9 Key EPM / NSPB Updates – February and March 2023
The Pivot2 team have compiled a list of some of the most useful updates to be included over the last two months, that could specifically help your business process.
Please reach out for a chat by contacting us here if you would like any further information.
SUMMARY
PLANNING
1. Copy Data Enabled for Aggregate Storage Cubes in Planning
REPORTING
2. New Reporting Function SumV
FCCS
3. New Performance Substitution Variables
4. Calculation Manager Rule Validation Warnings
5. Metadata Validation Enhancements
6. Data Discovery Enhancements
TASK MANAGER
7. New Security Features in Task Manager
SMARTVIEW
8. New Chrome and Edge Browser Extension
9. Upcoming: New Version of Oracle Smart View for Office
PLANNING
COPY DATA ENABLED FOR AGGREGATE STORAGE CUBES IN PLANNING
The ability to copy data for aggregate storage cubes in Planning is now enabled.
Previously, Planning only allowed you to copy data for block storage cubes. You now have the ability to copy data for aggregate storage cubes as well.
To copy data in Planning, click Navigator, and then under Actions, click Copy Data. Click the Cube drop-down list to view all available cubes.
Business Use Case:
The ability to copy data for aggregate storage and block storage cubes gives you more flexibility. Previously a custom business rule was required to copy data which was set up by administrators. The data copy feature provides the flexibility to copy any slice of data, example to take a whole snapshot of a scenario or if a single entity is required to be rolled back from previously taken snapshot to a live scenario.
REPORTING
NEW REPORTING FUNCTION SUMV
The new SumV function allows for exclusion of hidden rows from a summed result, while the ability to enable the Fit to Page Width property for an image object allows for greater flexibility in report design.
Business Use Case:
This feature enables you to exclude the rows/columns that are hidden and perform the sum of a group of numeric values. This can be useful when you have conditional suppression on the report and want the result to exclude the hidden rows/columns.
E.g. Using SumV to calculate Year-to-Go budget (remaining budget of the year) by summing Column 1 to Column 12 (Jan to Dec). Once we progress to the next month when actual replaced budget, the SumV formula will automatically exclude Jan (Column 1 which is now hidden as replaced by actual) and sum up the remaining 11 months of budget. The formula will remain the same and does not require adjustments as we move through to the next 10 months, and only calculate the unhidden rows (i.e. budget months).
FCCS
NEW PERFORMANCE SUBSTITUTION VARIABLES
Oracle is demonstrating their commitment to improving performance in FCC by providing substitution variables such as OptimizeConcurrency, OptimizePelimCalculation, EnableYearlyConsol, ParallelCustomDimDSO, and ParallelCustomDimTranslation, that can be enabled to enhance the performance of the consolidation process.
Business Use Case:
By utilising these variables, users can see significant improvements in performance and better optimise their consolidation processes. For example, the OptimizeConcurrency substitution variable improves concurrency of the consolidation process by executing some of the calculations at the very beginning or at the end. While the degree of improvement depends on the entity structure, users with deeper entity hierarchies will benefit the most.
For multi-period consolidations, you can enable to EnableYearlyConsol substitution variable to improve performance in applications that use the Dense/Sparse Optimization option.
CALCULATION MANAGER RULE VALIDATION WARNINGS
A new script validator is available for Calculation Manager diagnostics that can identify potential performance issues in Financial Consolidation and Close Configurable Calculations or On-Demand rules. The validator provides warnings and suggestions that you can download, review and implement.
Business Use Case:
Implementing the script validator recommendations can help Configurable Calculations or On-Demand rules run faster and with fewer errors.
METADATA VALIDATION ENHANCEMENTS
The Metadata Validation process has been enhanced with new validations. The system now checks for these conditions:
Under FCCS_OpeningBalance, the aggregation operator is always Addition
The FCCS_OpeningBalance member is not shared in the Closing Balance Hierarchy
Each Entity has a corresponding S_member in the Data Source dimension (when Ownership Management is enabled)
Children of a Parent member with the Label Only data storage property do not aggregate (for Account, Movement and Data Source dimensions only)
The data storage property is correct for Level Zero Intercompany dimension members
Business Use Case:
The metadata validation warnings alert you to potential issues with aggregation operators, data storage properties, and other issues that may impact performance.
DATA DISCOVERY ENHANCEMENTS
When you run Data Discovery, the Notes output file will now contain the results of a check for Intercompany Account and Plug Account attributes in an Elimination scenario. The Notes file also contains Metadata Validation errors in the Observation section and displays a Metadata Validation error count in the Metadata section.
Business Use Case:
The Data Discovery process now contains additional information about Intercompany and Plug Account attributes and Metadata Validation errors that help you diagnose and resolve potential calculation issues.
TASK MANAGER
NEW SECURITY FEATURES IN TASK MANAGER
The new application-specific roles in Task Manager provide more control over who has access to what within the tool, improving security and reducing the risk of unauthorised changes or data breaches. This feature can also help businesses streamline their processes by ensuring that only authorised users have access to necessary features, improving overall productivity and efficiency.
Business Use Case:
With this new feature, you can now assign specific roles to authorised users. E.g. a user such as a Reporting Specialist can be assigned the Task Manager - Manage Reports role so that only this user has access to reports related tasks. And similarly, other Task Manager roles can be assigned to the appropriate users, thereby improving security and internal controls of the month end processes.
SMART VIEW BROWSER EXTENSION
NEW CHROME AND EDGE BROWSER EXTENSION
An updated Smart View browser extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge is available and is necessary for Smart View to interact with browser-based EPM Cloud business processes. It is available in the Chrome Web Store and required for users with Chrome or Edge as their default browser.
Note that from January 1, 2023, the earlier version of the browser extension does not work with Chrome or Edge. You must update your extension in order to continue interactions between Smart View and browser-based business processes in EPM Cloud.
UPCOMING: NEW VERSION OF ORACLE SMART VIEW FOR OFFICE
Oracle Smart View for Office version 23.100 is tentatively planned to be available for download in calendar year late Q1 / early Q2 (safe harbor applies) from My Oracle Support and Oracle Technical Resources (formerly Oracle Technology Network).
The following new features are included:
Compatibility of Forms and Ad Hoc Grids Between Smart View and Smart View (Mac and Browser)
Search for Forms and Other Artifacts in Smart View
Freeze Row and Column Headers Using Smart View Options
New Smart View Options for Formatting Numbers, including:
Increased number of decimal places
Multiple formats for displaying negative numbers
Custom format for numbers
Load Pages on Demand for Opening Forms Faster
Ability to Preview POV while Importing Reports
Support for Microsoft Office Themes (Including Dark Theme)
New VBA: HypGetErrorInfo
Business Use Case:
These updates provide enhanced functionality and improve the user experience.