Latest EPM Features: Out with the old & in with the new!

As we all know, Oracle release new functionality every month as part of their monthly EPM patches, however what you may not know is that some of the old functionality will no longer be available soon and only the new features will be supported and enhanced going forward.

While all these new features are exciting, sometimes it can be hard to keep up with the latest features alongside maintaining your existing application, which we totally understand. That’s why we recommend taking a pause to review the following areas in your system to ensure you’re utilising the latest functionality and not relying on any functionality that will soon be decommissioned:

1. Converting to the Redwood experience

The Redwood experience is an appearance setting which enables the latest look and feel for EPM. While non-redwood themes such as Blue Sky are currently still available, there is a plan to discontinue non-redwood themes in EPM therefore it is highly recommended to switch over as soon as possible.

To switch, navigate to the Appearance area in EPM and tick the box to Enable Redwood Experience. Note: custom backgrounds and logos can still be added if required.

 
Enabling the redwood experience comes with many benefits, including:
  • Latest look and feel
  • Compact design and crisper icons
  • Consistency across apps, including other EPM processes and Oracle Cloud ERP
  • Enhanced features such as Forms 2.0
  • Ongoing support and enhancements

2. Transition from using Data Management to Data Integration

Data Integration (located in the Data Exchange cluster) is the new user interface for Data Management, which has always been run using a separate window rather than within the EPM interface.

 

While it’s tempting to continue using the old Data Management interface we’re all comfortable with, Oracle plan to slowly discontinue use of Data Management and enhance Data Integration only, so it is worth getting in the habit of using Data Integration sooner rather than later. Additionally, there are a number of features which are now only available in the Data Integration interface, including:

  • EPM Integration Agent
  • New Pipeline functionality
  • Clear region
  • Source and Target expressions
  • Quick Mode

Importantly, there is no need to migrate any data load rules from Data Management, as they will already be available in Data Integration. Personally, once I got used to the new interface, I’ve found it to be much more intuitive and simpler to use!

3. Migrating from FR to Reports

The EPM Reports feature was released in 2021 and is intended to replace the Financial Reporting (FR) functionality across all EPM processes. While FR can be troublesome to build reports in, the new Reports feature makes creating reports much simpler and user friendly. There are also a number of features available which were not available in FR, making it all the more appealing to transition over. Oracle are also planning to decommission FR entirely in the coming year or so (Oracle safe harbour applies), so it’s time to make sure you don’t get caught out with old FR reports.

Unlike with transitioning from data management to data integration, existing FR reports must be migrated to Reports. Luckily, Oracle have made this a fairly simple process with a button available to migrate all FR reports, although this may require a bit of manual tweaking sometimes.

For more on the Reports feature, see: https://brovanture.com/reports-next-generation-reporting-in-oracle-cloud-epm/

4. Switching from Native to Standard Smart View mode

While Standard mode is now the default for new EPM applications, there may be existing customers that still have the Native setting for Smart View turned on. There are a number of reasons to switch over to Standard mode, including in-grid POV, free-form support and additional zoom options. However, the main reason we recommend switching is that Oracle plan to start adding enhancements to Standard mode only, and Native mode will not be kept up to the same level of functionality.

For more details on Standard vs Native Oracle Smart View for Office Ad Hoc Behaviour, see my previous blog: https://brovanture.com/oracle-smart-view-for-office-ad-hoc-behaviour/

5. Coming soon… Forms and Dashboards 2.0

Coming in the next 6 months or so (Oracle safe harbour applies), Forms 2.0 will be an innovative change to the way Forms work in EPM. With improvements to usability, scalability and performance, Forms 2.0 gives the impression that it will bring benefits to all applications. There are also enhancements planned for Dashboards 2.0, including URL/commentary fields, information icons and the ability to write back by via Forms 2.0 grids.

Once released, existing forms will be able to be migrated from Forms 1.0 to Forms 2.0 and, as with the other features mentioned, the main reason to start planning to switch over is that all the latest enhancements will be added to the 2.0 functionality only!

Note: to utilise forms and dashboards 2.0, the redwood experience must be enabled (as explained in point 1). 

 

As always, if you need any help with any of the above, please feel free to reach out!

 

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