FreeForm app, on the EPM Enterprise Cloud Service landing page, click SELECT under Planning, and then click START under Create a new application. On the Create Application page, name the application, and then for Application Type, click Free Form, and then click Create Cubes and specify the number of cube.

Other Important Notices

Secured URLs only in Logo and Background Images

Starting with the November 2021 update (21.11), only secured URLs will be supported within the Logo Image and Background Image settings in the Appearance page in EPM Cloud.

Setting Dashboard or Infolet as Default Page

Starting with the November 2021 update (21.11), in the interest of better and consistent user interaction, you will no longer be able to set a dashboard or infolet as the default page within the listing page. When these settings are enabled, the default dashboard or infolet opens in place of the listing page.

Restrictions to Copy Version Functionality

Based on feedback from several customers due to its inherent data corruption risks, we plan to restrict the ‘Copy Version’ functionality in EPM Cloud platform (Planning, Financial Consolidation and Close, Tax Reporting) to be exposed only to administrators. Starting in October 2021, ‘Copy Version’ functionality will not be available to Power Users and Users.

Smart View Add-on Installation for Task Manager and Supplemental Data Manager

In a future update, the installation of Smart View add-ons for Task Manager and Supplemental Data Manager will change. At that time, users of the Smart View add-ons will need to uninstall and re-install their add-ons to take advantage of the latest features and fixes.