Highlights from the April 2024 Release
Below are what we consider to be the most significant changes for our customers in this month’s release. As always, for the full list of changes and supplementary information in the release navigate to the URL at the end of this post or contact PARC for more information or assistance.
New Planning Application Type: Predictive Cash Forecasting
This month Oracle introduces their first new Planning application type: Predictive Cash Forecasting. The new application is designed to help treasurers and cash managers perform short-term tactical or mid-term operational cash forecasting, and can perform daily, weekly, or monthly rolling cash forecasts.
Oracle’s release notes – found by using the URL at the bottom of this post – contain many details about the new application, and you can be sure that there will be upcoming webcasts via Oracle’s Cloud Customer Connect and Partner channels. We will also blog more about this topic shortly!
EPM Cloud Platform
ABILITY TO DISABLE THE SUBMIT APPLICATION SNAPSHOT FEATURE IN THE PROVIDE FEEDBACK UTILITY
If your organization enforces a policy that restricts data access, Service Administrators can utilize EPM Automate or REST API commands to disable the Submit Application checkbox in the Provide Feedback utility.
IMPROVED REDWOOD EXPERIENCE IN EPM CLOUD
All newly created or re-created EPM Cloud services, business processes, and applications now use Redwood Experience as the default theme. Later this year – currently planned for Q2’24 – Oracle will convert all non-Redwood Theme environments to the Redwood Experience.
Please also see our earlier posts on the Redwood Experience.
ALLOWING NON-ADMINISTRATORS TO EXECUTE JOBS IN THE PIPELINE
Non-administrators can now execute an individual Pipeline job type using proxy administrator user credentials. Optionally, non-administrator users can also view Pipelines in read-only mode (cannot edit or create a pipeline) depending on the user group access granted to them in Location Security.
To create a proxy server user credential, an administrator with a service administrator role (can grant user roles), specifies a proxy admin username on the Create Pipeline page. If the proxy username is different than the service administrator’s username, then the system prompts the user to enter a password. For more information about this change see the update on Oracle’s site at the URL below or contact PARC for assistance.
NEW ESSBASE BLOCK ANALYSIS REPORT VIA EPM AUTOMATE AND REST API
The new Essbase Block Analysis Report is designed to help analyze the Essbase data to support the tuning of BSO cubes in your application. The report provides information on these three areas:
- Percentage of blocks with only Zero.
- Top 10 Repeated Numerical Cell Values by Percentage of Numerical Cells.
- Top 100 Dense Member Combinations with Repeated Values.
ABILITY TO EXPORT DATA TO MICROSOFT EXCEL IN FORMS 2.0
You can now export data to Microsoft Excel in Forms 2.0, which is available when using the Redwood Experience. Previously you could only do this from Forms 1.0.
EDIT FORMS FROM DASHBOARDS OPENS THE LAYOUT TAB OF THE FORM
Previously when you edited a form from dashboards, it opened to the Properties tab by default. If you wanted to work on the form’s layout, you had to then click the Layout tab. Now when you edit a form, the form opens to the Layout tab so you can quickly update the form’s layout.
ABILITY TO SAVE A DASHBOARD AS A NEW DASHBOARD WHILE EDITING IT
While editing a dashboard there is now a new Actions >> Save As option.
RETAIN COMMENTS, ATTACHMENTS, AND JOB STATUS AFTER A USER IS REMOVED
Previously, when a user was removed, the user’s comments, attachments, and job status records were also removed. This meant that the user’s activity was lost. Now, the user activity records are retained when a user is removed.
THE USER VARIABLES DIMENSION COLUMN HONORS THE ALIAS SETTING IN USER PREFERENCES
The Dimension column on the User Variables page within User Preferences now honors the Alias Setting in User Preferences. If an alias is defined for a dimension, the Dimension column on the User Variables page shows that dimension’s alias based upon the alias table selected in User Preferences. If no alias is defined for the dimension, the member name will be displayed.
ENHANCED SIMPLIFIED DIMENSION EDITOR
The Simplified Dimension Editor has had many usability enhancements made to it. For detailed information see the release notes, which can be found by using the URL at the bottom of this post.
IMPORTANT ACTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS
EPM CLOUD PLATFORM
Plan to Upgrade All Environments from Non-Hybrid Essbase Version to Hybrid Essbase Version
In the May (24.05) update, Oracle is planning to upgrade all environments currently using a non-hybrid Essbase version to a hybrid Essbase version. Once the February update has occurred on your environment and you are currently on a non-hybrid version you should run the Essbase Validation tool. This can be found here:
- Go to Home >> Application >> Overview
- Click Actions >> Essbase Outline Validation >> Pre validate outline
- To view the validation report, select Outline Pre-validation Report and resolve any noted issues.
To check whether your environment is on a hybrid or non-hybrid Essbase version, look at the value of Essbase Version supports Hybrid Block Storage Option in the Activity Report (found in the last tab under Application >> Overview). If the value is Yes, then your environment is on a hybrid Essbase version. If the value is No, then your environment is on a non-hybrid Essbase version.
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 in 24.04.
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.
Other Upcoming Changes
- Users Administration and Groups Administration to be removed from Audit Reports
- Plan to Discontinue Support for Infolets (changed from this release to “later this year”)
- Future Deprecation of Native Mode Option for Smart View Ad Hoc Behavior Application Setting
For more detailed information about these and other upcoming changes, see the full release notes by using the URL at the bottom of this post.
Update Timing and Information
This update is scheduled to take place during the next scheduled maintenance period on or after 2200 UTC (6PM EDT) on Friday Apr 5, 2024 (test environments) and Friday, Apr 19, 2024 (production environments).
Customers needing more information or with questions about any of the changes summarized here should contact us.
Oracle’s web page for the full contents of the 24.04 update can be found here:
https://www.oracle.com/webfolder/technetwork/tutorials/tutorial/cloud/epm/wn/epm/releases/Apr24/24apr-epm-wn.htm
